Jiang Sihe couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Seeing her laugh, Xiuyue couldn't help but praise, "Miss, you look even more radiant when you smile. You should smile more often in the future!"
Jiang Sihe was stunned upon hearing this. It seemed that she had indeed become much more prone to smiling these days.
"By the way, the mistress said that you should take good care of your hair on a daily basis. I've already applied some hair - nourishing floral lotion to it..."
Jiang Sihe was quite surprised. Did one really need to use floral lotion to care for their hair?
Xiuyue noticed the second miss's surprise.
"Miss, only with soft, smooth hair can you look even more charming. There's no need to be surprised. Even the noble ladies in the palace take painstaking care of their fingernails!"
Xiuyue was quite knowledgeable about such things. After saying that, she gently wrapped Jiang Sihe's hair in a cotton towel. "Miss, let your hair absorb the floral lotion like this. When it dries, your hair will smell of flowers and be naturally soft and smooth..."
Leaning against the bathtub, Jiang Sihe couldn't help but think that being a noble lady from a prominent family was indeed so complicated...
"Is the miss tired?"
Jiang Sihe replied, "A bit!"
"Then later, miss, you can go straight back to your room and lie on the couch. I'll apply floral lotion to your body and then serve you to bed..."
Jiang Sihe had already gotten used to these procedures and nodded slightly. "Okay!"
...
Jiang Zongyuan had seen Jiang Sihe quite often in recent days, so he started to miss Concubine Ruan. After finishing his official business in the study, he went straight to Concubine Ruan's small courtyard.
As he paced to the door, he noticed that the courtyard was both remote and dilapidated, and he felt a bit guilty.
That night, Concubine Ruan received Jiang Zongyuan with great delight.
Men were just like this. They got tired of the usual coquettish and charming women, but occasionally found the pure and cold ones quite refreshing.
When Concubine Ruan served him to get up in the morning, he rarely spoke to her in a gentle voice.
"This courtyard is too remote. I'll ask the mistress to assign you a new one!"
Concubine Ruan never contradicted Jiang Zongyuan. She replied calmly, "I'll leave it entirely up to you, master!"
Jiang Zongyuan thought that since she was also one of the concubines in the mansion, he shouldn't treat her too shabbily. So when he came back from work in the evening, he went to the mistress's room.
He brought up the matter while having dinner with the mistress. Jiang Sihe was also there.
Jiang Zongyuan thought that since Jiang Sihe was Concubine Ruan's own daughter, she would probably say some good words for her mother in front of the mistress.
But this girl just hung her head like a wooden stake, as if she hadn't heard a thing.
"Master, it's not polite to talk during meals or in bed. Let's discuss this later!"
The mistress had heard early in the morning that Jiang Zongyuan had spent the night with Concubine Ruan. It had only been one night, and now he was here to ask for favors for her...
Jiang Zongyuan was embarrassed by the mistress's cold treatment. He frowned and didn't bring up the topic again.
The mistress barely ate a few mouthfuls during dinner. Jiang Sihe noticed this. A little later, she sent Danfeng to the kitchen to bring some light food and then went to the main house.
The mistress was leaning on the soft couch, supporting her forehead. Nanny Qiu was fanning her beside her.
It was obvious that the mistress was in a bad mood.
"Today he asked for a courtyard for Concubine Ruan, and the other day he asked for a place in the White Deer Academy for Concubine Wei. Has he ever thought about what I want?"
There was full of resentment in the mistress's tone.
"Madam, don't be angry. It's hot these days. If you get angry, it will harm your health."
Nanny Qiu quickly comforted her.
When Jiang Sihe lifted the beaded curtain and came in, both of them looked at her.
"Mother, I saw that you didn't eat much for dinner, so I brought you some light porridge!"
The mistress was a bit stunned. She got up from the soft couch and waved. "Come here quickly!"
Jiang Sihe put the tray in her hand on the low table on the soft couch, then walked to the mistress's side and gently massaged her temples.
"Mother, do you have any troubles?"
Jiang Sihe just asked casually. She thought that the mistress probably wouldn't tell her the reason, because the reason might involve her mother, Concubine Ruan.
"It's nothing. Maybe it's just the summer heat making me uncomfortable!"
Sure enough, the mistress evaded the question.
"Nanny Qiu, mother seems a bit irritated today. Why don't you go and get some ice?"
The mistress raised her eyebrows slightly. This child probably had something to say to her alone.
Nanny Qiu looked at the mistress. The mistress nodded at her, and Nanny Qiu replied respectfully, "Yes, second miss!"
After Nanny Qiu left, Jiang Sihe also sent Danfeng out.
"Mother, I have something to tell you..."
The mistress reached out and pulled her over, letting her sit beside her. "Sit down and talk."
Jiang Sihe knew that her actions couldn't be hidden from the mistress. "Mother, are you unhappy because of what father said today?"
The mistress didn't expect Jiang Sihe to be so direct.
"Actually, I have an idea and would like to discuss it with you!"
"What's your idea?"
...
Early the next morning, the mistress first went to Jiang Zongyuan's study. Then Jiang Zongyuan personally escorted the mistress back to the Chunhua Pavilion.
The big smile on his face clearly showed that he was very happy.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Sihe looked out of the window of the east wing room and knew that the mistress had done as she said.
Now it was up to see what her mother would do.
Not long after, Nanny Qiu led several maids to Concubine Ruan's Youzhu Courtyard.
"Concubine Ruan, the mistress has ordered you to come with me!"
"Where are we going?" Concubine Ruan asked puzzledly.
"Just go. Why ask so many questions!"
Seeing Nanny Qiu's expression, Jiang Jingshu directly stepped in front to protect her mother. "I'll go with mother too!"
Nanny Qiu nodded. "The mistress also said that if the fourth miss is willing to go, she can come along..."
Concubine Ruan and her daughter were full of doubts, but they had no choice but to follow.
Nanny Qiu led the two of them around the lake in the back courtyard and stopped at a courtyard.
Jiang Jingshu looked up and saw the exquisitely decorated Ziwan Residence. She had heard that Concubine Wei had been clamoring to live in this courtyard a few days ago. Why had Nanny Qiu brought them here?
"Concubine Ruan, you'll move here from now on!"
Concubine Ruan was stunned for a long time upon hearing this. It was Jiang Jingshu who reacted quickly.
"Why are we suddenly being asked to move here?"
"Didn't you ask the master for this? The master spent the night here last night, and the next day he asked the mistress to assign you a new courtyard. It seems that our Concubine Ruan has some brilliant tricks to win the master's favor..."
Concubine Ruan couldn't stand hearing such words. She never liked to fight for anything. It was the master who had offered to assign her a new courtyard yesterday. When had she ever used tricks to get the master to do so?
"Please, Concubine Ruan. Don't let all your scheming go to waste..."
"Shut up! Mother is not such a person. We won't live in such a place..."
Nanny Qiu gave her a cold look. "What? Does the fourth miss think that the Ziwan Residence is not good enough for you? Do you want to live in the mistress's Chunhua Pavilion?"
Jiang Jingshu was irritated by Nanny Qiu's words. She quickly pushed open the courtyard door, pointed at the jade ornaments inside, and sneered, "I find such a luxurious place boring. I don't even want to live here..."
Afraid that Nanny Qiu and the others wouldn't believe her, she quickly walked forward, picked up a jade teacup on the table in the room, and smashed it to the ground.
With a "crash", a delicate teacup shattered on the ground...
"Mother and I never care about these things. We even think that these things would dirty our hands. We'd rather live in the humble Youzhu Courtyard..."