After sending Guixiang away, Guixiang knew what she should and shouldn't say. She was a maid who had grown up learning etiquette in the mansion since childhood, and she had her own set of rules in her mind, so there was no need for her to explain further.
Seeing that Gui Xiang was sensible and well-mannered, Madam Jiang raised her hand and drank a cup of tea.
Just as she put the teacup down, she suddenly lost all strength in her hands, closed her eyes, and took a handkerchief to place on them.
Tears streamed down her face, soaking her handkerchief. She never imagined that the girl she had pampered and raised by three tutors could be involved in such an affair.
Gui Xiang limped back to the courtyard. Gui Lan saw her and exclaimed in surprise, dropping the copper teapot she was holding to help her up. "Sister, what happened?"
"I accidentally broke a celadon olive-shaped vase from the official kiln in the madam's room, and Granny Wu saw it and kicked it."
Guilan pouted, "Sister is the head maid in the Third Miss's room, and Granny Gui also serves the Madam. It's just a bottle, why should we be treated like this?"
Gui Xiang patted her hand, "It's alright, it's just a small punishment. That olive-shaped bottle costs over a hundred taels of silver. It's good enough that Granny Wu didn't throw me out."
Guilan then shut her mouth, tears welling in her eyes, and helped Guixiang into the house to get some medicated oil to apply to her wound.
Xu Shaoqing came to visit after hearing the news, and brought a box of the best ointment.
Seeing her wound, he frowned slightly. "It's just a bottle, and she punishes you like this? I'm going to find that old hag tomorrow and ask her why."
Gui Xiang quickly grabbed her hand, "My good girl, it's really alright. Please don't offend Granny Wu for my sake."
After all, she was a maid sent by the master to serve the mistress. She had been serving her for over ten years.
Granny Wu didn't really punish the servant much. After all, the servant had broken a bottle, and all the other maids had seen it. If she didn't kneel down, how could she establish her authority in the Madam's quarters?
After saying that, he asked her with a smile, "Do you have enough embroidery thread in your room these days? It's almost Dragon Boat Festival, and I see you've used quite a bit of embroidery thread. You should probably replenish it."
I was supposed to go to the sewing shop today, but I forgot. What kinds of things did I need? I'll have Guilan go get some more from the sewing shop tomorrow.
Mentioning the embroidery thread, Xu Shaoqing felt a little shy, and a hint of shyness appeared on her face. "You don't need to worry about that. Just focus on recovering from your injury first."
Gui Xiang suppressed her fear and smiled, "It's still you who cares for me, Miss. I'm truly blessed to have met such a kind-hearted mistress."
Xu Shaoqing gently patted her shoulder, "You actually know how to coax people!"
After Xu Shaoqing returned, Guixiang called Guiqin over and said, "Go and find out what style of purses the young lady has been embroidering lately, and what kind of silk threads she used."
Guiqin chuckled, "You really are a worrier. It's just a few threads, why are you in such a hurry to mend it?"
Turning his head, he saw Gui Xiang with a stern face. "I didn't break the porcelain vase in Madam's room."
A single sentence jolted Guiqin awake. In a flash, she remembered the day the young lady had taken them to Yuchun Restaurant for dinner.
She was observant and sensed something was wrong, but she didn't think much of it, or rather, she didn't dare to think much of it.
"Keep an eye on Guilan and the others, and keep your mouth shut. Be careful with your questions, don't let anything slip out, or we'll both be wrapped up in straw mats and thrown into the countryside."
Guiqin was a reliable person who rarely spoke and knew how to keep her word. She nodded in agreement, knowing she wouldn't utter a single word.
My legs were a little weak at this point, so I leaned on the table and sat down on a stool. It took me a while to recover before I went out.
He went to the small tea room to get a packet of zongzi candy, brewed a pot of Mengding stone flower tea, and then went to the room of several second-class maids.
"Oh, this tea is quite rare. You brewed a pot of it secretly, aren't you afraid the girl will beat you?"
Several people chuckled, and Guiqin laughed too, feigning annoyance as she glared at them.
"If anyone dares to inform on me, I don't know if the young lady will punish me, but I do know that you will never be able to drink such fragrant tea again."
"Good sister, don't be angry, come and have some snacks." Several people chuckled and pulled her over.
After chatting with everyone for a while, I managed to get information out of them about the types of silk threads used and what patterns they were typically used to embroider during the Dragon Boat Festival. This gave me a better understanding of their needs.
It was time to rest. After saying goodbye to them, I made an excuse to apply medicine to Guixiang again and went to her place, carefully telling her the information I had heard.
Gui Xiang nodded after hearing this. After finishing their business, the two sat facing each other blankly, speechless.
Guiqin wanted to ask the girl if she was really that confused, but the words lingered on her tongue for a while before she could say them, not daring to speak rashly.
The next morning, the letter from Mu Zheng and Mu Qiao of the Hou family arrived, and the Anbo family had also made preparations.
Hearing that she was going to the Marquis's residence, Xu Shaoqing was happy to go. She tidied herself up and went to play.
Upon arriving at the two young ladies' courtyard, she immediately saw them embroidering sachets. Granny Wu followed them in.
"Did the two young ladies embroider so many sachets to hang up and scent the house?"
Mu Zheng looked up and smiled. "That's right. Mother loves to use sachets to fumigate the house. It costs a lot every year. Making them ourselves and sending them over is a way of showing filial piety."
Granny Wu chimed in, "Strictly speaking, my young lady should call the Lady of the Marquis 'Aunt.' Why don't you make a few for Qing'er and give them to the Lady of the Marquis?"
Xu Shaoqing nodded, and then Granny Wu went to the sewing room of the Marquis's mansion to fetch a variety of needles, threads and purses, and brought them over.
The pattern on the purse was already drawn, it was just embroidering a few fixed items, which Xu Shaoqing had practiced until she was proficient.
With Granny Wu reminding them from the side, they embroidered several different colors and patterns.
Lady Hou beamed with joy upon receiving the gifts, and her head maid, Qingyu, quickly took them and hung them on the various doors.
Gao then presented Xu Shaoqing with a set of ruby jewelry.
She was somewhat alarmed; it was just a few sachets and perfumes, was it really necessary to make such a fuss?
He glanced at Granny Wu, who smiled and nodded.
"Since it is a gift from Madam, then we would be impolite to refuse it. This old servant knows that Madam treats our young lady like her own niece."
She had no choice but to accept it. When she got home and asked her mother, Madam Jiang also accepted it with a smile.
"If we're talking about this, you really should call her aunt. Mother has been close to the Lady of the Marquis since she was a child. It's just a set of ruby jewelry, not that valuable. You can accept it."
Xu Shaoqing finally believed it, her doubts were dispelled, and she bid farewell to her mother and went back to her own courtyard to rest.
Watching her departing figure, Madam Jiang couldn't help but sigh softly.
In the Marquis's mansion, before nightfall, the news spread throughout the entire household that the third daughter of the Earl's family had won the favor of the First Madam and been rewarded with a ruby headdress after making only a few sachets.
Everyone says that the Xu family's daughter is more favored by the mistress than her own daughters. She has exchanged several purses for clothes and ruby jewelry. Those are rubies!
Upon hearing this, Aunt Yang nearly tore her handkerchief to shreds. She thought that the Lady of the Marquis had taken a liking to Xu Shaoqing, and although she couldn't propose to the Heir Apparent, she might be acting as a matchmaker for some family.
She was so happy when she saw the sachet that Gu Ting had sent back, but now she's furious!
This Xu family girl, of all things to give her elders, she had to give them a sachet!
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