With that, she turned and left directly.
Xiang Rui opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word. She could only watch Song Chaoyu leave, realizing she had fallen into an awkward predicament.
Song Chaoyu quickly walked out of the courtyard of the servant's quarters, then breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Tiao Hong with a smile, "I originally thought I wouldn't be able to find a way to clear out the mansion without offending anyone. But now, the Emperor has sent Xiang Rui over, which has been a great help to us!"
Tiao Hong also covered her mouth and smiled, "Isn't that the truth? Now, Princess Consort, you can just focus on being lazy and leave these matters to her to handle. Whether people are offended or not is her problem."
But Qiu Qing frowned slightly and asked Song Chaoyu, "What if she can't control those people?"
Song Chaoyu's eyes grew slightly cold, "Then it's even simpler. She's a female official serving by the Emperor's side, yet she can't even manage a few servants in the Chang Prince's mansion. Then what use is she to our Chang Prince's mansion?"
Qiu Qing immediately understood Song Chaoyu's meaning, and Tiao Hong nodded repeatedly at Song Chaoyu.
Song Chaoyu saying she had a headache wasn't false.
Returning to her courtyard, she closed the door and rested. She specifically instructed that if Mu Changxi did not return for lunch, she was not to be woken. It wouldn't be too late to eat after she woke up.
However, she did not rest well during this nap.
She had many bizarre dreams, memories from her past and present lives intermingling, ultimately causing her to wake up from a nightmare of being burned alive.
The time was still early; she had only slept for about half an hour.
The courtyard outside was so quiet that only the last cicadas of late summer could be heard chirping. Although the sky appeared clear and vast, dark clouds were subtly gathering at the horizon, as if foreshadowing the oppressive arrival of wind and rain.
Mu Changxi had not yet returned. Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Tiao Hong brought over lunch.
At the same time, Xiang Rui had already finished dealing with the matters in the servant's quarters and was waiting outside the courtyard to report back to Song Chaoyu.
Song Chaoyu summoned her to eat first, then called her in.
Xiang Rui's expression appeared calm, as if she wasn't displeased by the unreasonable behavior of those people.
Song Chaoyu gestured for Xiang Rui to sit down, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Let's eat together, and you can tell me how things went."
Xiang Rui nodded, hesitated, but then sat opposite Song Chaoyu.
Although her attitude and etiquette were not at fault, Song Chaoyu always felt that Xiang Rui did not truly submit to her.
Or rather, she felt that by coming to the Chang Prince's mansion, her purpose was to "control" the entire mansion.
It seemed that in the future, with her and Granny Jiang competing, Song Chaoyu could instead "reap the benefits of the struggle."
Xiang Rui told Song Chaoyu that she had dealt with everyone who had resorted to violence today, except for Granny Jiang and Shui Sheng.
Most of them were found to have committed faults and were expelled from the mansion, never to be allowed back into the Chang Prince's mansion again.
The head嬷嬷 in the kitchen was the one who had instigated the trouble first. However, because she was sent by the Empress, Xiang Rui only had her beaten with twenty planks and then sent to the estate.
In this way, it could be considered that the Empress's face was not lost, and the head嬷嬷 was dealt with.
Even if the Empress were to question it later, it would be the嬷嬷's fault first, and the Chang Prince's mansion would have no explanation to give.
Indeed, a female official serving the Emperor was not comparable to ordinary palace maids.
Song Chaoyu nodded and then looked at Xiang Rui, "What about Granny Jiang and Shui Sheng? Are you not planning to deal with them?"
Xiang Rui frowned, "Although Granny Jiang saved the Prince previously, she still acted beyond her bounds. Currently, Granny is neither a manager in the mansion nor a head嬷嬷 by the Prince and Princess Consort's side. Her actions are naturally improper. However... she said she saved the Prince's life, and how she should be dealt with ultimately depends on the Prince and you, Princess Consort."
Xiang Rui wanted to pass the problem to Song Chaoyu, "May I ask what Princess Consort thinks should be done with Granny Jiang?"
Song Chaoyu smiled and shrugged, "What can be done? If we make a fuss, I'm afraid she'll go around saying that she saved the Prince's life and did not receive our good reward. Let's wait and see. If she learns her lesson and acts more prudently, there's no need to deal with her. If she remains stubborn, she'll just have to wait for her next mistake."
Clearly, Xiang Rui's lack of response and her continued frown suggested she felt Song Chaoyu's approach was too soft.
Song Chaoyu offered no explanation, only gesturing for her to continue eating, "There's another matter. In a few days, the Prince and I will be going to Haizhou. Do you intend to stay in the mansion, or will you accompany us to Haizhou?"
For Xiang Rui, this was a difficult choice.
If she were to go to Haizhou, it would mean she would have to relinquish the "power" of the Chang Prince's mansion. When they returned, the Chang Prince's mansion would likely be named "Jiang."
But if she didn't go, she was assigned by the Emperor to be by Mu Changxi's side, wasn't she, to be an "informant"?
Xiang Rui lowered her head, pondered for a moment, and then put down her chopsticks, "If not, perhaps this servant could accompany the Prince to Haizhou, and Princess Consort could stay in the mansion to manage everything? Haizhou is a remote area, and the journey will likely be arduous. Princess Consort is delicate; how can you endure suffering with us?"
She was quite cunning!
Did she think it would be easier to seize power from herself in the future than from Granny Jiang?
Song Chaoyu winked at Xiang Rui, appearing innocently ignorant, "But... it was the Prince who wanted me to accompany him! If you think it's not proper, you can go ask the Prince. I'm afraid speaking to me about this matter is truly useless."
Xiang Rui was a smart person. Her eyes darted around, and she knew what she should do, "The Prince and Princess Consort truly have a deep affection for each other. Since that is the case, this servant will follow by the Prince and Princess Consort's side to serve you. Otherwise, I fear the journey will be long, and Princess Consort may not have enough attendants by her side, which would be truly improper."
Song Chaoyu nodded, understanding that this Xiang Rui would not be easy to deal with, and said, "Very well. With you on the road, we can rest assured."
In front of Xiang Rui, she looked at Tiao Hong, "Tiao Hong, then you shall stay in the mansion. Your temper is fiercer than Qiu Qing's. Remember not to let our mansion become a laughingstock in the capital!"
She trusted Tiao Hong to handle a mere Granny Jiang effectively.
Although Tiao Hong also wanted to accompany Song Chaoyu, she understood her meaning and nodded.
Song Chaoyu then looked at Xiang Rui, "With you and Qiu Qing serving by my side, it will be enough. This journey will be hard on you."
Only then did Xiang Rui belatedly realize that whether she stayed in the mansion or not, Song Chaoyu had a plan to deal with the situation.
She realized that she might have underestimated this Chang Princess Consort.