The pattern on this sachet is so unique, and A'rao never wears sachets. Why would she bother straining her eyes to make this sachet? There must be something strange!
Cui Ping thought about how A Rao had been running out intermittently these past few days, always returning with a bouquet of flowers in her hand without exception. She suddenly clapped her hands, 'Could those flowers have been given to A Rao by some wild man?'
A Rao betrayed the Prince, committing adultery?!
As soon as this possibility came to mind, Cui Ping gasped excitedly. She stared intently at the sachet, and a malicious smile gradually appeared on her lips, as if she had thought of something.
On the other side, A Rao was once again serving the ill-tempered Prince Jin. It seemed he had been greatly angered at the Main Courtyard, so much so that he hadn't set foot there for two days and forbade anyone from mentioning it, which was unusual.
But A Rao knew that while Prince Jin's attitude was firm now, he would immediately change his mind as soon as Gu Shui Rou was a little gentler with him.
A Rao stood by, fanning, while mentally checking the man's favorability towards her and Gu Shui Rou: one was 15, the other 75. The difference was clear at a glance.
"What are you standing around for? Haven't you eaten? Fan harder!"
A Rao came back to her senses, only to see the man looking at her with dissatisfaction, a few beads of sweat already seeping from his temples. Even the large tub of ice in the room couldn't alleviate the man's heat, which showed how much he dreaded it.
Seeing A Rao's fanning only had so much strength, Prince Jin felt sticky all over. He simply snatched the round fan from A Rao's hand. Suddenly, his touch felt cool. Prince Jin paused, his gaze sweeping over A Rao's hands.
Those hands, showing a few thin calluses from rough work, were not particularly beautiful, but they were slender-boned and snow-white, making the few calluses seem like embellishments.
"Your Highness?"
"Your hands are quite well-proportioned."
Prince Jin was surprised. This foolish maid truly pleased him in every aspect. Her figure was good, her personality, though dull and clumsy, had a certain innocent charm, and her hands were long and smooth, satisfying all his preferences. It was just a pity that he only had Shui Rou in his heart. Even if she was angry with him, he still liked her after his anger subsided.
Looking at A Rao, Prince Jin remembered his previous impulsiveness. His eyes darkened, both annoyed by Gu Shui Rou's ruthlessness and somewhat disgusted with himself.
Now, seeing A Rao, he felt a bit displeased. "You may leave. You don't need to come in to serve unless there's something."
A Rao felt Prince Jin's fluctuating favorability, her expression unchanged as she retreated. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Chang Qing, who had been punished earlier and was now recovered, standing at the door. She nodded to Chang Qing and turned to go back to her room.
Scanning the room, A Rao sensed a stranger's presence. Her watery eyes narrowed slightly as she walked to the window and continued making mosquito repellent sachets.
A Rao didn't rush to present the finished sachet to Prince Jin. Instead, she chose one to wear on herself. The sachet's color was similar to her clothes, so it wouldn't be noticed.
Nighttime was the most difficult for Prince Jin. While there were mosquito extermination efforts in the Prince's residence, it couldn't combat Prince Jin's extreme mosquito-attracting physique. It was no exaggeration to say that all the mosquitoes not killed in the entire residence gathered in Study. Watching Prince Jin toss and turn restlessly on the bed, A Rao's fingertip moved, and the scent from the mosquito repellent sachet gradually spread throughout the room. Instantly, the mosquitoes were reduced by half.
Seeing this, A Rao withdrew her hand.
Although there were still mosquitoes, the man's restless movements finally slowed down.
He slept until dawn. Prince Jin got up refreshed. A Rao stepped forward to help him change. She heard the man sniff the air in the room, a bit puzzled, and asked, "Is there incense burning in the censer?"
A Rao glanced at the censer and shook her head. "Replying to Your Highness, there is no incense burning in the room."
Prince Jin nodded then, no longer dwelling on the matter. He had a rare good night's sleep last night and was in a good mood when he got up today. However, when he thought of the Main Courtyard, a hint of gloom still appeared between his brows.
"Has there been any news from the back courtyard these past few days?"
A Rao naturally knew Prince Jin's unspoken meaning. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, saying timidly, "There has been no news these past few days."
Prince Jin's brows immediately furrowed. After getting dressed, he strode out, leaving A Rao to tidy up the room. She hung the sachet from her waist on the corner of the bed. The sachet, with a hint of a young girl's fragrance combined with the mosquito repellent scent, wasn't unpleasant; in fact, it was rather refreshing.
After tidying up, A Rao went out and saw Cui Ping, who, unusually, wasn't being sarcastic to her. Instead, she stood aside, observing her, with a leisurely and somewhat smug look in her eyes, and her emotions were undisguised as she looked at her.
"A Rao, the Prince is so satisfied with your service, I guess I'm of no use anymore."
A Rao glanced at her, saying nothing. Cui Ping stomped her foot in annoyance, "You'll have your turn to cry!"
She had already gone to find out where A Rao had been. Once she caught the adulterer, that lowly maid A Rao wouldn't even think of staying by the Prince's side! She alone was enough by the Prince's side!
Thinking of her future life of wealth, Cui Ping couldn't help but laugh out loud. She was waiting for the day A Rao was driven away!
The weather had been getting hotter and hotter these past few days, and Prince Jin had been in a bad mood for several consecutive days. He frequently looked in the direction of the Main Courtyard, wanting to go, but also hesitant about something, so he simply shut himself in Study.
At night, he tossed and turned. If A Rao hadn't used the mosquito repellent sachet to drive away half the mosquitoes, Prince Jin would have likely found it difficult to get a good night's sleep.
The low pressure in Front Yard continued until the fifth day, when the Main Courtyard finally took action. The Princess ordered someone to send incense, which was said to have mosquito-repelling properties and was specially found by the Princess to help the Prince sleep peacefully.
Upon hearing this, Prince Jin's face showed a hint of a smile, but he still forced himself not to show it, instead, he calmly told someone to bring the incense in. This made Ru Yan, who delivered the incense, a bit awkward. She had thought the Prince would invite her in and then carefully carry the incense over.
But at least the Prince didn't resist the Princess's thoughtfulness. Ru Yan breathed a sigh of relief. As she left, she seemingly casually mentioned a lot about Gu Shui Rou's situation and said that she wanted to see the Prince but was troubled by the Prince still being angry, which was why she hadn't sent anyone over for several days.
Such a far-fetched explanation was not pleasant to hear, but Prince Jin understood. He knew Gu Shui Rou was someone who valued her pride, and so much of the anger in his heart dissipated.
The two of them had resolved their differences. Prince Jin went to the Main Courtyard once, and when he returned, his expression was finally not so cold.
However, A Rao vaguely sensed a difference in Prince Jin's treatment of her.
At night, Prince Jin uncharacteristically did not let A Rao enter the room to serve, but instead told A Rao to stay in her own room. His tone was cold, even more so than a few days prior.
A Rao's movements paused slightly. When the man looked over, she bowed and retreated.
Seeing her leave so neatly, Prince Jin let out a light scoff, then took off his clothes and instructed Chang Qing to prepare his bath.
Chang Qing, standing outside the door, was stunned. "Your Highness, are you referring to your subordinate?"
He was used to doing violent work; killing and arson were his forte, but it was never said that a guard commander like him also had to serve his master in bathing and changing clothes!
Prince Jin had no time for him. He was planning to go to the Main Courtyard again tomorrow. Shui Rou was angry with him; what if she got sick from it?
He cherished her body the most, so how could he let her be angry for so long?
His thoughts drifted far away for a moment, but were pulled back by Chang Qing's clumsy and unfamiliar service. He looked at Chang Qing with a dark face, waving his sleeve to tell him to get out, completely lacking A Rao's thoughtfulness and meticulousness.
But after a while, Prince Jin suddenly realized that he had actually thought of A Rao. His face turned ashen as he dressed himself and lay on the bed, closing his eyes to try and fall asleep.
He no longer planned to have A Rao serve him in the inner chambers. If he truly favored her, Shui Rou would definitely not forgive him. A Rao served meticulously, and it would be good for her to have an easy job in Front Yard in the future, but he would not give her anything else.
The night passed, and A Rao slept extremely well, without any dreams. She checked the commotion in her mind from last night and found that Prince Jin had added 5 to her favorability.
Now the favorability had become 20.
She washed up as usual and came to Study. After greeting Chang Qing, she was about to enter when she saw Chang Qing, with dark circles under his eyes, reach out to stop her. His expression was still cold, but his voice softened a bit as he spoke, "A'rao, the Prince has ordered that you no longer need to enter the inner chambers to serve. The Prince enjoys the pastries you make, so from now on, you will serve in the Chufang (Kitchen). When the Prince orders, you just need to make pastries."
Compared to serving Prince Jin inside, this was a rather respectable and easy job.