Gu Yunzhen has a gentle personality, but he is not stupid, and his mind is as clear as a mirror.
To put it bluntly, this matter is because my second uncle and second aunt are unwilling to give up and are unwilling to hand over the property and this mansion to others, so they want to use this method to embarrass my second sister and make things difficult for her.
However, her second sister was never the type to sit and wait for death. She immediately struck back at the second wife, achieving a great result with little effort.
It was also my second aunt who gave my second sister an excuse to get angry.
The maids in charge, including Nanny He, couldn't help but swallow their saliva, and felt even more complicated.
Although they are slaves and their masters have their indentures, anyone who can reach the level of a housekeeping nanny is no longer just a slave, but a close confidant of the master who is entrusted with important tasks.
Normally, the master would not use the indenture to control them, nor would he sell them casually, unless he committed a grave mistake like Su Niang did.
Several maids secretly sighed in their hearts: The second young lady's move is really cruel!
The Second Wife has been pushed into the wrong place. This time, if she doesn't buy out people like Mrs. Zhou and Madam Qian, she will be greatly embarrassed.
Gu Yanfei took in the changes in the expressions of Nanny He and the others, and slowly glanced at everyone, saying lightly: "Although our Gu family is no longer a marquisate, you can't give me a cold shoulder."
"Everyone should make a clear decision about who is the master and who is the servant."
"If you don't want to be a servant in the Gu Mansion, I won't force you. I will send you to find a new future."
As he said this, Gu Yanfei always had a faint smile on his lips. On his delicate and flawless face, his black pupils flashed with a cold and clear light that made it difficult to look at him closely.
A few maids bravely looked up at Gu Yanfei. When they met her cold eyes, they were stunned for a moment and thought of the late Marquis Gu Ce. Then they lowered their heads again, feeling quite terrified.
Outside the hall at the back, there was a sound of hurried and chaotic footsteps approaching.
Nanny He couldn't help but quickly glance back, and saw a short and fat woman in her forties wearing a rust-colored jacket running towards her in a hurry, gasping for breath.
Nanny He naturally recognized this person. She was the manager in charge of the kitchen, Nanny Zhen.
The kitchen is a lucrative job. Although one cannot get money directly from it, one can take advantage of the position to get some charcoal, firewood, rice, meat and vegetables, etc. Everyone in the mansion is trying their best to get into the kitchen and become a daughter-in-law in charge of cooking.
Everyone in the mansion respects Nanny Zhen.
At this moment, Nanny Zhen, who usually seemed wealthy and comfortable, was so anxious that she was sweating profusely and walked up the stone steps in front of the main hall at a quick pace.
As she walked, she panted heavily and explained to Gu Yanfei in the room, "Second Miss, please forgive me. The kitchen is busy right now, but something went wrong. The rice got damp, so I ran to the granary to check, and that's why I'm a step late."
Nanny Zhen kept saying that she went to the granary, but in fact she was just there not far away.
After hearing the news that Gu Yanfei had summoned the housekeeper to the main hall, she asked her daughter-in-law to arrange for a maid who was in charge of cleaning nearby in advance, and told her to inform her if there was any movement.
Just now, when Nanny Zhen heard that Gu Yanfei was going to give her indenture to the second wife, she became anxious. She never wanted to leave the mansion, she just planned to come a little later to show off.
Everyone in this mansion knows that the second wife only got 12% of the family property, and will move to a house with two entrances in the west of the city. Where will they go to follow the second wife? There will be no place in this mansion where they can manage such a big kitchen and make so much money!
Nanny Zhen showed a flattering smile on her face. She was about to step over the threshold of the main hall, holding up her skirt, when she heard the purple-dressed girl in front of her give a faint order: "Stop."
"This Yude Hall is not a place where a servant like you can enter whenever you want."
As soon as Gu Yanfei said this, the two maids guarding under the eaves immediately stepped forward and hurriedly stopped Nanny Zhen, preventing her from entering the main hall.
One of the maids silently lipped, "Madam Zhen, please don't embarrass us."
Nanny Zhen froze for a moment and said, "Second Miss, I know I was wrong. This time it really happened for a reason. I will never dare to do it again next time."
Nanny He and others in the hall tensed up even more. They were glad that they didn't make trouble, but they also thought that Nanny Zhen was really confused. She was not like Housekeeper Zhou who had to follow Butler Zhou. Butler Zhou was the Second Master's confidant, and the Eldest Young Master would never allow Butler Zhou to continue to sit in the position of Butler.
Gu Yanfei ignored Nanny Zhen outside the hall and turned to ask Wen Bi: "Have their indentures been sorted out?"
Juanbi flipped through the thick stack of indentures in the box, pulled out a number of indentures, and threw them around. There were at least twenty of them, which made Nanny He and others standing in the hall stare in amazement.
"Miss, that's all." Juanbi presented the stack of indentures to Gu Yanfei with a smile on her face.
Nanny Zhen, who was stopped outside the main hall by two maids, looked at this scene with cold sweat dripping down her face and a panicked look on her face. She regretted it so much that her intestines turned green.
She was doing a good job as the kitchen manager and had no intention of following the Second Master and Second Mistress!
Nanny He looked at Gu Yanfei, then at Nanny Zhen outside the main hall, gritted her teeth, and volunteered, "Second Miss, let me handle this little matter."
When these words were spoken, the other maids in charge were all shocked, and then they felt a little regretful that they had not thought of it.
Yes, now is a good opportunity to show off in front of the second girl!
Gu Yanfei did not accept the indentures. He met Nanny He's eager eyes and nodded, "Go ahead."
Nanny He was overjoyed and responded in a loud voice.
Then, after listening to the instructions in front of everyone, he took a wooden box containing the indenture from Juanbi.
Seeing Nanny He walking past her in high spirits, Nanny Zhen wanted to make a desperate plea, but she heard Gu Yanfei say indifferently: "If you are unfaithful once, you will never be forgiven again."
"Everyone, please remember this!"
These two simple sentences were like a huge basin of ice water poured over her head. Nanny Zhen's whole body was cold, and her legs suddenly went limp as if she had lost her strength. She knelt on the ground in a miserable state.
Nanny He, who had just stepped out of the main hall, was also startled and looked solemn.
She was a wise woman. Today, Nanny Zhen wanted to give the second young lady a warning, thinking that she was young and easy to control. Unfortunately, the second young lady was not easily persuaded and was decisive in killing. This time, Nanny Zhen lost more than she gained! Nanny He held the box of indentures and brought four or five maids and servants with her to strengthen her momentum. She left with her head held high in the complicated gazes of the crowd.
She hurried to Mingyi Courtyard to ask for an audience with Second Madam Wang, and with a smile she conveyed Gu Yanfei's intentions: "Second Madam, these are the deeds of Madam Zhou, Madam Qian, Madam Lai, and their families."
"My daughter said that if the second wife doesn't want these people, then we'll find a matchmaker to sell them all."
"The total amount of money for these families is four thousand taels of silver. I wonder what the second wife is planning?"
Facing Wang, Nanny He appeared neither humble nor arrogant, her back straight, and she told herself in her heart: This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and she must do this matter beautifully.
Four thousand taels of silver?! Wang almost jumped up, her face turning pale.
It only costs a dozen or twenty taels of silver to buy a maid from a matchmaker. There are only about twenty indentures here, but Gu Yanfei dares to ask for ten times the price. Why doesn't she just rob her openly? Wang was disdainful of arguing with a servant, and looked at a steward nanny next to her with an arrogant look.
Madam Shi immediately understood what was going on. She snorted coldly and raised her chin and said, "Madam He, these four thousand taels of silver are probably enough to buy two hundred slaves outside!"
Madam He looked at Madam Shi with a smile on her face, not showing any fear, and refuted confidently: "Madam Shi, how can this person be the same as other people? There are maids worth ten taels of silver, and there are also maids worth a hundred taels of silver. Each has its own price. It all depends on whether it is worth it."
"If the Second Madam doesn't like these old ones, she can go out and buy some new ones. I dare not force the Second Madam."
Nanny He's words were full of hidden meanings and were profound, but she always smiled at everyone.
The four thousand taels of silver were not used to buy these slaves, but the second wife's reputation.
If the Second Wife felt that her reputation was not worth four thousand taels of silver, Nanny He knew that even if she was eloquent, she would not be able to accomplish the task.
Wang: “…”
Wang's face darkened even more, her eyes were gloomy and unhappy, and her fingertips pinched hard into the tender palm.
This Madam He had always been respectful to her in the past, but now she dared to speak to her in such a tone! Wang wanted to order the maid to kick Madam He out, but she couldn't say it.
If she allowed Gu Yanfei to sell these people, she would become a joke to the whole family, no, to the whole clan. How would she survive in the clan in the future? (End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
