“Madam! From what I heard from her two maids, they seem to be quite dissatisfied with her!” Lingxiu said.
"A concubine, with maids to serve her? Concubines don't have maids. It seems the master still has feelings for her!" Ulanara's wild laughter faded, tears welling in her eyes, as if hearing what Uya had just said was the biggest joke in the world. Actually, the reason she couldn't open her heart to the Fourth Master from the beginning was because she knew that the Fourth Master still had feelings for Uya, which created a distance between them from the start.
“My lady, Niohuru is now all-powerful. Although Lady Nian is of similar status to her, she can’t compete with her in the master’s heart. Look, even though she has given birth to a son and moved, the place the master visits most is still the South Courtyard. Now, this Lady Wuya can be compared to Niohuru. Besides, she once held a place in the master’s heart!” Lingxiu couldn’t help but say.
As the Fujin listened quietly to Lingxiu's words, the hatred she harbored for Niohuru was gradually stirred up by Lingxiu's words. That hatred never dissipated; it was merely suppressed deep within her heart.
“How could Lady Wuya be willing to cooperate with me? I have no power to pave the way for her now!” the princess said after listening to Lingxiu’s account.
“Although the Fujin has temporarily lost power, we know Niohuru best. Moreover, the Fujin has been scheming in this mansion for many years, and she knows the backgrounds of everyone there, as well as those who have received her favors. As a newcomer, how can Uya make a name for herself? Doesn’t she need the Fujin to guide her?” Lingxiu said.
"Then bring her here as my wife. She won't be like the Wu, Song, and Geng clans, content to stay in the mansion and enjoy a peaceful life. How interesting! Finally, someone who can rival the Niohuru clan has arrived." The wife's eyes lit up. Like a beast long dormant in its cave, she had finally found her moment to unleash her power.
Meanwhile, with the help of Xiangqiao and An'er, Wuya took a cool bath, which relieved her from the sweltering heat of the summer.
"My lady, how about I accompany you for a walk in the garden tonight? I've heard the night breeze there is quite pleasant!" Cuiyun said after bringing clothes for Wuya to change into.
“That garden is really scary at night!” Uya said, frowning as she looked at herself in the bronze mirror.
"They've lit lanterns over there, and the princesses who don't have ice are all going there to cool off! I heard that Consort Nian had a shed built over there, and she has maids to serve her. They all go there at night!" Cuiyun overheard this from outside.
Lady Nian had moved to the East Courtyard. Since she was in charge of the maintenance of the houses and the flower room, she had several pavilions built of bamboo and rattan chairs installed by the Bixin Lake in the courtyard, specifically for people to rest, in an effort to win over the household. This summer had started off exceptionally hot. There were only three places in the mansion where ice could be used: besides the concubines and maids, the stewards, servants, and other lowly people couldn't sleep at night due to the heat. Perhaps to win people over, Lady Nian had built pavilions or shelters there, allowing people to spend the night. This marked the first time she had won over the hearts of the people in the mansion.
When Lanqin heard about this, she looked at Nian Shi with new respect. Regardless of her intentions, this action certainly made things convenient for many people.
"Alright, it's too hot in this house. Let's go see if there's anywhere we can stay." Uya couldn't believe that she had arrived at the Prince's residence and would have to spend the night outside.
After dinner, Lady Wuya helped Cuiyun towards the courtyard. When they arrived, they found many people already there. However, most were unemployed servants and maids from various departments. The masters wouldn't stoop to coming here to cool off, as it wouldn't sound proper for servants and masters to mingle together. Perhaps some princesses had come earlier, but seeing the increasing number of people, they dared not come again.
Uya, supporting Cuiyun's hand, walked deeper into the courtyard, hoping to find a secluded spot to cool off, but they could find almost none. When others saw them, they simply bowed and pushed them aside, neither offering them a place to stand. After all, she was merely a concubine, her status actually lower than that of Cui Niang Nianxue, a senior maidservant serving the secondary consort. Furthermore, since the Fourth Prince hadn't introduced her, most people didn't even recognize her.
"Let's go back. There are so many people here, how can we enjoy the cool air with them!" Uya was immediately displeased.
“Some people, even with a low social standing, are always complaining and finding fault. They might as well just stay in their own rooms!” someone suddenly said.
When Uya and her servants went to check who had said it, they could no longer find the person who had spoken. Uya's face immediately turned a deep red, her expression extremely unpleasant.
"Who, who just said that? Step forward!" Cuiyun was furious and immediately shouted at the air.
But no one stepped forward. This made things even more awkward for Uya and her servants.
“If you have the guts to say it, why don’t you have the guts to admit it!” Cuiyun said again.
"It was me who said it! What's wrong with that?" Finally, a person stepped out from the pavilion; it was indeed Song's personal maid, Qingping. She wasn't on duty today, so she came to this pavilion to rest.
Cuiyun looked at Qingping, but she didn't recognize which maid she was from. Fearing that Qingping's status was different, she shouldn't scold her casually. So she said, "My mistress is a member of the master's family. How dare you, a mere maid, disrespect her!"
"I only know that Lady Wuya is a concubine, and she is not qualified to bring maids into the mansion, let alone be served by others. Was what I just said wrong?" Qingping had heard about Lady Wuya's background from Madam Song. She respected Lanqin quite a bit. Seeing that Lady Wuya had insisted on coming in and disturbing her master's mind, she was displeased with them. After hearing Lady Wuya's words, she immediately spoke sarcastically.
“You, our mistress is the master’s concubine. How dare you, a mere maid, speak so disrespectfully? When the master returns, he will not forgive you! Whose maid are you?” Cuiyun said, forcing herself to speak.
"I am who I am, what business is it of yours!" Qingping was not afraid and refused to reveal Song's name. After hearing this, everyone secretly chuckled.
The Uya clan and their servants were left standing there, completely embarrassed, and the atmosphere was extremely awkward.
"Go!" Uya was so angry she almost rushed up and slapped Qingping a few times, but she held back. This didn't fit the image she had in the Fourth Master's mind. So she endured it.
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