"I heard that Lady Ye is very charming..."
"Doesn't Fujin care at all? Today, she lost face, and in the future, she might not stop with just her."
"Or is it that Fujin, without a child of her own, doesn't have the spine to even tend to a concubine?"
Anyway, Lady Wuh dared not say anything and had to sleep in grievance.
In the middle of the night, Fourth Master felt a bit cold; Jinyu Pavilion was, after all, not as warm as the front courtyard.
Next to him, Ye Zao was deep in sleep, and Fourth Master instinctively embraced her.
Ye Zao, in her groggy state—it wasn't feigned this time, but rather she was genuinely out of it—pushed Fourth Master a bit and mumbled a word of dislike.
Fourth Master startled, then held her even tighter.
Ye Zao hummed a few times, then stopped moving.
For Fourth Master, this was definitely a novel experience; it was the first time a woman of his had ever shown distaste for him.
So, Fourth Master got angry.
And when he got angry, it was time for the 'fox charmer' to brawl...
Poor dazed Ye Zao suffered the consequences.
After a while, Fourth Master no longer felt cold, and neither did Ye Zao feel sleepy.
Lying beside Fourth Master, she stretched out her lazy, white jade-like little hand and gently poked Fourth Master's arm, "Master, why aren't you sleeping?"
Her voice was indescribably seductive.
Fourth Master grunted, "A bit cold."
"It's winter now, I feel cold too," Ye Zao shrank in cooperation.
"Let's have a brazier tomorrow," Fourth Master was never stingy with material things for his own women.
It was just some charcoal, not much to use.
"Master treats servant so well, I'm extremely grateful," Ye Zao 'pushed her luck' and placed her white jade-like little hand on Fourth Master's chest.
He grabbed her hand, "Go to sleep."
Fourth Master, almost without thinking, pulled her into his arms and held her close. '
One had to admit, in this weather, it was comfortable to sleep while holding someone warm.
In the morning, when Fourth Master left for court, Ye Zao had not yet awakened.
Ye Zao had only a few people here to serve Fourth Master, and none that he took much notice of.
Therefore, naturally Su Peisheng called in those accustomed to serving from the front courtyard.
Yu Ning and Yu He, along with the little maids, had been waiting since early dawn.
Hearing that Fourth Master was up, they hurried in to serve him.
Since Fourth Master was changing in the inner chamber, they caught sight of the heavily sleeping Ye Zao behind the curtains.
It was unclear how she had managed to sleep, with her long hair spread over half the couch and clutching a pillow.
Her pale little face was tucked into the pillow, making it appear even more delicate.
Yu Ning could only bear one glance before she couldn't stand to look any longer.
This fox charmer, who knows how she bewitched Fourth Master last night, leaving herself so exhausted she couldn't wake up!
Ever since coming to the front courtyard, Yu Ning had liked Fourth Master, and over these seven or eight years, she had come to regard Fourth Master as her own.
It wasn't just Ye Zao she disdained, but even the princesses.
Now that Ye Zao dared to be so comfortable in front of Fourth Master, Yu Ning wished she could just kill her.
Once Fourth Master was properly dressed, Ye Zao awakened and hurriedly begged for forgiveness, "I have overslept, servant begs for Master's pardon."
Just awake, her voice was laced with pure huskiness, how could Fourth Master possibly be angry?
Even if he was angry, that slight raspy voice would have soothed him completely.
And so, Fourth Master himself didn't realize how gentle his voice had become as he said, "It's no trouble, there's nothing much, you go back to sleep."
After a moment of thought, she added, "I'll light a fire for you during the day; don't be stingy with the charcoal."
"Thank you, Master, are you leaving now? Are you attending court today?"
The last sentence ended with an uptick, the word "today" spoken with a playful lilt, endearingly charming.
Fourth Master grunted in acknowledgment and glanced at her, "No need to get up; I'm leaving now."
Ye Zao respectfully saw Fourth Master off from the couch.
Yu Ning listened, feeling a surge of anger within her. When had Fourth Master ever been so easy to speak to?
In the past, he had only been kind to Li Consort Fujin, but even then, not like this.
At least when Li Consort Fujin acted coquettishly, Fourth Master was not so amenable.
However, it was also true that Yu Ning was a woman, and sometimes, women see things differently. Now that she harbored animosity toward Ye Zao, it was natural for her to think everything Ye Zao did was affected.
After they had left, Ye Zao collapsed back onto the couch and muttered, "Having court at midnight, truly exhausting."
Ah Yuan wanted to agree that the Master indeed toiled hard… but when she looked over, Ye Zao had already fallen asleep again.
Shaking her head with a silent laugh, she tucked Ye Zao in and then dozed off herself at the side.
When Ye Zao awoke, she saw eunuchs had come to the back courtyard to deliver charcoal.
The charcoal was of good quality, only slightly inferior to the silver-thread charcoal used by the masters, and it was smokeless too.
The stove was also exquisitely made. Ye Zao smiled and instructed someone to hand out purses to the few eunuchs.
The little eunuchs were delighted, thinking to themselves that being in favor was not without reason. Look how shrewdly she handles matters!
Unlike Miss Chang and Miss Zhang, they were so stingy. 'We know you're concubines with not much silver, but don't you think that being a bit more generous spells a better life for yourselves?
Once the fire had been lit, Ye Zao became cheerful. In fact, before she had crossed over from her previous life, she lived in the south, where she would freeze in winter without air conditioning.
Now, in the coziness of her warm room, there was an even greater sense of indulgent laziness.
"In three days, it will be the Granting of Gold Festival, when Master and Fujin among others will go to the palace. What are the rules here in the manor for such an occasion?" Ye Zao asked.
"No word yet, but probably Fujin might mention it tomorrow," replied Ah Ling.
"And about that… Princess Wuh's arrival at the manor, wasn't there supposed to be a banquet?" Even if Fourth Master did not attend, a gesture was needed, or wouldn't it cause embarrassment?
Ye Zao nodded, thinking that she and Princess Wuh had already become adversaries.
The very first day she came into the manor, Princess Wuh had stolen Fourth Master away from her...
Internally, Ye Zao cursed Fourth Master vehemently. Who cares about him coming, isn't that just making her an enemy?
If Princess Wuh always remained out of favor, it would be all right, but if she were to gain favor in the future and perhaps bear a son or daughter… that would truly be inauspicious.
Indeed, in the main courtyard, Fujin remembered, and that very night, she arranged a few tables of banquet for Princess Wuh.
She and Li Consort Fujin naturally did not attend.
They sent Princess Song, Princess Yin, and several concubines to offer their congratulations instead.
Ye Zao brought a bolt of cloth; being able to offer that much was already decent, given she was just a concubine, wasn't she?
Princess Wuh was wearing a peach-red jacket, exuding a joyful air as she exchanged pleasantries with everyone present.
Upon seeing Ye Zao, Princess Wuh was taken aback, for the latter's beauty was indeed remarkable.
"Greetings to Princess Wuh, may you be auspicious," Ye Zao said as she bowed.
"Please, rise. My dear sister shines so brightly, she makes me feel utterly unworthy," Princess Wuh said with a smile.
Princess Song glanced at Ye Zao, "You are beautiful indeed, and you're not bad yourself."
The comment came off as somewhat insincere.
Among those present, Princess Song was quietly elegant, Princess Yin was adorable and vivacious, Miss Zhang was strikingly attractive, and Miss Chang possessed classic elegance. In comparison to Ye Zao, they said Princess Song was on par only because her status was higher.
In fact, Ye Zao's appearance was the kind that captivated at first sight and made it hard to look away.
As for Princess Wuh, not only was she eclipsed by Ye Zao, but even Princess Yin, who was merely cute, was no match for her.