Chapter 21 Neglect
After thinking about it, Madam Li agreed and picked out a few important things to talk about, such as her maternal uncle, Lin Kuangzheng, who was now the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and her maternal uncle's wife, Madam Wang, who came from the Langya Wang clan, as well as their likes and habits.
Xiao Yuxuan listened attentively, thanked Mama Li, gave her money for tea, and personally saw her out.
In her past life, such matters were relayed by other maids around Madam Xiao, so she had no way of knowing the details. Now, for some reason, it is Li Mama who personally handles everything. Perhaps this is the result of Madam Xiao or Li Mama having changed their opinion of her.
“Young lady, don’t worry. Your uncle and aunt are both very kind people. You will definitely be able to get along well with them.”
Chunwen said from the side.
The servants all knew how Lin Kuangzheng and Madam Wang had treated Xiao Yuyao in the past, and now that the real young lady had been found, they would only treat her better.
Chunwen's idea was naive, but Bihui was somewhat uneasy.
Madam Wang, the maternal uncle's wife, had jokingly said more than once that she wanted the fourth daughter to marry into her family when she grew up. If it were the fifth daughter, would Madam Wang still say that?
Bi Sui thought about it, but then hesitated. Her second cousin from the Lin family didn't seem like a good match...
The next morning, Xiao Yuxuan rinsed her mouth and washed her face. Breakfast was served, but the variety was not as rich as before, and there were several dishes that Xiao Yuxuan never liked to eat.
"These are things that the young lady specifically asked you not to bring. How dare you send them? Are you thinking that the young lady is magnanimous and won't punish you?"
Bi Sui stood outside with her hands on her hips, glanced at the food boxes carried by the two servants, and cursed a few times.
Hearing the noise, Xiao Yuxuan inside asked, "What's going on outside?"
After a while, Bihui lifted the beaded curtain and came in, looking somewhat aggrieved.
"Miss, the kitchen is so negligent! They said that this morning, the maids from Baozhen Courtyard took a few extra dishes to eat early, so when it was our turn at Lanting Pavilion, we could only make do with a few dishes that you don't like!"
"I thought it was something serious, that's something to get angry about."
Xiao Yuxuan compared the pearl hairpins in her hair to herself in the bronze mirror, her voice tinged with laughter, but her words were chilling:
"If anyone fails to perform their duties properly, they can be punished with a beating and then sold off by a matchmaker. I don't think Mother will pursue such a trivial matter."
Bi Sui stood there for a moment, and once she understood the meaning behind the words, she excitedly responded and went out.
Why get yourself all angry when you can just borrow someone else's power?
Before long, cries for mercy came from outside. The two servants kept explaining and begging for mercy, saying they wanted to see the Fifth Miss in person to explain things clearly, and that they would also go to Madam Xiao to defend themselves.
Bi Sui sneered:
"What a joke! The Fifth Young Lady is a noblewoman, how could you two opportunists see her as you please? You failed in your duty and still dare to dream of begging for the master's mercy. When you were trying to fool the master just now, did you not expect this outcome?!"
One of them hurriedly said, "Sister Bihui, it's difficult for us too. The ladies from Baozhen Courtyard are in a hurry, and they said that Fourth Miss personally ordered the food. How could we dare to offend them..."
Bi Sui: "You dare not offend Baozhen Courtyard, but you dare to offend Lanting Pavilion. Don't you even use that pig brain of yours to think about it? Fifth Miss is now the proper young mistress. Who should you be trying to please!"
"But now that you can't figure it out, there's no need to think about it anymore. Go pack your things and accept your punishment!"
The two men looked at each other with bitter expressions, then walked away dejectedly.
A short while later, the kitchen staff brought in a fresh breakfast.
When Xiao Yuxuan sat down, she saw that these were all the dishes she usually ate, so this time no one dared to be perfunctory.
“Miss, I have already sent someone to tell Mama Li about those two people. They were immediately punished with a beating and sold off. From now on, the kitchen will no longer be able to treat people differently based on their status.”
Bihui explained as she served her food.
The kitchen is now managed by the family of Master Xiao's wet nurse. Madam Xiao usually doesn't dare to be too domineering. Now that she has offended Xiao Yuxuan, she thought Xiao Yuxuan was made of clay, but she didn't expect to kick a hornet's nest.
Bihui was both excited and gratified.
Such things had happened before, but the girl would either treat them lightly or think it over and then say no, not wanting to make things difficult for the servants. She was truly stubborn and arrogant on the surface, but soft-hearted on the inside, which made her feel anxious and worried.
This kind of personality is the most thankless and exhausting.
Fortunately, the girl figured it out and was willing to punish her servants. She showed the demeanor of a master who could be both kind and strict, so she would be less likely to be bullied in the future, which was perfect.
After having breakfast, Xiao Yuxuan went to the main house in the front yard to find Madam Xiao, waiting for her uncle and aunt to arrive.
She arrived early; Madam Xiao was still having her meal. Upon seeing her, she said:
"Just now, Madam Li told me that those two servants are a bit inexperienced. They can be sold off by the matchmaker later. There's no need to get angry with these servants."
The main point of her words was that the servants were bad, but she didn't mention that it was because Baozhenyuan had taken her allowance first, which led to the kitchen changing the dishes on its own initiative.
A while ago, she thought that Madam Xiao's attitude towards her had softened a bit, but now her heart is leaning towards Xiao Yuyao again.
Xiao Yuxuan knew that if she mentioned that Baozhen Courtyard was at fault at this moment, Madam Xiao would definitely blame her for being petty, so she simply curtsied.
"Just now I was worried that after this incident, Mother might think I was making a mountain out of a molehill. Now that's the case, with Mother standing up for me, those servants will definitely not do that again."
Madam Xiao put down the spoon in her hand.
"Again? You mean they've always neglected the Orchid Pavilion?"
Li's mother also glanced at Xiao Yuxuan.
"What's past is past, Mother. Let's not dwell on it, okay?"
Madam Xiao could be biased, but she could not tolerate the servants neglecting her daughter. Upon hearing this, she pointed to Bi Sui behind Xiao Yuxuan.
"You tell me! Has anything similar happened before?"
Bihui understood the Fifth Miss's signal and immediately knelt down on the ground, "Madam, this servant... this servant dares not speak..."
Seeing this, Li's mother said:
"Just tell the truth. As long as everything you say is true, Madam will never blame you. Madam is upholding justice for your young lady. Are you being timid and hesitant because you don't want things to be good for your young lady?"
Madam Xiao nodded, agreeing with what Li's mother said.
Bi Sui then glanced at Xiao Yuxuan again and said:
"Actually, the servants in the manor have been doing this frequently for the past month or so..."
She had been holding back for a long time, and now she finally had the chance to complain. She recounted in detail all the people who had mistreated Fifth Sister in the past.
However, it also contains many traces of Baozhenyuan.
This morning, the two young ladies had light breakfasts, but the fourth young lady ate very carefully. She would only take a small bite of each dish if it was unique, precious, and beautifully presented. Otherwise, she would get sick and throw a tantrum if she didn't eat it. Therefore, the kitchen always prioritized the food for Baozhen Courtyard.
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