A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 33

Qi Bao was still groggy from a night of drinking at a brothel. A servant from the estate had run over and told him a bunch of things. After listening for a while, Qi Bao had come to his own conclusion: some troublemakers had come to his estate, Mama Rou couldn’t handle them, and now she was asking him to get back their dignity.

“How useless,” Qi Bao said, rubbing his temples, a look of frustration on his face. He was annoyed that he had to deal with such a small matter that was ruining his sleep.

Qi Bao’s carriage went straight to the back entrance. His two servants were just as arrogant as he was. They didn’t even turn their heads when they saw a carriage at the gate and sped past it.

Cui Cui, who had just gotten out of the carriage to get a stool for the princess, was shocked.

Chao Mu heard the sound and pulled back the curtain to look outside. “Is that A’Zhi?”

“No,” Cui Cui said, helping Chao Mu get down. “It looked like a carriage from the estate. It went straight to the back entrance. The driver was so arrogant, speeding through the gates without a care in the world.”

“If even the driver is that reckless, then A’Zhi must be having a hard time, right?” Cui Cui was worried, but then she sighed in relief. “It’s a good thing you came, Princess. With you here to support her, she won’t be bullied!” A’Zhi might be capable, but she had never left the manor or dealt with people like this. Cui Cui was afraid she couldn’t handle it.

Chao Mu looked at Cui Cui. You still don’t understand A’Zhi, she thought. But on the outside, she agreed. She even nodded and leaned in to whisper to Cui Cui, “Remember to tell A’Zhi about this later. Tell her they didn’t respect me at all.”

“Huh? Tell on them?” Cui Cui was confused. Weren’t they here to help A’Zhi? Why was the princess telling on them?

When they arrived at the main gate of the estate, Cui Cui showed the Qi manor’s token, and Chao Mu lifted her skirts and walked in.

“Who’s that?” Qi Bao had entered the main hall and saw A’Zhi standing at the entrance. He walked toward her, and the smell of alcohol hit her. He looked her up and down, his eyes filled with impatience. “Who are you? Where’s Mama Rou?” he yelled. “When did the manor get a new maid?”

Inside, Mama Rou heard his voice and tried to stand up. But before she could, Chen Cheng grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back down. Mama Rou glared at Chen Cheng, then stretched her neck to look out and shouted, “Young Master! My young master! You’re finally back! If you had come any later, you might not have seen me again!”

“Mama Rou?” Qi Bao finally noticed Mama Rou in the corner. When he saw the two handprints on her face and her messy hair, half of his drunkenness disappeared. His eyes widened in shock. “What happened to you?”

He was furious. He ran past A’Zhi and into the hall, grabbing Chen Cheng by the collar. “Who are you to lay a hand on my Mama Rou? Do you know who she is? She’s my mother’s distant cousin. Do you know who my mother is? Do you know who my father is?”

Chen Cheng…

As Qi Bao charged forward, two of the Qi manor’s “servants” grabbed him by the arms, stopping him. The two servants Qi Bao had brought with him were stopped at the entrance and couldn’t even enter. Chen Cheng fixed his collar and said with a smile, “Young Master Qi? What family are you from? I’ve been in the capital for a while, and I’ve never heard of you.”

“If you haven’t heard of the Qi manor, what right do you have to say you’re from the capital?” Qi Bao scoffed. He pointed at Chen Cheng and the two “servants.” “You’ve heard of General Qi’s manor, right? I advise you to be careful with your hands and be respectful to me, or I won’t let you get away with this.”

Chen Cheng thought that if the Qi family had a bad reputation, it was probably Qi Bao’s fault.

“Young Master,” Mama Rou said. She saw the look on Qi Bao’s face and knew that the servant had not explained everything clearly. These useless people! She was so anxious. “These people are from the Qi manor. The princess sent them to audit the estate.” She motioned to the door. “That girl at the door beat me and tied me up when I refused to cooperate. Now they have all the ledgers. That boy is just a lackey. That girl outside is the one in charge.”

Qi Bao looked at Chen Cheng, and then he looked at A’Zhi, who was standing at the door. “Huh?” he asked. Did I get the wrong person?

Mama Rou was speechless. Her plan was to have Qi Bao control A’Zhi and then send someone to the manor to inform Steward Qi so he could deal with the situation. Mama Rou had planned it all out, but she never expected A’Zhi to be so difficult and to bring guards with her. Seeing Qi Bao’s incompetence, Mama Rou knew her first step had failed. And when she found out Chao Mu was here, she knew her second step had also failed. Mama Rou felt a wave of despair, but she truly cared for Qi Bao. All she wanted was for him to avoid being beaten, so she quickly told him everything.

“So what if she wants to audit the accounts? Every estate has a little extra money,” Qi Bao said, as if it was no big deal. He had clearly seen it happen before, or maybe in his mind, it was normal to pocket money. “I can’t believe the princess would be so petty as to send someone to audit the accounts for such a small amount of money.” He turned to leave. “Mama, wait here. I’ll send a message to my father right away.” Qi Bao rolled up his sleeves and shouted, “This maid is so arrogant. I’ll teach her a lesson for you.”

A’Zhi hadn’t seen Chao Mu yet. She turned to look behind her, her eyes cold. “Since when is a butler’s son a young master of the Qi manor?” she said. “Chen Cheng, take him down. We’ll deal with him when the princess arrives.”

“Yes,” Chen Cheng replied.

“What are you doing? What are you doing? My father is Qi Shilei! Have you heard of Qi Shilei? He’s the butler of General Qi’s manor. He’s a relative of the general! Let me go, you… oof.” Qi Bao was too loud. Chen Cheng stuffed a piece of cloth into his mouth, and it was quiet again.

A’Zhi looked at Qi Bao. He was tied up and still struggling. She shook her head. It was clear that Qi Bao had been spoiled. The word “master” was not in his vocabulary. Or maybe it was that the Qi manor had been without a master for too long, to the point that fifteen-year-old Qi Bao thought the Qi manor was his home and that he was the young master everyone should respect.

“A’Zhi~”

Hearing the voice, A’Zhi turned to see Chao Mu walking toward her, a smile on her face. Chao Mu was wearing a mauve dress. With each step, her skirt fluttered, and she was as light and harmless as a sweet plum pastry on a spring afternoon.

A’Zhi’s expression softened. She walked down the steps to greet her, her hands clasped in front of her. “Princess,” she said, bowing her head. A’Zhi glanced at Cui Cui, asking with her eyes how the little princess had done on her exam. Cui Cui’s eyes widened. She understood A’Zhi’s question and nodded with a look of relief. She passed! She did great! Cui Cui gave a thumbs-up.

A’Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the little princess hadn’t come for comfort. She must have come to gloat. As the princess’s personal head maid, it was her duty to satisfy her needs. She would praise her and make her feel good.

“Congratulations on passing the Imperial Academy exam, Princess.” A’Zhi was actually quite confused about how she had passed. Was it because of her title as princess? Was the exam just a formality, and as long as she showed up, it didn’t matter how she did?

Chao Mu slowly blinked. “How did you know I passed, A’Zhi?” She turned to look at Cui Cui, who looked down at her shoes.

“The princess is so smart. You’ll pass every exam you take,” A’Zhi said, flattering her. The first half was true, but the second half was questionable.

“Cui Cui, tell A’Zhi about my exam,” Chao Mu said, lifting her skirts and walking into the main hall. She didn’t even glance at Mama Rou or Qi Bao. She went straight to the main seat and waited for a compliment.

Cui Cui said to A’Zhi, “The princess memorized all of the Four Books for Women. She was so fluent and her etiquette was perfect. Even the old lady sent by the Noble Consort couldn’t say a bad word.” She was so proud, her eyes sparkling.

Chao Mu’s dewy eyes also sparkled. She held her head high, her expression screaming for a compliment. The tip of her tail was wagging in the air. A’Zhi had to purse her lips to hold back a laugh. She took a new teacup, filled it with warm water, and handed it to Chao Mu. “You’re amazing, Princess.”

“Right? Right?” Chao Mu’s dimples appeared. She took the cup with both hands. “Your princess is so clever.”

A’Zhi knew that. The princess was not only clever, but she also had a black heart. She had secretly memorized all of the Four Books for Women but pretended she was struggling in front of A’Zhi to get her to feel bad for her. A’Zhi straightened her back. Not to be outdone, she said, “Princess, look, my audit isn’t bad either.” With one go, she had caught two fat fish. She gestured for Chao Mu to look at Mama Rou and Qi Bao.

Chen Cheng was very quick to act. He held up the ledger, which was mostly done, and handed it to the princess.

Chao Mu took it with one hand and looked through it.

Cui Cui took the opportunity to whisper to A’Zhi, “We were so worried about you. We thought you couldn’t handle it. The princess wanted to find you as soon as she left the Imperial Academy, but she didn’t know which estate you were at.” Her eyes lit up. “It’s a good thing when we arrived at the manor, we saw a servant talking to Zhi Yuan and learned you were at the east suburb estate, so we came here.”

Mama Rou’s face twisted. She had failed to summon Steward Qi, but she had managed to bring the princess here for A’Zhi. What kind of karma was this?

Qi Bao also glared at Mama Rou. His eyes widened. So you were the one who brought them here! he thought. An errand woman like A’Zhi would have been easy to deal with, and no one would get killed, but the princess herself was a different story. She had the power to kill people.

Cui Cui completely ignored them. She gave A’Zhi a thumbs-up. “A’Zhi, you’re amazing! You’ve already handled them.”

A’Zhi smiled politely. “It’s a small matter, not worth mentioning.”

“They’ve stolen so much,” Chao Mu said, handing the ledger back to A’Zhi. “Take a look.” A’Zhi had already looked at it, but she took it and looked at Mama Rou and Qi Bao again.

Qi Bao’s mouth was covered, and he could only glare and mumble. Mama Rou’s face twitched. She gritted her teeth and said, “Princess, these accounts were all my doing. They have nothing to do with the young master… with the manager, or with Steward Qi.” She thought the princess looked soft, not like that wicked girl A’Zhi. She struggled to ask for mercy and take all the blame herself. Mama Rou was desperate to get Qi Bao out of this mess. “Princess, everything was my idea. If you don’t believe me, ask anyone on the estate. Everyone knows that the young manager doesn’t handle money. I was blinded by greed, so I stole all this money. It’s all my fault.”

What a loyal servant.

Chao Mu pursed her lips and looked at A’Zhi. A’Zhi looked back, confused, then suddenly understood. “Princess, you must be hungry. Please sit and eat something. I’ll take care of the rest. We’ll go back to the manor after I’m done.”

“Okay,” Chao Mu said. They couldn’t go back to the city to eat, so they had to eat here. A’Zhi told the servants to prepare a meal. Then, the servants brought out dried sweet potatoes for Chao Mu. Chao Mu picked up a piece, sat down, and ate quietly, her eyes on A’Zhi.

A’Zhi took two steps forward and threw the ledger at Mama Rou’s feet. “Do you know what kind of crime stealing this much money is?”

Mama Rou didn’t know, but she thought it would be just a beating. As long as she endured it, Steward Qi would come to save her.

A’Zhi sneered. She reached out and pulled the cloth from Qi Bao’s mouth. She looked at Mama Rou. “You’ve stolen almost ten thousand taels of silver this year alone. That’s a crime punishable by death.” A’Zhi added, “You’re a nanny hired by Qi Shilei, so your indenture isn’t with the Qi family. But you work on the estate, and you’re the accountant. By law, you deserve to be executed.”

Qi Bao immediately started shouting. “Mama Rou!” He glared at A’Zhi. “The princess hasn’t said a word! Who are you to sentence Mama Rou to death?”

Chao Mu didn’t even look up. She chose a nice piece of dried sweet potato from the plate and said softly, “A’Zhi.”

A’Zhi understood. She slapped Qi Bao.

Qi Bao was shocked. He had never been hit by a girl before. He was so angry that he started to struggle. He had never been humiliated like this. No matter how much he thrashed, the two “servants” held him down like a little chick.

A’Zhi was quick. As Qi Bao struggled, she used the same piece of cloth to stuff his mouth, preventing him from saying anything to offend the little princess. A’Zhi was used to hearing such language, but she instinctively didn’t want the little princess to hear it.

Chao Mu finally smiled and took a bite of her dried sweet potato. She asked innocently, “Who do you think you are to yell at my A’Zhi?”

Mama Rou saw that the princess was protecting A’Zhi and felt a chill. She looked at Qi Bao with sympathy, tears welling up in her eyes. “Don’t touch him. It’s all my fault. I did all the accounting. Just kill me instead.”

“Mama Rou, don’t confess. My father will come and save us,” Qi Bao said now that his mouth was free. “Princess, Princess, my father is Qi Shilei. He’s the butler of General Qi’s manor. He’s a relative of the general!”

“The princess is a relative of the general, too,” Cui Cui said, blocking Qi Bao’s words. Cui Cui saw Chao Mu wink at her and immediately remembered to tell on him. She pointed at Qi Bao. “He’s the one. He’s so arrogant. He drove his carriage past us… past the princess and almost hit her!”

Chao Mu took a bite of her dried sweet potato and nodded. “Yes, yes.” She thought to herself, It’s a good thing I didn’t get out of the carriage. Otherwise, he would have passed right by me. He might have hit me.

A’Zhi’s face was cold. She picked up the ledger from the ground and hit Qi Bao’s face with it again. “You’re asking for death.”

“Mama Rou stole money, and the third manager was complicit. They are both guilty,” A’Zhi said. “Take them to the capital’s magistrate’s office. The authorities will deal with them fairly.”

“And this ledger,” A’Zhi said, looking at the trembling accountant. She handed it to him. “Make a copy for Steward Qi to see. The original will be sent to the magistrate’s office with these two.” They had stolen so much money this year alone. If they went further back, they would find more. And the ledger didn’t only involve this one estate. It also involved the entire Qi family. They would need to find out where the money from the east suburb estate had gone. This was not something Mama Rou could fix by taking the blame. The more loyal Mama Rou was, the more confident A’Zhi was. Her loyalty showed that she hadn’t kept all the money for herself. She would have given it to Steward Qi. If she had been selfish and stolen all of it, A’Zhi would have been worried about not having enough evidence against Steward Qi.

As she watched the guards take Mama Rou and Qi Bao away, A’Zhi felt as if her indenture was getting closer to her. In three days, there would be a good show at the Qi manor.

“A’Zhi,” Chao Mu called. A’Zhi turned to see Chao Mu holding out a piece of dried sweet potato. “A reward~”

A’Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Princess, you’re giving me a reward from your own mouth. I’m so touched.”

Chao Mu huffed. “This is the most beautiful piece. I saved it for you.”

“Then I’m even more touched.” A’Zhi said, her face expressionless as she took a bite.

Chao Mu huffed again.

Chao Mu gave the other plate of sweet potatoes to Cui Cui, motioning for her and Chen Cheng to share. Then she asked A’Zhi, “What are we eating for lunch?”

A’Zhi didn’t know, but she guessed it would be something like stewed pork and cabbage. Chao Mu patted the empty chair next to her, gesturing for A’Zhi to sit down. Maybe it was because they were not in the Qi manor, and they were surrounded by people they could trust. A’Zhi sat down next to the princess. “Mama Rou said they have pickles. At this time of year, it’s probably cabbage and radish.”

“Maybe there’s some cured meat,” A’Zhi said, feeling relaxed. She pushed the plate of dried sweet potatoes toward Chao Mu. “You grew up in the south, Princess, so you probably haven’t had these northern dishes. You can try them later.” Mama Rou was clearly from the north, and it was a northern custom to make pickles and cured meat for winter. The cured meat that was supposed to go to Steward Qi and his wife was going to end up in their stomachs.

“If you like it, eat more. If not, eat less. After lunch, you can have Cui Cui take you back to the manor and have the cook make you something else,” A’Zhi said. She was going to continue her audit that afternoon. She wouldn’t audit just one estate. Since she had already disturbed the nest, she might as well catch all the snakes and get rid of the problem once and for all.

A’Zhi figured she would be busy for the next two days, so Cui Cui would have to take over for her. She was intentionally giving Cui Cui more responsibility so that when she got her indenture and left, the little princess would have someone to rely on. 

Originally, she had to find a reason for Cui Cui to take her place, but now, with the audits, she didn’t have to make up an excuse. A’Zhi felt like everything was falling into place for her departure. It was almost too smooth.

As A’Zhi was talking, Chao Mu took small bites of her dried sweet potato, not saying anything. When A’Zhi was done, she looked at her and said obediently, “Okay.” She smiled at A’Zhi, her dimples showing. “I’ll do whatever A’Zhi says.”

Their master-servant relationship had been completely reversed. The little princess was so soft and squishy, and her cheeks moved as she ate. A’Zhi couldn’t help but want to poke her.

“Lunch is almost ready,” a servant said.

“Lunch is ready,” A’Zhi said happily. She told Chao Mu, “I’ll have a table brought over. We’ll eat in the main hall.” She got up and left to prepare. Chao Mu stayed in the hall, waiting.

Chao Mu finished her sweet potato. “Cui Cui, are the sweet potatoes sweet?”

Cui Cui, who was serving her, nodded. “Yes, they are. Not the kind with sugar on them. They’re naturally sweet.” Mama Rou was a good cook. Her sweet potatoes were better than the ones sold outside.

Chao Mu wiped her fingers with a napkin. “But they don’t taste sweet to me,” she said in a small voice.

She looked out at A’Zhi, who was standing on the steps. Chao Mu felt as if she was about to fly away. “Cui Cui,” Chao Mu said softly, “I miss A’Zhi already.”