Su Yushan calmly retorted, "I didn't light a fire, so how could you say I had a separate stove?"
Pointing at the cooking utensils, Kim Min-jung glanced at them with her phoenix eyes, "Pots, bowls, ladles, cleavers, and cutting boards—what else could this be but a private kitchen?"
"The family rules forbid open flames, and Princess Jin hasn't violated them," Chang Yue protested, standing up for her mistress. But Princess Jin retorted, "What right do you, a mere maid, have to interrupt when the masters are speaking?"
Having finally caught Su Yushan red-handed, Jin Minjing was determined not to let the opportunity slip by and was determined to take her to Princess Gao to convict her!
"If you want to go, then go," Su Yushan had nothing to fear. She immediately put down the knife and went to Lanyue Pavilion with Jin Minjing.
Gao Xiuwen has been feeling sleepy lately. It's not even noon yet, and she's already feeling tired again. She was just dozing off on the couch when Cui Ning came to report that Princess Jin and Princess Su had gotten into a fight and had come to settle the matter.
That's the downside of managing the backyard; every little thing comes her way. But this job was given to her by the Fourth Master, a great opportunity, so she can't refuse and can only endure the hardship.
With a sigh, Gao Xiuwen slowly sat up. Cui Ning tidied her appearance before she went to the front hall.
The two maids were already waiting in the outer room. As soon as Jin Minjing saw her, she immediately went up to complain, "Su Yushan has set up a private kitchen in her yard without permission and has also picked all the tomatoes in the back garden. As the mistress of the back garden, you should punish her severely!"
After listening to the explanation silently, Gao Xiuwen asked Su Yushan if this was true.
Su Yushan didn't shy away from the question and said truthfully, "Those tomatoes aren't just for decoration; they're edible. I picked them to cook, and it doesn't cause any problems."
"Those tomatoes are precious, prized plants in the back garden. They must not be picked without permission; that's a family rule!"
Jin Minjing tried to intimidate her with the family rules, but Su Yushan remained calm and said slowly, "Fourth Master knew about the tomato picking and the renovation of the tea room, but he didn't say anything."
Upon hearing this, Jin Minjing became even more furious, convinced that she was being arrogant and presumptuous because of the Fourth Master's influence. "The Fourth Master is so busy, how could he have time to meddle in your affairs? Our backyard is managed by Sister Gao. The Fourth Master said that everything is up to her. Don't use the Fourth Master as a shield."
When her authority was challenged, Kao Hsiu-wen was understandably displeased, but she did not lose her temper and maintained a gentle demeanor.
“Sister Yushan, I never intended to target anyone, but the inner courtyard has its own rules that everyone must follow. No one is allowed to set up their own private kitchen in the inner courtyard; this is a family rule. If I don't address your violation today, every maid will follow suit and set up their own kitchen. If something goes wrong, and someone takes the opportunity to poison or drug you, who can bear that responsibility? Yushan, do you know your mistake?”
It was nothing more than setting up a small kitchen to cook some cold dishes for herself; it wasn't complicated at all. Yet they made such a big deal out of it. What could Su Yushan do? She could only give up trying to explain.
“I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong, but if my sister thinks I’m guilty, then I have nothing to say and I’ll accept the punishment.”
The facts were right in front of her, yet she still refused to confess? Jin Minjing was seething with anger, fearing that Gao Xiuwen would soften her stance and let the matter drop, so she kept adding fuel to the fire.
"Sister, did you see how arrogant she is! You are the mistress of the harem, and she dares to speak to you like that. It's extremely presumptuous! If she is not punished, I'm afraid it will be difficult to win over the people."
With Jin Minjing watching, Gao Xiuwen couldn't let it go easily, lest she be accused of unfairness. Helpless, Gao Xiuwen had no choice but to follow the family rules and punish Su Yushan by cutting off two months' salary, ordering her to reflect on her actions behind closed doors.
Her monthly salary was only six taels, and even that was going to be deducted, making her already difficult life even worse. Knowing that Jin Minjing and Gao Gege were on the same side and wouldn't let her off easily, Su Yushan didn't plead for her.
Even so, Jin Minjing was still dissatisfied, "Sister, she won't admit her mistake, isn't your punishment too lenient? She should be made to kneel."
Gao Xiuwen felt a headache coming on, thinking to herself, why is Jin Minjing so meddlesome? Despite her annoyance, she still had to ask a token question, "Yushan, if you know you're wrong, remove the special tutoring, and I can be lenient with you."
Unexpectedly, Su Yushan was stubborn and refused to change her mind, saying, "I did nothing wrong, it's the rules that are unreasonable."
The more she argued back, the more gloating Kim Min-jung became, waiting to see the show.
Why is this girl so clueless? Gao Xiuwen sighed and had no choice but to order her to kneel and reflect on her mistakes until she admitted them.
Thinking of Xin'er's suffering, Jin Minjing added, "Chang Yue knew the rules but did not stop it. She is also derelict in her duty and should be punished by kneeling as well."
Su Yushan did the deed and is willing to be punished, but Chang Yue is innocent. Jin Minjing's casual remark has caused Chang Yue to be punished as well. Su Yushan was furious and choked back a cold remark:
"In this family, who is in charge, Sister Gao or Princess Jin?"
Fearing that Gao Xiuwen might misunderstand, Jin Minjing quickly softened her tone and clarified, "I was just trying to be helpful and didn't mean to offend you. My sister is magnanimous and won't take offense. Stop trying to sow discord here!"
In fact, Gao Xiuwen also disliked Jin Gege for talking too much, but she was reluctant to reprimand her for the sake of her reputation. So she gently advised, "Sister, please calm down. I know what I'm doing."
In Gao Xiuwen's view, whoever is at fault should be punished. The servants were also helpless, so there was no need to take it out on them. Therefore, she did not punish Chang Yue.
As long as she didn't implicate Chang Yue, Su Yushan resolutely turned around, left the room, lifted her skirt, and knelt in the courtyard.
Standing at the doorway, Jin Minjing observed Su Yushan's punished appearance, covering his mouth and sneering, feeling incredibly pleased. This woman had been so arrogant before, causing her to be confined by the Fourth Master; now that Su Yushan had caused trouble, this was her retribution!
Kim Min-jung secretly sighed, it seems that God still has eyes. She can't miss such a gratifying scene, she must stay here and watch Su Yu-shan being punished.
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