The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 56: Driving the Heir Away (1)

Yun Muhan was completely at a loss for words. Seeing his utterly speechless expression, Yun Qianyue felt a sense of pride. Finally, he was at a loss!

"You have a point; I overlooked that," Yun Muhan refocused on the black-and-white paper and continued explaining, "A personal maid is a woman who assists the Crown Prince with his writing and painting."

"Is that a concubine?" Yun Qianyue blurted out, knowing that in ancient times, wealthy families often had concubines. She frowned at Yun Muhan. "Do you have a concubine?"

Yun Muhan's usually calm face darkened. "I do not have a concubine!"

"Oh!" Yun Qianyue nodded. "Then do you have a secondary wife? Do I have a sister-in-law? An elder sister-in-law? A younger sister-in-law?"

"I also do not have a secondary wife, nor a formal marriage. Where would you get a sister-in-law?" Yun Muhan seemed to be grinding his teeth.

"Oh, then you have a personal maid? Since this maid isn't a concubine, what is she? A bed warmer?" Yun Qianyue asked again.

Yun Muhan suddenly turned his head, glaring fiercely at Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue stepped back in fright, looking at him with fear. She hurriedly corrected herself. "Okay, I won't ask anymore! You can have whatever you like; I won't inquire about it."

Yun Muhan stared at her for a long moment, then withdrew his gaze. After a deep breath, he returned to his calm demeanor. "I have nothing. No personal maid. A personal maid is a woman who specifically assists the Crown Prince with his writing and painting, managing documents and tasks. They are not the same as concubines or secondary wives; they are unique existences around my father. You could say they are female attendants."

"Oh!" Yun Qianyue suddenly understood. So it's like a secretary! It seems that Lüzhi, the Crown Prince's personal maid, must be quite talented. She couldn't help but look at Yun Muhan with curiosity. "If she's so useful, why don't you have one?"

"Not needed!" Yun Muhan replied tersely. "Let's continue!"

Well, if he didn't need one, there was no more to ask. Yun Qianyue wisely closed her mouth.

Yun Muhan pointed to the next names. "This is Hongmei, and this is Haitang. They are the two personal maids of Third Aunt, assisting her with all her daily needs. This is Granny Guan, a maid who came with Third Aunt. This is Cui'er, a second-tier maid managing some trivial matters in Third Aunt's courtyard, and this is Li'er, a third-tier maid responsible for washing..."

Yun Muhan continued naming and explaining each person.

Yun Qianyue admired him and seized a pause to ask, "Brother, you're really impressive! Do you spend all your time watching Third Aunt? You even know the name of a little maid responsible for washing! Is Third Aunt very beautiful? Or are her maids particularly pretty?"

Yun Muhan looked up at Yun Qianyue again, and this time, his face wasn't just dark; even his usually calm eyes had turned dark. His voice, once smooth, now carried a chilling edge. "Yun Qianyue!"

"Yes!" Yun Qianyue shivered and immediately stood at attention.

"If you want to manage the household, you must know how many people are in this house, and what each courtyard is like, and what each person does. Otherwise, how can you manage the household?" Yun Muhan continued. "Third Aunt and Fifth Aunt are two of the favored concubines of the Crown Prince aside from Concubine Feng. Shouldn't you know about their courtyards and their people?"

"Oh! So that's why you know so much!" Yun Qianyue felt it was unfair to suspect such an impressive man, so she began to self-reflect. However, she couldn't help but add, "This is indeed something a household manager should learn, but I don't understand. If you know everything so well, why are you teaching me? Why not just manage the household yourself?"

"I'm a man; how could I manage the inner chambers?" Yun Muhan seemed angry.

"Men can manage households too! Look at Uncle Meng; he's the chief steward of our house!" Yun Qianyue felt a glimmer of hope that she might escape this hassle, so she stepped forward and grabbed Yun Muhan's sleeve, her eyes shining brightly. "Brother, since learning this is so difficult, why don't you just manage the household? You're the Crown Prince; the entire Yun Prince's residence will eventually be yours. By managing the household, you can keep everything in your hands. When your wife comes in, she can take over. If you teach me all this and I can't manage for long, it'll be useless because I'll have to get married anyway! If you don't teach me, you won't have to work so hard, and you won't have to take time off from the emperor. You can also—"

"Are you done? When you are done, let go of my sleeve!" Yun Muhan's voice suddenly turned icy, as if an iceberg had collapsed, chilling her to the bone.

Yun Qianyue trembled, feeling as though she might freeze solid, yet she didn't let go and continued to plead, "Brother, you know I'm not cut out for this. Let's skip it, okay? This is really not something for me. I feel like I've aged several years just thinking about it. If I actually learned to manage the household, I might lose years off my life! You should go tell Grandfather and Father that you'll manage the household. By the way, are you engaged? Which family's young lady is she? Can she manage the household? If she can, then great! I'll call her over to manage the household for us early. If she can't, then you can teach her..."

"Shut up!" Yun Muhan suddenly shouted angrily, shaking off Yun Qianyue's grip. He shot her a cold glare before striding toward the door. His azure robes fluttered like the wind, and in an instant, he had pushed open the door and stormed out of the Shanyue Pavilion. Until he left, it seemed a chilling breeze followed him.

Is this what it means to be angry and embarrassed?

Yun Qianyue watched the beaded curtain sway and heard the rustling sound, signaling that he was on the verge of losing his temper. She blinked and blinked again. Suddenly, she burst into laughter!

Her laughter echoed through the beaded curtain, causing the rustling sound to grow louder.

"Miss, what did you do to drive the Crown Prince away?" Cailian rushed in first, her small face pale.

"Yes, Miss, I saw the Crown Prince leave with a face as black as charcoal. This has never happened before," Zhao Mama followed closely, clearly nervous as she entered. Upon seeing Yun Qianyue laughing, she immediately asked.

"Yes, the Crown Prince accidentally trampled on two orchids in the courtyard! He seemed so angry that he didn't even know where he was going," Tingxue chimed in.

"Exactly! Those two were excellent green orchids," Tingyu added in agreement.