Su Qingyu changed into a loose, pink pleated skirt and a comfortable cross bun. She lazily leaned on the kang by the window, a soft pillow embroidered with dense gold thread cushioning her back.
"Perfunctory? If the Su family dares to be perfunctory, I will let them starve."
When Chunchun mentioned the Su family's ancestral tomb before, she was just trying to scare them. No matter how angry she was, she wouldn't do anything to the ancestors. Besides, her grandfather's tomb was also buried there.
She won't move the dead, but the living shouldn't have an easy time.
"Go call Wenzhu over, I have something for him to do."
Not long after, Wenzhu walked in with his head lowered.
"Greetings, Madam."
Su Qingyu ordered directly: "Investigate the matter between the Crown Prince and Su Xiangling and find out how Su Xiangling is related to the Crown Prince."
"It would be better if we could find out what happened or what was said."
Wenzhu kept the Third Master's words in mind. What the Madam ordered was as important as what the Third Master ordered.
"Yes, I will check it out right away and report back to Madam as soon as I have any news."
"There's one more thing. The Third Master ordered someone to guard Elm Alley, but they were driven back."
Su Qingyu really didn't know about this. She knew that Shen Zhixiu was worried about his mother living alone with the servants.
"My mother is afraid of troubling you."
Wenzhu nodded and waited for his wife's instructions. He wanted to ask the Third Master, but he was in the study discussing matters.
Su Qingyu thought for a moment and said, "My cousin has already sent people from Yunzhou to Beijing. I'll have to trouble your men to keep watch over here quietly for the next few days."
She knew her mother was afraid of troubling them, but she was really worried after this happened.
Wen Zhu assured her, "Madam, don't worry. The Third Master's men will handle the matter properly and will definitely not be discovered by the Grand Madam."
Su Qingyu couldn't help laughing. She became a lady, and her mother became a grandmother-in-law.
After sending Wenzhu away, Su Qingyu went to pay her respects to Old Madam Shen, and began to look at the account books of the mansion in recent days.
On the second day after Su Qingyu went to the villa, Chen Zhao set out to ask for money from the Chen family in Wuling.
The old lady took pity on Li Chaoyun, who was homesick after getting married, and allowed her to return to the Prince of Shan's mansion to be with her parents. Therefore, the Shen family's inner chambers had been unusually peaceful these days.
Mr. Qian's account books had been settled, and he returned to his hometown with his family. The new accountant, Mr. Wu, had also worked for Shen Zhixiu. He was very respectful to Su Qingyu, consulting her first on all matters, big or small.
Ever since the last incident involving the kitchen and purchasing staff, the stewards and servants in the mansion have become more cautious than before, fearing they might accidentally offend the Third Madam. Housekeeper Su Qingyu, on the other hand, has felt a lot more relaxed than before.
Before going to bed, Su Qingyu mentioned Su Chengyan's injury to Shen Zhixiu again.
"Third Master, the Su family won't cause trouble for Li Yunzhou, right?"
Shen Zhixiu shook his head and said, "It shouldn't happen. After all, it was Second Uncle who started to make things difficult for us. Even if this matter were brought to the Ganyang Palace, he would still be in the wrong."
Su Qingyu sighed, "That's good. He's helping my mother, so don't cause him any trouble."
Over the past few months, Shen Zhixiu had sporadically told her a lot about Li Yunzhou's childhood. Twice, she'd been brought to tears. Perhaps influenced by Shen Zhixiu, she'd come to regard him as a junior, feeling heartbroken every time he mentioned him.
Seeing that she was still pondering the matter, Shen Zhixiu lowered his head to comfort her, "Don't worry, even if the Su family does something strange, I will handle it."
Su Qingyu stopped talking after hearing this, and the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms.
The next morning, Shen Zhixiu went to court in a carriage as usual.
In the Ganyang Palace, Shen Zhixiu's position was second only to the chief minister of the cabinet, Chen Zheng.
There was nothing important happening today. We only talked about the defense of the northern border town in autumn and the harvest in Jiangnan this year.
Just as the court meeting was about to end, there was a sudden sound of "dong dong dong" outside.
Not only were all the civil and military officials horrified, but even Emperor Xuande's expression changed.
"Who is beating the drum for reporting?" Emperor Xuande asked in a deep voice.
Hu Lu, the chief eunuch beside him, had already turned around and sent someone to check.
The court officials were also whispering to each other, saying that the drum for reporting had not been sounded for some years.
The Dengwen Drum was established by Emperor Taizu of the Zhou Dynasty in order to convey the people's sentiments and monitor all officials.
There are two places for reporting to officials in the capital. One is in the Dali Temple. Citizens can beat the drum to sue officials and can appeal to higher authorities.
There is another place outside the Huangji Gate, where only officials of high rank are allowed to knock. They can file a complaint with the emperor or directly impeach the cabinet.
Once the drum of denunciation sounds, no one knows who will be in trouble.
Chen Zheng, Shen Zhixiu, and several other high-ranking officials from the six ministries and nine government departments remained expressionless. They stood motionless, some of them squinting their eyes as if they were about to fall asleep.
The young censors in the Six Departments Corridor were all excited; they loved this kind of new thing the most.
Soon, a eunuch came in to report.
"Your Majesty, the one beating the drum for reporting is Su Chengyan, the commander of the Imperial Guards."
Shen Zhixiu's eyebrows twitched slightly when he heard this. Su Chengyan? Why was he beating the drum to report his actions?
Another person in the hall also had a changed expression. It was Pingning Marquis Su Chengye. He had no idea Su Chengyan had come to beat the drum to report his actions. He was also extremely suspicious. What was his second brother up to?
Emperor Xuande frowned, "Su Chengyan? Someone from the Pingning Marquis' Mansion?"
When he asked this, Su Chengye hurried forward to reply, "Your Majesty, Su Chengyan is my second brother. He was previously stationed in Qianzhou and was recently transferred back to the capital."
He voluntarily concealed the fact that Su Chengyan had seen the city gate.
"Then summon him to the palace."
Soon, Su Chengyan arrived at Ganyang Palace, with a white gauze wrapped around his head and limping as he walked.
He walked to the middle of the hall, knelt down, raised his voice, and spoke with awe-inspiring righteousness.
"Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report. Yesterday, while I was patrolling the city gates, I discovered that someone had brought something disrespectful into the city."
"When I wanted to conduct a detailed investigation, I was pushed to the ground by Li Yunzhou, the fourth young master of the Li family. He relied on his status to block the inspection and took the man into the city."
"I know this is a matter of great importance and dare not alarm others, so I struck the drum to report it."
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