"How dare you be so disrespectful!" Qingci's eyes narrowed slightly, displaying the imposing manner of a palace lady-in-waiting. Lüfu froze in shock, but Zhou Yu was not frightened. She covered her reddened face and lunged at Qingci with bared teeth and claws: "You lowly servant, how dare you talk to me about disrespect! I'll tear you apart!"

Immediately, chaos erupted at the entrance of Jiaoniang Pavilion. Gu Nanjiao, who had heard the commotion, came out from inside.

"Oh dear, what's going on? Why are they fighting?" Gu Nanjiao and Lü Siniang quickly tried to break up the fight. The number of customers at Jiaoniang Pavilion did not decrease but increased, although a large portion of them were just there to watch the excitement.

As Zhou Yu was being pulled away, she didn't forget to kick Qing Ci, cursing, "You lowly servant, how dare you act so high and mighty in front of me! Even your parents would have to kneel down in front of me if they came."

With her hair disheveled and her lip cut, Qingci covered her face and shouted, "I am the lady-in-waiting of the Crown Prince's concubine. Hitting me is insubordination. Hitting me is slapping the Crown Prince's concubine in the face. You are defying the imperial law, and your crime is unforgivable."

Gu Nanjiao raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this the little maid who had mocked her at the Emperor's birthday banquet? She was always so arrogant, even when she was with Zhou Wan.

She followed Zhou Wan in framing her and even tripped her up.

With a thud, Lü Fu knelt down on the ground, tugging at Qing Ci's sleeve and pleading, "Sister Qing Ci, my young lady acted impulsively. Please don't tell the Crown Prince's concubine."

After calming down, Zhou Yu was also a little scared. She had acted too impulsively and forgotten Zhou Wan's status. She was no longer a concubine's daughter who needed to rely on others, but a rank-holding concubine of the Crown Prince. Even Qingci was a rank-holding female official.

She stole so many things from Zhou Wan before, I wonder if she will take this opportunity to settle her personal score.

Seeing Zhou Yu's embarrassed expression, as if she wanted to escape, Qing Ci became extremely arrogant: "Just you wait, even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. Hitting me is like hitting the Crown Prince's concubine, it's like slapping the Crown Prince's face."

Gu Nanjiao snorted coldly and slowly said, "The Crown Prince's concubine's lackey dares to abuse his power and beat up the Crown Prince's concubine's sister at the entrance of Jiaoniang Pavilion?"

After a pause, Gu Nanjiao glanced at Qingci and said disdainfully, "Everyone says that the Crown Prince's concubine values ​​loyalty the most. How dare you beat her sister? Who gave you the guts? Does the Crown Prince's concubine not like her sister? Or is it that you can't stand Minister Zhou and, relying on the Crown Prince's power, beat up the third young lady of the Zhou family? You've not only slapped Minister Zhou's face, but also Consort Yue's face!"

"You!" Qingci choked, not knowing how to retort. When she saw Gu Nanjiao, she said with a look of disgust, "Who do we have here? It's Madam Lu. Why don't you be a proper official's wife and instead run a shop here?"

"This is my business. What's there to say to a mere servant like you? A servant bullying others with her power? Our Jiaoniang Pavilion won't do business with you. Get out!"

"You just wait!" Qingci's face turned red and white in turns, her chest heaving with anger. She angrily flicked her sleeves and left.

Gu Nanjiao didn't even glance at Zhou Yu before turning and leaving.

She wasn't helping Zhou Yu; that girl was arrogant and had no respect for her. She didn't want to deal with her at all.

"Why are you helping me?" Zhou Yu's voice came from behind. Gu Nanjiao stopped in her tracks. "I'm not helping you. I'm just venting my anger. If Miss Zhou wants to have her clothes made, go to the back of the line."

She simply couldn't stand the porcelain, and also wanted revenge for tripping her up at the emperor's birthday banquet.

I tripped over her last time, and my elbow is still aching slightly.

And then there's Zhou Wan. She had no grudge against her, yet she still tried to harm her at the emperor's birthday banquet.

Zhou Yu was stunned for a while, then, with the help of Lv Fu, obediently went to the back of the line.

Zhou Yu's concubine was favored and had plenty of money. She used the money to bribe the people in front of her in line, and soon it was her turn.

Gu Nanjiao had just finished taking measurements for the previous customer when she saw Zhou Yu and said irritably, "Get in line!"

She's rich and powerful now, she won't fawn over Zhou Yu.

I don't care who it is!

"I didn't cut in line, I paid for the spot." Zhou Yu chuckled, the five-finger mark on his face becoming more and more obvious, making him look somewhat comical and cute.

Gu Nanjiao didn't say anything. Just like with the previous customer, she diligently took the measurements and took out the design drawings of the Flowing Fairy Dress for Zhou Yu to choose from.

Upon seeing the flowing fairy dress in the drawing, Zhou Yu's eyes lit up, and he waved his hand, saying, "I want them all, money is no object."

Gu Nanjiao then beamed with joy: "Alright, Third Miss, I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the Flowing Fairy Dress I make."

Zhou Yu beckoned to Lü Fu, who respectfully handed over a stack of silver notes. Zhou Yu blinked and asked, "Is this enough?"

Gu Nanjiao counted it and found it to be about a thousand taels. She found it unbelievable that a mere concubine's daughter could be so wealthy and generous, spending a thousand taels at a time.

Seemingly sensing Gu Nanjiao's thoughts, Zhou Yu patiently explained, "My maternal grandparents' family is the richest in the world. They may not have much else, but they have a lot of money."

It was precisely because of this that Zhou Yu's concubine was able to maintain her favor, which infuriated the First Madam, who would punish her whenever she had the chance.

Unfortunately, Zhou Yu's aunt was brainless and lacked cunning. If it weren't for her family's wealth, she would probably have lost her life long ago.

...

When Qingci saw Zhou Wan, she covered her swollen face and began to cry and complain, adding her own embellishments along the way.

"Your Majesty, you must stand up for me! The Third Miss said that you are just a concubine's daughter and have no concubine to support you, so you can beat me however you want. She also said... she also said that she would sell me and my parents."

"And they even said that even if the eldest young lady becomes the crown prince's concubine, she must always give in to her. Whatever she wants, the eldest young lady must give it to her, otherwise... otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise, your position as a concubine will be in jeopardy!"

Bang-

The fine porcelain vase with a hundred cups shattered instantly, and Zhou Yu flew into a rage, smashing everything else in the palace.

"Outrageous! Just as a dog shouldn't be overfed, a person shouldn't be too kind to her. Now she's really taking advantage of my kindness and trying to step on my head."

Qingci quickly advised, "Your Highness, please don't fall. If the Crown Prince finds out, who knows how he'll blame you? We need to think things through carefully. The fact that the Third Miss still dares to step on your head is largely due to her concubine. Your Highness should write a letter to the First Madam and ask her to secretly deal with that concubine."

Zhou Wan stopped and sat down on the soft stool. Her chest was still heaving with anger, and her delicate face was covered in frost.

How dare Zhou Yu step on her face and steal her things when she is now a concubine of the Crown Prince?

"How are the clothes from Jiaoniang Pavilion? How many have you ordered?" Zhou Wan took a few sips of tea to calm herself down before looking up at Qingci and asking.

Qingci pursed her lips and said cautiously, "Your Highness, the manager of that Jiaoniang Pavilion is Madam Lu." After secretly observing Zhou Wan's reaction, Qingci stammered, "That Madam Lu and the Third Miss are in cahoots. Not only has she ruined your reputation, Consort, but she also said she will never do business with us again."