Traveling through time and space

"Mother Yan, this is my first time managing the household, so I can't possibly ask about every detail. Since Grandmother trusts you guys, then I trust you too. The Cai family has bullied me time and again, and I don't want to sit and wait for death anymore. They are unkind, so I can only be unjust. Do you have any good maids or servants in the Cai family? They can know everything that goes on in the mansion, but they can't attract too much attention. I also need to know every move of the Cai family."

"Miss, you are right. I get along quite well with Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Meng in the kitchen. We are sworn sisters. We occasionally sit down and have a cup of tea together."

"Okay, let them help keep an eye on the movements of the young ladies in the mansion, and occasionally give them some benefits. Remember, let them be more vigilant and don't let anyone find out. I have also thought of a way out for them. If the truth ever comes to light, I will not let them wander around out in the open."

"Yes, Mrs. Wu is in charge of the kitchen's shopping. Tomorrow, I will get up early and go to the market to intercept her."

"Mother Yan, Grandma still has some feelings for the Cai family, but I don't, so this matter must not be known to Grandma. It should be limited to the two of us."

"Don't worry, young lady. I know what you are talking about, but I won't tell the old lady."

"Mother Yan, does the Su family have a family ancestral hall? Is that the small one we bowed to last time?" Mother Yan nodded. "Yuanyuan has an idea. I wonder if the second branch has ever had a memorial tablet erected over the years. Now that the only member of the second branch has passed away, why not put them together with Grandfather and his family? The Su family still has descendants, so let them enjoy the incense and worship."

"Miss, you are such a filial child. I will tell the old lady and ask her what she thinks." Mother Yan's eyes were red.

"They are all grandmother's relatives. Yuanyuan can't let them become wandering ghosts forever. Besides, Yuanyuan also wants to set up a tablet for mother so that she can enjoy Yuanyuan's incense and offerings." Looking at Mother Yan choking with sobs, "Mother Yan, don't cry. Don't worry, one day when you are old, I will let you enjoy the offerings in the temple and will not ignore you." This is Su Yuanyuan's true thoughts.

"Miss, you are truly a kind and righteous person. I am willing to sacrifice my life for you, even until my death." Mother Yan knelt down and kowtowed.

"Mom Yan, it's not that exaggerated. Yuanyuan won't let you kill anyone or set fire to anything. Stand up and talk. You go and do your work. I'm a little worried about grandma." She went to her grandmother's room and saw her lying there taking a nap. She waved to let Mom Liu go out, and she lay down beside her grandmother with her clothes on, and actually fell asleep.

"See how soundly the young lady is sleeping?"

"Yes, she's still a child. How could she not be tired with so many things to worry about? Ask the kitchen to make some spare ribs tonight, which she likes, and stew some bird's nest for the young lady to nourish herself. By the way, tell the kitchen to send a portion of bird's nest to the young lady every night before going to bed."

"Yes, our young lady is still a little young. She will be of marriageable age next year. We need to take good care of her this year so that she can have children in the future."

"Grandma," Su Yuanyuan opened her eyes, "Yuanyuan doesn't want to get married so early. Yuanyuan wants to get married and have children when she is eighteen." The person on the bed sat up. It turned out that it was the grandmother and several maids talking.

"You little girl, grandma wants to hold her great-grandson in her arms earlier in the morning."

"Grandma, Yuanyuan has an idea. She wants to find a job for Aunt Ji."

"What do you want her to do?" Grandma asked curiously.

"Madame Ji has been in the palace for so many years, I think she must be quite shrewd. Won't the mansion select a new row of servants in a few days? Yuanyuan wants Madame Ji to train these people. From now on, all the servants in the mansion will be trained, disciplined, and managed by Madame Ji. A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. Now that our Su Mansion has been established in public, everything must be done in a formal and polite manner, and we can't let outsiders laugh at us."

Grandmother nodded. "Okay, let her take charge of the personnel affairs of the mansion. There should be a dedicated manager to supervise so many servants, otherwise it will be too lax."

"Old Madam, you should rest assured that the young lady will take care of the affairs of the mansion." Mother Liu interrupted.

"Madam, they are back." Qiao Fen lifted the curtain and came in to answer.

"Let them go to Biming Garden to talk," the grandmother ordered. The group entered Biming Garden. There were many people gathered in the yard, and there was one person sitting on a chair, but it was not very good.

"Your servant greets the old lady and the young lady." The person sitting on the chair struggled to stand up and salute.

"Mrs. Wu, don't get up, just sit down." Grandmother waved her hand.

"You are Mrs. Wu, but you were beaten?" Su Yuanyuan walked forward to take a look.

"I, Mrs. Wu, thank you for saving my life. I want to kowtow to you. If you hadn't been so perceptive, I wouldn't be able to come back."

"Stay here for now. Just sit down and answer properly. Grandma, please sit down and talk." Su Yuanyuan and her grandmother also sat down.

"Madam, Miss, this is what we found in Boss Xiao's house." Zheng Shengmin put the box on the ground.

"Go call the steward over here and see how much silver this is worth. Then go get the two guys from the firewood room," Su Yuanyuan ordered. "Come here, give Mrs. Wu some water first." Someone brought a teacup over, and Mrs. Wu took it and drank it all. Seeing her relieved, she said, "Mrs. Wu, tell me, what happened? Are you injured anywhere?"

"To answer Miss, I am not injured. However, after I arrived at the farm, Boss Xiao had us locked up in a woodshed and only gave us one meal a day."

"How many days have you been gone? Did the other two come back with you? How far is it from the mansion to the farm?" Su Yuanyuan asked.

"Miss, it's about eight hundred miles away. I traveled day and night to bring them back." The second butler replied from the side.

"Aren't there three of you?" asked Mrs. Yang.

"To answer the young lady, we were imprisoned on the farm for seven days. It was Boss Xiao who led the charge. Three of us went, but they only imprisoned me and Lan Suyang. Xi Pinghai was free the entire time. So I figured it out. Xi Pinghai must be in cahoots with Boss Xiao.

"Boss Xiao and Su Shaoqiang colluded with each other, both internally and externally, to embezzle the money. There's another accomplice of theirs. Where is he now?"

"Miss, I have someone take care of him."

"Second Butler, go and drag him over here." Su Yuanyuan ordered.

The people we were looking for arrived one after another. First the housekeeper, then the two, and then that one. Grandma stood up and said, "Okay, Yuanyuan, you can handle it yourself. Grandma will just watch from the side."

"Okay, grandmother, if Yuanyuan has done anything wrong, please enlighten me." The information Su Yuanyuan finally got was that they did not embezzle 35,720 taels, because after deducting all the silver collected from the jewelry shop from their residence, they embezzled 17,673 taels. There was also another one, Su Shaozhang's lover named Li Xiaohua. Su Yuanyuan asked the housekeeper to tie up the four of them and send them to the yamen. She gave each of the four people who went to the farm a reward of five taels of silver, and gave Wu Ma and the person who suffered with her three days off each to have a good rest before going back to work.

"Yuanyuan, you did the right thing. You have learned the art of controlling subordinates quite well. You should use both kindness and severity so that others can be convinced of you..." During dinner, the grandmother taught Su Yuanyuan some experience. Su Yuanyuan listened carefully. There was too much she didn't understand. The housekeeper replied that the people had been sent to the yamen. After dinner, Su Yuanyuan returned to her room, packed up all the things, and lay down to rest. It was already very late. Su Yuanyuan asked them to go to rest and there was no need to keep watch. She didn't know what time it was when she heard some noise outside in a daze.

"Who's outside? You all should go and rest, there's no need to keep watch." There was no echo, but the door was quietly pushed open from the outside. "Who's coming in? Tell me your name if you have the guts?" There was no light in the room. Su Yuanyuan didn't know that someone had come.

"My subordinate greets the young lady. Someone wants to see you." Su Yuanyuan knew that someone had entered the room, but she couldn't see him.

What's coming will eventually come, but Su Yuanyuan isn't ready for it. "Who wants to see me? Just because he wants to see me, I have to go see him? This is such a joke. What have you done to the people outside?"

"Don't worry, Miss. They just fell asleep. They will be fine."

"Do we have to go? Do we really have to go?" Su Yuanyuan asked.

"Yes, miss, the master has come out and is not far from here. Please go over and see him."

"Okay, I won't make things difficult for you, but you go wait at the door first. I'll get ready." As soon as Su Yuanyuan finished speaking, the people in the room should have left. Su Yuanyuan got out of bed, lit the lamp and put on her clothes. After she was done, she turned off the lamp. She just opened the door of the inner room and asked someone to help her get up. Then the person who came helped her get up and she got on the carriage. The carriage was driving very fast and it stopped after a while. Su Yuanyuan took a deep breath. Finally, she was finally going to see him, the only person who was related to her by blood. She was ready to get off the carriage.

"My humble servant greets my young lady. I will hold a lamp for you. Please follow me." Someone came forward and greeted.

"Okay, thank you." Su Yuanyuan responded.

"I don't deserve your thanks, miss."

"You led the way for me, and you deserve this thank you." Su Yuanyuan followed him into a yard. There was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps. It was really that person, and they were all carrying swords. It was a really grand scene.

"Miss, the master is waiting for you in the room." Standing at the door, Su Yuanyuan saw the man clearly. He should be a eunuch. Su Yuanyuan nodded, and he disappeared quickly. She calmed down and pushed open the door.

The person standing in the room kept staring at Su Yuanyuan who had just entered, without saying a word. "You really look exactly like your Yunniang. Do you know who I am?"

"Love whoever you want, do I have to know who you are?" Su Yuanyuan asked. Su Yuanyuan was not afraid because she knew he was the emperor, but he should also know who he was. She looked up at him and saw that he was a handsome middle-aged man in a light white brocade robe.

"You should know that I am your father. Don't you want to call me Father?"

"Father? This is a very magical title. I heard from others that when Yuanyuan was born, my parents had already died. Yuanyuan only knew that she had no mother or father. How could a father suddenly appear? You look like a noble man of noble status, so how could you have a daughter like me who is so vulgar? You must have recognized the wrong person. You said you are my biological father, so do you have any evidence?" Su Yuanyuan asked.

"You are my daughter, the daughter of Yunniang and I. At that time, we loved each other very much. I can be sure that you are my daughter. As long as you call me father, it will relieve me of the guilt I have felt over the years. Over the years, I have been looking for your mother and you. I was wrong. I am sorry for your mother and you." He took two steps and walked to Su Yuanyuan's side.

"This apology is meaningless. My mother died a long time ago. I heard that she died of complications during childbirth." Su Yuanyuan felt something strange when she mentioned the mother and daughter.

"Have you been well these years?" He stretched out his hand and wanted to touch Su Yuanyuan's face, but Su Yuanyuan took two steps back and prevented him from touching her.

"My life was not good, not good at all. It was worse than that of an orphan. I was bullied since I was a child, had poor food and clothing, and was beaten all day long while doing housework. I was sold for twenty taels of silver and married to someone, but that man died. They wanted to beat me to death and bury me with him. Fortunately, I met a servant from my grandmother's house, who said that I looked somewhat like my dead mother, and that's how I escaped death." Recalling this, Su Yuanyuan burst into tears. That Yuanyuan was really miserable.

"In fact, your grandmother and the others should know that your father is me."

"They don't know. Grandma said they suspected it, but they didn't dare come to you to confirm it."

"I send people to the Cai Mansion every year to inquire about your mother's whereabouts."

"Your Majesty, they think it is just the grace of the emperor to his subjects, and the concern of the royal family for his subjects." Su Yuanyuan also slowly calmed down.

"Now that you know I am your father, you are unwilling to call me Father?"

"Father? Haha, what a joke! Did you give birth to me? Did you raise me? I'm afraid you don't even know I exist. Where were you when I was suffering and nearly died? Oh, and you don't know you have a daughter. If that's the case, wouldn't it be better if we didn't bother each other?"

"How dare you talk to me?"

"Since you are the high and mighty Emperor, why do you need to see a little girl like me?" Su Yuanyuan was very calm, and her nervous mood had calmed down. "I am not worthy of having you as my father, so it is better not to see you in the future. I am Su Yuanyuan, now and in the future. Please don't disturb my life and my grandmother's life. You have seen me, can I leave now?"