2 Time-Travel to the Qing Dynasty (2)

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Wen Yao waited for quite a while, but there was no response from outside. She couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. After all, she was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Tong family. No matter how frail her health was, she was surely destined to enter the palace. Yet even the household servants dared to treat her with such neglect. Did they really think she wouldn’t make a scene? Whether it was the servants boldly defying their mistress, or some secret order causing them to deliberately disobey, Wen Yao pinned the blame squarely on Tong Guogang and his wife. They were truly foolish people.

No wonder the inner chambers fell into disrepair in later years, fathers and sons seemed like strangers, brothers more like enemies. It was clear that these two had utterly failed in raising their children.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Wen Yao quickly strode over to the antique shelf, grabbed a blue-and-white porcelain vase, and smashed it violently onto the floor. Crashing and clattering filled the room. She continued until every item in the room was shattered, only then did her mood ease a little.

“Princess, please calm down,” she faintly heard voices calling from the courtyard.

Holding her chest to steady her breath—her health indeed fragile—she finally stepped outside. There, she saw several low-ranking maids, their hair unkempt, kneeling on the bluestone steps, their pale faces repeatedly bowing.

They had heard the noise inside but, being mere servants, had no right to ascend the steps and could only kneel outside.

The gatekeeper had been quick-witted enough to head toward the main courtyard upon hearing the first sharp crash. Oddly, the nurses and personal maids who should have stayed by the princess’s side were nowhere to be seen.

Seeing Wen Yao emerge, the maid kneeling closest hurriedly bent lower, and the others followed her lead.

Wen Yao raised an eyebrow in surprise, committing the face of the nearest maid to memory before slowly descending the steps.

“Where is everyone inside? Are they all dead? I've called so many times, it’s like summoning lost souls from the burial ground, yet none of these grandmothers or young ladies inside seem to hear a thing,” she said, then tapped the maid’s shoulder with her foot. “I’m asking you, where are Lan Xiu and Lu Yi?”

“Princess, Lan Xiu went to the embroidery room, and Lu Yi hasn’t been seen since early morning. This morning, Gui Xiang from the madam’s courtyard came by, and Nurse Wen followed her out. She hasn’t returned yet,” the maid answered, her voice trembling with fear but clear and organized.

“Oh...” Wen Yao pressed her hand to her chest and said with a biting sarcasm, “Then I suppose the fault lies with me?”

With that, she stepped out. “I’ll go ask mother who taught you all these rules. The whole house of servants has fled—do they think they can bully their mistress because she’s too sick to protest? Or have they been ordered by some noble to deliberately torment me?”

Wen Yao didn’t care how many reprimands she had just given those maids and nurses. One thing was clear: these servants around her had to be replaced.

The original owner of this body had grown up in the palace. Since Consort Tong was out of favor, the original owner had learned to keep the peace, to endure quietly. But Wen Yao was different—hot-tempered and sharp-tongued, a true honey badger by nature. Her life motto was to fight back when disrespected. She would never pretend to be someone she was not, especially before entering the palace.

She simply could not endure it.

Naturally, the personal maids who knew the original owner’s nature had to be replaced. Conveniently, Wen Yao hadn’t seen those personal maids and nurses since awakening, providing a perfect excuse to act out.

Though her body was weak, even now, her furrowed brow and anger would seem like quiet, gentle words to an outsider—highly deceptive.

Wen Yao was increasingly pleased with her own image.

Just as she exited the courtyard, she saw Jue Luo Shi approaching with a bustling group—maids and nurses in tow. The woman at the very back, looking pale and anxious, was the original owner's nurse, Nurse Wen.

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Over the years, Nurse Wen had been quite domineering, living more comfortably than the original owner when in the palace. Consort Tong was frail and often sank into melancholy; the original owner relied solely on Nurse Wen in the palace. However, since returning to the Tong household, Nurse Wen’s status had declined because the original owner had grown more independent and was harder to fool. Today, for some unknown reason, she had gone to the main residence and never returned.

“Yao’er, where are you headed?” Jue Luo Shi hurried to catch up, circling around the gallery to support Wen Yao’s arm. “If the maids and nurses misbehave, just dismiss them. It’s not worth you getting so angry.”

By the time of their brief walk, Jue Luo Shi already knew what had happened in Wen Yao’s courtyard.

Wen Yao was unsurprised. If the matron of the household lacked such basic authority, she was truly incompetent. But even with Jue Luo Shi’s words, Wen Yao still had complaints to make.

“Angry? How could your daughter dare be angry? Her health is weak enough. If she dies from anger, then it would only please others.”

Upon hearing this, Jue Luo Shi’s face immediately changed.

If she had thought the servants were merely defying their mistress before, now something felt off.

She signaled the maids and nurses to step back with her eyes and, still supporting Wen Yao’s arm, began walking back.

“Yao’er, have you sensed something?”

“Mother, this is not the place to talk,” Wen Yao whispered, tilting her head.

Jue Luo Shi’s expression grew even darker.

They entered the courtyard, and from a distance, a maid in green clothing knelt at the doorway. It was Lu Yi, who had been missing since morning. Her face was rosy and healthy, proving she was not too ill to serve.

“Drag her away,” Jue Luo Shi ordered before Lu Yi could plead.

Two rough nurses immediately appeared, covered Lu Yi’s mouth, and pulled her away.

Inside the main room was in utter chaos. Jue Luo Shi’s steps faltered; she looked at Wen Yao and then at the shattered fragments with growing heaviness. She asked no questions, only ordered the cleanup, then led Wen Yao to the West Warm Chamber.

She knew Wen Yao’s temperament well; she would not get so angry unless deeply provoked.

“Yao’er, what exactly happened to make you this angry?” Jue Luo Shi asked tiredly, sitting down in the warm chamber.

“Mother,” Wen Yao leaned close and whispered, “Lan Xiu and Lu Yi have been sneaking out these past few days. I feel something is wrong.”

“Oh?” Jue Luo Shi frowned slightly.

These two were Wen Yao’s chief maids—if they had turned traitorous…

“This morning, Lan Xiu went to the embroidery room, saying she was inquiring about winter clothes. Lu Yi didn’t appear all morning.”

“Mother, think carefully—who manages the embroidery room now?”

Hesheri Shi...

Jue Luo Shi understood Wen Yao’s meaning immediately.

“You mean Lan Xiu is Hesheri Shi’s agent?”

“When has your daughter ever cared about winter clothes? Now she’s obviously being used as a pawn. There’s been a lot of turmoil outside over the Empress issue these days. I’ve been watching coldly, but the second consort’s household is hardly honest.”

Jue Luo Shi was deeply surprised.

In her impression, Wen Yao had been raised to be introverted, almost timid. Though she pitied her daughter’s cautious life in the palace, she disliked such dullness. They rarely spoke when they met, and as head of the household, Jue Luo Shi was very busy, so naturally, they grew distant.

Yet today brought a great surprise.

Wen Yao was not introverted, but inwardly clever.

It made sense—after so many years in the palace, it would be strange if she had no schemes.

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“Wen Yue is only six years old. Even if she’s unruly, what can she do? Surely she cannot be kept in the palace all her life,” Jue Luo Shi said.

If that were the case, it would look terribly bad.

The Tong family had only two daughters!

Wen Yao entered the palace just as she learned to walk, back when the late emperor was still alive. She was not exactly kept in the palace for life. But two years ago, after the Empress Dowager passed, the young emperor cried incessantly. Wen Yao, as his cousin, spent much time accompanying him.

Whether or not she would become Empress was another matter, but her entrance to the palace was already certain.

“Perhaps they want to cultivate their agents early,” Wen Yao sneered. “How many years can this body last? They send people into the palace early so that when I’m gone, they can support Wen Yue. The palace has countless rare treasures. What if I don’t die?”

They were planning for Wen Yao to die.

Hearing this, Jue Luo Shi’s expression changed drastically.

No matter how shallow a mother’s love, they were still mother and daughter. If Wen Yao died from illness, that would be one thing, but if she was murdered… just thinking about it tore Jue Luo Shi’s heart apart. She wanted to rush to the second consort’s residence and confront Hesheri Shi face to face.

Yet she remained rational.

Jue Luo Shi instinctively grasped Wen Yao’s hand.

Wen Yao felt Jue Luo Shi’s hand was colder than that of a ghost, clearly terrified.

“There are countless imperial physicians in the palace. It should not be difficult to save your life,” Jue Luo Shi said, voice trembling. “Tomorrow, I will ask your father to bring two court doctors back from the palace to examine you.”

Even if she was sickly, she was still the matron of the main family!

Wen Yao’s voice was soft, trembling with weakness, but her words sounded like a demon’s whisper: “If I do not die, then the main household remains supreme.” She sighed deeply, full of regret. “When I am gone, and Wen Yue enters the palace as consort, are you prepared to accept the second household as the head?”

Jue Luo Shi pressed her lips tightly, expression unreadable, but her hand clenched tighter.

Second household as head?

What a joke!

Tong Guogang was the eldest son, and her Erlun Dai was the eldest grandson. Even if Wen Yue entered the palace, how could the clan elders place Tong Guowei’s name before Tong Guogang’s?

Yet deep down, she was anxious.

No one understood the power of pillow talk better than she did.

She had a close relationship with Tong Guogang. The rear courtyard had only two secondary wives for appearance’s sake, no concubines. These years, she bore only legitimate children. So the occasional whispered word could carry much weight. Through Tong Guogang’s hands, she had accomplished much.

If Wen Yue entered the palace…

The emperor might not listen once or twice, but after many times?

He would eventually listen.

“This matter, I will investigate,” Jue Luo Shi said, her voice trembling. “Tomorrow, I will have your father go to the palace and bring back two imperial physicians to examine you again.”

Even if you are frail, you are still the matron of the main house!