A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 7

Chao Mu opened the door from the inside to find the entire courtyard filled with maids.

At the bottom of the steps, standing in front of everyone, were Xiao Yan and Xiao Que. Their hair was a mess, their twin buns undone, as if they had just been through a fierce battle. Looking closely under the lantern light, you could see two perfectly symmetrical handprints on their faces.

Chao Mu slowly blinked her almond-shaped eyes and turned to look at A’Zhi, who stood closest to her.

A’Zhi was impeccably dressed, standing straight and tall a step behind her, not a single hair out of place. She looked like a proud swan among a flock of ducks, her head held high and her chest puffed out.

Chao Mu worked hard to keep her lips from smiling, trying her best to make her voice sound troubled and helpless. “I heard you all were fighting again?” She frowned and looked at Xiao Yan and Xiao Que. “Weren’t you just fighting this morning?”

“We weren’t fighting.” Xiao Que interrupted Chao Mu. The moment she spoke, her voice was choked with sobs, clearly feeling terribly wronged.

Behind them, Cui Cui silently added in her mind, ‘That’s right, we weren’t fighting—we were being beaten!’

Cui Cui had also come to watch the commotion. She wasn’t the only one; every maid in the back courtyard had woken up and was now gathered in the county princess’s courtyard. Originally, they had all been crowding around the door to their four-person room. It was A’Zhi who had swept her gaze over them and said, “Since you’re all here, get properly dressed and come to the county princess’s courtyard with me.”

At the time, A’Zhi was still gripping Xiao Yan and Xiao Que. The maids were intimidated by her imposing presence, all obediently bowed their heads and said, “Yes,” before following her.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Que were known to be tough fighters among the maids, especially the hot-tempered and rude Xiao Yan. Yet here she was, held like a chick in A’Zhi’s hand. The shock this caused the other maids was immense. They now looked at A’Zhi as a flock of chicks would look at a hawk.

Chao Mu pursed her lips and raised a hand to pull her cloak tighter. “Then you all…”

“It was A’Zhi who hit us! Please, County Princess, you must do something!” Xiao Yan pointed at A’Zhi.

The county princess had been interrupted twice. The second time, Xiao Yan even dared to point her finger in her master’s direction.

Chao Mu didn’t say anything, but A’Zhi took half a step forward. First, she bowed slightly to the county princess, and then she turned to Xiao Yan, speaking with a stern voice, “Slap your mouth! How dare you interrupt your master while she is speaking!”

A’Zhi stood with her hands folded in front of her stomach, her back ramrod straight. She swept her gaze over everyone on the steps below and said in a cold voice, “Standing before you is the beloved County Princess of our Great Dynasty, the daughter of General Qi, the young mistress of the Qi family, and the master of everyone here. How many lives do you have to dare to interrupt her while she speaks? The county princess’s kindness is not an excuse for you to be so disrespectful!”

“If you wish to continue serving in this manor, you must remember your place and your master’s place. If it happens again, I will personally slap your mouth!”

A’Zhi’s gaze fell on Xiao Yan’s face. The others also discreetly glanced at the handprints on Xiao Yan’s face, then lowered their heads. “Yes.”

Xiao Yan’s face went from red to white, a chaotic mix of colors. She wasn’t completely ignorant of the rules; she had just grown so accustomed to the county princess’s leniency that she’d forgotten what they were, becoming more and more brazen in her actions and words.

When A’Zhi finished speaking, there was an eerie kind of silence that filled the entire Manor.

Seeing that her intimidation had worked, A’Zhi turned back to the county princess and bowed, saying softly, “This servant was presumptuous. I beg the county princess for her forgiveness.”

Her attitude was completely different from a moment ago, as if she were a fierce dog that snapped and bit at outsiders but then, facing its owner, would tuck its ears back and lower its head, ready to be petted.

Chao Mu raised a hand to help A’Zhi up. Her sweet, soft voice was filled with confusion. “So, what exactly happened?”

Now that A’Zhi had played the bad cop, Chao Mu took on the role of the good cop. The collaboration between intelligent people rarely needed prior rehearsal; their teamwork was as seamless as if they had been master and servant for years.

Neither Xiao Yan nor Xiao Que dared to speak out of turn again.

Chao Mu’s voice was gentle and unhurried. “Tell me, I’m listening. What happened?”

While she spoke, A’Zhi beckoned for Cui Cui, who was standing behind her, to come closer. A’Zhi gestured with her eyes toward the house, and Cui Cui nodded in understanding.

When Cui Cui came back out, she was carrying an embroidered stool, which she placed behind Chao Mu.

After speaking, Chao Mu glanced back, gathered her cloak, and sat down calmly.

On the three steps, under the eaves of the lantern, the county princess Chao Mu sat gracefully on the stool, looking out over the courtyard. A’Zhi and Cui Cui stood half a step behind her, one on each side.

Cui Cui had to pinch her palm to keep herself from looking timid. She had to summon all her courage just to stand there and didn’t dare to look down at all. But sometimes, opportunities only come once—like a life-saving straw. If you don’t grab it then, it’s too late for regrets afterward.

She was timid but not stupid. It was obvious that A’Zhi was different from before, and it was also clear that the county princess’s leniency toward A’Zhi was different from her leniency toward others. Since A’Zhi was willing to bring her along, she had to at least try.

When Xiao Yan and Xiao Que remained silent, A’Zhi spoke first, recounting the entire incident, including her hitting them, without a single omission. Her honesty shocked even Xiao Yan and Xiao Que.

The two had regretted their actions the moment A’Zhi started talking, fearing that A’Zhi would “twist the truth” and pin all the blame on them. But instead, A’Zhi told the story exactly as it happened, without adding a single lie!

A’Zhi stepped forward and begged for forgiveness, neither servile nor arrogant. “This was originally a private matter between us servants, but it disturbed the county princess’s rest. It was our fault, which is why this servant has brought them to you to beg for your forgiveness.”

Although Xiao Que served in the study, her wits were not as sharp as Xiao Yan’s. While Xiao Que was still in shock, Xiao Yan had already understood A’Zhi’s words.

What did she mean by “a matter between us servants”?

A’Zhi had just casually swept aside the matter of splashing water and hitting people with a single sentence. In A’Zhi’s mouth, the focus had shifted from “maids fighting” to “disturbing the county princess’s rest,” a completely different emphasis. As the one who had been beaten, how could Xiao Yan tolerate A’Zhi’s attempt to downplay the incident?!

But A’Zhi had just told them to remember their place. How could the matters of lowly maids take precedence over their master? According to A’Zhi’s own logic, the fight wasn’t important; what was important was that it disturbed the county princess’s rest. Xiao Yan felt like she had been trapped in a clever scheme. She was so angry she wanted to stamp her foot and curse!

“County Princess,” Xiao Yan said, kneeling down directly. “But A’Zhi hit us. If A’Zhi hadn’t hit us, we wouldn’t have disturbed your rest.”

They were all just maids. What right did A’Zhi have to hit people? Wasn’t this overstepping her bounds, wasn’t this a sign of disrespect for her master?

“That’s right, even if we were in the wrong, it should be you who punishes us,” Xiao Que said, also realizing her opportunity and kneeling down with tears in her eyes.

The other maids’ feelings began to stir. A’Zhi wasn’t even a head maid yet, but she already dared to hit people. What would she be like if she became one? Xiao Yan’s words were inflammatory.

“A’Zhi hit them because they hit her first,” Cui Cui suddenly spoke up.

She copied A’Zhi’s actions, bowing to the county princess and then addressing all the other maids.

“I—we—all live together. I saw it clearly. Xiao Yan and Xiao Que bully A’Zhi and me every day, from making us take their night duty to making us empty their foot basins.”

This was the truth, as many of the other maids in the courtyard had also been bullied by Xiao Yan and Xiao Que, just like Cui Cui and the old A’Zhi. These two loved pushing their chores onto others.

When Cui Cui said this, the maids who had been siding with Xiao Yan and Xiao Que immediately switched sides.

Cui Cui’s words, which had started out haltingly, became smoother and smoother. “It was Xiao Yan and Xiao Que who first soaked A’Zhi’s bedding. Afterward, they tried to hit A’Zhi with a foot basin, and that’s when A’Zhi fought back.”

In Cui Cui’s telling, A’Zhi was instantly transformed from the aggressor into a well-behaved person who was forced to fight back. No wonder A’Zhi had acted this way; it was all because Xiao Yan and Xiao Que had pushed them too far. This was the result of a repressed person finally snapping.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Que immediately glared at Cui Cui, who shivered and instinctively drew her neck into her shoulders.

“County Princess, we believe Cui Cui.” A maid stepped forward, bowing before speaking. They were all maids who swept the front hall together. “Cui Cui is honest and wouldn’t lie, and it’s true that Xiao Yan and Xiao Que have bullied us all before!”

It seemed Cui Cui had better social standing than A’Zhi. More maids began to step forward to speak on behalf of Cui Cui and A’Zhi.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Que’s expressions became even uglier. They had never imagined that the rabbit-hearted Cui Cui would stand up to them.

“Do you have anything else to say?” Chao Mu asked. The chattering on the steps below instantly ceased. Everyone waited quietly for their master to speak, having clearly taken A’Zhi’s words to heart.

Xiao Yan began to cry and kowtow, admitting her mistakes. “We… we were just playing a joke on them. If they really didn’t want to do it, we wouldn’t have forced them.”

Xiao Que also wiped away her tears. “We know we were wrong, and A’Zhi has already taught us a lesson. We beg the county princess to give us a chance to correct ourselves. We will never dare to do it again.”

They were sure that the county princess was soft-hearted and wouldn’t punish them severely. Their tears flowed more fiercely than anyone else’s, and they cried more pitifully than anyone else.

Chao Mu seemed to be as soft-hearted as they had guessed. A look of hesitation and pity appeared on her fair face, as if she didn’t know whether to punish them severely. So, she turned to A’Zhi.

“A’Zhi, what do you think would be a good punishment?” she asked. “As the head maid, you decide the punishment, and I’ll listen to you.”