Chapter 423: Clear Robbery
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Yes, Second Lady,” Juan Bi replied loudly. She deliberately raised her voice, hoping that everyone inside and outside could hear her clearly.
Gu Yunzhen had a gentle personality, but she wasn’t stupid. Her heart was as clear as a mirror.
To put it bluntly, it was because Second Uncle’s parents refused to give up. They were unwilling to hand over the property and this residence to others, so they wanted to use this method to embarrass the Second Sister and make things difficult for her.
Her Second Sister had never been a sitting duck. She retaliated against the second branch.
It was also because the Second Aunt had given the Second Sister an excuse to flare up.
The housekeepers, including Nanny He, couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. Their hearts were even more complicated.
Although they were slaves and the main family had their deeds, anyone who could be at the level of the nanny in charge was no longer just a slave. They were all trusted aides entrusted by the main family with heavy responsibilities.
Under normal circumstances, the main family would no longer use the deed to control them, nor would they sell them casually, unless the pixelated girl had made a huge mistake.
A few of the housekeepers sighed in their hearts. The Second Lady’s move was really ruthless!
Second Madam had been roasted on the fire. This time, if Second Madam didn’t buy the Zhou Li family, Granny Qian, and the others, she would lose face.
Gu Yanfei took in the changes in Granny He and the others’ expressions. She slowly glanced at everyone and said calmly, “Although our Gu family is no longer the Marquis Household, it’s not up to you to give me attitude.”
“It’s best if everyone knows who’s the master and who’s the servant.”
“If you don’t want to be a servant of the Gu family, I won’t force you. I’ll send you to find a new future.”
When she said this, there was a faint smile on her lips. On that exquisite and flawless face, her black pupils flashed with a cold light, making it difficult to look at her directly.
A few of the housekeepers dared to look up at Gu Yanfei. When they met her cold eyes, they couldn’t help but be stunned. For a moment, they thought of the late Marquis, Gu Ce. Then, they lowered their heads again, feeling a little fearful.
Outside the hall at the back, a flurry of footsteps approached.
Nanny He couldn’t help but glance back quickly. She saw a short and fat woman in her 40s or 50s running over in a hurry. She was out of breath.
Granny He naturally recognized this person. This was the chief steward in charge of the kitchen, Granny Zhen.
The kitchen was a lucrative job. Although they couldn’t take money directly from it, they could use their positions to get some charcoal, firewood, rice, meat, vegetables, and so on. Everyone in the residence wanted to be a wife in the kitchen.
Everyone in the residence respected Granny Zhen.
At this moment, Granny Zhen, who was usually rich and comfortable, was so anxious that she was sweating profusely. She walked up the stone steps in front of the main hall like the wind.
As she walked, she panted heavily and explained to Gu Yanfei, who was in the room, “Second Lady, forgive me. The kitchen was in a mess, and we were very busy. The rice was damp, so I ran to the grain depot to check. That’s why I’m a step late.”
Granny Zhen kept saying that she had gone to the grain depot, but she was actually not far away.
Previously, when she heard that Gu Yanfei had summoned the nanny to the main hall, she had asked her daughter-in-law to call an old woman in charge of cleaning nearby in advance and instructed her to inform her if there was any movement.
Just now, when Granny Zhen heard that Gu Yanfei wanted to give her deed to the second branch, she was anxious. She had never wanted to leave the residence. She just planned to come a step later and put on airs.
Everyone in the residence knew that the second branch had only split 12% of the assets. Next, they would move to a second-in-command residence in the west of the city. If she followed the second branch, how could there be such a big kitchen in the residence for her to manage? There was so much oil to be scooped!
A fawning smile appeared on Granny Zhen’s face. She picked up her skirt and was about to cross the threshold of the main hall when she heard the purple-clothed girl in front of her order indifferently, “Stop her.”
“This Hall for Cultivating Virtues isn’t a place that a servant like you can enter as you wish.”
As soon as Gu Yanfei said this, the two maidservants under the eaves immediately took two steps forward and quickly stopped Granny Zhen from entering the main hall.
One of the maidservants mouthed silently, “Granny Zhen, don’t make things difficult for us.”
Granny Zhen instantly froze and said, “Second Lady, I know my mistake.
There’s really a reason for this. I won’t dare to do it again.”
In the hall, Granny He and the others tensed up even more. At the same time that they were glad that they didn’t take advantage of her, they felt that Granny Zhen was really muddle-headed. She wasn’t like Butler Zhou, who had to advance and retreat with First Butler Zhou. First Butler Zhou was the Second Master’s trusted aide. There was no way the Eldest Young Master could allow First Butler Zhou to continue sitting in the position of First Butler.
Gu Yanfei ignored Granny Zhen, who was outside the hall, and turned to ask Juan Bi, “Have they settled their contracts?”
Juan Bi flipped through the thick stack of indentures in the box and took out many of them. She casually shook them. There were at least 20 of them, making Nanny He and the others standing in the hall stare blankly.
These contracts were the lifeblood of servants like them. Clearly, the contracts in Juan Bi’s hands not only included Granny Zhen and the other housekeepers, but also their families.
“Miss, this is it.” Juan Bi handed the stack of deeds to Gu Yanfei with a smile.
Granny Zhen, who was stopped by two maidservants outside the main hall, broke out in a cold sweat when she saw this scene. She looked panicked and regretted it so much that her intestines turned green.
As the kitchen manager, she really had no intention of following Second Master and Second Madam!
Granny He looked at Gu Yanfei and then at Granny Zhen outside the main hall. She gritted her teeth and took the initiative to say, “Second Lady, let me handle such a small matter.”
As soon as these words came out, the other housekeepers were all shocked. Then, they regretted not thinking of it.
Yes, this was a good opportunity to show their faces in front of the Second Lady!
Gu Yanfei didn’t accept the deeds. She met Granny He’s eager gaze and nodded. “Go ahead.”
Granny He was overjoyed and replied loudly.
Then, she listened to the instructions in front of everyone and took a wooden box from Juan Bi.
Seeing Granny He walk past her in high spirits, Granny Zhen still wanted to struggle on the verge of death and beg. She heard Gu Yanfei say calmly, “If you’re disloyal once, you won’t be allowed a hundred times.”
“Everyone, remember this!”
Those two simple sentences were like a large basin of ice water being splashed on her head. Granny Zhen’s entire body turned cold, and her legs softened as if she had lost all her strength. She knelt on the ground in a sorry state.
Granny He, who had just stepped out of the main hall, also felt her heart skip a beat and her expression freeze.
She was a sensible person. Today, Granny Zhen wanted to open a gambit with the Second Lady, take someone a notch down, and establish an imposing air or advantageous position for oneself. She thought that the Second Lady was young and easy to manipulate, but the Second Lady was unmoved by force or persuasion and was decisive in killing. This time, Granny Zhen would go for wool and come home shorn!
Granny He held the box of deeds and brought four or five maidservants to strengthen her reputation. Under everyone’s complicated gazes, she left with her head held high.
She hurried to Ming Yi Courtyard to see the Second Madam, Madam Wang. She smiled and conveyed Gu Yanfei’s intentions.
“Second Madam, these are the deeds of Aunt Zhou, Granny Qian, and Granny Lai-
“My lady said that if Second Madam doesn’t want these people, she can find a broker in the residence and sell them all.”
“All of them can be bought for a total of 4,000 taels of silver. I wonder what Second Madam plans to do?”
Facing Madam Wang, Granny He seemed neither servile nor overbearing. She straightened her back and warned herself that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She had to do this beautifully.
4,000 taels of silver?! Madam Wang almost jumped up, her face ashen.
Buying a servant girl from the broker would only cost 10 to 20 taels of silver. There were only about 20 deeds here, but Gu Yanfei dared to ask for 10 times the price. Why didn’t she snatch her money openly?!
Madam Wang couldn’t be bothered to argue with a servant. She glanced arrogantly at Granny Shi.
Granny Shi immediately understood and snorted coldly. She raised her chin and said, “Granny He, these 4,000 taels of silver arc probably enough to buy 200 servants outside!”
Granny He looked at Granny Shi with a smile and didn’t show any fear. She retorted eloquently, “Granny Shi, can those servants be the same as our old servants? There are servants worth 10 taels of silver and servants worth 100 taels of silver. Each has their own price. It depends on whether it’s worth it.”
“If Second Madam doesn’t like these old people, you can buy some new people outside. I won’t dare to force Second Madam.”
Granny He’s words were like a needle hidden in cotton. They were meaningful, and she always smiled at Madam Wang.
These 4,000 taels of silver weren’t for these servants, but for Second Madam’s face.
If Second Madam felt that her face wasn’t worth 4,000 taels of silver, Nanny He knew that even if she had a glib tongue, she wouldn’t be able to foot the bill.
Madam Wang:”…”
Madam Wang’s expression darkened again. Her eyes were dark and unhappy as her fingertips dug into her tender palm.
Granny He had always been respectful toward her in the past. Now, she actually dared to speak to her in such a tone!
Madam Wang wanted to instruct the old woman to chase Granny He out, but she couldn’t say it.
If she allowed Gu Yanfei to sell these people, she would become the joke of the entire family.. How could she stand in the family in the future!