Provoking trouble
With Huang Ying's help, Jiang Yan washed up and lay down on the bed, but she was not sleepy at all. Instead, she kept thinking about what everyone had said at the dinner table.
Judging from the situation at the time, Princess Xiao was certainly not as tolerant and magnanimous as she appeared.
She's probably just like the kind-faced, ruthless, and hypocritical smiling tigers depicted in the palace intrigue novels she read—jealous, cruel, and hypocritical.
As for Madam Wang, she is a bully, shallow, and definitely cannon fodder.
And then there are Madam Wu and Madam Shen. Although they speak in a proper and conventional manner, it's not hard to guess that they are definitely the same kind of people as this Madam Wang, and not much better, just a little bit clever.
As for the other three hidden ladies, it is currently unknown what they are thinking. However, since they are all in the Prince's mansion and all want to live a better life, they will naturally rack their brains to win Shangguan Zeyu's favor. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before their true colors are revealed.
As for Shangguan Zeyu, what kind of person is he?
Is it really as rumored? Cold-blooded, dissolute, and ruthless?
Thinking of this, Jiang Yan quickly shook her head violently, warning herself: Don't try to guess Shangguan Zeyu's thoughts! Don't take him to heart!
What she needs to do now is let all his women know that she has absolutely no interest in gaining his favor or affection, and then buy herself more time to find a way back to the world of grilled sausages, Mixue Ice Cream, spicy strips, and instant noodles.
I really want to drink Mixue Ice Cream's lemonade!
I really want to pair it with spicy and fragrant spicy strips!
I really want to make a packet of spicy instant noodles and eat it with some spicy grilled starch sausage!!!
...
Jiang Yan drifted off to sleep, lost in fond memories and fantasies of the wonderful modern world.
She slept until lunchtime the next day.
Normally, the kitchen maid would bring food at this time, but today, even after mealtime, no one from the kitchen maid came to bring food, and Jiang Yan became anxious.
"What's going on? Why hasn't the food been delivered yet?" Jiang Yan asked listlessly, nestled in a rocking chair in the yard.
Huang Ying was also puzzled: "I have already sent Fu Qu to ask, she should be back soon."
Sure enough, a short while later, Fuqu ran back empty-handed, her right cheek swollen.
Jiang Yan greatly envied Fu Qu's complexion; it was a healthy, fair complexion with a rosy glow, like solidified cream. Therefore, the handprint left by the slap on her face looked as if it had been painted on with red dye, making it particularly eye-catching.
"What happened?" Huang Ying immediately rushed forward with concern to check the injury on Fu Qu's face.
Jiang Yan also sat up abruptly from the rocking chair, very worried: "Who hit him?"
Fuqu cried, feeling wronged.
Huang Ying said anxiously, "Don't cry yet, explain what happened first."
Fuqu sobbed, her eyes red and tears streaming down her face, and said intermittently, "It was, it was Madam Wang. The maid wouldn't let me get food, and she even hit me."
"She's got some nerve! Daring to hit someone in the Princess Consort's courtyard! I'll teach her a lesson!" Huang Ying felt sorry for Fu Qu and kept blowing on her right cheek, hoping to ease the pain.
Upon hearing Fuqu's words, Jiang Yan knew what it was about: jealousy.
Wang Qianqian was jealous of her, but she couldn't figure out why.
However, it is clear that the only option for today is to let the matter rest.
"Do you have any medicine? If not, buy some. Your face is so pale, it'll probably turn into a big bruise if you don't apply medicine." Jiang Yan sighed helplessly, closed her eyes, and nestled back into the rocking chair.
Huang Ying ran angrily to her: "Master, Madam Wang is trying to cause trouble for you. We can't let this go so easily!"
"Let's leave it at that for now. Let's apply the medicine to Fuqu's face first."
"Why did it have to be like this in the first place? They were the ones bullying us, why should we just put up with it?" Huang Ying was very indignant.
Jiang Yan knew that she was being cowardly, but she had no choice. She was unfamiliar with everything in the Prince's mansion, so how could she easily cause trouble?
For her sake, and for everyone's sake, we can only endure this for now.
"Huang Ying, it's not that I don't care about Fu Qu, nor that I don't want to stand up for her, it's just that... you understand our situation, we can't easily take action right now."
"When will that be? Master, if you don't fight back when you're being bullied, you'll be bullied endlessly!!"
How could she not know this principle?
But times have changed. Compared to venting anger, avoiding losing your head is the most important thing!
"Let's leave it at that for now, and we can discuss it again when we have the chance."
The oriole was unwilling to give up and stood there angrily for a long time before reluctantly letting out a soft "hmm" in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
Jiang Yan's stomach was really hungry, and it started growling again.
Huang Ying: "Master, what will you do if they don't bring food today?"
"What can we do? Of course, we need to fill our stomachs! Luckily, there are two plates of snacks in the house. We'll make do with that for now and talk about it tomorrow."
Huang Ying frowned and continued, "Master, will they still not deliver it tomorrow?"
"Wait one more day."
"They still won't deliver it the day after tomorrow?"
"Wait one more day."
"What if they keep refusing to bring us food?"
Jiang Yan then slightly opened her eyes, her gaze cold as she stared ahead: "If they dare to starve me to death, I'll fight them to the death!!"
Huang Ying was finally somewhat satisfied: "This servant will obey my master." With that, she pulled Fu Qu away.
That day, Jiang Yan ate a plate of snacks, and when it was just getting dark, she washed up and went to sleep.
As for Huang Ying, Fu Qu, and the other two servants of Li Hua Ju, since they were servants, they were not affected and ate their three meals a day on time.
Huang Ying originally wanted to secretly bring one of the steamed buns they were eating to Jiang Yan, but when she saw how dark and murky the bun looked, she figured Jiang Yan definitely wouldn't eat it, so she didn't bring it for her.
Although Jiang Yan ate a plate of snacks, he still couldn't resist the hunger in the middle of the night and was genuinely woken up by hunger.
The oriole slept on the outer edge of her bed, breathing evenly and softly.
She then abandoned the idea of waking her up, endured the hunger, and waited until dawn when she woke up.
"What time is it?" Jiang Yan was so hungry that she felt dizzy and weak all over.
"My lady, what's wrong? Why are you breathing so unsteadily? Are you sick?" Huang Ying said anxiously as she ran to the bedside. "My lady, I'm going to lift the bed curtains."
Jiang Yan did not stop her.
"Master, what's wrong? You look so pale!" Huang Ying exclaimed.
Jiang Yan didn't think her complexion could be that bad. When she was in her twenties and in college, she could stay up all night watching TV and playing games and she wouldn't have dark circles under her eyes the next day. Here, she was still in the body of a thirteen-year-old girl. How could she look sick after staying up half the night?
"Don't make a mountain out of a molehill! What time is it?"
"It's past 5 a.m., Master."
Mao Shi? What time is that? Six o'clock? Or seven o'clock? Never mind, she's starving to death. She only gets a little food each time, barely keeping her alive. Now, after a day and a night without food, she's already starving to the point of collapse.
She wants to eat everything now, even the mushy noodles that she hates the most, she wants to wolf them down as soon as possible.
"Go to the kitchen and ask if the food is ready."
"Master, the women's meals have not been prepared yet."
"There must be something to eat, right? Go get me a steamed bun or something!"
Huang Ying hesitated for a moment, then said, "Please wait a moment, my lady. I will go and find you something to eat."
"Go quickly and come back quickly," Jiang Yan instructed, suppressing her nausea.
Jiang Yan has a mild stomach problem. When she is hungry, she feels a burning sensation in her stomach, and when she is very hungry, her stomach hurts.
She wondered if it was just her imagination. She was using Liu Ruyi's body, so why was her stomach upset even though she was hungry? Did Liu Ruyi also have stomach problems?
But no matter what, she was very hungry, and she only had one thought in her mind: to eat.
Jiang Yan, sweating profusely, dressed and washed up, and sat at the round table for quite a while before Huang Ying came running back, panting.
Jiang Yan was so hungry that she didn't want to speak.
As Huang Ying opened the gray package in her arms, she said as if she were doing something wrong, "This is the prince's breakfast that I asked someone to bring. Please eat quickly, my lady."
At this moment, Jiang Yan no longer cared whether it was Shangguan Zeyu's breakfast or whose; she just wanted to eat, to quickly fill her stomach so that the feeling of pain and hunger wouldn't take over her entire body and mind.
Jiang Yan ate haphazardly, almost like a wolf.
Huang Ying was surprised and puzzled by her hasty reaction and messy eating habits. She frowned and stared at her for a long time before looking away.
"Your Highness ate very little this morning, leaving a lot of food. It would be a shame to throw it away, so I'll take a few..."
"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough..." Jiang Yan coughed very, very rapidly, whether because she choked from eating too fast or because she was startled when she heard Huang Ying say that what she was eating was what Shangguan Zeyu was eating.
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