Chapter 184
"I'm ready, I'll go downstairs now." Having settled matters with her master, Zheng Qiaoshu saw no need to linger.
"Then please, Miss, hurry downstairs. Our originally scheduled guest is about to arrive," the maid said anxiously.
Zheng Qiaoshu nodded and opened the door to leave.
The maid breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Zheng Qiaoshu emerge.
However, thinking that Princess Fuan was about to arrive, the maid just wanted to hurry Zheng Qiaoshu downstairs to avoid being seen by the Princess and incurring her displeasure.
Zheng Qiaoshu frowned. Although she knew an important person was coming, the maid's frantic manner made her feel like some unsightly secret, which displeased her.
Pulled along hastily by the maid, Zheng Qiaoshu struggled forcefully and, unfortunately, bumped right into Princess Fuan.
"Where did this blind creature come from, daring to bump into my Princess?" Rulan hadn't expected that in this Jewel Pavilion, someone would dare collide with her Princess.
"Please forgive me, Princess, forgive me! This servant didn't mean to!" The terrified maid quickly knelt before Princess Fuan to plead.
Zheng Qiaoshu frowned; the one who had bumped into the Princess was clearly herself.
Seeing many people nearby looking over, Zheng Qiaoshu quickly stepped forward and said to Princess Fuan, "Princess, it was I who accidentally bumped into you. It has nothing to do with this sister here. If you have any displeasure, direct it at me."
After speaking, Zheng Qiaoshu maintained the demeanor of a young lady from a noble family, showing not a hint of timidity.
"Direct it at you?" Princess Fuan looked at Zheng Qiaoshu with mockery.
Not having seen her in the capital meant she was no noble daughter from a prominent family.
"What makes you think this Princess should listen to you?" Princess Fuan's words made Zheng Qiaoshu's expression turn somewhat ugly.
She hadn't expected this Princess to be so domineering.
After all, she was also from the An Prince's household; how could the Princess show her no face at all?
Zheng Qiaoshu had completely forgotten that here, no one knew she was the An Prince's cousin's daughter.
Moreover, while people in the capital feared the An Prince, that didn't mean they would regard a cousin's daughter with any importance.
After all, who knew how distant this 'cousin's daughter' really was? The An Prince was known for being cold and aloof, disliking social interactions.
Aside from the young heir, everyone else in the An Prince's household kept a very low profile.
Though the An Prince's heir was young, no one dared provoke him lightly either, as his reputation as a little devil wasn't unfounded.
However, at this moment, people began to recall that it seemed they hadn't seen that little devil for some time?
Had he perhaps turned over a new leaf?
"Who knows where this shabby girl came from, with such a big mouth, daring to order my Princess about from the get-go. My Princess hasn't even said anything, yet you've taken all the good and bad words for yourself. Anyone unaware would think my Princess is some heinous villain," Rulan chattered on, pointing at Zheng Qiaoshu's nose and reprimanding her.
Already upset by Princess Fuan's words, Zheng Qiaoshu's expression grew even worse.
Now, being pointed at and scolded by Princess Fuan's maid, Zheng Qiaoshu's face flushed then paled repeatedly.
She hadn't imagined that the princesses and young ladies of the capital could be so unreasonable, that even a maid would dare question her words.
"I didn't mean that. It's just that I was the one who bumped into the Princess; it was my fault and has nothing to do with this sister," Zheng Qiaoshu said, her eyes reddening, biting her lip, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice.
This couldn't help but make the onlookers whisper among themselves.
"My, whose daughter is this girl? She dares to confront Princess Fuan?"
"Haven't seen her before. Her clothing isn't poor, doesn't look like a young lady from an ordinary family."
"If she were truly from a noble family, how could she not have a single servant with her? That maid kneeling on the ground is Pearl from the Jewel Pavilion."
Soon, someone recognized the kneeling maid as Pearl from the Jewel Pavilion. Many of the ladies present had been assisted by Pearl before.
“Ah, Miss Pearl is such a good girl, I didn’t expect to be implicated by this person. When I bought jewelry before, it was Miss Pearl who helped me choose, and it suited me so well.”
"Who says otherwise? No matter how long I took to choose, Miss Pearl always greeted me with a smile."
"Miss Pearl is just too kind-hearted, getting implicated by this girl."
Originally, Zheng Qiaoshu thought that by speaking up for the maid like this, she would appear chivalrous in the eyes of those ladies and young misses, which would also benefit her reputation.
But Zheng Qiaoshu never expected that those people, in their remarks, were blaming her for implicating a maid.
How could a maid be mentioned in the same breath as her?
If not for fear of being misunderstood by others, she wouldn't have spoken up for a lowly maid.
"So you admit it was you being blind and bumping into my Princess? This staircase is so wide, yet you had to bump right into my Princess. Are you perhaps trying to extort money from her?" Rulan looked Zheng Qiaoshu up and down, her words dripping with sarcasm about Zheng Qiaoshu's shabbiness.
Zheng Qiaoshu felt utterly stifled. She didn't understand; she had only accidentally bumped into this so-called Princess, she had apologized, and the Princess hadn't lost a single hair. Why must they fixate on her?
"I admit fault for bumping into the Princess, and I have already apologized," Zheng Qiaoshu said with some displeasure.
"What thing are you? My Princess is of the imperial family. If she had you dragged out and beheaded for bumping into her, no one could say a word against her." Seeing this ungrateful Zheng Qiaoshu, Rulan sneered.
She thought, who knows where this country bumpkin came from, bumping into her Princess and still acting so self-righteous.
Zheng Qiaoshu's face turned red, then white, then dark.
She couldn't comprehend that such a light bump could warrant beheading?
Was there no law in the capital?
"My young lady is the cousin's daughter of the An Prince's household; she is no 'thing'." Chu'er had just entered when she saw her young lady surrounded, seemingly arguing with someone.
Frightened, she quickly pushed her way in.
As soon as she entered, she heard Rulan's words and hurriedly invoked the status of the An Prince's household.
Afraid that if she spoke a moment later, they might be dragged off for beheading by this Princess next.
"The An Prince's household? Since when do they have such poor relatives?" Upon hearing she was the An Prince's cousin's daughter, Princess Fuan's eyes showed some surprise.
Zheng Qiaoshu felt deeply ashamed. What about her made this Princess think she was shabby?
Her clothing wasn't poor at all, was it?
What Zheng Qiaoshu didn't know was that while the fabric of her clothes wasn't poor, the styles were from several years ago.
They weren't the latest popular styles, as these were all left behind by the An Prince's former Princess Consort.
Currently, Li Zhiwei had not yet entered the household, and the storehouses hadn't been replenished with new fabrics suitable for a girl Zheng Qiaoshu's age; what was available were materials suitable for the Dowager Princess Consort, the An Prince, and Xu Qingshi.
In the capital, everyone had sharp eyes, and Princess Fuan's eyes were naturally sharper than most.
