After Qiao'er walked away, Lianhua and Lianqin immediately stopped their ingratiating smiles.
Lianqin said angrily, "That brat, she's so clueless!"
"Don't be angry, she's just a little girl, there will be other opportunities in the future. But it's understandable that she doesn't care about your things. The servants in this Fragrant Courtyard are all dressed in fine clothes, which shows that the Princess treats them very well."
Lianqin rolled her eyes at her: "Ha! Are you envious? Then just be like them."
"How could I be like them! Being a prince's concubine, dressed in gold and silver, isn't that better than them?"
These words angered Lianhua, who left Lianqin behind and went back to her room alone.
Not long after, Qiao'er sent over some embroidery, and the two of them had no choice but to stay in their room and embroider.
It wasn't until the afternoon that Zhong Muyu and Zaochun returned home with their loot.
Looking at the sheer amount of stuff the servants were carrying, Qiao'er asked in shock, "Your Highness, Sister Zaochun, how much stuff did you buy?"
Zaochun smiled and said, "These weren't bought, but are new items from Yunshang Pavilion. The Pavilion Master and Granny Zhang specially made these winter clothes for the Princess, so they're thicker and more elaborate."
“They are all nice styles. I also asked them to buy you winter clothes. In winter, Lingqing is much colder than Yuanjing, so you should wear more clothes.”
As Zhong Muyu spoke, she placed her cold fingers on the warm teacup.
After the servants had put everything away, Qiao'er specially prepared some snacks and hot milk tea.
Zhong Muyu took a bite and exclaimed in amazement, "Not bad, Qiao'er! You've already made it quite well so quickly. I remember you only learned from me once?"
"It was only once, but I really liked the taste, so I practiced it many times in secret."
“Not bad, you have talent. You can cook in early spring, and you can make desserts and drinks. If it were just the three of us traveling, we would definitely not starve.”
Qiao'er was flattered by the praise and smiled shyly.
The three chatted as they ate, and the conversation drifted to the people in the manor. It was then that Qiao'er remembered Lianhua and Lianqin and told Zhong Muyu what had happened when they went out.
Zhong Muyu propped her head up with one hand and stirred her milk tea incessantly with a spoon in the other: "These two couldn't wait any longer, huh?"
Qiao'er nodded seriously: "Yes, I also think they must have ill intentions."
Zaochun chimed in, "Keeping them locked up like this isn't a solution. They're both older than me, so they must be anxious. As long as they can move around in the Prince's mansion, they'll have plenty of opportunities."
The toppings in the cup were swirled and churned before sinking to the bottom again. Zhong Muyu's face remained calm and composed: "Then let them out. Keeping them locked up like this is really not a solution."
"Your Highness! Those two clearly have ill intentions!"
Seeing that Qiao'er was starting to get anxious, Zaochun comforted her, "Qiao'er, don't worry. The princess must have her reasons for doing this."
Zhong Muyu finished the rest of her milk tea, wiped her mouth haphazardly with a handkerchief, and said, "Don't they feel like they have nothing to do? Just give them the laundry and other chores. Remember, if they're doing it, don't let them be too idle."
Qiao'er understood and said, "This servant understands!"
"etc."
Zhong Muyu whispered a few more words in her ear, and Qiao'er rolled her eyes and nodded vigorously: "Don't worry about it, leave it to me, I will definitely do a good job for you!"
After she skipped away, Zaochun asked in confusion, "What mischievous idea does the Princess have?"
"It's not a bad idea. They're restless, so we need to keep them in check, otherwise the Prince's mansion will be in turmoil again."
...
That evening, Lianhua and Lianqin finally finished their embroidery. Looking at the patterns in their hands, Lianqin said happily, "My embroidery skills are still so good! Afterwards, we'll cut it out and make two sachets, one for me and the other for the Prince!"
Lianhua sighed, "Let's return it to the Prince first, and see him first."
Looking at the embroidery patterns in her hands, Lianhua still found them uninteresting and immediately put them away.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring. Will they have to embroider all day again? They're not embroiderers!
Just as Lianhua was feeling down, Qiao'er arrived.
"Oh, Qiao'er! Why are you here so late?"
Lianhua immediately changed her expression and walked over with a smile.
Qiao'er deliberately distanced herself from them: "The Princess Consort heard that you are too idle, so she has something to arrange for you."
Lianqin was overjoyed and asked first, "Your Highness has finally thought of us! What is it?"
"Go to the backyard at 3:45 AM tomorrow, and an old woman will arrange work for you."
"backyard?"
Lianqin was about to ask more questions when Lianhua, all smiles, squeezed in behind her: "Okay, we'll definitely arrive on time."
Qiao'er nodded with a cold face. This feigned seriousness was really unsuitable for her and looked very out of place on her young face.
After she left, Lianqin said with dissatisfaction, "What good jobs can you get in the backyard? I wish I could work in the frontyard."
"The backyard and front yard are fine, as long as you can move around freely, that's the first step to success."
Lianhua kept encouraging herself, brimming with confidence.
The next day, as dawn broke, the two rubbed their sleepy eyes and went to the backyard.
Qiao'er wasn't here, nor were the maids who served Zhong Muyu personally. There were only two rough maids and a young but capable old woman.
"The people in the Prince's mansion have already started working at this hour, and you're all still looking like you're half asleep. What kind of behavior is this!"
Actually, it wasn't that these two didn't get up early in the palace, but since they were assigned to Zhong Muyu's place, they had nothing to do all day, so they inevitably felt a little uncomfortable.
However, being spoken to like that by a lowly old woman, both of them were equally dissatisfied.
Lianqin said, "We're all here now, so just tell us what you need us to do!"
The old woman didn't respond to her words but instead brought over two large basins filled with dirty clothes, one for each of them.
"Here's your job for today: wash all these clothes, dry them, and then fold them neatly. I'll be here to check later."
"Do laundry? This!"
The two looked on incredulously.
Undeterred, Lianhua asked, "May I ask this old woman, is she really washing clothes?"
"Would I joke about something like this? You can wash in this backyard today, no need to run around everywhere."
After saying that, the old woman left.
Lianqin threw down the basin and stomped her foot in anger: "I am the concubine appointed by the Empress Dowager, not here to wash clothes!"
Lianhua looked at the basin of clothes and didn't want to touch them.
"It must have been Qiao'er who arranged this on purpose. We must find her!"
"But we're in the backyard, so we can only look for her at night."
Lianhua said, "We can find a chance to sneak out today."
"And now?"
Lianhua gritted her teeth: "Wash the clothes!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
