An hour ago, Xiao Shunzi received a message asking the kitchen to prepare some delicious food, and he had a general idea of what to expect.
Not long ago, when he was procuring ingredients, he made a connection with an acquaintance and bribed him with a lot of money to get a special ingredient from him. Granny Zhao said that the master likes to eat fish, and today is the perfect day to let the master try something new.
Carrying the food box, Xiao Shun walked to the steps of the East Warm Pavilion and saw a maidservant lurking around the door, peeking out and idly waving a broom in her hand. "What are you doing?"
"Shun, Eunuch Shun." The little maid was startled and flustered. She made up an excuse hastily, "I, I saw that Master was coming back and that the doorway was a bit dirty. Master would be unhappy, so I came to clean it up."
Xiao Shunzi's expression changed. "Lying! What do you mean the master is back? What nonsense are you spouting? It's mealtime now, and instead of eating, you sneaked here all by yourself. Were you trying to eavesdrop on Fang Ming just now?"
With a thud, the little girl knelt on the ground and hurriedly opened her mouth to explain, "No, no, Grandpa Shun, you've misunderstood. I didn't eavesdrop. Please believe me."
"You know perfectly well whether it's true or not. I will report the truth to my master. Kneel properly for me." Xiao Shunzi snorted coldly and walked to the door to knock.
The little girl was terrified. She had overheard her master talking to Sister Yiren before, and everything had gone smoothly, which emboldened her.
Before dinner, Huan'er, who shared a room with her, was called to the kitchen by her mother to help. At first, she didn't think anything of it, but another maid, Xiao Hui, asked her a couple of questions indirectly. Huan'er vaguely sensed something was wrong and wanted to sneak over to take a look.
Having stayed at Wanyue Pavilion for over a year, she had long heard the maids in the courtyard gossip that their mistress was definitely the master's most favored person, while the mistresses in the other courtyards were only superficially glamorous.
She had inadvertently witnessed it a few times; the master truly doted on his concubine.
If she knew that she had been bribed by other masters and betrayed the concubine, she would definitely not survive. Not to mention how the master would deal with her, she would not be able to withstand the methods of Granny Qiu and Sister Yiren in the courtyard.
Back when they first moved to Wanyue Pavilion, a little maid offended Sister Yiren. She immediately ordered the maids to tie her up and lock her in the woodshed without food or water until the maid was on her last breath before they released her.
Don't think that's the end of it. After that girl came out, she was put in the torture chamber and died before she could even last half a day.
No, I can't die.
The thought flashed through her mind. While Xiao Shunzi went inside to report, the little girl threw down the broom in her hand and ran towards the courtyard gate.
The courtyard gate was open, and two old women were standing at the entrance talking to people outside. She pushed them aside and ran towards Weifang Courtyard.
The mistress had said that she would protect her if anything happened.
The two old women guarding the courtyard gate saw a figure flash past them. Xiao Shunzi chased after her in a fit of rage, but she had vanished without a trace. He instructed the two old women, "Go and see where that girl ran off to. Don't catch her. The important thing is to find out which master she went to."
"Alright, alright, we'll go right away." The two old women exchanged a glance and hurried off to find someone.
A maidservant outside the courtyard stared in astonishment at the scene that had just unfolded before her. "Eunuch Shun, what happened?"
Xiao Shunzi glanced at the girl who spoke, recognizing her as the personal maid of Xiao Li Gege of Qiushui Pavilion, and said indifferently, "You traitor, do you have something to say to me?"
Ming Shuang's expression changed slightly, and she curtsied to him. "Eunuch Shun, my master wishes to visit Consort Shun tomorrow. I wonder if Consort Shun is available?"
"No, Master has given instructions. My master is not under quarantine. No one outside can come in, and no one inside is allowed to leave. Please tell Princess Li Jia that my master is very grateful for her concern and will definitely pay her a visit when she has time."
"This..." Without even announcing his arrival, he dismissed her with a few words on behalf of his master. The young eunuch of Wanyue Pavilion truly lived up to his reputation—arrogant and haughty.
Xiao Shunzi didn't have time to waste with her. He told the maid to watch the door and then turned to report to his master.
After explaining the situation, Nan frowned, "So, little bugs have gotten into our yard?"
Granny Qiu slowly knelt down to beg for forgiveness, and Yiren and the others also knelt on the ground.
Nan raised his hand, signaling them to stand up.
"Find out who's behind that girl. Leave this to Yiren. Granny, go through all the servants again. Get rid of anyone who shouldn't be there. Wanyue Pavilion is only so big; we don't need that many servants."
Wanyue Pavilion was nearly half the size of Lanyuan Courtyard. It had three head maids, including Granny Qiu and Granny Zhao, plus two gatekeepers, four junior maids, and four maids for general use. There were also eunuchs Xiao Shunzi and Nan Yi, making a total of seventeen people.
There were definitely too many people.
Supporting so many people costs a lot of money.
For the sake of our wallets, it's good to kick a few out.
The two nannies who had been sent out returned, and Xiao Shunzi came in with a grim expression. "Master, we found out. That girl has entered Weifang Courtyard."
“Ms. Nian, why is this woman so restless? What kind of trouble is she planning to cause this time?” Nan asked.
Qingyun said with some concern, "I'm afraid that girl might have heard something, and if Master Nian gets the news, she might go to Master and complain about it."
Yiren smiled sinisterly, "Go ahead and sue, but I'm afraid she'll miscalculate this time."
“That’s right, she tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead. She could never have imagined that the master had always been with the master.” Qingyun chimed in.
"What kind of riddle are you two playing? I don't understand," Xiao Shunzi asked Qingyun.
The maids exchanged smiles, curtsied to the south, and left the room one after another. Once outside, Yiren's face turned cold, and she said to Qingyun and Qingfeng, "I can't hold back any longer. That hateful Consort Nian is playing tricks on me. This time, I'll make sure she suffers a setback."
"Let it go. Master didn't suffer any loss. Don't cause trouble for Master, lest it be found out and Master is put in a difficult position."
Yi Ren hummed softly, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Qingyun frowned, disapproving of her actions, and advised, "I know you are smart, but I hope you will think twice. My advice is that you should not act on your own unless the master gives the order. You should understand better than me that if something happens, the master can leave the master alone, but you, a mere maid, dare to scheme against the master. Don't you know what death means?"
“Yes, Sister Qingyun is right. The reason why Master treats Master well is probably because Master doesn’t have as many petty schemes and calculations as the masters of other courtyards. If you make a move, Master will definitely hold Master accountable. At that time, Master will be unable to clear his name even if he jumps into the Yellow River. Will Master still think that our Master is the same as other masters? Will Master still dote on Master as always in the future?” Qingfeng said.
Yiren is stubborn and unwilling to give up. "I will be very careful, and no one will be able to tell." Who is she? Her own grandmother instilled in her the methods of a woman in the inner quarters of the house from a young age.
She was quick-witted and often drew inferences from one instance to another; her grandmother said she was born for this profession. Before she was old enough, she was sent to the Imperial Household Department.
"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place," Qingyun advised again.
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