Speaking of which, this was the second time Nanny Liu had met Qi Yue, though the first time Qi Yue had hidden away in shock from being newly arrived, only hearing her voice without seeing her face.

“In response to Young Madam’s question, a few maids were somehow making a commotion here, and this old servant boldly took the liberty of administering some discipline.” Nanny Liu looked at that woman over there and recalled the hanging drama from that day, unable to hide several traces of contempt on her face.

A’Hao was huffing angrily, about to speak, when A’Ru pulled her down.

“Made a mistake?” Qi Yue slapped the door and said, “This dead girl, the moment I’m not watching she causes trouble for me. Why don’t you get inside and go to the room to face the wall and reflect on your mistakes!”

A’Hao still wanted to say something, but was pulled up by A’Ru. They responded with a “yes” and lowered their heads as they went inside.

Look at that! Hadn’t they been saying these two maids were now acting superior by relying on their backing? How come they couldn’t even say half a word in defense? Sure enough, with the Prince about to return home, they didn’t dare make a fuss, afraid of provoking the Great Madam and being found fault with, unable to maintain their standing before the Prince when the time came. Nanny Liu exchanged glances with several women servants, secretly curling her lips in disdain.

“Then this old servant…” Nanny Liu was about to speak and leave.

“Ah, you’ve come at just the right time, help me tidy up some things…” Qi Yue suddenly said, interrupting Nanny Liu’s words.

Nanny Liu and the others were startled.

“Originally, Young Madam’s orders cannot be disobeyed, but we’re currently busy. I’ll go find you a maid…” she hurriedly said with a smile.

“No need, it’s just a matter of lending a hand. Didn’t Nanny also say the maids are all busy?” Qi Yue smiled, waving her fan. “Perhaps I can no longer command Nanny now?”

Nanny Liu forced a smile. If this Young Madam had been cold and harsh in her torment, she herself would have found it easier to handle – crying and making a scene would have been options. But instead, she was all smiles and gentle words, truly leaving no room for complaint. She could only say that Madam’s words were too harsh, and led those several women servants inside.

Qi Yue directed the several women servants to first move the stone table in the courtyard, saying that under the tree it was always getting bird droppings, nearly causing those women servants to strain their backs. Then she had them bring out several pots from the kitchen, saying she wanted to draw well water to scrub them inside and out.

Was this really just lending a hand? This was clearly work for men and servant boys. Nanny Liu and the others had already started and couldn’t back out, so they had to grit their teeth and do it all. Meanwhile, Qi Yue stood to one side watching, still scolding the maids in the room.

“Look at you not knowing proper conduct, running out to fight and make trouble with others, leaving all your work undone. My temperament is good, which has increasingly spoiled you into not knowing what’s good for you. Do you take me for a blind, deaf, stupid three-year-old child? Truly, kind people get bullied and gentle horses get ridden. Seeing my good temper, everyone wants to step on me. Even if one wears good shoes and has backing, one must still weigh whether they fit properly…”

She scolded until Nanny Liu and the several women servants’ faces turned red with anger burning in their hearts.

“Young Madam, it’s all done. You see, the courtyard is busy distributing clothes, and we really don’t dare delay too long. If you have anything else that needs doing, I’ll send over some servants and maids after I go out…” she said, suppressing her anger.

“Good, good, nothing more, it’s all finished.” Qi Yue looked and smiled, while continuing to scold into the room, “Look at the trouble you two little hooves have caused, wearing out the nannies. Don’t you feel ashamed?”

“Then we’ll take our leave.” Nanny Liu didn’t want to stay here for half a step longer, didn’t want to hear or say another word, and turned to hurry away.

After they left, A’Ru opened the room door, with A’Hao poking her head out behind her, her face already red from holding back laughter, covering her mouth with her hand, afraid of laughing out loud.

“Eh, Young Madam, isn’t this the pot you used to cook chili sauce last night?” A’Hao peeked out and saw it, hurriedly asking, “Didn’t you say it needed to be heated with water on the stove and simmered to remove the oil and spice? How was it brought out too?”

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound and casually glanced over.

“Yes, I didn’t even notice. These nannies are really too honest,” she smiled.

“Young Madam, this gets on your hands and it’s very spicy, right?” A’Hao said.

“Should be,” Qi Yue nodded.

Meanwhile, Nanny Liu angrily walked out of Qiu Tong Courtyard, her face alternating between white and blue with rage.

“This Young Madam really has become like a different person…”

“Indeed, before she would act like a thief when seeing people, but now look at her – smiling and talking to us, speaking so smoothly without even a single stutter…”

“Could it really be that the Old Madam…”

The servants behind were discussing in low voices. Nanny Liu couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

“Enough, stop gossiping,” she turned back and snapped.

The servants quickly lowered their heads and fell silent.

“This Young Madam’s ambitions are not small,” Nanny Liu said angrily, while once again looking back at the isolated Qiu Tong Courtyard, habitually raising her hand to touch her forehead. “The closer the Prince’s return home gets, the more spirited she becomes.”

As her hand passed over her forehead, she remembered the work they had just done. In her haste to leave, she hadn’t washed her hands, and in her anger hadn’t noticed what oily substance had gotten on them. She unconsciously shook her hand in front of her face, and immediately felt a pungent spiciness hit her nose, tears streaming down instantly.

“Oh my, Nanny Liu, what’s this… this isn’t necessary…”

“Don’t be like this, after all we are servants, who hasn’t suffered their master’s temper…”

“Yes, this master hasn’t acted like a master for a long time, but ultimately speaking, her status isn’t low. We shouldn’t feel wronged, don’t cry…”

The other women servants chattered as they hurried to comfort her, taking out handkerchiefs to wipe Nanny Liu’s tears, only making her cry even more furiously.

“I’m not crying, there’s something on my hands…” she said through tears, not daring to use her hands to hold the handkerchief to wipe her tears, as wiping only made it spicier.

Hearing her say this, the women servants all hurried to look at their own hands, some even putting them near their noses to sniff, and immediately they all started crying along with Nanny Liu.

“This chili pepper is really good stuff, yet you all don’t eat it, only using it as decoration for plating. What a waste,” Qi Yue said while arranging the chili sauce she had prepared yesterday in the kitchen, shaking her head and sighing.

When she first inquired about seasonings, there was surprisingly no chili pepper. She thought this foreign species hadn’t been introduced yet. Later, the next day she found one in the basket, and when she asked about it, the two maids didn’t know what it was called. They said it was used for decorating cold dishes because it looked nice. Only then did Qi Yue realize it had already been brought in, just that not many people ate it yet. So she urged A’Hao to go to the kitchen and gather a whole basket, adding meat to make chili sauce.

For A’Hao and others who weren’t used to eating spicy food and had never been exposed to it, this smell was simply terrifying. They hadn’t dared enter the kitchen all night, and even early in the morning when they came out and smelled it, their throats itched and they coughed.

“Young Madam,” A’Ru entered from outside, her expression gloomy.

“Sister, how is it? Is it our turn to get clothes?” A’Hao hurriedly asked.

They had known several days ago that the public clothes were finished, with everyone in the household, old and young, having a set. A’Hao couldn’t help but wait by the door every day for the call.

“Still need to ask? Of course not,” Qi Yue smiled.

A’Hao still hopefully looked at A’Ru, who sighed and lowered her head.

“They said according to old precedent, Young Madam, you’ve been ill for those years and none were made, so…” she said in a low voice.

“The past is the past, but now the Prince is returning. How can Young Madam not have any?” A’Hao said with wide eyes. “It’s clearly just bullying! I’ll go find them…”

“Wait,” Qi Yue called out to stop her. “You’re not allowed to go.”

“Young Madam…” A’Hao called out indignantly.

“You girl, you suffered a loss today and still haven’t figured it out?” Qi Yue smiled, clapping her hands as she walked out of the kitchen. “Quite a few people are watching us, waiting to pick fights and stir up trouble.”

“Young Madam, Xiao Zhuan and the others are from Concubine Zhu’s courtyard and are very close to Su Mei. It should be because of last time’s incident that they deliberately made trouble with me. It’s not targeting Young Madam…” A’Hao hurriedly said.

Qi Yue looked at her with a smile, raising her hand as if to poke her with a finger.

A’Hao, afraid of the spiciness, quickly covered her face and dodged.

“Silly child, hitting the child to show the mother – if they dare target you, naturally it’s for me, this master, to see,” Qi Yue smiled.

“Then… is it Madam?” A’Ru bit her lower lip and said in a low voice.

“Whoever it is, anyway the target is us. During this period, we need to avoid the storm,” Qi Yue said, while rolling up her sleeves. A’Hao brought over a water basin for her to wash her hands. “What clothes, what meals – if we don’t have them, we don’t have them. If there’s less, there’s less. As long as they don’t point at our noses and scold us to our faces, however they want to torment us, let them. We’ll just close our doors and ignore them.”

Though A’Hao seemed to understand only half, following the principle of listening to Young Madam in everything, she nodded and agreed.

“I understand. I won’t cause trouble for Young Madam,” she said solemnly.

Qi Yue smiled and let her dry her hands. A’Hao cheerfully poured out the water and carefully closed the main door.

“Is it that Madam doesn’t want Young Madam to go out?” Following Qi Yue into the room, A’Ru, who had been silent, said in a low voice.

“If she wanted me to be her daughter-in-law, she wouldn’t have kept me confined here for three years. Still need to ask?” Qi Yue said.

“Then what does Madam want? Does she want to confine Young Madam for a lifetime?” A’Ru said, tears already welling up in her eyes.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry, it’s fine, it’s fine. We’re people, not animals. How could she confine us for a lifetime? We have hands and feet,” Qi Yue hurriedly smiled, tossing over a handkerchief to her. “What I mean is, let’s go along with her for now, don’t crash head-on into her gun barrel. The Prince is returning, what reason could a mother-in-law have to never let husband and wife meet? A few days later is just a few days later.”

A’Ru took the handkerchief to wipe her tears, nodded, and looked at Qi Yue with joy in her eyes again.

“Young Madam, it’s good that you can think this way,” she said.

In the past, Young Madam knew nothing but crying. If people gave her even a slightly cold look, she would become disheartened and harbor no hope at all. But look at now – the smile on Young Madam’s face never faded, as if no matter how big the matter was, it wasn’t a problem in front of her.

Wonderful! So many people didn’t want her to see her own husband. Qi Yue contentedly leaned against the beauty couch, truly heaven was fulfilling her wishes. However, if she could leave this place and return to modern times, that would be even more heaven-fulfilling.

Qi Yue looked up at the roof beams. How exactly could she go back? Could it be that she needed to hang herself again? She sighed and slowly closed her eyes.

A’Ru quietly retreated, not disturbing Young Madam’s rest.

In the summer afternoon, Qiu Tong Courtyard was completely peaceful.