Chapter 37: Selecting Maidservants, Fourth Miss and Auntie Engage in a Battle of Wits

  "It seems you know the conditions. Xue Yu, from Pei Zhuo Cheng's perspective, this condition is not excessive." Madame Wen said with a bitter tone, "Yes, I know you are innocent. But you insist on being stubborn and unrepentant, in Pei Zhuo Cheng's eyes, it will only make him think you have no intention of changing your ways. How can he possibly lift the seal on Qing Jing Yuan? Xue Yu, listen to me, swallow your pride, apologize to Pei Zhuo Cheng, come out of Qing Jing Yuan and then slowly think of a way to clear your name. Your persistence in Qing Jing Yuan is meaningless."

  Xue Yu's expression was indifferent: "I didn't kill Ming Jin, I won't admit to something I didn't do."

  Good friends for so many years, Mrs. Wen was very clear about her strong personality, but she didn't expect that after ten years of house arrest, she still hadn't changed a bit. She was also a straightforward person, and Shu Xueyu was still so stubborn, which annoyed her at the time. She said, "Since you're going to stay here anyway, why bother sending me messages and asking me to find a tutor for you?"

  "Yuange was still young, and learning from Master was a serious matter that couldn't be taken lightly, but this had nothing to do with me admitting to killing Mingjin!" Shu Xueyu insisted.

  Madam Wen glared at her: "Since you still remember Yuange, you should be even more eager to leave the hospital. Do you know how wronged that child was tonight? First, she was slandered by Zhang Yun for having an affair with someone, and then she was interrogated, but that child could only cry and defend herself, not daring to mention a word about Zhang Yun. There are some things that this child cannot say, they can only be said by outsiders like us. You should think about how Mingjin entrusted you with her life in exchange for yours back then, and you shouldn't just stand by and do nothing!"

  Xue Yu finally showed a hint of emotion, her expression changing as she sighed after a while: "I've seen Yuan Ge, she's very clever and is Ming Jin's flesh and blood, he won't mistreat her. I believe she can take care of herself."

  "You - I really don't know what bad luck I've had in this life to have a friend like you, it's infuriating! Madame Wen flung her handkerchief at her face, glaring at her with wide eyes and fiercely rebuking her, "Xue Yu, you're too willful! Look at the officials of the Great Xia Dynasty, which family doesn't have three wives and four concubines? But you can't bear it, yet you're hard-mouthed and soft-hearted, unable to take drastic measures. You'll suffer for this all your life! If I were you, I would have gotten rid of her long ago, how could she be so arrogant today? Just seeing her makes me angry!"

  Xue Yu smiled bitterly, picked up the handkerchief and handed it over: "Yan Ya, like you, occupying the name of the main room, ordering the concubine to come and go, can your heart be happy? In the end, what we women seek in our lives is just the man's true heart. Without this, no matter how much glory and power, it will not be happy. I... Don't you understand me yet? Because that person is Pei Zhucheng, so I won't admit it!"

  Madam Wen was stunned, and suddenly her heart softened again. She gazed at her good friend for a long time before sighing, "You're doomed this lifetime, all because of Pei Zhucheng. He shouldn't have been so good to you; being too good has become a poison, and now you're beyond salvation." Although she spoke these words, they didn't carry much blame, but rather a deep sigh and lamentation. If she had put herself in Xue Yu's position, she feared she would also be unable to escape.

  "But I've never regretted it!" Shu Xueyu's mouth curved into a faint smile, "Even if I ended up like this today, I still don't regret it."

  "Alright, go then! I won't make things difficult for you."

  The next day, Madame Wen took Wen Yilan to bid farewell. Before leaving, she pulled Pei Yuange's hand and saw that there was no one around, so she put a note in her hand and said: "This is a good teacher I know, Xueyu asked me to give it to you. She can't leave the hospital, when you have time, you can go visit her often. Good child, I know it's hard for you in this mansion, if there's anything difficult, you can send someone with a message to me and I'll do my best to help."

  He looked at Pei Yuange with a pitiful gaze, let out a faint sigh, and turned to leave.

  This remark revealed a lot of information, and Pei Yuange was deep in thought. After a while, Pei Zhoucheng sent Shi Zhan to inform her that Ya Po had arrived with the maids and was waiting for her in the back hall, asking her to go and select a maid. When she arrived at the hall, Pei Zhoucheng was already there. Zhang Yun stood by, and after Pei Yuange paid respects to her father, she took the initiative to come forward and pay respects to Pei Yuange, saying respectfully: "Fourth Miss is well."

  "Auntie, why are you being so polite today?" Pei Yuange smiled slightly and reached out to support her.

  Zhang Yun's expression was sincere and unmatched: "This is the rule, previously the maidservants were rude and slow to Fourth Miss, please forgive them."

  In her heart, she was secretly resentful, but in order to please Pei Zhucheng, she had no choice but to do so. She glanced at the waiting yahus and maids outside, and her mind slightly calmed down. She had already sent a message to Zhang Fu, asking her brother to bribe the yahu, and mix more than ten clever and agile personal maids into the people who were sold today. With their excellence, Pei Yuange would at least choose a few of them, and since they were bought from outside, Pei Yuange wouldn't suspect that they had anything to do with her, and would definitely trust these maids very much, until...

  A hint of sharpness flashed in her drooping eyes, thinking that she couldn't do anything about Old Master's words. How childish!

  "It's all family, Auntie doesn't have to be like this, it's making me feel honored instead." Pei Yuange continued to push her away, but in his heart, he knew that Zhang Yun would not back down and would instead become even more ruthless in her calculations. Not to mention anything else, today's selection of maids, if Zhang Yun hadn't rigged the game, he wouldn't believe it even if you killed him! Bribing a matchmaker, sneaking some of her people into the mix, for Zhang Yun, it was easier than anything.

  But who wants to go to a quiet and secluded nunnery? There isn't even a gate!

  "Father, I remember that last time because of the imperial palace banquet, a batch of people were also rushed to San Jie's courtyard. Now it must be lacking in maidservants too. Let's ask San Jie to come and pick some together! Since I and San Jie are both going to choose maidservants, it wouldn't be right to leave out Er Jie either. Why not invite her as well? It would seem that Father treats everyone equally, without favoring one over the other." Pei Yuange said with a smile, subtly bringing up Pei Yuanrong's behavior in the imperial palace again, yet without revealing any flaws, making anyone who listened think she was caring about her sister and being considerate.

  Pei Zhucheng nodded in agreement: "It's still better if Song'er thinks it through, let's call Rong'er and Qiaoder over too!"

  When she heard her father let her choose a maid too, Pei Yuan Rong was overjoyed, thinking that her father treated her differently after all. Who knew that when she arrived, she saw Pei Yuan Qiao was also there, and her face immediately fell by more than half. Zhang Niang managed the Pei household, and she had always looked down on even Pei Yuan Ge, let alone now seeing Pei Yuan Qiao being treated equally to herself, making her heart even more indignant and hard to calm down.

  Just then, Bae Joo-sang opened his mouth and let Bae Won-song go first.

  "Father, since you asked me to choose, then it must be entirely up to me. You're not allowed to interfere!"

  "Alright, I won't interfere, it's all up to you!" Pei Zhucheng also became interested and wanted to see how his 13-year-old daughter would choose her personal maid.

  Digression

  It turns out that the 9th prince's popularity is indeed hidden from view. I'm relieved ~ O (∩ _ ∩) O ~