As Li Shi spoke, her voice grew hoarse and her eyes welled up, nearly bringing her to tears.
“Her tongue is so glib. She said that when Sixth Girl was visiting over there, she might have been frightened. My heart was both alarmed and afraid, so I kept her to question her a while longer. Her answers were extremely thorough.” Li Shi continued, hanging her head as if greatly wronged. “I even told her to go back and serve well, and specially rewarded her with a handful of gold melon seeds as a year-end gift. I never expected she would be this kind of person.”
She knew that since the Old Madam had already become suspicious of Huang Yao, it definitely wasn’t just a matter of one or two days—she would certainly know that Huang Yao had frequent dealings with her. So this point couldn’t be concealed; she had to confess it honestly.
Old Madam Song’s expression indeed softened somewhat. Although she was angry at Li Shi for acting improperly, if she were asked to believe that Li Shi did it deliberately, she was somewhat reluctant to accept that.
After all, over these many years, Li Shi truly could be said to have devoted her heart and effort to Song Chuyi.
Perhaps Li Shi really had been deceived by Nanny Wang’s venerable virtue and prestige. Old Madam Song stared at her with a complex expression for a while, then said in a deep voice, “What are you kneeling for? Get up! With you kneeling, you’re making this whole crowd kneel along with you.”
Li Shi stood up trembling, her eyes red as she stood to the side. Her heart churned like turbulent seas. Her face flushed completely red from suppressing the fury and hatred in her heart.
If she had known she would suffer such humiliation, if she had known this damned girl could gain such favor before the Old Madam, she shouldn’t have been soft-hearted, and she shouldn’t have truly yielded so easily to place her at the Old Madam’s side.
Old Madam Song didn’t know her thoughts and merely assumed she felt wronged. She couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s not that I’m partial to Xiaoyi, nor am I deliberately using you all as scapegoats.”
Seeing that the First Madam was listening attentively, and that the Second and Third Madams were also listening carefully, she continued slowly, “A centipede doesn’t fall over even when dead. For families like ours, we don’t fear wind and rain from outside—what we fear is rotting from the roots. You should know that since ancient times, troubles arise from within. Not to speak of distant examples, just take the recent Su Family—don’t you find it alarming?”
The First Madam’s earlier gloom from the Old Madam’s rebuke had also dissipated, and she nodded sincerely.
This Earl’s Manor would belong to her and the First Master in the future. Family discipline and rules were truly of utmost importance. The family traditions of great clans often determined how long that clan could prosper.
If the people working below were all like Nanny Wang, eating from within while serving outside interests, taking monthly wages while also stealing the master’s property, then even the most prosperous household couldn’t withstand such parasites.
Second Madam Li Shi also nodded with red eyes. “The Old Madam speaks truly. How hateful that I was blind and nearly committed a great error.”
Seeing her purpose achieved, Old Madam Song stopped pursuing the matter further and waved her hand to indicate they needn’t say more. After pausing a while, she said, “With such things happening, I’m no longer at ease with the people serving at these sisters’ sides. You few must work hard and thoroughly investigate the nannies and maids serving the young ladies personally. Those types who bully their masters through their status as servants, who betray and forget their masters’ kindness—root them all out early. Especially for Fourth Girl and Fifth Girl—they’re not young anymore, and the people attending them must be even more steady and reliable. Otherwise, if something happens in the future, it will be too late for regret!”
Yun Shi had earlier felt wronged on behalf of Song Chumi, thinking that Old Madam Song was far too partial to Song Chuyi and didn’t care about the other granddaughters at all.
Only now, with the Old Madam speaking thus, did she realize—the Old Madam wasn’t simply supporting Song Chuyi. She was learning from the Su Family’s lesson and doing this for the good of all the Song Family’s young ladies.
Song Chumi and Song Chubin exchanged glances, both feeling pleasantly surprised.
Needless to say for Song Chubin, she was terrified to the extreme of her wet nurse Nanny Qiu, and the other attending servants also had unsatisfactory aspects. If they could be replaced with a new batch, her days in the future would certainly be much better.
Even Song Chumi detested the several nannies at her side who always urged her to curry favor at the First Madam’s side and hoped she would enter the palace to accompany Consort Song. Now that she had the opportunity to send them away with proper justification, she was simply overjoyed.
The First Madam had already developed some distrust of the household servants earlier, borrowing the incident of Nanny Zou at Li Shi’s side drinking and gambling. Now with such servants appearing at Song Chuyi’s side, she believed the Old Madam’s approach even more necessary. She stood and responded solemnly, then said, “Then how should that Nanny Wang and Huang Yao at Sixth Girl’s side be dealt with? Should they be sent to the outer courtyard—”
“Send them to the outer courtyard for what?! I’m afraid they’d lead astray the maids doing rough work in the outer courtyard.” Old Madam Song gave a derisive laugh. “Send them to the Langfang estate. That place is right in the midst of busy farming season now and short of hands.”
They wouldn’t even be allowed to stay in the Earl’s Manor—not just a demotion, but directly sent off to the estate. Li Shi was both shocked and anxious, feeling her mind in complete disarray.
The First Madam acknowledged the order, then said, “Then Sixth Girl’s quarters will be short of people. We must quickly find someone to fill the positions.”
But during the New Year period, where could they find suitable maids of the appropriate age?
After considering for a while, the Old Madam said, “No need to search outside. Doesn’t Jieyi have a granddaughter of about the right age who was just about to enter service? Let it be her.”
She actually decided on Nanny Huang’s granddaughter! Nanny Huang was the person closest to the Old Madam’s side.
The First Madam was also somewhat surprised, but she was clever after all and quickly smiled again. “If that’s the case, then nothing could be better. Nanny Huang’s granddaughter—surely her manners and etiquette are good, and there’s no need to waste effort teaching her rules. I’ll arrange for her to enter service right away.”
Old Madam Song nodded, then inquired once more about the people serving Song Chumi and Song Chubin. She kept the First, Second, and Third Madams behind and told the young ladies to all return to their rooms to rest.
Qing Tao followed closely behind Song Chuyi, feeling her entire body filled with the excitement and happiness of having survived a disaster, which also improved her mood considerably. She thought and thought, finally unable to resist asking Song Chuyi, “Miss, how did you know the Old Madam would definitely personally assign people to you? I was just so worried that the Second Madam would stuff another Huang—”
Thinking about it, she felt Huang Yao was somewhat pitiable and didn’t continue speaking.
The moon hung at the zenith. The shadow of emerald bamboo fell before the side hall, and only the rustling wind could be heard.
Song Chuyi remained silent for a long while, then turned to look at Qing Tao. “I gave Huang Yao a chance. It was she herself who didn’t cherish it. When arguing with Fourth Sister, it was clearly she who reached out and pushed me. When I fell ill, she ran to Third Aunt’s place to say I wasn’t sick. Every single thing I did, she would go inform the Second Madam about, urging me to offend Fifth Madam. At the Su Manor, she even wanted to cry out and make me be punished. Such a person—I have no reason to spare her.”
Song Chuyi felt somewhat disgusted. “Moreover, I did nothing at all. I merely quietly watched her and Nanny Wang’s ambitions expand, indulging their appetites as they grew larger and larger, spoiling Huang Yao until her eyes reached for the sky and her heart grew enormous. In the end, what destroyed them was their own greed.”