Su Mei and the others knelt down, yet no one immediately offered an apology; the initial panic had quickly given way to a sort of nonchalance.

“Mistress, I…” Su Mei began, tears welling in her eyes as she covered her face.

“We’ll talk later,” Qi Yue interrupted, her tone edged with impatience. “Waking me up at this hour… Ah Hao, come do my hair. A Ru, prepare breakfast…”

With that, she turned and retreated into her room, effectively leaving them all standing out in the yard.

Su Mei bit her lower lip, a mixture of shame and anger flushing her face. She then looked over at A Ru.

Since receiving that slap, A Ru had remained silently to one side. Seeing Su Mei look at her now, A Ru simply turned and walked away.

“Hmph, showing off…” Su Mei muttered, gnawing at her lip, twisting the handkerchief in her hand fiercely. “Fine, I’ll stay kneeling. If she won’t state what’s right or wrong, I won’t get up.”

Sitting before her dressing table, Qi Yue could clearly see the courtyard. She observed that the maids, initially kneeling properly, soon began to slump over, clearly unaccustomed to or long unused to such hardship.

“…She used to be with us in the Old Madam’s quarters. Her father manages the carriages and horses, and he must have spent a fortune in bribes to get her placed there, fawning over the Old Madam like a lapdog…” Ah Hao recounted, biting down on a hair tie while finishing the third loop in Qi Yue’s hair. “…When the Old Madam passed, she was moved to the second set of rooms. Who knows how she managed, but she ended up in the chambers of the newly wed Concubine. This sort of rootless behavior, yet she was promoted to a second-ranking maid in the Concubine’s quarters—her tail is practically touching the sky now… Mistress, you must have forgotten—maids in a Concubine’s rooms aren't even qualified to have a first-ranking maid. She thinks she can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Sister A Ru… without remembering she’s just a maid in a Concubine’s rooms, and that Concubine was brought in from outside…”

Qi Yue couldn't help but smile. She hadn't realized there were so many subtle rivalries even among the maids. How complex must the politics be in a noble household?

This Marquis of Dingxi was a newly established noble house; in fact, since the Great Qing Dynasty hadn't been founded long, nearly the entire court was composed of new gentry.

The first Marquis of Dingxi was a meritorious general from the founding campaigns, fighting alongside the founding Emperor. Two generations had secured this honor and estate. The current holder was the third generation, raised in luxury. After the former Marquis passed, the legitimate eldest son, Chang Rong, inherited the title. He married a daughter from the influential Xie clan in the capital and had a firstborn son, Chang Yuncheng. Eighteen years ago, the Xie lady died of illness, and her place was taken by her younger sister—who is now the current Lady of Dingxi, often referred to as the Younger Madam Xie to distinguish her from the first.

“Ah? So the younger sister married her brother-in-law?” Qi Yue turned back in surprise.

“Mistress, don’t move,” Ah Hao said quickly, as she was about to insert a hairpin.

“Don’t wear that one; we aren’t going out. Be more comfortable at home,” Qi Yue stopped her hand, smiling, while excitedly asking, “Hurry and tell me about this younger sister marrying the brother-in-law story…”

Just as Ah Hao was about to speak, A Ru entered carrying the food, hearing that sentence, and coughed lightly.

“Mistress, it’s time to eat,” she said, then shot Ah Hao a glare.

Ah Hao recognized that look immediately. No more talk; sticking her tongue out, she quickly helped arrange the food, cutting off the story.

The meal was still millet porridge, salted vegetables, radishes, and unleavened flatbread…

“Next time, let’s have risen dough pancakes. This unleavened bread gives me heartburn,” Qi Yue commented.

A Ru’s expression clouded with shame.

“This servant was careless,” she replied.

“I’ll go ask in the kitchen right away about making them,” Ah Hao added from the side.

Qi Yue looked up at the two of them.

“Oh.” A sudden realization dawned. “Neither of you can cook?”

No wonder the meal lacked the feel of a wealthy ancient household.

Hearing this, A Ru and Ah Hao shared a small, amused look. They were maids assigned to attend the mistress, not kitchen staff; why would they learn such things?

Qi Yue laughed too.

“No need to ask. I’ll do it,” she said, standing up and heading out.

“Mistress, you’ve barely eaten anything, please have a little more,” Ah Hao urged, looking at the bowl of porridge Qi Yue had barely touched.

“No rush, I’ll eat later,” Qi Yue waved her off, stepping out the door.

The two maids had no choice but to follow her.

In the courtyard, Su Mei and the others, their knees aching from kneeling, looked up as they heard the movement. Seeing Qi Yue emerge, they immediately straightened their postures, adopting expressions of deep grievance mingled with injured pride. Unexpectedly, the young mistress, who had only just finished dressing and grooming well into the morning, didn’t spare them a single glance, walking straight into the kitchen in just a few steps.

“Sister Su Mei, if she doesn’t tell us to rise, should we just keep kneeling?” a maid whispered from behind.

Su Mei was biting her lip until it drew blood. She looked toward the kitchen, where the mistress and her two attendants were busy, catching the faint sound of laughter drifting out.

“Kneel, I dare her to try and stop us,” Su Mei scoffed in response to the girl. “When she had airs before, she was treated worse than a servant. Now that she’s living worse than a servant, she still wants to put on airs. Let’s see how long she can keep it up.”

Although this Young Mistress had been in the Marquis of Dingxi’s residence for five years, spending two with the Old Madam, she wasn't someone these maids and servants saw often, let alone spoke with. For the last three years, she had been shut away in her courtyard, effectively invisible, so none of them really knew her temperament.

“Su Mei, you were in the Old Madam’s rooms, so you must know the Young Mistress well, right? What’s her personality like?” another maid quietly asked. “Since we followed you here, it would help us know how to handle things.”

Oh my heavens, Su Mei thought, it’s just a bit of kneeling, and they’re already falling apart? She shot the girl a sidelong glance, thinking she’d probably only ever be a fourth-rank maid in her entire life.

“Speaking of the Young Mistress,” she said with a tone of undisguised contempt, “when the Old Madam was alive, she adored her. Not to exaggerate, she showed genuine affection. Our own three ladies often ranked behind her. If it weren't for outsiders, no one would guess she was picked up from the streets; she was treated exactly like a legitimate, birth-right daughter…”

“Didn’t the Young Mistress save the Old Madam’s life…” a maid whispered.

“Saved her life?” Su Mei snorted, pursing her lips. “A begging girl of fourteen or fifteen, saving a life? It must have been some trick. The Old Madam was bewitched, brought her in just for amusement, like a cat or a dog, and even betrothed her to the Heir Apparent! Our Heir Apparent, no less?”

At this point, she was genuinely furious, her face no longer hurting; she loosened her grip and flung her handkerchief.

“Su Mei, she doesn’t deserve the status of a main young lady. Never mind that now, quickly tell us about her temper—is she a complete shrew, or a pushover?” the maid next to her quickly prompted, remembering the main point.

Su Mei finally got back on track.

“I can’t even mention it; just thinking about it makes my liver ache with anger, let alone remembering the look on her face. When we had that serious illness back then, it was definitely related to her…” she murmured, clutching her chest. “Speaking of her, an orphan whose parents died—no guidance, raised on handouts, wearing clothes stitched from scraps, fighting with stray dogs and chickens outside the temple gates. Even after the Old Madam taught her personally, she was still unrefined. She looked at people with the shifty eyes of a thief, couldn’t stammer out a proper sentence in three tries. She wouldn't dare lift her head in front of anyone important, and even in front of us maids, she was like a grasshopper, constantly trembling as if she could be startled into fits. And her disposition—she has no disposition at all! Oh, my god… I can’t talk about her anymore! Why am I kneeling to her? What is she?”

As she spoke, she tried to stand up, but the maids beside her quickly pressed her down.

“Whether she counted for anything before or not, she holds that position in our residence now…” The maid suppressed a smile and held up two fingers, shaking them at her.

Within the Marquis of Dingxi’s inner courts, the Old Madam held the highest respect. Now that she was gone, the Marquis came first, followed by the legitimate eldest son, the primary wife. Her status superseded even that of the other ladies in the house, and the Marquis’s concubines ranked even lower.

“Her position is what it is, but it depends on the person holding it,” Su Mei huffed.

“That’s quite the lively discussion you’re having.”

The Young Mistress’s voice rang out. The maids, who had turned their kneeling session into a tea party, suddenly realized the three figures from the kitchen had emerged.

“Young Mistress, this servant…” Su Mei’s expression had completely lost its injured air, replaced by unconcealed fury as she opened her mouth to speak.

“You were having such a good time talking, perhaps you should continue a little longer,” Qi Yue said with a smile, waving her hand dismissively, and walked straight into her room without stopping.

Su Mei was so angry she nearly fell over backward.

“Xian’er,” she called back toward the rear.

The rough servant girl kneeling at the very back immediately shuffled forward on her knees.

“What is your order?” she asked.

“You get up and go,” Su Mei instructed.

That servant girl didn't care. She had been impatient with kneeling long ago. Since someone else would take the blame later anyway, she immediately stood up and bolted away.

“Go tell the Mama of the courtyard that A Ru said the Young Mistress needed me, so I can’t attend to things here—Su Mei is receiving a reprimand from the Young Mistress and can’t leave,” Su Mei hadn't expected the girl to leave without a word or complaint, so she hurriedly called out her instructions.

Fortunately, that girl, for all her lack of other skills, was excellent at finding a powerful backer to complain to. She acknowledged the order and vanished in a flash.

Su Mei’s voice hadn't been loud, but it was clearly audible to those inside the room.

“Mistress, she’s gone to call for reinforcements,” Ah Hao called from the doorway. “What audacity, leaving without permission!”

Qi Yue was washing the flour off her hands in the basin A Ru held. Hearing this, she smiled.

“I thought she would have left earlier. Only now? She’s truly genuine,” she chuckled, then turned back to A Ru, continuing her previous thought, “Once the dough rises, I’ll bake sugar cakes for you both.”

“How could this servant dare trouble the Mistress,” A Ru said with visible anxiety. “It is our failure to serve properly…”

“Oh, stop saying that,” Qi Yue took the towel to dry her hands. As A Ru went to pour out the water and Ah Hao remained by the door watching, Qi Yue walked to her dressing table and pulled out the hand cream A Ru had used to rub her hands that day.

She had just finished applying the cream when Ah Hao cried out.

“They’re here! So fast,” Ah Hao said, her face turning pale as she peered outside. “Oh dear, it’s Mama Zhou…”

Hearing this, A Ru couldn't help glancing at Qi Yue, who was still examining things on her dressing table.

“Who is it?” Qi Yue asked casually.

“She manages the storeroom for the First Madam…” Ah Hao’s face was paper-white with fright.

Mamas who managed the storeroom, logistics, or finances were always close confidantes of the leading ladies and naturally held considerable status. Qi Yue nodded, set down the jar, and looked out. She saw a woman stop at the doorway, accompanied by two or three other women behind her.

This woman was in her mid-forties, wearing a brown bijiā (sleeveless jacket) over a dark cyan inner garment. Her hair was neatly coiled, her face rounded, and her features benevolent.

“What are you little wretches doing running around here first thing in the morning?” she immediately demanded upon seeing Su Mei and the others. “Your mistress is tidying the courtyard, and the young maids are running wild without anyone managing them. You’ve certainly grown too bold…”

Su Mei and the others looked up at her appearance, their faces showing a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

“Mama, Mama,” Su Mei cried, crawling toward her on her knees. She wept, kowtowed, and then lifted her head high so the red marks and scratches on her face were clearly visible. “I offended the Young Mistress…”

It was by [source]. div> BAIDU_CLB_LT_ID = "519311";

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