Xuexue sat in front of her dressing table, wearing only her undergarnts.
Zi Xia stood behind her, starting to style and prepare her appearance.
"Miss, what kind of hairbun would you like today?" Zi Xia asked as she gently ran a wooden comb through Xuexue’s jet-black, long hair, stroke by stroke.
"Just the usual," Xuexue replied.
"Miss is absolutely stunning—whatever hairbun you wear, you’ll always look gorgeous," Zi Xia complinted.
Xuexue chuckled softly, "Don’t flatter so much."
"I’m not flattering, Miss. I’m speaking the truth. Look at Second Miss—so haughty and full of herself, claiming she’s both talented and beautiful. But if you ask , she’s not even worth a single finger of yours."
"Pfft!"
Xuexue couldn’t help but burst into laughter. "Everyone says your mistress is just a country girl with no sophistication, but you’re the only one who praises ."
"That’s because they don’t have the sharp eyes to recognize gems. Miss, not only are you beautiful, but you’re also wise—truly the finest lady Zi Xia has ever seen." Zi Xia, having road the itinerant world in the past, analyzed the situation with confidence and clarity.
Indeed, ever since Zi Xia had joined Situtu Xueer’s side, she discovered that her mistress owned several businesses in the Capital—not just one or two. She even dared to compete with the Fourth Prince and Prince Pu in their ventures, which left Zi Xia deeply impressed. How could such bold actions resemble that of a re country girl? If these rumors spread, surely half the Capital would be shaken.
"Your mouth is the sweetest, always knowing how to cheer up," Xuexue said with amusent.
"Maid’s words are nothing but honest," Zi Xia replied.
As they conversed, Zi Xia had already finished styling Xuexue’s hair into an exquisitely beautiful bun. She adorned it with a small hairpin flower, making it both elegant and charming.
Xuexue disliked wearing excessive jewelry in her hair—she preferred simplicity and grace.
"Miss, shall we add a hairpin to it?" Zi Xia suggested.
"No need. You know your mistress prefers not to dress too lavishly," Xuexue said calmly.
"How is adding a hairpin considered lavish? Look at Second Miss—her hair is always adorned with countless jewels, and people praise her, calling her dazzling and radiant!"
Just ntioning this was enough to make Zi Xia indignant. Outside the General’s Mansion, people often remarked that Xuexue’s status was inferior to Second Miss’s. One glance at their attire made this clear: one looked extravagantly bedecked in jewels, while the other didn’t even wear a single gold hairpin.
The most infuriating part was when Second Miss brazenly humiliated Xuexue, once publicly gifting her a hairpin.
This gesture wasn’t just a gift—it was a public declaration, reminding everyone that Xuexue’s position in the General’s Mansion couldn’t compare to hers.
And yet, what most perplexed Zi Xia was that Xuexue actually accepted the hairpin with elegant poise, inserted it into her hair, and thanked Second Miss with a radiant smile.
It infuriated Zi Xia to no end—was Miss utterly clueless? Could she not see that Second Miss was deliberately humiliating her in front of everyone?
However, on that very night, Second Miss had a strange episode where she scread about ghosts haunting her room. Her cries echoed throughout the General’s Mansion for the entire night, enraging the Old Madam to the brink of tying her up to silence her.
If not for Auntie Tang’s intercession, the Old Madam might not have spared her at all.
Originally, Zi Xia strongly suspected that this was Miss’s doing.
After all, Second Miss had just publicly mocked Xuexue—not to ntion her mistress’s intelligence and decisiveness. It seed plausible that Xuexue orchestrated the incident to exact subtle revenge. Moreover, the timing was suspicious—Second Miss taunted Xuexue one mont, then experienced inexplicable terror the next.
But as Zi Xia thought it through again, she found it unlikely. Even if Xuexue had planned a ghostly prank, she would surely have discussed it with Zi Xia first. After all, Zi Xia was her closest maid and handled all of Xuexue’s significant affairs. There was no way Zi Xia would be left out of the loop.
Xuexue chuckled lightly, "She is who she is, and I am who I am. How can the two of us be compared?"
"True, just look at Second Miss’s character—it’s clear she couldn’t even dream of catching up to you, Miss," Zi Xia agreed, nodding earnestly.
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