Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Young Madam had a kind disposition and spoke in a soft, gentle voice. She truly was as mild and detached as a chrysanthemum.

With a temperament like that, it was no wonder she could not keep the inner courtyard under control.

Aside from her personal maidservants, every servant in the courtyard acted as if their eyes were perched on top of their heads.

Whenever tasks were assigned, they dodged them if they could. If they really could not shirk their duties, they would bring up the fact that they were bondservants born into the household and use it as an excuse to hem and haw in every possible way.

How ridiculous. They were all servants. Did being born into servitude somehow make them superior?

Generations of slavery, and yet they had managed to develop a sense of superiority from it.

Young Madam seemed to have grown used to it and reacted with indifference.

Of course, it was also possible she simply had no way to deal with them.

Now that I had become a concubine, I naturally needed people to serve me.

Young Madam summoned me and said she wanted to buy two maidservants from outside to wait on me.

I refused.

Grinning, I pointed at two maidservants chatting idly in the outer courtyard.

“I think those two are just fine. Why not give them to me?”

The moment I entered the estate, I had already spotted them. Those two were the thorniest of all the troublemakers.

The look Young Madam gave me changed completely. It was as if her expression were saying:

“Brave warrior, how noble of you.”

That evening, the maidservants assigned to me finally arrived, long after they should have.

They curtsied with obvious reluctance, set down the basin of water, and turned to leave.

I sneered. “Stop right there!”

The two turned back to look at me, their faces drooping. “What orders does Concubine have?”

“Since you call me Concubine, you know I am a mistress, and you are servants.”

“Since you are servants, who exactly are you putting on airs for?”

They seemed to have heard something terribly amusing. One of them shot me a disdainful glance, the mockery in her eyes undisguised.

“My, what grand authority. Even Young Madam doesn’t dare do anything to us. A lowborn wench like you really thinks she’s a mistress now?”

I walked slowly forward. Under their contemptuous, scornful gazes, I raised my hand and delivered two crisp slaps.

The force was so heavy that it sent them staggering straight to the floor.

When it came to beating people, I remained as authoritative as ever.

They clutched their faces and stared at me in disbelief.

“You bitch! You actually dared to hit me?”

I pinched her chin and sneered. “Since you don’t know how to be a maidservant, I don’t mind teaching you.”

With that, I gave her two more slaps.

“You lunatic! Do you know whose people we are?”

I raised my hand. “Why would I care whose people you are?”

Seeing that I was about to strike again, they scrambled and rolled their way out.

I knew they were off to complain.

Young Madam did not open her door. She merely had a nanny pass along a message.

“Since they are people in Concubine Zhou’s courtyard, they should simply obey her orders.”

Seeing that they could gain no advantage from Young Madam, the two refused to leave. Instead, they caused a huge commotion at the door.

Only when it was clear the matter would not end peacefully did I stroll over at my own leisure.

Holding a handful of melon seeds, I leaned against the doorframe and said to the nanny with a grin:

“These two don’t seem like they’re here to be maidservants. Since they won’t obey my orders, just send them away.”

When the nanny heard this, her cloudy old eyes instantly brightened. She had long found those two unbearable.

Unfortunately, her own mistress had the temperament of a clay figurine.

She immediately gave the order in a rush.

The prettier maidservant in yellow shot to her feet. “I’d like to see who dares. I was sent here by the Mistress of the House!”

The servants below immediately hesitated. After all, none of them wanted to offend a maidservant who had once served the Mistress of the House just for the sake of a concubine.

When it came down to it, this household was ultimately still managed by the Mistress of the House, not the Eldest Young Madam.

Just as the standoff continued, a figure stepped into the courtyard.

The two maidservants seemed to have found their pillar of support. Crying, they threw themselves toward the newcomer.

“Eldest Young Master, you must save us!”

“The newly arrived Concubine Zhou is deliberately using us to establish her authority, and now she even wants to drive us away!”