Chapter Sixty-Nine: Wherever There’s Gossip, There’s Su Jingluo

"Understood," Yunbai nodded obediently.

Su Jingluo gathered her disheveled hair and said to Ruihuan, "Since it all belongs to me, there's no need for me to fight with Lin Feifei over it. Prepare my toilette. Once I am presentable, I can go thank the guests."

Ruihuan’s face broke into a motherly smile, as if deeply moved that her young mistress had finally come to her senses.

"The princess is ready to be dressed!" Ruihuan called out into the courtyard.

Su Jingluo was startled. Was dressing up such a grand affair? Did it really warrant such a shout? It made her feel as if she hadn’t washed her face in years.

But as soon as Ruihuan’s voice rang out, a flurry of maids emerged from every corner, pulling Su Jingluo back to her room. Some brought water for her hands, some for her face, some came to comb her hair, others to fetch her clothes. By the time the crowd finished fussing over her, Su Jingluo was drenched in sweat.

"Ruihuan, next time let’s keep the face-washing and such a quiet affair. This is exhausting," Su Jingluo remarked. Though she was now neatly dressed, she looked completely drained.

The maids, surprised by the princess’s sense of humor, all covered their mouths to stifle their laughter.

Just as she was ready, a commotion erupted in the forecourt. Su Jingluo’s quarters were in the rear wing; the front was reserved for guests, the central wing held side rooms used for storage or accommodating visitors, and only at the very back was her own courtyard. The noise was coming from the central wing.

"What’s happening?" Su Jingluo could hear the sounds of an argument.

"No idea. Shall I go take a look?" Ruihuan offered, equally puzzled.

"No, I’ll go myself." Where there was drama or gossip, Su Jingluo had to be present in person. In her previous life, she had been a connoisseur of street spectacles since childhood—she’d been late to school because she stopped to watch a crowd, nearly missed the university entrance exam, almost missed her bus. Wherever there was a fight or a commotion, Su Jingluo’s love of gossip would lead her there.

She lifted her skirt and hurried out. You had to be quick to catch the full story; otherwise, all you’d see was the aftermath, and that was far less interesting.

The central wing was not exactly close to the main courtyard—at least four or five hundred meters away. When Su Jingluo finally arrived, she discovered that the source of the commotion was Lin Feifei’s people.

"Why are you collecting these things? In the past, the prince always had our courtyard handle them. The household was always managed by our concubine. Why are all these gifts being moved to your courtyard? Where are the rules?" A young maid, looking quite self-important, was raising her voice.

"All the guests are here to see the princess; naturally, the gifts they bring are for her. What’s wrong with our courtyard receiving them?" one of the newly assigned maids retorted, undaunted and equally loud.

"Don’t kid yourself. Just because you’re favored for a few days, don’t think your mistress can really take charge," Lin’s maid sneered, her words making Su Jingluo frown. Clearly, Lin’s usual attitude had rubbed off on her servants.

"How dare you speak like that! If you dare curse the princess, I’ll tear your mouth apart!" Su Jingluo’s new maid shouted, her anger echoing from afar as the sounds of scuffling grew louder.

"Ah! You dare lay a hand on me?" Lin’s maid had not expected the princess’s maid to actually get physical. She’d heard the princess was timid and lately a bit mad as well. Who knew what had possessed the prince to tolerate her?