Shengjing Noble

Su Lanyin couldn't help but retort, "Dad, the person imprisoned in that prison is my uncle, and my mother's biological brother. It's not wrong for her to ask, right?"

Su Yongcheng glared at her fiercely, full of impatience: "Why are you, a concubine's daughter, butting in when the master is talking? Hurry up and take your mother with you!"

After saying that, he ignored the mother and daughter and strode towards Mingzhu Pavilion.

Lu Wanjun looked at his heartless and ungrateful back, feeling desolate in her heart.

Her face turned pale, with endless sorrow in her eyes, and she laughed coldly.

"Mom..." Su Lanyin wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how to start.

Lu Wanjun couldn't even shed a tear now, and only felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.

She said to herself, "We've been married for twenty years, raised children, and worked hard to manage the household, but in the end, my brother suffered, and my husband is so indifferent... Ha..."

Su Lanyin looked at her worriedly and comforted her in a firm tone: "Mom, uncle is fine, we don't need to rely on him!"

Lu Wanjun lowered her eyes and took a deep breath: "Forget it, I don't have any hope for him."

After saying that, she walked towards Suiyuexuan in a daze.

……

The next day.

There was still no news coming out of the palace. There were no morning court sessions these days, and Su Yongcheng would rest in Mingzhu Pavilion whenever he had time at home.

The previous two days were the days for distributing monthly wages, but until today there was still no movement, and the servants were discussing it privately.

Inside the Pearl Pavilion.

Butler Liu handed over the account and said carefully, "Madam, this is the monthly salary for the servants this month, and the final payment for the newly ordered winter clothes is also due..."

Liu Ruyan flipped through the account book and her eyes widened immediately: "So much money?"

"This... has always been this number, it has never changed."

"Are there so many servants in the mansion? I think your account book is not done right? Go and redo it, or gather everyone. I want to count the number of people myself!"

"Yes, slave, go right away."

Butler Liu had no choice but to turn around and gather all the servants of the Su family to the courtyard of Mingzhu Pavilion.

Whenever I asked Lu Wanjun for money before, it was never so troublesome.

He couldn't help but complain in his heart: A mistress is not as generous as the concubine, and she is still a daughter of the Marquis's mansion? Pah!

Soon, more than 130 servants from the Su Mansion stood in Mingzhu Pavilion, almost filling up the courtyard.

Liu Ruyan looked at so many people and couldn't help but frowned: "When did our Su family have so many servants?"

Butler Liu said, "Madam, this does not include the servants of Suiyuexuan. That part is paid by Madam Lu herself."

"Oh, what about them? Where are they from?"

"There are more than 30 people serving in the old lady's courtyard alone, and more than 20 in the second master's room. Add you here, the second young master and the fifth young lady, as well as the kitchen, storehouse, coachman, and guards..."

Seeing him counting non-stop, Liu Ruyan interrupted him in frustration.

"Alright, alright, stop talking! So many people are a sheer waste. Where are their indentures?"

"When Aunt Lu handed over the keys earlier, she also gave them to you."

Liu Ruyan glanced at everyone and said coldly, "Reduce half the number of people in each courtyard."

Butler Liu was stunned, thinking that he had not heard clearly, and could not help asking: "Madam, are you saying... sell them all?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the servants in the yard looked at him with disbelief and their faces changed drastically.

"Yes, is there any problem?" Liu Ruyan acted condescendingly, with impatience in her eyes.

Butler Liu seemed to be struck by a shock, and hurriedly tried to dissuade him nervously, "Madam, this is not good, right? These people are considered old people in our Su Mansion, and some have even been here for twenty years..."

"So what?" She said with a nonchalant expression, "Butler Liu, I'm doing this for their own good."

Everyone was indignant but dared not say anything, so they could only stare at her.

Butler Liu clenched his fist and asked in silence, "Why did Madam say that?"

"The master is only a sixth-rank official. He shouldn't employ so many servants. If this gets out, it would be an overstep and he might even lose his job!"

"In the past, you were all hired by Aunt Lu. Since she was born into a merchant family, naturally no one cared about her. But now you are my housekeeper. If someone deliberately wants to harm our Su family, this alone is enough."

"Instead of staying in the Su family and waiting to be implicated, you might as well find another way out as soon as possible. Maybe there is a better future somewhere else."

"It just so happens that they finished their work last month. Those with indentures were sent to the human traffickers, and those without indentures were sent away on the spot. I don't need to teach you these, do I?"

After saying that, Liu Ruyan smiled and patted Butler Liu on the shoulder, then turned around and went back to the room to continue resting.

The servants were furious, but they could do nothing and could only watch themselves being left behind by their boss.

Soon, the Su family laid off a large number of servants, and only half of the huge courtyard remained.

Those servants who had left Suiyuexuan with such confidence were filled with deep regret.

"If I had known this would happen, I would have stayed in Suiyuexuan! Aunt Lu has been very kind to us!"

"Yeah, I thought the Madam would be more generous and could make further progress by leaving Suiyuexuan, but I didn't expect it to end up like this!"

"This is the retribution for our betrayal of our master! I heard that after we left, the monthly salary of those remaining in Suiyuexuan doubled!"

"How about we go back and ask Aunt Lu for help? Although she is a concubine, she is very generous to us!"

"Yes, yes, yes. She is stupid and rich, she will definitely keep us here! Let's go, now!"

……

After a discussion, they immediately headed towards Suiyuexuan.

But before he could enter the courtyard, he was stopped by a group of guards.

Su Lanyin had expected this day to come. In order to prevent these traitors from coming back to harass her, she had already hired guards to stand guard at the door.

Seeing this, the group of people had no choice but to give up and leave the Su family in shame.

……

Pearl Pavilion.

Liwen knelt on the ground nervously, crying and begging: "Madam, please have mercy and don't sell me out! I am willing to follow Fifth Lady until death!"

When Liu Ruyan looked at her, she thought of Su Lanxin and Lu Wanjun, and the disgust in her heart became even stronger.

"It's not that I have to sell you, it's just that there are enough people in this mansion and there is no place for you." She said lightly.

Li Wen kowtowed immediately upon hearing this: "No... I can't leave. Before Fifth Miss fainted, she said that she wanted to keep me as a maid. Madam, please have mercy on me and keep me here!"

"A first-class maid?" Liu Ruyan sneered, "How can you take on such an important task? In my opinion, it's better for you to go with the human trafficker."

Seeing that she was unmoved, Liwen gritted her teeth and could only lie on the ground and cry, saying: "Madam, please have mercy. As long as you don't sell me off, I am willing to be the lowest servant in Mingzhu Pavilion. Even if I have to work like a cow or a horse, I will repay you and the fifth lady!"