Lan Ruo Pavilion.
Wanjing had already planned to tell Zi'an that she wanted to move out of Lanluo Pavilion. She was now a servant in the mansion and should live like a servant instead of living in such a luxurious courtyard as Lanluo Pavilion like a master.
When Wanhui heard that she was going to move out, she was filled with anger. "I don't know how to describe you. I've seen people striving to make progress, but I've never seen people eager to be slaves. Isn't Lan Ruo Pavilion good? You live here, at least there are people to serve you, and Xia Zian didn't ask you to move out, so why do you have to ask for this?"
Wan Jing said calmly: "It's not that I'm eager to be a slave, it's that I've already become a slave. Don't say that what I do is not a servant's job. Even if it is, there is nothing I can do about it."
Wanhui raised her willow-shaped eyebrows and said coldly, "If you are not a servant, you are still a servant. Do you think you are an accountant hired from outside? At most, I will give you five cents of silver per month. This amount of money can't even buy a box of good rouge. It's better to think of a way to let the prince favor us and become a concubine. After all, we will not have to worry about food and drink. After being favored by the prince, will Xia Zian dare to find fault with us?"
Wan Jing sighed softly, looked at her and said, "Wan Hui, I have known you in the past, and we were convicted and sent to the palace together. I hope you can face the reality. You are no longer the official daughter of the past. Although the Queen Mother gave us to the prince, it is not up to us to decide whether the prince will take us as his concubine. Moreover, I don't think being a concubine is necessarily better than being an accountant. If you use your beauty to please others, there will always be a day when your beauty fades and your love fades. And can't you see clearly? The prince has no intention of taking us as his concubine. Even if he wants to take us as his concubine, he will not take us as his concubine."
"Why not accept us? In terms of appearance and talent, we are all outstanding, and we were ordered to leave the palace. Does His Majesty want to go against the Empress Dowager?" Wanhui said unconvinced.
Wan Jing said patiently, "How many talented and beautiful women are there in the capital? Can they catch the prince's eye? And it is precisely because we left the palace at the order of the empress dowager, and the empress dowager has been picky about the princess many times, how could the princess be so stupid as to place the two of us by the prince's side?"
"The Queen Mother criticized her because she did not do well. Besides, it has nothing to do with the prince. The prince would never offend the Queen Mother and would help her. After all, she is not virtuous enough as a princess. If she had a broad mind, she would accept the Queen Mother's teachings instead of coming back to complain. The Queen Mother is still the prince's mother after all. Our Great Zhou governs the country with benevolence and filial piety. If she dares to instigate the prince to be unfilial, I..."
Wan Jing frowned and said, "How are you? What can you do? Wan Hui, for the sake of our acquaintance, I advise you to put away your little thoughts and don't say things like today again, otherwise you will get into trouble. We don't know whether the princess has instigated the prince to be disrespectful to the queen mother, but I see that the prince loves the princess very much. If someone embarrasses the princess or throws dirty water on her, the first hurdle to be overcome is the prince."
Wanhui felt annoyed after hearing what she said. "I don't believe what you said. What do you see clearly? You haven't been working as an accountant for long, and Xia Zian has only summoned you once, but you pretend to know them well. Anyway, I think that if she really has the temperament of a princess, she should find a concubine for the prince if she is infertile, but she didn't even arrange a maid. I heard that Xiaosun in her room was brought in as a dowry. Generally, the maids brought in as a dowry would be given one or two faces, but she only has this one dowry, and she suppressed it. This is selfishness and jealousy. I don't believe that the prince will love such a woman."
Wan Jing shook her head. "If you just indulge in your own thoughts, what you think is just your own will, not the facts. The feelings between the prince and the princess are not something you and I can guess. In short, if you want to live a smooth life, go to the princess and ask for a job. Don't be afraid to start as a third-class servant. If you do well, the princess will naturally promote you."
"You can't do it well? You're going out with the broom, right?" Wanhui said coldly.
"If you do your best, how can you fail? Put aside your pride and be rational. As a human being, you must face the reality. The reality is that our family has been convicted. If we want to survive, we have to pay a price."
Wanhui's eyes widened. "It wasn't our fault, why should we bear the consequences?"
"We enjoyed it, didn't we? Our father was convicted of corruption. You used to eat and dress well, and part of that was obtained through corruption. Since you enjoyed it, how can you say you are innocent?"
“That’s not something we can choose.”
Wan Jing didn't want to talk to her anymore. "That's not your choice right now. Forget it. I won't say anything. You won't like what I say. I'll get busy now."
After saying that, he wanted to rush out.
Wanhui grabbed her arm and said firmly, "You can't move out."
"If you want to stay in Lan Ruo Pavilion, you can stay by yourself. I'm going to move out." Wan Hui was a little annoyed when she saw that she couldn't convince herself no matter what she said.
"How can I stay here alone? If you leave, I will have to live in so many courtyards by myself. I will definitely be assigned to work later."
"I can't care about you that much."
Wanhui was angry, her face turned pale with anger, "How can you be so selfish? We came out together, and you left me here? The princess already dislikes me, and she will deal with me as soon as you leave."
"If she wants to deal with you, she can do it now. Do you think she will consider me? Can you clear your head a little? What's the good of being a concubine? It's better to earn a living by your own hands. This is permanent." Wan Jing finally couldn't help but get angry and cursed loudly.
Wanhui had never been treated like this before. She said angrily, "Who do you think you are? You don't even want to be a concubine? Is it good to be a slave? Can you earn your living with your own hands? Even if you are liked by your master in the future and find a husband, you will at most be an ordinary citizen. Won't you still have to work hard all your life?"
Wanjing didn't want to talk anymore. She looked at her, sighed, and went out.
Wanhui sat down, looking at the luxurious furniture in the room, then at her own face in the bronze mirror, and said to herself: "I am better looking than Xia Zian. If the prince favors me and I get pregnant, I will enjoy endless wealth and glory for the rest of my life. This is the shortcut."
Thinking of this, she began to dress up in front of the mirror.
When she was leaving the palace, the Empress Dowager gave her several beautiful clothes. She chose among them and picked a scarlet satin skirt with wide sleeves and a nipped waist. She put it on. The bright color of the dress set off her skin, which was whiter than snow. She looked indescribably beautiful.
"Mingdong!" she shouted.
"coming!"
When the curtain was lifted, a maid came in. She was the palace maid sent by the Empress Dowager. Spring, summer, autumn and winter, she was finally sent to Lan Ruo Pavilion by Zi'an to serve the two of them.
Chunxia serves Wanjing, Qiudong serves Wanhui, but now Wanjing no longer needs anyone to serve her, so they all come to serve Wanhui.
(End of this chapter)