Faced with this unavoidable self-destructive plot, Gan Qiongying is now numb from head to toe.
"Is the threshold of this princess's residence too high?" The head maid Manyue's voice continued. Although Gan Qiongying smashed a teacup to stop the beating, the humiliation could not be stopped.
After all, humiliating the prince consort was the "princess's" favorite pastime.
"Why does the Prince Consort always trip over things whenever he comes? Could it be... that he's simply not good enough for him?"
After Man Yue finished speaking, the other maids who had hit the man surrounded the prince consort and burst into loud, arrogant laughter.
Gan Qiongying was heartbroken.
Although she had absolutely no feelings for this prince consort, who was just a stranger, and besides, she wasn't some kind of heartless lunatic, tormenting others wouldn't bring her any happiness.
However, she didn't dare to act according to her own ideas. Interrupting the abuse was the limit of what she could do. People in ancient times weren't stupid. Her sudden change was too drastic and would definitely arouse suspicion.
A princess, surrounded by servants and thousands of servants in her palace, watched by more than ten thousand eyes, suddenly undergoes a drastic change in temperament. She transforms from a gloomy, capricious, picky, and extravagant person into a gentle, easygoing, and easygoing one, easily making up excuses like "I fell off my horse and lost my memory" or "I have a sudden enlightenment" to cover it up.
This is undoubtedly a dream.
Since she came from another time, she has been extremely cautious with every step she takes.
These days, she constantly frowns, pretending to be scheming and deep, and sends her maid out to practice her demeanor in front of the mirror, trying to be as charming, arrogant, and unrestrained as the original owner.
Fortunately, it worked well, and even her personal maid, Manyue, did not notice anything unusual about her.
Of course, this is mainly thanks to the fact that she has spoken very few words in the more than one month since she transmigrated.
The strategy of remaining unchanged in the face of all changes has indeed begun to show results, and she is gradually coming to understand some of the rules of this world.
Moreover, although the maids around her were all rather questionable people, typical lackeys of villains who were dedicated to helping the wicked and doing evil for their masters, they served her with unwavering loyalty and meticulous care.
These people were people that Gan Qiongying both loved and hated.
They didn't need Gan Qiongying to say anything; they took the lead and handled everything. They could interpret a thousand different meanings from just a glance, and there was always one that was right. All she had to do was nod. Otherwise, if she said too much, she would have made a mistake and definitely wouldn't have survived until now. She would have been dragged out and burned to death long ago, as if she were possessed by a demon.
However, Gan Qiongying also hated that they were all like villains' lackeys, and none of them knew what it meant to be low-key and reserved.
In the past few days, Gan Qiongying has witnessed them offending people more than once. For example, a couple of days ago, the Lady of the Marquis's Mansion invited her to admire the flowers. Gan Qiongying didn't know whether she should go or not, and as usual, she looked at the head maid Manyue with a deep expression.
Good heavens! As soon as Manyue opened her mouth, she said, "What kind of filthy women from the inner quarters dare to invite the princess to see them after they've planted a few weeds? See what? To watch them perform like monkeys?"
Then the maid actually went and replied in that way.
But their "evil deeds" go far beyond that.
For example, like now, they're beating the prince consort to death.
After the beating, he even claimed that the prince consort had fallen on his own.
The prince consort was more than a head taller than the girls when he stood up, but perhaps because he was used to being bullied and beaten, he didn't dare to utter a sound. He hunched his shoulders and lowered his back, keeping his eyes down. He looked like he had nothing but despair.
However, Manyue still had some sense. Although she helped the princess humiliate the prince consort and vent her anger each time, she wouldn't just let him leave. After all, the prince consort was a marriage bestowed by the emperor, and hitting the prince consort was like slapping the emperor in the face, so she still had to cover it up.
So, after routinely humiliating the man, she ordered a few maids, "You lot, why aren't you helping the prince consort wash up and seeing him off?"
Then, several maids quickly and efficiently tidied the prince consort's clothes, wiped away the bloodstains, and dusted off the dust on his body.
Before Gan Qiongying could even get a good look at the person who had been cleaned up, a group of maids pushed and dragged him out the door.
Ironically, Gan Qiongying had been in the world for over a month and still didn't recognize her husband, let alone know what he looked like...
If it weren't for the fact that Manyue and the others called this man the Imperial Son-in-Law, Gan Qiongying would have thought he was just a servant who had committed a crime in the manor.
Seeing that Gan Qiongying's gaze was still fixed on the spot where the prince consort had left, Manyue, who was walking towards her, asked, "Is the princess still not satisfied?"
Gan Qiongying: ...What?
Judging from her master's gloomy expression, Manyue guessed what he meant: "Do you want to bring the prince back and break his leg again?"
Gan Qiongying: ...Big sister, please do me some good deeds!
Gan Qiongying's heart was in her throat, fearing that Manyue's next words would be to drag the person back and beat them up again.
She wished she could turn back time and gouge out her eyes when she looked at the prince consort out of curiosity, throw them on the ground and crush them like bubbles!
Fortunately, Manyue was indeed aware of the situation, so she softened her tone and coaxed Gan Qiongying, saying, "The prince consort's health is worse than last time. I'm afraid he won't be able to hold on if he breaks another leg. If the princess is really not satisfied, then let's wait until next month."
As Man Yue spoke, she was afraid that Gan Qiongying would ignore her, and her eyes showed a hint of fear when she looked at her.
Although she had been by Princess Duanrong's side for quite some time, Manyue still couldn't quite figure out the princess's personality.
Hearing Manyue say this, Gan Qiongying breathed a sigh of relief, and her expression softened.
Seeing this, Manyue knew that her persuasion had worked, and immediately continued, "After all... it was His Majesty who bestowed the marriage upon us. Although this lowly merchant is not worthy of the princess, we cannot openly kill him."
"Fortunately, that man has some self-awareness. He only comes once a month, just to deliver silver. He doesn't ask the princess to be his wife... Moreover, as far as I know, that man's health is deteriorating, and he probably won't be alive for long."
Manyue would call the prince consort "Prince Consort" with sarcasm in front of him, but once he left, she would never call him "Prince Consort" in front of Gan Qiongying, only "that person" or "lowly merchant".
Gan Qiongying looked at Man Yue, whose expression changed as quickly as turning the pages of a book, and felt a pang of sadness.
Man Yue's face did indeed have a healthy, rosy glow, like a full moon. In fact, she even looked quite kind. Her cheeks were a little chubby, and her eyes were big and round, making her almost adorable. She didn't look like a villain's lackey; she just looked like a cute young girl in her early twenties.
However, Gan Qiongying knew that Manyue was no simple woman. Just by looking at how well she could get along with the original owner of this body and how she could manage the affairs of the entire princess's mansion, she knew that she was definitely not a simple and cute girl.
Manyue was upset because her master had been injured in a fall from his horse a few days ago, so she specially arranged for Gan Qiongying to watch this play that humiliated the prince consort.
Seeing that Gan Qiongying's expression had softened, and trying to guess her thoughts, he picked out something that would make Gan Qiongying happy and said, "The princess has not gone out for the past two months because of her injury, so her expenses have not been high. The silver notes that person sent have accumulated to be enough for the princess to build a new temple for the little monk Dingzhen in the temple."
Full Moon blushed slightly and stepped forward with a hint of flattery to massage Gan Qiongying's shoulders. Her tone carried an unspeakable meaning as she said, "Once the new temple is built, will we still worry that little monk Dingzhen won't chant sutras for the princess all night long and become her devoted subject?"
Princess Gan Qiongying herself: "..."
She didn't understand at first, but she soon realized it from the ambiguous look in Man Yue's eyes!
She had read the plot and knew that Princess Duanrong was quite extravagant. In her huge princess mansion, there was even a special courtyard for her male favorites to live in, totaling more than 170 people.
But she never expected the original owner of this body to have spent so much money. Her male lovers included the son of a disgraced official, a young general with broken wings, and she even bought the top courtesan in a brothel for a large sum of money. These things were one thing.
Why are they even targeting monks?!
Inhuman!
However, Gan Qiongying showed no sign of it. Human potential is limitless. In order to survive, this simple female college student had developed the ability to remain calm even when Mount Tai collapses in front of her.
Therefore, she simply nodded reservedly, her lips twitching slightly, which looked as if she were smiling.
Seeing Gan Qiongying "smile," Manyue was immediately energized again, blurting out, "Would the princess like to take a look at the household accounts? We just changed accountants last month, and the new accountant had someone deliver the sorted accounts to the study last night."
Gan Qiongying remained silent, but Manyue quickly understood and helped her to the study.
Gan Qiongying was helped into the study, where tea was served to her. Manyue stood beside her, telling her about the household's income while continuing to coax her into happiness.
He said, "Princess, look, this is the remaining money in the account. At the end of the year, some more will be sent from various places."
"Not only can the princess build a temple for the little monk Dingzhen, but she can also bid for the Xihe Guqin from the Treasure Pavilion for Young Master Miaoyin. Young Master Miaoyin loves the guqin dearly; once he gets it, he will surely serve the princess even more diligently..."
"And then there's General Qu, who's always been so aloof. If the princess redeems his family from the brothel, he'll definitely fall head over heels for her..."
As Man Yue spoke, she became more and more enthusiastic, knowing all about Gan Qiongying's male lovers in her backyard. She had already made plans on how to please them and how to spend the money in the account.
This includes, but is not limited to, the clothes, cosmetics, and other fine items used by this young master or that young master.
But Gan Qiongying didn't listen at all.
Or perhaps she listened to a few words and then stared blankly at the ledger.
She was stunned!
How could this happen?!
She discovered that she had been reborn as a princess, but was still a poor girl!
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