Xie Zhixuan looked at the red finger marks on her son’s face and ordered the maid beside her to quickly fetch the Snow Skin Ointment from the room.
Xie Zhixuan frowned, “What wrong did you do to Xiangye? The force of these two slaps is not light.”
Gu Yan frowned and said, “Nothing wrong, it was clearly her being unreasonable, she…”
Halfway through his words, Gu Yan felt it was inappropriate and coughed, “This wasn’t hit by Xiangye, it’s marks from pressing against something while I was asleep.”
Gu Ling, standing nearby, gloated, “Then you pressed quite symmetrically on both sides.”
Xie Zhixuan shot a glare at Gu Ling and took the Snow Skin Ointment from the maid, “Apply this ointment, and the redness and swelling should subside a bit after a quarter of an hour. Then cover it with some powder, and no one should be able to see the slap marks on your face.”
Gu Yan took the ointment and said, “Thank you, Mother. I’ll take my leave now.”
When Yun Xiangye woke up, it was already mid-morning. She felt sore all over, as Gu Yan had truly been excessive last night. She only regretted not using all her strength to slap him a couple more times.
However, Yun Xiangye was also relieved that she hadn’t complained about those four maids earlier.
Gu Yan had no regard for her in his heart. Last night, she had merely said a word about those maids, and he immediately started defending them.
Run’er, hearing movement in the room, came in to attend to Yun Xiangye’s washing and dressing.
Seeing that Nuonuo was no longer by her side, Yun Xiangye asked, “Where is Nuonuo?”
Run’er smiled lightly, “Nanny Cao took Miss Nuonuo to play in the courtyard. The little princess is there too.”
After washing up, Yun Xiangye walked to the window and indeed heard the sounds of playful laughter outside. She also saw the gentle Princess Royal watching the two children play. Yun Xiangye panicked and said to Run’er, “Her Highness the Princess Royal is here, why didn’t you report it?”
Run’er looked out the window and said, “I didn’t see Her Highness earlier.”
Yun Xiangye hurriedly fixed her hair, dressed properly, and went to the courtyard. “Greetings, Mother.”
Xie Zhixuan had just picked a branch of green plum blossoms for Nuonuo.
Yun Xiangye quickly said, “Mother, Nuonuo is young. Flowers in her hands will just be ruined. I heard from Zhuyi that the plum blossoms here are your favorite.”
Xie Zhixuan smiled lightly, “Nuonuo is my first granddaughter. Not to mention my favorite flowers, if I could pluck the moon from the sky, I would find a way to give it to Nuonuo.”
As she spoke, Xie Zhixuan pinched Nuonuo’s adorable little cheek.
Little Jingru beside her pouted jealously, “Mother.”
Xie Zhixuan also pinched little Jingru’s cheek, “Mother will give the best to you too.”
Little Jingru threw herself into Xie Zhixuan’s arms. Xie Zhixuan tapped little Jingru’s head, “You’ve learned this jealousy entirely from your father. Go play with Nuonuo. Mother has something to discuss with your eldest sister-in-law.”
Yun Xiangye glanced up at Xie Zhixuan, then quickly lowered her eyes. Meeting this noble mother-in-law for the first time, even though she was gentle, Yun Xiangye still felt a bit of fear.
Yun Xiangye followed Xie Zhixuan into the room and said, “Mother.”
Xie Zhixuan asked, “Has Yan’er bullied you?”
Yun Xiangye shook her head, “No.”
Xie Zhixuan looked into Yun Xiangye’s eyes and said, “Your background—Yan’er’s aunt told me about it. You are also a pitiful child. I heard you lost both your father and mother in succession when you were fourteen or fifteen…”
Now that you have come to my home, I hope you can regard me as your own mother. If you suffer any grievances, just speak them out; there’s no need to keep them bottled up inside. Yesterday when I took your pulse, I told you that pent-up liver qi is not a good thing.”
Yun Xiangye’s nose tingled with emotion, tears welling in her eyes as she said, “There are no grievances.”
Xie Zhixuan sighed. Seeing that she was unwilling to speak, she did not press further. “Yesterday I mentioned asking you to help me manage the restaurant. Does that trouble you?”
Yun Xiangye shook her head. “It’s no trouble.”
Gu Yan looked down on her and concluded that she was incapable of managing the Princess Royal’s household affairs and estate. Well, she would make Gu Yan understand what it meant to underestimate someone.
Xie Zhixuan chuckled softly. “That’s good. If Yan’er ever bullies you in any way, just tell me. I will uphold justice for you. Don’t let anger fester inside and make yourself ill.”
Yun Xiangye said, “I won’t let myself fall ill from anger.”
Xie Zhixuan smiled faintly again. “Slapping someone can hurt your own hand too. Besides, Yan’er is now an official in the court. Slapping him is rather inappropriate. In the future, if he angers you again, punish him by making him kneel on a washboard, an abacus, or anything else… After all, his face still needs to be seen in public.”
Yun Xiangye flushed red and hurriedly knelt down in panic. “Your Highness.”
Xie Zhixuan said, “I am not blaming you. Get up quickly. I, too, once traveled alone from Yongxing City to Chang’an for marriage. I know how difficult life can be for a woman alone in her husband’s family. I believe you wouldn’t have struck him unless Gu Yan had wronged you.”
Yun Xiangye stood up, tears in her eyes as she spoke of her grievances:
“Mother, ever since I entered the residence the day before yesterday, the four maidservants in Qingfeng Courtyard have looked down on Nuonuo and me.
Zhuyi and the others said that Gu Yan would have concubines in the future… They also said that I am of low status and unworthy of being the consort, that the consort is someone else, and that I should be grateful if I am allowed to be a concubine… Yet Gu Yan sided with them. That’s why I got angry and struck him.”
Xie Zhixuan’s eyes flashed with anger as she frowned and ordered the maidservant beside her, “Bring Zhuyi, Meiyi, Lanyi, and Lianyi in!”
Yun Xiangye watched as the four maidservants entered. In front of Xie Zhixuan, they knelt obediently and respectfully.
Xie Zhixuan slammed the table angrily. “You four maidservants dare to disrespect your mistress and overstep your bounds! From today onward, you are expelled from the Princess Royal’s residence. Considering your service to the young master, I will not sell you off. Take your contracts and leave on your own.”
“Your Highness, please don’t!” Zhuyi hurriedly kowtowed. “Your Highness, show mercy.”
Lianyi wept. “Your Highness, Your Highness, please give this servant a way to survive. I don’t want to leave the young master…”
Listening to the maidservants’ cries, Xie Zhixuan waved her hand dismissively. The matrons beside her immediately led the four maidservants out.
Xie Zhixuan said, “I am usually busy with the pharmacy, so the maidservants in the Princess Royal’s residence are not strictly managed. After the New Year, I will entrust the household affairs to you, so that such insolent servants won’t dare to overstep their bounds. As for the missing maidservants in Qingfeng Courtyard, I will ask the Empress to select a few from the Palace Administration Bureau to serve you. The palace maids from the bureau can also assist you in managing the household.”
Yun Xiangye’s nose tingled again as she replied, “Yes, Mother.”
Wei Nian, dressed in a silver fox fur jacket, was walking through the courtyard of the Princess Royal’s estate when she heard the loud pleas for mercy from several maids.
Going over to investigate, she saw that the four senior maids serving Gu Yan were being dragged toward the gate by several older women.
Over the years at the Princess Royal’s estate, Wei Nian had often curried favor with these senior maids, hoping they would speak well of her in front of Gu Yan. Seeing them being driven out of the estate, she frowned slightly.
Wei Nian left the estate through a side gate and found the maids weeping in the alley. She approached and asked, “Sister Zhuyi, with the New Year just around the corner, why are you crying so bitterly here?”
Zhuyi wiped her tears and curtsied, saying, “Young Mistress Wei, we don’t know what Yun said to Her Highness the Princess, but Her Highness has driven us out of the estate.”
Wei Nian wore a look of pity as she said, “You’ve served my cousin for many years. Even if you haven’t earned great merit, you’ve certainly put in hard work. You deserve a good future. Now, in the depths of winter, Yun has driven you lovely young women out of the estate—how will you survive?
Ah, Yun Xiangye comes from a small, remote place. She must have seen how beautiful you four sisters are and grown jealous, which is why she won’t allow any pretty maids around my cousin.
Why don’t you go to the Censorate and plead with my cousin? He’s sure to stand up for you, bring you back to the Princess Royal’s estate, and reprimand Yun for her jealousy…”
Zhuyi and Lianyi exchanged glances.
Lanyi stood up and said, “Since we’ve left the Princess Royal’s estate and have nowhere else to go, we might as well fight for our place. Even if the Young Master can’t bring us back, Yun won’t come out of this with a good reputation.”
Meiyi wiped her tears and said, “Yes, as soon as Yun arrived, she drove us out of the Princess Royal’s estate out of sheer jealousy, leaving us with no way to survive. Since that’s the case, let’s fight to the bitter end and show all of Chang’an how unfit Yun is for high society.”
Zhuyi nodded and said, “Let’s go, we’ll head to the Censorate together.”