"Servant..."
Xuemei, who had previously been dissatisfied with Mrs. Zhao's attitude, immediately changed her expression and hurried to Lin Jiaojiao's side, lowering her chin slightly and displaying an apologetic demeanor.
Seeing Xuemei's reaction, she couldn't help but smile: "Alright, just this once."
She didn't know how many times she had said this, but over the years, this maid had indeed suffered quite a bit at her side.
They had grown up together since childhood, and their relationship was more than just that of master and servant.
She looked at the maids standing not far away and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "This is Prince Manor, not the Chen family in Hangzhou. From now on, be more careful with how you speak and act."
After all, no matter how capable Xuemei was, she was still just a maid. Sometimes she wouldn't be able to protect her if she wasn't careful, so it was important to be cautious and avoid giving others any reason to criticize them.
Maid Wang in the Prince Manor was not only the old palace maid by the side of the Empress Dowager, but also her personal maid before she left the family.
According to some rumors, Maid Wang was even the Empress Dowager's half-sister, but this could not be verified.
Although Maid Wang couldn't do anything to her, she had the support of the Empress Dowager. It wouldn't be difficult for her to secretly punish the maids by her side.
Xuemei subconsciously pursed her lips, nodded her head quickly, and quietly promised: "I will definitely not speak carelessly anymore."
"Alright, help me go inside and rest for a while."
Seeing Lin Jiaojiao about to get up, Xuemei hurriedly reached out to help her.
There was still some time before court dismissal, so it wouldn't be too late for her to have a nap for half an hour.
...
"Your Highness, Your Highness."
Unsure of how long it had been, Lin Jiaojiao heard someone calling her in a daze, a faint and ethereal voice appearing near her ear, seeming close yet far away at the same time.
"Hmm...?" She opened her eyes slightly, the fog in her pupils not yet cleared, obviously still not fully awake.
Seeing this, Xuemei helped her to sit up as she spoke with a smile: "Your Highness, the Eldest Prince has been waiting outside for half an hour already."
This statement instantly made Lin Jiaojiao become more than half awake.
Her big brother had already arrived? How long had she been asleep? Seeing Xuemei's smiling face, she lightly scolded: "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
Although her tone was questioning, it was merely a casual remark.
Xuemei, who was helping her with her clothes, explained somewhat aggrievedly: "Your Highness, you can't blame this servant for this. According to Qingtao, today's court dismissal was an hour earlier than usual, so the Eldest Prince came earlier as well."
Once everything was in order, Lin Jiaojiao hurriedly headed towards the hall, not caring about etiquette. If not for her body's pain, she would have run there.
How long had it been since she had last seen her big brother? Even she couldn't remember.
In her previous life, she hadn't seen her big brother for the last time. Now that he was still alive, her excitement could hardly be contained.
"Big brother!"
A sweet and joyful voice rang out. Lin Xingzhi, who was waiting with a cup of tea, looked in the direction of the sound, only to see the plum blossom screen and not the person behind it.
As always, his first impression was of her voice before actually seeing her.
"Big brother!"
Soon, Lin Jiaojiao emerged from behind the screen. Seeing her big brother dressed in a red robe and golden belt, standing not far away in the flesh, she couldn't help but stop in her tracks.
Over the years, she had almost forgotten what her big brother looked like.
In her memory, her big brother had a gentle demeanor, a handsome face, the elegance of a scholar, and the aloofness of an aristocratic son.
However, the man before her now overrode her memories of him.
Upon seeing her, Lin Xingzhi greeted her with a faint smile, bowing his hands in salute: "Your humble official Lin Xingzhi pays his respects to the Princess."
Although they were siblings indeed, they must not abandon etiquette.
After recovering from her astonishment, Lin Jiaojiao said to the maids still standing in the hall: "You may leave."
Once the maids had left, Lin Jiaojiao could no longer hold back her tears and threw herself into Lin Xingzhi's arms.
Lin Xingzhi was not surprised by this, and instead spoke gently: "You're already grown up and married, but why are you still crying like you used to? Have you been wronged?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jiaojiao immediately stopped crying, not daring to say that she had been wronged.
Although her big brother appeared to be a scholarly civil official on the surface, he was actually a skilled martial artist who had shared the same master with Yan Sihan.
This was not something to be taken lightly.
She only learned about this later on.
In her previous life, her big brother doted on her since she was born. After being forcibly taken by Yan Sihan, she tried to kill herself every day. Naturally, her big brother was heartbroken.
After proposing a divorce and planning to leave the Regent King's Mansion with her, Lin Xingzhi drew his sword and broke into the mansion when Yan Sihan refused.
This caused a stir and even alarmed the Empress Dowager and the Emperor!
Finally, it was only after Lin Qinghua deceived her into faking her acceptance of the situation, but in reality planning her revenge, that the matter was dropped.