Yun Xi sulked and deliberately avoided looking at Qi Rong, but her heart remained heavy all the time.
The palace coup more than a decade ago caused Qi Rong to fall from the clouds into the mire overnight. He changed from the exalted Seventh Prince to a prisoner at everyone's mercy.
He endured humiliation and survived, carefully biding his time until now, and only then achieved his current status. Being highly regarded by the emperor, he was fawned upon by the powerful and influential in the court.
Now, he had become the King Xian, whom everyone in the capital envied and feared!
She had thought that with his great prestige and extraordinary abilities, at least his personal safety was guaranteed.
However, Qi Rong's recent poisoning made her realize that danger had never been far from him!
Just thinking about the time when he was thrown into the mass grave and had to fight wild dogs made her heart ache, and the pain lingered for a long time.
As Yun Xi was deeply lost in thought, she didn't notice that quite a few servants had gathered at the entrance of the South Courtyard. It was not until she got closer that she heard someone whispering:
"Do you think our lord has grown tired of the Princess Yongning? After all, she's done such immoral things. I'm afraid no man could tolerate that!"
As soon as this was said, it immediately drew the agreement of the others:
"Definitely!"
"The Princess Yongning not only flirted with the current crown prince but also had an ambiguous relationship with that androgynous pretty man."
"I even heard that she went shopping with someone right in front of our lord. She simply didn't put our lord in her eyes!"
"If I were the lord, I would definitely teach her a lesson. Not kicking her out of the mansion is already an extraordinary act of grace!"
"So she deserves to fall out of favor and be sent to this South Courtyard by the lord!"
Everyone was chattering away, belittling Yun Xi to nothing.
Yun Xi crossed her arms and leaned against the big tree at the courtyard gate. She listened quietly for a long time until someone noticed her presence and instantly fell silent.
Watching as everyone knelt on the ground in unison, their gazes towards her were a mix of embarrassment and fear, with different expressions.
"Keep talking. I haven't heard enough yet," Yun Xi said with a half - smile. She pointed at an old woman who had been the most vehement in her remarks just now and said, "You, didn't you say you couldn't stand this princess? Why are you kneeling on the ground now?"
The old woman pointed at by Yun Xi couldn't help but shiver. Her face turned pale, and her smile froze as she said, "This old servant made a slip of the tongue. Your ladyship is magnanimous. Please don't take it to heart."
"A slip of the tongue?" Yun Xi suddenly sneered. She slowly walked up to the old woman and looked down at her with a stern gaze on the face that showed no trace of respect. "What if I insist on holding you accountable?"
When they were gossiping just now, they were so brazen. Now that they were worried about being punished, they wanted to cover up all their malice with the excuse of a "slip of the tongue"?
Moreover, they even used her status to "blackmail" her into not holding them accountable. Otherwise, she would be seen as "petty" in front of everyone...
Why did this scene seem so familiar to her?
Just as Yun Xi was deep in thought, several people suddenly walked out of the South Courtyard. At the head was Wushuang, who lived right next to the South Courtyard.
Wushuang was followed by several maids, and Yuzhu also walked out with a gloomy face. When she saw the servants kneeling all over the place, she was startled by the sight. She quickly walked to Yun Xi's side and whispered, "Miss, what's going on? Did these people say something offensive?"
Hearing Yuzhu's words, Yun Xi raised her eyebrows slightly, but her gaze was on Wushuang.
"It's okay. They're just a bunch of gossiping women who don't know their place."
When Wushuang saw Yun Xi, her eyes lit up. She immediately smiled and said loudly, "Madam, why did you come so late? Wushuang knew you were moving to the South Courtyard today and came early to wait for you."
Since Qi Rong's order last time, everyone in the mansion had addressed Yun Xi as "madam". Even Wushuang didn't dare to claim to be her elder sister in front of Yun Xi anymore.
Looking at Wushuang's fake smile, it was obvious that she had ulterior motives, just like a weasel wishing happy new year to a chicken!
Yun Xi narrowed her eyes and stared at her indifferently. "You're well - informed. But if you're here to watch a joke like them, I advise you to stop right now. Because you won't see one."
She wouldn't cry or lose her appetite because of Qi Rong's cold treatment.
Because right now, she had more important things to deal with!
"Madam, where are you getting these ideas? Wushuang is just happy to be your neighbor now that you've moved to the South Courtyard, so I asked the kitchen to prepare a good meal."
"I didn't expect you to think of Wushuang this way. I'm so wronged!" Wushuang said earnestly with a look of grievance on her face. Then her gaze fell on the kneeling servants. "What did you people do to offend madam? What good does it do to kneel here? Hurry up and get back to work!"
Wushuang's series of actions and words only made Yun Xi seem petty and narrow - minded.
After hearing her words, the servants immediately felt as if they had received amnesty. They all cast grateful glances at Wushuang.
"Thank you, Madam Wushuang."
The servants ignored Yun Xi but were extremely respectful to Wushuang. They stood up and bowed to her, even automatically addressing her as "madam" ...
Yuzhu frowned and was about to step forward to scold Wushuang for overstepping her bounds, but Yun Xi reached out her arm to stop her.
She shouted at the servants who had just stood up and were about to scatter. "Stop! Did I say you could leave?"
Everyone was shocked and immediately froze in place. At the same time, they looked at Wushuang expectantly.
It seemed that in their hearts, Wushuang was the real master, while Yun Xi was just being unreasonable!
"Madam, they all have their own work to do. Keeping them here will delay things..."
"Shut up!" Before Wushuang could finish her sentence, Yun Xi coldly snorted. "The lord said I should manage the mansion. You have no right to speak here!"
Being shouted at by Yun Xi, Wushuang's face instantly looked as if she had been slapped. Her expression was awkward, but she took a deep breath and was not willing to show weakness either. "The lord did say that you should manage the mansion, but he didn't allow you to use your authority to bully the servants."
Wushuang's words immediately drew the agreement of the others. The old woman who had been criticized earlier was the first to chime in. "Madam Wushuang is right. Although we're servants in the mansion, we can't be bullied wantonly by someone who uses a little authority to boss us around!"
"That's right. She's been sent to the South Courtyard by the lord. Why is she showing off her power to us? Is she trying to take revenge on us out of spite?"
With Wushuang backing them up, those who had been meek just now suddenly became aggressive.
Yun Xi stared coldly at their opportunistic and united faces. The corner of her lips curled slightly as she said to Yuzhu behind her, "Yuzhu, prepare the sole."
Yuzhu had been unable to contain her anger for a long time. Hearing Yun Xi's words, she was stunned at first, and then her face immediately showed excitement. "Okay, miss!"
Yuzhu immediately took off one of her shoes with ease. She sneered and glanced at Wushuang, whose face had suddenly turned gloomy. "Whose mouth do you want me to slap? I'm waiting for your order, miss!"