The courtyard where the leopard was kept had slightly higher walls, and its gate was unusually heavy, requiring both Qi'er and Shen Hui to push it open together. It was indeed a place meant for confining fierce beasts.
As they pushed the door open, the low, rumbling purr of the leopard, Jinyun, could be faintly heard. Only then did Shen Hui belatedly feel her legs go weak.
She could only hope that the ancients' skills in taming animals were advanced enough to prevent her from ending up in the leopard's jaws.
However, upon seeing Jinyun's appearance, Shen Hui realized she had worried for nothing.
Jinyun was an extremely old and fat lazy leopard. Its round head rested against the stone trough filled with meat as it dozed, its plump belly pressed against the ground. When it sensed people approaching, its ears twitched sluggishly, and it couldn't even be bothered to open its eyes. It merely raised its tail and patted the ground.
"Jinyun, good boy, I'm Qi'er, the one who often comes to feed you meat. This is Sister Ah Hui." Qi'er pulled Shen Hui over to scratch Jinyun's forehead and chin. "Sister, give Jinyun a gentle scratch. It loves being petted."
Faced with this super-sized fat leopard, Shen Hui's fear gradually faded, replaced by the joy and satisfaction of touching something fluffy.
Coming to the Beast House had truly been the right decision.
Few people, little work, and the freedom to tease a leopard at will—it was perfectly suited for her Salty Fish Plan.
"Roar…" Jinyun lifted its head comfortably, utterly at ease, and pushed Shen Hui's hand downward with its paw, signaling her to scratch its belly.
"So well-behaved." Shen Hui scratched with both hands, thoroughly enjoying herself.
"Of course. When Jinyun was first brought to the princess consort, it was still a cub nursing on milk. Later, it followed the great prince and princess consort on hunts, fierce yet never harming anyone." Qi'er fetched a wooden comb to groom the fur on Jinyun's back.
"Then how did Jinyun get so fat?" Shen Hui couldn't help but ask.
"It seems that a few years ago, the great prince felt this hobby was too extravagant and cruel, so he never took the princess consort hunting in the forest again. The princess consort strongly agreed with the great prince's view and even asked the Eldest Princess to fund the construction of a nisi to accumulate merit." Qi'er wasn't entirely sure either.
"The great prince and princess consort are truly virtuous." Shen Hui recalled the descriptions of this couple from the original book and replied dryly.
Virtuous?
That remained to be seen.
"Sister Shiwu." Just as Shen Hui was lost in thought, Qi'er suddenly bowed toward the doorway.
"Who is she?" The woman addressed as Shiwu wore a yellow blouse and pink skirt, with two white jade hairpins slanting through her knife-shaped bun and twisted silver bracelets on her wrists. She asked coldly.
Shen Hui guessed that Shiwu must be the first-class maidservant in the Beast House, so she bowed and said, "Greetings, Sister Shiwu. My name is Shen Hui, a newly assigned sandeng binü."
"Qi'er, go apply flea powder to the cats and dogs." Shiwu spoke with an air of superiority. "Shen Hui, is it? Although there are few people in our Beast House, we still have all the necessary rules. Don't bring the lax and disrespectful habits from the manor estate here. Otherwise, if you cause any trouble, you'll drag everyone down with you."
Shen Hui ignored her arrogance and maintained a gentle, compliant smile.
Since one doesn't strike a smiling face, seeing her like this, Shiwu didn't press further with her harassment. She merely furrowed her brows and turned to leave.
"Sister, be careful of her." Qi'er whispered into Shen Hui's ear. "Shiwu has always disliked Aunt Duan and has been inciting the young maidservants to join her in disobeying Aunt Duan's orders."
"Do the two have a grudge?" Shen Hui understood inwardly.
It seemed that even with few people in the Beast House, factions still existed.
Qi'er was clearly on Aunt Duan's side, and now that she had arrived, she too had become part of Aunt Duan's faction, earning Shiwu's hostility.
"Aunt Duan once reprimanded Shiwu in front of all the maids, slapping her face as punishment for leaving the Beast House without permission. The red marks took two days to fade. Shiwu was indignant and went to complain to Tian Nüshi, only to be scolded and sent back." Qi'er pursed her lips. "Actually, Aunt Duan rarely punishes anyone. It's because Shiwu kept currying favor with her godmother that Aunt Duan disciplined her."
"Godmother?" Shen Hui pretended not to know about the practice of recognizing godmothers in the wangfu, prompting Qi'er to explain.
Qi'er spoke of Shiwu's godmother with disdain. "Shiwu was also a servant bought from outside. For people like us to gain a firm footing, we always need to recognize a godmother. My godmother works in the Laundry House, but Shiwu is ambitious—she managed to get into Consort Zheng's courtyard, calling the consort's personal nanny 'godmother' and her maids 'god-sisters,' constantly delivering meals and clothes."
However, to prevent private dealings and factionalism, the wangfu explicitly forbids idle servants from entering the inner courtyards. If Shiwu's godmother connections were exposed to Tian Nüshi, it would truly implicate the entire Beast House.
"Impressive. I don't even know which way the inner courtyard's gate faces." This was no lie. Shen Hui wasn't foolish, but her memory was limited. Learning the rules these past days had already given her a headache; how could she possibly figure out the inner courtyard?
"If you don't know, then don't know. Just go less." Qi'er said seriously. "That's what Aunt Duan instructed."
"Since you put it that way, I won't just go less—I won't go at all." Shen Hui understood the stakes and nodded. "Come, let me help you apply the medicinal powder."
On the second floor of the small building, Aunt Duan stood by the railing, watching Shen Hui's busy and cheerful figure from afar. A trace of satisfaction showed in her stern expression.
Good, she's a diligent child.
"Aunt Duan." Shiwu walked upstairs, her gaze filled with forced flattery masking her disgust.
Yet as soon as Aunt Duan heard her approach, she made as if to leave.
Shiwu hurried to stop her, presenting a bamboo basket containing several oil-paper packages. "My godmother is thinking of you and asked me to relay a message. Her birthday is approaching, and with Consort Zheng's permission, she can leave the wangfu to host a few banquet tables at home. She invites you to honor her with your presence. These are pastries my godmother sent for you."
"I've long suffered from toothaches and can't eat sweet pastries." Aunt Duan said without even glancing at them.
"My godmother feared your toothache, so she didn't send ordinary flower cakes. These are Cherry Pastries bought from the East Market." Shiwu grabbed her hand.
Aunt Duan brushed her off, her brow cold. "Thank your godmother for her kindness, but I've had allergies since childhood and cannot eat cherries."
"Aunt Duan, why pretend ignorance? You should understand the side consort's intentions." Shiwu grew anxious, speaking without restraint. "A first-rank palace maid who studied under a third-rank nüguan, yet you were schemed into the Beast House by Tian Nüshi, spending your days with cats and dogs—what a pity. Consort Zheng is eager for talent. If you go to her side, once the great prince ascends the throne, you'll become the right hand of the noble consort, with boundless prospects."
"Stay away from me." Aunt Duan laughed in anger, giving Shiwu an incredulous glance before entering her room and shutting the door.
Better to avoid getting blood on her when the time came.
Outside, Shiwu glared furiously at Aunt Duan's room, wishing her gaze could turn into sharp swords to pierce through the other.
Consort Zheng was generous and had Fourth Young Master under her care. To gain her favor was a tremendous blessing. That Duan woman simply didn't know what was good for her.
From then on, Shiwu treated those aligned with Aunt Duan with even worse expressions.
"Did Shiwu make you do all the work again?" At noon, Shen Hui sat eating in her room and called out to Qi'er when she saw her carrying Shiwu's food box.
"I can handle it, I'll just do a bit more." Qi'er didn't want to cause trouble. "Sister, have you finished eating? I'll take your bowl to the Servants' Kitchen."
"Right away." Shen Hui quickly finished the remaining food. "Come with me."
"Sister, what are you doing?" Qi'er was puzzled.
"Since you call me sister, I truly treat you as a younger sister." Shen Hui grabbed a young maidservant who had once been instructed by Shiwu to splash water in front of her door. "You, take Qi'er's food box."
"That's not my job." The young maidservant tried to push Shen Hui away, but the other was taller and stronger, and she couldn't break free. "Sister Shiwu didn't tell me to do this. Be careful, or I'll report you to her."
Shen Hui held the maidservant's collar with one hand and poked her forehead with the other, speaking firmly. "I'm ordering you to do it. A sandeng binü may be inconspicuous, but she still outranks you. In Shiwu's eyes, both you and Qi'er are just lowly young maidservants. She bullies Qi'er, but she won't necessarily confront me or Aunt Duan for your sake. You've been in the Beast House longer than I have, so you should know her temperament."
"…Yes." This maidservant was even younger than Qi'er, naive and cowardly, easily intimidated into silence.
"Sister Ah Hui, you're really amazing." Qi'er was a maidservant bought from outside, always considered inferior to most homegrown servants. Though clever, she had always prioritized endurance.
"If others don't provoke me, I won't provoke them. But if you endure everything, Shiwu will eventually bully me directly." Shen Hui was never one to swallow her anger. Moreover, after a few days in the mansion, she realized what a powerful backer her aunt, Madam Xu, was. Confronting a few maidservants was something she could handle head-on. "Qi'er, take a rest. I'll go supervise that maidservant delivering the food box."
But in truth, she was going to the Servants' Kitchen to find Shen Wei.
Shen Wei had saved fish ball soup and fried quail for her. During her growing years, one bowl of rice was never enough, so these extras were perfect to fill the gaps.
Next to the Servants' Kitchen was the huafang, with a side gate connecting the two courtyards. When Shen Hui arrived, she saw Shen Wei sitting on the threshold chatting with a maidservant from the other side, chattering away in a lively manner.
"Sister, sister!" As soon as Shen Wei saw Shen Hui, she opened the food box. "Eat quickly while it's hot. Nanny Zhang made extra and allowed me to take the leftovers."
Favored servants ate with their masters, but if they wanted something specific, they had to order it from the Servants' Kitchen. Nanny Zhang occasionally made extra, sharing it with those under her, as the cost was covered by the maidservants placing the orders.
"Are you familiar with the people from the huafang? I never expected our A Wei not only to be unafraid of strangers but also to make friends. Truly, one should never judge a person by their past." Shen Hui drank the fish ball soup, teasing Shen Wei, feeling reassured.
It seemed her silly sister wasn't completely foolish.
"The sisters from the huafang like talking to people from the kitchen. The cooks and young maidservants are busy, so they come to me." Shen Wei frowned, looking troubled. "But I usually only help Nanny Zhang count ingredients. Where would I have heard any interesting stories? Asking me to tell them is practically torturing me."
"Even if you've heard something, don't talk too much." Shen Hui shared her experience in household politics. "The more you say, the more mistakes you make. Be careful not to get into arguments."
As the two sisters chatted, two maidservants silently passed by, heading straight into the kitchen, likely to place orders.
Shen Hui had a keen nose and faintly caught the scent of medicine on one of them—not ointment, but medicinal broth.
The medicinal scent flashed by, quickly replaced by the fragrance of scented beans from a sachet.
"Who are they?" Shen Hui casually asked Shen Wei.
"That must be from Consort Zheng's courtyard. I recognize the one on the left—she's the young maidservant who follows Consort Zheng's personal maid," Shen Wei said.
Shen Hui remained silent.
When she first transmigrated here, she had to drink medicinal decoctions for a long time, making her extremely sensitive to such scents. However, the manor strictly forbade servants from privately obtaining medicine. If anyone fell ill, they had to move to the empty rooms in the front courtyard to stay temporarily and could only return to serve their master after recovering.
So, who was ill and dared not make it known?
The more one spoke, the more mistakes one might make. Shen Hui buried her suspicions deep in her heart and continued sipping the fish ball soup and eating the fried quail.