"Why?" Lianxin asked curiously.
Baihe glanced at Lianxin. "I don't want to just find anyone and marry myself off casually."
"Aren't they letting you meet and evaluate the candidates? How is that casual?"
"Lianxin, what kind of people do you think my parents would choose?"
"They would be either errand boys, or the sons of the manor's gardeners and coachmen."
"I don't want my children to be servants like us."
Surprise flashed in Lianxin's eyes.
"Baihe, you couldn't be thinking of..."
Lianxin thought of a possibility, her eyes full of disbelief.
"Baihe, you don't actually have that kind of idea, do you?"
"We agreed, we would never become concubines!"
To put it bluntly, dowry maids in wealthy families were basically prepared as concubines for the son-in-law.
This was also the only way for a servant to turn their life around and become a master.
Seeing Lianxin's shock, Baihe hurriedly waved her hands.
"You misunderstood. I didn't mean that."
"Then what did you mean? Didn't you just say you wanted to turn your life around and become a master?"
"I said that, but it doesn't mean I want to be a concubine!" Baihe explained.
"You don't want to be a concubine? Could it be that you want to wait until the Princess Consort..." Lianxin covered her mouth, her face turning pale.
Baihe stomped her foot.
"Lianxin, and you call yourself my good sister! You don't understand what I want at all?"
"I want to find a man of mutual affection and become his proper, legal wife!"
Baihe simply blurted out what was in her heart.
Lianxin let out a long sigh of relief.
"You should have said so earlier! You scared me to death!"
Baihe rolled her eyes at Lianxin.
"I've told you before, in the future, I want to find a scholar."
"I will earn money to support his studies, and he will pass the imperial examinations and earn me a title of honor."
Lianxin patted her chest. "I thought you were just joking around. Who would have thought that was actually your goal."
"However, Baihe, it's very difficult for servants like us to marry a scholar."
"They say it is better to marry a maid from a great family than a daughter from a poor one."
"As long as the Prince and Princess Consort do well, there will be plenty of people coming to ask for our hands in marriage!"
"Shoo, shoo, shoo! We were talking about you, how did the topic shift to me?"
"I'm not getting married. I will just stay by the Princess Consort's side. I feel that my life right now is the happiest!"
"Lianxin, you don't already have someone in your heart, do you?"
"Let me guess who it is... Good sister, I was wrong!"
The sounds of Lianxin and Baihe playing and joking gradually faded away.
Their conversation was heard loud and clear by the Princess Consort of Pingyang, who was standing behind the door.
She had originally seen the fabric on the table and wanted to ask Baihe something.
As a result, she overheard the conversation between the two maids.
It turned out that these two maids of hers each had their own thoughts and ambitions.
A faint smile appeared on the corners of the Princess Consort of Pingyang's mouth, and she turned around and walked back.
Duoduo finally finished her classes.
She grabbed Yingniang and ran to the garden to play.
"Hey, did you hear? The flowers in our garden are actually poisonous!"
"No way, how could such beautiful flowers be poisonous?"
"You don't understand. I heard Granny Ni say with my own ears that those flowers are poisonous!"
"Granny Ni is right. That oleander looks beautiful, but if its sap and flowers are accidentally eaten, it can be fatal!"
"Ah? Then why would poisonous flowers be in the Prince's manor?"
"Shh, the young Princess is coming."
Two or three rough-work servant older women who were cleaning saw Duoduo and hurriedly bowed to her.
Then, the few of them hurriedly left.
Duoduo began to look around.
"Duoduo, what are you looking for?"
"Sister, I'm looking for the oleander flowers they mentioned."
"Those over there are!" Yingniang looked around and pointed to a cluster of flowers not far away.
Duoduo ran over to the oleanders.
These few trees were taller than her, blooming with pink and red flowers, looking very beautiful.
Duoduo remembered that there were several such trees in the garden.
"Sister, do you think this flower is poisonous?"
Yingniang didn't know either.
"Those older women just now were probably talking nonsense."
"If they were poisonous, how would the gardeners dare to plant them in the manor?"
Duoduo walked around the oleander trees twice, then stood on her tiptoes, preparing to pluck a flower.
"Duoduo, I'll help you!"
Yingniang was taller; she raised her hand, plucked two very beautiful flowers, and handed them to Duoduo.
Duoduo brought them up to her nose and sniffed. Hmm, they smelled quite nice.
"I'm going to take them to show Mother!"
Holding the flowers, Duoduo rushed off toward the backyard.
At this moment, the butler was kneeling in front of the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"Your Highness, it must be Granny Ni speaking nonsense. How could the gardeners plant poisonous flowers in the manor?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang held her teacup with both hands.
"Exactly, I also can't figure out how the gardeners would dare do such a thing!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang heavily emphasized the word dare.
The butler's heart skipped a beat.
"I beg Your Highness to see clearly. It must be Granny Ni deliberately targeting the gardeners, which is why she spread such rumors."
"A servant who spreads such malicious lies to confuse the masses should be beaten to death with sticks!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang stroked the lid of her teacup.
"Oh? You mean to say, those flowers are not poisonous?"
The butler paused for a moment, then shook his head very firmly.
"They are definitely not poisonous! It's all Granny Ni talking nonsense!"
"Oh? Lianxin, go pluck two of the poisonous flowers Granny Ni mentioned, and let the butler identify them!"
"Yes."
Lianxin bowed, preparing to head out.
Just then, Duoduo ran in holding the oleander flowers.
"Mother, I heard them say this flower is poisonous?"
When Lianxin saw the flowers in Duoduo's hands, she was so frightened that she quickly grabbed a handkerchief to wrap them up.
Then, she pulled Duoduo over to a water basin on the side to wash her hands.
"Bang!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang slammed the teacup in her hands heavily onto the tea table.
"Since you say there's no poison, Butler, someone come! Reward these two flowers to the butler to eat!"
Two older servant women walked in, took the oleander flowers Duoduo had brought in, and forcefully stuffed them into the butler's mouth.
The butler was terrified. He clamped his mouth shut tightly and pushed the women away.
"Your Highness, what if Granny Ni is right and this flower really is poisonous?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang wore a cold expression.
"Wasn't the butler just absolutely certain that it wasn't poisonous?"
"What are you two standing around for? Hurry up and feed it to him!"
Seeing the usually mild-tempered Princess Consort of Pingyang lose her temper, the two women didn't dare to dawdle.
The two of them worked together to pin the butler down, and one of them shoved the flowers into his mouth.
The butler's face turned red from holding his breath. As soon as the two women let go, he spat the flowers out.
"Spare my life, Your Highness! Spare my life, Your Highness!"
"This lowly one knows his mistake! I will have someone dig up the flowers immediately!"
"Butler, you need to remember your status!"
"You are the butler of the Pingyang Prince's Manor. If you dare to bite the hand that feeds you!"
"Hmph! It won't be as simple as feeding you flowers! Get out!"
The butler scrambled up from the floor in a panic and quickly dashed out.
Having washed her hands, Duoduo was led back inside by Lianxin.
She looked at the Princess Consort of Pingyang with sparkling eyes.
"Mother, you looked so fierce and amazing just now!"
"You! Come here!" the Princess Consort of Pingyang said with a stern face.
