Chapter Ninety-Two: The Green Tea Girl Gets Mocked
The following day, at the Prince Jing's Garden.
As dawn broke and dewdrops rolled on the flowers and leaves, they could not suppress the whispers and secret laughter that were quietly circulating in the mansion.
Linglong was absentmindedly pruning a rose bush with small scissors, her face beaming with excitement. She whispered to Miao Yi, who was holding a watering can, and Miao Qing, who was loosening the soil, "I'm so happy! They called for water three times last night from the main courtyard!"
Miao Yi immediately leaned closer, her eyes sparkling: "Really? Three times? My God, the Prince..." She was too embarrassed to finish her sentence, her face turning red first.
Miao Qing, though usually composed, couldn't help but smile and whispered, "It seems the Prince and Princess are truly loving and harmonious. Now that's good, our household finally has a true mistress. Let's see who dares to gossip now, saying that our Prince is not interested in women or that the Princess is not in love with him."
Linglong nodded vigorously, her little face full of triumph: "That's right! A man like the Prince, he either doesn't love at all, or if he does, he'll definitely dote on her! I wonder who will dare to look down on our Princess Consort in the future... Hmm?"
Before she could finish speaking, her gaze fell upon a figure entering through the moon gate in the garden, and the smile on her face immediately faded.
Qingluan was dressed in a light red gauze dress, the fabric so thin it subtly outlined her graceful figure. The neckline was low, revealing a section of her fair neck and delicate collarbone.
Her face was exquisitely made up, and her lips were adorned with bright red lipstick, making her incredibly charming and alluring—a stark contrast to her weakness the day before.
Linglong, Miaoyi, and Miaoqing exchanged a glance, and the cheerful atmosphere instantly cooled down.
Linglong subconsciously pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "Why is she here?" And of all times, heading towards the main courtyard?
Miao Yi gently tugged at her, signaling her to be careful what she said. Miao Qing regained her composure, but her gaze followed Qing Luan's retreating figure, and she frowned slightly.
Qingluan seemed to only then notice the three of them. She stopped, nodded slightly, and greeted them softly, "Good morning, Miss Linglong, Miss Miaoyi, and Miss Miaoqing."
"Good morning, Miss Qingluan." The three of them politely returned the greeting.
Qingluan's gaze swept seemingly unintentionally towards the main courtyard, her tone gentle: "Your Highness should be up by now, right? I have some things I'd like to discuss with you about yesterday. Is that convenient?"
Linglong's heart skipped a beat. The prince and princess were probably still asleep at this hour. Why did she choose this time to report something?
Linglong immediately stepped forward, a perfectly timed smile on her face, and gave a slight curtsy to block Qingluan's path: "Replying to Miss Qingluan, the Prince and Princess got up a little late today, and they probably haven't summoned any servants to attend to them yet."
She paused, emphasizing the words "slightly late getting up," and continued, "His Highness has instructed that no one is allowed to go to the main courtyard to disturb you unless it is urgent. If it is just a small matter of reporting back to Miss Qingluan, why not leave it to me? When His Highness and Princess summon me, I will certainly pass on the message immediately."
Miao Yi and Miao Qing immediately realized what was happening and quietly moved half a step, subtly standing behind Linglong, forming an invisible barrier.
Qingluan's smile froze slightly. She hadn't expected a mere maid to dare to obstruct her so directly. Her gaze swept over Linglong's resolute face, then glanced at Miao Yi and Miao Qing, who were on high alert. A fleeting displeasure flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly concealed.
Qingluan sighed softly: "Miss Linglong is very kind. However, these matters concern old border affairs, so it would be more prudent for me to explain the usage to the Prince personally, to avoid any mistakes that might be undesirable. I think the Prince will not blame me."
As she spoke, she seemed not to hear Linglong's objection and took a step to walk around her and continue forward.
Seeing this, Linglong steeled her heart, took another step, and firmly blocked her way. The smile on her face faded slightly, but her tone became even more resolute: "Miss Qingluan, please forgive us! We dare not disobey the Prince's orders. Especially since it concerns the Prince and Princess's rest, we would never dare to let anyone disturb them. If you insist on going, perhaps you could wait a moment?"
Qingluan stopped in her tracks. Looking at Linglong's face, which was filled with the thought that "this road is blocked," and the two maids beside her who looked equally nervous, she knew that she was not going to make it through today.
Her fingers tightened slightly inside her sleeve, but she forced a gentler, even apologetic smile onto her face: "In that case, there's no need to trouble Miss Linglong. It's nothing urgent, I'll find another opportunity to report to the Prince later."
After saying that, she took a deep look in the direction of the main courtyard before turning around and leaving along the way she came.
"Pah!" She spat under her breath in the direction Qingluan had left. "Dressed like that, she's making people dizzy. Does she think everyone knows what she's thinking?"
Miao Yi patted her chest and whispered, "Sister Linglong, you really dare to do that!"
Linglong snorted and raised her chin slightly: "The Princess treats us well, so naturally we have to protect her! Any demons or monsters that want to get into the main courtyard will have to ask for my permission first!"
As Qingluan left the main courtyard, the composure and arrogance she had maintained in front of Linglong gradually dissipated, replaced by a surge of anger in her eyes. When had she ever suffered such humiliation? Especially in front of a lowly maid!
On the way back, she encountered many more servants than usual. They seemed to be doing their jobs, but countless subtle glances drifted over her, along with whispers that she could just barely hear.
"See her? That's her. She was trying to get into the main courtyard first thing this morning."
"Don't you even know the time? The Prince and Princess have only just rested for a short while, haven't they?"
"Tsk tsk, I heard he called for water three times last night! Your Highness is truly vigorous!"
"The princess has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Let's see who dares to look down on her now."
"Some people just can't recognize their place. What's the use of dressing up so extravagantly? The prince only has eyes for the princess right now!"
"Exactly, it's a waste of effort."
Those words, spoken intermittently, mixed with ambiguous chuckles and undisguised contempt, clearly penetrated Qingluan's ears.
Qingluan's face turned from white to green, then from green to red. Her meticulously drawn nails dug deeply into her palms. She had only wanted to show her face to Mu Cenlin early in the morning, to show goodwill, and to remind him of her existence.
She never expected that she would be stopped so rudely by a maid before she even got to the main courtyard!
To her even greater surprise, these lowly servants dared to so openly discuss and ridicule her! They even used her as a backdrop to highlight Li Bao'er's favor with the emperor!
A wave of immense humiliation and rage instantly overwhelmed her reason. She abruptly stopped, her sharp eyes sweeping over the servants who had been speaking the loudest.
The servants trembled at the undisguised ruthlessness in her eyes, immediately fell silent, and hurriedly lowered their heads, pretending to be busy.
Qingluan was furious. She hadn't expected that her appearance would only add fuel to the fire, making it burn even brighter.
“Good… very good!” Qingluan squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, her eyes filled with a frighteningly sinister look.
She stopped looking at the servants, turned abruptly, and strode quickly towards her secluded courtyard. She needed to calm down and rethink her plans. This Li Bao'er, and these opportunistic servants… she wouldn't let any of them get away with it!
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