Chapter 5: Humiliation 2

  A soft voice with a hint of blame floated in, and a pale purple figure stepped in.

  "Still sleeping?! It's already morning now, and the princes are waiting for you at Fang Zhu Pavilion to have breakfast!"

  "But even the king didn't say anything—"

  The voice dropped noticeably

  "The master may not say anything, but that doesn't mean we servants can pretend to know nothing. Where has the new bride slept until the sun is high in the sky? If it were an ordinary family's daughter-in-law, she would have gotten up early to boil water and cook rice for her father- and mother-in-law, and served them tea. Although we can't compare with others, we also can't lose the etiquette of the Wang estate."

  It was already crackling loudly early in the morning, disturbing Xia Zi's heart. She rubbed her aching head inside the bed curtains and softly asked outside

  "Zi'er, what's going on?"

  After speaking, she made a slight movement and her whole body felt extremely sore, but her limbs had regained their strength. It seemed that the effect of the medicine had already passed. Just as she was about to sit up, she suddenly discovered that her body was completely exposed, not a single thread on her. Her face turned red with embarrassment, and she hastily pulled the quilt over herself.

  All of this suddenly made her wake up, from yesterday on, she had married into the Yan Wang Fu and was no longer in the Xiang Fu where she could do as she pleased.

  In the mansion, Father will spoil her, and the servants will also take care of her.

  "Miss, you're awake—" Ziyu lifted the crimson luxurious silk curtains, she was Xia Ziyou's personal maid, in the Xiang manor they always called Xia Ziyou 'miss' even after getting married, for a while still couldn't change their habit, seeing Xia Ziyou's pale and weak face, her heart ached

  "Your Highness, I am Jin'er, a maid from the palace, here to attend to you at the behest of His Majesty."

  The most advanced door servant knelt on the ground with a straight body, with an expression that was neither humble nor arrogant. Separated by the red silk curtain, her voice was not loud but clear to the ear. After finishing the ceremony, she didn't wait for Xia Ziyu to call her up and stood up herself, leaning against the bedside. The maid beside her had already held up the changed clothes with a tray and quietly waited on the side.

  Having said that, he reached out to pull down the brocade quilt wrapped around his body.

  "Don't"

  With a loud cry of alarm, Xia Ziwei grasped the quilt tightly and shrank back to the corner of the bed, Jin'er's face suddenly changed color, her hand shrinking back as if electrified.

  "You all go out, put down your clothes, I can handle it myself"

  Her low voice was laced with entreaty.

  She had never spoken to anyone in such a low and pleading tone before.

  "Didn't you hear me?! Who allowed you to dress yourself?!"

  Suddenly, a stern voice came from outside the door, slightly hoarse with age. Xia Ziyou's eyes flickered, and a flash of cyan light appeared as a stout old woman with a cold expression strode in, followed by several other elderly women with equally chilly faces.

  A few silver hairpins on her white temples, wearing expensive Suzhou brocade palace attire, although not particularly luxurious in dress, but with a stern expression and an overbearing temperament, one can tell at a glance that she is a veteran housekeeper in the palace.

  "Pay respects to Old Lady Liu——"

  Jin'er beside him had already changed the arrogant expression on his face, and respectfully came forward to kowtow, the maids in the room also knelt down together.

  "Get up---" Liu's eyelids were too lazy to lift, as if the courtesy of the lower official was nothing new, and the cold light shot straight at Xia Ziwei, who was shrinking on the bed. Her tone was cold: "Lao Nu is a ceremonial lady in the imperial palace. Whether it's the emperor's concubine or the king's wife, any woman who marries into the royal family must undergo Lao Nu's inspection. You, Yan Wangfei, are no exception. Besides, Lao Nu has already obtained the king's consent, so next, please cooperate with Lao Nu---"

  "The wedding night originally required the use of a red cloth to check the woman's chastity, as the imperial family's reputation could not be taken lightly. These things were also to be reported to the Imperial Household Department and ultimately recorded in the imperial clan's archives. However, last night, the prince had us old slaves dismissed early, and we couldn't follow the rules, so we just followed the prince. But today, what needs to be done still needs to be done, it's just that the princess will have to be inconvenienced..."

  The originally not-so-large hall was suddenly packed with people. Xia Ziyu, who had just woken up, was not very clear-headed at first, but the sudden gust of cold wind that rushed in from outside and hit her face made her head clear instantly. She raised her head to see that everyone's face was stern and solemn, one more gloomy than the other, one colder than the other, staring straight at her like a grim reaper from the depths of hell.

  She had never seen such an array, the servants in the Xiangfu were extremely good to her, and would never use such eyes to look at her. Those sharp eyes, like knives, cut off the things wrapped around her one by one, as if they could peel her alive.

  A small face turned pale with fright, and his body was covered in cold sweat.

  The faintly yellow eyes with a hint of cold light made Xia Ziwei feel afraid, but what made her even more terrified was that she said to cooperate, but what did she need to cooperate with?

  No cooperation. A strong bad premonition strikes. No, they are not good people either. She won't cooperate.

  The body shrinks into a tighter ball, with the hands tightly grasping the blanket wrapped around it, and even the fingertips turn white due to excessive force.