"Should I thank you?" Meng Qingluan asked in return.
The cook dared not say, “Madam, I truly know I was wrong, and I will never do it again.”
Meng Qingluan stood up, walked up to him, and slapped him twice across the face, unable to bear it any longer.
"You've gotten so fat and big-eared, you look like an honest guy, but inside you're a bunch of scoundrels."
“Giving you one or two chances didn’t work, and now you’re still trying to play the rogue with me. Fine! I’ll give you that chance. After you’ve been given thirty strokes of the cane, I’ll send you to the authorities. Then the authorities will legally and legitimately give you dozens of strokes, and I’ll save some money on bribing your mother with compensation.”
Meng Qingluan turned around angrily, but turned back halfway and kicked him in the bloody buttocks.
This elicited another wail from the cook.
“Give him thirty strokes of the cane, not a single stroke less. After that, throw him into the government office.”
The cook was really scared and climbed off the chair to beg for mercy.
"Madam, I was wrong! I did add rotten meat when I was making the filling for your buns, but it's really not all my fault."
Meng Qingluan sat back down in her chair and glanced at him.
"Then tell me, who's to blame?"
"Tube……"
The cook was halfway through speaking when he suddenly turned around and looked back.
Meng Qingluan also looked at the person who had come in. He was an elderly man in his fifties who walked slowly and leisurely into the hall.
Meng Qingluan narrowed her eyes slightly.
This butler looks like a shrewd person.
The butler stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I am old and have difficulty walking, so I am late. I hope you will not blame me, Madam."
Meng Qingluan smiled. Moral blackmail?
But she was a village woman and couldn't understand.
Meng Qingluan gave a concerned "Ah," then said seriously, "You're getting on in years, it's not easy for you. If you really can't manage, you should retire early. Four-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged stewards are everywhere!"
The butler's lips twitched, his expression a mixture of a reminder and a threat.
"The Fifth Prince knows that you often live in a remote village, so he personally sent someone to assist you in managing your household. It's not as easy to find as you make it out to be."
Meng Qingluan pretended not to understand the meaning behind his words.
"I see... Then I must escort you back! I cannot neglect the Fifth Prince's people."
Butler: "...No."
Before the butler could speak, Meng Qingluan directed people to pack his luggage, then took his arm, saying words of concern as she saw him off.
After the gate closed, the butler stood blankly at the closed entrance, still holding the packed bundle in his hands.
Enraged, he turned and ran towards the Fifth Prince's residence.
The cook knelt on the ground, trembling. Meng Qingluan had already driven away the main characters and didn't bother arguing with him.
With a wave of his hand, he had someone throw him out, and conveniently, write off his monthly kickbacks as an IOU.
If it is not paid back on time next month, it will be sent to the government.
The cook knew this woman was not to be trifled with; she was definitely not the ignorant and easily fooled village woman the steward had described.
She is more shrewd than anyone else, and more ruthless than anyone else.
The housekeeper must be senile to think that this young lady from the countryside would be easy to fool.
I was so stupid to believe the butler.
The cook knelt on the ground and cried out in a hoarse voice, "Madam! I can't lose this job! I have elderly parents and young children to support..."
"You work so hard and you still have two wives?" Meng Qingluan sneered.
"They are not my wives, they are prostitutes from brothels..."
"You dare to do such a thing in the manor? Ha!"
Meng Qingluan waved her hand, and the cook was thrown out of the mansion.
Meng Qingluan sat down, adjusted her posture, and looked at the two restless people.
The two were terrified by what they had just witnessed, trembling like leaves, fearing that a single word from Meng Qingluan would decide their fate.
Where do you two live?
"South of the city, Willow Lane." The two hurriedly answered, but fearing that their answer would not please Meng Qingluan, they added, "Madam, please spare us. We are still innocent and would never defile the house."
"After we go back, we will absolutely not talk about what happened today. We would rather die than tell anyone."
Meng Qingluan looked puzzled. "When did I say you weren't allowed to go back?"
The two were stunned for a moment, then immediately knelt down to thank him.
"Thank you, Madam. You are so magnanimous; it is we who are narrow-minded."
Meng Qingluan noticed that the two girls were quite young, with chubby cheeks and a youthful innocence that couldn't be hidden beneath thick makeup, and clear, bright eyes.
Somewhat curious, "Why would you two, so young, go to Liuxiang?"
The two exchanged a glance and answered tremblingly.
"Liuxiang is not like the usual Red Brothel. It's a melting pot of all sorts of people. We were all sold there because of our poverty. We're not as beautiful as the women in the Red Brothel, so we can only rely on our age to make a living..."
Meng Qingluan nodded thoughtfully.
Do you know how to prune flowers?
The two men, unsure of her meaning, honestly shook their heads.
"Can you do any manual labor? Like embroidery or other handicrafts?" Meng Qingluan asked again.
"Yes." The two said in unison.
Meng Qingluan nodded and turned to instruct the US dollar.
"Resign those who manage the courtyard, settle their wages for the past few days, and from now on, the two of them will be responsible for repairing the flower watering cans and sweeping the courtyard."
"yes."
The US dollar turned around decisively and did as Meng Qingluan instructed.
The two kneeling on the ground were so overwhelmed by this sudden happiness that they could hardly believe it.
The two were overjoyed, but their faces were also full of worry.
"Madam, we two were sold into prostitution; I'm afraid we cannot remain in the manor..."
Meng Qingluan said calmly, "You can just stay in the manor. Are you afraid they'll break in and kidnap you?"
Meng Qingluan's confidence was well-founded.
From what the two people were saying, she had a pretty good idea of what was going on. To put it simply, "Liuxiang" meant brothels without a business license.
Operating illegally, and still doing this kind of business.
If they were to fight over the two girls, they would only destroy themselves, utterly shattered.
Meng Qingluan was so confident precisely because she knew this.
She wasn't exactly a pushover, but she knew she couldn't keep the Fifth Prince's people in the manor.
Not only are they disobedient, they are also annoying.
Besides, the people who manage the backyard garden really don't respect her at all, daring to slack off right in front of her.
She won't give them chances to change their ways again and again.
These two girls at least seem quick and efficient, after all, they were born into hardship.
She was practically their savior, and having witnessed her methods of disciplining servants, the two women would surely submit to her discipline.
Dollar quickly led the two to a side room in the backyard.
…
In the Fifth Prince's residence.
The butler stood in the middle of the room, his face flushed, and began to embellish Meng Qingluan's various crimes.
"This is absolutely outrageous! Your Highness cannot tolerate this village woman's insolence!"
Li Zhanjue sat in the main seat and took a sip of tea.
That's all?
"That's all..." Isn't that excessive enough?
Li Zhanjue nodded slightly, "I understand, you can go now."
The butler stood frozen in place, “Your Highness, you…”
Li Zhanjue looked up at him. "What?"
"Are you just going to let this country bumpkin act so arrogantly? Today she not only insulted me, but also Your Highness."
Li Zhanjue's lips curled into a faint smile. "I had no idea when you represented my face?"
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