Anke was absolutely laughing at Fu Erkang's inexplicable self-confidence!
So, she nonchalantly rubbed her ears. "Did I hear that right? You mean you want me to plead with Ziwei in front of the Empress Dowager? Fu Erkang, where do you get the nerve?" These words trampled Fu Erkang's ridiculous self-esteem into the ground, ruthlessly crushing it.
Encore: Awesome!
Upon hearing this, Fu Erkang felt his pride had been severely wounded, and he frowned again. He used to believe that masters and servants couldn't be compared. But now he felt that Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei were right; servants and masters were equal. Princess Yong'an's actions were wrong. "If it weren't for you, why would Ziwei be chopping wood and boiling water there? Ziwei was ordered by the Empress Dowager to help in the imperial kitchen, not to do menial tasks."
An Ke really wanted to pick her ear in front of them, disregarding her image. Was Fu Erkang alright? She'd already said the Empress Dowager had sent Ziwei to help in the imperial kitchen. What help was she supposed to offer? Wasn't it helping? Besides, who told her to do odd jobs? It just so happened to be lunchtime for the concubines. Who would have time to help her? Moreover, Ziwei didn't have the status of a princess; she was just a palace maid. Did they expect the eunuchs in the imperial kitchen to neglect serving the concubines and instead serve a palace maid like her?
"Ridiculous! Even if it was me who ordered it, so what? Do I, as the princess, have to report to your Uncle Fu when I order a mere palace maid around?" An Ke emphasized the words "Uncle Fu." An Ke found it utterly ridiculous. Were the main characters brainless? Especially this Fu Erkang; his brain turned to mush when it came to Ziwei. And they all thought he was good? What was so good about him? Was he good because of his arrogance? Fortunately, in this life, the Empress Dowager hadn't valued Fu Erkang too much. If she had said something like in the drama, letting him enjoy the company of Ehuang and Nüying, that would have been giving him too much credit.
To Fu Erkang, these words were tantamount to An Ke admitting that she had instructed Ziwei to do these things. "Even if you are a princess, you cannot treat Ziwei like this. There are plenty of people in the imperial kitchen, aren't they enough for you to order around? Can't you order around the palace maids around you?" Fu Erkang glared angrily at An Ke.
An Ke was almost laughing in anger. Did Fu Erkang have paranoia? What, did he think everyone was here to humiliate and insult them? "You think just because the palace calls you 'Master Fu,' you're a master? The Emperor only values your father, not you! Your current honor is only because you have the surname Fu. If you lose that surname, you're nothing. The Fu family is nothing but bondservant slaves, and you, Fu Erkang, are just a royal guard. There are so many royal guards, what's so great about you? Don't think that I, the Princess, can order Ziwei around; I could order you around and you'd obey without question." An Ke hadn't wanted to nitpick the main characters, even though she felt they were constantly causing trouble in the drama, and if she were the Empress, she'd be furious. But as long as it didn't involve her, everything was fine. Now, she felt they were taking advantage of her kindness. If someone had paranoia, it was best to close the door and stay inside without making a sound.
Fu Erkang, standing to the side, was so angry that his eyes began to redden. "You! My Fu family has received great favor from the Emperor. How can you, as a princess, insult someone in the court like this? This matter was handled improperly by you. You have insulted Ziwei for no reason, and you don't even want to find a way to make amends? Even if the Emperor were here, I would still make you go and talk to the Empress Dowager."
Fu Ertai, listening nearby, was terrified. Had his brother lost his mind? How could he say such things? Their Fu family were originally bondservants. His brother wasn't noble at all; as the princess said, there were so many imperial guards, not just his brother. If he weren't surnamed Fu, who would know his name? Moreover, how dare he speak to the princess like that? Had his brother eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard?
Ertai glanced at Ziwei behind his brother, only to see her biting her lip silently. Ertai felt a headache coming on at the sight of Ziwei like this. Wasn't this all her fault? Why was she acting all aggrieved?
Yongqi also sensed something was wrong. He knew his cousin well; she was definitely not the type to throw tantrums or bully servants. So, he sided with his cousin and began to defend Anke. "Erkang, wake up! Master Zhuang just said it's because the Imperial Kitchen is short-staffed. At this hour, all the ladies of the palace are waiting for lunch. They couldn't find anyone else, so they asked Ziwei to help."
Master Zhuang nodded quickly beside him. Finally, there was someone who was normal! Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Grandpa Fu was hard of hearing!
Granny Gui was furious. She glared at Ziwei and decided that once they returned to Cining Palace, she would recount everything that had happened in the Imperial Kitchen to the Empress Dowager. The Fu family was incredibly audacious; they dared to criticize the Princess! It was utterly outrageous!
“Yongqi, you clearly saw Ziwei making a fire and boiling water all by herself. There were so many eunuchs inside, wasn’t there a single one who could do these things?” Fu Erkang looked at Yongqi with utter disappointment.
Yongqi suddenly felt like he and Erkang were on completely different wavelengths.
"Ziwei, have you prepared your ingredients?" Granny Gui asked from the side.
Upon hearing this, Erkang glared fiercely at Granny Gui again. "Ziwei, I'm taking her away today. If the princess needs someone to start a fire to boil water, please find someone else." As he spoke, he turned to look at Anke.
An Ke hadn't intended to make things difficult for Ziwei, but seeing this, she was furious. Did Ziwei not have a mouth? Couldn't she speak? "Others are others, and they have their own things to do. This princess wants Ziwei to go there and help me prepare the ingredients. What can you, Fu Erkang, do about it?"
Erkang looked at the unassuming Ziwei behind him, as if she were a porcelain doll about to shatter. His anger flared even more. "If the princess wishes to show filial piety to the Empress Dowager, why doesn't she personally start a fire and boil water?"
"How dare you, Fu Erkang, speak to Princess Yong'an like that!" Granny Gui exclaimed, jumping up and down. She then started pulling at Ziwei, all because of the trouble caused by this wretched maid.
Upon seeing Ziwei being pulled by the old nanny beside her, Erkang immediately grabbed the old nanny's hand and pried it back. He didn't care who Granny Gui's master was.
Granny Gui cried out in pain. "Ouch, ouch, you hit me! Ouch!"
Seeing that his brother was about to cause trouble, Fu'ertai quickly stepped forward to stop him. "Brother, you need to know your limits. What you just said was already outrageous. Don't do anything to make things difficult for Ziwei. Release Granny Gui immediately!" Fu'ertai didn't want the Fu family to leave a bad impression on the princess.
Ertai: An'an, I'm different from them. d(?д??) He is him, and I am me! ?? (?? ￣??￣? )?? ??
Yongqi, unusually, adopted the air of a prince in front of Erkang. The young man, dressed in bright yellow robes, put his hands behind his back, exuding imperial authority. "Erkang, you are truly insolent. Quickly release Granny Gui. Granny Gui is an old servant who has served the Empress Dowager for a long time," Yongqi said in a deep voice, his face extremely gloomy.
Erkang was now furious. He felt that as his friends, not only did they not help him, but they also constantly criticized him from the opposite side. His anger flared even more, and he couldn't help but vent his anger on Granny Gui, using even more force on her. Granny Gui was now sweating profusely from the pain, and she kept groaning in pain, but her voice gradually weakened.
An Ke couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward. She used her inner strength to slap Fu Erkang aside. She quickly helped up the nearly fallen Granny Gui and turned to Xingxing, coldly ordering, "Xingxing, go and fetch Physician Hu. Also, invite the Empress Dowager and my uncle, the Emperor. This princess wants to see how this matter is settled." Those familiar with An Ke knew she was truly angry.
After being shoved aside, Fu Erkang was somewhat incredulous. He was stunned for a moment; how could he have been shoved aside by a woman's internal energy? He had heard rumors about Princess Yong'an's diligence and self-discipline, but he had always thought they were just rumors. Moreover, he had always felt that a woman's internal energy couldn't possibly be that profound. Even when accompanying the army on campaigns, he thought Princess Yong'an was just putting on an act. He estimated that her skills were just like Little Swallow's—all show and no substance. The reality, however, far exceeded his expectations.
Master Zhuang quickly carried out a reclining chair from the backyard and placed it under the osmanthus tree in front of the imperial kitchen. He then helped Granny Gui sit down on the reclining chair.
Xingxing obeyed the order and immediately went outside. "Yes, this servant will do it right away." Due to her status, even though Xingxing was angry just now, she couldn't lay a hand on Fu Erkang. But now that the princess was going to personally teach him a lesson, Xingxing naturally felt very gratified.
When Ziwei realized the situation had escalated, and especially after hearing that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were coming, she was terrified that her image would be severely damaged in their eyes. She immediately stepped in to explain to Erkang and also apologized to Princess Yong'an on Erkang's behalf.
“Master Fu, it was truly my own will that I did it. No one forced me to do these things, and it has nothing to do with the Princess.” Ziwei first tried to persuade Erkang, who was closest to her. Erkang remained standing there, stunned. Ziwei then looked at the dignified and imposing Princess Yong'an before her.
In truth, she was jealous of this princess. This princess was beautiful, noble, and elegant. Standing next to her, she felt insignificant and overshadowed. Even her prized skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were being severely undermined by rumors in the palace. And this princess possessed martial arts skills that she lacked. Compared to her, she felt like an ugly duckling, superior in every way. Hearing that the Emperor and Empress Dowager doted on this princess only intensified her jealousy and heartache. The Emperor was her father, whom she couldn't acknowledge. If she had acknowledged her father earlier, would this princess have been spared? Would she, Ziwei, have been the one favored?
“Princess Yong’an, it’s all my fault. It has nothing to do with Master Fu. Master Fu was just angry because he saw me tending the fire and boiling water, so he spoke without thinking. I hope you can forgive him.” Seeing that An Ke was unmoved, Ziwei immediately knelt down before An Ke.
Before today, An Ke might have thought Ziwei was still salvageable, but seeing her affected manner today, An Ke couldn't help but sigh that she had misjudged her. Was this the legendary moral blackmail? Was she really supposed to kneel down and forgive the person who had just spoken so rudely to her? Did she look like a complete sucker?
An Ke stood coldly in front of Ziwei, neither uttering a word nor expressing her opinion. She simply looked down at her.
Ziwei couldn't figure out what Anke was thinking, so she secretly looked up at Anke and saw that Anke was staring at her. She immediately lowered her head guiltily, feeling as if the princess's eyes could see right through her.
An Ke chuckled, "If Miss Ziwei doesn't speak, this princess will think that Miss Ziwei is mute!"
Ziwei could hear the mockery in Anke's tone, and her face flushed. "This servant, this servant..." Ziwei didn't know what to say or how to explain herself. It was true that when they had their conflict, she hadn't stepped forward immediately because she wanted to see how far Erkang would go for her. More importantly, she felt a strange sense of pleasure from seeing the princess suffer.
Even if An Ke hadn't eaten pork, she'd seen pigs run. As a modern person, she'd read at least twenty or a hundred palace intrigue novels and dramas. How could she not see through her little scheme? "If you haven't thought of an answer, then don't speak. What I hate most is people lying and making excuses in front of me. What just happened happened because of you, and you didn't step forward to explain. Now that you see me going to invite the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, you jump out? Sorry, too late. Just wait here for the Emperor and the Empress Dowager's decision."
If I can't see through her, then I'm truly wasting my time as a modern person.
Upon hearing this, Ziwei's face paled, and her body began to tremble slightly. She was truly afraid that the image she had built in the Emperor's eyes would suddenly collapse, and that all the efforts she had made in the past few days would be in vain. She was even more afraid that her momentary mistake today would cause the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to dislike her.
She was genuinely scared. And genuinely regretful. If she had jumped up to explain from the beginning, would none of this have happened? Now, Princess Yong'an has sent for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. What to do? What to do?
What to do? These three words swirled in Ziwei's mind.
The more she thought about it, the more regretful she felt. Gradually, Ziwei's eyes welled up with tears.
Erkang couldn't bear to see his beloved Ziwei suffer such humiliation, so he quickly pulled her up from the ground.
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