A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 20

A’Zhi pulled her gaze away from Chao Mu’s sweet dimples and looked at Xiao Que. Xiao Que was kneeling in front of Liang Youyun, desperately trying to get her to remember who she was.

This sudden scene brought everyone to a halt. They all stopped to watch. “Who is that? Why is a maid suddenly rushing out?”

“Whose maid is that? Let’s find out what’s going on.”

“She’s probably crazy, ugh, so creepy.”

Chu Qingqiu frowned, shielding Liang Youyun with one hand. She turned to her and said, “Let’s find someone to take her away. We don’t want her to startle people and cause a scene.”

Liang Youyun didn’t look at Xiao Que. She just nodded to Chu Qingqiu. “You’re right. Let’s have her taken away and question her to find out what’s happening.”

The people around them agreed. “Exactly! “Please escort this maid out of here.”

“Are there any servants in the estate? Call for two of them.”

Even though they were at the Qi Estate and the host was Princess Chao Mu, everyone was chattering, openly and secretly following the lead of Liang Youyun and Chu Qingqiu, without even thinking to ask Chao Mu for her opinion.

From their late arrival to their subtle targeting of Miss Chen, and now to the guests giving orders in place of the host, A’Zhi was increasingly intrigued by the seventeen-year-old Liang Youyun. She did nothing obviously wrong and was even able to distance herself from any wrongdoing, but to A’Zhi’s eyes, she could see every step and every subtle trick Liang Youyun was employing.

Liang Youyun didn’t like Chao Mu; in fact, she hated her. A’Zhi wondered to herself, how could anyone hate a little sweet pastry?

Just as a servant was about to come, A’Zhi called out.

“Wait.”

A’Zhi folded her hands and held them to her abdomen. She took a step forward, standing in front of everyone with a straight back and giving a slight curtsy to the noblewomen. “My name is A’Zhi, the head maid of Princess Fu Jia. I am in charge of all matters and personnel in the Xiangyang Courtyard.”

A’Zhi looked down at the crying Xiao Que kneeling at her feet and said in a steady voice, “This maid is Xiao Que, who serves in the princess’s courtyard. She is usually very obedient, and the princess is very fond of her.”

Xiao Que’s crying stopped. She turned her head in surprise and looked up at A’Zhi. “Huh?” Was A’Zhi out of her mind? The princess was very fond of her?

The others were also confused. If the princess was so fond of her, why were A’Zhi and Cui Cui the ones running around, and not Xiao Que?

Chao Mu, who had been watching A’Zhi lie without batting an eye, now saw everyone looking at her. She gave a gentle smile and nodded in agreement. “That’s right.”

Xiao Que was even more confused. “Ah?”

A’Zhi ignored her and continued, “It was truly wrong of Xiao Que to rush out and disturb all of you today. The Qi Estate and my mistress will naturally give you all an explanation.” A’Zhi continued, “If we take her away and punish her now, and the punishment is too light, people will say the princess is biased and the Qi Estate is poorly managed. If the punishment is too heavy, the princess will feel distressed.”

Chao Mu, “…?”

“Therefore,” A’Zhi raised her voice and curtsied to the crowd again. “Could you all please spare a moment to hear what this maid has to say? That way, we can determine a suitable punishment.”

Someone began to nod. “That’s true. Since she’s a maid from the Qi Estate, why is she kneeling in front of Miss Liang? Is there some kind of misunderstanding?”

“Exactly. It can’t hurt to listen to her.”

“Miss Chu, your tutor can wait for a few minutes. Let’s just hear what this maid has to say.”

Chu Qingqiu didn’t want to stay, but with everyone looking at her, she couldn’t leave. She withdrew her arm from in front of Liang Youyun and looked at Xiao Que, frowning. “Tell us, why are you kneeling before A’yun?”

Liang Youyun also looked confused, but she said, “We shouldn’t let a servant hold everyone up for so long…” She looked at Chao Mu and said softly, “A’mu, why don’t you handle this privately? There’s no need to make a scene.”

Chao Mu thought for a moment and slowly shook her head, her voice soft and gentle, a true trait of the little sweet pastry. “Xiao Que is a maid from my courtyard, and you are all my esteemed guests. If there is something to be said, it’s better to be clear about it in front of everyone.”

Liang Youyun smiled, about to speak again, when Chen Yue, who was watching the show and munching on sunflower seeds, immediately cut in, “Exactly! Just ask her. It won’t take long. And even Chu Qingqiu, who is in a hurry, agreed. Why are you still trying to stop us, A’yun?”

The gentle smile on Liang Youyun’s face stiffened for a moment. “I’m not stopping anyone.” She then looked down at Xiao Que. “Tell me, what are you kneeling for?”

Xiao Que was stunned. “My Lady, don’t you remember me? I’m Xiao Que.” She didn’t care about the situation. She only knew that if she missed this chance, there wouldn’t be another one. She had to fight for herself.

“I used to serve in the young master’s study at the Duke’s estate. You even praised me for being ‘as lively as a sparrow.’ How could you not remember me?” Xiao Que’s eyes were filled with tears.

Liang Youyun thought back for a moment, and her face showed a hint of surprise. “Oh, so it’s Xiao Que! I almost didn’t recognize you. Get up quickly. My mother said you went back to your hometown. How did you end up at the Qi Estate?” Everyone understood. Oh, so it was an old servant meeting her former mistress, which led to this big misunderstanding.

As Liang Youyun reached out to help Xiao Que up, she smiled and said to the others, “She’s a maid from my family. She must have been very happy to see me today and rushed over without thinking. Come, Xiao Que, get up and talk.”

But Xiao Que kept shaking her head. “My Lady, save me! I want to go back to the Duke’s estate. Madam lied. I didn’t go back to my hometown; she sold me. Steward Qi bought me, and that’s how I came to the Qi Estate.” Xiao Que’s face was covered in tears as she reached for the hand Liang Youyun had offered.

But Liang Youyun pulled her arm back. She looked down at Xiao Que from above, a look of disapproval on her face. “Since you’ve been sold to the Qi Estate, you should do your job well here. Why are you still thinking about going back to the Liang Estate?” She was just shy of explicitly asking, “Is the Qi Estate abusing you?”

Chao Mu and A’Zhi’s expressions were calm and composed. The mistress and maid stood together, listening quietly.

To everyone’s shock, Xiao Que then dropped a bombshell. “I want to go back to the young master. I want to go back and serve the young master.”

“…”

The scene went silent for a moment. Even the sound of Chen Yue’s sunflower seeds stopped. Everyone’s eyes subtly fell on Chu Qingqiu. Who didn’t know that the Duke of Liang’s young master, Liang You’an, was going to marry Chu Qingqiu, the daughter of the Crown Prince’s Imperial Tutor?

Chu Qingqiu’s face turned dark. In this situation, she couldn’t say a single word. She was so angry that she was trembling.

Liang Youyun looked at Xiao Que, her voice turning cold. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m not talking nonsense,” Xiao Que cried from the ground. “The young master said he would make me his concubine. He told me to wait and that he would let me in the house eventually, but Madam sold me while he was away, using a random excuse.” Xiao Que’s tear-filled eyes looked at Chu Qingqiu, and she shifted to kneel in front of her instead. “Please have mercy, Miss Chu. Please let me in the family.”

“I… I don’t need to be a secondary wife. I’ll be fine as a concubine. If not, I can just be a bed warmer. I promise to be obedient and listen to you. Please, Miss Chu, have mercy and allow me to stay.”

Chu Qingqiu’s already cold face became even colder. Her lips were a thin line, and she couldn’t say a word; she was so furious.

Liang Youyun seemed surprised and didn’t immediately respond. But Chu Qingqiu knew her best. Liang Youyun’s lack of immediate denial indicated that what Xiao Que was saying was true. Liang You’an had indeed been intimate with this maid.

Realizing this, Chu Qingqiu’s face turned pale. She quietly pulled back the arm that had been close to Liang Youyun, feeling a chill run from her arm to her heart. The Liang family had kept this a tight secret, and she hadn’t known a thing.

The atmosphere grew tense. A’Zhi saw her chance and stepped in to “help” Liang and Chu out of their predicament. She asked Xiao Que, “From what you’re saying, you’ve had a physical relationship with the young master? He is the son of the Duke. If you make accusations without proof, you’ll be whipped.”

Xiao Que shook her head. “I’m not lying. The young master said he would let me in, so I agreed to be with him. He… he has a red mole on his collarbone. I remember it clearly. If you don’t believe me, ask Miss Liang if I’m lying. If that’s not enough, I’m willing to confront the young master myself.” Xiao Que was just short of swearing to heaven.

Her attitude and the proof she offered were enough for everyone to believe her, but no one dared to say it. First, because Chu Qingqiu was right there. Second, because Liang Youyun was so angry that her hands were shaking, and she actually raised her hand to hit Xiao Que!

Shut up, just shut up!

Liang Youyun knew all about Xiao Que and her brother’s affair. It was her idea to suggest to her mother that they sell Xiao Que. She had told her mother that the new sister-in-law’s family was high-ranking and would be a great help to the Duke’s estate. To make the new sister-in-law feel secure in her new home, they needed to get rid of all the women her brother was fooling around with. Liang You’an was a flirtatious person, and Xiao Que was not the only one he had been intimate with, so the Duke’s estate had quietly sold five maids at the time.

Liang Youyun had thought she had covered all her bases, but she never expected to run into Xiao Que at the Qi Estate. Why was this cheap maid still in the capital? She was supposed to have been sold off to some other place!

Now, with Xiao Que revealing all this in front of so many noblewomen, the Liang family’s reputation was completely ruined! Especially with Chu Qingqiu present, their marriage might even be called off. How could Liang Youyun stay calm? She wished she could kill Xiao Que!

Seeing Xiao Que mention the mole on Liang You’an’s shoulder and offer to confront him, Liang Youyun’s bl00d rushed to her head. In a moment of impulse, she raised her hand to hit Xiao Que. “You vile slave, shut up!”

Her words were completely contrary to the image she had always maintained in public. Everyone froze, not knowing how to react. Chu Qingqiu was especially stunned, turning to look at the person next to her as if she were a stranger.

A’Zhi stepped forward and grabbed Liang Youyun’s raised wrist. She advised, “Miss Liang, Xiao Que is now a person of the Qi Estate.”

Even when hitting a dog, you have to look at the owner. What did Liang Youyun think she was doing, trying to hit Xiao Que in front of the little princess?

Liang Youyun struggled. “Let go!”

A’Zhi immediately let go, but at this point, the Liang family’s two maids reached out to grab A’Zhi’s arms, trying to shove her. “You vile slave, let go of my mistress! Who do you think you are to stop the daughter of the Duke?”

Chen Yue saw the maids fighting and, afraid that A’Zhi would be at a disadvantage, discreetly signaled her own maid to help. Before the Chen family maid could even roll up her sleeves, a loud slap rang out.

SMACK!

A’Zhi slapped both of them. She coldly rebuked them, “Such vile language is an insult to our masters’ ears.” How dare they call someone a “vile slave”?

Chen Yue and her maid, “…?” The maid looked at Chen Yue, bewildered, as if to ask, “My Lady, do we still need to help? Who did you say was at a disadvantage?”

Chen Yue, “…” The level of fighting prowess was completely unexpected.

The Liang family maids were shocked into silence. Liang Youyun was also stunned. “You—” As the daughter of the Duke, a distinguished mistress, if she spoke, the meaning of the matter would change completely. What had happened before could be passed off as a quarrel between maids, but if Liang Youyun chastised her, it would be a mistress scolding a subordinate.

Chao Mu stepped forward at the right time, taking A’Zhi’s wrist and pulling her behind her to shield her from Liang Youyun. She immediately defended her. “You can’t blame A’Zhi.”

A’Zhi lowered her eyes to her shoes, her gaze slowly moved from the tip of her shoes to the little sweet pastry’s goose-yellow skirt.

Chao Mu blinked her watery almond eyes and looked at the two maids from the Liang family, who were clutching their faces, their eyes filled with resentment and defiance. “A’Zhi was only stopping Miss Liang, worried she would hurt herself. What were you two doing?” she asked. “Who are you to touch my head maid?”

“She was the one who—” one of the Liang maids said defiantly, pointing at A’Zhi. She fell straight into the trap.

Chao Mu gave her a look and said in a soft voice, “A’Zhi.”

A’Zhi lowered her eyes and curtsied. “Yes.”

Chao Mu said, “Slap her. Teach her some manners and let her know she has no right to interrupt when the mistress is speaking.”

A’Zhi slowly lifted her face. “Yes.”