Chapter 17: Who’s Teaching Whom a Lesson

  When Song-shi saw Shen-shi being humiliated by that little vixen Wei Yuanwei, she couldn’t help but feel a bit gleeful. So what if she was the main wife? So what if she gave birth to Wei Guan Shu? Without a man’s favor, she was still nothing.

  “But Second Aunt, if you’re on your period, how come Second Uncle still visits your courtyard like usual?” Wei Yuanwei asked with a look of innocent curiosity.

  As soon as Song-shi heard this, she cast a smug gnce at Shen-shi and said, “Your Second Uncle and I grew up together—we’ve known each other since childhood, unlike those couples who only meet on the wedding day through matchmakers. Our feelings for each other are naturally incomparable!”

  “Oh, Second Uncle really does love you dearly then. Funny, the maids love to gossip. They say he often goes to your courtyard not because of affection for you, but because all your maids are so attractive—and you change them out every so often. They also say that although he goes to your courtyard, he doesn’t actually spend the night in your bed. Some even say they often hear noises at night…” Wei Yuanwei hadn’t even finished her sentence.

  BANG. Song-shi’s face turned dark and she smmed her chopsticks down, cutting her off. “Those lowly servants truly have no sense of decorum. Instead of doing their duties, they love to gossip behind people’s backs!”

  Now it was Shen-shi’s turn to gloat. No wonder Second Brother had taken several beautiful concubines yet still visited Song-shi’s courtyard the most. Shen-shi used to think they were genuinely affectionate and even admired them a bit.

  Turns out it was all a show! Song-shi had actually sent her own maids to Second Brother’s bed just to maintain the illusion of a happy marriage. No wonder the maids were swapped out every so often—once he got bored, they’d be repced!

  This Song-shi was really ruthless!

  Although Song-shi kept a calm face, she was practically fuming inside. Heaven knew how much effort she’d put into faking that image of being favored. And now Wei Yuanwei had exposed it in front of everyone!

  She wanted nothing more than to tear out the mouths of those gossiping maids.

  “You can’t say that, Second Aunt. When I was in the Prime Minister’s residence, the lower maids worked really hard—so hard they barely had time to drink water, and were often bullied by other servants. They were pitiful to begin with, and then they’d get framed by the higher-ranking maids. Like Chunxiang st year… the one who allegedly had an affair with Third Young Master. It was someone else entirely, yet she was bmed and ended up dying miserably…” Wei Yuanwei sighed softly.

  The atmosphere in the room instantly turned heavy. Everyone knew the “Third Young Master” she was referring to was Wei Guanqing from the main branch, who was currently studying at Huangpu Academy.

  Shen-shi instantly tensed up. She’d carefully selected all the servants in her household to avoid any scandal while grooming her son for official exams. But to think that at fourteen, he’d already become entangled with a rough servant girl? That girl had been put to death in a fit of rage.

  She had thought the matter was well buried. How had Wei Yuanwei, locked up in the Ma Peng Courtyard all this time, found out?

  Clearly, it was time to strictly discipline the maids.

  “What? Someone else? You mean a maid from the Third Young Master’s household?” Song-shi acted shocked. Hmph! If Shen-shi was going to be embarrassed, then she was going to make sure it was public.

  “Oh, the Third Young Master’s maids are nowhere near as pretty as the ones in your courtyard, Second Aunt. It’s said that the Fifth Young Master often sneaks out with your maids. But the Third Young Master won’t even look at them. In fact, he seems more interested in the Fifth Young Master’s attendants…” Wei Yuanwei added with a look of complete innocence.

  Was that hint clear enough?

  Shen-shi’s face changed immediately. “Princess Consort, what exactly do you mean by that?”

  Song-shi panicked as well. The Fifth Young Master was her son. What did Wei Yuanwei mean by saying he sneaked around with her maids?

  Oh heavens! Her courtyard’s maids had all slept with her husband. If her son also fell for one of them, wouldn’t father and son be sharing a woman?

  “I don’t really know what those gossipy maids mean either,” Wei Yuanwei said with feigned contemption. “Could it be the Third Young Master has... a fondness for men, and the Fifth Young Master likes Second Aunt’s maids?”

  That single line nearly caused the entire Zhongxin Hall to explode.

  Especially Shen-shi and Song-shi—they were so furious they almost leapt from their seats!

  One son allegedly had homosexual tendencies, the other wanted to sleep with his father’s women? If this got out, the Prime Minister’s residence would become the ughingstock of the capital!

  “Princess Consort, the maids in the Prime Minister’s residence sure have loose tongues. I never thought they’d get even worse—now they’re making up things about the young masters!” Shen-shi tried to stay composed as she issued an order: “Mama Zhang, go get the sve broker immediately. Sell off every maid and servant who’s been gossiping!”

  By the end of her sentence, she was practically smming the table. She wanted to punish them all severely.

  Song-shi also gave orders to purge the second household’s servants.

  But then Wei Yuanwei blinked innocently and asked, “Aunties, the way you’re reacting... don’t tell me you already know which maid or servant said it?”

  Shen-shi quickly covered, “Of course not! But if you know, Princess, then we can investigate further.”

  Wei Yuanwei had just nodded when she noticed the eyes in the room all dart toward her.

  “But Aunties, you know I’ve been locked in the Ma Peng Courtyard all this time. Everything I know came from the maids who fed me—like Mama Shu, A’ning, Xiangn, Mama Li, Mama Zhu, Siyu, Xiaowan, Qile…”

  As she counted them off on her fingers, the atmosphere in Zhongxin Hall grew tenser with each name. The stares grew more and more desperate, as if silently begging her to stop.

  “Princess… is what you said all true?” Shen-shi and Song-shi looked pale. The names Wei Yuanwei listed were all first- and second-ranked maids from the main and second branches. Some were even personal attendants to the young dies!

  The young dies at the table all shot fierce gnces at their maids, and the named servants gasped in horror. Their faces turned ghostly pale, and some of the more timid ones could barely stay standing.