Seeing her old lover vomit blood, Han's mother cried out in a trembling voice:
"You bastard... let him go, and I won't hold it against you for killing those four old women."
As soon as she spoke, the servants thought to themselves, "The old lady really values the steward the most; she doesn't even care that her confidant has died."
Qi An shouted at her loudly, "Your son hasn't come home for three years, and you keep saying I'm a barren hen. The housekeeper sneaks into your bed every day, but I wonder if you've laid an egg yet?"
Han's mother and the housekeeper: "..."
The servants, who had been huddled up like quails in fear of Qi An, all raised their heads when they heard such explosive gossip.
They pricked up their ears and exchanged glances.
"My God, the old lady and the butler are having an affair! Doesn't the butler have a wife and children?"
"To be honest, I've suspected it for a while now. The way they looked at each other when they talked was off..."
"The old lady is so old... is she that thirsty?"
"No wonder he became a housekeeper, he's willing to go all out."
"I heard he often beats his wife and children, and he's really ruthless."
...
They looked at the steward, whose face was swollen purple and who was still vomiting blood, and then at the old lady, whose face was ashamed and whose fat was trembling with fear.
Everyone: "..."
Wow... that's a really strong taste.
"Stop talking nonsense, you bitch! How could I possibly be with him..."
Han's mother jumped up and denied it outright, but the panic on her face betrayed the truth.
She was terrified. The two of them had kept their affair very secret, and no one knew about it except for the four old women who served them closely. How did this little slut find out?
It was something Song Xinlan saw after her death.
She watched as the mother and son spent the Song family's money, some keeping mistresses, others having affairs, living a carefree life.
The steward felt incredibly ashamed to have his affair exposed, but he still needed Han's mother to save his life, so he decided to go all out.
"Shufen, save me..."
Upon hearing the girl's name, Han's mother was startled and retreated, while the servants watched with even greater interest.
"You audacious lackey, how dare you slander me!" Mother Han was still trying to defend herself, her voice trembling.
She can't acknowledge it. If she does, her reputation will be completely ruined, and it will affect her son's future.
"Shufen, Shufen, please save me! Even a night of intimacy can be a hundred days of kindness. How many nights have we been like this?"
Han's mother didn't even care about being afraid of Qi An anymore; she rushed up and tried to shut the housekeeper up.
"Shut up, shut up..."
Qi An had watched the show long enough, and kicked the steward into the crowd of servants.
“Kill him, and I’ll reward each of you with five taels of silver…”
Qi An smiled slightly: "Gold."
Han's mother was stingy; the highest monthly allowance for the servants was only five hundred copper coins, and she would deduct money from their pay at the drop of a hat.
Currently, one tael of gold equals ten taels of silver equals ten strings of copper coins equals one copper coin.
So five taels of gold is equivalent to copper coins, which is their monthly allowance for ten years.
"I'm watching everything. Those who try to take advantage of the situation don't count," Qi An reminded him.
Without saying a word, the servants surrounded the steward and punched and kicked him mercilessly, as if afraid of being judged as a scoundrel and not getting paid.
Han's mother screamed from the outside, but no one paid any attention to her.
Hongdou and Lüzhu were somewhat afraid, not because they were afraid of serving the eldest young lady, but because they were afraid that Qi An would suffer a loss.
"Miss, is this really alright? What if the general..."
Qi An patted their shoulders: "Don't be afraid, nothing will happen, trust me."
The two nodded emphatically.
They didn't want to delve into why their mistress had changed; they only knew that they liked her very much.
Today's young ladies possess a powerful, convincing presence that makes people unconsciously believe everything they say.
The steward was usually incompetent, often bullying the servants and harassing the maids, which made him extremely hated.
The more the group fought, the more excited they became. The butler's cries of pain and pleas for mercy grew fainter and fainter until they could no longer be heard.
Han's mother sat on the ground and wailed as she watched the housekeeper being beaten to death.
She lost her husband early in life and remained a widow for more than a decade, raising her son alone. After years of loneliness, she finally couldn't resist having an affair with the housekeeper in recent years.
She was well aware that the housekeeper had ulterior motives, but she was willing to be coaxed into being happy and pretended not to know.
It's impossible not to feel sad that he's gone just like that.
She glared at Qi An resentfully, all because of Song Xinlan, that jinx, who ruined her beautiful dream.
But seeing the five corpses in the courtyard, she learned her lesson and dared not scold Song Xinlan anymore.
Qi An instructed Hongdou and Lvzhu to fetch the gold.
With the combined influence of bloodshed and money, all the servants easily recognized who their true masters were.
As for the general, who knows when he'll return? He might even die on the battlefield. It's better for him to stay with the young mistress.
Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to leave this courtyard today.
Those with good sense brought her chairs and teacups, and everyone stood obediently waiting for her to speak.
Qi An sat down, took a sip of tea, and then asked, "Can anyone tell me what just happened?"
The crowd looked at each other, unsure how to answer, and dared not answer.
A quick-witted young servant tentatively spoke up:
"The steward was the old lady's lover, but he was not satisfied and also seduced four old women around the old lady. When the old lady found out, she beat all five of them to death in a fit of rage."
Han's mother: "..." Her vision went black and she almost vomited blood.
Qi An's eyes lit up: "..." What a talent!
Ata: "..." This amazing imagination, this outrageous and audacious talent for creating ideas, it's a real shame he doesn't write books.
The other servants were also dumbfounded.
Seeing that Qi An did not speak, the servant asked nervously, "Is Master not satisfied? This servant will think about it again."
He pondered, "Isn't it possible that the steward's true love is those old women, whom the old lady forcibly took?"
Before he could speak, Qi An asked him, "What's your name?"
"This servant Yuan Qing greets Master."
Qi An nodded: "Alright, you'll be the steward of the manor from now on."
The other servants were shocked but convinced of their superiority; they simply couldn't outdo them.
Yuan Qing was overjoyed and knelt down to kowtow: "Thank you for your grace, Master. I will serve you faithfully from now on, even unto death."
"Do as you say. Before dark, I want the whole capital to know about our old lady's six-cornered twilight love affair, and also to spread the word about what she has done to me over the past few years."
"Yes. This servant will certainly take care of it."
Han's mother screamed frantically, "No, you can't do this..."
Qi An ignored her and looked at all the servants: "You all know what you should and shouldn't say in the future."
If I hear any news that shouldn't be leaked, I won't bother to find out who leaked it; none of the people here today will survive.
"I have plenty of lackeys; I can just buy a new batch."
The servants knelt down and kowtowed, all promising never to betray them.
Qi An never believed in such verbal loyalty; only interests and fear were the most reliable shackles.
These lowly people who serve others year-round are the best at judging situations and situations.
They know which masters they can outwardly comply while secretly defying the situation and which masters they absolutely must not provoke.
In their eyes, Song Xinlan now falls into the latter category, after all, the cautionary tale of the past is still lying in the courtyard.
Ata said, "Six, boss, now they not only won't dare to talk about what you did, but they'll also have to supervise each other."
Qi An: "The servant is bullying his master because the master is weak."
Qi An gave him a slap and then a sweet treat: "From now on, everyone's monthly allowance will be tripled, and those who perform well will receive extra rewards."
The servants had just received five taels of gold when they heard about the increase in their monthly allowance. They were overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Thank you for your grace, Master."
Where can you find such a good master?
They were so eager to swear that they would remain loyal to the young mistress in their next life.
Han's mother watched all this with eyes wide with horror, but there was nothing she could do.
The excited servants worked with great enthusiasm and quickly carried the body away to be dumped in a mass grave.
The courtyard was cleaned spotlessly, and Yuan Qing led his men out to spread the news.
No matter how much Han's mother shouted, tried to stop her, or threatened her, no one paid any attention to her; they all treated her like she was invisible.
The servants now only recognize one master, so the Han family has effectively become the Song family.
Han's mother was both angry and anxious, filled with helpless rage, thinking about the consequences if those rumors were to spread.
Overwhelmed by anger, she coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted.
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