Make things difficult
Regarding the substitutionary marriage, Qi Lin summoned all the servants in the mansion and gathered them in the front yard, ordering no one to tell anyone about it and to keep their mouths shut.
Otherwise, severe punishment will be imposed.
These servants have been in the family for more than ten years and know the master and mistress's tempers very well. They nodded and expressed their loyalty repeatedly.
As for Qi Zhang, she picked two clever maids.
Qi Zhang leaned on the couch, sipping her tea leisurely. After a long while, she raised her head and glanced at the two maids in the hall. "Although that wild girl was elected, the title of Crown Princess is still Yu's name. I believe you should know what to do."
The two maids were named Shuya and Shuqing. They had been in the mansion for only a month. They were originally serving tea and water in the main hall and had never been close to the master and his wife.
This is the first time I’m so close to the lady, but I’m going to visit my cousin who just arrived today.
Shuya and Shuqing lowered their heads, looked at each other, and responded at the same time.
Madam's meaning is self-evident. The master of the two of them is always Madam, not the cousin.
After the knock, the two maids followed the servant who led the way to the lotus courtyard where the cousin lived.
The lotus courtyard is not big. On the left and right are the bedrooms of the mother, daughter and Qin'er. In the middle is the main room. Around the main room is the small kitchen. The desolate courtyard is overgrown with weeds and there is only a stone path to pave the way.
When Shuya Shuqing knocked on the door of the main room, the mother and daughter were talking inside.
Qi Qinghe carefully looked at the two maids and was silent for a long time before speaking: "My mother and I don't need any service."
The meaning of kicking someone out was self-evident, and she didn't believe her aunt would be so kind.
The two maids were startled and knelt down hurriedly. "Madam sent me here. If I go back like this, I will definitely be kicked out of the house by Madam. Please, young lady, be kind and don't let me go back."
"Since you want to stay, then do your job honestly and don't let me catch you doing anything wrong." Qi Qinghe recalled what his mother had just said and wondered if he was too easy to talk to. So he restrained his smile, straightened the corners of his mouth, and his tone became serious.
The two maids nodded hurriedly and went out to work.
Qi Xu watched silently. Seeing her daughter looking somewhat capable, she nodded with satisfaction, "You are very good the way you are now."
"Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has chosen you, you are the Crown Princess married to the Eastern Palace in a formal ceremony. You are in the harem, with the Queen and the Imperial Concubine above you, and the young princes and princesses below you. If you are too easy to talk to, won't you be at the mercy of others? Fight when you should, grab when you should, and what is yours is yours. You should also have some means to protect yourself." Qi Xu advised earnestly, fearing that her daughter would enter the palace and ruin herself because of a moment of softness in her heart.
"Don't worry, mother. I understand." Qi Qinghe understood in her heart. She vaguely remembered that the adult who came today also said something similar.
What is mine is mine, Qi Qinghe repeated it silently several times, keeping it in mind, and comforted her mother with a few words, coaxing her mother to feel at ease and go to sleep peacefully.
After A Niang left, she blew out the candle and sat alone in the dark, biting her lips unwillingly, tears as big as beans rolling down her cheeks.
She married herself off without thinking...
Qi Qinghe looked around blankly, and then she remembered that she was the only one in the main room.
When she enters the palace and lives with many nobles every day, she can only rely on herself even if she encounters difficulties and exclusion.
After a while, Qi Qinghe wiped her tears, calmed herself down, and returned to the dormitory.
Perhaps she was troubled by worries, for in her dream, a strange-looking beast, extremely tall and huge, like a tiger, kept roaring and rushed towards her with strong winds.
Qi Qinghe started running, her feet greased and she took a deep breath and looked back. The beast was right in front of her, rushing towards her with its bloody mouth wide open.
She woke up with a loud scream.
"Miss...Miss! Wake up." The two maids and Qin'er pushed her gently. When they saw her suddenly turn over and sit up, they were all startled and stepped back a little.
"Miss, are you having a nightmare? Don't be afraid, we are all here." Qin'er took a few steps forward, held the girl's hand, and comforted her.
After a while, Qi Qinghe calmed down, threw off the quilt, stood up and was about to leave, "I'm fine, what time is it now, is mother awake?"
"Don't worry, girl. Someone is coming from the front yard." Qin'er hurriedly stopped her and explained to her in detail.
The wedding date is set for the 21st of next month, which is still some time away.
The Empress issued an order to send two nannies into the mansion to teach them some rules and etiquette to prevent them from losing their composure in the future.
The two maids who came, one surnamed Wang and the other surnamed Zhao, were both said to be in their forties or fifties. They had serious faces and were stern and never smiled. They spoke in a serious manner and made their purpose clear.
"In that case, thank you very much for your kindness, Her Majesty. I'll be troubling you two these days." Qi Qinghe's right eye kept twitching, and he secretly groaned in his heart.
Before he even entered the palace, the queen extended her hand.
"Miss, there's no need to thank me. As the old saying goes, one should stand and sit properly. As the future Crown Princess, you should set an example for the Empress Dowager. Please stand and learn the palace etiquette from me..."
Qi Qinghe's head exploded after hearing this, and he stood up to study.
From early morning until sunset, Qi Qinghe did not rest except for a quarter of an hour for lunch.
Her waist and legs ached, as if they were about to fall apart. She couldn't even walk, so Qin'er and Shuya had to support her and carry her back to the lotus garden.
She sat slumped in the main room, her voice barely audible as she spoke, "When will this day end?"
"It's still early, this is just the beginning." Qi Xu asked for medicine and applied it on her palms swollen by the ruler.
The girl's delicate arms, palms, and wrists were covered with swollen red marks, which were particularly conspicuous on her snow-white skin.
"Do you really think being the Crown Princess is easy?" It would be a lie to say she didn't feel sorry for her. Qi Xu gently stroked her daughter's long hair, her eyes slowly reddening. "Once the arrow is shot, there's no turning back. Just be patient. Better days are ahead."
Qi Qinghe snuggled in her mother's arms for a long time before she softly asked, "Mother, do you think the two maids did this on purpose?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Qi Xu quickly covered her mouth and said, "You are living under someone else's roof, and you can still say such things. Aren't you afraid that the walls may have ears?"
Qi Qinghe didn't say anything, she just had this feeling.
In the afternoon, she had clearly been following Nanny's instructions, sitting upright and properly. Nanny Zhao's look of approval disappeared in an instant, and was replaced by an even stricter lecture.
She suspected that she had seen it wrong, so she came to ask her mother who had been quietly accompanying her for the entire afternoon.
"It's getting late. You should go and have some rest. You need to get up early tomorrow." Qi Xu applied medicine on her wounds, reminded her not to talk nonsense, and sent her back to the house to rest.
Qi Qinghe nodded absentmindedly and returned to the dormitory.
Having said that, she did not give up.
Yes or no, just try it and you will know.
After a few days of such harsh and boring days, Qi Qinghe's face became more and more obedient.
"Miss, you have made some progress in the past few days, but you must not slack off and must continue to study." Nanny Wang said this every day, and her ears were so tired of it that they were callused.
"Since Madam said so, I feel relieved. I have been quiet in the mansion for many days. I think it would be better for me to take a break today so that I can meet my good friend and have some private conversations." Qi Qinghe said after careful consideration.
"No." Nanny Zhao refused without hesitation. "The wedding day is approaching, and the girl hasn't finished her studies yet. How can she be lazy?"
Qi Qinghe smiled and said, "Madam, you think I didn't learn well in some way. I will definitely change it."
Zhao Mama seemed surprised that the usually docile girl would ask such a question. She was stunned for a moment before she calmed down. "The girl's sitting posture is not right, and her legs are not straightened together. The way she walks is also too long and too short. There is no dignity at all..."
It was not difficult to find fault. Nanny Zhao started talking right away, listing all of Qi Qinghe's faults and devaluing them as if they were worthless.
"If I remember correctly, the two maids corrected these problems two days ago." Qi Qinghe's eyebrows curved, with a smile that seemed to be a smile, "Or are the two maids slacking off and not teaching properly?"
"Although I come from an ordinary family and have average looks, I am the Crown Prince's chosen consort. If you two are unwilling, please return. I will write a letter to explain the reasons to His Royal Highness. I believe His Royal Highness will not blame me for this."
Qi Qinghe suppressed her smile and looked straight at the two maids.
The two maids were at a loss for words. They looked at each other and softened their tone, "Miss, what are you talking about? If you want to be lazy and go out, then go ahead. I dare not stop you."
"Going out? What do you mean?" Qi Qinghe's lips curled up. "Who said I was going out? Please continue with the class, Madam."
She turned around and went to the separate study room, "Mammy, hurry up, don't delay the class."
The two maids looked at each other, feeling as if they had been seen through. They swallowed and followed the girl.
As the days passed, the two maids no longer dared to make things difficult for Qi Qinghe. When she had free time, she would stay in the study, flipping through books casually.
Until today, after the nanny finished her lesson, Qi Qinghe was sitting in the corridor reading a storybook. Qin'er ran over from the other end of the corridor, panting, "The former Miss Qi has been captured by Master Qi. Do you want to go and see her?"
Miss Qi, Qi Qingyu?
Qi Qinghe's eyes lit up, and he stood up suddenly, not caring about the book falling to the ground, "Where is it?"
This matter could not be made public, and since the governess lived deep in the house, Qi Lin took his daughter to the woodshed, and also instructed people to keep a close eye on the governess and report immediately if there was any unusual movement.
As soon as Fang approached, he could hear Qi Lin angrily scolding his daughter, his voice raging. "You stupid girl, do you know how much effort your father and I put into getting this spot? You just say you don't want it. Do you think you're the emperor? I'm telling you, without your father, you're nothing. You're just a worthless lover. If you weren't my daughter, who would be interested in you?"
"You're such a fool! You've been so lawless at home, you think you don't know your place. Keep an eye on her! No one is allowed to let her out. No one is allowed to feed her or let her sleep without my permission. I wonder how long she can keep her stubbornness."
Unpleasant words came one after another, and Qi Lin rushed out angrily, cursing and leaving.
Fortunately, Qi Qinghe grabbed Qin'er and hid in an empty room nearby, so they avoided a head-on collision.
Hearing the footsteps getting farther and farther away, she gently pushed open the window, and when she saw that there was no one there, she went to the woodshed.
The woodshed was surrounded by a circle of tall servants with strong arms. They came forward to greet Qi Qinghe before he even got close and had a chance to speak.
Qi Qinghe asked first, "Your master only said that we can't take people away or give them food, but he didn't say that we can't go in to visit."
"Or are you afraid that with so many people, we two girls who can't even lift a finger can't be stopped."
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