"The laundry quarters?" Jin Minjing frowned, a worry arising in her eyes. "The work there is heavy and tiring. Xin'er has always stayed by my side, doing light work. She has never done such hard work before!"
A mere maidservant trying to be picky? Hongli wouldn't tolerate her, and bluntly declared, "If you think it's too hard, then get out of the manor!"
Since the Fourth Prince was willing to offer conditions, Xin'er dared not bargain and hurriedly stated, "Thank you for thinking of me, Princess. I am not afraid of hardship and am willing to go to the laundry. I would be extremely grateful if the Fourth Prince would let me stay."
Besides punishing Xin'er by sending her to the laundry quarters, Hongli also ordered Jin Minjing to be confined to the courtyard for a month, forbidding her from leaving the small courtyard.
Fearing that Hongli would change his mind, Jin Minjing dared not provoke him any further and could only comply with his wishes, her eyes red as she sobbed softly, "I know I was wrong and am willing to accept punishment."
Having said this, Hongli did not linger any longer and resolutely turned and left.
Witnessing his heartless retreating figure, Jin Minjing raised the back of her hand to wipe away her tears, her surging hatred bursting from between her teeth, "Su Yushan! I will never let you go!"
Yesterday she was full of vigor and smiles, glad to be the maid of the Fourth Prince's favored concubine. Today she has ended up like this. Xin'er is still in a daze, but she has no choice but to accept her fate and bid farewell to her mistress while crying.
"Princess, I will not be able to stay by your side from now on, please take good care of yourself."
With his trusted confidant transferred away, Jin Minjing felt as if he had lost his arm and was very uncomfortable, yet he was powerless to change the situation. "Right now, Fourth Master is in a bad mood, so I can't say much. Please bear with it for a while. After some time, when Fourth Master's anger subsides, I will find an opportunity to plead for you and have you transferred back to my side."
Right now, Xin'er's only hope is her mistress, so she dares not utter a single complaint. "Thank you, Princess, I understand. You must take good care of yourself and not provoke Princess Su for the time being."
Mentioning Su Yushan, Jin Minjing's anger was still burning. She secretly vowed, "I will avenge this sooner or later. What goes around comes around. I don't believe she can stay in favor forever!"
Su Yushan, far away in Tingfeng Pavilion, was learning to prune bonsai when a cool breeze blew in through the window, and she couldn't help but sneeze. At that moment, she had no idea what had happened over there until Chang Yue came to report that Jin Minjing and her servant had both been punished by Hongli.
Chang Yue raised her eyebrows in triumph, overjoyed. "It seems that Fourth Master still cares for you very much, Princess. As soon as he heard that you were bullied, he immediately sought revenge for you!"
Was Hongli truly acting for her sake, or was he using this incident to reorganize the inner quarters? No one could guess his thoughts. In truth, his purpose was unimportant; as long as Jin Minjing paid the price, Su Yushan would be able to vent her anger.
After this incident, Hongli realized that he really needed to manage his inner quarters, but he was busy with government affairs and had no time to meddle in such matters. At this time, he was not yet married and there was no mistress in the mansion, so he had to choose one of the maids to temporarily manage the affairs of the inner quarters.
However, there are six maids in the household, and choosing who to take charge of is a problem.
When Hongli casually asked for Li Yu's opinion, Li Yu dared not speak carelessly. "This is a major matter for the manor, and it should be decided by Your Highness. This servant dares not speak presumptuously."
"It's alright, just speak, and you will be forgiven."
With his master's assurance, Li Yu pondered and said, "Girl Jin's family background is decent, but she seems a bit willful. Girl Su is insightful, but she is a Han Chinese woman. If she were to manage the household, I'm afraid she would not be able to win people's respect. Girl Chen has not yet been favored by the emperor, so let's leave her aside for now. The remaining three are all fine, but it depends on what you think, Master."
Both Lady Lan and Lady Fucha were Manchus, and their family backgrounds were superior to Gao Xiuwen's. Although Gao Xiuwen was born into the Han Banner Army, her father, Gao Bin, held a higher official position than the other two. After careful consideration, Hongli finally decided to entrust the management to Gao Xiuwen.
All the maids knew that Princess Gao was the first to be favored by the emperor, and that she was gentle and well-liked in the household. When the Fourth Prince put her in charge, no one objected.
In Xi Lan's opinion, managing the inner quarters is not a good job. It is mentally and physically demanding, and you may offend people. As long as it is not Jin Minjing, she will support anyone.
Jin Minjing was indignant. In her opinion, she should be in charge of the inner quarters. However, she had offended the Fourth Prince and was stripped of this right. For now, she could only obey the arrangement and wait for the right opportunity to win back the Fourth Prince's favor so that she could have a chance to turn things around.
Su Yushan was very self-aware; she knew her situation and wouldn't hold a grudge.
After the hairpin incident, Hongli, knowing that she liked tourmaline, specially gifted her a set of tourmaline jewelry.
Looking at the colorful gems in the box, Su Yushan felt extremely conflicted, a mixture of attraction and fear.
"The sight of tourmaline reminds me of that day, and it makes me uneasy. I can't wear it, and it's a waste to leave it here. Fourth Master, you should take it back!"
"Then let's put it away for now. Maybe we can wear it someday?"
Hongli's words were meaningful. Su Yushan knew that she was a commoner from the Han Dynasty and had no right to be a concubine. Therefore, she could not wear tourmaline unless Hongli ascended the throne and she became an empress.
It is now the fourth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign. Hongli will ascend the throne nine years later. No one can predict what will happen during those nine years.
The concubines of the Qing Dynasty were only recorded by their surnames, not their given names. No one dares to say for sure what the real Consort Chun was called. Perhaps another woman with the surname Su will come to the household in the future. Perhaps she is not the real Consort Chun?
The more she thought about it, the more her head ached. Adhering to the principle of taking things as they come, Su Yushan told herself not to think too much. Since he had given it to her, she would accept it, lock it up, and keep it out of sight, out of mind.
When the Fourth Prince entrusted Gao Xiuwen with such an important task, Cui Ning was overjoyed and offered her congratulations repeatedly, saying, "Congratulations, Princess, on obtaining the authority to manage the inner quarters."
A round mirror reflected a round and delicate face. Gao Xiuwen, who was changing her earrings in front of the mirror, sighed softly, "Managing the household is no easy task!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
