This old woman, Jiang, is either secretly gambling or embezzling public funds. She also uses her position as Madam Zheng to deceive her superiors and subordinates. In the Hu family, many people have long harbored resentment towards her.
"Granny Wang, how much of her wages do you still have?" Bai Nuo asked Granny Jiang calmly.
“Granny Jiang is a first-class old woman, and she receives one tael of silver each month…” Granny Wang said behind Bai Nuo, “This month’s salary hasn’t been paid yet. She hasn’t been owed any other months’ wages.”
"Deduct what she owes from her monthly allowance. If she still owes after that, we'll have to use her belongings to make up for it. If that's still not enough, I'll send her to see the authorities," Bai Nuo said coldly.
Granny Jiang immediately started screaming and cursing incessantly, but Xia Donglai wouldn't waste any words with her after each curse. He would slap her for every curse she made. After being slapped so many times, Granny Jiang dared not curse anymore and sobbed with a mouthful of bloody foam in her mouth.
Bai Nuo did not stop Xia Donglai from dealing with Granny Jiang; on the contrary, he was quite satisfied. Bai Nuo had called Xia Donglai and the others over precisely to do this, and he wanted this effect.
After finally beating Granny Jiang until she dared not utter a sound, Xia Donglai and Granny Wang finally brought the half-dead Granny Jiang to Granny Jiang's room. After searching out a lot of things, they took Granny Jiang back to Hu Mingmei's courtyard.
Xia Donglai pulled Old Lady Jiang along, each hand holding a heavy bundle. Apart from Mudan and Shaoyao, every servant in the courtyard lowered their heads.
They knew very well that the bundle Xia Donglai was carrying definitely didn't contain clothes.
They also have a lot of shady dealings on their hands; it's uncertain whether Bai Nuo will find out.
But if Bai Nuo knew such a secret as Granny Jiang, then what about their...?
A sense of shared sorrow immediately arose among the crowd.
Xia Donglai threw Granny Jiang to the ground, and the bundle in her hand also fell to the ground.
The bundle suddenly fell apart with a bang, and its contents spilled out onto the ground, including gold and silver jewelry.
A golden bead rolled through the crowd and landed at Bai Nuo's feet. The scene was silent except for the sound of the golden bead.
Although the voice wasn't loud, it sounded deafening to everyone.
Bai Nuo stepped down from her seat and picked up the gold bead. "Is the Hu family being treated this well now?"
“Madam, there is no such benefit in our monthly allowance!” Granny Wang said at the right moment.
"Granny Jiang!" Bai Nuo called out, looking down at her. Granny Jiang raised her heavy eyelids and said weakly, "Those were all gifts from Madam!"
"A reward for you?" Bai Nuo nodded. "But what about these? When did Madam Zheng become so generous as to reward you with her favorite jewelry and her daughter's favorite jewelry? There must be about a thousand or eight hundred taels of silver here, right?"
"Madam is very generous; these were all gifts from her. As a servant, I had no way to refuse."
Bai Nuo nodded, "Alright, I won't investigate where you got these things, as long as it's enough to cover the shortfall here!"
"I don't admit it! I didn't do any of these things!" Granny Jiang gritted her teeth, glaring at Bai Nuo with resentment. "You can't frame this old servant for everything!"
“Alright, since you think I’ve wronged you, that’s simple. Xia Donglai, take her to see the authorities,” Bai Nuo said.
"I want to see the lady! I want to see the lady!" Granny Jiang shouted loudly.
"Alright!" Bai Nuo was very agreeable. "After you return from your meeting with the official, I will let you see her." She just didn't know if she still wanted to see her good servant.
Seeing that Bai Nuo had nothing more to say, Xia Donglai dragged Granny Jiang and her things away.
As soon as they left, Bai Nuo returned to her seat, handed the notebook in her hand to Mudan, and said, "There are more or less problems among the people here. This is my first time in charge, and I don't know much. I'll give you three days to put everything back in its place and replenish it. Then I'll pretend nothing happened. If you don't come back after three days, you don't need to come back in the future."
"Those who want to turn back, come find Peony and Granny Wang. No one will know what you've done. But if you don't come, you'll end up like Granny Jiang. Three days from now, there will be some adjustments to your positions. Those who do well will be promoted, and those who don't will have to start over."
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in further commotion, but Bai Nuo ignored them, instructed Mudan and the others to get to work, and then returned to her room.
As soon as she returned to her room, Bai Nuo lay down, feeling exhausted. She stayed there until noon, when Mudan woke her up.
"Madam, it's time to get up and have lunch," Peony said softly.
Bai Nuo opened her eyes groggily, and it took her a while to realize it was Mudan. "How did things go?"
As Mudan helped Bai Nuo up, she said, "Most of them have arrived. I reckon we can finish everything by tonight."
When Mudan helped Bai Nuo up, she touched Bai Nuo's neck and immediately exclaimed, "Madam, why are you so hot?" She then touched Bai Nuo's forehead, which was frighteningly hot.
"I'll go call the nanny!" Upon touching Bai Nuo's forehead, Peony panicked.
Bai Nuo was helped up and then put down again. He touched his forehead and let out a heavy groan.
In a daze, Bai Nuo heard Granny Wang calling her softly. When she opened her eyes, she saw Granny Wang's old face looking at her anxiously.
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