She suddenly let go of the maid's arm and rushed towards Nan Shiying as if mad, shouting, "I can prove it, I can prove it!"
"Consort."
"My Lady!"
The servants cried out in alarm.
Nan Shiying sighed faintly. Useless, utterly useless!
She grabbed Qin Yurou's arm and violently threw her back.
Qin Yurou fell heavily to the ground. She looked at Nan Shiying and let out a strange cry that was halfway between a sob and a laugh, "You're fake, no, no, you're a ghost, a ghost."
"I clearly killed you last night, I clearly killed you."
Qin Yurou, as if driven mad, turned and grabbed a maid's arm, forcing her to testify, "Tell me, did I kill her last night, did I kill her!"
Fear flashed across the maid's face as she shook her head, "My Lady, My Lady, you were asleep the entire night, you didn't go out at all, My Lady."
"No, that's impossible."
"Xiao Yuan, where is Xiao Yuan? She can testify for this consort, she..."
"My Lady, don't scare this servant, My Lady. Sister Xiao Yuan wasn't even in the manor yesterday. You sent Sister Xiao Yuan to the Qin family, and Sister Xiao Yuan never returned!" The maid's voice was filled with tears, but her words plunged Qin Yurou into deeper despair.
"How could this be, no, this isn't real, this isn't real!"
She suddenly burst into laughter, grabbed handfuls of dirt from the ground, and threw them at Nan Shiying, muttering as she did so, "Heaven above, earth below, spirits of demons and ghosts, appear swiftly!"
"Hahaha, did you see? Did you see? She's revealed herself, she's a ghost, a ghost."
Qin Yurou sat on the ground, her hair disheveled, completely insane. The servants of Xinyuan Pavilion watched as their Consort was driven mad by the Princess Consort, shrinking into corners in terror, some wishing they could vanish on the spot.
This farce finally ended with Ji Jinmo's arrival. The frenzied Qin Yurou was sent back to Linglong Pavilion, and the Prince, citing the Consort's indisposition, handed over the management of the household to the Princess Consort.
From that moment on, the entire manor's atmosphere shifted.
Nan Shiying had always believed that Ji Jinmo would not entrust her with the household management. Even if he gave it to Madam Xinyang, he would never give it to her. After all, their relationship was merely one of mutual utilization, or perhaps a master-servant dynamic. Her managing the household was unreasonable from any perspective.
"What do you think my relationship with them is?"
Ji Jinmo posed a question to Nan Shiying that left her somewhat bewildered.
What relationship?
Could it be that they were cousins?
That question was utterly absurd!
Ji Jinmo observed Nan Shiying's expression. He set down his teacup and gazed intently into her eyes, explaining, "I have no relationship with them."
"More precisely, no substantive relationship."
Nan Shiying's mouth opened, and she quickly glanced from Ji Jinmo's waist down to his legs, shaking her head regretfully, "What a pity, what a pity. So young, yet so incapable."
"Crack~" The cup in Ji Jinmo's hand suddenly shattered.
He released his grip, the fragments falling to the ground, their crisp sounds like precisely aimed arrows, piercing Nan Shiying's heart.
She raised her head, looking at the beautiful smile that tugged at the corner of Ji Jinmo's lips, and felt a chill from her head to her toes, shuddering violently.
"No, Your Highness, please listen to this concubine's explanation!!"
...
The Princess Consort was punished again.
This time, her monthly allowance was reduced for a year. But since the Princess Consort managed the household, what did the punishment matter?
The servants in the manor truly couldn't fathom the Prince's intentions anymore.
Bai Xinxin, upon hearing that Nan Shiying was managing the household, angrily swept everything off the table again.
"Princess Consort?"
Wei Rulan's expression darkened, her hand gripping the scissors tightly, the knuckles protruding and turning pale from the force.
Why hadn't she died?
How could she have survived?
...
"My Lady, this is the roster of the manor's servants."
After the Princess Consort took charge of the household, the roster that had been with Qin Yurou was transferred to Nan Shiying. The booklet contained information on all the servants in the manor. Nan Shiying flipped through it page by page. The servants, standing in several orderly lines, bowed their heads in trepidation, daring not to look directly at Nan Shiying's face.
Especially the old women and maids in the main kitchen, led by Granny Bian, who were now filled with anxiety and wished they could faint.
"Where is Madam Liu, who manages the garden?" Nan Shiying asked languidly, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. Madam Liu adjusted her robes and stepped forward, standing at the front of the line, bowing respectfully, "This old servant greets the Princess Consort."
Nan Shiying gave a light hum and leaned back lazily in her chair. Just a slight lifting of her eyelids conveyed a strong sense of pressure.
Madam Liu lowered her head even further.
"Are you feeling better?"
Hearing the Princess Consort's question, Madam Liu subtly glanced at the chief maid by the Princess Consort's side. Recalling the words the maid had spoken to her, she felt a surge of joy and replied respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, My Lady. This servant's health has long since recovered."
Nan Shiying nodded, smiling, "Since that is the case, you may return to the main kitchen and continue as the supervising old woman!"
"This servant thanks the Princess Consort."
Madam Liu knelt and performed a deep bow, her forehead striking the ground with a heavy thud.
Granny Bian's face contorted, her body trembling uncontrollably. Remembering her past actions towards Nan Shiying, her legs immediately went weak.
If Madam Liu had replaced her, how would the Princess Consort deal with her?
"Granny Bian!"
She suddenly heard a smiling call. Granny Bian immediately raised her head, and before Nan Shiying could speak, her weak legs gave way, and she knelt on the ground.
"My, My Lady."
She responded with a trembling voice.
Nan Shiying picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said nonchalantly, "Granny Bian is old. She can go to the estate to live out her days."
Upon hearing that she was merely banished to the estate, Granny Bian felt a sense of relief as if she had escaped certain death. She dared not argue and quickly kowtowed her thanks, "Thank you, My Lady, thank you, My Lady."
Nan Shiying dismissed dozens of servants at once, and the maids and old women who replaced them naturally became aligned with the Princess Consort. Her actions upon gaining control of the household were more audacious than even the former Consort Qin had ever been.
Meanwhile, the Prince remained aloof, adopting an attitude of letting the Princess Consort have her way.
The servants dared not say anything further.