The autumn sky was high and the clouds were weary; the courtyard was deep and the flowers were in full bloom. In the Listening to the Wind Pavilion, a maid with her hair in two buns lifted the misty blue cotton curtain with floral patterns, entered the inner room, and asked in a low voice for permission.
"Princess, it's time to eat."
A woman dressed in a lake-green cloak sat by the openwork carved window frame, her starry eyes half-closed and her delicate brows furrowed with worry.
Just three days ago, when Su Yushan first heard the title "Gege," she thought she had transmigrated into a Qing Dynasty princess, the emperor's darling. Later, she realized that "Gege" was a title for female members of royal and noble families, and she, the so-called Su Gege, was the Fourth Prince's maid.
It is currently the fourth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, so the "Fourth Master" mentioned by the maid Changyue is definitely not referring to Yinzhen, but rather to Yinzhen's son, the Fourth Prince Hongli.
In other words, she transmigrated into the body of a concubine in Hongli's former residence.
Out of curiosity, she wanted to see what kind of majestic and elegant appearance the future Emperor Qianlong would have. However, she had been here for three days and still had not seen Hongli.
Over the course of those three days, she gradually came to understand her situation.
Hongli had not yet married a princess. There were six maids in his household. They were either daughters of Manchu nobles or belonged to the Han Banner bondservants. Even the Han girl, Chen Gege, came from an official family. Only Su Yushan was an ordinary girl from Suzhou. Her father was neither a merchant nor an official. So how did she get into the Fourth Prince's residence?
Could it be because of her looks? The graceful and charming nature of women from Jiangnan is indeed unique among women in the capital. Apart from that, she really couldn't think of any other reason why the original owner became a prince's maid.
Su Yushan had no memories of the original owner, and Chang Yue had only recently been assigned to serve her and was unfamiliar with her past. If she asked too many questions, she would not only fail to get answers but would also arouse suspicion from others. Therefore, she decided to listen more and speak less, trying to extract useful information from what others said.
After washing her hands, Su Yushan sat down at the table, took a white porcelain lotus-shaped spoon, gently stirred the white porridge in the bowl, and then scooped a small spoonful into her mouth.
The moment she tasted it, Su Yushan frowned. "Why is this porridge lukewarm again? Didn't you tell the kitchen staff?"
Autumn has arrived and the weather is gradually getting cooler. Yesterday, she ate warm porridge, which caused her to have a stomachache all day. She thought it was just a temporary mistake by the kitchen staff, but today it happened again, which is really infuriating.
She doesn't ask for anything fancy, but at the very least, she needs hot porridge and hot dishes so she won't get an upset stomach.
Chang Yue looked embarrassed, not daring to tell her the unpleasant things the people in the kitchen had said, and instead hinted indirectly:
"Princess, please forgive my bluntness, but the people in the kitchen only serve you according to your own taste. A few days ago, the Fourth Prince came to your place, but you didn't seize the opportunity and angered him. He left without consummating the marriage with you. This matter has already spread throughout the courtyard. Since the people in the kitchen see that you are not favored by the Fourth Prince, they naturally won't serve you wholeheartedly."
So the original owner had a fight with the Fourth Prince? According to Chang Yue, all the servants were sent away at the time, and no one knew why the two were arguing. Su Yushan had just transmigrated, so she couldn't possibly know the inside story or the reason. How should this conflict be resolved?
Just as she was pondering, she heard Changyue say again, "Princess, I speak frankly, please don't mind. You are new to the capital, unlike other maids, you have no family background to rely on. The only thing you can rely on is the favor of the Fourth Prince. As long as the Fourth Prince comes here often, no one else will dare to neglect you."
Competing for favor seemed too much trouble, and she was too lazy to plan it out. But Chang Yue's words made sense. Given the current situation, she probably couldn't go back to the modern world. The original owner's body was already somewhat delicate, and if she drank warm porridge and ate cold dishes every day, her body would easily collapse.
For Su Yushan, clothing was acceptable, but food was not. In order to have a bowl of hot porridge, she decided to work hard to get closer to the Fourth Prince and secure better conditions for her life.
But since the Fourth Master doesn't come to her, she, an unfavored maid, has no right to go to him. The most troublesome thing is that she doesn't understand the root of their conflict at all, so she doesn't know where to start. That's the problem.
She didn't know anything about the original owner's life, so rather than guessing and pretending and being exposed, she decided to erase it and start a new chapter on a blank sheet of paper.
With a slight shift in her starry eyes, Su Yushan had a flash of inspiration and had already come up with a solution...
That evening, while taking a bath, Su Yushan deliberately slipped and fell, hitting her head on the wooden tub, and then pretended to faint.
When she woke up, she claimed that she didn't remember anything, and she didn't even recognize the servants around her. Changyue was very worried, fearing that something had happened to the princess, so she hurriedly sent someone to fetch a doctor, while she went to invite the Fourth Master over.
Unfortunately, the Fourth Master was not at home. Chang Yue told Xiao Shengzi, who served the Fourth Master, about the matter. Xiao Shengzi scoffed and said, "If he fainted, then call a doctor. The Fourth Master doesn't know how to treat patients."
This person is not favored, so none of them care about him. They are even reluctant to pass on a message, fearing that Xiao Shengzi will not inform him. Chang Yue had no choice but to take off the silver ring from her earring and put it in his hand, using both soft and hard tactics:
"Gege Su has not yet won the emperor's favor, but she is young and beautiful and has plenty of opportunities. Who can say what the future holds? It is helpful to others and helpful to yourself."
Upon receiving the silver ring, Xiao Shengzi thought about it again and realized that it made sense. After all, Su Gege had a title, and her fainting was a serious matter. The Fourth Master would find out sooner or later. Rather than concealing it and being reported, it was better to do a favor.
Thinking of this, a smile finally appeared on his face, and he promised to report the matter to the Fourth Master when he returned.
Having received the promise, Chang Yue thanked him repeatedly, then turned and went back to Tingfeng Pavilion.
Lying in the tent, Su Yushan secretly wondered if Hongli would come. If he didn't, wouldn't her fall have been for nothing? Although she was on guard, her forehead was scraped and had a bump, which hurt terribly, so she could only bear it by herself.
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