"Are you sure the Nian family really intends to seek revenge against the Yehe family?" Song asked.
“First, Lady Nian has always considered herself to be more favored by the Fourth Prince than Lady Yehe. They entered the manor at the same time, but Lady Nian was indeed favored by the Fourth Prince before Lady Yehe. Now the situation has reversed, and you can imagine how unwilling she is. Second, Lady Nian has always regarded me as her goal. Perhaps she made a wish to replace me from the first day she entered the Fourth Prince's manor. Now that I am mocking her, she probably will not be willing to accept it no matter what. With these two reasons, do you think she can still stand it?” Lanqin said.
Sure enough, after hearing Lanqin's words, Lady Nian lost all interest in admiring the flowers. She only glanced at the mandarin ducks by the water a few times before leaving in a hurry!
Song turned to look at Nian's retreating figure, only to see the bottom of her flowerpot slamming against the ground. Judging from her expression, she was probably holding back a lot of anger!
Ever since Lanqin gave her that lecture, Nian Shi lost her appetite and stayed cooped up in her room, her mind preoccupied with figuring out how to make Yehe Shi uncomfortable!
"Princess, this is a Hami melon that was just sent as tribute from Xinjiang. Would you like to try it?" Cui Ling said, bringing a plate of sliced Hami melon to Madam Nian.
"I won't eat it, Cuiling. Go and bring Taohua to me. I have something to ask her!" Madam Nian said impatiently.
"Does the princess want to get more information about the Yehe clan from her?" Cui Ling asked.
“After much thought, I feel that only she can help me!” said Madam Nian.
“But Yehe Clan and the Fujin are on very good terms now. I heard that Yehe Clan was personally attending to the sick woman there a while ago. Peach Blossom should be one of the Fujin's people. Could she help us again?” Cuiling reminded her.
"As for Peach Blossom, in my opinion, she's a dissolute character. People like that are easy to bribe. As long as the price is right, we can get her to work for us again. On the other hand, those maids in the South Courtyard are like a black box; we can't even give them money. That's when we're helpless!" said Madam Nian.
Seeing that Madam Nian insisted on seeing Tao Hua, Cui Ling immediately went to arrange it. She waited by the roadside where Tao Hua often walked, not daring to go directly to the North Courtyard to find her. Back then, Tao Hua had accepted money from Madam Nian and cooperated with her to frame Madam Yehe for poisoning the kite; their cooperation was truly excellent! Afterwards, Tao Hua never mentioned Madam Nian again.
"Peach Blossom!" Cui Ling saw that Peach Blossom had indeed come out again. Seeing the copper basin hanging in her hand, she knew that she had gone to serve ice to Yehe Shi.
Startled by the sudden call, Peach Blossom quickly recognized the person who called her and muttered to herself, "You scared me to death! What is Sister Cuiling doing here?"
Seeing her official tone, Cui Ling also pretended to say, "Tao Hua, our princess said that Tao Hua's talents are being wasted in Princess Yehe's court."
Peach Blossom understood the implication in Cui Ling's words. Remembering the purse she had received when she helped the Nian family, a thought flickered in her mind. She wasn't valued by the Yehe family now; they outwardly respected her, but in reality, they were always wary of her. Any important matters were still handled by Wuhen Jade Dew.
"What's wrong, Sister Peach Blossom? Why do you still have to carry the ice basin? How can you let your sister do such rough work?" Cui Ling said.
Peach Blossom was already dissatisfied with doing such things, but Yehe Clan was no longer the same as when she first entered the clan.
“Alright, it’s been a long time since I’ve paid my respects to Princess Nian,” Peach Blossom said.
Cuiling chatted and laughed with Taohua all the way, saying only the most flattering things, making Taohua beam with joy.
When the two entered Nian's room, they saw Nian reclining on a bamboo couch, with Hongling and Lüzhi painting her toenails. Nian's feet were like lotus roots just emerging from the water, white and delicate, and with the addition of the red henna, they were truly tender and beautiful.
"This servant greets Princess Nian and pays her respects!" Peach Blossom bowed.
"Get up, Cuiling, go and take Taohua to eat cantaloupe. I'll be ready in a little while!" Madam Nian said with a smile.
"Thank you for the gift, Princess!" Peach Blossom curtsied again.
Peach Blossom was led by Cui Ling to the left side room of the main house to drink tea and eat melon. This was where the maids who served Lady Nian usually rested for a while.
Peach Blossom saw that there were two maids inside drinking tea and talking. When they saw Cuiling leading in a stranger, they both stood up to offer her a seat and started talking to her.
After Nian finished painting her nails, she called Cuiling to bring Taohua out to talk.
Peach Blossom was in high spirits, enjoying food and drink, with several maids chatting and laughing with her. She had never received such treatment in the Yehe clan before, and couldn't help but envy Hongling and the others for being able to work for the Nian clan!
"Peach Blossom, what do you think of my place?" Lady Nian sat upright on the bamboo couch, her alluring eyes wide open, a half-smile playing on her lips.
"Everything here in Princess Nian's room is wonderful. The room is beautiful, the furnishings are exquisite, the ladies who serve her are all very kind, the food is delicious, and even the teaware is exquisite." Tao Hua noticed the furnishings in Princess Nian's room, which were truly incomparable to those in Princess Yehe's room. The items here were probably even better than those in the Fujin's room.
Peach Blossom has a good eye, because the things in Nian Shi's room were not originally part of a princess's allowance; most of them were items that came with her dowry. Eight large chests were brought in, all of which were part of Nian Shilan's dowry from the Nian family, including many rare and precious treasures.
Madam Nian smiled and said kindly, "Peach Blossom, as Your Highness knows, you have a whole household of people outside who need you to support them, right? I wonder if your monthly allowance is enough for you?"
When Peach Blossom saw that Lady Nian had touched on her sore spot, she quickly put away the envy on her face and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. How could Your Highness worry about the little troubles in my room? It's all because of my useless brother. He's not only incompetent, but he also likes to gamble. I finally managed to find him a wife, but she ran away."
The maids, including Cuiling, sneered at what they heard. Taohua's family was a poor, destitute tenant farmer. She had sold herself into servitude to her parents so they could find a wife for their son, but their son turned out to be a complete good-for-nothing, while their daughter was quite successful and sent money home every month. Families like Taohua's were not uncommon. For the sake of a son to carry on the family line, they sacrificed their daughters' happiness, ultimately relying on their daughters. Sold into the royal family as a maid like Taohua was considered lucky; some were sold directly to brothels.
“Peach Blossom, if I were you, I would think carefully about my own future. I admire capable people the most. Back then, when we cooperated, Yehe suffered such a loss. She probably won’t trust you anymore. Why should you seek a living with her?” Nian Shi tempted.
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