Chen Qiu sat on the chair prepared above, Mingyue Xing'er and Xiaofu stood behind her. Xiaofu knew when to speak, when to be quiet, and even more when to take action. She was mentally impaired, but she was so sensible that it made people feel distressed.
"Chunlan is the one?" Chen Qiu said with a smile, looking gentle and peaceful.
A little girl about eleven or twelve years old came out from behind and knelt on the ground, "Madam, I am Chunlan"
Chen Qiu looked at the small figure and seemed to see herself back then. When she was twelve years old, she brought Mingyue and Xing'er with her for the first time, and set out from the northwest to return to Kyoto under the protection of her guards and master. Since then, she has been traveling back and forth between Kyoto and the northwest every year.
"Get up." Chen Qiu looked at the people standing below. Many little girls were standing at the back, so he couldn't see anyone there at all.
"Xing'er, let the little girls stand in front. I can't see them at all if they stand in the back because they are so small."
There were seven little maids in total. "Did these little maids come into the mansion this year? Why have I never seen them before?" Chen Qiu pointed at three of the maids and asked Xing'er.
Xing'er also shook her head, indicating she didn't know. "Which courtyard are you in charge of? When did you enter the mansion? Your names aren't on my personnel ledger."
No one spoke, so Xing'er continued, "Aren't you going to say anything? Are you runaway slaves from that mansion? Or are you here to harm the Ye family?"
Instantly, the three little girls knelt down, kowtowed and shouted, "No, no, we were sent here by our parents. They said the monthly salary was high and the master treated the servants well, so they spent a tael of silver to persuade Madam Cai to arrange for us to come here."
Chen Qiu was so angry that he laughed. He pointed at the book in Xing'er's hand and said, "Do you know that if you are not included in this list, you will not receive the monthly salary?"
"Also, you came in to sign a contract to sell your bodies, did you know that?" Chen Qiu looked at the three little girls kneeling below and asked, "Did you know whose house you entered before?"
"I don't know, I just know they are a wealthy family in Kyoto." A little girl answered tremblingly, lowering her head even more.
Chen Qiu sighed. Would a servant dare to do such a thing? Was he just greedy for a few taels of silver? Or was there something else going on? This little girl was a good citizen, not a slave, so her master wouldn't know. If someone from her family came and filed a complaint with the Jingzhao Yin Mansion, what kind of trouble would the Ye family be dragged into?
Chen Qiu looked at the thin, petite woman. "Are you Madam Cai? Can you tell me how you arranged for them to live in the Ye Mansion? Also, how do you plan to pay them their monthly wages?"
"You're charging one tael of silver per person to arrange for them to come in, and then giving them another tael of silver per person every month. Aren't you good at accounting? Are you recruiting servants for the Ye Mansion? Or are you so rich yourself that you're willing to pay the monthly salary for the people who come to the Ye Mansion yourself?"
"Well, such servants sound pretty good. This way, my Ye Mansion can save a lot of money every year."
Madam Cai's body was already shaking like a sieve. She swallowed hard, then walked to the front, knelt down and kowtowed, "Madam, I don't know these girls. I didn't bring them in. It really wasn't me. Please be clear." She originally wanted to agree, and then say that she forgot to bring them to find Xing'er, but as soon as she knelt down, the denial came out of her mouth.
Chen Qiu looked at Xing'er, then at Mingyue, "Go find a chair to sit on. Your belly is showing a little bit, and it must be tiring to stand for a long time." Then he asked someone to bring a chair over for Mingyue.
"Xing'er, let's do this first. Madam Cai will be handed over to Black Eagle. Ask these little girls where they came from, and then personally take someone to send them back to their parents in front of their neighbors."
Xing'er had the three girls taken out. "Next, Chunlan, tell me why you quarreled with Madam Cai today?"
Chunlan knelt down with a thud, "Madam, you have to make the decision for us!"
Chen Qiu raised his hand to support him, "Stand up and talk. If you have something to say, tell me slowly. Now that I know, I won't let you suffer any more injustice."
"Yes, I'm a servant girl. Every morning we have rice porridge, steamed buns, and pickles for breakfast, which is enough to keep us full. At noon and in the evening, we also have one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and one soup. Normally, we shouldn't be too greedy, but since you were in confinement and the master was away from home, the food we servants eat has changed. In the morning, we each have a steamed bun. At noon, we still have one meat dish and one vegetable dish, but the meat dish is just a little bit of minced meat."
"My mother is sick. The doctor said she's not feeling well and asked her to eat more so she can get better faster. I thought I'd go to the kitchen to see if I could find her something to eat. She was there with her sisters, eating spare ribs and braised pork. I asked them why there was nothing in our food, and they said we were born to be cheap and didn't deserve to eat good food."
Chunlan's voice grew louder and louder, and finally she was so angry that her voice was choked. Chen Qiu looked at the kneeling woman and said, "Oh, Madam Cai just called herself me, right? I wonder if Madam Cai has escaped from slavery?"
"No, she signed a death contract. Without the master's order, it is impossible for her to escape from slavery, not even by redeeming herself." Xing'er lowered her head and replied to Shen Qiu.
"Now that this has been brought up, you all can tell me how your meals have been during this period. I spend one thousand taels of silver on groceries for the backyard kitchen every month. I have been buying food for Qiuchen Courtyard and Rongwei Hall on my own during the time I was pregnant, and I have not spent the money allocated to the main kitchen. I have seen their maids, so let's talk about the meals for the rest of you today." Chen Qiu rested his hand on the handle of a chair beside him.
"Xing'er, have you brought Madam Cai's account book? Let me see it. Just say what you need to say." Xing'er said, "I have it. I'll get it when I call them." Then she handed an account book to Chen Qiu.
Chen Qiu flipped through the pages one by one, becoming angrier and angrier. "Five taels of silver for a pound of peanuts? Ten taels of silver for a pound of pork? Madam Cai, are you buying pork made of gold? Peanuts made of silver? Aren't you afraid of knocking out your teeth?" In the end, Chen Qiu was so angry that he laughed.
Ye Chen had already returned and was hiding behind the table, listening to Chen Qiu's words. "Xing'er, take someone to search Madam Cai's residence. I really want to see what this priceless peanut looks like."
Xing'er responded and led her people away. Chen Qiu looked at the person on the ground, who was already shaking and unable to kneel, and said, "Madam Cai, I have never treated you unfairly, have I? You were indebted to a life contract and could only be a servant, but I promoted you to be a purchasing lady. Alas, it seems that my vision is not good. I have really given these eyes in vain, causing these people to suffer so much."
"It's not that you have bad vision, it's that these people don't know what's good for them. Qiu'er, don't blame yourself." Ye Chen walked out from behind.
When Chen Qiu turned around and saw Ye Chen, the depression in his heart also dissipated a lot, "Why are you back so soon?"
"I came back a long time ago. I came in through the small door at the back and have been listening for a while." Ye Chen moved a chair and sat next to Chen Qiu.
"This Madam Cai sent someone into the mansion without permission, so let's hand it over to Black Hawk and see if we can get anything out of him. We can't have any more accidents in our mansion. After a month outside, we really need to give the mansion a thorough cleaning. Don't hide anyone who shouldn't be hidden. An An is still young and can't stand the hassle!" Chen Qiu and Ye Chen were talking. It's not good that the mansion is too big. If you take care of one side, you can't take care of the other side. It makes people feel very insecure.
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