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How to discipline the four maids gifted by Noble Concubine Du, Yao Huang had her own plan. She would continue to do as her father, mother, and older brother had done in the past—living in her own home, she should not have to care about the faces of a few maids.
After dinner, with the sunset glowing in the sky, Yao Huang took Ah Ji for a walk around the backyard to digest their meal.
Ah Ji, only fourteen, couldn’t hide her thoughts. Finally having a chance to be alone with her young mistress, she immediately asked the big question she had been worrying about: “Miss, when you get married, will you leave me at home or take me with you to the Prince’s residence?”
The Yao family had only four servants, and mother and daughter accounted for three of them. Household chores like washing, cooking, and cleaning were mostly done by her mother and sister, while Ah Ji, from a young age, had been placed by the Madam’s side, devotedly serving the young mistress.
If the young mistress were to marry an ordinary person, or even someone like Li Tingwang, a thousand-household commander, Ah Ji would have been confident that she would be taken along. But now, with her mistress set to become a princess, surrounded by better maids, Ah Ji feared her mistress would likely leave her behind, worried that she, a simple village girl, might embarrass her in the royal residence with her clumsy ways.
Yao Huang laughed and asked, “So, do you want to go to the Prince’s residence?”
Ah Ji’s eyes reddened. “I want to go, but I also don’t. I can’t bear to leave you, and I’m afraid I haven’t learned the palace rules. I might make a mistake once I’m in the Prince’s residence.”
Yao Huang said, “There’s still a month before the wedding. I can have Huamei and the others teach you.”
The selection of concubines was for the three princes, and the Ministry of Rites had already received orders to prepare for the weddings. The auspicious dates were set: Prince Hui’s wedding would be in late April, Prince Qing’s in August, and the second marriage of Prince Kang would be in early December.
Ah Ji’s face lit up with joy. “So, does this mean I can go?”
Yao Huang nodded, “Of course. Huamei and the others are all outsiders. Only you and I are of one heart. I’m counting on you to keep an eye on them for me.”
Ah Ji made up her mind: “Alright, I promise I won’t let them steal a single stitch or thread from the young mistress!”
Yao Huang didn’t rush to explain the true meaning of “keeping an eye on them,” but instead emphasized, “No matter how well they learn the rules and etiquette, or how skilled they are in talents that you might not have, here with me, as long as you do the tasks I give you well, you will always be my head maid. No one will surpass you. What you need to do next is walk tall and proud in front of them, and show them the presence of a head maid. You can give them orders, but they can’t give orders to you. Don’t let them look down on you.”
Ah Ji thought about Huamei’s arrogant attitude, how she even dared to boss around the young mistress when she was resting, and she angrily said, “Don’t worry, young mistress. I was intimidated by their arrogance before, which is why I let them have their way. But next time, if any of them acts like Huamei, I’ll slap them first!”
What a joke! The young mistress had grown up without ever being humiliated, and there was no reason for her to become meek after being crowned a noble princess.
As the evening glow darkened and the night took over, Yao Huang finally returned to the western wing.
Huamei and the other three came out to greet her.
Yao Huang said, “The kitchen is over there, and there’s water left in the pot. You each wash up and get ready for bed early.”
Bailing, Chunyan, and Qiuchan dared not say a word. Huamei, calm as ever, seemed to have forgotten the punishment from the afternoon. She respectfully said, “We’ll serve you first, young mistress.”
Yao Huang looked at Ah Ji.
Ah Ji straightened up, her tone commanding as she scolded Huamei, “It’s you again! Why do you have so much to say? The young mistress told you what to do, so do it! No more chatter!”
Huamei’s chest rose and fell as she glared at Ah Ji’s worn cloth shoes for a long while. Finally, she gritted her teeth and said, “I know my mistake, and I won’t dare again.”
Huamei did feel a little afraid of Yao Huang, fearing that Yao Huang, coming from a humble background, was acting with overconfidence and using her position at home to punish her as she pleased.
Huamei decided to endure for now. She thought that once Yao Huang married into the Prince’s residence, after receiving Noble Concubine Du’s teachings, she could then use Noble Concubine Du’s influence to control the situation.
Yao Huang didn’t seem to hold her second offense against her, smiling and saying, “It’s alright. You were just eager to serve me, worried about not fulfilling the instructions you were given. But we’re still not familiar with each other. Tomorrow morning, I’ll speak with each of you and assign tasks based on your strengths.”
After saying that, she directly went to the northern chambers.
Ah Ji went to the kitchen to fetch water, not sparing even a glance at the four palace maids.
Huamei, observing the stark difference in Ah Ji’s attitude compared to the afternoon, whispered to Bailing, “Clearly, someone is backing her up. Are we supposed to listen to a lowly maid like her now?”
She was a second-rank palace maid of Yikun Palace, and even high-born young ladies attending the flower banquet in the palace didn’t dare show her disrespect!
Noble Concubine Du’s intentions were clear—she wanted Huamei to control Yao Huang, training her to become a well-behaved wife of Prince Hui who would obediently follow the her orders.
Bailing, honest and diligent, was the type who was hardworking but lacked the charm to win her master’s favor. So, she hadn’t received any special instructions from the Noble Concubine when leaving the palace.
Bailing didn’t dare oppose the future princess consort, nor did she want to offend Huamei. When Huamei tried to whisper to her, she hesitated for a long time, unsure of how to respond.
Huamei: “…”
Ah Ji returned, carrying a copper kettle, purposefully walking past the four maids without sparing them a glance.
In the northern chambers, Yao Huang let her hair down and first stood in front of the washstand to rinse her mouth and wash her face. Then she sat by the kang, using another copper basin to wash her feet.
Ah Ji sat on a bench, gently massaging her young mistress’s fair, delicate feet as she quietly said, “I can’t sleep well when you’re not around. I should go to my mother’s room, but she snores when she sleeps, and it gives me a headache.”
No wonder her older sister looked so much healthier after marrying Old Master Gui; it seemed like it was because she’d escaped from their mother’s snoring.
Yao Huang smiled and said, “I miss you too.”
She had been moved to the western chamber when she was four, first sleeping with Qiaoniang, and after she turned seven, Ah Ji had been her bedmate. Every night, they would talk for a long time before Yao Huang could fall asleep.