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Yao Huang, however, was confident in her handling of the situation. “When I was just a young lady, she could treat me however she wanted. But now that I’m a princess, our ranks are more or less equal, and her status is not that of an empress. The royal family may have power, but everything must be reasonable. I won’t provoke her, but if she purposely tries to make things difficult for me, I’ll go directly to the Empress and ask for judgment. If it escalates, it’ll be her who’ll end up embarrassed.”
She knew she was of humble origin, and no one expected her to act with the elegance of noble ladies. It was normal for her to be a little rough around the edges. On the other hand, Noble Concubine Du Gui had been raised with a reputation of noble etiquette. If she was seen to behave poorly, it would harm her own reputation more than anyone else’s.
Luo Jinhua nodded, “But it also depends on the attitude of Prince Hui. If he is close with the , Noble Concubine, it could be different.”
Yao Huang agreed, “Mm, once I’m married, I’ll observe slowly.”
But she had a feeling that Prince Hui and , Noble Concubine Du weren’t very close. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ignored her suggestions during the selection process.
The afternoon sun was too comfortable, and while chatting with her mother, Yao Huang drifted off to sleep, eventually waking up when the sun began to set, feeling refreshed.
Luo Jinhua asked Ah Ji to bring her daughter some water to wash her face.
When Ah Ji entered the room, she was accompanied by the palace maid, Huamei.
Seeing Yao Huang lying on the bed, her hair messy and her sleepy face lazy, Huamei frowned and said, “Young lady, you just came out of the palace. Have you already forgotten all the etiquette and rules you learned there?”
Just as Ah Ji placed the copper basin on the washstand, her heart skipped a beat. Luo Jinhua, holding a towel to wipe her daughter’s face, raised an eyebrow.
Yao Huang smiled gently and asked Huamei in a calm tone, “Is there something I did wrong?”
Huamei raised her chin slightly and listed two points: “First, Miss is already seventeen, and it is inappropriate to continue sleeping in your parents’ room. Second, it is disrespectful for Miss, who is now a nobleman’s daughter, to sleep all afternoon during the day, especially with your current status as the soon-to-be Princess.”
Yao Huang nodded and instructed Ah Ji, “Go and call Bailing, Chunyan, and Qiuchan over.”
Ah Ji didn’t dare to ask any more questions, following her mistress’s instructions as usual.
After a moment, Bailing, Chunyan, and Qiuchan walked in one after another. Yao Zhenhu and Yao Lin were secretly listening from the hall, while Wu Shi and Qiaoniang stood under the eaves.
Yao Huang had Huamei repeat what she had just said.
Huamei continued to speak with an air of righteousness.
Outside the room, Yao Lin gritted his teeth, but Yao Zhenhu stopped his son from rushing in, whispering, “Your mother hasn’t called us, so we should stay put.”
For situations like this, his wife could easily silence the young girl with her sharp tongue, and neither he nor his son needed to intervene.
Inside, Yao Huang didn’t immediately respond to Huamei. Instead, she turned to Bailing, asking, “When the noble consort arranged for you to go to the Chuxiu Pavilion, I assume she gave some instructions. Did she tell you to teach me the rules in the capacity of a Palace’s maid, or out of sympathy for me being without attendants, did she specifically send you to serve me as personal maids, ordering you to treat me as your mistress and serve me wholeheartedly?”
The new girls, Chunyan and Qiuchan, instinctively looked to Bailing.
Bailing, caught off guard, felt a sense of unease. She respectfully replied, “Replying to Miss, the noble consort especially granted the four of us to you. Before leaving, she repeatedly instructed us to be loyal to you and serve you wholeheartedly.”
Yao Huang’s words were sharp, and she could see the hesitation in Huamei’s eyes.
She continued, her tone calm but firm, “I am the Princess Consort of Prince Hui, appointed by the Emperor. You, a mere maid, think you’re qualified to teach me what is good or bad?”
Huamei, taken aback by Yao Huang’s resolve, faltered and couldn’t respond immediately. The silence stretched out for a moment as the weight of Yao Huang’s position and her words sank in.
Yao Huang didn’t wait for her to gather her thoughts. Instead, she stood up from the low couch and walked to the window, her back straight and posture dignified. “I understand that the noble consort sent you here with good intentions, but I will be the one to set the rules here. If you have any further concerns, I suggest you address them with the consort herself.”
She turned to face the maids, her gaze sharp. “As of now, we have no need for lessons in decorum from anyone. Be loyal and do your duties, and there will be no issues. Disrespect, however, will not be tolerated.”
The air in the room seemed to thicken with tension as Yao Huang’s commanding presence filled the space.
Yao Huang said, “Since this is your first offense, I will only punish you with three slaps. I hope you remember today’s mistake and follow the rules, speaking and acting carefully from now on, so that you won’t cause the concubine to be criticized for not being able to manage her palace maids.”
Huamei: “……”
Yao Huang: “What, when you were a palace maid, didn’t the old maid teach you how to slap yourself?”
Huamei knew she couldn’t avoid this punishment. Her eyes glanced at Luo Jinhua, Ah Ji on the left and Bailing on the right. Gritting her teeth, she silently bore the humiliation, raised her hand, and slapped her own face three times—neither too hard nor too soft.
The force was not great, but it caused her to lose face.
Perhaps Bailing and the others did not find her shameful, but the more arrogant someone was, the less they could tolerate such “humiliation.”
Yao Huang said, “Ah Ji, stay. The rest of you four, leave. Remember, unless there is something to report, if I didn’t call for you, none of you should take matters into your own hands.”
Huamei was the first to bow and leave, followed quickly by Bailing and the other two.
Ah Ji sighed in relief, while Luo Jinhua looked at her daughter with approval. This was how it should be. Now that she was going to be a princess, how could she allow a mere palace maid to ride over her?