"I know Mother always thought my humble status was unworthy of the Prince, but I am now officially the Princess of Ding'an. Even if Mother dislikes me, she shouldn't humiliate me like this, should she? It's only been six days since my wedding to the Prince, and Mother is already rushing to send people into our chambers. Is this deliberate provocation? Wuwuwuwu..."
Consort Dowager Fang lived a secluded life, rarely interacting with outsiders, and was not eloquent.
Upon hearing Wang Qingyao lay bare her thoughts so completely, her face flushed with embarrassment. She hastily explained, "I wasn't trying to provoke you..."
She leaned forward slightly and glanced at her head maid. The maid chimed in, "Your Highness, you misunderstand. The Consort Dowager didn't mean it that way..."
Wang Qingyao interrupted her, "Who are you?"
Her tear-streaked face suddenly composed itself as she asked this question, the trace of tears and sorrow vanishing.
The maid paused for a moment before replying, "Your servant is Yun Zhu, the head maid by the Consort Dowager's side."
Wang Qingyao then said, "Since you are but a servant, why do you presume to speak without your mistress's prompting?"
This Yun Zhu was the same maid who had told Wang Qingyao that the Consort Dowager didn't dislike her, but was merely cold in demeanor, when Wang Qingyao first met Consort Dowager Fang.
Wang Qingyao had noticed then that this maid was no ordinary servant. Although her clothes were similar to other maids', the fabric was of superior quality. Her jewelry was understated yet opulent, beyond the means of a common maid.
Furthermore, the words she had spoken on her own initiative indicated an unusual status.
What ordinary maid would dare speak such things to a future Princess? Where did she get such audacity?
Most importantly, when she spoke, Xiao Yun, who stood beside Wang Qingyao, did not find it out of place or reprimand her. This suggested that the maid had always behaved this way in the Prince's manor, with someone backing her.
Wang Qingyao's tone was gentle as she spoke, a simple, genuine question.
But Yun Zhu seemed insulted, her eyes immediately reddening, and she looked at Consort Dowager Fang with a wronged and heartbroken expression.
Consort Dowager Fang immediately became angry, "What are you saying? Although Yun Zhu is my maid, in my eyes, she is no different from my own daughter!"
Wang Qingyao let out an "Oh," and replied, "Ah, so she is still a servant. It is a blessing for a servant to be cherished by their mistress, but it is rather ridiculous to become arrogant and disregard other masters because of it."
Yun Zhu bit her lip tightly, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly pitiful.
Consort Dowager Fang stood up abruptly. This was too much. To reprimand her maid in her own courtyard, did this newly married daughter-in-law have any respect for her as a mother-in-law? Clearly, children without parents are uncultured and lack all decorum!
Consort Dowager Fang was furious, her anger evident on her face.
The maids serving in the hall were terrified; the Consort Dowager had never lost her temper like this before!
They secretly glanced at Wang Qingyao from the corner of their eyes. Oh dear, the Princess was crying!
"Mother truly dislikes me," Wang Qingyao said, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Tears came readily, "It's just a maid, and Mother is getting angry with me over her. Anyone would think she's the mistress! I, the dignified Princess of Ding'an, am not even as good as a mere maid..."
Wang Qingyao cried with increasing sorrow, half her handkerchief becoming soaked.
Consort Dowager Fang was clearly unaccustomed to her powerful display of crying and became somewhat flustered. Her anger subsided, and she said awkwardly, "Let's talk properly. What's with all this crying?"
Unexpectedly, Wang Qingyao cried even louder, "Mother is bullying me, and you won't even let me cry?"
Consort Dowager Fang was utterly bewildered: When did I bully you?
Wang Qingyao cried for a while in Jingwu Courtyard, then walked all the way back to Kangping Courtyard, still weeping.
After all, Xiao Yun had told her she didn't need to feign affection with Consort Dowager Fang.
All the maids and servants in the manor saw her. Crying so sorrowfully, how much grievance must she have suffered?
Upon returning to Kangping Courtyard, Wang Qingyao closed her door and continued to cry for a while longer. Eventually, the crying became less genuine, turning into dry sobs.
Yinzhu wrung out a handkerchief to wash her face, while Zhizi carefully poured her honey water to soothe her throat.
As she drank, she regretted, "This peppermint oil is too strong; I used too much."
She had prepared it in case she felt sleepy during morning greetings, never expecting it to be useful for other purposes.
Yingtao stood by, meticulously explaining Yun Zhu's background to her.
It turned out that Yun Zhu was Consort Dowager Fang's savior.
That year, Consort Dowager Fang went to a temple to burn incense, and due to bad weather, she stayed overnight at the temple.
Who would have thought that the meditation room she stayed in would catch fire in the middle of the night?
As she was on a pilgrimage, she had few servants. Several maids and servants were too terrified to act. It was Yun Zhu, who rushed over from the neighboring building to help extinguish the fire, who rescued Consort Dowager Fang.
It was said that Yun Zhu's back was burned, and a patch of skin was damaged while saving Consort Dowager Fang.
"Consort Dowager Fang brought Miss Yun Zhu back to the manor to treat her injuries. Miss Yun Zhu's parents had passed away, and she lived with her elder brother and sister-in-law. Her brother and sister-in-law forced her to become a concubine to an old wealthy man. She went to the temple to pray for Buddha's protection. After she saved the Consort Dowager, her brother and sister-in-law naturally dared not pressure her any further. She also did not wish to return and thus sold herself into the Prince's manor, serving by the Consort Dowager's side."
"Miss Yun Zhu is nominally the Consort Dowager's maid, but in reality, she is like half a mistress and holds considerable sway in the Prince's manor. She basically manages the Consort Dowager's courtyard."
Therefore, her stepping forward to echo Consort Dowager Fang's words today was not entirely out of line. The masters of the Xiao family, out of respect for Consort Dowager Fang, treated her with considerable courtesy.
However, if Wang Qingyao insisted on pursuing the matter, she would still have a point.
Wang Qingyao was not a petty or malicious person. She came from modern times and did not believe in any difference in human rights between maids and masters.
The reason she had embarrassed Yun Zhu was because Consort Dowager Fang had first embarrassed her.
On the sixth day of their marriage, to send a concubine into her son's chambers, one would be hard-pressed to find another mother-in-law like her in the entire Shengjing!