"What's all this noise about!" Shen Lixue walked over slowly, her cold gaze sweeping over the noisy nannies, then looking at Zhao Yiniang, whose face was pale and unsightly. She raised the corner of her mouth, and as expected, Lei Shi was indeed trying to trip up Zhao Yiniang.
"Young Miss, we don't have enough money to buy the fish..."
"Young Miss, we don't even have enough groceries..."
The crowd was stunned for a moment, then turned their attack on Shen Lixue.
"Young Miss!" Aunt Zhao stood up, her pleading gaze fixed on Shen Lixue. The situation was too chaotic, and she didn't know how to deal with it.
Shen Lixue nodded reassuringly to her, then took light steps and slowly walked to the steward's side. She picked up the account book in front of him and carefully looked through it. Her faint smile revealed an indescribable eeriness in the eyes of the old women. The noisy courtyard instantly quieted down. The old women looked at each other and wondered what the young lady was planning to do.
"Snap!" Shen Lixue slammed the ledger shut, the crisp sound startling everyone, who lowered their heads, not daring to look at her.
"Just now, a nanny said that five taels of silver wasn't enough to buy fish?" Shen Lixue's radiant smile warmed people's hearts.
The old woman took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and walked up to Shen Lixue, saying slowly and deliberately, "Miss, meat prices are soaring these days, five taels of silver is really not enough to buy fish!"
"So, with this much silver, you can't even buy ten fish?" Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her gaze cold.
"We can't buy them!" The old woman gritted her teeth, hardened her heart, and lied. Five taels of silver could buy twenty fish, but the madam had specifically instructed her to make things difficult for Aunt Zhao and Shen Lixue, so of course she had to cooperate.
Shen Lixue's smiling gaze suddenly sharpened: "The Prime Minister's residence does not support useless people. Since the nanny cannot meet the master's requirements, she is not qualified to stay in the Prime Minister's residence. Someone, take the nanny to her room to pack her belongings!"
---Aside---
~（>_
Chapter 090: The Zhuang Family Pierced by a Thousand Arrows (Votes)
"Young Miss!" The old woman suddenly looked up, staring at Shen Lixue in shock. She had imagined many confrontation scenarios, but she never expected that Shen Lixue would so ruthlessly drive her out of the Prime Minister's residence.
"What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear what I said?" Ignoring the nanny's shock, Shen Lixue's cold gaze turned to the two rough-working nannies not far away.
"Yes!" The maids who did menial work could only do hard labor every day, and they didn't get much monthly salary even though they worked themselves to the bone. The maids who did purchasing had relatively easy work and could also make a lot of money. They had long disliked her. Upon hearing Shen Lixue's order, the two immediately stepped forward, snatched the five taels of silver and handed it to the steward, and quickly escorted the maid out.
"Young Miss, please spare me! I'm innocent!" the old woman cried, struggling and tears streaming down her face. She had spent most of her life in the Prime Minister's residence and didn't want to leave. She didn't want to leave at all.
"Why is it so noisy?" An annoyed shout rang out, and Shen Minghui appeared in everyone's sight, striding forward with his brows furrowed. He had been dealing with something in his study, and the noisy noise had been getting louder and louder, which had annoyed him, so he came to see what was going on.
"Master, please save me! The eldest young lady wants to kick me out of the Prime Minister's residence!" Upon seeing Shen Minghui, the old woman's eyes lit up, and she pleaded with him for help as if grasping at a straw.
“Lixue, Granny has served in the Prime Minister’s residence for many years. Even if she hasn’t made any great contributions, she has certainly worked hard. Why should we send her away?” Shen Minghui frowned as he looked at Shen Lixue, his eyes filled with displeasure.
This daughter of his is always causing trouble and scheming against others. In the past, when no one was in trouble, he would turn a blind eye and let her cause trouble. Who would have thought that she would actually go too far and set her sights on the old people in the mansion.
Faced with the nanny's accusations and Shen Minghui's questioning, Shen Lixue remained calm and smiled slightly: "The nanny lied about the price of the fish in an attempt to embezzle money, which is why I sent her away!"
"Young Miss, I told you long ago that fish prices have gone up, and that money really isn't enough to buy fish!" The old woman wiped her eyes and silently shed tears, as if accusing Shen Lixue of being ignorant and making wild guesses based on her own subjective opinions.
Shen Minghui frowned deeply: "We can't let the nanny use her own monthly salary to subsidize the grocery shopping. If she wants money, just give it to her. Our Prime Minister's residence isn't short of those few taels of silver..."
“Father, I truly don’t know the prices of the fish and vegetables, but I’m not giving the nanny any money not because I’m stingy, but because…”
Shen Lixue took the ledger from the table and handed it to Shen Minghui. Under his puzzled gaze, she explained calmly, "This ledger records the various expenses of the Prime Minister's kitchen over the past month. Although it doesn't explicitly state how many taels of silver were spent on how many fish, it records that each time the nanny spends five taels of silver, she will have seventy or eighty copper coins left over. Even if prices rise, they couldn't possibly rise that much in just two days!"
The old woman was startled, cold sweat dripping down her forehead. She thought that Shen Lixue and Shen Minghui didn't know the exact price of the fish, and that she could lie about a few dozen copper coins without them noticing. Who would have thought that Shen Lixue had actually checked the account book? Her lie was definitely out of the question. What should she do? What should she do?
Shen Minghui's gloomy face instantly turned as black as ink. This lowly servant girl dared to bully her mistress because she didn't know how to manage the household, and dared to embezzle the Prime Minister's mansion's money. She was incredibly audacious: "This wicked servant is cunning and deceitful, and has embezzled money. She shall be given twenty lashes and expelled from the Prime Minister's mansion!"
"Prime Minister, spare me! I will never lie to you again! Spare me!" The old woman trembled with fear, knelt on the ground, and kept kowtowing and begging for mercy. She was filled with regret. If she had known that the young lady was so powerful, she would never have agreed to go against the young lady.
The maidservant stepped forward and, ignoring the maidservant's pleas and cries, dragged her away.
Shen Minghui, with a gloomy expression and furrowed brows, left the courtyard and returned to his study.
The old women exchanged glances, their eyes filled with panic and shock. The young lady's methods were truly brilliant. Luckily, they had been a beat too slow and hadn't lied about the amount of silver to contradict her; otherwise, they would be the ones being punished and expelled from the Prime Minister's residence right now…
Shen Lixue's cold gaze swept over the other servants who were holding the silver: "Do you have enough silver to buy anything?"
"Enough, enough!" The old women shuddered and laughed awkwardly, echoing her words. Having lived in the Prime Minister's residence for a long time, they had witnessed many power struggles between the masters. Of course, they understood that Shen Lixue was making an example of the fishmonger by driving her away. They had enough money to buy things and even some left over. If they dared to lie and say they didn't have enough, they would be the next ones to be driven away.
"Since you have enough, go buy some things. Remember, the Prime Minister's master doesn't want to eat cabbage feasts anymore!" Shen Lixue emphasized the last sentence, her cold voice carrying a domineering tone that made people dare not disobey.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The nannies nodded in agreement and quickly dispersed. They had already witnessed Shen Lixue's methods, and even if she didn't say anything, they wouldn't dare to hold a cabbage feast again.
Aunt Zhao walked over gracefully, her eyes sparkling with gratitude as she looked at Shen Lixue: "Thank you, Miss!" She had also realized that these old women had been instigated and were deliberately saying that there wasn't enough money to undermine her. Unfortunately, she didn't know the exact prices of the fish and vegetables and couldn't refute them. Luckily, Shen Lixue was clever and had seen through their scheme by looking at the account book. Otherwise, she really wouldn't know how to handle the situation.
Shen Lixue smiled slightly: "Auntie, there's no need to thank me. I still need your help in the Prime Minister's residence!" Lei Shi's actions of instigating servants to cause trouble behind the scenes, making an example of someone to intimidate others, were necessary.
"You're too kind, Miss!" Having handled the matter so skillfully without taking credit, Aunt Zhao instantly felt more favorably toward Shen Lixue.
"Young Miss, Aunt Zhao is foolish and incompetent. I hope you will give me some guidance!" Aunt Zhao's power was secured for her by Shen Lixue. This recent setback made her realize that the affairs of the Prime Minister's residence were complicated. She would find it difficult to move forward in the residence on her own. Shen Lixue was clever and resourceful, and she decided to win her over.
Shen Lixue smiled gently: "It's inevitable that you'll make mistakes since this is your first time managing the Prime Minister's residence. The nannies in the residence are all veterans and are very familiar with the affairs of the residence. With their assistance, you will soon be able to understand the operation of the Prime Minister's residence clearly. Father is the head of the Prime Minister's residence. If you encounter any extremely difficult problems, you might as well consult him..."
These words struck a chord with Aunt Zhao and served as a wake-up call. Most of the stewards and matrons in the mansion were Lei's people. Since she had usurped Lei's power, Lei would definitely keep making things difficult for her behind the scenes.
Shen Lixue is able to counter any move and eliminate the Lei family's schemes. Shen Minghui can help her establish her authority and truly take control of the Prime Minister's residence. Perhaps she can even go a step further and become the true mistress of the Prime Minister's residence.
"Thank you for your guidance, Miss. I understand what to do now!" Aunt Zhao smiled gently, her eyes sparkling.
"Auntie is clever!" Shen Lixue smiled brightly. Lei Shi had always regarded her as a thorn in her side and wanted to get rid of her openly and secretly. She would not be polite to Lei Shi either. What she wanted Lei Shi to lose was not only the power of managing the household, but also the status and position that women value most!
A rift had already appeared between Lei Shi and Shen Minghui. Their outward respect for each other was merely a cover for the undercurrents beneath. The deep-seated conflicts between them needed a special opportunity to intensify, and Aunt Zhao taking power was a perfect trigger.
When the news reached Ya Garden, the usually calm and collected Madam Lei could no longer contain herself. She smashed everything in the room to pieces again, her deep, beautiful eyes burning with fury. That old nanny was her person, and Shen Lixue's expulsion of her from the Prime Minister's residence was a veiled warning to the servants in the residence not to obey her, the Prime Minister's wife.
Shen Lixue not only wanted to seize her power as the housekeeper, but also wanted to strip her of all her rights as the mistress of the mansion. What a vicious scheme!