Nanny Rong disliked Yanran, but she also knew that Yanran was precocious despite her young age.
I don't know how much Yanran heard, but after thinking for a moment, she said, "I'm getting old, I don't get that much sleep, I came out for some fresh air."
"Oh," Yanran said, "You should be more careful next time you go out, it's best to bring a maid with you. Otherwise... it's quite boring without anyone to talk to."
Nanny Rong sensed the probing in her words and her heart tightened. She said, "This old servant also brought a young maid, but just now she..."
"Do you want my mother?" Yanran asked.
The implication was clear: she heard her, and there was no way to brush it off.
Nanny Rong paused, then said calmly, "She accidentally cut her hand while cutting paper for me tonight. I'm worried about a scar, so I told her I'd take her to ask Her Highness for help tomorrow."
"Oh, then Mother Consort can definitely help. What about her?" Yanran asked.
Nanny Rong said, "It heard a noise and ran away in fright; it's just a child."
"She's too timid. If she encounters any danger, will she need Granny to protect her?" Yanran said. "I didn't expect to meet you here. Luckily, we didn't scare each other."
"Young lady, you should go back to sleep early," said Nanny Rong. "You've reached the age where you should avoid suspicion, especially at night. Try to meet with the young master of the Cui Family as little as possible."
"Alright then." Yanran blinked and took her arm. "I'll take Granny back first."
As she spoke, she took the opportunity to look into the artificial hill.
But it was pitch black inside, and you couldn't see anything at all.
Nanny Rong said, "This old servant wouldn't dare."
"Granny, please don't be modest. You were once served by my grandmother, and even my father treated you with respect. How much more so should I?"
"Then I'll have to trouble you, young lady."
The next morning, Tang Zhuyun was still fast asleep when she heard Duke of Zhou Xiu'er "Aww!" outside, and she couldn't help but shudder.
This shiver made it impossible for me to fall asleep.
She was sore all over and too lazy to get up, so she lay there listening to Xiu'er talk.
"How could it be so simple?" Xiu'er exclaimed. "There must be something else going on!"
"That is."
It was Yanran's voice.
These two, so early in the morning, were united in their hatred of the enemy. What were they talking about?
Tang Zhuyun lazily called the two of them in.
Yanran chattered on and on about what happened last night.
Xiu'er said, "Your Majesty, something is strange."
Tang Zhuyun felt the same way.
She asked Yanran, "Did you see or hear who Nanny Rong was talking to?"
Yanran said dejectedly, "No. I wish I had seen or heard it! But I feel that Nanny Rong's expression is unnatural; she's definitely up to something."
Tang Zhuyun thought for a moment, "It must be someone from inside the manor. If someone from outside came in, the guards would notice."
"That's hard to say," Xiu'er said. "If even Nanny Rong has problems, it's not certain that the others in the manor are without issues."
Just as she was analyzing the situation, Nanny Rong arrived.
Tang Zhuyun gave Xiu'er a wink, signaling someone to invite her in.
Nanny Rong did not come alone; instead, she brought a maid with an injured finger.
"She cut her finger while cutting paper yesterday," Nanny Rong repeated the same excuse as yesterday, "The little girl loves to look pretty, and I'm afraid of leaving a scar, so..."
Xiu'er said, "It's freshly cut!"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Yanran tilted her head, echoing Xiu'er's words. "What do you mean by 'freshly cut'?"
Xiu'er said, "It was cut just before use."
Nanny Rong remained calm, seemingly oblivious to Xiu'er's implied meaning.
"That's awful," Yanran said. "It must have hurt a lot."
"There's nothing we can do about it. When our master gives orders, how can we, as servants, not do our best?" Xiu'er said.
The little maidservant lowered her head, not daring to speak, her body trembling slightly, looking pitiful.
Yanran asked, "Does Master order me to cut off my hand too?"
Tang Zhuyun feigned ignorance. "What are you talking about? She accidentally cut her hand while cutting paper, how did it become that someone deliberately made her cut her hand? Yanran is too young to understand, Xiu'er, why are you getting involved?"
Xiu'er said, "I was just using an analogy."
Yanran replied, "Xiu'er, you haven't answered me yet!"
Xiu'er put her hands on her hips and said, "I'm not stupid. If you tell me to cut my hand, I'll tell the Empress to punish you. The Empress is the most powerful person in the mansion, and everyone has to listen to her."
The young maid trembled violently, sobbing uncontrollably.
Tang Zhuyun felt it was enough to leave it at that, and said, "Come here, let me take a look at you."
The maidservant's eyes were filled with tears as she timidly looked at Nanny Rong.
Nanny Rong said, "Go quickly. I told you last night that Her Majesty is the kindest person; she will help anyone who asks for help."
The maidservant then stepped forward and extended her hand to Tang Zhuyun.
"This wound is deep; it must hurt a lot," Tang Zhuyun said. "It's difficult to avoid leaving a scar, but I'll do my best."
The maidservant quickly replied, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Tang Zhuyun treated her wounds, and then Nanny Rong took her away.
Xiu'er and Yanran high-fived and looked at Tang Zhuyun together, their faces clearly showing their desire for credit.
"Your Majesty, what do you think of this 'making an example' approach between this servant and Yanran?"
"You two, is that what you call 'beating the mountain to scare the tiger'? That's directly attacking the tiger," Tang Zhuyun said.
"Anyway, Nanny Rong has something to hide and has long suspected that I would come back to inform her," Yanran said confidently. "If she has nothing to hide, then she has nothing to fear."
Tang Zhuyun was speechless.
After finishing her "business," Yanran went to find Cui Xiaoqiu.
While tidying up the room, Xiu'er spoke to Tang Zhuyun, "Your Highness, please don't be soft-hearted just because Nanny Rong is an old servant of the Prince's Mansion. She won't hold back when she's dealing with you."
Her opinion of Nanny Rong was getting worse and worse.
As she spoke, she picked up a medicine bottle from the dressing table, wiped it, and muttered, "Like this medicine, from now on, when she comes, we'll have to be on our guard. What if she replaces it with poison?"
Tang Zhuyun laughed and said, "Of course I can tell the difference."
Then she remembered she hadn't taken her medicine, so she swallowed one pill with water.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing," Xiu'er said, "Song Jingyang's mother arrived today, and he has already asked the prince for leave to greet her."
Tang Zhuyun smiled and said, "You've finally arrived. The timing is good too; tomorrow is the festival, so we can reunite."
Song Jingyang's mother's illness delayed her wedding for more than a month, but fortunately she recovered in the end.
"You should restrain yourself a bit in front of Song Jingyang's mother," Tang Zhuyun couldn't help but remind Xiu'er.
"Of course, don't worry, I won't let you down. Just wait and see."
Tang Zhuyun said, "Why am I so worried?"
Xiu'er, loyal to the end, was still thinking about Nanny Rong's matter. "When she arrives, I'll ask her about Nanny Rong. They both served the old lady together, so they must know each other well."
"Um."
Soon, Song Jingyang's mother, Nanny Jing, arrived.
(I took a three-hour car ride today and got really carsick, so I took a nap and it got quite late. Sorry for keeping you waiting, there's still one more update coming!)