Su Qingyu glanced at the side hall next to the main house, and Nanny Hua understood and led her over.
"Madam San, please have some tea."
Nanny Hua took the tea brought in by the maid and handed it to Su Qingyu.
Su Qingyu gestured for Nanny Hua to sit down, and ordered the people around her to guard the door and not allow any unauthorized people to approach.
Aunt Hua bowed her body and said, "I dare not. Third Madam, please speak up if you want to say anything. I will just listen."
Su Qingyu sighed, "Mammy, please don't be so formal with me. Please sit down. I came here now because I wanted to take advantage of my mother's nap and ask Mammy to give me some advice."
Nanny Hua no longer refused. The Third Madam gave her face, and if she refused too much, she would be ungrateful.
She sat down on the chair next to Su Qingyu, occupying half of the chair tremblingly.
Su Qingyu glanced at Nanny Hua's expression and could not see anything unusual.
He recalled the report from his subordinates just now, saying that the princess had been here and stayed for quite a while. Li Chaoyun's visit at this time was most likely due to her checking the accounts. The old lady was taking a nap, so she must have come for Nanny Hua.
Just a few days after entering the house, he had already sorted out the complicated relationships in the mansion. It seemed that Li Chaoyun came prepared.
"Mammy should have heard that the Third Master got angry with me this morning because of a bowl of glutinous rice porridge."
Speaking of this, Su Qingyu's eyes became red, as if she remembered something sad.
Seeing this, Nanny Hua hurriedly spoke to comfort him, "Third Master was probably just angry for a moment, not at Madam, but at the greed of his subordinates. In my opinion, Third Master still respects Madam."
Su Qingyu's expression softened slightly upon hearing this. "Don't say that Third Master is angry with his subordinates. I'm angry too. I've treated them well on weekdays, but they actually deceived their superiors and did these awful things."
"I was so angry that I went to the kitchen to check. They swore that the rice was fine, so I believed them."
"But before I even left, I saw them taking the silver flatfish as golden flatfish."
"I immediately ordered the people around me to check the accounts, including the kitchen and the warehouse where we buy things."
"After checking the accounts, I realized that the fish issue was nothing. There were a lot more rotten things going on."
When Aunt Hua heard this, she was shocked. Her sister had been in charge of purchasing for many years. Could she be so foolish as to make such a big mistake?
If it was just a small matter, the Third Lady wouldn't have made such a fuss. But for the Third Lady to specifically bring this up, and to speak so seriously, it was clearly something serious.
"Madam, please don't get so angry that you become ill. If someone has truly violated the taboos of the mansion, you should do what you have to do."
"If you really can't make up your mind, why not wait until the old lady wakes up and ask her again?"
Su Qingyu didn't say it directly, so Nanny Hua could only say some high-sounding words. Although she was worried, she didn't dare to show it on her face.
Su Qingyu looked embarrassed. "In the past, I trusted my two sisters-in-law to manage the household, and I didn't care about these old accounts and the working habits of the subordinates. But now such a big thing has happened, I can't hide it anymore."
"Others are fine. I can decide whether to fine or sell them. But Manager Yan..."
Su Qingyu hesitated for a moment when she said this, and Aunt Hua understood. Was the Third Madam here to ask for a favor from her?
But if it means she can save her sister at the cost of her reputation, she will accept it.
Just as Aunt Hua was about to open her mouth to beg, Su Qingyu continued, "Manager Yan has always been favored by Mother. If Mother knew that she had made such a serious mistake, she would inevitably be sad and disappointed."
"Besides, she was able to get to where she is today thanks to her mother's support. If people were to say behind her back that her mother couldn't judge people well, it would ultimately affect her dignity."
Aunt Hua was stunned for a moment, then returned to normal.
It seems that the third lady checked the kitchen and shopping on impulse, but she didn't expect to find so many things.
The Third Lady didn't point out their sisterly relationship, saving her face. She also deliberately mentioned the Old Lady, implying that she wanted to help save the person.
Aunt Hua pondered for a moment and then spoke.
"I'm afraid I can't hide it from the old lady either."
"The Third Madam may not know that the Princess came before you. The old lady was not awake at the time, so she sat here waiting for a while. During the conversation, she even mentioned your audit."
By bringing up Li Chaoyun at this moment, Aunt Hua was effectively courting Su Qingyu. Given the Third Madam's skill, it was impossible for her not to know that Li Chaoyun had come to Qingyuan Residence. By bringing this up, she was telling Su Qingyu that she didn't believe Li Chaoyun's provocations.
Su Qingyu nodded with satisfaction and took a sip of warm tea before speaking again.
"These people definitely can't stay in the mansion. I plan to send them all to the farm to do hard labor."
"Manager Yan has served my mother after all. I will return her indenture contract to her when the time comes. She should have saved quite a bit of money over the years, which should be enough for her to live on in her old age."
"As for Mother, I'm afraid she'll be hurt if she knows these things. Let's keep it a secret for now if we can, and we'll talk about it later if we can't. You've been with Mother for many years, and Third Master and I remember the hardships you've endured."
After hearing what Su Qingyu said, Aunt Hua almost burst into tears on the spot.
Not only did the Third Madam give her enough face, she also arranged everything else perfectly. Nanny Hua didn't know how to thank Su Qingyu for a moment.
Just as she was struggling, a little maid came in and said, "Mammy, the old lady is awake."
Aunt Hua didn't care about anything else and stood up and walked out. Su Qingyu followed her into the inner room.
On daily basis, it was Nanny Hua who personally helped the old lady to get up, rinse her mouth, change clothes, and comb her hair.
Today, Su Qingyu followed in and took the initiative to roll up her sleeves and personally helped the old lady get up.
The old lady took the mouthwash handed to her by Su Qingyu and said, "Let the people below do these things. You are not needed at all."
Su Qingyu picked up a cotton handkerchief to wipe the corners of the old lady's mouth, and said with a smile: "Mother, please don't despise me for being clumsy. These are things I should do."
Aunt Hua chimed in, "Old Madam is so lucky. A daughter-in-law as filial and polite as the Third Madam is hard to find even with a lantern."
"It's not that this old servant said that the first and second wives also helped the old lady get up before, but they were not as attentive as the third wife."
The old lady also looked at Su Qingyu with appreciation, "This child is a rare one. Not only me, but Zhixiu is also very lucky."
He carefully examined Su Qingyu's expression and said, "I shouldn't have asked about your relationship, but I was afraid you might have been wronged. No matter what, it's wrong for him to lose his temper with you so early in the morning."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of things for you when he comes to pay his respects tonight. If he doesn't apologize to you today, don't let him get into bed."
Su Qingyu hurriedly said, "I'm sorry to have worried about you, Mother. Third Master and I..."
She was just thinking about what to say when Han Cui, the maidservant beside the old lady, suddenly came in to report.
"Madam, the Third Master is here."
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