The two midwives were asked to leave the house.
Aunt Bai stood by the window, expressionless, watching the two midwives leave.
She turned back and stared at Qingzhu, "Everyone has left, why are you still staying here?"
Qingzhu secretly rolled her eyes and said, "My daughter is worried about Auntie, so she asked me to look after her."
Aunt Bai smiled and said, "What's there to worry about? Second Miss is just overthinking. I just want to meet the two midwives and send you here to guard. If I don't agree, will Li Chuan rush in with his men and beat me up?"
“I dare not!”
Aunt Bai sneered, "Is it fun to talk about this now? I've already met the two midwives, so you can go back."
When you see your daughter, please thank her for hiring a midwife for me. I'm so grateful from the bottom of my heart.
After the child is born, he will definitely be very close to the Second Miss. In the future, the child will have to rely on the Second Miss to take good care of him. "
Qingzhu said, "Auntie, you can take care of your child yourself. My daughter can't take care of it."
Aunt Bai smiled and said, "Alright, alright. I won't dare to trouble the Second Miss anymore. Please go back quickly."
Qingzhu retreated silently.
As soon as everyone left, Aunt Bai slammed the window shut, which was really infuriating.
The maid Cui Liu came to Aunt Bai.
"Aunt, please take care of yourself."
Aunt Bai nodded and let Cui Liu help her sit down on the chair.
She said, "I wonder when the Madam and the others will return home."
"It shouldn't be that soon. The palace is busy preparing for the Queen's funeral."
Aunt Bai gently stroked her belly and said, "This child must be born safely no matter what."
Cui Liu suggested to her, "Auntie, why don't you go find the master? The master has long harbored resentment towards the mistress. Auntie, if you can just stir things up a bit, you might get unexpected results."
Aunt Bai nodded, "That's one way. It would be great if Madam could recover from her serious illness."
God obviously didn't hear Aunt Bai's wish.
Xie was crying in the palace, and although she looked a little haggard, she was in good health.
However, the condition of old lady Wei is not very good.
After all, I'm old and can't afford to toss around like this.
There are many people as old as Old Madam Wei.
Someone fainted while crying at the funeral.
After a flurry of activity, the imperial physician examined him and said it was due to excessive fatigue.
So someone went to the emperor to petition, and ordered the ladies to leave the palace every evening and return to their homes to rest, and then rush to the palace to cry early the next morning.
Although it is a bit harder, it also saves a lot of trouble.
After all, staying in the palace meant not being able to eat or sleep well, and having to kneel in the mourning hall for a long time every day to cry.
Even if you are a strong person, you can't last more than a few days if you do this for a long time.
Not to mention those who are already weak, they might even lose their lives in the palace.
After consideration, the emperor approved the petition.
So, on the third day after the ladies were granted imperial decree to enter the palace, they were finally able to leave the palace and return home.
Although I had to rush to the palace early the next morning and go back and forth, as the saying goes, there is no place like home.
When I get home, I feel a sense of relaxation all over my body, a feeling I could never experience in the palace.
This relaxation alone can make people feel relieved and happy. The next day, they can return to the palace in high spirits and continue to mourn.
Old Madam Wei and the others returned to the Marquis' Mansion safely. Gu Mei cried with joy, at least her backbone was back.
The eldest lady, Xiao Wei, asked, "How is the mansion during our absence?"
"Everything is fine. Sister Xiaojiu and the others came to help and took away a lot of the burden for my daughter."
The eldest lady, Xiao Wei, nodded, and everyone went to Songhe Hall to talk.
Old Madam Wei sat in the familiar chair, her bones aching all over.
The maidservant massaged her back and legs and gave her a relaxing massage.
Madam Wei sighed, "I'm getting old, and my health is getting worse every year. Back then, when Concubine Hui passed away, I stayed in the palace for seven or eight days, and even when I returned home, I could still eat two bowls of rice."
"The old lady is in good health. Even her daughter-in-law can't compare to her."
The second wife, Wang, flattered.
Madam Wei waved her hand, "It's no use. I know my own body. If Your Majesty doesn't let us leave the palace, I'm afraid I'll lose my life in the palace."
"Old lady, please don't scare your daughter-in-law."
Everyone looked at her worriedly.
Madam Wei forced a smile. "I was just saying this casually. Look how frightened you are. Mei, come here and tell me how you have been handling your household affairs while we were away. How is your sister-in-law's funeral going?"
Gu Mei stepped forward and told her what had happened in the past few days.
Gu Jiu drove all the people in the kitchen away and also told them about hiring a cook and helpers from outside.
She had to act first, otherwise the cooks would tell on her behind her back and confuse right and wrong.
After Gu Mei finished her explanation, she continued, "Madam, my granddaughter thinks Sister Xiaojiu's method is excellent.
The old men in the mansion, relying on the respect given by their masters, looked down on everyone and did not take their granddaughter and others seriously at all.
Not only that, they also ridiculed the granddaughter and others, and always mentioned the past, and how respectful it was to serve the old marquis and the old lady, and how the granddaughter and others should respect and be filial to them. It was really infuriating.
If it weren't for Xiaojiu's cleverness in hiring a cook and helpers from outside, the banquet would have only been able to offer tea and snacks, with no hot dishes or rice to eat. The Marquis's Mansion would have been completely disgraced by them."
Madam Wei's face turned serious. "How outrageous! When we're not here, the servants in the mansion treat their errands like this. Do they still have respect for the mansion and their master? Old Madam, your daughter-in-law thinks that the old man in the mansion really deserves a beating."
Gu Mei nodded secretly. They not only deserved a warning, but should all be kicked out of the house. She should choose suitable people and train them carefully. They could also do the job and would be less troublesome than those old people.
Madam Wei narrowed her eyes slightly. "I know everything you said. These are all people who have served me and the old marquis. I originally gave them some respect in the hope that they would serve more attentively."
I didn't expect them to use their status to act like masters while we were away. It's really ridiculous.
I will leave this matter to you, my eldest daughter-in-law, to handle. You don't have to consider my face and the old marquis's.
However, we are currently dealing with a funeral in the palace, and there is also a national mourning. It won’t be too late to deal with them after we are done with this.”
The eldest lady, Xiao Wei, nodded and said, "The daughter-in-law listens to the old lady."
She knew that the old lady wanted to delay for a while, first to give those elderly people a warning and save them.
But she is not afraid.
This time, it was a rare opportunity, and she wanted to clear out all those old people who just ate and did nothing.
No matter who the old lady wants to protect, as long as she has the evidence, there is no way of escaping.
This group of old people, relying on their respectability, repeatedly tripped her up. She had wanted to clean it up a long time ago, but she had never found a reason.
Unexpectedly, this time when I entered the palace, I got an opportunity.
Xiaojiu is such a smart kid that he actually thought of hiring a cook and helpers from outside.
As a result, the dozens of people in the kitchen had no way to take credit for their work.
Madam Wei couldn't help but smile secretly as she thought of something happy. She would send someone to give Xiao Jiu a gift tomorrow to thank her for her help.
Old Madam Wei also said: "Xiao Jiu is quite clever. She is a girl in the boudoir and has no one to teach her, yet she actually thought of hiring a cook and helpers from outside."
Madam Xiao Wei said, "Perhaps Xiao Jiu had seen this before and remembered it in her heart. Those people in the kitchen were too unreasonable, so Xiao Jiu had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.
Although it would be embarrassing if the news got out, it was still better than a buffet with only tea and snacks.
When the daughter-in-law thought about the banquet, there was not a single hot dish, only tea and snacks. She wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into. It was so embarrassing.
The second wife, Wang, and the third wife, Duan, echoed in unison.
The two of them had suffered a lot of bullying from the old people in the mansion in the past.
It's a rare opportunity to clean up this group of people, so naturally we have to kick them when they're down and list their crimes in detail.
Listening to the accusations of her daughters-in-law, Old Madam Wei's expression gradually became solemn.
She sent everyone out on the pretext that she was tired and wanted to rest early.
Even the maids around her were all sent away, leaving only Nanny Yu to serve her.
Nanny Yu took over the maids' work and gave the old lady Wei a massage to relax her.
Old Madam Wei frowned. "Those who served me and the old marquis back then, if you count their ages, the youngest were in their forties, and the oldest were in their fifties or sixties. Back then, they were all very well-mannered and trustworthy. Are they really that unbearable now?"
Nanny Yu is in her forties and is considered an elder in the mansion, very respectable.
The younger generations in the mansion, like Gu Mei, also had to be polite when they met Nanny Yu.
If there was anything to do, she would naturally ask the maids to do it, and would never dare to ask people like Nanny Yu to do it.
Nanny Yu said carefully, "There are a few who are absurd, but most people still abide by the rules and do their work honestly. I guess the three ladies have been bullied in the past, so they are calling for their downfall."
"Um!"
Old Madam Wei uttered a sound through her nose, "But it's time to clean up the old people in the mansion, so that they won't become a hindrance to the children.
The future of the Marquis's Mansion still depends on the children, and the children do not need servants who are at their beck and call.
The reason many wealthy families fall into decline is often due to internal problems. This is likely due to the constraints of servants, which prevent the young masters from exercising their powers.
Nanny Yu opened her mouth and said carefully, "What the old lady said makes sense. It's just that everyone has worked hard all their lives and relies on the Marquis' Mansion for their retirement. I'm afraid that clearing them out at this time will only chill the hearts of many people."
Madam Wei hummed, "Actually, there's no need to worry too much. The elderly can no longer work and should have left the mansion. But their children and grandchildren can still work there. With jobs, they have income, so there's no need to worry about their retirement."
"The old lady is really thoughtful."
Nanny Yu felt a little sad, and her voice became low.
Madam Wei suddenly patted the back of her hand and said, "Don't worry. I can't live without you. You will have to serve me for decades."
Nanny Yu smiled happily and said, "This servant is willing to serve the old lady for the rest of her life."
…
At the Gu Mansion, the eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, was very satisfied with the results of Gu Jiu acting as the temporary housekeeper.
During the days she was away, the whole house was kept in perfect order.
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, praised Gu Jiu in front of Mrs. Xie.
"Xiaojiu is really capable. I feel very relieved to leave the internal affairs to you. We have to go to the palace again before dawn tomorrow. Xiaojiu will have to continue to take care of the internal affairs of the mansion."
Gu Jiu said hurriedly: "These are not the achievements of me alone. My eldest sister, third sister, fourth sister, fifth sister and sixth sister also contributed a lot. Only with everyone's concerted efforts can we manage the mansion well."
The eldest wife, Zhang, said, "Everyone has contributed, but it's thanks to you being in charge of the household that things have gone so smoothly. I heard from the servants that these past two days, you've not only been busy with things at the mansion, but you've also had to go to the neighboring marquis' mansion to help out. Thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard for my niece to share my aunt's worries." Gu Jiu smiled sweetly.
The eldest wife, Zhang, looked at Gu Jiu and liked her more and more. This girl was so smart and capable. She was also very beautiful.
If this were her own daughter, she would wake up laughing in her dreams.
Since Zhang praised Xie, Xie naturally could not be praised and had to be scolded.
"Second girl, I heard that you threw out dozens of people from the kitchen of the Marquis' Mansion and hired cooks and helpers from outside. Is this true?"
Gu Jiu nodded slightly, "Except for some exaggeration, the matter is basically as my wife said."
"This is ridiculous." Xie slammed the table, filled with anger.
"That's the Marquis's Mansion, not your own home. When you went there to help, who gave you the right to throw people out? And who gave you the right to go to the accounting office and use the money to hire cooks and helpers from outside? You're simply being reckless. Not only have you brought disgrace upon the Marquis's Mansion, but upon us as well."
Xie spoke anxiously and scolded Gu Jiu loudly.
Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow, "I don't know where the shame that Madam mentioned comes from?"
"You still dare to quibble. A dignified mansion like the Marquis's needs to hire cooks and helpers from outside to host a buffet. If word gets out about this, what will people outside say? The Marquis's mansion can't even afford a few cooks, yet they have to hire people from outside. Isn't this a disgrace?"
Xie slammed the table angrily and cursed at Gu Jiu, pointing at his nose.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "So this is what is called humiliation. Even if it is humiliating, it is the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion that is humiliated. The Marquis' Mansion is not in a hurry, so why should Madam be in a hurry? Why not wait and see if the Marquis' Mansion will send someone to scold me? It won't be too late for Madam to teach me a lesson then."
"You, you are so outrageous."
Xie was furious.
Gu Jiu didn't want to waste any more time talking to Xie, so he decided to remain silent.
The eldest wife, Zhang, frowned. "Sister-in-law, I also heard about what Xiaojiu did in the Marquis' Mansion. I don't feel ashamed. On the contrary, I think Xiaojiu handled it very well.
In that case, the first thing to ensure is that the buffet starts on time.
I don't think the cooks at the Marquis' Mansion could even prepare a buffet in a day. Without a buffet, the Marquis' Mansion would be truly disgraced.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, I think the Marquis' Mansion should thank Xiao Jiu."
Gu Jiu was grateful to her aunt Zhang for speaking for her.
Although she believes that everything she does is right, not everyone accepts her way of doing things.
Gu Jiu was very touched that her aunt could understand her difficulties.
Xie was extremely dissatisfied and stared at the first wife Zhang with a fierce look in her eyes.
"Sister-in-law, I'm disciplining my own child. Can you please stop interfering?"
Zhang smiled and said, "It seems to me that my sister-in-law doesn't seem to be disciplining the child, but rather taking the opportunity to criticize someone."
Xie snorted coldly, "Nonsense. Even if I hit Gu Jiu, so what? In name, she is my daughter, shouldn't I hit her?"
Zhang frowned. "Xiaojiu didn't do anything wrong, so why is my sister-in-law scolding her? She's in charge of the kitchen. In that situation, does she have to watch the cooks slacking off and do nothing, only then can she be considered doing the right thing and making the Marquisate lose face in front of all the guests?"
Mrs. Xie angrily said, "That's nonsense. There's not only one way to solve the problem. Why do we have to hire a cook from outside?"
"Because I'm in a hurry." Gu Jiu answered Xie's question concisely.
Mrs. Xie stared at Gu Jiu and said, "You've spent so much time and you're just slacking off. I don't believe the cook in the Marquis' Mansion can't prepare a buffet."
Gu Jiu sneered, "Madam looks like she wants to eat me alive. People who don't know the truth would think that Madam is the wife of the Marquis's Mansion, not the wife of the Gu Mansion."
"presumptuous!"
Xie pointed at Gu Jiu and said, "You are so presumptuous. Is this how you treat your elders? You, you..."
"Madam, Madam Two, the eldest lady of the Marquis' Mansion sent someone over here, saying she came specially to thank the second young lady."
As soon as the maid finished speaking, the air suddenly became quiet.
Xie was speechless and her face turned red with embarrassment.
Everyone else was trying to hold back their laughter; this was a slap in the face.
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