A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 5

Dr. Xu checked her pulse, then gently untied the gauze on A’Zhi’s head. “This one’s soaked through,” he said. “I’ll clean the wound and rewrap it with a fresh bandage.”

He reminded her, “Keep the area dry. Once it scabs over in a couple of days, I’ll come back to change the dressing.”

The medicine A’Zhi had taken at noon was for tetanus prevention.

“Will it leave a scar?” Chao Mu asked, glancing at the physician.

Dr. Xu examined the wound more closely before giving them both a reassuring answer. “It shouldn’t.”

First, A’Zhi was still young and had delicate skin. It was unlikely to scar badly. Second, the wound was near the scalp, and once the hair grew back in, it would naturally cover it. And third—most importantly—the young princess had spared no expense, procuring top-tier scar-healing ointment. With all that, a scar was highly unlikely.

A’Zhi reached up, instinctively wanting to touch the bandaged spot, her gaze drifting toward her reflection. Noticing this, Chao Mu stood up and fetched a bronze mirror, holding it up in front of her.

The polished surface was clear as still water, reflecting A’Zhi’s youthful, delicate features.

She looked into the mirror as Dr. Xu carefully applied the medicine and wrapped her head with clean gauze again. The wound itself wasn’t large, but the process stung a bit.

A’Zhi pressed her lips together, frowning slightly.

Chao Mu handed the mirror to her. As A’Zhi held it and stared at her forehead, she wasn’t worried about her appearance being ruined. What she was really pondering was how she might leverage this head injury into some advantage.

But to the young princess watching her quietly from the side, A’Zhi’s solemn, contemplative expression said something else entirely:

She must be really upset about the scar.

“All done,” Dr. Xu said, stepping away from the bedside.

“A’Zhi, stay seated. I’ll walk Dr. Xu out.” Chao Mu rose and followed him outside.

They were nearly in the center of the courtyard when she finally asked, “She’ll be alright, won’t she?”

The physician, with his medicine box slung over one shoulder, smiled. “The young mistress is kind-hearted. That little maid will be just fine.”

No fever so far and no signs of tetanus. As long as she drank her medicine on schedule and kept the wound dry, there shouldn’t be any trouble.

He’d told the young princess earlier that she could summon him again if anything went wrong in the afternoon. But after checking in, he found A’Zhi’s condition stable and only changed the dressing to ease the princess’s concern.

Though… that concern didn’t seem to be fully eased.

Chao Mu glanced back toward the room. A faint shadow of worry lingered on her pale, delicate face. But she quickly lowered her lashes, hiding the unease, and said softly, “Good to hear.”

Doctors could only tend to physical ailments—sudden shifts in temperament after waking up were harder to explain.

Once the young princess left with the doctor, A’Zhi changed back into her own clothes, neatened the bedding, and folded the quilt with practiced care. By the time Chao Mu returned, she was already sitting on the bed, her shoes the only thing she hadn’t put back on.

Chao Mu blinked. “You’re up already? ”

A’Zhi rose and bowed deeply. “This servant’s injury isn’t serious. Iit won’t hinder my duties. It wouldn’t be proper for me to continue sleeping in the young mistress’s bed.”

Maids had their own quarters. Apart from the night shift, only the head maid had the right to stay overnight in the young lady’s room.

“But you do seem to like my bed and pillows,” Chao Mu mused, her bright eyes twinkling. “Well then, I suppose I’ll give you the whole set.”

“…?”

When A’Zhi walked out of the young princess’s quarters, she had a bundle in her arms: Chao Mu’s full bedding set. Her expression was oddly dazed.

She had received all kinds of gifts before—valuable, cheap, rare, and common. But this was her first time being rewarded with… literal bed items.

She stared at the bundle and had a sneaking suspicion: Was the young mistress giving them to her just because she had already slept on them?

Wait—was there drool on the pillow?!

A’Zhi wrinkled her nose and sniffed.

It carried a faint, warm fragrance—calming and gentle, like basking in winter sunlight. Comforting. The same scent clung to Chao Mu’s cloak. The scent of a sweet little cake of a girl.

A’Zhi felt her cheeks grow inexplicably warm and instinctively tilted her face up, letting the evening breeze cool her down.

Behind the young mistress’s courtyard was the area where the servant girls lived.

There were quite a few maids and older servants in the manor, so of course they didn’t get private rooms. Girls like A’Zhi typically shared with three others.

By chance or misfortune, she had been assigned to a room with Xiao Yan and Xiao Que. The fourth roommate was Cui Cui, a round-eyed, timid little girl who served in the front hall.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Que had such overbearing personalities that A’Zhi and Cui Cui were practically invisible, reduced to mute shadows under their presence.

Especially Xiao Que; she wouldn’t even fetch her own foot bath, expecting the others to do it for her. Same rank, but she acted like she was head maid already.

******

That evening, Xiao Yan and Xiao Que weren’t on duty. They had snuck back during dinner to loaf around. Just that morning, they had been at each other’s throats, but now they sat side by side like best friends, laughing over their bowls at the little table.

When A’Zhi pushed open the door and stepped inside, both girls turned to look at her. The laughter cut off like a knife, and silence fell over the room as if the sound had never existed.

The two watched as A’Zhi walked in and began making her bed. The two of them exchanging glances.

Xiao Yan spoke first, her already sharp voice laced with sarcasm. “Well, well, if it isn’t A’Zhi. Back to sleep here, huh? But I thought head maids get to stay in the young mistress’s room? Didn’t you save her? Guess that still wasn’t enough to get promoted, huh?”

Xiao Que stifled a giggle behind her bowl. She didn’t have Xiao Yan’s venomous tongue, but she enjoyed the show.

A’Zhi had strutted around earlier like she was someone special. But now, she was sent back to the servant quarters. 

The way they looked at her now was like those poor court ladies who failed to win the Emperor’s favor—pity, mockery, contempt.

“Gave everything, got nothing. What a fool low-born and delusional, thinking she could soar.”

A’Zhi: “…”

For a moment, she had no words.

She had seen this exact scene before, and she never imagined that one day she would be cast in it herself, like some discarded concubine spurned by her royal lover.

What nonsense. Her relationship with the young mistress was pure and proper—and now Xiao Yan had twisted it into something sleazy.

A’Zhi gave her pillow a sharp fluff, deliberately loud.

It worked. She had their full attention.

“Hey, what’s your problem? ” Xiao Que said, covering her nose in disgust. “Can’t you see we’re eating?”

They hadn’t paid much attention when she came in with the brightly colored bundle. All they saw was that she had been sent back with no promotion. But now that they looked more closely…

“That’s the young mistress’s bedding!” Xiao Yan jumped up, pointing. “How—how do you have those?!”

A’Zhi had seen plenty of fine things, but even she found this gift a bit peculiar. In the others’ eyes, though, it was as good as gold.

Everything the young mistress used was top-quality. That set of bedding alone, with its silk covers and new cotton filling, was worth a small fortune. To be given the whole set?

More than wealth—it was intimacy. Personal items like these weren’t given lightly.

Xiao Yan clenched her teeth in jealousy, nearly breaking her chopsticks. “Why you?”

“Because I ‘saved’ the young mistress,” A’Zhi replied with a serene smile, hugging her soft pillow. “Her pillow’s very comfy.”

Then she added, deliberately, “And really, it’s all thanks to you two that I had the chance to win her favor.”

Earlier, A’Zhi hadn’t understood why she was given this gift. But now, looking at their sour, twisted faces, she thought she might get it.

“My medicine should be ready.” She patted the quilt, smoothed her robes, and walked out.

“Wretched girl!” Xiao Yan hissed behind her.

But her eyes stayed glued to that luxurious bedding. Unable to resist, she threw down her chopsticks, climbed onto the bed, and reached out to touch the pillow.

It really was soft.

Their beds were little more than shared planks with thin padding. 

Just the thought of A’Zhi sleeping night after night on that pillow, under that quilt, Xiao Yan could feel the jealousy warping her insides.

Xiao Que ran her fingers over the gold-thread embroidery. “I’ve only seen the madam use something this fine.”

A’Zhi? She wasn’t worthy. She’d probably get smothered to death in her sleep under something so fancy.

“What’s the use of that, anyway? ” Xiao Yan muttered bitterly. “She still didn’t get to stay in the young mistress’s room. Head maid? We’ll see who gets that spot.”

They exchanged a look, and Xiao Que raised her brows. “Say… what if that nice bedding accidentally got wet?”

Xiao Yan smirked. “Guess we’ll just have to find out.”

******

On her way to the kitchen for her medicine, A’Zhi casually gathered some information.

It turns out that the original A’Zhi had been sold by her family to a trafficker, then purchased by the steward for three taels of silver. Her deed was currently with the steward or in the accounts room and not in the hands of the young mistress.

She quickly got the lay of the land.

Officially, the manor belonged to the young princess. But real power was in the hands of the old steward, Uncle Qi, who had run things for years.

It made sense. The young mistress was new to the capital, inexperienced, a “dragon out of water,” while Uncle Qi was a seasoned “local snake.”

Even with noble status, it was unclear if she could truly overrule him.

A’Zhi considered this. If the young mistress wanted a head maid, it had to be someone loyal, capable, and respected. Someone who would help her gain real footing in this house.

In short, a confidante—not just a maid.

Which meant A’Zhi didn’t need to keep playing the meek little mouse.

Luckily, the original A’Zhi was quiet and kept everything to herself. No one suspected a thing when her personality subtly shifted.

As she walked back, A’Zhi reviewed everything that had happened that day.

To the steward, the doctor, the other maids—even the original A’Zhi—Chao Mu was the same:

A fourteen-year-old girl, pretty and well-bred. She spoke softly, moved gently, and never rushed or raised her voice. Sweet and delicate. A little cake—pure and pliable.

But if she were really that simple, she wouldn’t have given A’Zhi that bedding. Wouldn’t have covered for her every time her behavior deviated from the original A’Zhi’s.

A’Zhi had lived in the palace too long not to recognize it.

That soft little cake? There was something far less innocent at the center.

Now that she understood the situation, she knew what kind of maid she needed to be.

If the young mistress was going to act sweet and harmless in everyone’s eyes, then she would be the loyal dog guarding that treat, teeth bared.

Step one of being a “dog”.

A’Zhi pressed down the smile tugging at her lips, rested her hand on the door and gave it a gentle push.