Chapter 29 Compensation Chu Yixin's eyes lit up suddenly, and she quickly covered them...

Chu Yixin's eyes lit up suddenly, and she quickly covered her chest.

Life has truly been full of ups and downs!

He suppressed his smile, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards his taciturn master.

The man's brows furrowed slightly...

Chu Yixin's heart skipped a beat; it was too late to stop it.

"No need, I don't need any maids to serve me."

Chu Yixin: "..."

Jiang Zhuoying was still hunched over; she had already prepared herself for this.

The girl kneeling in the center of the study did not get up for a long time. After a few breaths, the familiar cold voice rang out above Jiang Zhuoying's head again: "Step back first."

Step back?

Jiang Zhuoying raised her head slightly. Her red eyes and her pitiful expression as she swallowed her tears were all signs of her long-planned actions.

"It wasn't you."

She breathed a sigh of relief and then lowered her head again.

After the other two people in the room left, Jiang Zhuoying's lowered vision came into view of the crane-patterned hem of her dress getting closer and closer.

The cool, agarwood scent became increasingly intense.

“Raise your head.”

The girl gripped the light pink hem of her dress tightly with her two slender hands and slowly raised her head.

Qi Fan stared blankly at the melon seed-shaped noodles in front of him, expressionless.

She was already beautiful, and this look of biting her lip and desperately holding back tears added a touch of stubbornness to her charm.

It's so captivating that you can't take your eyes off it.

If it were someone else standing in front of her, they would probably have lost their composure long ago.

But the man in front of her still had this indifferent look.

Jiang Zhuoying always kept in mind the eight-character mantra she had set for herself.

She is obedient, gentle, kind, and considerate.

Why must I become this personal maid?

Jiang Zhuoying only glanced at him before hurriedly looking away.

The man's gaze was too sharp; she couldn't understand a thing about it, and even felt completely exposed.

"Your Highness, I only wish to do my best to repay your kindness and serve you."

She stared at his lapel as she spoke.

"I have never had a personal maidservant." He said in the same tone, as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary.

Jiang Zhuoying secretly pouted. She would have believed these words to some extent before, but she had seen the woman dressed as a maid today.

The girl pouted, her voice soft and delicate: "It's one thing for Your Highness to find me clumsy, but why did you have to lie to me?"

The man's usually expressionless face showed a rare frown: "A lie?"

Jiang Zhuoying nodded: "That's right, I just noticed that Your Highness has other maids here."

As she spoke, she turned her head slightly to look in the direction outside the house.

It was obvious that she was referring to Ah Liu.

The man remained silent.

Seeing his silence, Jiang Zhuoying assumed she was right.

She then reiterated her loyalty: "I can learn anything I don't know. I just want to serve Your Highness every day."

The man glanced at her again, his expression softening slightly: "Your original job was just feeding Zhuozhuo, what's wrong with being leisurely and carefree?"

See? They're questioning her motives again.

Fortunately, her suspicious man was prepared!

Jiang Zhuoying shook her head and stammered, "No, it's not good. I was kicked out of Miss Jiang's place because I didn't do my job well."

"Now, the woman he loves is none other than Miss Jiang's personal maid. He says that the woman is quick and skillful and is deeply loved by Miss Jiang."

"...This is my shortcoming, and I want to make up for it."

Look at the reasons she prepared; they are truly impeccable!

Jiang Zhuoying waited confidently for the man to agree.

Unexpectedly, the man, whose expression had just softened, suddenly turned dark again.

"Just for this reason?"

"ah?"

Jiang Zhuoying was stung by his icy voice, and felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn't help but look up.

"go out."

The two short words carried an unquestionable tone.

Tears welled in the girl's eyes, as if she was terrified by him. She nodded repeatedly, "Your Highness, please forgive me. This servant will take her leave now."

Then she hurriedly stood up from the ground, and in her hasty departure, you could still see her raising her arm to wipe away tears.

Although Jiang Zhuoying was dissatisfied and didn't know what had gone wrong, being obedient and well-behaved was the most important thing at the moment.

She wiped away her tears and returned to her room.

As soon as the girl stepped across the threshold, Chu Yixin hurriedly returned to her study.

He had prepared a whole host of heartfelt words, but as soon as he entered the door, he saw his master's unfriendly expression.

"Sir? What's wrong?"

Did Jiang girl make the master angry?

That can't be right. That girl is timid and obedient. How could she have such abilities?

In other words, there was a reason why the master made her cry.

"You go out too."

Chu Yixin was taken aback, then immediately bowed and said, "Yes."

*

Jiang Zhuoying rubbed her eyes and returned to her room, only to find the maid who had been in the main room waiting for her inside.

Her eyes widened immediately, and she stepped forward: "What's this?"

The woman curtsied to her: "This servant is A-Liu, and I am here on my master's orders to take care of you, young lady."

Jiang Zhuoying: "…………?"

"Wh-what?"

Isn't she just a maid now?

Do maids need to be taken care of by other maids?

Ah Liu's expression remained unchanged: "This servant follows the master's orders in everything, so please don't worry about it, young lady."

"By the way, I just swept and cleaned this room. Do the clothes in that basket need to be washed?"

Jiang Zhuoying followed her gaze to her own clothes basket: "This..."

She looked away and carefully examined Ah Liu in front of her.

Ah Liu has a slightly dark complexion, but he looks capable and lean.

“Miss, there’s no need to feel embarrassed. There are no other maids in the courtyard. I also have to wash my own clothes. Besides, taking care of you is my job.”

Ah Liu speaks very quickly and his meaning is very straightforward, without any beating around the bush or hinting.

Jiang Zhuoying nodded slightly: "Okay, okay."

"But you don't need to refer to yourself as a servant in front of me anymore, we are all the same."

She brought this up specifically, partly to try and build a good relationship with her, and partly to avoid making her overthink things.

Ah Liu paused for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded solemnly: "Yes."

Ah Liu carried the clothes basket out, while Jiang Zhuoying sat on a round chair in the hall, with rose tea that Ah Liu had brewed for her beside her.

She had been drinking hot water for the past few days since she arrived, and this was the first time she had ever had hot tea.

The second prince is stubborn and has a strange temper; I don't know what I did to offend him just now...

Just when things seemed to be going well, unexpected changes suddenly occurred, which really bothered her.

"Why……"

...

Although Jiang Zhuoying's plan to get close to the Second Prince and become his personal maid failed, Zhuozhuo still had to be fed dinner.

She went to the fishpond right at mealtime, but it was empty; the Second Prince wasn't there.

"Why……"

Jiang Zhuoying patted Zhuozhuo's head: "Why is your master so unapproachable?"

Zhuozhuo excitedly wagged its tail at her, swimming back and forth in front of her...

The bright red and festive decorations cheered Jiang Zhuoying up considerably.

"Miss Jiang? Are you feeding Zhuozhuo again?"

The girl squatting by the pool turned around and smiled back, "Brother Zhao?"

Her gaze shifted downwards, and she noticed that the man was holding several ceramic tea canisters.

Jiang Zhuoying tilted her head, gesturing to the tea canister in his hand: "Brother Zhao, you took so much tea?"

Zhao Xiping took two steps forward and carefully explained to her, "Miss Jiang, you've misunderstood. These tea canisters are all empty; we're going to pick osmanthus flowers."

"Picking osmanthus flowers?"

Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback. She glanced at the sky and said, "But it's almost evening."

"Hehe, judging from the sky, there might be a heavy rain tonight. The osmanthus flowers are blooming beautifully, and I want to pick them all before the rain."

Jiang Zhuoying knew about the osmanthus trees in the villa; they were planted in a corner of the yard, and there weren't many of them.

But Zhao Xiping had told her that the Second Prince valued these trees very much, and that in addition to his daily sweeping, he would also take care of these osmanthus trees.

With just a little thought, Jiang Zhuoying already knew why the Second Prince valued these trees.

This must be because of Consort Wan.

She put away the porcelain spoon and stood up: "Brother Zhao, please wait a moment. Shall I go with you?"

Zhao Xiping is a helpful person, and he has helped her a lot these past few days.

This is a small matter; we should reciprocate.

Besides, she had already fed Zhuozhuo her dinner.

"Then thank you very much, Miss Jiang."

Zhao Xiping touched the back of his neck and thanked him. He did not refuse, because it was indeed a good thing to have more people help him at that moment.

Jiang Zhuoying returned the food box to the kitchen and then went with Zhao Xiping to pick osmanthus flowers.

The osmanthus trees in the detached courtyard are not like the osmanthus groves that grow in large swathes; they are only planted in two corners of the backyard.

Jiang Zhuoying counted them; there were six in total.

“Miss Jiang, please wait here for a moment while I go and fetch the wooden ladder.”

Jiang Zhuoying nodded: "Okay, Brother Zhao, you go ahead."

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhao Xiping returned, bringing not only a wooden ladder but also a piece of cloth.

The two spread the cloth under the tree, and then Jiang Zhuoying climbed up the wooden ladder, while Zhao Xiping held the ladder for her from below.

Jiang Zhuoying stretched out her arm and gently shook the branch, causing a whole bunch of osmanthus flowers to fall from the tree.

This was the first time she had done something like this, and she found it quite novel.

She couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile, then lowered her head and asked, "Is this okay?"

"Yes, Miss Jiang did an excellent job."

Zhao Xiping replied with a simple smile.

The osmanthus blossoms fall like rain, creating a joyful and harmonious scene that is pleasing to the eye.

If others saw this, they would surely smile, but behind the carved window railings of the main room, the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Chu Yixin secretly rubbed her temples. If she had known this would happen, why did her master keep such a stern face and be so stubborn?

Why bother?

He sighed inwardly; it seemed the road ahead was still long.

'Rumble~'

A faint rumble of thunder sounded overhead, and Zhao Xiping's expression immediately turned serious: "Miss Jiang, we need to hurry."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded: "Okay."

As she spoke, she lowered her head and quickened her movements.

...

Behind the carved window railing, faint footsteps gradually approached.

"master."

Chu Yixin nodded to A Liu, giving a silent greeting.

The man stood with his head slightly turned to the side, his expression indifferent.

"It's all done. I've taken all the clothes out of Miss Jiang's closet. I'm clumsy and strong, so I might ruin them while washing them."

Chu Yixin's pupils widened instantly: "?"

"Yes, I know what to do next?" The man's voice was flat.

"This servant understands."

After saying this, Ah Liu curtsied and withdrew.

Chu Yixin felt completely relaxed. How long was the road? It was just a matter of seeing the sky!

Shortly after Ah Liu left, a light rain began to fall outside the window.

Like cow hairs, the raindrops fell on Jiang Zhuoying's face, feeling slightly cold, but not unbearable.

“Miss Jiang, it’s raining. Why don’t you go back first? Young ladies are delicate and may catch a cold if you get wet in the rain.”

Jiang Zhuoying wiped her face and shook her head: "It's alright, the rain is still light and there's only one tree left."

...

The man standing behind the window grew increasingly cold, and his expression finally changed when he saw the girl slip and almost fall off the wooden ladder.

Jiang Zhuoying clutched her chest, still shaken. When she spoke again, she stammered, "Thank you so much, Brother Zhao."

Fortunately, he immediately steadied the wooden ladder, otherwise he would have definitely fallen down.

"You can come down now, I'll take care of the rest."

Zhao Xiping frowned, his expression somewhat serious. If Miss Jiang really fell, it would be a loss that outweighed the gains.

Just then, the osmanthus blossoms on the tree had been almost completely picked. Jiang Zhuoying nodded and carefully descended the wooden ladder, holding onto the support.

She had barely set foot on solid ground when she saw Eunuch Chu leading several servants not far away.

"Jiang girl, there's nothing for you here, go back first."

Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback, but upon seeing the servant behind her, she knew that he was the one who had come to help.

With them around, she was no longer needed.

The girl nodded obediently: "Alright, thank you for your help, Eunuch Chu. Then this servant will go back to my room first."

Chu Yixin forced a smile, intending to tell her that this was her master's order.

But with a group of servants surrounding him, this wasn't the time to say such things.

So he could only nod and agree.

Jiang Zhuoying turned around and nodded to Zhao Xiping: "Brother Zhao, I'll be going now."

"Take care, Miss Jiang."

These two short sentences made Chu Yixin's face turn pale.

Jiang Zhuoying returned to her room, where A Liu had prepared water for her. She took a comfortable bath before settling back onto the couch.

Meanwhile, Chu Yixin was reporting back in her study.

...

"I don't know why, but when did this Jiang girl become so close to Zhao Xiping?"

“Master, you didn’t see it, but Jiang girl keeps calling Zhao Brother, they seem so close.”

The man behind the desk pursed his thin lips, his gaze fixed on the military treatise in his hands, though he hadn't touched it in a long time.

With a 'thud,' he threw the book onto the table, then pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Have her come to work tomorrow."

The seemingly random sentence immediately changed Chu Yixin's expression, and she burst into laughter.

"Okay!"

"Since she's so free, and even though she has nothing to do, she still likes to find something to do, then let's arrange some more tasks for her."

The man's face was cold, and his words made the eunuch beside him twitch his lips incessantly.

"This servant understands, I will inform Jiang girl immediately!"

*

Jiang Zhuoying had already closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep, when she was awakened by the sounds of conversation outside.

She listened intently for a while and recognized that it was Eunuch Chu's voice.

Ah Liu was also inside. Jiang Zhuoying assumed he had come looking for Ah Liu, so she didn't intend to get up.

But after a while, Ah Liu actually walked to the outside of her bed curtains.

“Miss Jiang? Eunuch Chu only said one word when he came, saying that the master wants you to be on duty tomorrow morning.”

"On duty?"

Jiang Zhuoying frowned, still half asleep.

“Indeed, didn’t you say earlier that you wanted to be a maidservant to your master? Have you changed your mind? Then I’ll go and talk to Eunuch Chu about it right away.”

"Hey, hey, wait a minute!"

Jiang Zhuoying suddenly sat up: "A-Liu, wait a minute, I haven't changed my mind. You just said... His Highness agreed to let me be his personal maid?"

The girl's hands lifted the bed curtains from the center, revealing a beautiful face that beamed with excitement.

Ah Liu nodded blankly: "Yes, I agree."

She was puzzled. This... her master's intentions towards Miss Jiang were not what they seemed.

What kind of rabbit would willingly go out of its way to be eaten?

Although there were many maids in this wealthy family who wanted to sleep with him, Eunuch Chu had already told Jiang about her background.

Thus she also knew that Miss Jiang was not that kind of person.

She hesitated for a few moments, but still told the cheerful girl in front of her what Chu Yixin had just told her.

"The master prefers quiet, and when he is in his study, he must not be disturbed..."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded and wrote them down one by one.

She's almost there. As long as she performs her duties well and gains the Second Prince's trust, she'll have the chance to overhear those secret conversations in the future!

Early the next morning.

Jiang Zhuoying opened the top cabinet and was immediately taken aback.

Why are all the clothes in here so full?

Yesterday, she put all the clothes she had taken from Xiangyue into the compartment, and she clearly remembered that it wasn't even half full.

She picked one out at random. The fabric felt soft and smooth to the touch, with fine stitches and an extremely repetitive peacock pattern.

The color of this embroidery thread suggests it is quite valuable.

Just then, Ah Liu came over and said, "Miss Jiang, I... made a mistake when I was washing clothes yesterday, and I ruined your clothes."

Jiang Zhuoying: "?"

She turned around, clutching the pink cloak in her hands, her face full of disbelief: "Did you ruin it?"

"Everything... is broken?"

Ah Liu lowered his head: "It's all my fault. I wasn't watching over the clothes when they were drying yesterday, and somehow the mastiff that the gatekeeper keeps got out..."

Jiang Zhuoying remained silent: "..."

She had seen the mastiff kept by the gatekeeper once; it was chained up and was said to have been a gift from the emperor to the second prince, originating from the Western Regions.

It certainly looks fierce; tearing clothes apart must be an extremely simple matter for it.

I don't know why it's targeting my clothes.

Jiang Zhuoying glanced at the bottom of the cabinet, where she had placed her rabbit fur boots.

The rabbit fur boots are still here today, but they are no longer the same pair as yesterday.

A whole row of embroidered shoes, the uppers embroidered with different patterns, including lotus flowers, begonia flowers, and so on...

The lining is made of both rabbit hair and fine lambskin.

Ah Liu followed her gaze and then explained, "I washed the girl's shoes yesterday as well."

"Also attacked by mastiffs?" Jiang Zhuoying swallowed hard and asked tentatively.

Ah Liu looked slightly embarrassed: "No, Miss Jiang, as you know, there was a heavy rain last night, and I forgot to bring my shoes back. They're so wet that they're no longer wearable."

Jiang Zhuoying was so shocked that her mouth dropped open. She pointed to the top cabinet next to her and asked, "So all these clothes in this cabinet were prepared by you?"

Ah Liu immediately shook his head: "No, I reported the matter of the mastiff yesterday to Eunuch Chu, and Eunuch Chu said... these are compensations for you."

compensate?