These items were countless grades higher than anything Xie Hanyue possessed.
Xie Qingran said with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, “What on earth made you think I would get jealous and angry over these things?”
Her words were undoubtedly a harsh slap to both their faces, especially Xie Hanyue’s.
Before Xie Qingran’s return, Xie Hanyue had been the undisputed treasure of the Xie Family. She always had first priority for all the best things in the household, but now, everything seemed to have changed.
Looking at those items, Xie Hanyue went mad with jealousy.
Her tears fell uncontrollably. Without a word, she turned and ran.
“Xie Qingran, you vicious woman! Just you wait, I will absolutely not let you off!”
Xie Zhaoye threw these words at her before turning to chase after Xie Hanyue.
“The Eldest Miss didn’t say anything wrong.”
Baozhu, who was squatting on the ground to tidy up, muttered quietly.
She really couldn’t stand it anymore. The Eldest Miss hadn’t even stepped out of her room all day, yet they came one after another to cause trouble. This was simply too much bullying.
But everyone felt they were in the right and wanted to shift the blame onto Xie Qingran. The nerve of them.
“What did you say?”
Xie Qingran raised an eyebrow, her gaze fixed on Baozhu on the ground as she asked.
In her past life, she had been unpopular and thus had no confidantes in the family. Her memory of Baozhu’s appearance was even quite vague.
Baozhu thought she had misspoken and, trembling with fear, knelt on the ground. “May Eldest Miss’s anger be quelled. This servant said nothing.”
“Get up.”
Xie Qingran walked over, personally helped her up, and asked, “How old are you this year?”
“This servant is fourteen.”
Baozhu was just a young girl, much younger than Xie Qingran. It was because the Xie Family didn’t care about Xie Qingran that they had sent over someone so young and unskilled.
“Fourteen? So young. Why did you come to the Xie Family?”
Xie Qingran frowned, looking at Baozhu with confusion.
“My parents at home are gravely ill, and I have two younger siblings. For their sake, I had no choice.”
“Eldest Miss, please rest assured. This servant will definitely work hard and will not cause any trouble for you.”
Baozhu was just a third-rank maid in this courtyard, responsible for rough chores. She was terrified of being driven out, as she would then have nowhere else to go.
“From now on, you are my personal maid. Follow me, and do whatever I tell you to do.”
As she spoke, Xie Qingran opened a box, took out a gold ingot, and tossed it to Baozhu.
“Take this. Send it home to treat your parents’ illness.”
The heavy gold ingot felt as if it had landed directly on Baozhu’s heart. Her nose tingled, and she knelt on the ground. “This servant thanks Eldest Miss for your grace! From this day forward, this servant’s life belongs to Eldest Miss. This servant will do whatever Eldest Miss commands!”
“Eldest Miss, I’m afraid this is improper, isn’t it?”
The maid Yuanhua spoke up, looking at Xie Qingran with dissatisfaction.
She was the head maid that Xie Hanyue had carefully selected for Xie Qingran. A year older than Xie Qingran, she took charge of everything in the courtyard, acting more like the master than Xie Qingran herself.
Now that Xie Qingran had bypassed her and directly made Baozhu her personal maid, how could she just let it go?
“What is it?”
Xie Qingran raised an eyebrow, looking at Yuanhua with a half-smile.
“My personal maid. Am I not allowed to appoint one?”
“I thought my younger sister sent you here to be my servant, not to be my ancestor!”
Yuanhua never expected that the person who had always been indifferent to these matters would suddenly make an issue of it.
Her brows knitted tightly together, but she didn’t dare to talk back. She could only lower her head silently, her hands twisting the corner of her clothes.
Xie Qingran paid her no mind and said coolly, “I’m hungry. Go get some food.”
Previously, these were tasks for the junior maids. Now, Xie Qingran specifically ordered Yuanhua to do it. Even though Yuanhua was unwilling, she didn’t dare to truly defy Xie Qingran. If she were driven out, she would be punished by the Second Miss. She could only walk out reluctantly.
“Eldest Miss, Sister Yuanhua has always been formidable. Why must you…”
“In Ying Xing Pavilion, I am the master. The only master.”
Xie Qingran’s face was expressionless as she stared at Baozhu.
Baozhu felt a little uneasy under Xie Qingran’s gaze but still nodded and said in a small voice, “Yes, this servant understands.”
“Correct. If you serve by my side and don’t understand this, you are not worthy of staying with me.”
Xie Qingran nodded in satisfaction, sat down casually, and rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
This Xie Family was truly too turbulent. She had to settle this marriage engagement quickly; otherwise, she feared she would be constantly enveloped in this foul atmosphere.
She had just been reborn and hadn’t even met the five fiancés from her previous life yet. They would definitely be at the Palace Banquet. It was time to make some preparations.
It was unknown what method Xie Yankang used, but he managed to give Xie Qingran three to five days of peace, which finally brought her to the day of the Begonia Flower Banquet.
Early in the morning, Liu Gugu from Wang Shi’s side came over to help Xie Qingran with her grooming and makeup.
“The Madam’s meaning is that the Eldest Miss will ride in the Madam’s carriage to the palace later. After entering the palace, you must abide by the rules. You must not wander around, and you certainly must not speak carelessly. You cannot bring shame to our Xie Family’s face.”
Liu Gugu’s attitude toward Xie Qingran was extremely cold, even tinged with a hint of disdain.
After all, Liu Gugu had watched Xie Hanyue grow up since she was a child and doted on her immensely. These past few days, Xie Hanyue had cried time and again because of Xie Qingran, so Liu Gugu was naturally very displeased with her.
She even tugged at Xie Qingran’s hair recklessly while combing it.
Slap!
Xie Qingran suddenly stood up and gave Liu Gugu a harsh slap across the face.
“Gugu has been by Mother’s side for so many years. How can your skills in serving people be so poor?”
“You can’t even comb hair properly. I truly don’t know why Mother keeps you around!”
Liu Gugu’s head was knocked to the side. She then looked at Xie Qingran in disbelief, never imagining that she would dare to lay a hand on her.
“Insolence! I am your mother’s dowry servant! You! You dare to hit me? Do you have any respect for your elders and betters?”
“What is respect for one’s betters? I am the one and only Eldest Miss of the Xie Family. I am the better, and you are the lesser!”
Xie Qingran showed no weakness at all. She took a step forward, her icy eyes staring fixedly at Liu Gugu.
“If you can’t do your job, then get out! Don’t be an eyesore in front of me!”
With that, Xie Qingran sat down again and let out a cold snort while looking in the mirror.
Liu Gugu took a deep breath before walking forward again to comb Xie Qingran’s hair. No matter how dissatisfied she was in her heart, she no longer dared to act recklessly and served her in a proper and orderly manner.