Chapter 11: What Arrogance Does She Have to Suppress?
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“Young Madam, shouldn’t we put that woman in her place?” Yu Pan’er suggested.
Yu Zhi Yi looked up at her.
Yu Pan’er was born into the Yu household, a maid with a certain charm. In these times, children born to servants were destined to be servants themselves.
This girl had ambition. Back at the Yu residence, she had tried to charm the eldest young master, Yu Meng Qin, which angered Yu Jiao Jiao. As punishment, Yu Jiao Jiao had her cleaning latrines and chamber pots.
When Yu Zhi Yi was about to marry, Yu Jiao Jiao brought the girl back and persuaded Madam Yu to assign her as one of Yu Zhi Yi’s dowry maids.
Aside from Zi Yuan and Yu Pan’er, Yu Zhi Yi had two other maids as part of her dowry. They were simple girls, not particularly bright—also handpicked by Yu Jiao Jiao.
Yu Zhi Yi knew what Yu Jiao Jiao was up to, but out of gratitude for her upbringing, she couldn’t be bothered with such petty schemes.
Besides, no one’s intentions could escape her eyes; she wasn’t worried about these people causing her trouble.
In her past life, she hadn’t wanted to nurture another “good sister,” so she sent Yu Pan’er away early on.
The remaining two maids, though a bit dull, were loyal enough, so she kept them around.
But now…
Perhaps she could make some use of her.
“What arrogance does she have?” Yu Zhi Yi asked in return.
Yu Pan’er widened her eyes. “She left the mansion without informing you! She doesn’t respect you as the mistress at all!”
Yu Zhi Yi chuckled softly. “She’s neither a concubine nor a servant; she doesn’t need to report to me.”
“But…” Yu Pan’er wanted to protest.
“Enough,” Yu Zhi Yi waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t bother with such trivial matters. In the future, just keep an eye on what’s happening in the mansion. As for other things, no matter how absurd, don’t get involved. We just need to live our own lives well.”
That night, Yu Zhi Yi suddenly opened her eyes.
Her protective barrier had been tampered with!
She got up and dressed quickly.
Zi Yuan entered the room. “Miss, someone tried to climb over the wall to leave the mansion but slipped and fell. The commotion alerted the guards. Now, the Chancellor and Madam are personally interrogating the person!”
Yu Zhi Yi casually tied up her long black hair, donned a red gauze cloak, and headed to where the incident occurred.
She saw a short man dressed in a gray servant’s uniform kneeling on the ground. Chancellor Du and Madam Yao had rushed out with their hair unkempt, each wearing just a cloak over their nightclothes.
Yu Zhi Yi stepped forward and greeted them. “Father, Mother.”
Then she looked at the man on the ground.
Before she could ask, Madam Yao said, “The night is damp; you should have worn more before coming out.”
She pointed at the man. “He’s just a thief trying to steal from the mansion. We’ve already questioned him; it’s nothing serious. We’ll have him sent to the authorities shortly.”
When the man heard “sent to the authorities,” he shuddered, seemingly terrified, and began to plead for mercy.
Yu Zhi Yi stared at him for a moment, then said coldly, “Stop pretending. You’re secretly laughing inside, aren’t you?”
The man’s pleas halted, his expression turning stiff.
Chancellor Du, Madam Yao, and the surrounding guards and servants all looked at her in confusion.
After a brief pause, the man recovered and said, “I don’t understand what the Young Madam is saying. I’m truly afraid and remorseful!”
To prove his supposed remorse, he crawled on his knees toward Chancellor Du, wailing, “Master, I truly know my mistake. Please forgive me this once!”
Yu Zhi Yi interrupted his wailing, her gaze shifting to Chancellor Du. “Father, your jade thumb ring is quite unique. Could you give it to me?”
Everyone present was taken aback.
Is the Young Madam a bit… off? they wondered.
Is this the right time and place to ask for something?
Besides, she’s only been married for four days; isn’t it too soon to be asking for valuable items?
While Chancellor Du looked displeased, Madam Yao had other thoughts in mind.
Recalling her own mother’s situation a few days ago, and of how she had given Yu Zhi Yi a thousand taels of silver, Yu Zhi Yi had reminded her to visit her family.
Without hesitation, Madam Yao advised gently, “Husband, since Yi’er likes it, why not give it to her? It’s just a thumb ring, after all.”
Chancellor Du sighed. “Very well.”
The servants exchanged puzzled glances.
Madam Yao knew exactly what she was doing. Seeing that Chancellor Du remained silent, she stepped forward, intending to remove the ring herself.
Chancellor Du held up his hand. “…I’ll do it myself.”
Yu Zhi Yi took the thumb ring and weighed it in her hand, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “The jade is so clear and warm to the touch. Excellent quality!”
Chancellor Du was speechless.
Of course it’s good jade; he had spent eight thousand taels at an auction to acquire it!
Yu Zhi Yi seemed oblivious to his displeasure. She placed the ring into her pouch and had Zi Yuan dismiss the guards and other servants. Then she turned to the short man and said, “Your real name is Liu Er Gou. You entered the Chancellor’s residence five years ago under the name Du Ping.”
“Father and Mother are very kind to their servants, except when someone makes a grave mistake.”
“Three years ago, you were punished by Father for breaking a valuable paperweight. Although Father was compassionate and didn’t make you pay for it, you held a grudge.”
“A few days ago, you met an old acquaintance while on leave. You complained to him, and he said he could help you get revenge. So the two of you planned tonight’s scheme.”
Madam Yao was shocked. “What scheme? Could he possibly blame us when he’s the one stealing?”
Near the man lay a scroll. It was “Travels in Mount Huai” by Qi Bai, a renowned landscape artist of the previous dynasty—a priceless masterpiece.
No matter how she thought about it, Madam Yao couldn’t figure out how they could be framed as the victims.
Not just Madam Yao; even the experienced Chancellor Du was puzzled.
Yu Zhi Yi sighed. “The painting is just a decoy. The real trap is the item he secretly placed at the bottom of Father’s desk drawer!”
Chancellor Du’s expression changed dramatically. He hurried back to his study.
Liu Er Gou tried to break free, but Zi Yuan, though petite, was surprisingly strong. He couldn’t move at all and was dragged to the study like a helpless chicken.
By then, Chancellor Du had reached his desk.
His desk had two drawers, both securely locked.
At the moment, the locks were still hanging properly on the drawers.
But Chancellor Du didn’t dare be careless. He unlocked the drawers and pulled them out, holding them up to the light. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
He saw that at the bottom of one drawer, a cloth pouch had been nailed in place!
A piece of aged paper peeked out from the pouch.
He didn’t know what was written on it, but alarm bells were ringing in his mind.
Suppressing his fear, he pulled out the paper from the pouch and unfolded it. He nearly collapsed.
It was a reply letter from the Daluo Empire!
Though it contained only a few lines, if discovered, it would be enough to doom the entire Chancellor’s household.
His entire family line could be implicated!