Chapter 238

Chapter 238

Ever since Shufei Li met with a polite rebuff at Xie Run's place when she tried to seek justice for the Princess, she had since refused to speak to Xie Run.

Probably because she didn't think much of Xie Run.

But her rank was lower, so even if she disapproved, she still had to show respect to Xie Run.

Xie Run smiled but said nothing.

Pine Breeze Courtyard—

Cefei Sun had a steady, composed nature, but the maid at her side couldn't contain her indignation on her mistress's behalf.

The moment they were back in the courtyard, she burst out, "Miss, the Shufei in this household are way too arrogant—every last one of them is trying to walk all over you!"

"This Shufei Jiang picks the worst possible time to announce her pregnancy—at your welcome banquet, of all times—clearly trying to steal your thunder!"

"Then at night she claims her stomach hurts and drags the Prince out of your courtyard... that's a deliberate slap in the face!"

"And as if that weren't enough, this Shufei Hua comes out of nowhere and snatches him away mid-way!"

The maid's eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke. "Back home, Madam said Prince Jing's household was more proper than the other princely mansions, and that with your family background, as long as you carried yourself with dignity, you'd have a comfortable life here. But you've barely set foot in the household and already two Shufei are trampling all over your dignity—who's going to respect you from here on out?! What kind of household is this?!"

Cefei Sun had been listening with a blank expression, but when the maid got more and more out of line, she finally spoke up to cut her off!

"Taoyao! You're getting way too out of hand!"

Taoyao immediately shut her mouth, lowering her head to wipe her tears. "I just can't stand to see you treated like this, Miss."

Back home, everyone doted on her—who would've dared to say a single disrespectful word?

But the moment she entered the Prince's household, she was being bullied left and right!

"The Princess is kind-hearted. The moment I arrived, she put me in charge of household affairs alongside Cefei Xie. All the other sisters have been nothing but polite and easy to get along with. Where exactly are there no rules?"

Cefei Sun reached out and wiped Taoyao's tears, gently instructing her, "Don't you ever talk about this household like that again!"

"Prince Jing's household has the Princess in charge. Even if one or two petty people scheme and play tricks, it's nothing more than trivial jealousy and rivalry. After all, this is a princely mansion—with this many people, how could there not be conflict? Our own household isn't exactly a picture of peace either."

"As for the other two mansions—Prince Wei's household is run by a Cefei, with countless Shufei and Cefei beneath her; in Prince An's household, the Princess is despised and lives like a widow, completely unable to control those beneath her, with the Cefei dominating and one Shufei monopolizing the Prince's favor... those two households truly have no rules at all."

It's all relative.

The Sun family wanted to hedge their bets in the succession struggle, so Cefei Sun was destined to marry one of the three princes.

Prince Jing respected the Princess. As long as the Princess stayed in power, someone at the top would keep order in Prince Jing's household, and life there wouldn't be hard.

As for the other two households—with no one at the top to keep order, Cefei and Shufei alike could fight for power, and no one would back down. That was the true sign of a household headed for disaster!

Taoyao wiped her tears and said softly, "I understand. It's just that I truly feel wronged on your behalf, Miss..."

Cefei Sun smiled gently. "Wronged? I don't feel wronged in the least."

"Looking at the situation now, Shufei Jiang and Shufei Hua are both vying for the Prince's favor."

"What happened yesterday might seem like Shufei Jiang slapped my face, but if you think about it, she's the one who got slapped when Shufei Hua snatched the Prince away mid-way."

"Given Shufei Jiang's temperament, she's probably already holding a grudge against Shufei Hua by now. Those two are going to have plenty of fights ahead."

Before entering the household, Cefei Sun had done her research and knew everyone's personality in Prince Jing's household.

Jiang Baobao was the type to stir up a storm out of nothing—how could she swallow the humiliation of having someone steal the Prince away?

And Shufei Hua, who was as soft as a steamed bun—could she survive the storm of Shufei Jiang's fury?!

Cefei Sun chuckled lightly. "This favor isn't so easy to win."

"The Prince is also a stickler for rules. Since he left Shufei Jiang's courtyard yesterday, it shows he won't tolerate the underhanded practice of using children to compete for favor. For whatever reason, he went to Qiufeng Courtyard and spent the night with Shufei Hua instead."

"Now that the Prince and Princess both know I've been wronged, they're bound to make it up to me in the future... If I had served the Prince from the very start, I doubt I'd have earned this guilt from him."

Cefei Sun lowered her eyes and said softly, "My mother once said that sometimes a man's guilt is far more useful than a man's love."

Taoyao was convinced, but still felt bad for her mistress. Just as she was about to say something to cheer her up, a servant came to announce.

"Miss, Shufei Hua from Qiufeng Courtyard has sent a maid over with a present."

A flicker of surprise passed through Cefei Sun's calm eyes. "Shufei Hua sent someone to bring me a gift?"

Taoyao's gaze sharpened. "Miss, could this Shufei Hua be coming to rub it in your face?"

Cefei Sun glanced at her. "I'll deal with whatever comes. What's there to be afraid of?"

But inwardly, she was confused.

Given Shufei Hua's temperament, she didn't seem like the type to show off.

Coming to rub it in—that was something only Shufei Jiang would do in the entire household.

Cefei Sun said, "Serve tea first. I'll be right there."

Taoyao asked in confusion, "Miss, she's just a maid. And Shufei Hua just made you lose face—why not make her wait a while, so everyone knows you're not a pushover?"

Cefei Sun looked at Taoyao. "Taoyao, we're in the Prince's household now, not our own house."

"From now on, the first thing you need to learn is to know our place in this household. Don't overstep your bounds."

Hearing this, Taoyao didn't dare act out anymore.

When Cefei Sun arrived at the main hall, she saw Zhiqiu, Huayu's personal maid, holding a box.

Zhiqiu bowed respectfully. "This servant Zhiqiu greets Cefei Sun."

Cefei Sun smiled. "Miss Zhiqiu is too kind. What business does Shufei Hua have sending you here?"

Zhiqiu lowered her head and spoke softly. "My mistress has come to apologize. Last night was Cefei Sun's special night, but the Prince, half-drunk, wandered into Qiufeng Courtyard and spent the night there... My mistress feels deeply guilty and sent me to deliver a gift as an apology to Cefei Sun."

"In the box is a fine bamboo-woven fan—only three were presented as tribute from the Sichuan region this year. My mistress received one and wanted to give it to Cefei Sun."

The maid's words were so sincere and humble that for a moment, Cefei Sun truly couldn't tell whether Huayu had sent someone to apologize or to mock and gloat.

Upon hearing this, Cefei Sun's wet nurse, Mama Du, flew into a rage. "Apologize? Is Shufei Hua deliberately trying to embarrass my young lady?!"

"If the Prince chose to stay in Shufei Hua's courtyard, that was the Prince's decision—what fault is Shufei Hua at? For her to come and apologize so deliberately—is she saying the Prince did something wrong?"

Zhiqiu instinctively replied, "How could that be?! The Prince is definitely not wrong!"

"Since the Prince is not wrong, then why is your mistress putting on such a hypocritical act?"