Relying on the memories of her original body, Ye Qingcheng fumbled her way back to the courtyard where she lived.
The moment she stepped into the yard, a thin, dark shadow rushed towards her, wailing, "Princess Consort! You're finally back, sob sob, this servant thought she'd never see you again."
Suddenly hugged and cried over, Ye Qingcheng was a bit stunned.
She clumsily patted the shoulder of the woman in her arms, "Don't cry, I'm back, aren't I?"
Though referred to as a woman, she was still a child.
Bixi had accompanied Ye Qingcheng since childhood, fiercely loyal to her. Ye Qingcheng had chosen her as a dowry maid to accompany her to the Regent Prince's manor.
After arriving at the manor, everyone in the household knew Ye Qingcheng was a substitute. They had never given the Princess Consort any respect, and the two had suffered much neglect and scorn because of it.
In the original novel, after Ye Qingcheng's death, Bixi threw herself into the icy lake, following her mistress to death, her life forever ending at the tender age of 13.
These characters, glossed over in the original novel, now appeared as flesh-and-blood individuals. Ye Qingcheng could no longer stand by indifferently to their fates.
Seeing that the clothes on her chest were being soaked by Bixi's tears, and she showed no sign of stopping, Ye Qingcheng felt helpless and amused.
She softened her tone, trying to distract the other party, "Alright Bixi, your Princess Consort is a bit tired. Go fetch me some water; I want to take a bath."
"This servant will go right away." Hearing the Princess Consort's command, Bixi immediately wiped her tears, turned, and went inside. She grabbed a bucket for fetching water and headed out.
Good heavens, this courtyard, where the esteemed Princess Consort resided, didn't even have a well. It was excessively shabby.
Ye Qingcheng mentally cursed Xiao Wangye's ancestors, then walked towards the house.
Before she could enter the inner room, she suddenly heard a loud slap sound from outside.
"Slap—"
Then came the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.
Immediately followed by vicious shouting, mixed with Bixi's tearful voice.
Ye Qingcheng's expression suddenly turned grim, and she strode outside.
Outside, Bixi knelt on the ground, her right cheek swollen high. The basin she had been holding rolled to the side.
She was surrounded by several young maids. The one in the lead wore a goose-yellow light gauze dress and was haughty.
The one who struck her should be her.
Though also styled with a maid's bun, the other's clothing was clearly much more luxurious than Bixi's.
"Sister Yu Jian, I'm sorry. Bixi didn't mean to offend. I was just rushing to get water for the Princess Consort and wasn't paying attention, which is why I bumped into you."
"Humble servant, still trying to quibble?" Yu Jian's almond eyes widened, revealing a sharp meanness.
She raised her hand, intending to strike again.
Bixi, on the ground, trembled in fear but dared not dodge, only gritting her teeth and tightly closing her eyes.
If she dodged, she feared she would suffer even more beatings.
"Slap—!"
Another crisp slap echoed.
Bixi was stunned.
The anticipated pain did not arrive.
She quietly opened her eyes and saw a figure now protecting her.
Yu Jian, who had been about to strike, was now knocked to the ground. The bun on her head was disheveled, and she clutched her face, pointing at the woman before her, unable to speak coherently for a long time, "You..."
A clear, cold voice rang out, filled with icy chill, "Humble servant, daring to not use a respectful title upon seeing this Princess? Do you know your crime?"
This Yu Jian came from the palace, assigned by the Empress to be a steward in the manor, her status much higher than ordinary maids.
Coupled with her beauty, she had always thought she could catch the Prince's eye.
Therefore, she had always been unfriendly towards Ye Qingcheng.
As for the original body, her personality was timid. Facing bullying, she always endured it in silence.
Her attitude of appeasing the situation only led to the oppression becoming more severe.
"What? Did I say something wrong? Are you not convinced?" Ye Qingcheng lowered her gaze, looking down at Yu Jian on the ground, and spoke expressionlessly.
Yu Jian lowered her head, hiding the venom in her eyes. She was so angry she could have ground her teeth to dust, "This servant dares not."
Previously, she had even bullied Ye Qingcheng directly, and Ye Qingcheng hadn't dared to utter a sound.
Now, she was actually standing up for a maid?
Wasn't Ye Qingcheng afraid that she would tell the Prince, making him even less fond of her?
Beside them, Bixi stared blankly at Ye Qingcheng, her tears at the corners of her eyes forgotten.
Was this truly their Princess Consort?
So... so domineering.
"Heh."
She rarely engaged in direct conflict with others, but that didn't mean she was weak-willed.
On the contrary, in her past life, her fierce personality was as renowned as her title of divine doctor.
Now that she had occupied the original body, she had an obligation to take care of the people around her.
Even beating a dog depended on the owner.
Ye Qingcheng bent down, her slender fingers grasping Yu Jian's chin, forcing the other to look up. Her red lips curved slightly, "Why does this Princess feel that your 'dare not' does not look like 'dare not'?"
Her chin was held firmly. Yu Jian tried to struggle, but found she couldn't move an inch.
The aura of the woman before her was so powerful that it inexplicably made her feel a sense of fear.
But she quickly regained her composure.
In the end, she was just a concubine's daughter.
Did she really think that by putting on airs of a Princess Consort, she would be afraid? https:/
With this thought, Yu Jian's confidence returned, and she spoke sternly, "Princess Consort, this servant was previously by the Empress's side and saw that your personal maid lacked manners. I thought I would help you discipline her. If you don't appreciate it, fine, but you don't need to make things difficult for this servant."
Her words seemed polite and respectful, but they implicitly carried a threat.
Ye Qingcheng was almost amused to anger, "Are you using the Empress to suppress this Princess?"
"This servant dares not. This servant is merely speaking the truth."
Fool.
Your Regent Prince would personally kill the entire imperial family and ascend the throne himself later.
It was just that the time was not yet right, so a superficial peace was being maintained for now.
Ye Qingcheng looked down from above, a cold smile on her lips, "You are in the Prince's manor, yet you seem concerned about the palace. It appears the Regent Prince's manor cannot keep such a distinguished guest like you."
As her words fell, Yu Jian's face immediately turned unsightly.
Not serving two masters was a basic rule for servants.
She had previously acted high and mighty, relying on her status from the palace.
But with Ye Qingcheng's words, a cold sweat broke out on her back.
Her previous arrogant demeanor was as if grabbed by an invisible hand; it couldn't go up and was unwilling to come down, causing her face to turn red with suppressed rage.
After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out through gritted teeth, "This servant dares not."
Ye Qingcheng finally released her hand, slowly took out a handkerchief, and wiped her hands. Her red lips curved slightly, "This Princess is tired. Go boil a bucket of hot water and send it to the room."
Her tone was commanding, brooking no argument.
Yu Jian gritted her teeth, seemingly wanting to say something more.
Ye Qingcheng's face darkened, "Is the Prince's manor no longer able to command you? Hurry up and go!"
"This servant obeys."
Ye Qingcheng didn't spare Yu Jian another glance. "Bixi, help me inside."
With that, she slightly raised her chin, her gaze straight ahead, and walked away first.
Her face was calm and composed, but inwardly, she desperately wanted to sigh loudly.
In this Prince's manor, for her and her servant, survival was a struggle.