Qiao Qiao and Yi Ling embarrassingly withdrew to one side, their originally planned explanations now stuck in their throats. Seeing the look on Ji Xinhe’s face, they didn’t dare say a word.
Xin He threw a cold glance over everyone present before calmly asking Madam Chen, "Tell me what happened."
As she spoke, she casually sat down by the round table in the room. Madam Chen instantly signaled the little maids to bring up a cup of cold tea to soothe Ji Xinhe’s temper before reluctantly starting:
"Yesterday evening, Yihong Courtyard suddenly introduced a group of new girls, much like our own here at Huamanlou."
Xin He responded, "I heard about it, but haven’t had the chance to visit Yihong Courtyard personally. Madam Chen, can you describe the situation there in detail?"
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Qiao Qiao and Yi Ling’s faces. It was they who had caused the chaos just now. Now, with their Master present and having put a stop to it, he did not ask them what had been the cause, but instead showed concern about the situation at the Yihong Courtyard.
But why leave them standing here in discomfort if he was only concerned about the Yihong Courtyard’s situation?
But the master was after all the master, and they naturally didn’t dare to say much, instead with embarrassment, they kept silent.
Madam Chen felt the strange atmosphere but still composed herself, gathered her thoughts, before explaining in detail, "Last night, Yihong Courtyard introduced several new girls. I had sent people to keep an eye on things there. But seeing that Yihong Courtyard has been introducing so many new girls lately in order to imitate us, our spies probably didn’t take it much to heart..."
Xin He looked up coldly, this icy gaze enough to make Madam Chen shudder.
"Who was in charge of surveillance?" Xin He asked.
A panicking servant walked out from the crowd, knelt down tremblingly, and knocked his forehead on the ground, "It was me, it’s all my fault."
Xin He glanced at him, seeing his slick-haired and powdered face, and his decent clothes. Despite being a servant, he must have been well-rewarded to afford such attire. His shifty eyes looked both guilty and probing.
Xin He scoffed, "Of course it’s your fault! The new girls introduced by Yihong Courtyard have caused quite a stir. Do you think they simply took random girls and introduced them out of the blue? The purpose of having you keep an eye on them was to counter their moves as they made them! Your job was to be vigilant and report to me even before they introduced these girls. Now their girls have already made their debut and I only knew about it from the word on the street. Tell me, what use do I have for you?"
The servant was profusely sweating, realizing his negligence had caused a serious mistake. He rapidly knocked his forehead on the ground, "I was wrong, I accept my mistake. Please spare me this once, young master. I will never make the same mistake again!"
But Xin He coldly ordered, "Drag him out! Sell him off."
The servant’s eyes widened in disbelief. Never had he imagined that one mistake would lead to being sold by the master. He was Madam Chen’s competent servant. Because he was good at managing affairs and flattery, Madam Chen favored him. That’s why such an important task fell on him.
The servant hastily turned to Madam Chen, "Madam Chen, please save me. I made an unintentional mistake. I will be careful next time!"
But how did Madam Chen dare to intervene? With the young master currently being so enraged and usually taking things seriously, she immediately ordered, "What are you all standing there for? Drag him out and sell him off directly!"
The servant crumbled and cried out, "Madam Chen, please spare me this time. I really know my mistake! Young master, please, spare me!"
However, even when the servant was dragged out, Xin He didn’t show any signs of relenting. Tapping her fingers lightly on the tea cup, her gaze slightly lowered, hiding her thoughts from the others.
The room was suddenly silent, with everyone’s heart being gripped tightly by what just happened.
This seemingly refined master, known for his gentleness and good temper, no one foresaw the severity of his anger.
At this point, Qiao Qiao’s and Yi Ling’s hearts were gripped even more tightly. They couldn’t help but swallow hard, obviously panicked, afraid that his anger might turn onto them next.
Xin He took a sip of tea, her expression still inscrutable. Today, she suddenly realized the many issues underlying Huamanlou. For instance, the management of the servants. She inherited the place, and the staff remained the same. She left the management to Madam Chen, but the underlying rot had already begun. The servants, despite being rewarded, didn’t do their jobs.
For example, the servant just now. Relying on Madam Chen’s favor, he had shirked his duties, resulting in such a large event from Yihong Courtyard going unnoticed, until she learned about it from passers-by.
If she didn’t set an example today, things would be difficult in the future.
Xin He then said in a deep tone, "Continue, Madam Chen."
Madam Chen wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. She now seemed to understand the master’s intention. The master wanted her to slowly explain everything so he could settle the scores later.
"The new girls who came out of Yihong Courtyard are indeed distinct. Furthermore, they have pretty much imitated our girls well. Especially the one called Jinghua who imitated Miss Yi Ling. There seems to be some truth to the saying ’green comes from blue.’"
A hint of frustration was now visible in Yi Ling’s eyes.
Xin He glanced at her without any expression before asking, "Only Yi Ling?"
"Yes, the other girls who tried to imitate Hua Rao or Qing Lei seemed rather average. They were less impressive than Hua Rao and Qing Lei. However, just with Jinghua, Yihong Courtyard still received a full house of applause. I am afraid that some of the future customers will be diverted there," replied Madam Chen in a deep voice.
Xin He nodded, contemplating for a moment before looking at Yi Ling and Qiao Qiao, "To be able to imitate Yi Ling so well, I doubt it’s something that outsiders could simply figure out. Without knowing a bit about our Huamanlou’s internal affairs, I would not believe it."
The effort she put into branding these girls, whether it was their temperament, movements, or even their emotions, were all individually customized with detailed training. It was because of this meticulous training that she was able to train a Yi Ling. Then how could this Jinghua, imitate Yi Ling so well and manage to overshadow her?
Yi Ling fell to her knees before Xin He, her eyes red, choking on her words, "Young master, please help Yi Ling! Yi Ling was wronged this time, even this bit of hope is being taken away."
Xin He replied coldly, "What do you mean by that?"
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