Her favorite pale emerald gauze dress, the osmanthus-green winter jacket that had been tailored for her just last month, and even the Flower Garden Skirt that the Old Madam had rewarded her with…
Every single one had been hacked to pieces with a pair of scissors.
Xie Zhi did love beautiful clothes, but at the end of the day, she was only a servant.
Back when she served the Old Madam, her monthly wages had been just one tael of silver. Each of these dresses cost at least four or five taels, and the one gifted by the Old Madam was worth even more.
She only owned this handful of garments.
Now, staring at the ruined pile before her, Xie Zhi exploded.
“Who did this?!”
From the moment she entered the room, the other maids had deliberately ignored her, loudly chatting about the day’s happenings in the manor while secretly watching her out of the corners of their eyes.
The instant she lost her temper, all their gazes shifted toward her before collectively drifting to Shuyue, eager to watch the spectacle.
Shuyue had been lounging on the kang bed, casually cracking melon seeds. Seeing Xie Zhi’s reaction, she unhurriedly climbed down, brushed the seed shells from her hands, curled her lips into a smile, and said,
“Lichun, don’t you know that maids of Yangshan Terrace aren’t allowed to wear bright reds and flashy greens? Yet you actually dared to bring clothes like these here. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were some noble young lady.”
“Big Sister Shuyue, please stop,” the maid in yellow beside her tried to persuade.
“Why should I? I didn’t do anything wrong. Dressed like that, you’ll only disgust the Heir when he sees you. I was doing it for your own good!”
Xie Zhi slowly set down the ruined clothes, suppressing her fury.
“Really? Then I suppose I should thank you.”
With that, she grabbed the scissors and charged toward Shuyue.
“W-What are you doing? Don’t be so ungrateful!”
The sight of the sharp blades made Shuyue’s eyes widen.
She immediately ducked behind the maid in yellow.
But Xie Zhi simply walked past her and headed straight for Shuyue’s wardrobe.
She flung open the cabinet doors and began wildly cutting every garment inside.
“What are you doing?!”
Naturally, Shuyue couldn’t stand by and watch. She lunged forward, grappling with Xie Zhi.
Inside the wardrobe weren’t just ordinary clothes. There were also expensive silk dresses she had specially commissioned in hopes of catching Pei Du’s attention.
Now that Xie Zhi was gleefully shredding them to ribbons, how could she not be furious?
Yet she remained wary of the razor-sharp scissors in Xie Zhi’s hand and couldn’t fight freely. Before long, the other maids rushed in and pulled them apart.
Xie Zhi’s hair was disheveled, but the anger blazing in her eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
“This time, consider it a lesson.”
“I’ve already lost everything. I have nothing left to fear by fighting you head-on.”
With that, she turned and strode out.
Xie Zhi desperately needed to calm herself down.
She had barely stepped outside when Nanny Zhai came toward her.
“What happened? Why’s it so noisy in there?”
“It’s nothing. It’s late, Nanny. You should go get some rest.”
After forcing a smile, Xie Zhi continued walking.
Although the night was deep, lanterns illuminated the courtyard. Nanny Zhai wasn’t blind.
She immediately noticed the tear stains covering Xie Zhi’s beautiful face, along with her loosened hair—a clear picture of someone who had just been bullied.
“Oh dear, Lichun, wait.”
Alarmed, Nanny Zhai hurried after her. She had just caught hold of Xie Zhi when the Heir returned through the courtyard gate with Changming.
“Lichun, the Heir has returned. Hurry and pay your respects.”
Nanny Zhai tugged at her sleeve, trying to pull her to her knees.
Instead, Xie Zhi cast Pei Du a cold glance from afar, shook off Nanny Zhai’s hand, and walked straight back into the room.
Both Nanny Zhai and Changming froze.
Nanny Zhai nearly lost her wits.
“T-Young Master has returned. Would you like supper? This old servant will have someone prepare it.”
She cautiously studied Pei Du’s expression but couldn’t detect the slightest change.
“No need. You may leave.”
Pei Du spoke indifferently before heading toward the main hall.
Changming followed closely behind, occasionally glancing toward the direction Xie Zhi had disappeared.
Once they were gone, Nanny Zhai became even more convinced.
Even after such blatant disrespect, the Heir hadn’t gotten angry.
This Miss Lichun truly wasn’t ordinary.
There had to be some kind of connection between her and the Heir.
From now on, she’d better treat the girl with extra respect.
Back in the main hall, Pei Du first dealt with the backlog of official documents before carefully reviewing and revising the manuscripts that the Hanlin Academy had entrusted to him.
Unlike most of the younger members of the Pei family, Pei Du had been raised in his maternal grandfather Grand Tutor Zhao’s household.
His grandfather had held him to exceptionally strict standards.
As a result, Pei Du had never relied on his family’s influence to obtain office.
He had earned scholarly honors at a young age, entered the Hanlin Academy as an editor through his own merit, and had distinguished himself over the past two years, earning promotion to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.
His cousin Zhao Han now served in the Hanlin Academy as well.
Though Zhao Han was earnest, he was often somewhat clumsy in his work. Whenever he encountered difficulties, Pei Du was willing to help organize and refine his drafts during his spare time.
By the time everything was finished, it was already past midnight.
As Pei Du rose and headed toward the bathhouse, he noticed Changming still standing beneath the steps.
He couldn’t help frowning.
“Didn’t I tell you to retire hours ago?”
Changming yawned meaningfully.
“This servant thought my lord might have something to ask.”
Pei Du ignored him.
If Changming wanted to stay awake, that was his own business.
After bathing, Pei Du put on his night robe.
He stood there hesitating for quite some time.
In the end, instead of returning to his bedchamber, he circled back into the hall.
Sure enough, Changming was still standing there like a wooden post.
His expression practically read:
“I knew you’d come back.”
At last, Pei Du spoke.
“What’s she causing trouble over this time?”
Changming immediately replied,
“I heard she wanted to go outside today, but the guards stopped her. After returning to the room, she somehow got into another quarrel with the other maids. There was smashing of basins, bowls flying everywhere, and people screaming like ghosts. Haha… My lord, Yangshan Terrace hasn’t been this lively in years.”
Changming had known from the start that his master would ask about Miss Lichun.
After witnessing the earlier scene, he’d found an opportunity to question the courtyard guards and servants, learning exactly what had happened.
But as he recounted the story, he couldn’t help laughing.
One icy glare from Pei Du immediately wiped the smile from his face.
He straightened at once, returning to his usual solemn expression.
“She caused trouble on her very first day here. What kind of temperament is that?”
“Grandmother has spoiled her completely beyond reason.”
Then Pei Du called him back.
“Oh, and…”
He hesitated for a long while before finally saying with resignation,
“Move her… move her somewhere else.”
“Arrange a room for her alone. Don’t have her squeeze in with the other maids.”
“Otherwise, sooner or later she’ll stir up more trouble, and there’ll never be a moment’s peace.”
Without another word, he turned and returned to his room.
Not long afterward, Changming conveyed the order to the servants’ quarters.
The sleeping maids were awakened.
Lanterns were lit once more.
Watching Xie Zhi quietly pack her belongings, they almost thought they were dreaming.
She…
She was being driven away?
Even after Xie Zhi disappeared through the doorway, several of them were still craning their necks to look outside.
“She just… left?”
“But judging from Young Master Changming’s tone, he didn’t sound angry at all.”
Shuyue closed her eyes again, turned over, and muttered,
“What kind of place do you think Yangshan Terrace is?”
“If you don’t follow the rules, what’s so surprising about being thrown out?”
Satisfied, she drifted back to sleep.
Meanwhile, Xie Zhi was led once more to the side chamber she had seen earlier that day.
She stamped her foot in frustration.
Changming looked at her in confusion.
“What are you doing?”