Song Xibai felt a slight sense of relief.

"In that case, let His Majesty bestow the marriage after the imperial examinations!"

Consort Shen achieved her goal and returned home with a smile on her face.

Song Xibai, however, couldn't find a moment of peace.

After Consort Shen left, Consort Cao and Consort Wu came together to report on the palace affairs handled that day.

Both of them were a little uneasy.

At first, the two of them just listened in when Song Xibai handled palace affairs. After listening for a few days, Song Xibai would ask them some questions and show them some past account books and forms.

To be honest, Consort Cao and Consort Wu were originally palace maids with limited knowledge, and they were overwhelmed by the pile of books.

But with the opportunity right in front of us, we can't just give it up because we don't know how to read the books, can we?

At this moment, Consort Cao remembered that Feng Ying was settling old scores. After thinking for a moment, she pulled Consort Wu along to ask her for advice.

Feng Ying was simple-minded and taught them diligently for three days, and the two of them learned how to read the account books.

Of course, being able to see and being able to calculate are two different things.

Song Xibai observed all of this and then asked a few more questions about the account books. The two women were able to answer them, so he entrusted them with some minor tasks.

In reality, to put it bluntly, all the big and small things in the palace are nothing more than eating, drinking, relieving oneself, and the basic necessities of life.

At most, it includes personnel allocation and other arrangements.

After listening to their reports, Song Xibai neither said it was good nor bad, but simply told them to switch places the next day.

Cao Jieyu and Wu Jieyu didn't dare to ask and went back with their minds full of thoughts.

As soon as the two left, Lichun quickly stepped forward and replaced their cup with a warm tea.

Song Xibai drank half a cup and let out a long sigh.

"In another two weeks, we should be able to bring it out."

Unlike Feng Ying, Cao Jieyu and Wu Jieyu were not particularly talented and were just average in all aspects, but they were obedient and dared not utter a single complaint about Song Xibai's arrangements.

This is probably related to the fact that they were originally palace maids. They were trained from a young age and developed a gentle and obedient nature towards their masters.

After Song Xibai finished his tea, he happened to see Fuliu passing by outside the palace and immediately called her in.

"Has anything unusual happened in our palace recently?"

Fu Liu shook her head: "No, after we punished Wen Niang and the others last time, everyone became afraid and took their work much more seriously."

At this point, she paused, hesitated for a moment, and then asked a question.

"Your Highness, do you still intend to have Wenniang and the others come back to serve you?"

Song Xibai raised an eyebrow: "What? Someone's come to you for help?"

Fu Liu chuckled: "Nothing can be hidden from Your Highness. Someone asked me privately, but I didn't agree to anything they asked. I just said that I would leave everything to Your Highness's arrangements."

Although Fu Liu was a bit boastful, she could still distinguish between what was important and what was not, so Song Xibai turned a blind eye to some minor matters.

“Wen Niang and Jin Wet Nurse will stay, while the other two wet nurses will be sent home. As for the other palace maids, after they recover from their injuries, they will be sent to the Four Departments and Eight Bureaus for three months. If they perform well, they may be transferred to other places as appropriate.”

"This servant has remembered. Your Highness is kind-hearted. If it were anyone else, they would have been kicked out of the palace long ago." Fu Liu shook her head.

Song Xibai took another sip of tea, her drooping eyelashes obscuring her gaze.

"We've already dealt with two groups of palace servants before the New Year. If we deal with them again now, people will start talking. They've made mistakes, they've been punished, but we still need to give them a chance."

At this point, she suddenly looked up at Fu Liu.

"This is the way to manage subordinates. Didn't Granny Fangqi teach you?"

Fu Liu stuck out her tongue: "This servant has forgotten."

Song Xibai sighed.

"You... you should learn from this. Although your status is different now, you still need to be careful. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. If some villains have their eyes on you, with all those little braids in your head, it won't be long before they pull them down."

Fu Liu covered her mouth, her eyes flickering slightly.

"Yes, I understand."

"Alright, go down! Tell Wenniang and Jin Nainang to come back and serve him once they've recovered from their injuries. The young master doesn't have enough people around him."

Song Xibai waved her hand, signaling her to leave.

Hopefully, this reprimand will teach Fuliu a lesson.

Meanwhile, after leaving, Fuliu immediately went to the servants' quarters and relayed the message to Wenniang and Jinnai Niang.

Jin's wet nurse and Wen's mother lived in the same house.

After hearing what Fu Liu said, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Wen Niang's brows relaxed slightly: "I knew Your Majesty was kind-hearted, didn't I? But we were indeed wrong in this matter; we were too careless. When we get back, we must keep our eyes open and never make the same mistake again."

Although she hadn't been with Song Xibai for long, Wenniang had already vaguely grasped some of her master's personality.

If it's your first mistake and it wasn't intentional, the Empress will give you a chance.

But if you make the same mistake a second time, there will be no chance of redemption.

Take Granny Fangqi for example. Although the Empress treated her with great respect because of her special status, Granny Fangqi's actions overstepped the bounds several times. So now, although she is the chief steward of the inner palace, she is no longer the Empress's trusted confidante.

Thinking of this, Wenniang took a deep breath, her eyes becoming even more determined.

Jin the wet nurse didn't think too much about it. Knowing that she wouldn't be kicked out, she relaxed completely.

She subconsciously reached for the pastries and snacks by the bedside.

The hand had barely touched it when it immediately withdrew.

It's clear that he has developed a psychological trauma.

She withdrew her hand and licked her fingertips, as if that would satisfy her cravings.

"Sister Wen, why do you think Her Majesty kept me but not the other two?"

It's easy to understand why Wenniang was kept; she was originally the Consort's person.

But Jin's wet nurse felt that she had made a bigger mistake! If she hadn't been so greedy, she wouldn't have fallen into the bad guys' trap and caused her young master to get drunk and fall into a deep sleep.

Wen Niang could guess some of Song Xibai's thoughts, but she wouldn't say it aloud.

"Why are you thinking so much? Just do whatever the Empress tells you to do. Even if the Empress sends you away, you shouldn't complain."

The wet nurse said awkwardly, "I didn't complain at all! I was just a little worried..."

What are you worried about?

"I heard that the new wet nurse, Qiao, is a very good person. She takes good care of the young masters all by herself."

Although Jin the wet nurse is simple-minded, she is now facing a "professional crisis".

"Who told you that?"

Wen Niang found it strange.

Of course, Wen Niang knew that a new wet nurse had arrived, but she wouldn't actively inquire about it, knowing that her master didn't like such things.

Jin's wet nurse is with me every day, I've never seen her secretly asking around!

Wen Niang couldn't help but remind her: "You can only do what you're supposed to do, and you must never do what you're not supposed to do. We're called wet nurses, but we're not from the palace, so we're different from other people."

Jin the wet nurse shrank her neck: "It was said by the little palace maid who used to watch the door and lift the curtain, not something I found out myself!"

Wen Niang's expression shifted slightly.