After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

"You were bullied by a few servants, and you didn't even bother to report it to me. You're useless."

He stared at her coldly, his tone filled with a disappointed rebuke, "You're practically half the master of my household now, and you can't even get a decent meal. You're a disgrace to me."

Xie Xun stood up, walked up to her, and looked down at her.

"Go to the kitchenette now."

He pointed towards the door, his tone stern, "Show some backbone and go ask the kitchen staff to make you a new meal."

Afu looked up at him with a somewhat surprised expression.

"If you can't even get a few cooks to work, then don't bother coming back to serve in the main house."

Xie Xun threw down these harsh words, turned around and walked back to his desk, no longer looking at her.

Afu quickly stood up and bowed respectfully, "Yes, this servant will go right away."

She lowered her head, perfectly concealing the triumphant smile in her eyes.

Xie Xun said this himself, so with that in mind, there shouldn't be any problems with food in the future.

.

Evening, Luoqi Garden.

The cries and screams came from across half the corridor, sharp and piercing.

Tao Yao was making tea by the window when she heard the noise and frowned: "What's all the commotion outside?"

The young maid, Xiaomei, ran in from the corridor, her face showing a hint of panic: "Miss, it's Hongxiao and the others from the small kitchen. They've been tied up by Brother Changsong and his men, and they're dragging them out. They say... they're going to sell them off."

The orange in Tao Yao's hand fell onto the table with a thud.

She stood up and walked to the door. Through the crack in the window, she saw that the familiar maids were indeed being dragged out by the head maid, their faces covered in tears, and they kept shouting, "Granny Wen, save me!"

"Those girls in the small kitchen have been with us for several years..."

Tao Yao turned around, her face frighteningly grim. "That Afu, she really is a vixen! She's already gotten the young master to avenge her so quickly!"

She raised her hand and swept the teacup on the table to the ground, shattering it into pieces.

Granny Wen walked in from the outer room, glanced at the broken porcelain shards on the ground, bent down to pick them up, wrapped them in a handkerchief, and said in a calm and unhurried voice: "It's just a few maids, it's not worth you getting so angry."

She straightened up, patted the water off her hands, and said, "Mother manages the entire Shi'an Courtyard. I won't let that little girl cause any trouble."

Tao Yao bit her lip, slowly sat back in her chair, looked down at the bandage on her wrist, and after a long while spoke, her voice much lower and colder than before:

"Once three months have passed and I no longer need her blood, I will definitely make her pay."

Meanwhile, the side room was bustling with activity.

Afu sat at the table, with a table full of dishes in front of her.

A plate of braised beef, a bowl of braised fish, a pot of chicken soup that had simmered until it turned white, and a plate of bright green stir-fried vegetables.

When the cook brought in the dishes, she bowed three degrees lower than usual, her face beaming with a smile, seemingly quite wary: "Please enjoy your meal, young lady. If there's anything you'd like to eat, just let me know, and I'll make it for you."

Bai Zhi sat opposite Afu, picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth, her eyes lighting up: "Sister, this fish is cooked so well."

Yunxi sat beside her, silently eating her rice, picking up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, then another, eating faster than usual.

She watched as Bai Zhi and Yun happy ate without looking up, then added another bowl of soup for herself.

As dusk fell, Afu sat at the table watching Baizhi and Yunxi play cat's cradle when there was a knock on the door of the side room.

Bai Zhi opened the door, and Tao Yao stood outside, holding a small celadon bottle in her hand, followed by Xiao Mei.

"Sister Afu, you haven't rested yet, have you?" Tao Yao stepped over the threshold, smiling gently. "I heard you injured your arm too, so I brought some medicine with me."

Her gaze swept over the piece of snow-white gauze on Afu's arm, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile as she placed the porcelain bottle in her hand on the table.

Afu glanced at it; the glaze on the bottle was warm and lustrous, exactly the same as the one she had seen during the day.

"This is a wound-healing ointment that my brother, the Crown Prince, specially obtained for me from the palace, fearing that it might leave a scar on my wrist."

Tao Yao held the porcelain vase in her palm as if displaying some rare treasure, her tone filled with undisguised boasting.

"My brother said that this ointment is very precious, and there are only a few bottles in the entire Marquis's mansion. I thought that my sister was also injured, and it would not be good for a young lady to have scars, so I decided to give her a bottle."

Afu lowered her eyes, her voice gentle: "Of course the young master dotes on Miss Taoyao. You are kind-hearted, Miss. This servant thanks you."

Tao Yao's smile deepened. She stepped forward and personally unscrewed the cinnabar seal on the bottle, releasing a medicinal fragrance.

"This ointment is amazing. It will stop the pain as soon as you apply it, and it will not leave a scar after it heals. Come, sister, sit down and I will help you apply it." Tao Yao said, and tried to pull Afu to sit down.

Afu was wary, but she took a half step back without making a sound, avoiding Tao Yao's hand. "I wouldn't dare trouble you, Miss. I can do it myself."

The scent of the medicine was exactly the same as the one Xie Xun had given her, but when she got closer, she could smell a very faint spiciness beneath the cool medicinal fragrance, as if something else had been mixed in.

"Why are you being so polite with me, little sister?" Tao Yao persisted, taking another step closer with the medicine bottle in hand, her face beaming with smiles, but her eyes were icy cold.

"Your Highness loves me the most. He'll be happy to know I'm sharing the medicine with you. If you hesitate, it will only make us seem distant."

As she spoke, she reached out to roll up Afu's sleeve.

Afu raised her hand to stop her, saying, "No need to trouble yourself."

Tao Yao's hand was already outstretched, the mouth of the medicine bottle tilted towards Afu's arm.

Afu dodged to the side, and with a gentle flick of her wrist, Taoyao's hand slipped, the medicine bottle slipped from her grasp, and crashed to the ground with a thud, shattering the porcelain and splattering light green ointment all over the floor.

Tao Yao staggered backward, her knee hitting the edge of the bed with a dull thud. She let out a soft "Ah," clutched her knee, and her eyes instantly reddened.

"Sister Afu... if you don't want to accept it, just say so, why bother..." Before she could finish speaking, tears were already falling.

Xiao Mei immediately stepped forward to help her up: "Girl! Are you alright?"

Tao Yao shook her head, her voice pitiful: "I... I just wanted to apply medicine to Sister Afu, but she didn't want to, so why push me..."

Two or three old women and maids had already gathered at the entrance to watch the commotion, and there were also whispers of conversation.

Afu stood by the bed, listening to the murmurs coming from the doorway, and almost laughed in exasperation. No wonder she acted so weak; she had found an audience.

Having achieved her goal, Tao Yao, supported by Xiao Mei, limped out.

Bai Zhi stood at the door, stunned for a long while before she came to her senses: "Sister... she clearly fell on her own."

Afu didn't reply. She glanced down at the broken porcelain shards and ointment on the ground, bent down, wrapped a few pieces in a handkerchief, and placed them on the corner of the table.

The next morning, Granny Cui led her people into Shi'an Courtyard.

She first went to the small kitchen to question them, then brought new maids and servants to assign tasks. After that, she ordered all the maids and servants in the courtyard to gather under the eaves of the main courtyard to receive instructions.

Afu was also specially called out and stood at the very front. The sun shone obliquely from the east, falling on her face and making her squint slightly.

Standing under the eaves, Granny Cui said sternly, "Madam said that Shi'an Courtyard is the residence of the young master. Everyone here must know what rules to follow. Those who gossip, bully others, or disturb the peace of the courtyard will not be tolerated."

She paused, her gaze slowly sweeping across everyone's faces before finally settling on Afu. Her voice deepened, "And one more thing: you must not instigate your master or do anything wrong."

"If anyone takes advantage of the master's momentary soft heart and becomes arrogant and ignorant, the Marquis's mansion will not tolerate such an unruly person."

The corridor was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.