High-class maid

The noise inside suddenly stopped, and a group of people were seen gathered around a table, still holding the leaf cards they hadn't had time to throw away.

"Oh, in broad daylight, instead of doing your job, you're playing cards here. Do you think this is your retirement home?" the First Madam said sarcastically.

These people all stood there dumbfounded. One of the older farmhands had seen Shen Kun before and knew that the man behind him was the master of the Minister's mansion. He walked out tremblingly and said...

"Master, my lord."

Upon hearing his words, the others hurriedly put on their shoes or threw away their cards, and after a flurry of activity, they arrived inside the courtyard.

"You bunch of unruly servants, kneel down now!"

When had Xiao Yi'an ever been fooled like this? He kicked the last person who came out, sending him flying far away. The person who was hit didn't dare to cry out in pain and knelt on the ground, trembling.

"Is this how you do your job? Why don't you scoop out the dead fish from the fishpond? The whole village reeks of fish, and you're all so fat and bloated, while the poultry in the village are all skin and bones!"

The First Madam laughed in anger, and her words were utterly merciless. At this moment, the observant old nanny who had opened the door brought stools for the masters and then stood aside.

"You lot, go to the back and keep watching, see what the remaining unruly servants are doing," the First Madam instructed the young masters and ladies. They were getting old, and it was time for them to take on these menial tasks.

After a while, the younger generation returned, followed by a group of servants from the manor. They were all covered in dust and looked rather unwell, presumably because they had been caught while playing.

“Reporting to Mother, all the servants who are not in their positions have been brought back by your son,” Xiao Yi’an said.

"Uncle Shen, would you please count the number of people?" the young lady instructed. The madam gave her a pleased look, thinking to herself that her daughter had indeed grown up.

Shen Kun took out a list he had prepared beforehand and began calling out names. After a short while, he said...

"Reporting to Madam, two people are missing."

"Which two?"

“One is Butler Liu, and the other is a man named Er Mao,” Shen Kun replied.

The second young lady, Xiao Luoyu, wanted to step forward and say something, but was interrupted by a voice.

"Coming, coming, I'm here!" Just as Shen Kun finished speaking, a young man's voice came over, followed by a man running over like the wind.

The man appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, tall and thin, with a dark complexion like the sun. Although he was dressed in coarse clothes, they could not conceal his handsome face.

He stopped in front of the First Madam, scratched his head, chuckled, and said...

“My name is Er Mao. I was feeding the horses at Ma Si just now, and this young lady saw me.” After saying that, he pointed to the second young lady.

Caught off guard by his sudden pointing, Xiao Luoyu quickly replied, "Auntie, I did see this young man feeding the horses just now. I was so focused on finding the others that I completely forgot about him."

The First Madam nodded and said, "It's alright, you can stand there."

The boy turned and went to the old woman, standing quietly behind her, head down, no longer looking at anyone.

"Madam, this servant knows he was wrong. Please have mercy and don't throw us out!" a man said.

His voice was like a switch, and the others followed suit, begging for mercy.

"Madam, please have mercy! We will never dare to do it again."

"Madam, I have served here for six years. Even if I have not made any great contributions, I have certainly worked hard!"

"Young master, I was just playing around today and watched some cards. I'm usually on duty."

The voices of the crowd rose and fell. The First Madam rubbed her temples, her furrowed brows revealing her growing impatience.

Seeing this, Banxin took a step forward and said, "What's all the noise about! You eat and drink the manor's food and drink, and now you're caught playing around while on duty, and you think you're being wronged?"

The crowd fell silent at Banxin's shout, and for a moment, there was complete silence. Although it was inside the courtyard, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

"Those who played the leaf cards, stand on the east side; those who were watching the cards, stand on the west side." The First Madam rubbed her forehead, already having decided on their fate.

The group hesitated before taking their places, then looked at the First Madam and awaited her instructions.

"The mansion has treated you well, hasn't it? You've received gifts during the New Year and other festivals, as well as these vegetables, fruits, chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Although you don't admit it, everyone knows it. I've turned a blind eye to it. But you actually gathered to play cards. What's the difference between that and gambling? If you want to die, don't drag the Minister's mansion down with you."

The First Madam became more and more agitated as she spoke, and threw away the teacup that Banxin had just handed to her.

"If it were just playing cards, that would be one thing, but you're not even bothering to do a proper job! Are you sure we won't come to the manor?"

Everyone felt ashamed by what the First Madam said, and they all lowered their heads and remained silent.

"Sister-in-law, calm down. It's not worth it for such a group of people," the second wife advised.

“Yes, Mother, don’t be angry. What should we do with these people?” Xiao Luosheng also came over and patted the Madam on the back.

"I'm leaving this matter to you. Use them as practice subjects," the First Madam said.

“Yes.” Xiao Luosheng paused for a moment, then realized that her mother was intentionally grooming her.

She walked a few steps to the group of servants and looked at their expressions, which showed resentment, fear, and regret.

"Since these people enjoy playing cards so much, let's send them out of the manor. The Xiao manor can't accommodate you. Send them to the slave trader, and also check their houses to see how much they've embezzled from us."

The young lady turned to Madam Wang and said,

"Yes, this old servant will take care of it right away." After saying that, Wang Shi quickly walked away.

“You lot, although I didn’t catch you playing cards, you only cared about having fun and didn’t even do your job properly. Each of you will be fined three months’ wages and each of you will be given ten slaps on the hand.”

When the group heard that the young lady hadn't kicked them out of the manor, even though it was just a matter of being beaten and fined a monthly allowance, it was still much better than being kicked out. So they thanked her repeatedly and said they would never dare to do it again.

“Mother, do you think this is feasible?” the young lady asked, turning around.

"Too soft-hearted," the First Madam commented.

“Each of these people who were playing cards should be given ten lashes with a board, and then sent to the slave trader. Also, check if there are any damaged items in the estate, and make them pay for them before they leave.”

Then, the First Madam looked at another group of people. This group of people felt uncomfortable under her gaze and lowered their heads even further.

"Ten slaps on the wrist are nothing. Search their rooms too. If they've stolen even a penny, sell them all!"

Upon hearing the First Madam's words, the servants, who had thought they were safe, began to panic again, since no one's hands were clean.

If you are sold to a slave trader, no matter how many skills you have, you will be looked down upon and beaten and scolded as a matter of course.

"Alright, don't be discouraged. You're still young, and it's normal to be kind-hearted," the First Madam said, patting Xiao Luosheng affectionately.