Chapter 58: Bullying the Master
The old lady was reclining on the bed, while the maid was massaging her legs and chatting with her:
"Jun'er not only beat Zhiqiu yesterday, but also confined Second Grandma to her room for three days just because Xi'er came back late from shopping. Is this true?"
"Yes, old lady, I heard Hongzhu say it myself."
"Asshole, what's wrong with Jun'er? A new bride should be warm for three days. Xi'er has only been married for a few days, but Jun'er is already doting on his concubine and taking in a maid. Now, he's even punishing the new bride. Xi'er is young and it's her first time out of the house. Everything is new to her. She came back a little late, so it's enough to punish the maid who followed her. Why is he punishing the master too? Jun'er, don't you know that I allowed Xi'er to leave the house? Do you think I'm too old to meddle in other people's business?"
"Don't be angry, old lady. The Second Master is not targeting you. I heard from Hongzhu that at noon on the day you allowed Second Madam to leave the house, Second Madam told the Second Master that he would not allow it and asked her to tell you not to go out. Second Madam insisted on going out. The two of them were upset about leaving the house. Yesterday, the Second Master did not say that he would punish Second Madam, but only wanted to punish Zhiqiu and Hongzhu. It was Second Madam who asked to be punished and asked the Second Master to dismiss the two maids. The Second Master was embarrassed in front of all the servants, so he punished her cruelly. It was just house arrest for three days, which is not a serious punishment. Don't take it to heart, old lady. How dare the Second Master go against you? I think he was so angry with Second Madam that he forgot that you allowed it yourself."
"Oh, so that's it. Didn't they say that both Hongzhu and Zhiqiu would be punished? Why was only Zhiqiu punished?"
"Old Madam, you don't know that the Second Master punished the Second Madam and exempted the two maids from punishment. But Zhiqiu had just entered the mansion and didn't know the Second Master's temper. Didn't you see that the Second Master's face turned black with anger at the time? She even begged for mercy for the Second Madam without knowing the consequences, and ended up being punished by the Second Master."
"Zhiqiu has only been here for a few days. You can't tell that she is a loyal servant. But this time, she was punished by the Second Master and felt that her master was incompetent. I'm afraid it will be difficult to get her to be loyal in the future."
"That's right. I guess the Second Master means the same thing. I heard from Hongzhu that among the servants in Xiaoxiang Courtyard, except for the four maids that Second Madam just bought, no one dares to get too close to Second Madam. They say that they avoid her when they see her during the day, for fear of being seen by Second Master and then holding a grudge against her."
"This bunch of servants who bully their master by taking advantage of their power. Xier is the mistress who was carried in a sedan chair after all! Never mind, Xier is not a legitimate daughter after all, which goes against the ancestral precepts of our Xiao family. It's a good thing that Juner and her are estranged, so as to avoid this knot being untied in the future. Let's just pretend we don't know about this. In the future, we will just watch and see whether Juner treats Xier well or not. By the way, you should pay attention to Zhiqiu. If she can be used, ask her to come to me when Xier is divorced in the future."
"Yes, I know what to do."
"Where did Xier go when she left the house yesterday? What did she buy?"
"I heard that Second Madam went to a few pharmacies and a few silk shops, but she didn't go anywhere else. She didn't buy anything either."
"Oh, she likes to make some kind of porridge every day. I guess she went to the pharmacy to see if there were any special tonics?"
"I think so too. I heard that Second Madam was just curious and looked around the streets. She even asked curiously when she saw someone selling candied haws, how could there be such things in Pingyang City? Haha, I think Second Madam may have never left the house when she was at her parents' home. Some of the questions she asked were even worse than those of a three-year-old child."
"The Li family is originally a family of merchants. I heard that Master Li is also a profit-seeking person. Unlike families like us, we are very kind to the servants, not to mention the mistress. You can see how cautious Xier is every day, and you know that she must have been strictly controlled when she was at her parents' home."
"Oh, old lady, I heard from Hong Xing that ever since the Second Master took in Hong Yu, he has never lived in Second Madam 's room . He has always lived in Hong Yu's room. The Second Madam has already moved into the east wing."
"Didn't they say it would take half a month? Why are you moving out now? Whose idea was it? Jun'er's? That bastard, is he okay these two days?"
When the old lady heard this, she sat up with a sharp look in her eyes.
"The Second Master has been in good health these past two days. I heard that he has started to attend the Inner Study a few days ago. There should be no problem. Perhaps this half-month period means that the Second Master just needs to stay within Xiaoxiang Courtyard. I heard from Hong Xing that this is something that the Second Madam and the Second Master have discussed with each other."
"As long as Jun'er is okay, keep a close eye on him and don't let anything happen to the Second Master."
After hearing what the maid said, the old lady lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.
"Yes, I know what to do."
The secretary began to gently massage the old lady's legs again.
…
The eldest wife was sitting in the main hall. Baozhu was rubbing her shoulders. She was drinking tea while listening to Ziyue's report:
"Zhang Rui, the manager of the accounting office reported that Zhichun, the maidservant of the Second Madam, went to the accounting office to withdraw 50 taels of silver for use outside the mansion. She said that the old lady had approved it. Zhang Rui followed the manager's instructions and said that because the accounting office was short of cash, he borrowed money from here and there to collect 30 taels."
"Zhang Rui did a good job. She asked for 50 taels of silver just to leave the mansion. Who does she think she is?"
"I heard from Qian'er in the Second Master's room that the Second Madam went out for a day and came back late. The Second Master confined her to her room for three days, and the Second Master even ordered someone to beat Zhiqiu."
"The punishment is good, but it's a little light. Since the Second Master has punished them, we can't make a fuss about it. They got off easy this time. Didn't Qian'er tell us where they went yesterday? What did they buy?"
"I heard that he visited several pharmacies and silk shops in the morning, but didn't buy anything? He had lunch at Fuguilou at noon, and the bill was recorded, but he didn't pay for it. In the afternoon, Second Madam went out alone with Zhiqiu and Zhichun."
"This vixen is really cunning. She actually wanted to go to the Xiao family's business to have a meal. She got the food for free without paying. Where did she go this afternoon?"
"No one from our group followed them this afternoon. I don't know where they went. I heard they went to West Market."
"Next time, ask someone to follow closely. If she doesn't allow you to follow, just follow her quietly. What has she been doing in the house these two days?"
"Qian'er said that the Second Madam moved out of the East Room the day before yesterday and went to the East Wing. She was confined to her room today. I heard that she seemed to let Zhiqiu accompany her in the room to write and read books. I heard from Qian'er that no one can enter her East Wing except her four newly bought maids. I wonder what shameful things are in there."
"We have to find a way to place someone in the east wing. Do you have any good ideas?"
"I can't think of it, but don't worry, Madam. We can take Miss Xiu over in a few days. Miss Xiu is smart and will definitely be able to think of a solution."
The eldest wife narrowed her eyes and thought: It’s time to take Miss Xiu over…
