Dongmei left the upper room and turned into the tea room.
When Lord Gu drank wine for several nights in a row, Gu Jiu took the opportunity to plant a small seed in Dongmei's heart. After a few months, the seed finally took root and sprouted.
Chunhe was completely unaware.
She returned to Furongyuan and served Xie as usual.
The atmosphere in the room was wrong, too serious.
Seeing Xie's sullen face, she asked, "What's wrong, Madam? Who made Madam angry?"
Xie stared at Chunhe with unfriendly eyes.
Chun He saw the crumpled needlework. That, that was clearly hers. She had left it in her room, so how did it end up in the Madam's hands?
Chunhe's heart skipped a beat and he felt panicky, but his expression remained calm.
"Would you like some tea, ma'am?"
Xie snorted coldly, grabbed the needlework that had been crumpled into a pickle, and threw it directly into Chunhe's face.
Chunhe didn't dare to hide.
thump!
Kneel down directly.
Xie sneered, "You didn't do anything wrong, why are you kneeling down?"
Chun He's eyes darted around, and she immediately made up her mind. She said firmly, "Madam, please understand. I am loyal to you and have no selfish motives. No matter where I am or what I do, my heart is with you."
Xie's face was filled with sarcasm. "I haven't said anything yet, and you're so anxious to explain. You really do feel guilty."
Chun He suddenly burst into tears, tears streaming down her cheeks.
She cried and said, "When I came back and saw Madam sulking, and saw the needlework I had done, I knew I was wrong, very wrong.
When Aunt Tan came into the house, Madam was in distress every day, and I felt sorry for her. I thought I must share her worries.
So she decided to do some needlework for the master in the name of the wife. When the master saw the needlework done by the wife's own hands, he might change his mind.
"This servant was not considerate enough. I only wanted to share Madam's worries, but I didn't think to report this to Madam. This is all my fault. Please punish me severely, Madam."
Xie was puzzled, "Are you really here to share my worries?"
Chun He said with a firm expression, "The sun and the moon are my witnesses. If I have even the slightest selfish intention towards Madam, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death."
People value oaths.
After hearing Chunhe's oath, Xie's expression eased a little.
"Get up, what are you kneeling for?"
Chun He wiped away her tears and said, "Thank you, Madam. It's all my fault. I made you so angry."
Chun He stood up from the ground, her knees aching a little, but she endured it. Even with her humble and submissive appearance, her outstanding appearance could not be concealed.
Xie picked up the teacup and said lightly, "Some people say that you have selfish motives and want to become the master's concubine."
Chunhe was shocked, wondering who was slandering her behind her back.
She hurriedly explained, "In this life, I am Madam's person and in death, I will be Madam's ghost. I don't want anyone else. I only want to stay by Madam's side and serve her for the rest of my life. I'm just afraid that Madam will dislike me because I'm old and clumsy, and not as clever as the young maids."
Mrs. Xie's expression was indifferent. "You are old, and you should have been married long ago. It's me who can't leave you and has delayed your marriage."
"Madam, you are killing me. I have never thought about marriage. I just want to serve you for the rest of my life."
Chunhe's feelings were so sincere that even she was moved.
She had served Xie for years, doing her best, and even if she hadn't made any contributions, she had certainly worked hard. She just wanted to live a life of wealth and glory for the rest of her life, but why was it so difficult?
Mrs. Xie looked Chunhe up and down. "You are kind-hearted. But I can't continue to delay your lifelong event. Don't worry, I will find a good marriage for you."
Chun He was anxious, but she didn't dare to show it. "I don't want to get married."
Xie stared at her and asked word by word, "Do you want to be the master's concubine?"
Chunhe shook her head repeatedly, shaking it like a rattle.
"I have never thought of this."
Xie said indifferently, "I believe you too. You wouldn't be so selfish. I'm tired. Go down. Take your needlework with you. Don't do needlework anymore. It hurts your eyes. The master's condition can't be restored by a few pieces of needlework."
Chunhe felt a chill in her heart. It was over. She was completely finished.
Chun He bowed and responded, "As you command, I obey."
She walked out of the upper room with heavy steps, holding the messy needlework.
She returned to her bedroom in a daze and sat on the bed.
How did things turn out like this.
Guo Taohua passed by the door.
Chun He came back to his senses and called out to her, "Taohua, come here."
Guo Taohua pushed the door open and entered the room. "Sister Chunhe, you called me?"
Chun He stared at her intently, "Who entered my bedroom after I left?"
Guo Taohua shook her head, "No! I haven't seen anyone enter Sister Chunhe's bedroom."
"Then who will serve Madam after I leave?"
"Yes, it's Sister Dongmei."
Dongmei?
It turned out to be Dongmei.
Chunhe never expected that the person who came to the lady to complain was Dongmei.
Why did Dongmei want to harm her?
She asked herself why Dongmei was against her since she had never offended her.
"Sister Chunhe, is there anything else?" Guo Taohua was a little nervous and at a loss. She always felt that something was going on.
Chun He waved his hand and said, "Go away."
Guo Taohua hurriedly left and walked to the door. She couldn't help but turned around and said, "Sister Chunhe, don't be too sad. Being scolded by the wife is a common thing. Try to be more open-minded."
Chun He smiled bitterly, "You are thoughtful."
Chunhe sat in the bedroom for nearly an hour, and finally calmed down.
She came to the tea room.
Dongmei greeted Chunhe as usual.
Chunhe smiled at her, then with lightning speed, he picked up the teapot on the stove and threw it at Dongmei.
"ah……"
Dongmei jumped up and stomped her feet.
The teapot hit her foot and it hurt her terribly.
The hot water in the teapot spilled out, flowing slowly and wetting the ground.
Fortunately, the water inside was not hot, otherwise Dongmei's feet would definitely be burned.
Dongmei pointed at Chunhe and said, "Chunhe, are you crazy? I didn't provoke you, why did you attack me?"
Chun He smiled coldly, "You know best why I attacked you."
Dongmei felt guilty and didn't expect Chunhe to find out so quickly.
Dongmei held on, refusing to admit it. "I don't understand what you're saying. I'm going to ask my wife to seek justice. Why did you hit me for no reason?"
Chun He laughed sarcastically, "Go ahead!"
Chunhe was standing closest to the door, so if Dongmei wanted to leave, she would have to pass by Chunhe.
Dongmei was wary of Chunhe and left carefully.
Just as the two passed each other, Chunhe suddenly grabbed Dongmei's hair, pulled her back, and punched her hard.
Of course Dongmei would not take a beating without fighting back.
In a blink of an eye, the two maids started fighting.
"Hit someone, hit someone!"
"Sister Dongmei and Sister Chunhe are fighting, please help!"
All the maids, big and small, in Furong Courtyard ran towards the tea room.
There was a group of people gathered at the door, but no one tried to stop the fight.
It was not until Chuncao and Xiacao rushed to the tea room and took great pains to pull the two apart.
The two men were pulled apart, but they kept struggling, waving their fists.
"Let me go. I'm going to teach her a lesson today."
"Why did you hit me?"
"It's you I'm going to hit today."
Chunhe and Dongmei both had messy hair and clothes, and there were scratches on their faces and arms.
When women fight, the most common moves are grabbing hair, scratching faces, and kicking stomachs, and both of them used them.
"Stop fighting. Be careful not to alarm the wife." Xia Cao advised.
Dongmei shouted, "I really need your opinion on this matter."
Chunhe was furious. Dongmei ruined her good fortune and even dared to ask the lady to seek justice.
She punched and kicked, "Let me go, I'm going to beat her to death today."
"Let her go. I want to see if she has the guts to beat me to death today."
"Why are you fighting?"
Chuncao was so anxious that she could hardly hold the two angry people back.
Dongmei laughed heartily and pointed at Chunhe, "Ask her. Ask her what good things she did behind my back. She had such shameless thoughts and she doesn't allow anyone to say anything."
Chun He's face was grim. "Who is shameless? Who are you calling shameless? It seems to me that you are the one who has started to think about becoming the master's concubine."
Dongmei was anxious, "You are talking nonsense. It is obvious that you want to be the master's concubine. It is you who want to climb into the master's bed."
The maids gathered at the door in an uproar. After a long while, the two of them started fighting over who would become the master's concubine.
Chun He's face flushed with anxiety and anger. She felt so embarrassed. "Today I will tear your mouth apart."
"Whose mouth are you going to tear apart?"
It still alarmed Xie.
Xie stood outside the tea room, and the maids stepped aside to make room for her at the door.
When Mrs. Xie arrived, Chunhe and Dongmei both calmed down.
Chuncao and Xiacao let go of the two men, their hands aching. They were both exhausted.
Xie walked into the tea room.
His gaze shifted from Dongmei to Chunhe.
Xie's eyes were cold, and the two maids shuddered.
Xie glanced at the messy tea room again.
There were smashed tea kettles, overturned stools, and coal briquettes everywhere.
"That's outrageous. Everyone, get out here and kneel down. No one is allowed to get up without my order."
Chunhe walked out of the tea room silently and knelt in the yard outside.
"Madam!" Dongmei looked at Mrs. Xie cautiously.
Xie's face was stern. "I told you to kneel down. Can't you hear me?"
Dongmei had no choice but to go outside and kneel with Chunhe.
Dongmei gritted her teeth and complained, "Now you see, you've alarmed the Madam. Your life is ruined."
Chun He smiled coldly, "I'm done for, and you're not much better. Do you think that if you bring me down, the Madam will choose you as the Master's concubine? Dream on. With your looks, what can you use to compete with Concubine Tan?"
Dongmei smiled proudly, "I can't beat Aunt Tan, but I'm happy that I can bring you down."
Chun He was filled with hatred. "I have no grudge against you, why are you targeting me? What good will it do you?"
Dongmei sneered, "I just can't stand your arrogant look. I just don't like seeing you being so proud."
Chunhe felt a chill in her heart. Why did Dongmei have such great malice towards her?
She thought she had been nice to Dongmei, so why did Dongmei dislike her?
Chuncao ran over and said, "Look at what you have done. The wife is angry. Think about how to calm her down."
"What did the madam say?" Chunhe asked nervously.
Chuncao whispered, "Madam said you are both grown up and can't stay. If you stay, you will become enemies. Madam called Gao Sanfu and asked him to arrange a marriage for you two. Once the marriage is decided, you will be married off."
Dongmei's face turned pale when she heard this. "Madam, why are you sending me away too?"
Chuncao stamped her feet. "It's because you two both wanted to become the master's concubines. How could Madam tolerate you? You all know that Madam hates selfish people the most. This time, she just sent you away and didn't beat you with a stick or beat you half to death. This is already Madam's mercy. From now on, you will take care of yourselves."
Dongmei was stunned.
Chun He grinned, "You are the dumbest person I have ever met. You shot yourself in the foot. You deserve it."
Dongmei burst into tears, "It's all your fault. If you hadn't come to the tea room to pick a fight with me, would my wife have given up on me? Chunhe, I hate you. I'll hate you forever."
Chun He chuckled, "If you want to hate someone, hate yourself. If you hadn't attacked me, I wouldn't have picked a fight with you. To be honest, I knew this would be the outcome before I went to the tea room. I said, even if I'm unlucky, I'll drag someone down with me. You're the one who's going to take the blame."
Dongmei felt regretful and hateful. She didn't expect Chunhe to be so vicious that he wanted to drag her down with him before his death.
Dongmei couldn't stop crying.
Many thoughts flashed through Chunhe's mind.
She couldn't just sit there and wait for death, she still had hope.
Her wife gave up on her, but she couldn't give up on herself.
Dongmei and Chunhe knelt for three or four hours and did not get up until midnight.
When I stood up, my legs felt like they weren't mine and were as painful as needles.
Several maids supported the two and dragged them back to the bedroom.
Dongmei cried all night, then returned to her room and lay on the bed and continued crying.
Chunhe was not idle. He asked someone to bring hot water to apply on his knees.
As expected, Mrs. Xie asked Gao Sanfu to propose marriage to Chunhe and Dongmei.
Gao Sanfu chose two servants.
One worked in the stables and the other worked at the gatehouse.
When the news reached the ears of the two maids, Dongmei seemed to have accepted her fate, but Chunhe began to take action.
Perhaps because the marriages of the two maids were settled, Mrs. Xie relaxed her supervision of them.
Chunhe finally found an opportunity to leave Furongyuan.
For a moment, Chunhe had the idea of asking Gu Jiu for help.
But she immediately rejected the idea.
Gu Jiu didn’t even have time to watch the fun, so how could he possibly help her.
The news of her fight with Dongmei had spread throughout the mansion, and both she and Dongmei became the laughing stock of the whole mansion.
She could fully imagine what others were saying about them.
But it doesn't matter.
She won't accept her fate until the end.
No one noticed Chunhe was missing.
Chun He had gone from being the most important maid in Furong Courtyard to being the least favored one. No one cared about Chun He's whereabouts, and no one went to her room to check if she was there.
It was not until the next day that the maid who delivered food discovered that Chunhe was missing.
Report the news to Xie.
"Gone?"
Xie suddenly had a bad feeling in her heart and asked hurriedly, "Where did the master stay last night?"
Chuncao said hurriedly, "It seems he is staying at Aunt Tan's place."
Xie gritted her teeth and said, "Come with me to see Tan."
If Chunhe joins forces with the Tan family, she will skin her alive.
Anyone who dares to betray his master will end up dead.
Xie hurried out and rushed to the courtyard where Aunt Tan lived.
But what did she see?
She saw the master actually coming out of Acacia Courtyard, and the person following behind him was Chunhe.
Yes, Aunt Tan’s courtyard is next to Acacia Courtyard where Aunt Bai lives.
Lord Gu had a day off today, so he got up late.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I walked out of the yard, I saw Xie.
Lord Gu looked a little embarrassed.
He walked up to her and asked, "Why are you here so early in the morning?"
Xie glanced at Chun He, who was standing behind Master Gu, and said calmly, "Greetings, Master. A maid in my courtyard went missing, and I came out to look for her. I didn't expect her to be with you. How did you get out of Acacia Courtyard?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Bai walked out of Acacia Courtyard.
The originally plump and fair Aunt Bai still had a pale complexion, but she had lost at least two sizes of weight.
Mrs. Xie was stunned. It had only been a few months and she had lost so much weight.
Xie didn't even think about how much work Aunt Bai had to do every day and how little she ate. How could she not be thin?
However, Aunt Bai looked very old, haggard, and her skin was in much worse condition.
After all, it hasn't been properly maintained for several months.
Xie only needed to take a glance to figure out that the master would never let Aunt Bai serve him.
Last night, it must have been that lowly maid Chunhe who borrowed Aunt Bai's place to serve the master.
The condition is to let Aunt Bai get rid of the heavy work and return to the public eye.
As for what happened to Aunt Tan, Xie didn't figure it out for a while.
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