"You hit me, you actually hit me!"
Lu Siwan blinked, then snapped.
"Do you want to kill me and replace me, just like you replaced Lu Qingwan? Are you trying to steal my position as Crown Princess?"
She roared and got up, grabbing Lan Shi's arm and tearing at it, completely forgetting that the woman she was attacking was her own mother.
Lan Shi still faintly remembered facing her daughter, but Lu Siwan's provocation enraged her.
"Who was I fawning over? Who was I becoming a concubine for? Without me, let alone the Crown Prince, you wouldn't even be able to marry a rich idler..."
The mother and daughter's argument grew louder, their words becoming increasingly unspeakable.
Their maids, frightened, closed doors and covered their ears, afraid of hearing something they shouldn't and then being silenced by the mother and daughter.
In short, Plum Blossom Courtyard was a chaotic mess, incredibly lively.
Meanwhile, Lu Qingwan's side was utterly comfortable.
"Eldest Miss, the betrothal gifts and dowry lists are all here. This servant specifically requested Madam's dowry list from Aunt Lan Yin for inventory."
Yue'er obediently presented the lists.
Lu Qingwan took the lists but didn't immediately read them. Instead, she looked at the four maids Feng Xiwu had sent.
"I don't care who you belonged to before. Now that you're here, you are my people."
She waved a stack of papers in her hand. "When the Regent left today, he sent someone to leave your deeds of servitude with me. However, I dislike forced sales. So, I'll ask: is there anyone who doesn't want to stay here? I'll return your deed of servitude immediately. But if anyone leaves and later commits acts of betrayal for personal gain, I will make them regret ever having been born."
The four maids knelt in unison. "Your servants are willing to serve Eldest Miss and will never betray you!"
Whether they would betray her or not, no one could say until the time came. Lu Qingwan's actions were a warning to them.
"I hope you keep your word."
Her gaze swept over them coolly. "Do you have names?"
"Your servants are nameless individuals once they leave the Prince's mansion. Please grant us names, Eldest Miss."
"Very well. From left to right, Man Chun, Liang Xia, Zhi Qiu, and Ren Dong. From today onward, you are my dowry maids. Besides Yue'er, I have no one else. You will temporarily receive the monthly stipend of second-class maids. Now, can you tell me what each of you is skilled at?"
"Your servant Man Chun is skilled in hairstyling, dressing, and embroidery."
"Your servant Liang Xia is skilled in cooking and has some knowledge of medicine."
"Your servant Zhi Qiu is skilled in accounting."
"Your servant Ren Dong knows some martial arts and is best at lightfoot techniques."
They truly had their own specialties. Lu Qingwan clicked her tongue in surprise, then her brow furrowed.
"I want to ask, were you always this way, or did Feng Xiwu, that inhuman creature, forcibly alter your appearances?" She had heard that maids in wealthy households were supposed to have decent appearances. These four, by no means, could be considered to have decent appearances. How did they get into the Prince's mansion?
"Replying to Miss, your servants are not actually from the Regent's mansion." Man Chun looked embarrassed and suspicious. "Your servants have always looked this way, so we worked as laundry maids in the Imperial Wardrobe. But not long ago, Li Yang, the Regent's bodyguard, took your servants out of the Imperial Wardrobe, had them trained, and then sent them to the Marquis's mansion."
Liang Xia and the others quickly nodded in agreement.
Lu Qingwan finally understood. The Imperial Wardrobe housed the descendants of disgraced officials or captives from other countries; there were all sorts of people there. No wonder these four looked so unattractive, yet their manners and etiquette were impeccable. It was difficult for Feng Xiwu to find such individuals, but she wouldn't torture her own eyes.
"I see. Do you want to become beautiful?" Except for Man Chun, whose darkness was natural, the issues with the others' faces were mostly due to acquired factors. For Lu Qingwan, a master physician, transforming their appearances was not a problem. They were all teenage girls; who wouldn't want to be beautiful? Hearing her words, they became extremely excited. "Your servants naturally do, but Eldest Miss, my face has been this way since childhood. Can it still become beautiful?" Other girls were fair-skinned and delicate, while she was as dark as charcoal. Man Chun's inner anguish was immense. The other maids looked at Lu Qingwan with hope.
Lu Qingwan touched her own face and asked instead of answering, "You must know my reputation as an ugly woman. Now, tell me honestly, do you still think I'm ugly?"
The maids shook their heads in unison. "If Miss is ugly, then there are no beauties in the capital." It wasn't that the maids were flattering; Lu Qingwan's skin was flawless except for a faint reddish mark, and her facial proportions were perfect. She truly had no connection to ugliness.
"Then what are you afraid of?" Lu Qingwan rubbed the red mark on her face, her tone confident and bold. "Listen to me carefully, and on the eighth day of next month, dress up beautifully and enter the Prince's mansion with me."
...
In the blink of an eye, it was the twentieth of July, and another day for Lu Qingwan to hold clinic at Bai Xing Lin.
As soon as Lu Qingwan entered, Meng Tang eagerly greeted her. "Master, you're finally here!"
His tone was identical to the last time. Lu Qingwan raised an eyebrow. "What's happened again?"
Meng Tang wiped his face, looking dejected. "A difficult patient came these past few days. She has extensive burns all over her body, and her face is almost unrecognizable. She insists I treat her. If I don't, she'll punish me. How could I treat such injuries? I told her Master would be here today, so she should try her luck. And here she is, early this morning."
Lu Qingwan raised an eyebrow. This condition sounded so familiar. Upon entering, she exclaimed, it really was Lu Siwan, wearing a veil, thinking she wouldn't recognize her.
"Master, it's this person." Meng Tang said with disdain, "She claims if we can't cure her, she'll smash our Bai Xing Lin's signboard. So arrogant!"
"It's fine." Lu Qingwan waved her hand. "Let me handle it."
Meng Tang withdrew. Lu Qingwan sat down at the desk and felt Lu Siwan frown. "You are the divine doctor praised in the streets these past few days?"
"I am. May I ask what troubles this young lady?" Lu Qingwan knew Lu Siwan's injuries well – at least half her body was burned. To still be able to seek medical help in this state showed how desperate she was to enter the Crown Prince's mansion.
"Burns." Lu Siwan lifted her veil to show her face for a moment before quickly putting it back on. "Everyone says you're a divine doctor. Within twenty days, this young lady wants her entire body to be free of any scars."
"If you succeed, your consultation fee will not be shortchanged. If you fail, this young lady will smash your Bai Xing Lin's signboard." Lu Siwan said, raising her chin proudly. "I heard your Bai Xing Lin was suppressed by Ci'an Tang for many years and only recently managed to recover. Surely you don't want to close down just as you've started to flourish, right?"
Lu Qingwan subconsciously muttered, "Say 'good fortune,' not 'good luck,' for civilization's sake." Outwardly, she feigned a look of sincere trepidation. "This young lady speaks too harshly. Your injuries, it's not that they can't be treated, but..."
"But what? Speak your mind, why are you hesitating?" Lan Shi had also found doctors for her these past few days. With the influence of the Ministry of Personnel's assistant minister, even imperial physicians had been invited, but they were all helpless. Let alone healing her in twenty days, even healing her in a year or two would still leave scars. She couldn't afford to be impatient when she finally found someone who could cure her.