Chuixue stopped and scrutinized her from head to toe, making Dongzao uneasy. She twisted her fingers together, clutching her handkerchief, and dared not utter a word.
"Come in with me."
Hearing her unquestionable voice, Dongzao had no choice but to follow Chuixue into the back room.
"Come in! Who taught you manners!" Fubuki stopped and turned around to find Dongzao with one foot inside the door and the other foot outside the threshold, as if she was about to run away at any moment. She couldn't help but scold her sternly.
Dongzao's face turned deathly pale, and she almost knelt down. She approached tremblingly and quickly admitted her mistake: "Sister Chuixue, it's my fault. I shouldn't have spoken to Prince Bei."
Fubuki slowly poured herself a cup of piping hot tea, the steam obscuring her face. Her voice was unreadable: "Is that so? You should have been punished yesterday, just in case you disturbed the master and the prince. Don't you remember?"
Dongzao hurriedly replied, "Don't worry, sister, I'll go find Brother Zhao to receive my punishment right away."
"No need."
Chuixue's heart gradually grew cold. These four second-class maids were personally trained by her and Granny Zhang, and they had carefully examined them for a long time before allowing them to enter the room to serve.
Dongzao is lively and cheerful, and usually she doesn't care much about others. But these past few days, her ambition has become blatant. Perhaps it's because the Prince is leaving the manor for the grasslands, and her master isn't going with him, that she thinks she has an opportunity to take advantage of.
"You've made all this commotion just to attract the Prince's attention. Dongzao, don't think everyone's a fool. I didn't punish you yesterday to give you a warning, but you've only made things worse. Do you even have a shred of respect for your master's kindness in doing this?"
Dongzao blushed deeply, and Chuixue's words made her feel utterly ashamed.
The master was indeed a rare kind-hearted man. He would forgive even minor mistakes and provided ample supplies of various kinds of plum juice, mung bean soup, coal, etc., and would also reward the master from time to time.
"But no matter how kind-hearted your mistress is, don't think she's easy to fool. Do you think you can leave any impression on the Prince?" Chuixue looked at her with some contempt. "Who else do you think the Prince would care about besides your mistress?"
Dongzao couldn't help but mutter, "The Prince is going out, and Master can't go with him. Rather than having Qingfu serve him, I'd rather go. I'll definitely listen to Master and mention him to him from time to time."
Fubuki laughed in exasperation at this foolish thing: "Do I need you? A toad trying to eat swan meat, take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror! You ungrateful wretch."
Fubuki knew perfectly well that her master would not allow anyone to get close to Prince Beile, and no third person could get between them.
Sometimes, even when she was serving them, she felt as if the two masters were from a completely different world. No matter who was beside them, they could only see each other.
Fubuki had already made up her mind that the winter dates could not be kept.
Looking at Chuixue's calm face, Dongzao felt a sudden, inexplicable fear. She had thought that even if things didn't go well, her master would at most punish her by making her work elsewhere. However, the image of Niohuru Gege's tongue suddenly flashed before her eyes.
No master is truly weak and easily bullied.
"Sister Fubuki, I was really wrong. I know I was out of my mind, I'm a toad. I'll never do it again. Please, sister, give me a way out!"
Dongzao suddenly knelt down, gripping Chuixue's skirt tightly, her knuckles white, as if she had grasped a lifeline.
The tea in Chuixue's hands was scalding hot, burning her fingers red. This was her punishment; she had to be more attentive in serving her master in the future and could not allow such ungrateful and disloyal people to appear in Qingzhi Courtyard again.
Zhao Fuhai lifted the curtain, saw the scene, and smiled: "Miss Chuixue, you're too slow. Do you want me to help you?"
Dongzao was suddenly so frightened that she couldn't speak, tears streaming down her face, and she hid behind Chuixue. She knew Zhao Fuhai's methods; all eunuchs were ruthless, one more so than the other.
Fubuki suddenly splashed the teacup in her hand onto Dongzao's face. The scalding tea immediately covered her delicate face, turning it red and causing several blisters to appear instantly, making her look terrifying.
"Ah!" Dongzao trembled from the heat and was about to let out a scream, but Zhao Fuhai covered her mouth, so she could only make muffled sounds.
He was incredibly strong. Holding a coarse cloth, he grabbed Dongzao's neck with one hand and covered her mouth and nose with the other, preventing her from making a sound. No matter how much Dongzao struggled and twisted, she couldn't escape Zhao Fuhai's hand.
After a while, Dongzao's struggling limbs gradually stopped, and she stopped breathing.
"Dongzao came to work this morning before she was fully awake and accidentally fell into the well. Give her family twenty taels of silver and send it out." Chuixue said expressionlessly, but clenched her fists.
Zhao Fuhai spat at the woman sprawled on the ground, then laughed: "Miss Chuixue is still the kind-hearted one."
Fubuki rolled her eyes at him and snorted coldly, "Don't be so sarcastic. If you use an unpleasant excuse and let any rumors slip out, it will affect the master's reputation."
Zhao Fuhai's sinister gaze was frightening: "Why bother giving this bastard any face? Throw her into the mass grave to feed the dogs."
"If you're not satisfied with Granny Zhang's instructions, go talk to her."
Upon hearing the name of Granny Zhang, Zhao Fuhai immediately switched to his harmless mode, smiling obsequiously, "Why bother her, Granny Zhang is truly wise."
Chuixue ignored Zhao Fuhai; her master was about to wake up, and she needed to help him with his washing and grooming.
She had no choice but to remain soft-hearted. Fubuki told herself that she would do anything for her master. Dongzao was no longer useful. If she were kept, even if she no longer got close to the prince, her loyalty would be questionable, and she would become a tool for others to attack her master in the future.
She couldn't let her master get into danger.
A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole.
As Granny Zhang said, the most important thing for a servant is to be loyal.
Those who fail to do this will only have themselves to blame, whatever their fate may be.
Changning woke up feeling completely satisfied. She had been living a very fulfilling life lately. She wished that Yinzhen would stay. Now she could only seize the opportunity.
However, upon hearing Fubuki's report, she became displeased, pondered for a moment, and uttered three words.
"You've become too carefree."
Fubuki felt a burning pain on her face and quickly knelt down to beg for forgiveness: "Master, please forgive me. It was my fault for not discovering Dongzao's disloyalty sooner, which led her astray."
"What does this have to do with you, silly Chuixue? Get up." Changning helped her up. "You are my most capable maid. Although Zhuiyu has been with me since she was a child, she is naive and not as thoughtful as you. If you still want to apologize, I don't have many capable people left around me."
With these words from her master, Fubuki suddenly felt that she would be willing to die.
She was the most typical servant in ancient times. Because of the difference in status, she was born loyal and only recognized her master.
Thinking of the winter jujubes, Changning still added, "Remember to burn some paper money. In the future, we still need to carefully investigate Qingzhi Courtyard."
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