"The nanny went to check, and I doubt they would dare let anything happen to the Prince." Bi Qiao said with a displeased expression.
Upon hearing her words, Zhao Shu gently rebuked her, "Stop talking nonsense. This is the Marquis's residence. Remember to be careful with your words and actions."
Bi Qiao was still somewhat unconvinced, but she managed to calm her anger down a bit. "Princess, you treat others like family, but they might not appreciate it. Look at that Miss Jiang, her eyes are glued to our Prince, she can't wait for him to marry her. She has no manners at all, no wonder she's still unmarried at such an old age."
"Kneel down! Do you know what crime it is to talk about relatives and nobles?" Zhao Shu reprimanded Bi Qiao sternly for the first time.
Bi Qiao was a loyal servant who always considered the interests of the Prince's Mansion. However, after serving as the head maid for a long time, she inevitably became accustomed to making decisions. Regardless of whether the Jiang family was still prosperous or had already declined, or was the most unruly family in the entire capital, it was still Zhao Shu's maternal family and her biological mother's family.
As a servant, it is good to be loyal to one's master, but one must be mindful of the occasion and one's status. Today, her behavior makes her appear to others as an example of a master who is unruly and has failed to properly discipline her servants.
"Yes." Bi Qiao knelt on the ground, head down, lips pursed, refusing to admit her mistake.
Zhao Shu shook her head slightly. "Go kneel in the sun and think carefully about where you went wrong. Don't get up until you understand."
Bi Qiao looked up at Zhao Shu with a wronged expression, but Zhao Shu had already turned around and ordered Jiang Ping, who had been receiving glares from Bi Qiao, to go and make tea.
"Uncle Jiang, the tea has gone cold. Go and brew a fresh pot."
Jiang Ping had always felt he was in the wrong and dared not say much to Bi Qiao's disdain, enduring it all. But Zhao Shu suddenly made trouble, forcing Bi Qiao to kneel, and he was still in shock.
When Zhao Shu spoke to him, he quickly nodded and stepped back. After taking several steps, he realized that he hadn't heard what Zhao Shu said clearly. He wanted to turn back and ask, but Zhao Shu had already gone into the study.
"I told you to go brew tea, really, what kind of person are you?" Bi Qiao saw Jiang Ping standing dumbfounded in front of the moon gate, and finally had a place to vent her anger.
Jiang Ping had never been scolded by a girl so much younger than him before. He had tolerated the glare from her earlier, but it was the young lady who was being unreasonable and had done something outrageous. She had already been punished by kneeling, yet she was still so angry and taking it out on him.
He took two steps and came to Bi Qiao's side. "Anyone who didn't know better would think that the young lady was the master and mistress of the prince and the princess."
"You!" Bi Qiao was furious and wanted to argue with him. Just as she was about to stand up, she remembered Zhao Shu's stern look and her arrogance subsided.
Seeing that there was still hope for her, Jiang Ping couldn't help but say, "One must always remember one's duty. When you encounter good masters like the Prince and the Princess, you should cherish them even more. I think you are a smart child and you should know what to do."
Was Bi Qiao stupid? No, she wasn't. Otherwise, how could she have broken through all the obstacles to become the head maid of the Prince's mansion, even the arrogant Granny Guo was no match for her?
She just couldn't stand those women who wanted to sleep with him, especially those who kept saying how much they loved the prince. If he lost the throne, would these people still act this way?
Even if you beat her to death, she would never believe those people were sincere.
She was so angry today, and Zhao Shu had even specially asked her to give extra gifts, sending cartloads of fine things to the Jiang family. Now that this has happened, she felt sorry for Zhao Shu.
But she was just a maid, what right did she have to plead for her master? After calming down, she lowered her head and knelt in the sun.
Jiang Ping nodded and went downstairs to have tea prepared.
Jiang Huiji heard everything happening outside. He sighed softly and took a deep look at Zhao Shu, his granddaughter.
So be it.
"Besides needlework, what do you study on a daily basis? Do you know how to play chess?" He took out a white jade chessboard and gestured for Zhao Shu to come over and play chess with him.
Zhao Shu walked over, paused for a moment, then quickly recovered, though she was incredibly surprised inside.
Jiang Suiji had seen the white jade chessboard before. It was during her first year of marriage into the Gu family that she happened to see a white jade chessboard on Gu Chongxuan's desk. At that time, Gu Chongxuan's favored concubine told her that it was a gift given to Gu Chongxuan by someone who wanted him to do something for them.
So Bai Yuqi is now in the Yiguang Marquis's residence. Could it be that the person who asked Gu Chongxuan for help back then was from the Yiguang Marquis's residence? That's why that concubine deliberately told her that? But she wasn't close to the Yiguang Marquis's residence back then.
Maternal grandfather?
Moreover, the timing didn't match up; by then, the Jiang family had already moved back to their hometown.
“You didn’t play well.” She knelt down opposite Jiang Huiji.
In her past life, in order to please the ladies of noble families and to integrate into the Gu family's circle of relatives and friends, she diligently practiced the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
"Come on, white or black, you choose first."
Zhao Shu chose the black pieces.
“Your mother used to prefer playing black chess pieces, and she was never one to be passive.” Jiang Suiji picked up a white piece and waited for Zhao Shu to make her move.
Compared to chess, Zhao Shu prefers Chinese chess and is not particularly enthusiastic about Go. Although she had practiced chess diligently, she was still utterly defeated by the director of the orphanage in modern times. But it's different with Chinese chess; very few people who have played Chinese chess with her have been able to win.
This time, Zhao Shu lost by a single move again.
In modern times, the orphanage director said that she didn't think things through before acting, lacked a big-picture perspective, was prone to one-sided views, didn't consider things thoroughly, was impatient, and didn't know how to make choices.
Later, she really worked hard, mainly to keep herself calm and rational when faced with problems, and not to act on emotion.
At first, Jiang Suiji was just killing time and wasn't really playing against Zhao Shu. But the more he played, the more alarmed he became. Zhao Shu's chess skills were among the best he had ever seen. In the end, he had to concentrate and rack his brains to win.
Little did he know that Zhao Shuxian had diligently practiced chess for many years and used chess games to refine her personality. Her current achievements, still achieved by losing by a single move, fully demonstrate that she lacked natural talent.
After the game ended, Jiang Ping, who had been waiting on the side, saw that the two had decided the winner and hurriedly said, "Master, Princess, it's already noon."
Before we knew it, it was almost noon.
Jiang Suiji stood up, flicked her wide sleeves, and said, "Let's set out the meal."
Zhao Shu also stood up, and Green Ivy, who was next to Jiang Ping, hurriedly came over to help her and smoothed out her clothes.
The group came out of the study. Bi Qiao was still kneeling in the sun with her head down. It was the hottest time of day, and her clothes were soaked with sweat. The loose hair at her temples was also sticking to her cheeks because it was wet.
Hearing the door open, she looked up, her face already flushed.
"Do you know you're wrong?" Zhao Shu asked coldly, though she felt a pang of pity.
Bi Qiao kowtowed once, and when she looked up again, she said, "This servant knows her mistake."
"Get up." Zhao Shuxin truly knew she was wrong.
Outside the study was a servant sent by Madam Jiang, a nanny. "This servant greets the Princess and Master," she curtsied before continuing, "Madam asked this servant to wait here for the Princess and Master, inquiring whether the meal would be served at Biyun Courtyard?"
Jiang Suiji nodded, and the old woman, having received confirmation, then said to Zhao Shu, "Princess, the Madam requests your presence. She has some fashionable pearl hairpins for you to see."
"Please lead the way, Granny." Zhao Shu knew that Jiang Yangshi must have something to say.
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