Princess Guihe carefully looked at his neck from front to back, and Xue Mian urged impatiently: "Mother, did you see it? Did you see it?"
Princess Guihe let him go and said, "Nothing." Her expression had turned back to her usual indignant expression.
Xue Mian was quite disappointed. That second aunt was so strong, and he struggled for so long but couldn't get away. How could there be no marks left?
"Anyway, anyway, they bullied me!" Xue Mian continued to complain.
Princess Guihe looked behind him, "Where are the people around you? Why did you go to Haoye Hall alone?"
Xue Mian was used to being arrogant in the mansion, and he hated others telling him what to do, so he always sent the nanny and maids away and went out to play. He was stunned for a moment and whispered, "I don't know. They disappeared while I was walking."
This was obviously a lie. If the people serving him were so careless, Princess Guihe would have skinned them alive.
Princess Guihe turned around and told Qiu Rui, "Call Mian'er's wet nurse and maids to me!"
Qiu Rui responded and walked out quickly. Not long after, she brought Xue Mian's
wet nurse and maids over. They didn't dare to report to Princess Guihe that the young master was missing, and they had already searched the mansion like headless flies. However, the mansion of Duke Qing was too big, and Xue Mian dared to go anywhere. They didn't expect him to go to Hao Yetang and circle around the places he often went.
The wet nurse and maids knelt on the ground.
Princess Guihe said coldly: "Is this how you work? The Third Young Master is missing, and you didn't even come to inform him? If anything happens to him, can you afford it?" The wet
nurse and the maids hurriedly confessed their crimes.
Princess Guihe said coldly: "Go down and receive your punishment. The wet nurse was punished three months ago, and the maids were each given ten boards."
No one present dared to cry out for injustice, and was taken away by Qiu Rui.
Xue Mian didn't care about the people around him. Anyway, except for the wet nurse, the maids around him were replaced one after another, and he couldn't even recognize all the maids now. He pulled Princess Guihe's arm and said coquettishly: "Mother, please make the decision for me, they bullied me!"
Xue Mian went to Hao Yetang alone, and there was no trace on his body when he came back. Zheng Xiu and Xue Shao were not servants who could be punished at will, so how could Princess Guihe help him? Moreover, Xue Zhi was in danger outside, so it was not easy for her to punish the person he cared about at will.
"You," Princess Guihe sighed softly, "When will you grow up and let me worry less?"
Xue Mian shook her arm again, "Mother, please punish them quickly!"
Princess Guihe sighed helplessly again, and ordered Qiu Rui: "Pass my words, all the servants in Hao Yetang will be fined for three months' salary."
Qiu Rui agreed and asked someone to pass the message.
Xue Mian hurriedly asked again: "That's it? Is that it? Mother, they bullied me! How can you let them go so easily!"
Princess Guihe said with a stern face: "Don't make trouble again, you are not allowed to go to Haoye Hall in the future!"
"Why can't I go? Isn't this my home?!" Xue Mian responded loudly.
In the mansion of Duke Qing, or even in the whole capital, no one dared to yell in front of Princess Guihe Zhan. Even now, everyone was polite to her. Only Xue Mian dared to do this. As the son of Princess Guihe, Xue Qin always called her "mother" in front of others, but Xue Mian could call her "mother" behind people and act coquettishly. This was also unique.
Princess Guihe was really annoyed by his noises. She rubbed her temples and said, "Let's leave it at that. Stop arguing. I'm having a headache."
Xue Mian saw that his nagging was useless and his mother refused to help him. He jumped off the kang and kicked his shoes and went out. "Hmph, my mother won't help me. I'll find a way myself."
Princess Guihe hurriedly asked someone to follow her. "Be careful. Don't let the Third Young Master make any more mistakes!"
Xue Mian's maid was still being beaten, so the nurse followed.
Xue Mian and Princess Guihe lived together in Changfeng Garden. He ran back to his room, drove out all the maids who were guarding the room, and closed the door from the inside.
The nurse outside was so anxious that she shouted, "Third Master, Little Ancestor, open the door quickly."
Xue Mian said angrily, "Stop making noise, or your mother will sell you all!"
He learned the word "sell" by chance. That was how his mother dealt with a maid who relaxed her vigilance and let him go close to the river. The maid was so scared that her face turned pale. Although Xue Mian didn't understand the meaning, he knew that they were all afraid of this.
Sure enough, the nurse and the maid outside the door didn't dare to say anything.
Xue Mian thought about it alone in the room for a long time, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He had an idea and went out of the room again and went to the front yard. The nurse and the maid followed him closely.
Xue Qin was reading the notes in the front yard. Although he is young, Princess Guihe has assigned him several staff members. During his absence, the staff members compiled all the major and minor events that happened in the capital into text for his convenience.
Xue Qin's study is an important place in the Duke of Qing's Mansion, and there are many guards outside. But they did not dare to stop Xue Mian, and could only block the door of the study with their bodies.
Xue Mian shouted at the top of his voice: "Brother, brother..." while kicking and punching the two guards.
Fortunately, he is still young, and the fancy punches and kicks did not hurt his body very much. The two guards continued to stand there without changing their expressions.
Xue Qin heard the noise, put down the notes and left the study.
When the guards saw him coming out, they consciously stepped aside.
"A Mian, what's wrong?"
Xue Mian's eyes rolled, thinking that his mother didn't help him, and his elder brother went to bring the second aunt and Xue Shao back together, most likely he would not help him, so he smiled and said, "I missed my elder brother, and came to see you."
Xue Qin smiled slightly, "Brother is busy now, can you play with A Mian later?"
Xue Mian rarely did not talk nonsense, and nodded obediently, "Then elder brother, can you let me play with Liaohuo?"
The ancestors of the Xue family were soldiers and warriors. Since everyone can be independent, the family will find a good dog to train and use as a military dog for future marches and battles.
Xue Qin also has such a dog, named Liaohuo. It is a Shandong miniature dog with snow-white hooves and a black body. It has been raised for three years.
Xue's family all loved dogs, and Xue Mian had always envied his brother for having his own military dog.
Xue Mian was rarely well-behaved, but Xue Qin was always generous to him. The family's dog training method had been passed down for a hundred years, and once a dog recognized its owner, it had never hurt anyone, so he didn't say much, just said, "Let A Ting go with you."
The Ating he mentioned was one of the two guards guarding the door. He was also the person he trusted the most and used the most.
Liaohuo had his own room, which was in the front yard where Xue Qin lived.
Xue Mian and Ating went over to see that Liaohuo was lazily basking in the sun in the yard.
"Liaohuo!" Xue Mian called out.
Liaohuo looked at him lazily, swung his tail, but did not move.
Xue Mian said to Ating, "I want to take Liaohuo out for a walk."
Ating was a taciturn man. He nodded and went to leash the dog. Liaohuo was
quite considerate. Seeing that he was on the leash, he stood up and followed him.
Xue Mian took out a piece of ham and golden silk cake from his arms, broke off a piece and fed it to Liaohuo.
Liaohuo felt more energetic after getting food, and followed him out with brisk steps.
In Hao Yetang, Princess Guihe's people had come to pass on the message.
Being fined three months' salary was definitely bad news for the people in Hao Yetang, who didn't make much money. The maids and old women all became a little listless.
Zheng Xiu called Minghui to her side and asked about their usual monthly salary.
Minghui replied, "I am a first-class maid, and I get one or two taels of silver a month. Pueraria lobata and Atractylodes macrocephala get half a cent a month. The little maids and the gatekeepers get less, three cents a month." Of course, this was the standard in the Duke of Qing's Mansion seven or eight years ago. Since Xue Zhi was no longer in the mansion, the increase or decrease in the monthly salary of the servants in the Duke's Mansion had nothing to do with them.
Zheng Xiu nodded, took out a fifty-liang silver note and gave it to Ming Hui, saying, "I don't have that much cash on me, go to the cashier to exchange it, and I'll give you some in private."
Ming Hui asked, "I'm afraid this... is not a good idea. The princess's order has just come down, and if Madam does this, she might be upset."
Zheng Xiu nodded, "You're right, take it and exchange it first, and say I'm going to keep it for use. I'll give it to you in private next month."
Ming Hui responded, put the silver note in her pocket and went out.
Seeing that it was getting late, Fen Ge went to the stove to ask the cook to prepare dinner, and left Bai Zhu to watch the door.
Bai Shu agreed, thinking that because the Third Young Master had secretly visited Hao Yetang during the day, although the mistress did not say anything, Minghui looked unhappy after she came out of the room. She thought that she had been cheated. She had to be more alert now. Just as she thought so, the little maid came to report the news -
"Oh no, Sister Bai Shu, the Third Young Master, he, he brought people here again!"
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