In fact, Xu Yixing always felt it was very strange. His mother had been dead for so many years, so why didn’t his father touch anything she left behind?
She used to think that her father was sentimental and that seeing the things reminded him of him, so he locked them all up. The only time she opened them was when she was getting married and choosing some dowry.
But now that I understand him better, I also know that my father is essentially a heartless person and is unlikely to reminisce about his deceased wife who has been dead for almost twenty years.
Moreover, the fact that he was so willing to let me go to Bai Mansion to report the news this morning showed that he felt it was necessary.
So, what is more likely is that there is some unknown force that has been restraining my father, preventing him from touching my mother's belongings, and no one else can get their hands on them except himself.
So his first reaction when he found out that the warehouse had been robbed must have been shock, and his second reaction was probably secret joy. Allowing Huixiang to steal naturally gave him time to steal as well.
Finally, he strangled Huixiang and put all the blame on her. What a wishful thinking.
As long as we find out the whereabouts of the bicycle clock, it should be easy to guess whether it is right or not. Oh, Dad, you really put a lot of effort into it.
April was a warm spring month, and it should have been the peak season for travel and banquets. However, the Xu Mansion had been completely silent. Gu had been stripped of her housekeeping duties and had returned to her parents' home in anger, so naturally, no one in the mansion was arranging the reception.
Xu Yixing loves to be lively by nature, but after working hard these days, he gradually gave up the desire to play. He exercises every day, eats well, and chats with Ying Wu.
The mistress was away, and the young masters and young ladies were not the kind to bother, so the servants gradually became lazy. They spent their days slacking off, gambling, and drinking, a perverse habit that could not be stopped.
Xu Yixing had heard from Siqin that if she wanted to take charge, it would be easy. But she wasn't in the mood for that right now. She wished the Xu Mansion would rot from the inside out, so she could leave this troubled place as soon as possible.
Of course, there were some rumors about her, such as the fact that the Second Young Lady had recently become very close to a new servant, often talking for half a day. However, these rumors were only circulated outside, and Xu Yixing was unaware of them.
Gu had been back home for only two weeks when her father sent someone to invite her back. She was currently in the main courtyard, waiting for her children to come and pay their respects.
"Did Gu eat too much salt? She's completely mentally ill. She's been back home for only half a month. I thought it would take her at least half a year to get over that."
While Xu Yixing was getting dressed, he complained to Siqin, saying it was so annoying.
"Maybe the master went to pick her up, and now she has a step, she will naturally come back."
"Hmph, she has three brothers, a younger brother, and a younger sister in the Ministry of Revenue's residence, plus three sisters-in-law and a bunch of nephews and nieces. There's much more to do every day than in our family. She's thinking of running back to her parents' house to escape the stress, but she's probably thinking the wrong thing."
"So what are you going to do, miss?"
"No."
Gu sat on a small stool beside the round table, and intimately pulled Yiwen to talk about something. When Xu Yixing came over, he seemed to see an inexplicable mockery in her eyes.
"Greetings to mother. It's been a while since we last met. How is she?"
Gu personally stood up and pulled Xu Yixing up with her signature smile on her face.
"Hurry up, Xiaoyan, I'm fine. Sit down."
Xu Yixing also sat next to Yiwen, waiting to see what Gu would say.
"Alas, I've only been back for a few days. I heard things were not going well in the mansion and the master was worried, so I rushed back specially. Xiaoyan, Wen'er, have you suffered any grievances in the mansion?"
Xu Yixing frowned. This opening was a bit strange, as if it was going to cause trouble.
Xu Yiwen, as a boy, was naturally less sensitive to these things, so he didn't notice anything. "Why did you say that, mother? The mansion has been very peaceful lately, and nothing much has happened."
Gu turned her gaze towards Xu Yixing and continued, "Yes, mother. I wonder who told you that things are not going well in the mansion?"
"Hmph." Gu's eyes turned cold, and she waved her hand outside. Someone brought two maids up.
Huizhi, standing by, had clearly taken over Huixiang's former position, recounting the two men's crimes one by one:
"Mrs. Ma and Mrs. Wang gambled on the night of April 12th, and on April 20th, they gambled and drank. They even got into a fight over an uneven distribution of gambling money and smashed the gatehouse at the Second Corner Gate to pieces."
The two old women had their hands and feet tied and their mouths gagged. They could only tremble and pray that the lady would forgive them.
But this is impossible. Gu was already embarrassed to come back this time, and was just about to kill someone to establish his authority. It would also let people know that he was invited back because of the chaos in the mansion due to his absence, so he had to come back.
She addressed the two men on the ground, "According to family rules, each of you will be given twenty lashes of the cane, and two months' worth of rice will be deducted. You must also pay for whatever you broke!"
Xu Yixing listened to this punishment and thought that Gu had become more cautious this time and had indeed followed the family rules, so there was nothing wrong with it.
Gu gave another look, and Huizhi beckoned the next person in:
"Wang San, the night before yesterday, committed adultery with the maidservant in charge of the garden, Sui'er. Sui'er has already been sold off. According to family rules, Wang San will be given twenty lashes and sold off together with her!"
Oh my god! There is such a thing, it's so exciting.
Xu Yixing felt that he had underestimated these people's ability to cause trouble. It seemed that without someone to supervise them, things would not work. Tsk! If I go to the Seventh Prince's Mansion in the future, will those people also supervise me like this? Too tiring...
Xu Yixing and Xu Yiwen exchanged glances and expressed shock.
Then several more people came up, and they all made various mistakes. It was not until an old servant in Xu Yiwen's yard who was in charge of going out was brought up that Xu Yiwen sat up straight in surprise and listened to what mistakes he had made.
"Xu Shimao, you contradicted the young master on April 15th. According to the family rules, you will be beaten with ten boards, kicked out of the young master's yard, and sent to work in the laundry room."
Xu Yiwen hurriedly stood up, stopped the servant, and turned to look at Gu.
"Mother, why do you say he talked back to me? I don't remember anything like that happening."
Xu Yixing also stared at Gu, wanting to hear how she came up with this accusation.
"Wen'er, sit down. You may be soft-hearted, but I can't bear to see you being wronged. I want to prevent them from getting ahead of me and humiliating the master! Huizhi, you say."
"Yes. On April 15th, the young master was going out, but the servant stopped him, saying that the carriage was broken and needed repairs. He delayed the young master's departure, which was a sin, wasn't it?"
Xu Yixing looked at Yiwen's expression and knew that this was probably true. "Oh no! Xu Shimao, why are you making up such nonsense when you have nothing better to do?"
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