2 – Fourth Master is waiting outside
Fu Qingzi clenched her fists, her lips trembling and her sharp gaze revealing her unwillingness. All her efforts had now become a wedding dress for someone else, and her eldest brother was the one reaping the rewards without lifting a finger.
Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it. She wondered if there was still a chance to return, after all, such a situation was truly hard to accept.
An An, where are you? Wait for your sister.
Fu Qingzi’s lips curved slightly, but the smile did not reach her eyes. She spoke mercilessly, “If you’re unwilling to serve me, then leave. Go wherever you wish. The Main Courtyard likely has no place for you. If you wish to stay and continue serving here, then do not let me see this disrespectful face of yours again.”
Meanwhile, in the side chamber.
Qiao An’s reaction upon waking was quite similar to Fu Qingzi’s, but her eyes held a trace of panic and fear. She wasn’t afraid of her surroundings but rather of not being able to see Fu Qingzi. Azi, where are you?
The maid serving Fu Qingzi, having been slighted by her, grew increasingly resentful. She thought, She’s just a consort with a title, what’s there to be so arrogant about? Does she really think she’s something special?
The maid pushed open the door to the side chamber and spoke in a tone of entitlement, “You will serve the consort today.”
Qiao An looked up at her and sneered coldly, “It’s your turn to serve today. Why should I go?”
Did she think Qiao An had no brains, that she was an idiot? They were both maids—why should she listen to her? Just because she had a big face?
Qiao An glanced at her disdainfully, then pulled the quilt over her head, treating her like air. “Go as far away as you can. Don’t bother me.”
“You… you… you!” The maid glared at her fiercely, as if trying to bore a hole through her with her eyes. Furious but unable to do anything, she could only stomp out resentfully, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.
She gritted her teeth, wondering why everyone seemed to be against her today, as if they had all changed.
That day, it was Qiao An’s turn on duty. She was extremely reluctant to serve others, as aside from Azi, whom had she ever served? The thought alone made her uncomfortable.
Fu Qingzi, who had been leisurely reading a book indoors, looked up as Qiao An entered from outside. At that glance, she was utterly stunned and incredulous. Uncertain, she called out, “An An.”
Qiao An’s expression seemed distant, as if she couldn’t believe the person before her was truly Fu Qingzi. “Azi.”
Qiao An quickly strode over and embraced Fu Qingzi, tears welling up uncontrollably in her eyes. She choked out, “I thought I would never see you again.”
Fu Qingzi set down the book in her hand and gently stroked Qiao An’s back to comfort her.
Once Qiao An’s emotions had settled somewhat, Fu Qingzi took the handkerchief from her waist and wiped the tears from Qiao An’s eyes. She had never been good at comforting others. “Stop crying.”
Qiao An broke into a smile through her tears, speaking with a touch of pride, “See? Isn’t our bond much stronger than yours with Yu Manman?”
Fu Qingzi sighed helplessly, a hint of warmth finally appearing in her eyes. “Yes, yes, it is.”
Through her conversation with Qiao An, Fu Qingzi learned that she was not Ulanara but the daughter of Grand Tutor Fu. She had fallen into a coma for half a month after accidentally saving Consort De. Upon hearing of her admiration for Yin Zhen, Consort De had sent her to Yin Zhen’s residence to become his consort.
Fu Qingzi gave her a calm glance, pondered for a moment, and then asked gently, “How did you come to know this?”
“Gossip! The maids in the side rooms were all talking about it, so I chimed in a few words too. But don’t worry, I only spoke up because the lady didn’t know it was about you.” Qiao An was just getting into the story when she caught Fu Qingzi’s disapproving look and quickly explained.
Qiao An raised a hand to cover her face, coughed lightly twice, then leaned close to Fu Qingzi’s ear and whispered, “Ahem, I heard from them that since you two got married, Fourth Master still hasn’t… touched you.”
Fu Qingzi: “…”
Qiao An then winked at Fu Qingzi with a sly grin. “But there’s good news—you’re the only one in the manor.”
Qiao An nudged Fu Qingzi playfully with her elbow before putting on a serious expression. “You know what that means? It means Fourth Master is still a pure little cucumber.”
Resting her chin on one hand, Qiao An’s smile took on a mischievous edge. “Azi, but I’m here for you. I’ll make sure you win over Fourth Prince, especially an untouched little cucumber like him. Hehehe.”
Fu Qingzi picked up her teacup and took a small sip, her eyes clear as a pool of water. A faint, almost helpless smile touched her lips.
Qiao An pouted, seeing that Fu Qingzi wasn’t taking her words seriously.
With meaningful deliberation, Qiao An said, “Tomorrow is the fifteenth. Fourth Master will definitely come to the Main Courtyard for dinner. Seize this perfect opportunity.”
Fu Qingzi glanced up at her and asked calmly, “Hmm?”
Her question was about why she should try to keep Fourth Master around. To her, he was still a stranger—she couldn’t bring herself to “seize opportunities” like that.
Qiao An sighed in frustration. Why was she so slow on the uptake? “Later, I’ll write you a simple, easy-to-understand book about the Qing dynasty. Make sure you read it.”
Qiao An spent the entire afternoon explaining Qing dynasty customs to Fu Qingzi, nearly talking herself hoarse before Fu Qingzi reluctantly absorbed a few sentences.
Fortunately, back in their previous lives, Qiao An had always topped the class in history—partly to complement Fu Qingzi’s strengths.
Fu Qingzi shook her head with a wry smile. Just because she didn’t enjoy studying history didn’t mean she knew nothing about it.
Then Qiao An felt something was off. Fourth Prince’s first woman should have been Lady Song, and his primary consort should have been Ulanara. Why had things deviated from the original course? Could this just be a parallel world?
Qiao An’s gaze unconsciously settled on Fu Qingzi’s face. Well, since they were here, they might as well make the best of it. No point overthinking it.
The next day, Qiao An woke Fu Qingzi up early. “Azi, today we have to go to the palace to pay respects.”
Rubbing her temples drowsily, Fu Qingzi forced her eyes open and let out a long sigh. What ungodly hour was this?
Peering through the window, she saw the sky still shrouded in darkness, with only the faintest hint of light.
Consort De was no pushover. She was likely just trying to earn a good reputation in front of the emperor and win his sympathy. If Fu Qingzi guessed correctly, Kangxi had been staying at Consort De’s place these past few days. Historically, Consort De had pulled this kind of trick more than once.
She and Qiao An had been here for several days now. Life was comfortable, if a bit too leisurely—so much so that she hadn’t even met Fourth Master yet, let alone knew who he was.
Fu Qingzi put on her ceremonial robes, applied light makeup, and finally stepped out the door. Qiao An’s eyes lit up with admiration. Truly, no matter what Azi wore, her elegance was always perfectly captured.
Fu Qingzi and Qiao An had just stepped out of the Main Courtyard when they spotted Su Peisheng waiting outside. Seeing the two emerge, he bent at the waist and cupped his hands in greeting. “Lady, Fourth Master is already waiting outside.”
Fu Qingzi pressed her lips together and gave a slight nod.
After boarding the carriage, Fu Qingzi exchanged a glance with Yin Zhen, then immediately turned her head away without another look.