"But drawing up the butterfly's blueprints will take time, I'm afraid it won't be quick," Yehe said realistically.
"Then let's do it the day after tomorrow. Two days shouldn't be a problem for a talented woman like Ye Gege," said Madam Nian, deliberately emphasizing the word "talented woman."
"That should be enough. Please have your sister's maid come and collect it then." Yehe Shi restrained herself and said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Ms. Nian gave a stunningly beautiful smile, then turned and walked away.
After the mistress and servant left, Yu Lu said angrily, "Princess, you are of the same status as her, why should you have to look up to her? You just told her about the kite you bought outside, why did you have to tell her? Now you've gotten yourself into trouble for no reason."
Yehe Shi withdrew her gaze, turned her head back to look at the kite in the sky, and said, "Sometimes trouble can't be avoided just because you want to. Nian Shi is holding a grudge against that **** for playing the zither and attracting the Fourth Prince's attention."
Yuhen tugged at the kite string in her hand and said worriedly, "Nian Shi is confident in her beauty and has won the master's favor first. I'm afraid she will always be superior to you, Gege. You can't live here with a carefree attitude, otherwise you might not even have a place to live."
Yu Lu nodded. Their princess was too good-natured. If this continued, wouldn't she be ridden around by a woman named Nian?
Yehe chuckled softly, "It's not like that at all. She just wanted the kite because she wanted to be friendly with me. Alright, let's put the kite away. I've decided how to draw the butterfly. I'll go back and draw it now."
Seeing Yehe's innocent and kind appearance, Yuhen and Yulu were worried about the princess, but there was nothing they could do. The princess had not yet served the Fourth Prince, so her voice was naturally weak.
Meanwhile, the Nian family, having traveled slowly, arrived at a cluster of chrysanthemums. The chrysanthemums there were blooming in a riot of colors, each with its own unique posture and color, creating a lively scene.
"Go, pick one of those pale purple chrysanthemums for me," said Madam Nian to Bi Rou, seeing that the pale purple chrysanthemums were blooming beautifully.
Birou readily agreed, put down her small basket, pulled up her trousers, and tiptoed into the chrysanthemum bushes to pick purple chrysanthemums for Nian Shi.
"Princess, don't you never like flying kites? Why would you ask Princess Ye to make a kite for you?" Cui Ling asked curiously. She had served Nian Shi since she was a child and naturally knew her personality.
“This princess doesn’t like kites, but does that mean I can’t have kites?” Madam Nian raised her hand and flicked her fingernails.
Cui Ling was puzzled, but seeing a smile forming on Nian Shi's lips, she gradually understood.
"Does the princess want to teach Ye Gege a lesson so that she'll avoid her in the future?" Cui Ling couldn't help but ask.
“You said it yourself, how could I, a princess, have ever said such a thing?” Madam Nian glanced at Cui Ling and said.
Seeing the fierce look in Nian's eyes, Cui Ling immediately lowered her head and said cautiously, "This servant is clumsy with words and spoke nonsense. Please forgive me, Princess."
Lady Nian glared at her and said, "Alright, you've been with me for a while now. You should know what not to say easily in the future, understand?"
Cui Ling immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes, this servant understands, and will not dare to say anything reckless again."
At this moment, Bi Rou had already picked several pale purple chrysanthemums and was carrying them towards Nian Shi.
As for Yehe Shi, after she helped her maid put away the kite, she immediately returned to her northern courtyard.
Seeing that Yehe immediately ordered the paper and ink to be spread out and began to paint, Yulu couldn't help but sigh. Just then, Taohua happened to return from collecting Yehe's fruit allowance.
"Yulu, what's wrong?" Peach Blossom and Lotus placed the fruit they had brought back at the foot of the house. She hadn't wanted to do these things, but Madam Yehe was used to ordering around her personal maids. She and Lotus were assigned by the head nanny, so they weren't as close as Yuhen and Yulu. However, Madam Yehe treated them well. Basically, she let them handle the important matters in her own room, while Yuhen and Yulu only took care of her personal affairs.
"Our princess is too kind-hearted. She's helping that arrogant princess make kites for no reason." Yu Lu then recounted what had happened in the garden.
"Princess is too weak-willed, sigh. Look at the fruit we brought back, they're all misshapen and cracked fruits that no one else wanted, it's really bullying." Peach Blossom couldn't help but say, having had enough of the steward in charge of all the fruits, candied fruits and dried fruits in the manor.
"Why are they bullying our princess like this?" Yu Lu walked over to the basket, untied the cloth covering it, and immediately said angrily.
The basket was filled with mostly ordinary fruits like apples and pears. But upon closer inspection, they turned out to be small fruits that were neither pretty nor colorful.
"Those people are the best at currying favor with the powerful and putting down the weak. Whichever princess is favored, they give her all the good things. I heard that Princess Nian is very generous, always slipping her a purse. This time, there were supposed to be fragrant pears from Xinjiang and mangoes from Taiwan, but I heard they were all sent to the main courtyard and Princess Nian's quarters. The other people in the courtyards only got these. They see that our princess just arrived and hasn't won the master's favor yet, so they gave me all the leftovers and unwanted things. It's infuriating!" Peach Blossom said loudly.
Yehe, who was painting in the inner room, naturally heard it as well. She paused for a moment before concentrating on painting the butterflies under her brush.
"Sister Peach Blossom, what do you suggest we do? The princess is too kind-hearted, and now that the master is not in the manor, where will our princess get any favor?" Yu Lu said hurriedly.
Peach Blossom sighed and whispered to Jade Dew, "If you want to gain a foothold in this inner quarters, you must find a way to please the master. Life is hard for women without his favor. Look at Madam Song, she still has two children, but only one daughter is being raised by the Fujin. Madam Wu and Madam Geng have no favor and no children, they're just waiting to grow old. You and Jade Dew came with you, so you can persuade him better than Lotus and I. Don't spend all your time playing the zither, writing, and painting to pass the time, you have to focus your attention on the master."
Seeing that Tao Hua's words made sense, Yu Lu sighed and said, "Gege has been pampered by the master and mistress since she was a child, and she is proud of her talent and does not compete with them. Let's try to persuade her slowly."
The two maids were whispering outside the room, and Yehe Shi heard them all. Indeed, she disdained to use such underhanded methods to harm others or climb up by stepping on them.
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