Chapter 67: “You Can Take Her If You Want, Or Not If You Don’t…”

Chapter 67 "You can take her if you wish, or not if you don't..."

"Miss, what do you plan to do with Fei Niang?"

The two maidservants were so angry that they couldn't sleep all night, especially A Fei. Recently, A Chun had to go to He Zhou's place to teach them how to read, so she handed over the affairs of the lady to A Fei. She was in charge of more than a dozen maidservants and palace maids, but such a big incident happened just a few days later.

She was furious that Fei Niang, relying on her looks, dared to try to climb into the bed, and also blamed herself for being careless, actually giving her the opportunity.

Especially after the interrogation, Fei Niang said she got the idea after noticing the lady's menstrual cycle, which sent a chill down her spine.

In the future, she must be more careful and never let others know about such personal matters, not only to prevent them from taking advantage to climb into the bed but also to avoid anyone taking the opportunity to harbor ill intentions.

"Miss Jiang has been so kind to them, yet she dares to betray her. You must punish her severely, or else others might follow her lead," A Fei added, her face puffed with anger.

Jiang Congyan did not answer her immediately, "Bring her here first, let me take a look."

She turned and walked to the front hall, lifted her skirt, and sat on the wide couch behind the main table.

Fei Niang was quickly escorted over.

She dragged her weak legs in and knelt before Miss Jiang.

She lifted her eyelids and glanced nervously at Miss Jiang sitting above, opening her mouth to say something, but seeing the calm and dark eyes of Miss Jiang, she couldn't utter a word.

She was still wearing yesterday's clothes; A Chun and A Fei neither tied her up nor beat her, but she knew she had committed a serious offense and was worried about how she would be punished. Her heart was filled with fear, dark circles under her eyes, her lips were chapped, looking utterly haggard after just one night.

At that time, A Fei was so angry that she really wanted to slap her a few times, but A Chun stopped her.

Miss Jiang does not like her subordinates to administer private punishments, especially disliking those who take advantage of their higher positions to scold and beat others.

Miss Jiang finally looked at her directly.

Fei Niang, this name was very familiar to her, one of the palace maids who came with the dowry, usually responsible for some cleaning and tidying work.

Her gaze lingered on her face for a moment, although she looked haggard, her hair disheveled, her face was smeared with makeup, one could still see that her features were quite good, especially her eyes, clear and watery, very pitiful, coupled with her rare fair skin, she was indeed outstanding among ordinary palace maids.

No wonder she had the idea of climbing the ranks.

Miss Jiang was not surprised by such things happening; Tuo Baxiao was high-ranking, powerful, young, and robust, naturally attracting countless women.

Hmph, what a flirtatious dog of a man!

"Do you think you are beautiful?"

After waiting for a long time, Fei Niang did not expect Miss Jiang's first sentence to be this.

She didn't know what Miss Jiang meant by this question, and instinctively thought of the time she knelt in the Jiuhua Palace, Noble Consort Zhao pinched her face, the hand painted with red nail polish like a venomous snake coiling around her.

Just because someone made a few jokes, Noble Consort Zhao, after finding out, sent her to the dowry team, and now she was caught trying to climb into the bed, how would Miss Jiang punish her? Would she lose her life...

She shivered and quickly shook her head, "I... I am not beautiful."

Miss Jiang chuckled lightly, "I think you are quite beautiful."

Fei Niang was stunned.

The next second, Miss Jiang changed the subject, "However, beauty alone isn't enough."

"Wisdom, family background, ability, beauty paired with any of these can help you achieve your lofty ambitions, but do you think you have any?"

She turned her face slightly, her snow-white complexion illuminated by the light from outside the tent, resembling jade in texture and radiating a cold, unyielding aura. Her presence was piercing and commanding, like the snow-capped peaks that never melt.

Fei Niang stammered, speechless under her gaze.

Jiang Congyan continued, "Do you think climbing into the Prince of Mobei's bed guarantees you security? Do you have status or loyal followers? You had my protection, but you betrayed me and became my enemy. Alone, do you think you can survive in the royal court?"

Fei Niang had never considered these things before. She thought gaining the Prince of Mobei's favor would free her from her current position, never imagining the many conditions tied to it.

She regretted it deeply.

"Princess, I know I was wrong. Please give me another chance. I will serve you well from now on..."

Fei Niang kowtowed repeatedly, her voice trembling with despair.

Jiang Congyan gazed at her, her eyes calm and unfathomable, like a still pond.

Seeing the princess remain silent, Fei Niang's voice gradually faded, her heart filled with despair. Was her life truly in danger?

From the moment Jiang Congyan heard the news, her expression had remained calm, but that didn't mean she wasn't angry.

She never imagined the first to betray her would be one of her own. Perhaps she had been too lenient, making betrayal seem risk-free.

In this era, servants were often treated as less than human by their masters. Jiang Congyan disliked this greatly. She couldn't change others, but she insisted her subordinates adhere to her rules. To her, they were subordinates, not slaves. She prided herself on treating them fairly, with clear rewards and consequences, ensuring their basic needs were met—better than most people's lives in this world.

"If the Prince of Mobei accepts you, I’ll overlook this. Agreed?" Jiang Congyan said, her voice calm yet cold.

Fei Niang was stunned by the offer. The princess was actually offering her to the Prince of Mobei? Did she still have a chance?

Hope flickered in her eyes.

A Chun, observing her reaction, silently cursed her as a fool. Didn’t she understand her failure last night? Did she think sending her to the Prince of Mobei again would make him take a liking to her? Did she think she could rival the princess’s ethereal beauty, making the Prince of Mobei fall in love with her at first sight?

Had she refused and pledged loyalty, proving her mistake was momentary, perhaps the princess would have been lenient. But her lack of true remorse was evident. A little temptation exposed her true colors.

The princess was right. Beauty without wisdom is a path to ruin.

Since Fei Niang was willing, Jiang Congyan had A Fei take her away to clean up and dress her. When she was ready, she had A Chun go and invite Tuo Baxiao over.

Tuo Baxiao had stayed in the royal tent since dawn, having others come to him for any matters. He was distracted even as he attended to matters.

When A Long came to report that A Chun requested an audience, Tuo Baxiao nodded in agreement.

After last night's incident, Tuo Baxiao realized his royal tent was too loosely managed. He scolded A Long, forbidding him from letting people in casually in the future. Of course, there were Imperial Guards patrolling the perimeter, but since Fei Niang was just a non-combatant woman and had used the princess's name, she had easily slipped into the royal tent.

A Chun said the princess had invited the prince over, and Tuo Baxiao perked up, immediately striding out.

The distance between the two was short, less than a hundred steps. His strides were large and quick, and he arrived in just a few breaths.

As he entered, he saw her sitting upright in the center of the living room.

Her face showed no expression, revealing neither joy nor anger. She didn't come out to greet him, which made Tuo Baxiao somewhat displeased. He showed this displeasure, not approaching her to hug or touch her as he usually did, and instead sat down on a nearby chair.

"You called for me?" Tuo Baxiao slightly narrowed his green eyes.

Jiang Congyan nodded, turning slightly to look at him.

"At last, she addressed the issue. I only found out this morning that a maid voluntarily went to the royal tent last night."

Finally, the matter was brought up. Tuo Baxiao leaned back in his chair, spreading his arms on the armrests, his legs wide apart, his expression calm, waiting for her to ask.

Last night, he didn't even let that woman touch a single thread of his clothing. On the contrary, he wanted to ask her how she managed her people, allowing a slave girl to be so bold as to forge her orders and barge into the royal tent.

Tuo Baxiao stood ready, waiting for her to speak, but Jiang Congyan did not follow his expectations.

She gave A Chun a look, and A Chun quickly walked a few steps to the outside of the tent, then brought in a woman—none other than Fei Niang.

Fei Niang had been freshly dressed and made up, wearing a floral hairpin, her face powdered, eyebrows drawn, and adorned with bright rouge. Dressed in a light pink silk dress, her slender waist swayed gracefully, as beautiful as a peach blossom, even more charming than she had been the day before.

She followed A Chun in and then knelt before Tuo Baxiao.

Tuo Baxiao frowned, not understanding what she was trying to do.

Jiang Congyan glanced at him and said, "This woman is named Fei Niang, and she wishes to serve you. Since she is willing, and I am currently in a state of impurity, there will inevitably be seven or eight days each month when I am indisposed. If you wish to relieve yourself, you may take her."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course," Jiang Congyan replied, sensing something off in his tone, but having spoken, she had to continue, "She is also quite beautiful, so it would not be a slight to you."

Hearing her tone, which showed no hint of reluctance, and even seeing a usual faint smile on her face, Tuo Baxiao suddenly felt a surge of immense anger.

His iron-like hand gripped the armrest with such force that it seemed he might crush the solid wood.

A gentle breeze blew into the tent; the summer wind, usually warm, now felt scorching.

"You want me to take another woman!" Tuo Baxiao suddenly stood up.

He was extremely tall, with a powerful and robust build. As soon as he stood, he blocked the light from the entrance like a mountain, instantly darkening the tent, creating an oppressive and silent atmosphere.

His jade-green eyes glared at her, revealing an unmistakable fury.

He thought she had invited him over to explain the events of last night in a gentle manner, perhaps even sweet-talking him to not be angry. He never expected things to turn out this way.

Not only did she not punish that servant girl, but she also wanted him to take her as a concubine!

Jiang Congyan was taken aback by his intense reaction. He had never been angry with her before, let alone this furious. She belatedly wondered if she had gone too far.

But she was also angry. It hadn't been long, and already someone was trying to climb into his bed. Such incidents would probably only become more frequent in the future.

Most importantly, society is so forgiving of men. They can take in as many concubines as they want, and it's considered perfectly reasonable, without any moral condemnation. Women, on the other hand, are expected to serve only one husband.

"If you want to take her as a concubine, then do so. If you don't, then don't. I can't stop you anyway," Jiang Congyan said, turning her head away, pouting.

Tuo Baxiao sneered and suddenly raised his voice, "I haven't even thought about taking her as a concubine, and you're already arranging it for me." As he spoke, he glanced down at Fei Niang on the floor, his eyes filled with disgust. "But the woman you arranged is too beneath me. At least find someone as beautiful and fair as you, then I might consider it!"

"You..." Hearing his crude and unrestrained words, Jiang Congyan's face turned red with anger. Unfortunately, before she could retort, Tuo Baxiao had already turned around and strode out.

As he passed the tent door, he found the nearby curtain too low and obstructing his path. He yanked it violently, tearing the silk curtain with a loud rip, leaving half of it dangling.

Once he left, only the women were left in the room.

Jiang Congyan sat in her original spot, staring at the torn half of the silk curtain for a while, then a flicker of regret flashed in her eyes.