Xia Jin, Xia Rou, and the other maids from Xueyuan rushed forward with icy glints in their eyes!
"Who dares!" Shen Lixue's cold voice carried an indescribable bewitching aura. Xia Rou and Xia Jin, who were only half a step away, trembled and stopped in their tracks, looking at Shen Lixue. She was just smiling slightly, fresh and natural, but her eyes were extremely deep, vaguely carrying a demonic quality. Her captivating aura made people's breath catch in their throats...
"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and do it!" Shen Yingxue stood on the outer circle and did not see Shen Lixue's bewitching gaze. Xia Jin and Xia Rou stopped in their tracks, confused. She urged them urgently, but they were actually frightened by her words. What a bunch of useless people!
"Sister Yingxue!" Shen Lixue spoke each word slowly and deliberately, her cold gaze sweeping over the maids. Her dark eyes were so deep they seemed to devour one. Shen Yingxue felt a sudden jolt, her mind going completely blank...
"Miss, Miss..." a maidservant called out urgently, running over quickly. Shen Yingxue snapped back to reality, her heart pounding wildly, as if she were still in shock. What had happened to her? She had actually been frightened by a single glance from Shen Lixue...
Looking closely at Shen Lixue, I saw her standing quietly in the sunlight, her face exquisitely beautiful, her gaze cold and clear, her arrogance and sharpness impossible to ignore.
"Miss, a letter!" The maid presented a simple letter to Shen Yingxue. Shen Yingxue composed herself and opened it in front of Shen Lixue, glancing at it briefly. Her expression changed slightly, and anger burned in her eyes. She gripped the thin paper tightly in her hand, almost crumpling it: Bitch, what a bunch of bitches!
"Sister, I have urgent business to attend to and must go first. Remember what you said: after Father finishes court, go and apologize to him. How can a noble lady stay out overnight so casually!" After saying this, without waiting for Shen Lixue's reply, Shen Yingxue turned around and strode out without looking back. Holding a silk handkerchief in her hand, she patted her chest lightly, constantly reassuring herself that she was not scared away by Shen Lixue, absolutely not!
Xia Rou and Xia Jin were also frightened by Shen Lixue and couldn't wait to leave. When Shen Yingxue was about to leave, they didn't say a word, but crowded around her and quickly walked out of the bamboo garden. Shen Lixue's gaze just now was too terrifying...
Shen Lixue's cold gaze swept over Qiu He and several third-class maids, all of whom had tears in their eyes and red marks on their faces, some light and some heavy: "Did the Second Miss hit you?"
Qiuhe wiped away her tears that were about to fall: "Reporting to Miss, when the Second Miss saw that Miss was not here, she twisted our faces when she questioned us, but she did not hit us!"
Shen Lixue nodded slightly. Turn her head away? She would get her revenge on Shen Yingxue sooner or later. Her cold eyes shot towards the maids like sharp blades: "Why are all the people in the garden gathered here today?" When she was in the bamboo garden, they were always missing one or another, so they were never all together.
"Miss, didn't you instruct me to gather everyone together before you went to the palace yesterday?" Qiuhe blinked her big eyes and whispered, "We waited until midnight, but you hadn't returned, so we dispersed. We gathered again this morning to continue waiting..."
Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows slightly. At the time, she thought she could return to the manor after giving the Empress Dowager acupuncture, so she asked Qiuhe to gather the maids and prepare to clean up. Unexpectedly, a series of events occurred later, and she ended up staying at the Holy Prince's manor.
These maids were all assigned to her by Madam Lei, and there were bound to be spies among them. She knew perfectly well what it meant that she hadn't returned home by midnight, and they would definitely tell Madam Lei. It turned out that she had inadvertently revealed the news that she hadn't returned home all night...
"Qiuhe, bring a chair and some pastries!" Shen Lixue instructed softly, a cold glint in her eyes. Today, she was going to clean up the bamboo garden.
The mahogany chair in the bamboo garden wasn't authentic; it was just ordinary wood covered with a mahogany veneer. Shen Lixue sat quietly, sipping fragrant tea. Amidst the rising steam, her long eyelashes, glistening with moisture, trembled gently. Her cascading black hair swayed slowly, and her fragrant purple sleeves flowed like water. Her elegant and noble beauty was indescribable, captivating the maids' eyes.
This young lady from the countryside is also very beautiful, with an elegant demeanor, as if she grew up in the Prime Minister's mansion. She is no less beautiful than the second young lady.
Shen Lixue suddenly turned around, her cold gaze fixed on the six third-class maids standing there. The maids were startled by her sudden turn and hurriedly tried to lower their heads, but they saw Shen Lixue lightly point at four of them with her slender fingers and say indifferently, "You four no longer need to serve in the bamboo garden!"
The four women who were called out were startled and hurriedly knelt down, their eyes filled with tears. Coupled with their bewildered and ignorant looks, they appeared extremely pitiful at first glance: "Have we done something wrong to make Miss angry?"
"You all know what you did wrong!" Shen Lixue replied calmly, her eyes slightly darkening as she sipped her tea.
The four maids exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with tears, as if they had suffered a great injustice: "This servant is foolish and does not understand what Miss means!"
"This servant has done something wrong. Please punish this servant as you see fit, young lady. Please don't send us away..."
"Yes, Miss, we servants will suffer terribly if we leave the Bamboo Garden..."
Shen Lixue slammed her teacup down on the table with a thud, spilling tea all over it. Her cold gaze fixed on the four maids: "It seems you won't give up until you're faced with the truth. Qiuhe, get them a mirror!"
The four maids took the mirror with puzzlement and looked at their own faces. Instantly, their faces turned ashen. Shen Lixue's cold, emotionless voice echoed in their ears: "To stay in the Bamboo Garden, you don't need to be very capable or clever. You only need one thing: loyalty and no betrayal. Do I need to spell out the mistakes you've made?"
Shen Yingxue came to provoke them because someone had informed on her. To prevent her from suspecting the maids, she twisted their faces to cover it up. The maids who had performed meritorious service were her people, so she naturally wouldn't hurt them too badly. But the maids who obeyed her and had no relation to her would be the ones she would vent her anger on. Therefore, by looking at the scars on the maids' faces, one could tell which of them were Lei's people!
Shen Lixue's sharp gaze swept coldly over the four maids: "What else do you have to say?"
The four maids collapsed to the ground instantly. The bronze mirror fell and reflected their beautiful faces. A slight blush appeared on one side of their small faces, but it was much lighter than the bright red on Qiuhe and the others' faces.
The young lady knew they were spies, but she didn't punish them severely; she just sent them back. She was really kind!
The lady sent them to monitor Shen Lixue, but they were captured and sent back. The lady will certainly not let them off easily; a beating and exile to the estate are inevitable. Fortunately, they can still stay in the Prime Minister's residence...
"Li Xue, what happened?" Lei Shi smiled slightly and walked into the bamboo garden surrounded by maids and nannies. She was elegant and noble, with an extraordinary demeanor. She glanced at the four maids kneeling on the ground without even blinking.
"Their work style doesn't suit my taste, Madam, please transfer them away!" Shen Lixue said casually, as if she really just didn't like using these maids.
Lei's smiling gaze swept over the four maids: "These four are Li Xue's maids. Since you're not happy using them, call the slave trader and sell them off!"
The four maids were shocked, their faces changing drastically. They cried and kowtowed repeatedly to Shen Lixue, "Young Miss, please have mercy, Young Miss!" Noble families rarely sold their servants. Once sold, it was considered a grave offense, and other noble families would not buy them back. If they were lucky, they would be sold to poor people as concubines; if they were unlucky, they would be sold to brothels...
The gazes of the crowd toward Shen Lixue clearly held a hint of displeasure. The maids were newly bought and were not yet comfortable to use; they could be trained gradually. How could they be sold off so easily?
Shen Lixue sneered. She had ordered someone to invite the Lei family to sell people, but the Lei family had shifted the blame onto her. A perfectly good young girl was sold into a fire pit and ruined her life because of her words. Everyone would definitely blame her. The Lei family was really smart. Just this composure and calmness was a hundred times better than Shen Yingxue.
“They were Madam’s maids before, and they are used to Madam’s way of doing things. It’s inevitable that they don’t meet my expectations. Madam can take them back to Ya Garden and they can start working immediately. There’s no need to buy new people to train!” Shen Lixue smiled gently and passed the problem to Lei Shi. She had already made it so clear that if Lei Shi sold people again, it would be Lei Shi’s responsibility.
"Ya Garden already has enough staff, we won't keep any more idle people. They're not easy to use, it's better to sell them off!" Lei said with a smile, ostensibly giving advice, but actually subtly pressuring Shen Lixue. If she dared to suggest selling them off, she would be seen as ruthless.
"Madam is the mistress of the Prime Minister's residence, and we will follow her wishes in everything!" Shen Lixue smiled slightly, completely shirking responsibility.
Lei's smile froze slightly. Shen Lixue changed the subject, turning the tables on herself by presenting her suggestion as her own idea, completely shifting the blame and throwing the mud at herself: "I was just giving Lixue a suggestion. Won't Lixue reconsider?"
"Madam has managed the Prime Minister's residence for many years and knows it very well. Her advice is naturally the best. I was thinking that if Madam wouldn't take them to Ya Garden, I would reluctantly let them stay in Zhu Garden. But since Madam said it would be best to sell them, then let's sell them!"
Shen Lixue's eyes were clear and her smile was radiant, like a cunning little devil who had succeeded in her scheme. Lei Shi's anger flared up at the sight, and he wished he could go up and tear her hypocritical smile to shreds.
The servants' glances at Madam Lei were tinged with sadness. The young lady was still young and occasionally threw tantrums, wanting to kick people out of the garden. But Madam actually suggested that she sell her off. It was truly disheartening...
The suggestion to sell people came from Lei Shi. If she were to retract the order, she would only be contradicting herself. With a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, her smile was stiff: "Once Li Xue has made up her mind, I will order the human traffickers to come and take the person away!"
"Hmm!" Shen Lixue nodded gently, her cool gaze and bright smile continuing to provoke Lei Shi: "Madam, please have your slave trader bring some more people over. There are only three maids left in the Bamboo Garden, which is not enough. I want to personally select maids who suit my taste!"
She knew all along that, given Lei's ruthlessness, she would never allow the four maids, whose identities had already been exposed, to remain in the Prime Minister's residence. She hadn't punished the four because she wanted to use Lei's hand to deal with them. And Lei, as expected, didn't disappoint her; she sold them out and took the blame for her...
In the afternoon, the slave trader will bring in new girls. She will carefully select them and will never let any spies infiltrate the bamboo grove again!
"Damn it!" Back at Ya Garden, Lei Shi walked into the inner room, his face gloomy and his gaze chillingly cold. Shen Lixue was truly cunning. In several encounters, she had subtly tricked him. What was even more infuriating was that she had initially gained the upper hand, but gradually she began to decline, and in the end, she was the one who suffered a crushing defeat.
Madam Lei was in a bad mood, and the maids, fearing her temper would affect them, all stood cautiously in the corner, trying to remain invisible, not daring to even breathe. Ding Mama, mustering her courage, stepped forward and offered Madam Lei a cup of tea, cautiously asking, "Madam, what about those four maids…?"