"Where have all the people here gone?" Uya asked.
“The ones on duty have all gone to the head nanny’s for a drink, so we take turns coming to check on things. Is there anything you need, Madam?” The young servant looked at Wuya Shi. He had seen Cuiyun before, but he had never seen Wuya Shi before, so he asked.
Uya was immediately a little embarrassed. She couldn't very well tell a kitchen servant that she had come specifically to make hangover soup for the Fourth Master. So, she pulled Cuiyun and said, "I just came for a walk, and I ended up all the way here. Cuiyun, help me back."
Cuiyun quickly understood and helped Wuya leave the kitchen.
"They even wandered into the kitchen while taking a walk!" the young servant muttered after watching their figures disappear.
After the two came out of the kitchen, they saw that beautiful fireworks were rising in the sky over the Song family's courtyard, illuminating people's faces with light and shadow.
"Look, they're all laughing at me, laughing at how nobody comes to see me, how even a kitchen servant dares to laugh at me," Uya said bitterly.
“Madam, let me help you back,” Cuiyun said.
“Even these servants can gather together to drink and eat, while I, this lady, am all alone. Cuiyun, when will this end?” said Wuya. “No, I must go to the palace to see my aunt!”
"Madam, how can you leave the manor with your current status!" Cuiyun looked at Wuya Shi, increasingly worried that she might have followed the wrong person.
"Think of a way!" said Lady Wuya. "Even the Fujin, who was in such a low position, has regained her status and is now able to enter the palace! Consort De is my aunt, I don't believe she would want me to live like this!"
“Madam, please keep your voice down. What if some ignorant servants overhear and report it to the South Courtyard? Then you…” Cuiyun said.
"What's there to be afraid of? They've all gone off to drink and have fun; they don't have time to care about us!" said Uya.
“Madam, let me help you back! You’ve been standing outside for so long, you must be cold. If you get sick again, people will gossip about you!” Cuiyun said.
"Cuiyun, go and send a letter to my father, and ask him to find a way to get my aunt to help me," said Wuya, grabbing Cuiyun's hand.
“Madam, I can’t get out either!” Cuiyun said.
“You can go out. Just say I’m not feeling well and go out to buy something. That should be fine,” said Uya.
Cuiyun couldn't resist Uya's insistence and was pulled back to her room. Uya then wrote a letter to Consort De, detailing how Lanqin clung to the Fourth Prince, making the other women in the household mere decorations. The letter portrayed Lanqin as a cunning, jealous, and oppressive woman who suppressed those of lower status. This was supposedly why the Fourth Prince's household had so few offspring.
“Madam, I really can’t get out. The gates are all bolted, and everyone’s gone to drink; we can’t call anyone. If you let me out now, it will definitely attract attention. How about I go to that old woman Cai first thing tomorrow morning? She received a lot of rewards from you, Madam. I’ll ask her to talk to that servant at the side gate and secretly let me out. That way, I can go to see my uncle without anyone noticing,” Cuiyun said.
Uya nodded and said, "Alright, we can't go out tonight. Cuiyun, I was too anxious. I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Cuiyun finally relaxed and forced a smile, saying, "Madam, don't worry too much. We'll keep you company for the New Year." But in her heart, she was thinking that with all the commotion Wuya was causing, she would be driven crazy sooner or later.
After serving Wuya's washing and urging her to go to bed, Cuiyun finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned to her room. She took out the letter from her bosom and sighed again.
Meanwhile, after watching the fireworks, Song, Wu, and Geng all took their seats to continue their New Year's Eve dinner.
"Guess how Uya is feeling right now?" Wu asked.
"I heard she's been drinking fertility-boosting soup, and ended up ruining her own menstrual cycle. It's ridiculous!" Geng said.
“Even if a concubine gives birth to a child, she cannot raise it herself. It’s all for nothing!” Wu said, glancing at Song.
“Uya is different from us; she is Consort De’s own niece. I’m still worried that the ladies in the palace might protect her. Even if the concubine is favored by the prince, it might be difficult to deal with her. After all, Consort De is the prince’s mother,” said Madam Song.
"Does Sister mean that Lady Wuya will seek help from Consort De and then deal with the concubine?" Lady Wu asked.
“My worries are just that—worries. After all, the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is the most difficult to manage. But the concubine is different from us; perhaps she has her own methods,” said Madam Song.
“Yes, the concubine is no ordinary person. She has always gotten along well with Consort De. Consort De has bestowed gifts upon the two young princes several times,” said Lady Geng.
“That’s true, we were just worrying unnecessarily. The concubine’s good fortune is beyond words. Two sons and two daughters, who else has given birth to so many children for our master?” said Madam Wu.
"Come, let's drink to Consort Geng!" Lady Geng raised her glass and said.
“Alright, let’s drink to the concubine, and also to ourselves. Since the concubine took over, haven’t our lives been much better than before?” said Madam Song.
"Yes, the concubine is fair and doesn't resort to underhanded tactics, which is much better than when the primary wife was in charge," said Wu.
“To be honest, life is much better now than when the Fujin was in charge. The Consort never skimps on our expenses; in fact, she gives us more than before, and she doesn’t discriminate based on who we are anymore,” Geng said.
“Yes, we should help the concubine manage the household well, otherwise, malicious people will frame her,” said Madam Song.
"So, what does Sister mean? Should we deal with Wuya together?" Wu asked.
“As long as she behaves well as a concubine, no one will do anything to her, but I’m afraid she’ll be resentful. Sister Geng, you’ve been with her recently, have you noticed anything wrong with her?” Madam Song asked.
“She never goes out, so even though I live next door to her, I rarely see her. I’ve just noticed that the two maids, Shuang’er and Shanzhu, who were assigned by the head nanny before, are much more diligent than before,” Geng said. “When the two maids first came in, they didn’t do much work; I often saw them just standing at the door talking. Now they seem to be much more diligent than before.”
"So, Wuya is dealing with those two?" Wu asked.
“It’s possible. Otherwise, why would those two maids act like completely different people? In my opinion, this Wuya is definitely two-faced, with one face in public and another in private,” Geng continued.
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