Yu Zhu patiently embroidered patterns for an entire morning.
It wasn't until lunchtime that she finally rubbed her stiff shoulders and neck.
The kitchen sent over seven or eight dishes. As soon as Yu Zhu took her seat, her eyes were drawn to the pan-fried ham with asparagus.
In the dead of winter, obtaining fresh asparagus was truly no easy feat.
She eagerly picked up a bite with her chopsticks. Indeed, the savory aroma of the ham blended perfectly with the refreshing taste of the asparagus, creating a delightful crispness that was simply irresistible.
Lan Xi served a bowl of rice. The grains were translucent and glossy, with a firm, chewy texture. Unlike the aged rice Yu Zhu often ate at home, the new rice had a unique malty fragrance when chewed.
Aged rice tended to be loose and always left one feeling somewhat greasy and unsatisfied.
With Prince Jin absent, Yu Zhu always sat in the main seat.
Looking up, she could see a tall green wall, above which was the sky and flocks of birds passing by from time to time.
Only Yu Zhu was confined within this square courtyard.
Suddenly, she felt that life was just like this.
Gaining something always meant losing something else.
This life of luxury and comfort was what she had exchanged for herself.
A faint sorrow crept into Yu Zhu's heart. Her fifteen years of life experience didn't tell her what this feeling was. She only knew that the emptiness in her chest could not be filled, even after eating two bowls of rice, leaving her feeling gloomy.
Yu Zhu thought perhaps she should further temper her disposition and embroider more patterns.
The meal ended quickly. Yu Zhu went outside for some fresh air and suddenly noticed that only Lan Xiang was standing under the corridor eaves.
"Where's Lan Zhou? Why isn't she here?"
Lan Xiang lowered her head, somewhat afraid to meet Yu Zhu's eyes.
"Replying to Mistress, Lan Zhou is ill and is resting today."
"Ill?" Yu Zhu said, immediately heading toward the side chamber.
Lan Xiang and Lan Zhou lived together, while Lan Xi had a separate room.
As the head maid, she had to maintain her dignity.
Lan Xi stopped Yu Zhu, her expression troubled.
"Miss, that's where the servants live. It's… unclean."
Even Lan Xiang behind her didn't find anything wrong with this statement.
They were servants, registered as lowly, and to the nobility, they were indeed considered unclean.
The sunlight was a bit dazzling. Yu Zhu pushed past Lan Xi, walking as she spoke.
"What's unclean about it? When we were at home, didn't we often sleep together?"
Lan Xi wanted to say that was at home, and it was different in the prince's mansion.
The prince's mansion had strict hierarchies. If masters didn't act like masters and servants didn't act like servants, what kind of order would that be?
Yu Zhu had studied for two years. Her teacher was a rigid female tutor.
Her face was long, with a slender, pointed chin and a pair of triangular eyes that looked particularly fierce.
When Yu Zhu was little, she loved catching katydids, pulling off their hind legs, tearing half their bodies apart.
Children didn't know what cruelty was; they only found it fun and amusing.
The tutor then grabbed Yu Zhu's hands and pulled them apart forcefully twice.
Yu Zhu cried out in pain.
Only then did the tutor teach her: "Do not neglect small acts of kindness, nor commit small acts of evil. When you pull it like that, the katydid also feels pain. When it hurts, it's no different from you."
Lan Xi, fiercely protective of her mistress, rushed forward to snatch Yu Zhu from the tutor's hands.
Two little maids were no match for an adult.
Pressed down by the tutor, they couldn't get half a step closer.
The tutor asked Yu Zhu, "Who is this?"
Little Yu Zhu declared righteously, "This is my maid! I am her master!"
Even Lan Xi thought so, but the tutor said.
"No, you're all born of parents, there's no difference between you. You're not noble, and she's not lowly. She relies on doing things for you in exchange for a place to live and work—it's an employment relationship between you. You can't treat her as a slave; she's a person just like you, understand?"
Yu Zhu hazily remembered only that the tutor was very stern.
Probably because the tutor was so stern, she remembered those words for many years.
But the tutor spoke too ideally. Yu Zhu really wanted to tell the tutor that not only would Lan Xi be called a slave, but even someone like her, without family background, mostly ended up serving tea and water at banquets.
The world flatters the high and tramples the low. With just her alone, she could only guard her own conscience.
What else did the tutor teach?
Listen to your parents, air out the bedding when the sun rises.
Leave three parts unsaid when speaking, don't poke at others' sore spots…
Too much. Yu Zhu's mind was dull; she couldn't remember so many things.
She could only act as her heart guided.
Yu Zhu pushed open the door to the side room and saw only a small lump under the quilt.
Lan Zhou was curled up inside, breathing heavily.
Her hair was damp, clinging to her pale little face.
Seeing Yu Zhu, she struggled to get up and bow.
Yu Zhu hurriedly pressed her down and went to call the mansion's physician.
Lan Xi could only stop her—this illness was their doing. Calling a physician would expose everything.
She could only bite her lip. "I've already reported to Nanny Fu. Someone will take her to see a doctor soon."
Yu Zhu hummed in acknowledgment, noticing the dense red spots covering Lan Zhou's neck and arms. Worried, she asked, "Could it be measles?"
But logically, those assigned here should have already had it.
Otherwise, how unsightly it would be for the masters of the prince's mansion to see.
Lan Xi exaggerated the situation: "It might be some strange illness."
She coaxed Yu Zhu, "You've seen her now, hurry back!"
Yu Zhu could only leave reluctantly, looking back every few steps.
"Make sure Nanny Fu takes good care of her."
Because of this, Yu Zhu felt down the entire afternoon.
Nanny Fu soon sent someone to take Lan Zhou away, saying she would assign another young maid tomorrow.
Yu Zhu didn't understand. She asked Lan Xi, "Isn't Lan Zhou coming back?"
Lan Xi replied, "With this illness, it might take ten days to half a month. You can't be without someone to serve you. By the time she returns, where would her position be?"
Yu Zhu asked again, "Then where will she go afterward?"
Lan Xi stirred the charcoal fire, her eyes shifting, thinking whatever fate awaited Lan Zhou was deserved.
"That's Nanny Fu's arrangement."
Yu Zhu thought for a moment, then went to her room and fetched ten taels of silver.
Lowering her voice, she first gave Lan Xi an agate hairpin Prince Jin had rewarded her.
"This is for you."
Swallowing, Yu Zhu said, "Tonight, make a trip and take the money to Lan Zhou. She's sick; she'll need some money for medicine."
Yu Zhu wanted to say they were all in the same boat. Lan Xi also knew how black-hearted those in charge could be. If the medical expenses were too high, it might be cheaper to just buy another maid.
She carefully instructed, "Tell Nanny Fu it's Yu Shiqie's order. Try to assign Lan Zhou a good position—the kitchen would be quite nice."
Yu Zhu naively thought that although she was just a concubine, Prince Jin favored her now. This request shouldn't be too difficult.
Lan Xi agreed, knowing Yu Zhu felt uneasy.
She had never encountered such a situation and was always afraid it might lead to a death.
That was a living, breathing life.
Even if it wasn't her fault, she couldn't escape responsibility.
Perhaps it was from standing guard in the cold.
Lan Xi comforted Yu Zhu, "Don't worry, Miss, I'll handle it properly."
Yu Zhu hummed in acknowledgment and took out another handful of silver.
"Give two taels to everyone in the courtyard. It's too cold—have them buy some warm undergarments."
The prince's estate only issued two sets of winter clothing, but undergarments were not provided; most wore their summer single-layered clothes.
"Rotate shifts more often during duty. It'll be better once winter passes."
That night, Lan Xi slipped into the communal sleeping quarters.
Indeed, as soon as they left the courtyard, their treatment declined significantly.
Originally, she and Lan Xiang had shared a room, but now they had to squeeze into a large communal bed with a crowd.
With so many people, the smell was unpleasant.
Heating water in winter was too troublesome; only on New Year's Eve were servants allowed to bathe, and even then, it was only to welcome the new year cleanly.
Lan Xi asked Lan Zhou, "Do you regret it?"
Lan Zhou lowered her head, silent, tears only pattering onto the bed board.
Lan Xi quietly tucked ten taels of silver under her pillow and said, "Don't blame the mistress either. She didn't know about this. The mistress is kind-hearted and arranged a job for you in the kitchen. Once you recover, you can start your duties."
Only then did Lan Zhou break down in sobs, as if truly repentant, and grabbed Lan Xi's hand.
"Sister, I had my reasons!"
Lan Xi's voice turned cold. Yu Zhu's heart was not cruel, but if she herself couldn't handle matters firmly, they, mistress and servant, would sooner or later perish in the rear courtyard.
"There's no need to speak of reasons anymore. This is your fate. Blame whoever made things difficult for you, but don't blame the mistress. She's the only one who has treated you well."
Lan Zhou sobbed, "I know. Please thank the mistress for me."
Lan Xi wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but Lan Zhou looked truly pitiful. She could only swallow her words and leave with a final remark: "Focus on recovering."
When she returned, Yu Zhu was still awake.
Her eyes wide open, she stared fixedly at the pair of mandarin ducks painted on the bed canopy.
Hearing movement, Yu Zhu scrambled up from the bed.
"How did it go? Did she accept the money?"
"She did, don't worry." Lan Xi smiled, picked up the tea on the table, and drank it in one gulp.
It was still warm, clearly Yu Zhu had refreshed it several times for her.
Hearing this, Yu Zhu sighed in relief.
"Hurry and get some rest. I'm going to sleep too."
Lan Xi lingered at the door for a moment, only relaxing when she heard Yu Zhu's steady breathing from inside the room.
Turning around, she saw Xiao Quanzi standing in the courtyard, awaiting her instructions.
"You did well with this."
Xiao Quanzi immediately bowed deeply, wearing an ingratiating smile.
"It's my honor to be of service to you sisters."
He pulled open his collar, revealing the cotton-padded undergarment inside.
His words were even more flattering.
"The mistress is truly the kindest person this servant has ever seen. Everyone in the courtyard was rewarded with silver and clothing—it's so warm now. In the past, I wouldn't have dared to dream of such things!"
Lan Xi smiled and took out a small handful of silver melon seeds from her pocket.
"Take these and share them with Lan Xiang. As long as you remain loyal, when the mistress rises to prominence in the future, you'll surely benefit!"
Xiao Quanzi immediately knelt and kowtowed several times.
"We servants will spare no effort for Mistress Yu, even at the cost of our lives!"
Lan Xi yawned. In just over three hours, dawn would break.
"Enough flattery. Go and rest."
She tightened her jacket, thinking she would personally select a clever and obedient young maid tomorrow—someone unlike Lan Zhou, who had betrayed their trust.
Thus, early the next morning, a twelve- or thirteen-year-old Lan Yue appeared before Yu Zhu.
"Greetings to the master."
A clever, lively face that had yet to fully mature, radiating a sense of wit.
Yu Zhu found her quite likable as well.
The previous Lan Zhou had been rather dull, and sometimes when Yu Zhu looked at her, it felt as though the entire manor was shrouded in an oppressive, suffocating film.
Yu Zhu said, "Very well. You may settle here peacefully; everyone is quite easy to get along with."
Lan Yue smiled sweetly, and Yu Zhu thought to herself, how wonderful—now there would be one more person to help pass the time.