"I know I was wrong, please spare my life, miss!" Xiaocui kowtowed on the ground, mumbling non - stop.
After a long while, Gu Jiangyue glanced around. By now, there were quite a few maids and servants around her, but none of them stepped forward to drag Xiaocui away.
A maid whispered softly, "Why has the eldest miss changed so much all of a sudden?"
"Anyway, it's a good thing. Xiaocui has been so overbearing. She bullies us every day."
Xiaocui was used to being domineering in the yard. With Gu Yimiao's backing, no one dared to go against her. In the Gu Mansion, Xiaocui, a mere maid, seemed more like a young lady than Gu Jiangyue.
Everyone still remained unmoved. If they helped Gu Jiangyue, it would be clear that they were going against Gu Yimiao and Xiaocui. They were just servants, only wanting to survive in the Gu Mansion. Gu Jiangyue saw their concerns and spoke up again.
"Are you waiting for me to do it myself?"
Gu Jiangyue's questioning voice hit everyone's ears heavily. Her voice was not very loud, but it carried a kind of deterrence, a deterrence that made people not dare to disobey her orders.
Finally, a few servants stepped out of the crowd. They hated Xiaocui to the core. Ignoring how she kowtowed and shouted on the ground, they rushed forward, grabbed her arms and dragged her backward.
Xiaocui was just a woman. How could her strength match those servants? Her feet dragged on the ground, leaving two long marks. She tilted her head, and the arrogance in her eyes disappeared completely. She stared blankly at the sky.
Just then, Xiaocui seemed to see something. The look of despair in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a glimmer of hope. She stared straight behind Gu Jiangyue and shouted continuously, "Miss Yimiao, save me! Please save me, Miss Yimiao!"
Gu Jiangyue heard what Xiaocui was shouting. She raised her hand, signaling to throw Xiaocui on the ground, and then looked behind her.
There stood Gu Yimiao, wearing a purple silk dress embellished with gold thread. It was completely out of place with the shabby yard. A few maids followed Gu Yimiao as she walked towards Gu Jiangyue.
"Gu Jiangyue, what are you doing?"
Gu Yimiao had been staying in her own yard peacefully when she heard that Gu Jiangyue had returned and was going to beat Xiaocui. So she rushed over in a hurry.
At first, she didn't believe that Gu Jiangyue would dare to do such a thing. Although she had noticed that Gu Jiangyue was a bit different from before when they paid respects to the old matriarch yesterday, she thought it was because Gu Jiangyue also disliked Gu Zhengwan's showing - off in front of the old matriarch. She never expected that today it would be her turn.
Xiaocui was someone she had spent a great deal of effort cultivating. Placing her in Gu Jiangyue's yard was the perfect choice to act as a spy for her. How could she let Gu Jiangyue just beat Xiaocui to death?
Gu Yimiao glared at Xiaocui discontentedly. She never thought Xiaocui would be so useless that she couldn't even deal with Gu Jiangyue. But anyway, Xiaocui was her person. If she lost face in Gu Jiangyue's yard, it would surely reflect badly on her. Being punished by the most cowardly and useless young lady in the Gu Mansion, she would never be able to hold her head up in the future.
Thinking of this, Gu Yimiao quickly walked up to Gu Jiangyue. She held her head high, with contempt clearly written in her eyes. The hairpin on her head swayed with her movements, and her whole body exuded arrogance.
The hairpin was originally an accessory to control the grace of a young lady, but on Gu Yimiao, there was no sign of grace at all. In fact, Gu Yimiao was not a talented person. She was just a bit good - looking and was very conceited. She was not good at any of the four arts of the Chinese scholars.
That's why she needed Gu Jiangyue as a foil. When the people from the Gu Mansion went out to handle affairs, with the useless Gu Jiangyue around, she didn't seem so completely worthless.
Xiaocui's face was smeared with tears and snot. She knelt on the ground on her knees and crawled towards Gu Yimiao on all fours. She was really scared just now.
"Miss, miss, I just accidentally offended the eldest miss. I saw that the eldest miss didn't wear the clothes you gave her. I thought you would be unhappy, so I dared to talk back to the eldest miss. Please save me, Miss Yimiao. Thirty blows of the board will kill me!"
Xiaocui sobbed. She finally crawled to Gu Yimiao's side. She stretched out her hands, which were dirty from rubbing on the ground, and was about to grab the corner of Gu Yimiao's dress. But just as she was about to touch it, her hand was kicked away by Gu Yimiao.
"Useless thing." Gu Yimiao murmured softly.
Xiaocui didn't say anything. She just quieted down and knelt aside, waiting for Gu Yimiao's order.
Gu Jiangyue watched the master - servant pair with great interest. Just now, Xiaocui was begging her for mercy, but now that she saw Gu Yimiao coming, she changed her tune and accused Gu Jiangyue of her faults.
Xiaocui was quite perceptive, but she might be disappointed. She misjudged the person. Gu Jiangyue was the one who might save her. Since she didn't believe in Gu Jiangyue, there was nothing she could do. She could only let Xiaocui face the reality and see who was more powerful between her and Gu Yimiao.
"Gu Jiangyue, look, this maid didn't do it on purpose. It was just an accident. She has already apologized to you. Why are you so heartless?"
"Humph!" Gu Jiangyue sneered at Gu Yimiao's words.
Heartless? Gu Jiangyue really wanted to ask Gu Yimiao. Once, when Gu Yimiao was in a bad mood because of the rash on her face, a maid accidentally splashed a few drops of water on her clothes. Gu Yimiao strangled that maid to death and used her as an example to warn everyone in the yard.
What was that? That was real heartlessness!
Now, just because she didn't wear the clothes as Gu Yimiao wished, even her servant dared to order her around. She just wanted to get justice for herself. Was it really heartless in Gu Yimiao's eyes? How dare she!
A cold glint flashed in Gu Jiangyue's eyes, making Gu Yimiao shiver. Gu Jiangyue took a step forward, narrowing the distance between them. Although her plain white dress was far less gorgeous than Gu Yimiao's, in terms of temperament and presence, she far exceeded Gu Yimiao.
Gu Yimiao felt a bit uncomfortable under this sudden and powerful pressure.
Before she could react, Gu Jiangyue's voice rang softly in her ear, "Just because a servant apologizes doesn't mean I have to forgive her. Besides, what does it matter to you, sister, if I teach the maid in my own yard a lesson?"
Gu Yimiao never expected Gu Jiangyue to talk to her like this. She bit her lower lip tightly, with a look of dissatisfaction in her eyes.