Chapter 27: Shenanigans_1

The next morning, Bai Qingyan had just finished her breakfast when a young maid reported that the families of the five maidservants who had accompanied Bai Jinxiu were kneeling at the mansion gate, tearfully begging to know where their daughters had been sold.

They had heard that the Second Young Lady Bai was compassionate and had allowed Mingyu’s family to buy back their unfaithful daughter. They thought that even though their daughters might not serve well, they were at least loyal. So perhaps they could buy them back too.

Poor families were usually unwilling to send their daughters to brothels. Out of desperation, they sent them to noble households as servants, hoping that their children could at least have a meal and not starve to death.

The Duke of Zhen’s residence had always been known for its loyalty and kindness. Having their daughters serve the Second Young Lady Bai was a blessing. But if they were resold, they feared their daughters might end up like Mingyu, who had been sold into a brothel, unable to live or die.

Bai Qingyan covered her mouth with a cloth and spat the rinse water into a spittoon before speaking. “Chun Tao, go to the Second Young Lady and fetch the contracts of the five maids. Hand them to Steward Hao. Have him send a sharp-tongued steward to return the contracts to the maids’ parents. Tell them that the Second Young Lady fell into the water and has been unconscious, so she doesn’t know where the five maids were sold. Now, our house is sending people to inquire. Any human trafficker who dares to take people without seeing their contracts will be reported to the authorities by our Duke’s residence.”

“Yes!” Chun Tao responded and quickly ran to the Green Bamboo Pavilion where Bai Jinxiu resided.

Upon receiving the orders, Steward Hao immediately sent Steward Liu, who handled purchases, to bring the contracts to the gate.

Before Steward Liu left, Steward Hao stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. “Early this morning, I received instructions from the Princely Heir’s wife to send people to find a few human traffickers in the city to inquire about the Second Young Lady’s maidservants. The Princely Heir’s wife did not ask the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage’s wife but had our house investigate instead. Plus, our son-in-law has already requested to give up his position as Princely Heir. This shows that our house is bound to break ties with the Marquis’s mansion. So, you need not worry about them being in-laws. Just explain the grievances of the Second Young Lady clearly!”

“Rest assured, Steward Hao!” Steward Liu understood perfectly.

As soon as Steward Liu stepped out of the gate, he saw not only the parents of the five maidservants but also a large crowd of onlookers. He immediately ordered the servants to help the parents up.

With reddened eyes, Steward Liu said, “Everyone, I am truly sorry! Our Second Young Lady suffered a great calamity. She was knocked unconscious and thrown into the lake. After being carried back, still unconscious, several Imperial Physicians worked tirelessly to snatch her from the hands of King of Hell. When she woke up and learned that her maidservants had been sold by her mother-in-law, she fainted again. When she regained consciousness, she couldn’t believe it because the contracts were still in her hands. Which human trafficker would dare to take people without contracts? So, early today, the Princely Heir’s wife already sent people to inquire about the maidservants with the human traffickers in the city.”

Then, Steward Liu took out the contracts of the five maids from his chest and had their parents come forward to claim them.

After handing out the contracts, Steward Liu said, “Our Second Young Lady commanded me to return the contracts to you. Once we find your daughters, if they are willing to stay and serve the Second Young Lady, she will treat them as family, and they won’t be mistreated. If they don’t wish to stay, the Second Young Lady will send them back to you with a generous dowry when they marry, to honor the master-servant relationship. Our First Young Lady is grateful because your daughters were sold to protect our Second Young Lady. She has already sent people to the village heads to remove your daughters’ slave status. When they return, they will be legitimate citizens.”

“Great kindness from the First and Second Young Ladies!”

The parents of the maidservants immediately kowtowed in thanks.

“But, what if we can’t find our poor daughters?”

Steward Liu clasped his hands. “Don’t worry. Since the maidservants came from the Duke’s residence, if we can’t find them, we will definitely report to the authorities!”

The onlookers praised the Bai family for its righteousness.

“Look at the Duke of Zhen’s residence, showing such loyalty to the people. They even care for their servants like this! The five maidservants were sold because of the Second Young Lady; not only are they looking for them, but they are also removing their slave status. This is indeed a great grace.”

“That Second Young Lady of the Bai family has had such hard luck to end up with such an in-law!”

“The Marquis of Loyalty and Courage’s wife must have quite a character. Servants are like dowries that their mistresses can walk on. She dared to sell them without even getting the contracts. Shameless!”

“What do you know? There must be some inside story here!” one observer said deeply. “Think about it. The Duke’s residence is ready to break ties with the Marquis’s mansion to bring back the Second Young Lady, who was half-dead. Then there’s the maid Mingyu, who was found on the properties of the Marquis’s wife. Of the six maidservants, she was the only one not sold. Can’t you see the ulterior motives?”@@novelbin@@

“Yeah, and then Crown Prince Qin resigned from his position as Princely Heir. Tsk, tsk… such deep waters in these meritorious families!”

“There’s truth in the saying that when a stepmother arrives, a stepfather follows. Crown Prince Qin isn’t having it easy either! The daughters of the Duke’s residence would rather break than bend. The Marquis’s wife probably feared she couldn’t control her daughter-in-law, so she used the daughters as an excuse to…” Someone made a throat-slitting gesture.

“Those five maidservants are probably already dead! Think about it, the contracts are still with the Second Young Lady of the Bai family! Which human trafficker would dare to take them without the contracts? The Marquis’s wife must know what’s going on.”

“Those five maidservants must have met their demise! With the contracts still in the Second Young Lady’s hands, which human trafficker would dare to accept them? Only the Marquis’s wife knows what’s going on.”

“And then there was the maid who was once by the Second Young Lady’s side. She must know the truth… that unfaithful one, Mingyu, who was sold into a brothel after her brother broke her leg. Pity she’s gone mad, babbling nonsense. She kept smiling and saying, ‘The Marquis’s wife promised her to be Crown Prince Qin’s concubine.'”

“You know so much detail; have you been to that brothel?”

The onlookers burst into laughter. An observant person spotted the Marquis’s carriage from afar and shouted, “Isn’t that the carriage from the Marquis’s mansion?!”

“Well, well, does the Marquis’s mansion have the nerve to come to the Duke’s residence!”

“Shh! Do you want to die?! Do you know what kind of people the Marquis’s mansion harbors? It’s okay to gossip behind their backs, but if they hear this and bear a grudge, you won’t even know where to cry!”

As the Marquis’s carriage stopped in front of the Duke’s residence gate, the onlookers fell silent, casting disdainful glances at the Marquis’s wife as she alighted from the carriage.