How could Qu Fulan fall into someone else's trap?
"Big Sister Hai Yue, what are you saying? I just feel that the big sisters' words are very reasonable. I don't even know how to interrupt after hearing them."
This time, Qu Fulan did not use the excuse of "it's disrespectful to talk about the master behind his back". These people could be considered colleagues, so it was good to keep a distance from them. There was no need to be so sincere.
Otherwise, not only would others not appreciate your kindness, but they would also think, "Oh, you're the only one who's noble and knows the rules. We don't know the rules."
When the others heard Qu Fulan's words, they did not have any reaction and continued to chat.
Hai Yue laughed coldly in her heart. This Hai Tang was indeed a scheming person. She was on guard against her.
After a few days, Prince Pei brought back many good things from outside.
This was the benefit of working for the Emperor. If the job was done well, the Emperor would reward them greatly when he was happy.
The old lady looked at the list of gifts and smiled. "He's still so thorough in his work. He has brothers and sisters at home. Go and call all the servant girls who have been rewarded."
Hai Yue was serving the old lady. Naturally, she saw the list of gifts immediately. When she saw the name of the old lady, her heart warmed up and she became excited.
The Prince had given her something!
Just as she was about to say something to the old lady, she saw another name: Hai Tang.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on the hot blood in her heart, and all of it froze instantly.
Hai Yue subconsciously bit the corner of her mouth. She couldn't control the bitterness and unwillingness in her heart. She couldn't understand. The old lady had stopped taking her medicine a long time ago. Hai Tang was clearly no longer serving the old lady. Now, the one serving the old lady with all her might was her.
Why did the Prince have to include Hai Tang in the gifts he arranged for the family?
What did she do?
The items were all sealed in boxes and brought back to their rooms.
Hua Hao and Yue Yuan brought Hai Tang back to their room. They didn't avoid her and directly counted the things in the box in front of her.
After they finished counting, they subconsciously asked Hai Tang what gift she had received.
Qu Fulan was going to take Hua Hao's pulse today and had been dragged over before she could send the things back. Seeing that they were curious, she was not stingy and showed them the things in the box.
The gifts were also different according to the individual's rank and contribution.
For example, the old lady had received the most items. There was a jade ruyi, top-grade jadeite, two agate bracelets, red musk beads, top-grade cloth, and so on. They were all the best treasures.
The masters and madams in the other rooms had a few less jewelries than the old lady.
Those brothers and sisters only had cloth and high-quality jade accessories.
Hua Hao and Yue Yuan received the same items - two scented pouches, two pearl bracelets, two pairs of earrings, and two silver ingots.
It was reasonable to say that Hai Tang's level was lower than Hua Hao and Yue Yuan's, so the things she got should also be lower.
But now, the things in Hai Tang's box were less than the ones of Hua Hao and Yue Yuan's. Other than the pearl bracelet, there was nothing missing from the other scented bags, earrings, and silver. Especially the pair of earrings, it was obvious that they were of the highest quality. Most likely, even the young ladies in the manor did not have such beauty.
"How could this be? Did I put it in the wrong place? "
These words were said by Yue Yuan. It was not out of jealousy, but out of worry. She was afraid that she would be held accountable if she made a mistake.
Hua Hao also took the box and looked at it carefully for a while. Then, she took out a list from the bottom of the box. The list clearly stated the things inside the box and her name. It was Hai Tang.
"Then it can't be wrong. I was wondering when the Prince had missed a gift."
"The list is correct, but what's the purpose of such an arrangement?"
The two maidservants had stayed in the residence for a long time, so they naturally knew that some good fortune could easily lead to disaster.
"Good sister, you have to take good care of this box. Don't let others see it easily. There are many people with bad intentions in this residence. I am afraid that people will be tempted by money and do some harmful things."
"Thank you for your advice, Sister Yue Yuan. I'll remember it."
"It's not convenient for us to keep such things for you. If word gets out, people will think that we're cheating you. It's not good for our masters to know."
"I understand. Thank you for your concern, Sister Hua Hao."
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Be careful, the walls have ears. You can take my pulse."
When Qu Fulan returned to her room, the other three were inside sighing at the things that Prince Pei had given them.
Seeing Hai Tang return, one of them said, "Hai Tang, you're back. Just now, the old lady had someone send over some pastries. She said that it was a reward from the Prince. Everyone has a share. We've already eaten, and yours is left on the table for you."
Qu Fulan thanked her and was about to take the box to lock it.
"We're all admiring the things that the Prince has given us. You should come and take a look," Hai Yue took the initiative to invite her.
People who were used to comparing themselves with others would inevitably want to show off when they got something good.
Another maidservant chimed in, "That's right. We've all received the same amount of gifts, but the colors are all different. Especially Hai Yue, she massaged the old lady's meridians every day. The colors of her gifts are better than ours. Come and take a look."
"Sister Hua Hao is still waiting for me to prescribe medicine, so I..." Qu Fulan refused without batting an eyelid.
Hai Yue didn't wait for Hai Tang to finish and interrupted her, "It won't take much time to take a look. Hai Tang, did you get some precious treasure that you can't let us see?"
Hai Yue said it in a joking manner.
She had never been convinced that Hai Tang would be rewarded, and now she had to see that the other party's reward was not as good as hers.
Qu Fulan also replied in a joking tone, "Sister Hai Yue is really good at predicting things. You have the ability to predict the future. How about you tell my fortune later?"
The other two maidservants laughed when they heard this and didn't take it seriously.
Hai Yue felt that there was a problem with Hai Tang's concealment.
However, she felt that she was overthinking it. Hai Tang's gift should be the same as the other two, or even worse. After all, she had not been close to serve the old lady recently, so she could not compare with others.
Just as Qu Fulan opened the cabinet door, Mother Zhou spoke from outside. "Girls, come out and help me. I have a few things to move to the west room."
The maidservants immediately scrambled to carry their own things and put them into their own cabinets. In the end, someone accidentally bumped into Qu Fulan, and the force was so great that she fell over. The box in her hands also fell to the ground, and with a bang, the things fell out.
The high-quality earrings glowed when they came into contact with light, simply beautiful beyond comparison.
The two maidservants couldn't help but widen their mouths.
Only Hai Yue's face turned extremely ugly at that moment. It was the kind of face that couldn't be concealed.
The four of them went out to help Mother Zhou. When they returned to the room again, the two maidservants couldn't help but want to see Hai Tang's earrings again.
"Good sister, let us take another look. I've never seen such beautiful earrings in my life."
"Just let us take a look, just one look~"