The next day, when Li Chenjiao woke up, she heard the Fourth Master outside instructing the servants to take good care of her from now on.
They also made the maids watch as Li Chenjiao took the calming and soothing medicine prescribed by the doctor.
Li Chenjiao turned over and fell asleep again to the sound of Fourth Master's voice.
After Li Chenjiao got up and had breakfast, Su Peisheng from the front courtyard came to report that the matter of the vicious dog frightening the concubine yesterday had been investigated and clarified.
It was similar to what Li Chenjiao had suddenly thought of before going to bed last night. The investigation eventually led back to Princess Wu, and then they discovered that the turtle soup was made by Madam Zhu.
Su Peisheng stood in the outer room, and ever since Li Chenjiao became a concubine, he had become even more respectful.
After all, while a princess or concubine might fall out of favor, a secondary consort, even if she did fall out of favor, was still a proper secondary consort listed in the imperial genealogy.
Li Chenjiao asked, "What did Madam Zhu say?"
Su Peisheng clearly knew that Li Chenjiao was going to ask this question, and answered readily: "As for Consort Zhu, she naturally said many things that she didn't have the guts to do, and in the end—in the end she even dragged Wu Gege into it, saying that it was all Wu Gege who instructed her to do this."
Li Chenjiao didn't hide anything, and said ambiguously, "She is indeed clever."
Su Peisheng lowered his head slightly and pretended to be deaf.
Li Chen took a hand warmer from the table and lowered his head to pull it into his arms: "If that's the case, then we haven't figured it out yet. We'll have to trouble Eunuch Su to put in more effort."
Su Peisheng had just agreed when he saw Li Chenjiao suddenly turn stern and shout at the outside room: "That beast outside has been howling all night and still won't stop. If it ate something wrong, find that thing. Send that beast back to the Imperial Household Department."
The person outside hurriedly agreed.
Su Peisheng remained silent, but Li Chenjiao slowly said, "In that case, we will have to trouble Eunuch Su."
Su Peisheng said he didn't dare to accept such praise, and then withdrew.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead after he left.
Goodness, Consort Li usually seems so easy to talk to, but I never imagined she could be so intimidating when she's angry.
In the end, Su Peisheng did not find anything that should not have been there at Zhu's residence, and the two argued, each sticking to their own version of events.
Li Chenjiao did not allow Wu Gege and Zhu Shi to come forward and give their reply.
When Su Peisheng came to report, Li Chenjiao was cutting paper snowflakes. Perhaps she was not satisfied with her cutting, she suddenly cut the paper snowflakes directly in the middle.
The sound of scissors clashing is unsettling.
"The Wu family has been lax in its governance; they are hereby confined to their quarters for one month."
Li Chenjiao's voice was very soft, but no one dared to ignore it.
“Zhu Shi, have someone summon all the servants to the garden to witness this. Punish Zhu Shi with twenty strokes of the cane, and she doesn’t need to come here to apologize.”
"Tell her to serve you carefully from now on, and think about who is the master in this backyard." Li Chenjiao put down the scissors.
"I'm so grateful to Eunuch Su for running around the manor for half a day, Qiu Hu." Li Chenjiao glanced at Qiu Hu beside her.
When Qiu Hu saw Su Peisheng off, he handed him a small purse.
The small purse couldn't hold much silver; it could only contain thin banknotes.
Li Chenjiao understood the principle of giving a slap followed by a sweet treat.
She could establish her authority, but she naturally treated the servants in the front yard, especially those like Su Peisheng and Fulu, differently.
Before leaving the manor today, Fourth Master said that after Su Peisheng investigated the matter thoroughly, he would simply follow Li Chenjiao's instructions.
Upon hearing Li Chenjiao's instructions, Su Peisheng quickly agreed and carried them out.
Li Chenjiao's punishment was clearly something she had considered in advance: a month-long confinement, which would coincide with the New Year holidays, so it wouldn't be too difficult.
However, this will be a good opportunity for Princess Wu, who is currently enjoying her success in managing the sewing room and other miscellaneous items, to learn a lesson.
As for punishing the Zhu family, there's no need to worry about that.
Even if Zhu was sent to Wu Gege by the Fujin (principal wife), once she arrived at Wu Gege's place, she would no longer be considered a servant of the main courtyard. Li Chenjiao would have more than enough power to deal with a servant in a Gege's courtyard.
Li Chenjiao never showed up in the backyard to manage affairs, and the servants in the mansion seemed to feel that it made no difference that Li Chenjiao had become a concubine.
However, when the servants in the backyard were summoned to the garden to witness the scene of Zhu being tortured, they were still shocked by what they saw, and only then did they finally feel a sense of awe for the concubine in the East Courtyard.
At this moment, Fu Lu, who was watching the execution, cleared his throat and said, "Open your eyes wide and look carefully. This is the consequence of harboring evil intentions in the Prince's mansion. It's only because the concubine was kind that she only punished him with twenty strokes of the cane. If there are any more people with ulterior motives in the mansion in the future, their fate is right before your eyes. Do you all understand?"
To ensure fairness, the maids and servants from Li Chenjiao's courtyard also came to the garden to watch the execution.
Although the crimson in the snow looked quite eerie, no one cared about Zhu Shi.
Like Ms. He, her shoulders kept shaking while watching, I don't know if it was from the cold or from being scared.
Qiu Ci stood beside her, and seeing that Madam He was about to close her eyes, she said in a harsh voice, "Granny He, you'd better open your eyes and take a good look. Today's Madam Zhu may very well be tomorrow's—"
Before Qiu Ci could finish speaking, everyone heard Zhu Shi let out a shrill scream.
Qiu Ci spoke in a low voice, so only Qiu Hu and He Shi on either side could hear her.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Hu tilted her head slightly, and the two maids exchanged a glance and smiled.
Today, when they came out of the East Courtyard, the servants from all over the place were much more respectful to them than usual.
It seems that although their master lives a comfortable life by staying at home, it's as if the people in the inner courtyard have forgotten about the newly appointed concubine.
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