Chapter 201 The Arrogant Granny

Half an hour later, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the Princess's mansion. Furong helped Liuye down from the carriage. Liuye politely thanked Young Master Zheng: "Thank you for seeing me off, Young Master Zheng. I will invite you for tea another day. Please take care, Young Master Zheng."

Zheng Shuang took out a folding fan from her sleeve and opened it with a swish: "Your Highness is too kind. I would like to invite Your Highness to watch a play another day. I hope Your Highness will do me the honor. The Pear Garden Hall has invited two famous actors from Jiangnan. I heard that their singing skills are superb. It is better to share the joy than to enjoy it alone, so I would like to invite Your Highness to enjoy it with me."

Liu Ye nodded perfunctorily, "Okay, I'll go when I have time. Take care, Young Master Zheng." But her babbling was unintelligible; she wasn't going at all.

Zheng Shuang quickly closed her folding fan, got into the carriage, and left with a smile as warm as a spring breeze. Watching the carriage go further and further away, Liu Ye's smile faded: "Furong, did you see the problem?"

Furong nodded and said, "I can see that the Empress Dowager wants to match you with this young master Zheng. To put it bluntly, she wants to marry you into the Zheng family."

Liu Ye also saw it, and she curled her lips with sarcasm: "Hmph! Sure enough, whoever sits in that position, even the most innocent person will not be innocent, let alone the Empress Dowager who was not innocent to begin with."

When the master and servants returned to the mansion, the courtyard was filled with maids and servants sent by the Empress Dowager. They were all there to guard the courtyard: Granny Zhang, Granny Li, Granny Wang, Granny Zhao, Granny Sun, ten maids named Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum, as well as two named Winter Insect and one named Summer Grass.

Liu Ye was annoyed just looking at them, feeling that they were sent by the Empress Dowager to spy on her. It seemed that she had to be careful at home, and she had to be careful when talking to Furong, as the walls might be overheard.

Liu Ye took a bath and went to bed. There was a nanny named Sun and a maid named Xiao Chun guarding her door. Fu Rong slept in the room next to her. Originally, Nanny Zhao wanted to stay in the room to guard her, but she refused.

She put her hands under her head, closed her eyes, and pondered. The Empress Dowager's actions might mean that her marriage with Brother Bai was in trouble. Furong said that Princess Yunxi kept stealing glances at Brother Bai. Could it be that she had taken a liking to Brother Bai? That was very possible. Brother Bai was so handsome and was now the Tiger-Taming General. It was very likely that Princess Yunxi would take a liking to him.

What should I do? What if it's true? What if the Empress Dowager issues an imperial decree to marry her off to the young master of the Zheng family? How can she refuse? If Princess Yunxi really falls for Brother Bai, and she asks the Emperor to grant them a marriage, can Brother Bai refuse? If he refuses, wouldn't that be defying the imperial decree? And defying the imperial decree means being beheaded!

Damn it! She thought that once she became Princess Wushuang and Brother Bai became General Fuhu, they would be free from all worries. She never expected that they would be led by the nose and even have their lives in the hands of others. This is unacceptable.

Lost in thought, Liu Ye drifted off to sleep. When she woke up again, it was already daylight. She sat up in bed and stretched, saying, "Oh dear, I slept so well last night, Furong."

Hearing the noise outside, Furong pushed open the door and came in: "Princess, you're awake."

Furong handed the prepared clothes to Liuye: "Princess, the Xuanwang Mansion next door has already hung up the plaque of General Bai's Mansion. General Bai just came by, but when he heard that the princess was sleeping, he went back and said he would come over later."

Upon hearing that Bai Zilin had returned, Liu Ye quickly dressed, saying, "That's wonderful! Furong, we need to be more careful with our words from now on, as the people outside are all sent by the Empress Dowager."

Furong nodded: "This servant understands."

After Liu Ye finished washing up and eating, she heard a loud thud in the backyard, like the sound of a house collapsing. What was going on? She and Fu Rong rushed to the backyard and saw that a circular archway had been carved out of the wall connecting the Princess's Mansion and the Prince Xuan's Mansion.

Bai Zilin bent down and stepped over the wall, smiling as he approached Liu Ye: "Liu Ye, what do you think? This way we won't have to go through the main gate."

Liu Ye nodded happily, but before she could even open her mouth to speak, she heard Granny Sun exclaim in alarm, "Oh dear, how can this be allowed? It's against the rules and doesn't make sense! General Bai, quickly order someone to block the wall! The Princess's residence and the General's residence are two separate families. How can you open a door in the wall? Princess, if the Emperor and Empress Dowager find out, they will blame you!"

Liu Ye rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. "Granny Sun, you're talking too much. The Princess's Mansion is my home, and I'm in charge of what I do. I can open doors in the walls whenever I want, and neither the Emperor nor the Empress Dowager can stop me. Besides, Brother Bai is my fiancé. Sooner or later, our two families will become one. So stop gossiping. Don't forget, your indentures are in my hands. The Empress Dowager sent you here to serve me, not to be my mothers. Alright, you can all leave now!"

Granny Sun stiffened her neck and snorted coldly, saying, "Hmph! Princess, you are mistaken. Although you have our indentures, we are still the Empress Dowager's people. When we left the palace, the Empress Dowager instructed us to serve you well and teach you manners, lest you disgrace the royal family. Now you are no longer an ordinary person, but a royal princess, an unmarried woman still living in the palace. If word gets out that you have opened a door in the wall, you will be too ashamed to face anyone!"

Granny Sun looked at Bai Zilin with disdain and said, "General Bai, please have someone block up the wall to avoid tarnishing my princess's reputation!"

Bai Zilin's face darkened. He turned to the workers who were still smashing the wall and said, "Keep working and make sure the door looks nice!"

Just as Granny Sun was about to intervene, Liu Ye slapped her across the mouth, causing her to spit out blood. Blood gushed from her teeth. Granny Sun staggered back several steps, clutching her mouth. Granny Zhao and Granny Wang quickly rushed to help her. Granny Sun glared angrily at Liu Ye, her eyes filled with venom, as if she wanted to devour her: "You dare hit me? You're the Empress Dowager's woman!"

Liu Ye gave Fu Rong a wink, and Fu Rong immediately put her hands on her hips, looking at Granny Sun with a mocking gaze, and said, "You treacherous dog of a servant, how dare you order the princess around and even bring up the Empress Dowager to act arrogantly and tarnish her reputation! You deserve to die! According to the rules of our Princess's residence, Granny Sun should be punished with 50 strokes of the cane for disrespecting the princess. Granny Wang, Granny Zhao, take Granny Sun away and give her a beating!"

When Granny Sun heard that she was to be given 50 strokes of the cane, she thought that 50 strokes of the cane would kill her. She pushed Granny Wang and Granny Zhao aside and ran away. She wanted to go to the palace to complain to the Empress Dowager: "Get out of my way! You dare to hit me!"

Granny Wang and Granny Zhao were pushed over by Granny Sun. The two maids, Xia and Chun, exchanged a glance and quickly stepped forward to pin Granny Sun to the ground and drag her away like a dead dog.

Furong waved to the other maids, and the remaining maids and nannies quickly slipped away: "Princess, I'm afraid the news will soon reach the Empress Dowager."

Liu Ye shrugged indifferently: "It's alright. I have a way to deal with the Empress Dowager. You go and keep an eye on them. I need to talk to Brother Bai about something."