Under Jin mama's stern gaze, the male servants quickly organized the wooden caskets in neat rows of two. After brief scrutiny of the boxes for any missing items, Jin mama dismissed the timid servants with a wave of her wrinkled hand.
"Jin mama, what brings you here?" Su Qing's weak voice echoed in the dismal room.
Jin mama turned around, she locked her appraising eyes on Su Qing's skeletal frame. The girl was just bones; nothing more, nothing less. Her yellowish paper-thin skin made Jin mama wonder if any man would be willing to deflower such a horrid girl and if the unthinkable happens, will the girl's body be able to stay intact? Given the juicy tales of the Seventh prince's steamy endeavors, Jin mama was confident that this sickly girl wouldn't last even a night in his bed.
Jin mama feigned a cough to curb the snigger creeping across her lips and curtsied with a slight bob of her head, "This old servant greets the Second lady. This humble one congratulates young miss on the wedding; marrying into the Imperial family is a good fortune. It can be considered as the greatest blessing."
A blessing? My wedding sounds more like a curse in disguise!
Su Qing who caught the glimmer of scorn in the old servant's tone sneered inwardly, but her eyes remained stable; like the placid waters of a lake. Despite her apathy towards the grandiose old mama, Su Qing did not get stingy while offering her respects. She was an individual who always believed in respecting the elderly, so she made a formal curtsey before dismissing the old witch politely, "Many thanks to mama for her kind words. Now that I've received your blessings, I wish to lie down and rest for a bit. My body feels weak and my head is swaying..."
"Are you chasing me away?" Both Jin mama's voice and demeanor turned unfriendly.
Su Qing ignored the dreary shadows on Jin mama's face as she continued, "It seems that you misunderstood my kind intentions. If you want to relax in this modest abode of mine, you are welcome to use the only dusty stool in the corner. There aren't any decent furnishings in here, and I know that mama is sensible enough to not blame me on the pretext of mistreatment.
"I can invite you to sit in the patio, but pardon me for I cannot provide any proper refreshments for your person. I worry that the stale food I eat daily might accidentally upset your stomach. At most, I can offer you a jug of water to moisten your parched lips.
"If you yet assume that I disgraced you in any way, my apologies!"
Su Qing pursed her lips and looked at the dumbstruck old servant. She disliked the old mama, but she did not lie. After all, the only eatables in their possession were some liquid rice broth and bread; moreover, even a Second-class servant was fed vegetable soup and a bowl of steamed buns. Her daily menu can be considered unpalatable for a head servant like Jin mama. In the Su manor, she was an existence lower than most of the servants.
"This old servant does not dare accept the apologies of young miss," Jin mama recovered from her daze and waved her hands in a prim fashion. If not for the marriage with the royal family, Jin mama would have never personally shown up to serve a neglected daughter of the clan.
When did she ever have to lower her head to this sick and injured girl? If not for the fact that this vile girl carries the name of a wangfei from tomorrow, Jin mama would have treated the girl like a wisp of smoke. The old mama suppressed the repulsion that threatened to morph into words and flashed a perfunctory smile, "This old servant is here to hand over the dowry for your nuptials. Young miss can go through the list, and if anything is lacking you can always approach this old servant.
"Young miss will be receiving the bridal attire before the hour of the dog[1]. A seamstress will be sent for any alterations, please see to it that there will be no errors at the time of the wedding. Master and madame want you to rest early; a tired bride is never pleasing to the eyes."
"Fret not, I will follow father's arrangement. Is there anything else, Mama?"
"That is all, young miss. Please rest, this old servant takes her leave."
Jin mama gritted her teeth as Ah Lan closed the sliding door behind her. Su Qing's behavior baffled Jin mama. In the past, Su Qing never spoke back to anyone. Su Qing's words were nowhere near insulting, but she used to be as silent as a rock before. So, even the retaliation of a few harmless sentences seemed strange all of a sudden.
Jin mama pondered as she made her way back to the Prosperity courtyard and decided to inform the madame about what happened.
...
Prosperity courtyard, Su Mansion.
The huge bronze mirror reflected a mature, attractive countenance that can enrapture any man with ease. Even the young beauties of the capital pale before the woman's refined features: Oval-shaped face, peach blossom eyes, perfect lips, and painted brows. The middle-aged woman still maintained her curvaceous, voluptuous body even after four births. A maid combed through the woman's long raven hair, which almost reached below her knees.
Ye Luo, the current madame and the official wife of Su Bingtian, listened to Jin mama speak.
"Madame, I find second miss's behavior a bit amiss. I think we should keep an eye on her..." Jin mama couldn't help but add at the end.
"Jin mama, even a rabbit bites back when it's cornered. But, if the rabbit is under the illusion that it can act as it wishes with that tiny courage, it's bound to be devoured by the blood-thirsty animals in the forest." Ye Luo red lips blossomed into an evil smile, "If that sick girl thinks that becoming wangfei of that perverted prince can give her power over us, then she's not worth our time. Don't think too much into that useless girl's words and waste our time on such fools."
"Getting all worked up because of that sick girl... Jin mama, I've taught you better than this!"
"Yes, madame. This old servant accepts her mistake; this one deserves to be punished!" Jin mama's face paled at Ye Luo's cold hiss, she immediately kowtowed while banging her head on the wooden floor.
"It's enough that you understand, there's no need to kowtow. I'll not punish an old lady, you can leave..." Ye Luo dismissed Jin mama with a breezy laugh.
When all the maids retired into the night, Ye Luo leaned on the bed while her long, slender fingers continued to toy with the jasmine hairpin.
Su Qing, should I just kill you like I stabbed your mother?
Ye Luo's face twisted in malice as a bewitching visage of a woman appeared in her mind.
Soon a snapping sound rang in the room which was followed by a burst of crazed laughter, "Haha, Rongli, you are a beauty, such a pity that your daughter is nothing like you... Killing such an ugly thing is mercy, so I let her live till today... I'll let her live since I want her to suffer for the rest of her life!"