Chapter 11: Re-planning
After Shuiqin had notified all the courtyards, she saw Wanxiang coming over from afar. She was wearing a green silk top and pants that were almost new, with a small silk flower on her hair and two red lantern earrings that were dangling.
"Sister Wanxiang." Shuiqin ran over quickly, put her hands around Wanxiang's arms, and looked up at the silk flower on her head with envy. "Sister Wanxiang looks so beautiful in this outfit."
Wan Xiang suppressed her disgust and calmly pulled her arm out. She calmed herself down, put on a cheerful look, and said in a friendly manner, "Why are you in such a hurry? What's the matter?"
"Well, I want to find Sister Ruchun."
Wanxiang knew that Ruchun had always asked Shuiqin to keep an eye on Suqing. Shuiqin would come over every day to talk about what Suqing did all day, who she met, etc. She disdained to listen to these random things, but Ruchun loved to listen to them and would tell her after listening. But Shuiqin usually came over to talk at night, and this was the first time she did so early in the morning.
But Wanxiang didn't bother to know what was said between them. It was just that Ruchun was still unwilling to give up and was trying some tricks. Now that the lady had entered the house, he would be a fool if he didn't behave himself but was looking for trouble.
Wanxiang didn't respond. She took out her purse, picked out two pieces of candy from it, and handed them to Shuiqin. "This is the silk candy that Sister Jiaohong from the Fourth Miss's garden gave me. It's very sweet but not sticky. You can try it too."
"Thank you, Sister Wanxiang." Shuqin picked it up and put it in her mouth, eating with a smile on her face.
After sending Shuiqin away, Wanxiang walked quickly to the laundry room and saw her mother scolding a maid for not washing the clothes properly.
"Have you thought it through?" In the corner, Wanxiang's mother listened to what her daughter said, her mouth open in surprise for a long time.
Wan Xiang blushed and nodded, whispering, "Anyway, we are aiming to be a concubine, why do we have to choose the prince? He is forty years old this year, and mother, I am only fifteen."
"Have you seen the young master?"
"Well," Wanxiang thought about what she saw when she went to reply to Jiaohong. The fourth young lady came out of the house and acted coquettishly towards the eldest young master. The eldest young master smiled and patted the fourth young lady on the shoulder, then turned around and strode out of the yard.
He walked past her, and although he didn't even glance at her, she still felt like she was nailed there. She didn't come to her senses until Jiaohong called her.
On the way back, she didn't know how she walked. Her mind was full of Meng Shao's handsome features, his tall stature, and the bearing of a young man from a noble family.
"Mother, my cousin wants to get me to the East Palace just to help Sister Shuangqiao. Although she said it beautifully, it is not for her own daughter. What should we do to prepare wedding clothes for her? This young master will also become the Marquis of Huainan in the future. Mother, think about it, which one is more long-term?"
Wan Xiang Niang stood in the shade of the tree. Seeing that no one was looking at her, she whispered, "This is a very serious matter. Your cousin must not let her see anything. Do you understand?"
"That's natural. I just had this idea as well."
"Well, if we want to get into the prince's courtyard, your cousin will help us. But if we go to the eldest young master, we have no way at all." Wanxiang Niang muttered in a low voice.
Wanxiang frowned and thought carefully, "Mother, you have to find opportunities. This time when Madam comes, because of what Master Fang Zhi said, only the eldest young master can come and visit frequently, and even the eldest young mistress has to make arrangements for the affairs of the East Palace, and the earliest will be more than ten days later."
"How to say?"
"I just saw that the eldest young master treated the fourth young lady very well. If I can take this opportunity to serve the fourth young lady, I can have more opportunities to see the eldest young master. As long as the eldest young master is interested in me, then wouldn't it be..."
Wanxiang nodded, it was true. The prince was older than her, so even if Wanxiang was really taken in by him, it would not be easy for her to have a child and a concubine, as Shuangqiao knew.
But it was different when she followed the eldest young master. She was in her early twenties, strong and healthy. With Wanxiang's looks, if she was with Young Master Lang, she would often attract the eldest young master's attention, which was better than serving the Crown Prince.
"It's just that this matter is too difficult. It was not easy for your cousin to get into the prince's courtyard. If we rely on ourselves to find a way to get to the fourth young lady, it will be even more difficult. I heard that the fourth young lady is a difficult master to serve. Come to our house every night these few days, and we will discuss it carefully."
"Well, I know this matter will not be easy to handle, so I can't use the usual methods."
"Do you have an idea?" Wanxiang's mother was still very confident in her youngest daughter. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also smart and much better than her older sister and brother. This was why she placed her hopes on her youngest daughter.
At first, she did not agree with her eldest daughter's idea. After all, she was a concubine and lived under someone's nose. But she could not resist her eldest daughter's example and gradually let her think about it. After all, the wife of a servant who was not living a happy life and the concubine of the young master or even the concubine were there. The result of the choice was obvious at a glance. Besides, she still had great confidence in the ability of her youngest daughter.
"I haven't thought about it yet. I need to think of a special method. The time is too short. If I want to be loyal and perform well to attract the attention of the eldest young master or the eldest young mistress, it is impossible and unrealistic. So, I need to think of a special method."
As Wanxiang spoke, she looked up over the wall at the blue sky, and a figure appeared in front of her.
——————
Because the kitchen had two more people, and Cai'er was also capable, the work went much more smoothly today. Perhaps because Ma Wu's family had ordered Shuqin, Shuqin was much more obedient today than yesterday, but her eyes never left Su Qing, which made people feel very uncomfortable.
At night, Su Qing helped Cai'er put up the bed in the room. Cai'er whispered, "I've been getting close to Ruchun in the laundry room these days, and I know a little bit about why she's targeting you. And I think that's why she wrongly accused you of stealing her earrings last time."
Su Qing put down the work in her hands. She really didn't expect Cai'er to be so meticulous and to find out the truth for her.
"Since we were bought, with our identities, we dared not offend anyone, except for the time when Ruchun took the earrings and wrongly accused you. We didn't dare to speak loudly on weekdays. I was wondering, why do they do this?" Cai'er continued.
Su Qing held Cai'er's hand and said, "I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I originally thought that I would ask about it after I was busy for a while. I don't want Ruchun and Shuiqin to target me like this and make me feel uncomfortable. But I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful."
"We two came in together, so we have to take care of each other."
"Have you found out?" Su Qing asked anxiously.
"Well, it turns out that Ruchun has a younger sister..."
After Su Qing heard Cai'er's explanation, she found it very funny. They just wanted their sister to come in and do the job, so they set their target on themselves. When they failed to get what they wished and continued to get sick and be carried out, they became a thorn in their eyes, and then they squeezed her everywhere, and used such a clumsy method?
Are Ruchun and her mother naive or brainless? And what about Shuiqin? Why is she getting involved? No wonder she finds fault with herself when she sees the world. She is just a pawn of Ruchun.
Anyway, it would be easier to deal with it if she knew the reason. Although she believed that Mother Yu would not send her away casually after Song moved in, she had to be on guard against Ruchun's tricks. Shuiqin would make some noises from time to time to annoy her. If she didn't handle it well or let them catch her, she could justifiably report it to Song and sell her out.
"You don't have to think too much. As long as we do our job well and don't let them find any fault with us, Mother Yu will not sell you out now. I heard that Mother Wu, who is by Madam's side, is very powerful and capable. Mother Yu has to report the situation in the house to her every day. When Madam and the others return to the East Palace, we will definitely take a few people with us. By then, there will be more vacancies, and it will be easy for Ruchun's sister to come in. Naturally, she will not think of selling you out again."
Cai Er looked at Su Qing sitting there in a daze and consoled her. But Su Qing didn't think about that. The reason they were bought in was because Song brought Meng Qi and needed many servants. When the masters went back, there would naturally not be so many servants. Whether to keep them or sell them would still be a matter of Yu Mama's words.
If he didn't want to be sold and live the same life as the original owner, he had to find a way to stay here. No, to be more precise, he had to find a way to follow the Song family to the East Palace. Then Yu Mama and Ruchun Niang would have no chance to deal with him.