"My lady, the second young mistress has gone out again. She has been going out early and coming back late these two days. I don't know what she's up to."
Bitao placed a stew pot on the table and fanned the air as she spoke.
"Send someone to follow her if she goes out tomorrow."
Su Nansheng tapped the table lightly with her index finger. She couldn't figure out Su Hele's thoughts either.
It was said that Su Hele had been much more well - behaved recently. In fact, in her previous life, with Su Nansheng's assistance, Su Hele had always been like this.
At that time, Su Nansheng served their mother - in - law, took on the role of the bad guy, and bore all the troubles.
All Su Hele had to do every day was to compose poems with He Jin, indulging in the gentle pleasures of life. Naturally, she gave people the impression of being well - behaved.
But even Su Nansheng herself didn't expect that without her help, Su Hele would be like a wild horse out of control.
Now that Su Hele had suddenly become well - behaved again, Su Nansheng felt a bit unaccustomed. She always felt that Su Hele was up to no good.
Just as she was thinking, she saw Bitao holding out a spoon:
"My lady, it's not hot anymore. Have some."
Su Nansheng took it subconsciously and asked, "What is this?"
"Didn't you say you wanted some nourishment? This lotus seed and bird's nest soup is not only nourishing and beautifying but also clearing the heart and reducing internal heat. Hurry up and drink it."
Bitao looked eager. She had stewed it herself.
Su Nansheng thought to herself: He Xun is gone, and now there's this. But it's not enough for just her to work hard, right?
At this time, Nanny Zhao came over and said:
"Aunt Su, the servants are waiting outside the flower hall."
...
In front of the flower hall, a large crowd of people were whispering in low voices.
"Now it's Aunt Su's turn to make things difficult for us. And with Nanny Zhao, the mistress's confidant, here, tsk tsk tsk, she means business."
"Aunt Su looks quiet. She shouldn't be the type to torture others."
"Come on, you can't tell anything from looks. The second young mistress also looked quiet, but look what happened."
Just then, Su Nansheng walked out of the flower hall, and the whispering around suddenly stopped.
"I've called you here today to establish some rules."
Seeing Su Nansheng being so straightforward, everyone immediately tensed up.
"My rules are simple. Those who work hard will be rewarded. Otherwise, it's not too much to be beaten with a few boards. Bitao."
Bitao immediately started calling out names:
"Those whose names are called, step forward. Feng Chunxi, the purchaser, Wang Donglian, the cook..."
The servants stepped forward one by one, looking nervous, not knowing what Su Nansheng was up to.
After Bitao finished calling the names, Su Nansheng looked at the dozen or so servants and said:
"You've all been doing your jobs seriously and diligently. The mistress has noticed. Starting this month, your monthly salary will be doubled."
The servants who stepped forward were overjoyed and thanked her one after another.
Su Nansheng's gaze swept over the remaining people:
"Since there are rewards, there must also be punishments."
Then, Bitao called out another dozen names.
This time, without Su Nansheng saying anything, the servants whose names were called all looked ashen.
"You've been slacking off and shirking your duties, just going through the motions. You'll be beaten with five boards and fined one month's salary."
"Aunt Su, this servant knows her mistake. I'm old. I can't take these boards. It'll kill me."
Immediately, Nurse Liu, the laundress, knelt on the ground wailing. Her voice was miserable, but there were no tears.
Su Nansheng glanced at her:
"You'll get ten boards. If you're beaten to death, the Marquis Mansion will pay for your funeral and support your family."
Nurse Liu immediately fell silent. She looked at Su Nansheng in shock, but the latter had already stopped looking at her.
So she quickly looked at Nanny Zhao beside her for help, but saw that the latter was looking down, not even raising her head.
Seeing this, Nurse Liu immediately realized that she couldn't avoid the ten - board punishment. She trembled all over and didn't even have the strength to cry.
"Is there anyone else who can't take the boards?"
Su Nansheng's voice was not loud, but it made everyone hold their breaths.
Five boards would only cause pain for three to five days. It was just a small punishment to teach a lesson. The main thing was the loss of face.
Nurse Liu was wailing here just trying to play the seniority card.
But obviously, Aunt Su didn't buy it.
Since Nurse Liu had set an example, the others naturally knew what to do.
So the other servants whose names were called immediately said:
"This servant knows her mistake. This servant is willing to accept the punishment."
"This junior knows his mistake. This junior is willing to accept the punishment."
"Good. If anyone does well in the future, I'll definitely raise your monthly salary without a limit. I won't say more. Go and receive your rewards and punishments. Disperse."
Hearing this, everyone immediately dispersed, with different expressions of joy and sorrow.
But they all had the same thought: This Aunt Su was different from the second young mistress.
...
In Qionghua Courtyard, Chen Wanrong was listening to Nanny Zhao describing the scene in the front yard.
"I was worried that Aunt Su was too young to hold her ground, especially after the second young mistress lost her authority. But she didn't even need my help."
Nanny Zhao said happily.
Su Nansheng's methods were ordinary, but as long as she was better than Su Hele, Nanny Zhao was happy.
"It's just a dozen people. Even if their monthly salary is multiplied by twenty or thirty times, it's nothing. Nansheng is still too thrifty."
Chen Wanrong was lying on the couch eating grapes, her tone full of feigned blame.
Nanny Zhao listened with a smile to Chen Wanrong's words, which seemed like blame but were actually a kind of show - off. After Chen Wanrong's excitement had died down a bit, Nanny Zhao whispered:
"Some servants from Aunt Li's courtyard secretly went to see those who were beaten with the boards."
Chen Wanrong snorted:
"She sure knows how to win people's hearts. What has Su Hele been doing these days?"
Since Su Nansheng had the time to compete with her here, she must have tamed Su Hele.
"The second young mistress has been going out of the mansion every day these days, but she doesn't seem to visit any other mansions. She often goes outside the city."
Nanny Zhao quickly told Chen Wanrong what she knew.
Hearing this, Chen Wanrong frowned:
"Outside the city? What is she doing there? Isn't she afraid of running into bad guys on the way?"
"Shall I remind Aunt Li?" Nanny Zhao asked tentatively.
If something really happened to Su Hele on the way, it wouldn't look good for the Marquis Mansion.
"No need. Li must know better than me. Since she doesn't care, why should I? Just keep an eye on Li. If she makes any more small moves, tell me directly."
Su Hele could do whatever she wanted. As long as Nansheng wasn't bullied.
...
When Su Hele returned from outside, the first thing she did was call Sumo over:
"Was there anything going on in the mansion today?"
She had deliberately left Sumo at home to keep an eye on things.
Sumo quickly told her what had happened during the day.
Hearing this, Su Hele showed a look of disdain:
"I thought she had some brilliant house - managing skills. It turns out she's so vulgar. Does she really think she can win people's hearts with silver and control the servants with boards? It's just a superficial show. What's the use?"