Zhu Xinyan lifted her eyes and saw a graceful, elegant woman standing before her.
Judging from the woman’s imposing aura, lavish entourage, and the murderous glare that looked ready to strangle her on the spot, Zhu Xinyan quickly deduced that this must be the infamous Consort Qiao.
Before entering the manor, Gu Zhancheng had worried she might suffer losses, so he had sent one of the manor’s elderly maids to teach her the basic etiquette.
That same maid had also roughly explained the situation in the inner courtyard.
Special emphasis had been placed on Qiao Chuyue — spoiled rotten by her family, willful and unreasonable.
Her daily hobbies consisted of fighting for favor and provoking the Princess Consort.
Still, overall, her character was not considered bad. She never beat servants.
She was the type who responded well to flattery.
The maid had warned Zhu Xinyan not to confront her head-on and to avoid her whenever possible.
Since everything had already been explained clearly, Zhu Xinyan naturally understood the situation well.
But judging from Qiao Chuyue’s posture today, avoiding her was probably impossible.
Since they lived in the same manor, meeting sooner or later was inevitable.
So she might as well take this opportunity to practice first and coax Qiao Chuyue like a fool.
Thinking this, she did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately curtsied respectfully.
“This concubine greets Consort Qiao.”
Qiao Chuyue narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp as blades.
Holding a handkerchief between her fingers, she pointed at Zhu Xinyan without telling her to rise.
Then she slowly circled around her, carefully examining her from head to toe.
She truly was stunningly beautiful.
Especially that porcelain-like skin — it looked as though water would seep out with a mere pinch.
Though she had already borne a child, her figure remained exquisite.
That slender waist one could grasp in a single hand, and those breasts…
Qiao Chuyue subconsciously glanced at her own chest, silently comparing sizes.
Mm! In this regard, she completely won.
Her mood improved slightly. Looking down arrogantly at Zhu Xinyan, who was still bent in courtesy, she asked sharply,
“So you’re the Zhu woman?”
Zhu Xinyan rolled her eyes inwardly.
What nonsense. There were only so many women in this rear courtyard. She was clearly a new face — was this woman blind or what?
But remembering the maid’s teachings, she did not confront her directly.
Instead, she bent even lower, practically sitting on the heel of her left shoe.
She was slim, and her skirt was wide, so to outsiders it looked extremely humble and submissive.
In a soft voice, she replied,
“Yes, this concubine is Zhu.”
“Heh~ I heard His Highness stayed at your place and called for water three times in one night! You… are quite favored, aren’t you?”
As Qiao Chuyue said this, anyone within a meter could hear the grinding of her teeth.
Creak. Creak.
Afraid the woman might go mad and bite someone, Zhu Xinyan subtly shifted backward.
But before she could answer, Qiao Chuyue continued through clenched teeth,
“Today this consort happens to have free time, so I’ll properly teach you, you little slut. I’ll let you know the consequences of clinging to His Highness. Men, hit her!”
Yinqiao was not as rational as Madam Lü.
She was the kind of foolish servant who struck wherever her mistress pointed.
Besides, it was this bitch who had caused her mistress heartache.
Now that she had received the order, she wished she could tear Zhu Xinyan into pieces.
She swung her arm fiercely and slapped toward Zhu Xinyan’s face with full force.
If that blow truly landed, Zhu Xinyan’s teeth would probably be knocked out.
So she deftly dodged with the movement of the wind and used the momentum to stand up as well.
Seeing that she had missed, Qiao Chuyue became so angry her chest rose and fell violently as she screeched,
“Zhu! How dare you dodge? See if I don’t beat you to death!”
She shoved Yinqiao aside, strode toward Zhu Xinyan, and raised her hand to strike personally.
Zhu Xinyan was utterly fearless. She grabbed Qiao Chuyue’s wrist and put on an expression of righteous indignation as she rebuked her:
“Consort Qiao, just because you possess beauty capable of eclipsing the moon, shaming flowers, sinking fish, and toppling kingdoms, doesn’t mean you should bully others here!”
“The outside world praises you as kind, gentle, virtuous, and understanding…”
“So while outside, my admiration and worship for you flowed endlessly like a mighty river, like the Yellow River flooding beyond control!”
As she spoke, she even made several wave-like gestures with her hands before pulling out her handkerchief to cover her face as she cried.
Choking with sobs, she said,
“So in the end, all my devotion was misplaced! Wuwu… Just because His Highness favored me for one night, I’m to be beaten by someone as perfect and flawless as you. A woman like me, with no background and only a lonely silhouette to rely on — where am I supposed to seek justice?”
Qiao Chuyue had been praised plenty since childhood, but she had never encountered such reverse manipulation before.
She froze instantly.
Especially after hearing Zhu Xinyan’s final tearful complaint, she actually felt a rare sense of guilt.
She even forgot that she had spent the entire night furious, swearing to kill this shameless woman.
Slowly lowering her arm, she adjusted the hair by her temples and deliberately softened her voice as she probed,
“Do people outside really describe me that way?”
Seeing Qiao Chuyue successfully fooled, Zhu Xinyan raised the handkerchief higher to hide her suppressed laughter and nodded.
“This concubine would never dare deceive Consort Qiao.”
At once, Qiao Chuyue’s vanity was immensely satisfied, her smile stretching nearly to her ears.
“As expected, the common people truly have discerning eyes.”
Then she suddenly remembered she had stayed awake all night, and perhaps her beautiful appearance had suffered.
So she waved her hand.
“It’s getting late. You may leave.”
“Understood! Thank you, Consort.”
Zhu Xinyan immediately slipped away as fast as oil under one’s feet.
Yinqiao stood there dumbfounded, repeatedly replaying Zhu Xinyan’s words in her mind.
Something felt wrong, but she could not pinpoint what exactly.
The incident had happened very close to the main courtyard, and one of Madam Kong’s servant girls had been secretly watching from behind.
So as soon as the matter ended, she hurried back to report.
Shen Wangshu had changed clothes and was reclining on a chaise lounge, surrounded by four or five maids and old servants attending her.
Madam Kong asked,
“So Zhu didn’t get beaten?”
“No. And Consort Qiao even left looking delighted,” the maid answered honestly. “As for why, this servant was too far away to hear clearly.”
“Very well. You may leave. All of you, out.”
Madam Kong dismissed the servants, then turned back to Shen Wangshu.
“Princess Consort, it seems this Zhu woman has some skill. With just a few words, she resolved her own crisis and even coaxed Qiao into a good mood.”
After pausing thoughtfully, Madam Kong hesitated before adding,
“Could it be that Zhu possesses some kind of leverage and used it against Qiao, causing her to let her go?”
Hearing this, Shen Wangshu rose from the chaise and thought seriously for a moment.
“That’s unlikely. I already investigated Zhu’s background. She’s merely the only daughter of an ordinary country gentry family. Her social connections are simple, and she has no ties whatsoever with the old people in the manor. There’s no way she would know any past secrets.”
“This old servant knows that as well. It’s just that the two of them resemble each other too much. I fear—”
A chill spread across Shen Wangshu’s eyes as she curled her lips disdainfully.
“Even when Jiang Furong was alive, she couldn’t defeat me. Much less after death. Besides, this one is merely a remarried substitute.”
“If Nanny is worried, just arrange someone to keep an eye on her. But our main courtyard must not get involved personally.”
Madam Kong nodded.
“Then this old servant will send word to Concubine Wei immediately.”
“Don’t. Bring her here instead. I happen to have nowhere to vent this foul mood.”
Shen Wangshu reclined once more, a venomous smile lingering on her lips.