Chapter 74 Woodshed

Xie Sangning looked at everyone, her gaze sweeping over every face in the hall.

"Which general's mansion are you referring to, the one you keep talking about?"

"It was my father, Xie Zhenting, who fought and bled on the battlefield to build this general's mansion?"

"Or is it—my good second uncle Xie Chengzong's family, the second branch of the General's Mansion that has led you all these years of scheming, lining your own pockets, and almost emptying the foundation of the General's Mansion?"

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding above everyone's heads!

The managers' faces turned deathly pale instantly.

Xie Sangning so bluntly and ruthlessly tore away this fig leaf completely!

"Ask yourselves honestly!"

"Over the years, who has truly been in charge of this mansion, the one whose word is law? And who have you all pledged your allegiance to?"

"But whose grace is it that you receive your monthly allowance?! And whose reputation do you rely on when you go about your business?"

"A new emperor, a new court! It has always been so!"

She stepped forward, exuding a powerful aura: "Now, the second branch of the family has been swept out of the house and removed from the family register. The world of the General's Mansion has changed."

She surveyed the entire room, and wherever her gaze fell, no one dared to meet her eyes; they all lowered their heads.

"Now, I, Xie Sangning, am in charge!"

She spoke each word with unwavering resolve, declaring the ownership of power: "What I want to replace is not a few managers or a few shopkeepers."

"What I want to change is the rules of this mansion, the atmosphere of this general's mansion, and the entrenched, parasitic pests that have attached themselves to this great tree of the general's mansion!"

Her gaze fell on Uncle Fu again: "Uncle Fu, you are my mother's man, highly respected, and I have great respect for you. But I cannot agree with what you just said."

"To proceed slowly? Whose opportunity is that? Is it given to those who have already emptied the treasury and fattened their own pockets? Or is it given to those who are still attached to their former masters and may turn on them at any time?"

Uncle Fu suddenly realized what was happening, and finally stopped trying to stop him, taking a few steps back.

When everyone saw that Uncle Fu was no longer speaking up for them, they panicked.

Xie Sangning sat back in his chair, leaning back lazily, and issued a final ultimatum to everyone.

"I expect you to hand over all the account books and keys today, and leave the General's Mansion tomorrow. But you will not be shortchanged on your severance pay."

"You may leave now."

If these people are not completely eliminated, the General's Mansion will still have the influence of the Second Branch, so we need to be very careful in everything we do.

She never underestimates any enemy, even the mentally challenged, who could inadvertently deliver a fatal blow.

Below the hall, everyone's face turned ashen instantly, and the last glimmer of light in their eyes went out, as if their souls had been ripped away in an instant.

After they left, Xie Sangning instructed Ruchun: "The new manager will be chosen from my people. You know them best, and you know who is capable and who can take on which responsibilities."

"Draw up the list before tonight, and I want to see them all doing their jobs first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes!" Ru Chun immediately replied solemnly, "This servant will certainly not fail Miss's trust!"

Xie Sangning nodded: "Remember, I have only one request: from this day forward, only my voice, Xie Sangning's, can be heard throughout this General's Mansion!"

"This servant understands!" Ru Chun immediately bowed and withdrew.

Then, Xie Sangning turned his gaze to Ru Xia, who was standing to the side.

She took a blue booklet from her sleeve and tossed it over casually.

"It's your business."

Xia Wenwen caught the booklet.

Without even looking at it, she knew what it was—the result of months of relentless surveillance by the shadowy guards around her.

Each name in the register corresponds to a servant in the mansion who, whether openly or secretly, is loyal to the second wife.

From the cleaning lady to the kitchen helper, from the gatekeeper to the second-class maid in the inner courtyard, every detail was meticulously recorded.

“These people were all sold off, not one was spared.”

"If anyone is missing, go to the brokerage firm outside and find a clean replacement immediately. Make sure the indenture is secure and the rules are taught properly."

"Yes, Miss! I'll take care of it right away!"

Cut the weeds and eliminate the roots to prevent future troubles.

After making the arrangements, Xie Sangning sent everyone out of the room and sat alone by the window. The sunlight outside was perfect, casting dappled shadows through the window frame.

She leaned back slightly, a smile in her eyes.

Father and brothers, Sang Ning has done it. When you return, the General's Mansion will be clean and tidy.

As her thoughts shifted, the image of Xie Chengzong's family of four inexplicably appeared in her mind.

A barely audible chuckle escaped her lips.

"I wonder which wealthy family was sleeping in last night."

Last night, for Xie Chengzong's family, a life of luxury was simply out of the question.

On the outskirts of the western market of the capital, in the back alley of an ordinary restaurant called Zuixianju.

The door to the woodshed was crookedly half-open, and a pungent smell mixed with the stench of old, rotten wood, rotten vegetable leaves, and a faint odor of urine wafted out.

The woodshed was small, piled high with chopped firewood and various odds and ends, with only a small clearing in the corner barely enough to make room for anything else.

A thin layer of musty-smelling hay was laid on the ground, which would be their bed for the night.

Xie Wuyou covered her mouth and nose tightly, her embroidered shoes stepping on the dirty ground. She looked at the pile of firewood covered with cobwebs and dust in the corner, and at the cockroaches crawling on the ground, and her stomach churned.

"Ugh..." She gagged, tears welling up instantly. "Why! Why did I leave the General's Mansion?! He was the one who stole the money!"

She pointed sharply at Xie Wulu, who was chopping firewood expressionlessly in another corner, her voice shrill and cracking, "I'm not the one who made the mistake! Why should I suffer like this too! Why!!"

Just thinking about how, at this time of day, she would have already finished bathing in a fragrant bath sprinkled with rose petals, changed into a soft nightgown, and lay on a bed with soft cushions and warm fragrance, either reading a storybook or listening to her maid tell interesting stories from the streets.

Soft candlelight, a warm charcoal brazier, and exquisite pastries readily available... what a delightful and luxurious experience!

And now?

The icy air seeped into my thin clothes, and beneath me lay prickly dry grass and the hard, cold ground!

A nauseating, strange smell filled the air!

At night, it's incredibly cold in this woodshed! And there might even be rats!

The immense sense of loss and despair gnawed at her heart, shattering her last shred of reason.

The dull thud of chopping wood stopped abruptly.

Xie Wulu's hand, which was holding the woodcutter's knife, froze in mid-air, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He slowly raised his head, his face covered in dust and sweat, his dark eyes staring at Xie Wuyou.

A violent glint lurked in his eyes, but he said nothing in the end. He simply lowered his eyes in silence and continued mechanically chopping firewood.

However, the force with which the knife struck was noticeably heavier.

Hearing this, Wang couldn't hold back any longer. She had placed all her hopes on her son and wouldn't tolerate anyone speaking ill of him, not even her own daughter!

"Shut up!" Wang suddenly stood up from the haystack, pointing at Xie Wuyou and scolding him sharply, her eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. "You only have a roof over your head to shelter you from the wind and rain because of your brother!"

"He wrote a whole stack of menus for the shopkeeper and talked himself hoarse before we got this woodshed for three days! Without him, you'd be sleeping on the streets feeding stray dogs! You ungrateful wretch!"

"He's not here?!"

Xie Wuyou was like a powder keg that had been completely ignited; he suddenly jumped up and screamed hysterically.

"If he hadn't done such a shameful thing! If he hadn't dragged my whole family down with him! How could I have ended up fighting with stray dogs for territory?! It's all his fault! And you're blaming me instead?!"

In the corner, Xie Chengzong, who had been resting with his eyes closed, finally opened them.

"Alright! Enough talk! What's all the arguing about? Things are tough right now, but it's just a temporary measure! We'll get through these next few days!"

"Wu Lu is a Jinshi personally selected by the Emperor! He's passed the imperial examination with flying colors! The official appointment document from the Ministry of Personnel will arrive sooner or later!"

"Regardless of rank, the imperial court will grant us a residence! At that time, we will naturally have a place to settle down and make a living! Why argue endlessly over a few days of hardship?"