Chapter 9 Cleaning up the portal
Yun Yi held the exquisite incense box and gently placed it next to Su Wanyu's hand, saying softly, "Miss, the master sent someone to report that the nanny will arrive in the capital in three days."
Nanny was the wet nurse whom Su Wanyu regarded as her mother.
He lost his mother at a young age, and his wet nurse raised him single-handedly, treating him like her own child.
In the previous life, after getting married, although the wet nurse stayed in the Su family, she came to help because Jiang moved into the Zheng Mansion. Unexpectedly, she was cruelly plotted against by Jiang.
"Got it." Su Wanyu nodded slightly and took out a new stick of incense from the incense box: "When the nurse comes this time, ask her to bring more trustworthy maids and servants."
Yun Yi smiled in response: "Okay, Miss, I'll arrange it right away."
"Also, how many spies have the old lady and the lady placed in our second courtyard?" Su Wanyu asked again.
Yun Yi made a brief calculation: "Miss, apart from you and me, and the four maids who came with us, the rest are almost all of them, a total of twenty-one people."
Hearing this, Su Wanyu took out a few gold ingots from the right side of the incense box and said, "Put these quietly in their house. We will catch the thief tonight."
Yun Yi looked at the gold ingot, confused: "Miss, what do you mean...?"
Su Wanyu gently stroked the incense burner, and the ashes slowly drifted away: "It's time to clean up the house."
The courtyard of the Changping Marquis Mansion is well-arranged, and the pavilions and towers were all built when the old man was still alive. Over the years, they are covered with green moss.
The "Jiaoyang Courtyard" where Su Wanyu lived was located at the southernmost end of the Changping Marquis Mansion.
Although the Zheng family did not like her, when she first came into the family, in order to please her, they specially gave her the most beautiful courtyard, with distinct four seasons and warm in winter and cool in summer.
After moving in, she planted a pear orchard with her own hands.
When spring comes, pear blossoms are in full bloom, and the snow-white petals cover the entire courtyard, just like the snowy scene of winter reappearing.
The pure white pear blossoms were once Zheng Chengyan's favorite.
Now, it is spring, and the branches are full of pear blossoms, but to Su Wanyu, it is an indescribable disgust and irony.
"Miss, the gold has been placed safely." Yun Yi entered the house and then carefully closed the doors and windows.
Su Wanyu looked at the branches of the pear tree outside the window with a deep gaze. She flicked her slender fingers lightly, and a petal fell. She said calmly, "Okay, wait until night falls, and then take action."
"Yes, miss." Yun Yi bowed respectfully.
Over the years, the old women and maids in this mansion have always made things difficult for them, saying one thing in front of them and another behind their backs, and have never stopped criticizing the young lady.
I originally thought that the young lady just wanted to send these people away so that she could have some peace and quiet.
Now it seems that things are far from that simple.
In the previous life, the men sent by Guo and Old Lady Zheng often bullied the maids brought by Su Wanyu and even interfered in the affairs of the shop. Yunyi, as a dowry maid, was innocently accused of theft and was eventually demoted to the backyard.
The four old maids who came with the dowry were framed one by one, had their legs broken, and were driven out of the mansion.
On the surface, Mrs. Guo and Old Lady Zheng were punishing the servants, but in reality they were trying to weaken Su Wanyu's power and clip her wings.
This time, Su Wanyu wanted to settle the old accounts and solve them all at once.
Night fell quietly, the full moon hid behind the floating clouds, and within the high walls of Changping Marquis's Mansion, the shadows of the trees were swaying, with sporadic lights dotted in between.
A cool breeze blew through the hall, gently tapping the window frames through which faint light leaked.
The old women and maids, who had been tired all day, gathered in the house, drinking tea around the stove, laughing and talking. The room was brightly lit, creating an illusion of warmth and harmony.
There was a barely perceptible hint of jealousy in Lihua's voice, and she deliberately lowered her voice.
Her narrow eyes squinted at the closed door in the distance.
"These past few days, the Second Young Madam has really only kept Yun Yi by her side to serve her. All of us who are usually considered her close friends have been kept out. Don't you think it's strange?"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhang's cloudy eyes rolled and a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"Ah, the Second Young Madam must have been so angry with that witch Jiang that she doesn't even have the mood to care about the lives of us servants. I think we shouldn't take it too seriously. It's only a matter of time. When the new master comes, we old people will have to step aside. After all, the Second Young Madam's status has enabled her to sit in her current position thanks to the help of someone from the east."
Following the lead of Lihua and Mother Zhang, the maids and servants around them began to whisper to each other, as if they had found a resonance.
"It's better to change. I've long been tired of this dark and damp place. If I change my master, maybe I can get some benefits."
"That's right. Even if you are given a mountain of gold and silver, it doesn't matter. You still have to live under the guise of others. You can't wash away the humility in your bones."
"Hush, keep your voices down. Be careful, the walls may have ears. If the Second Young Madam hears us, we'll all be in trouble." A young maid looked around nervously and reminded everyone with a trembling voice.
Someone immediately retorted disdainfully: "What are you afraid of? Can she really eat us? We are not vegetarians."
"Vegetarian?" Lihua heard this and a smug smile appeared on her lips.
"Who are we? We belong to the old lady and the mistress! She is just an outsider, what can she do to us?"
Just then, a dull bang interrupted everyone's discussion.
The door was kicked open suddenly, and the door panel slammed hard against the walls on both sides, causing the tables and chairs in the room to tremble.
Everyone was stunned with shock, their faces as pale as paper, and their eyes all turned towards the door.
Yun Yi was seen standing on the threshold, surrounded by the four elderly servants who came with the young lady’s dowry. Each of them had a stern look on their faces, their eyes seemed to be frozen with ice, and they exuded majesty.
Lihua was the first to recover from her shock. She forced herself to remain calm and looked at Yunyi with raised eyebrows. "Hey, isn't this Yunyi? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
Mother Zhang, who was standing by, quickly stepped over Lihua and stared at Yunyi with wide eyes, "How come you don't even know the most basic rules, little girl? You even dared to kick the door! You are really becoming more and more unruly!"
Facing their accusations, Yun Yi remained calm and his eyes were cold.
She simply ignored their words and turned to order the group of servants behind her: "You guys, search carefully!"
The servants acted upon the order and rushed into the house quickly, frightening the maids and old women so much that they hurriedly huddled together, not knowing what to do.
"What do you want to do?"
"Get out of the way, everyone!"
"Retreat, everyone get out of the way!" Commands came one after another, and helplessness was mixed in the chaos.
Lihua and Zhang's mother's eyes were filled with panic. They looked at each other and realized that something was wrong, but because of their face, they didn't dare to step forward to stop it. They could only shout at Yunyi: "Yunyi, you are so bold, aren't you! You actually ordered this group of people to search our house randomly, aren't you afraid that the old lady will find out and punish you!"
Their voices sounded particularly harsh in the panic.
Yun Yi just raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a cold smile.
"The Second Young Madam lost fifty taels of gold, so she sent us here to look for it."