Chapter 25: The Crafty Liu Family

  After putting away the clothes, Shang Xiao knew that Su Mu Jin and Li Niang had something to say, so she stood guard outside the side hall, chatting with Qiu Shuang in a low voice.

  Qiu Frost's tone carried a hint of probing, and she chuckled lightly, "It seems that Sheng Xiao sister has won the heart of the eldest miss, look at this Jin Yuan second-rate maid and little maid who have all been replaced, only you remain trusted by the eldest miss."

  "...Thanks for your appreciation, Miss." She smiled faintly.

  As soon as the words were spoken, a "crash" sound of shattering porcelain came from inside the house. Shang Xi was startled and just wanted to lift the curtain to take a look when Su Mu Jin had already lifted the curtain with a gloomy face and walked out!

  Qing Xiang was shocked, she had never seen a young lady lose her composure like this before, "Young lady..."

  Su Mojin didn't explain a word, her jaw clenched tightly, her lips pursed into a straight line, and her eyes were deep and profound like the whirlpool of the deep sea, with undercurrents surging. "Let's go!"

  Shan Qiao didn't dare to say more, and took a deep look at Li Niang's pale face as she quickly followed Su Mu Jin's footsteps.

  Qiu Shuang was also startled, she turned her head and saw Li Niang standing unsteadily, hurriedly rushed forward to support Li Niang, looking at her pale face as white as paper, anxiously cried out, "Niang..."

  Aunt Li gently shook her head and leaned weakly against Autumn Frost, indicating that she shouldn't say anything.

  Seeing this, Qiu Shuang was worried, but she didn't dare say anything. She could only feel the hand grasping her arm trembling slightly. Qiu Shuang was startled and saw that her aunt was staring at the back of her elder sister who had left, with a deep-seated fear hidden in her eyes.

  Qiu Shuang's heart tightened and she lowered her head.

  Su Mojin's face turned iron-green as he returned to the main house and immediately instructed Song Xiao.

  "Go and order the stables now, prepare my carriage, I'm going out of the mansion!"

  "What now?!"

  The Zhou Dynasty had strict restrictions on women, and they were usually accompanied by guards when going out. However, it was rare for young ladies to leave their homes unless it was to attend a banquet or a social gathering, or to visit a temple to burn incense.

  "Now! Immediately! Right away!"

  Sheng Xiao looked at Su Mo's face, which seemed to be expecting a stormy weather, and her heart tightened, she didn't dare say more, and quietly retreated.

  Out of the main house, Sheng Xiao didn't dare to take matters into her own hands and instruct the stable to prepare the carriage. She called over Zi Yu, who was guarding the door, "Immediately go to Qing Song Yuan to find Nanny Zhou and tell her that Miss is not feeling well, let Nanny Zhou bring Young Master over!"

  Zi Yu glanced at the curtain that had just been beaten and was swaying back and forth, her small face somewhat frightened. "I'll go right away!"

  Shang Xiao was still worried, Miss had a gloomy face and she was frightened by the sight. Although she didn't know what Madam Li said to Miss, but thinking about it, she knew it must be something serious! Shang Xiao vaguely guessed that it might have something to do with Master, Madame or Young Master, she had been serving Miss for quite some time, she was very clear that only these few people could make Miss change color to this extent.

  She didn't dare delay anymore and hastily went to the stable.

  On the other side of the Biqi courtyard is another scene.

  "...Are you saying that Li Shiyi entered Jin Garden and even had a long secret conversation with Su Muqin?"

  The little maid Hongmei nodded, "Yes, ma'am!"

  Upon hearing this, Madame Liu couldn't help but get out of bed, her face suddenly changing. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, saying, "That slut Li! How dare she go and collude with Su Mu-jin? Those two are a perfect match, neither of them is anything good!"

  Hong Mei didn't dare listen anymore and hung her head as if she hadn't heard anything.

  Liu continued to ask, "But did you all hear what they said?"

  "At that time, the slaves were waiting outside, and Shuangxiang by Dagu's side and Qiushuang by Yiniang's side were all guarding at the door. I didn't dare to get close and didn't hear what Yiniang and Dagu talked about." Hongmei saw Liu Shi was about to lose her temper with a glance from the corner of her eye, so she hastily added, "But they didn't talk for long before Dagu lifted the curtain and came out, looking very ugly. Yiniang's face wasn't good either. After leaving the side hall, she hurried back to Fuliuyuan."

  "That cheap woman secretly colluded with Su Mu Jin behind my back, just you wait and see how I'll deal with her later!" Liu Shi asked in a cold tone, "Was there any other movement in the garden afterwards?"

  "The young lady returned to the house and let Sheng Xiao prepare the carriage, saying she wanted to go out, but Sheng Xiao seemed a bit uneasy, so she sent someone to Qing Song Yuan to find Zhou Mama and Da Shaoye to come over. By now, they should have arrived at Jin Garden!" Hong Mei carefully observed Liu Shi's expression and whispered, "Madam, do we need to tell Old Lady about this?"

  Liu hesitated for a moment.

  If it were normal, the old lady would have known that Su Mu Jin, a legitimate daughter, dared to leave the house and would have scolded her. However, now the old lady has wronged Su Mu Jin and is feeling guilty about it. Moreover, the old lady had a fright today and may not listen to what she says. More importantly, she has been banned from leaving the house by the master and has already been scolded once. If she doesn't behave for two days, the master might really take away her right to manage the household finances.

  She can stand upright in the mansion relying on her right to preside over the central kitchen, and her power permeates the entire Su Mansion! Except for the back house, the attendant's room and the study, the remaining east wing, west wing, kitchen, ancestral hall, tea house, needlework house, stable, horse house, farm and shop all have her people.

  Su Mu Jin is again favored, but she is also a big girl without real power. As long as she behaves herself and keeps a low profile for a few days, it's not too late to deal with her after this matter has blown over!

  So she shook her head, "Don't disturb the old lady about this matter for now. You just keep an eye on Jin Garden's movements and report to me in time if there's any development. Your reward won't be less." As she spoke, she gave a signal with her eyes to Jiang Yiniang who was standing by the bed. Jiang Yiniang had already walked over to Hongmei with a smile, took out a silver ingot from her sleeve and handed it to Hongmei, saying "Hongmei girl, you've worked hard. From now on, take good care of Madam."

  Hongmei took over the silver hairpin and looked at Liu's eyes with increasing respect, "Thank you, madam!"

  "This time, Su Mu Jin has replaced all the maids in Jin Garden. Among those I arranged to be by her side, only you are left. So from now on, you must be even more careful and cannot let Su Mu Jin discover any clues."

  "It doesn't matter."

  "Alright, withdraw." Only after Hongmei left did Liu Shi discuss with Jiang Yiniang, "...it's unknown what they discussed in the end."

  "Never mind what they discussed, judging from Hongmei's message, they shouldn't have reached any consensus." Seeing Liu's thoughtful expression, Jiang comforted her, "Madam, don't worry. Even if they did discuss something, so what? One is a young lady without real power and the other is an aunt who isn't favored by Master. Aren't you in control of how to deal with them? It's just a matter of thinking of a proper excuse!"

  Thinking of that day when she was kicked by the old master, Jiang's heart still ached. She advised Liu Shi, "The old master can't keep an eye on everything about Big Miss all the time. In a few days, it will be the anniversary of the first wife's death, and at that time, the first wife's hand will have healed a bit. At that time, we might as well..."

  Liu's eyes lit up, "Good! Auntie is indeed full of ideas! This time I'll see if she can escape again!"

  "Madam, what do you think we should do about Uncle's request today?" Jiang's nanny said anxiously, "Uncle asked for 5,000 taels of silver, where can we get that from? Now it's just early spring, the fields haven't yielded any crops yet, and it's not the end of the month, so the shop's income hasn't been calculated yet... You only have at most 1,000 to 2,000 taels of silver set aside..."

  Hearing this, Liu was silent and did not speak.

  She has been in charge of the household expenses for so many years, and all the silver she embezzled is deposited in the bank, all of which are time deposits, and now it's definitely impossible to withdraw. But she knows her brother best, he's a fool, if she doesn't give him money, who knows what kind of trouble he'll stir up!

  She thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "First, let's take two valuable things from the warehouse and sell them to Mu Jin Xuan. The mother on the side of the warehouse is our person, when the silver comes down at the end of the month, we'll think of a way to make up for it!"

  It's just like this now.

  The curtain outside moved slightly, and Liu Shi and Jiang Yini immediately stopped talking.

  Qiu Yue carried a tray with a bowl of medicine and a stack of sour plums into the house, saw Liu Shi, and softly said, "Madam woke up? The medicine is just done, Madam drink it while it's hot."

  Liu's eyes rolled over, her face slightly sinking, and she ordered Qiu Yue, "Go to Liu Yuan and ask Li Niang to come to the main house to set things straight!"