Nanny Zhao, having openly seized the false young lady’s silver, felt justified. Seeing Sheng Xiangqiao’s tactful compliance, she did not trouble her further. Stretching lazily, she went off to take her afternoon nap.
Sheng Xiangqiao stared blankly at her emptied pillow.
Ning Yan, indifferent, yawned and asked whether she still wanted to go to the garden. Sheng Xiangqiao nodded with a smile: “Let’s go to the garden.”
Most of the other maids had been summoned by Nanny Zhao, so in the afternoons, it was usually only Ning Yan who accompanied her.
Sheng Xiangqiao sat obediently on a bench, reading. Since Qing Yan had delivered persimmons at noon, Ning Yan had eaten too many and soon felt unwell, excusing herself to the latrine.
Left alone, Sheng Xiangqiao looked up at the tall tree behind her. She slipped off her embroidered shoes, stepped onto the bench, and climbed up.
From the branches, she could see the entire Sheng estate, even the long street beyond the rear gate. After gazing for a while, she heard a voice below: “Miss, please come down.”
Looking down, she saw a stranger—a guard. Prince Cining and the Sheng family must have sent him to watch her secretly. After all, they had gone to great lengths to find this impostor; if she disappeared again, chaos would ensue.
Sheng Xiangqiao raised her hand, holding up the fruit she had just picked, and smiled foolishly: “This fruit is tasty. I’ll pick a few more, then come down.”
The man glanced around. There was no wall nearby, and she seemed skilled at climbing, unlikely to fall. He snorted and withdrew.
Sheng Xiangqiao turned her gaze toward the eastern garden. As usual, her grandmother would be coming to stroll there at this hour. Indeed, she soon saw Madam Qin, white‑haired, surrounded by maids.
The girl pursed her lips, gathered the fruit in her skirt, and began to climb down. But she descended too hastily. From halfway down, she slipped and fell with a loud thud, crying out in pain.
Her grandmother, suffering from eye trouble, saw only a blur—a pink figure tumbling from the tree—and thought it was a pet cat. Hearing the sobbing voice, she realized it was a girl in a pink dress.
Her attendants quickly reminded her: it was her eldest granddaughter who had fallen. Alarmed, she ordered the maids to check if Sheng Xiangqiao was hurt.
When the maids brought the limping young lady forward, the Old Madam said sternly: “You’re old enough to know better. Why behave like a naughty child, climbing trees?”
Sheng Xiangqiao, pale‑faced and tearful, whispered: “Granddaughter was gravely ill some days ago, and the physicians prescribed many remedies. I learned a little about medicinal herbs. Today, while walking in the garden, I saw a paper mulberry tree bearing fruit. Its berries, called *chushi*, can be boiled into tea to brighten the eyes. I heard Grandmother has eye trouble, so I thought to pick some for you.”
The Old Madam frowned: “My chambers lack no medicines. Must you climb trees? If you had fallen from higher, not even thousand‑year ginseng could save you!”
Though she spoke harshly, her heart warmed. Her eldest granddaughter had always preferred playing outside, rarely spending time with her. But after her illness, she had grown more considerate—climbing a tree herself to fetch fruit for her grandmother. Childish, yes, but touching nonetheless.
So the Old Madam paused, then asked: “Weren’t you supposed to be out boating with the heir today? Why have you returned so early?”
Sheng Xiangqiao leaned against her grandmother, enduring the pain as she replied softly: “Granddaughter’s health is poor. After walking a while, I grew tired, and I didn’t wish to delay the heir’s enjoyment of the lake, so I came back first.”
The Old Madam had once been young herself. Though in her time there was no imperial festival like today’s “Daughters’ Festival,” she knew well that when two people were truly fond of each other, they were reluctant to part. How could one grow tired after only a short walk and leave so soon?
Thinking of Jin Lianyuan’s notorious reputation, she understood her granddaughter’s bitterness. No wonder the girl had nearly brought disgrace upon the family. With a sigh, the old lady felt that her usually domineering granddaughter was, in truth, a pitiable child.
But an imperial betrothal was a gift from the Emperor. No matter how perilous the path ahead, it had to be endured. As a grandmother, she could only try to comfort her: “The heir is still young, fond of play. In two years, he will grow steadier, and then he will be more considerate…”
Her voice faltered, and she sighed again. Her granddaughter’s marriage was fixed; nothing could be changed. Best to let her enjoy her freedom at home for these two years.
The prince’s household was strict. Even before marriage, they had already sent a matron to teach her rules. Once she entered that house, how many more rules would grind her down?
Thinking this, the Old Madam glanced around and asked in puzzlement:
“Where are your maids and attendants? Why are none of them here?”
Sheng Xiangqiao pressed her lips together without speaking. Just then, a little maid from her courtyard came over, intending to summon her back to hear Nanny Zhao’s scolding. But at a glance, she saw the Old Madam present, and quickly stepped forward to pay her respects.
The old lady repeated her question to the maid. Unlike Ning Yan, who had been hardened by past ordeals, this maid blurted out the truth: “Nanny Zhao, after her nap, felt unwell and ordered the maids to heat water for her bath. Ning Yan ate too many persimmons and upset her stomach, so she is lying down in the room.”
The Old Madam’s face darkened. She struck her imperial cane against the ground and said sharply: “So it seems there is more than one mistress in your courtyard! Everyone knows how to enjoy themselves! Even if Nanny Zhao came from the prince’s household, her airs are far too grand!”
In all the noble houses of the capital, who had ever heard of a servant taking a hot bath in broad daylight while on duty?
Madam Qin was the eldest daughter of Duke Jingyuan, and in her youth, she had been close friends with Princess Xinning, the Emperor’s elder sister. She often entered the palace, and Duke Jingyuan himself had been a key supporter in the struggle for succession, helping the Emperor ascend the throne.
Though the old duke had long passed away, his prestige remained. Even the Emperor, upon meeting Madam Qin, would respectfully address her as “Old Madam.”
All her life, Madam Qin had been intolerant of impropriety. Even a matron sent from the prince’s household had to observe proper rules—otherwise, did they think the Sheng family was some poor, humble house, and that a mere servant from the prince’s residence could act like a deity descended to earth?
Meanwhile, Nanny Zhao was indeed soaking in her hot bath. During her time in the Sheng household, Master Sheng had always treated her politely. With no true mistress of the house, Nanny Zhao ruled the embroidery courtyard absolutely, growing increasingly lax and arrogant. Unlike in the prince’s household, where she had to be cautious and flattering, here she felt free to indulge herself, ordering the young maids to serve her.
Thinking there was nothing important today—the false young lady was playing in the garden under the watch of hidden guards—she decided to enjoy a warm bath. It was even one of the little maids who reminded her: the original Miss Sheng Xiangqiao’s bath chamber contained many fragrant herbal powders, which would be wasted otherwise.
But just as Nanny Zhao was luxuriating in the steam, eyes half‑closed, the outer door curtain suddenly opened, letting in a rush of cold air. She assumed it was a maid bringing more water and immediately cursed:
“Which little wretch! I didn’t call for anyone—why push the door? If I catch a chill, I’ll have your hide!”
Before her scolding ended, the curtain was lifted, and several matrons and maids filed in. Behind them, leaning on her cane, Madam Qin herself entered slowly.
“Nanny Zhao, what a grand display. Shall I summon a physician to check whether you’ve caught a chill?”
Nanny Zhao never imagined the Old Madam would come in person. Flustered, she tried to rise, but remembering she was half‑naked, she quickly sat back down, forcing a smile: “I did not know the Old Madam would come herself… this old servant has been most discourteous…”
Madam Qin snorted coldly: “Put your clothes on first. Then come out and speak.” With that, she turned and swept out with her attendants.
Nanny Zhao cursed silently in her heart, but dared not delay. She did not even call a maid to help her, but hurriedly dressed, dripping wet, and tied up her hair before going out to hear the old lady’s reprimand. When she had first been sent, the prince had warned her strictly: under no circumstances must the Sheng family’s Old Madam discover the truth.
Madam Qin, daughter of a great general, had inherited her father’s upright nature. She despised scheming and deceit. If she learned her granddaughter was a fake, she might not even consult her son, but march straight into the palace to confess everything and accept punishment.
Thus, Nanny Zhao dared not mention that Sheng Xiangqiao was a false young lady. She intended only to rely on the dignity of her position as a servant from the prince’s household to smooth things over. When she came out, she saw the impostor covered in mud, her elbows and knees scraped, her outer robe removed while maids tended her wounds.
Ignoring this, Nanny Zhao forced a smile and said: “Old servant… these past days I’ve suffered from chills. After accompanying Miss to the lake, my legs ached badly, so I soaked them to ease the pain. But wasn’t Miss in the garden with Ning Yan? How did she stumble and fall?”
The Old Madam saw her dismissive attitude toward Sheng Xiangqiao and was instantly enraged. How dare a mere servant from the prince’s household behave so arrogantly in the Sheng family!
If even a servant acted this way, what would happen once her granddaughter married into the prince’s household? Under that roof, with no family to support her, neglected by her husband and bullied by servants, would she not despair enough to throw herself into a well?
Her son was weak, always bending to Prince Cining, treating that household as the rightful heir and never daring to oppose them. But she herself had witnessed the palace intrigues of the past and knew the Emperor’s mind was deep and unpredictable. Until the very end, no one could say which prince would inherit the throne.
No matter how powerful Prince Cining seemed, he had no right to send a servant here to act like an ancestor. Nor could the Sheng family allow the prince’s household to look down on them, as if their granddaughter had no family backing.
With this thought, Madam Qin’s face grew stern. She said steadily: “If you are ill, you should rest and recover. Your contract belongs to the prince’s household—you are not our servant. We cannot have the Sheng family return a broken invalid after borrowing a healthy matron. You can see my granddaughter is unruly; one or two matrons cannot teach her. I intend to invite a learned governess to instruct her properly. As for you, tomorrow I will send a carriage to return you to the prince’s household to recuperate.”
Nanny Zhao was alarmed. She had been sent by the prince to watch the impostor. If she were dismissed, how could she report back?
But when she tried to protest, the Old Madam no longer bothered to argue. Leaning on her cane, she turned and walked away with Sheng Xiangqiao, without a backward glance.