"Young Master! What should be done with these people?" Ming Mo looked at the five River Bandits tied up on the deck and asked Gu Chengyu.
Gu Chengyu glanced over and found that two were slightly wounded while three others were more severely injured.
"First stop their bleeding, and when the governnt officials arrive, we’ll deal with it!" Gu Chengyu had no intention of taking on the trouble himself. He only wanted to return ho quickly; this trip would certainly delay him for several days, and Gu Wan’s wedding date was fast approaching.
Yao ngxian was staying in the next room to Lianxin’s. She had changed her attire and did up her hair. She now appeared composed and poised.
Two matrons and two guards stood in the room, all watching Yao ngxian drink tea with trepidation.
One of the matron dressed in mustard yellow tentatively said, "Young lady, those River Bandits were too fierce, we old servants were truly scared, and stayed in the room not daring to move around. We really didn’t hear any sound!"
The other matron imdiately chid in, "Yes! Yes! Young lady, we didn’t hear any sound either, how could we know that you were frightened?"
Lianxin listened and sneered coldly, defiantly saying, "Originally, it was said to serve conveniently, and once on board, the young lady booked the three cabins next door together. You say you didn’t hear, who are you trying to fool?"
"Innocent! We truly didn’t hear anything!" The two matrons imdiately proclaid their innocence. Of course, they couldn’t admit it, or they would surely be punished.
As servants, without Silver, they stayed in the room with their master. If River Bandits ca, they would definitely face the trouble too. Who knows if the River Bandits had prior information? Being with the young master was the least safe. If the Third Young Lady pushed them out to block the knives, what could they do?
Yao ngxian also knew that the matron would never admit it even if beaten to death. Did they still think she was the weak person she once was?
She put down the tea bowl and asked composedly, "River Bandits appeared on the boat, servants should be loyal and protective of their master, but you only cared about hiding in the room. Where does that leave as your master? Do you think I’m easy to bully because I’m weak?"
Later, her tone grew stern, and the matron saw the commanding presence of a house mistress in her.
Yao ngxian continued, "No matter what, I’m always the master. You followed out this ti. If sothing happens to , do you think you could still survive? Moreover, I ca to Jingyuan Prefecture to visit my grandfather. Though he retired, he still has influence in the court, and even the Holy Emperor occasionally asks about him. Do you truly think I lack support?"
Yao ngxian fully understood that the residence was filled with opportunists; these matrons assud she was unsupported, hence their impudence. Although recently she had cleaned up a few using pretexts, were they truly afraid of her? Of course not, she was rely leveraging her advantages.
The matrons lowered their heads; previously, they were frightened, but now their minds had turned around. Being sent by the mansion indicated their lack of employability; those favored maids served before the masters. If sothing happened to the Third Young Lady, for the face of the Duke Mansion, they surely couldn’t survive.
Having realized this, they understood their current position, and could only stay loyal to the Third Young Lady.
The guards were nothing more than a show.
"And as for you, upon our return, there will be decisions regarding you. As guards, to be so cowardly, surely even my father wouldn’t indulge you!"
Even if her father didn’t favor her, he wouldn’t retain such cowardly guards. The guards in the mansion were trained from childhood with sell contracts, giving the residence authority over any action.
"Third Young Lady, please spare us, we won’t dare again!" Both guards fell to their knees with a thud, aware that their plight was far more severe than the matrons.
They had heard the River Bandits kicking the door but with so many outside, they tacitly agreed not to go out. Afterwards, they planned that if anything happened to the lady, they would cut each other to feign defeat. After all, the Third Young Lady was not favored in the mansion; they had tried their best, and the master might not kill them.
Needless to say, their thinking was rather naive.
"I might speak on your behalf, but in the future..."
Yao ngxian was quite exhausted now; fearing the servants would create more trouble to avoid punishnt, she decided to pacify them first, planning to deal with them upon reaching their destination.
The matrons and guards promised repeatedly, saying they wouldn’t dare again and would be dutiful.
After Yao ngxian dismissed them, she inquired about Uncle Li’s injuries, "Mrs. Gao, how is Uncle Li? Are his injuries serious?"
"Young lady, Uncle Li’s bleeding has stopped, and he’s lying in bed, though he still can’t get up. He feels very guilty; he never imagined the guards would be so useless. Had he known, he wouldn’t have gone out to help!"
The guards’ cowardice was unexpected to Yao ngxian. Uncle Li was from her external family and had co specifically to escort her to Jingyuan Prefecture.
Mrs. Gao couldn’t hold back any longer, "The madam was indeed careless, sending only two, and useless ones at that, on such a long journey. The master even agreed, abandoning even their dignity? The young lady shouldn’t spare these two guards and matrons; their actions warrant punishnt."
Mrs. Gao lanted inwardly. Truly, with a stepmother cos a stepfather, no wonder people say better a beggar mother than an official father.
Since the original wife’s illness and passing five years ago, and the master’s remarriage, the young lady’s life had worsened, her previous privileged life gone forever.
The prestigious young lady of the Duke Mansion’s main house had to endure her half-sisters in the mansion, living a very difficult life, making it also difficult for them as close servants.
Initially, the young lady didn’t involve herself in mansion affairs, her nature being gentle and non-competitive, yet she had suffered a lot. However, since being pushed into the water by the Second Young Lady, she had wised up and started planning for herself.
Years ago, the young lady’s grandfather had sent to fetch her, but fearing the madam’s displeasure, she always declined.
Now, she knew to correspond with them. She ca to Jingyuan Prefecture to visit her maternal grandmother’s family.
"Don’t be angry, madam! On the boat, we have to pacify them first; even if I wanted to punish them, it would be impossible. When we get to my grandfather’s, let him send word to the mansion, then we’ll deal with them!"
This encounter with the River Bandits did move Yao ngxian; her life was miserable, yet Lianxin and Mrs. Gao remained loyal.
As for Qing Dai...
"Thud!"
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