The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

Steward Xu patted Xiao Tao's hand gently and said with a lecherous grin, "Don't be afraid, Xiao Tao. I'll plead with the Marquis to spare you from punishment."

"Thank you, Brother Xu." Xiao Tao said shyly. Manager Xu was so touched by her calling him "brother" that his bones almost melted. Just as he was about to take things further, Xiao Tao turned around and left.

He watched Xiao Tao's departing figure with a hint of lingering satisfaction, and chuckled, "You've already bumped into me, and you still want to run away?"

Not far away, Xue's mother saw this scene and gritted her teeth as she spat out a few words: "You vixen."

She snorted angrily and turned to leave.

In the following days, Xiao Tao did not give Steward Xu any more opportunities to approach her.

It was as if she was deliberately avoiding him, or as if she was keeping her distance.

Manager Xu felt as if his heart was being scratched by a cat; he was extremely distressed.

Madam Xue noticed that Steward Xu was acting strangely, and she felt a strong sense of unease.

Could it be that Manager Xu has been bewitched by that vixen Xiao Tao?

No, she absolutely couldn't let the duck that was already in her grasp fly away.

She immediately found Manager Xu, and even dressed up specially, stopping him at a corner.

When Butler Xu looked up and saw it was her, his smile darkened: "Why are you stopping me?"

As he spoke, he craned his neck to look ahead. Xiao Tao's figure was about to disappear from sight. Just as Butler Xu was about to walk around Mama Xue to chase after her, Mama Xue blocked his view.

"Old Xu, have you thought about what I told you before?"

Mother Xue looked shy and kept fiddling with the red flower in her hair.

She thought she was incredibly charming, but little did she know that Butler Xu looked at her with utter disgust.

How can an old, faded woman compare to a fresh-faced young girl?

Butler Xu said impatiently, "Nothing's wrong between us, you're overthinking it."

Seeing that he had turned his back on her, Xue's mother became anxious: "You old Xu, you're the kind of person who doesn't recognize his friends after you've done your bidding, aren't you? We've been on good terms for a day or two, don't think you can just brush me off with a few words."

Upon hearing this, Butler Xu's face darkened, and he gave a cold laugh, saying, "Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? Your face is so wrinkled it could trap flies. I wouldn't even want to wash my feet if you looked like that. If you know what's good for you, get out of here, or I'll say something even worse."

After saying that, he forcefully pushed Xue's mother away and went to chase after Xiao Tao.

Madam Xue's face turned ashen with anger, her two chubby fists clenched tightly, she hated Steward Xu to the core.

"You old bastard, if you won't let me have an easy time, I won't let you get away with it."

As if she had thought of something, Madam Xue turned around and swayed her plump waist as she walked towards Zhou's courtyard.

Ruyi Residence.

For the past few days, Zhou has been obediently drinking her herbal medicine. No matter how disgusting or unpleasant the smell was, she would pinch her nose and drink it down.

A thousand-year-old ginseng is a rare find.

Even members of the royal family do not have the opportunity to eat thousand-year-old ginseng.

When Mama Xue came in, Zhou had already drunk a large bowl of wine and was wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, completely satisfied.

"What's the matter that made you come at this time?" Zhou asked.

Madam Xue said with a solemn expression, "This servant has something to report to the First Madam, it concerns Qiufeng Courtyard."

Upon hearing "Autumn Maple Courtyard," a hint of interest appeared in Zhou's eyes: "Oh, what happened over there?"

"The steward of Qiufeng Courtyard abuses his position to bully the maids. Several young girls have already fallen victim to his cruelty. The bullied girls dare not speak out against him. If such a beast is not eliminated, the Marquis's mansion will never have peace."

Zhou was not surprised after hearing this; such sordid things were not uncommon in the mansion.

But very few people bring this matter up in the open.

The fact that Madam Xue risked everything to sue Steward Xu is probably related to her own actions as well.

Zhou looked at her with sharp eyes and asked, "These kinds of things require solid evidence. Do you have any proof?"

In fact, Zhou didn't want to get involved, because it wouldn't be honorable for the Marquis's mansion if the matter were exposed.

Her plan was to handle the matter discreetly.

Just as Zhou was thinking this, an old maid suddenly walked in from outside, looking flustered: "Madam, something bad has happened!"

Zhou's eyelids twitched, and she asked with displeasure, "What happened now?"

"Manager Xu has gone mad in the courtyard. He's hugging and embracing everyone he sees. His behavior is extremely lewd." The old woman stammered and gasped for breath before she could finish the rest of her story.

Perhaps she was thinking of something disgusting, because a look of disgust appeared on her face.

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou immediately gave the order: "What are you all standing there for? Seize him right now! What will happen if he offends the ladies and young misses of the manor?"

The Marquis's mansion has not split up; besides Gu Huaizhou's lineage, there are also second and third branches.

Old Master Gu's first wife died early, and she had two sons. Zhou was his second wife, and she also had two sons and a daughter.

The old man said before he passed away that if the Marquis's mansion were to split up, its fortune would dissipate.

Therefore, after Gu Huaizhou inherited the title, neither the second nor the third branch of the family moved out.

With Qi's mother's help, Zhou walked out. Even if it was shameful, she had to keep it in her own yard and not let outsiders see it.

The front yard was in complete chaos.

Many maids and servants pointed and looked towards the center of the courtyard.

The steward was bound like a dumpling and thrown on the ground by his servants. His eyes were bloodshot and his mouth was stuffed with rags, yet he still managed to whimper like a trapped beast.

It looks quite frightening.

Seeing him like this, Zhou was furious and ordered the servants, "Someone, wake him up by splashing water on him."

Soon, a servant brought a bucket of cold water and poured it over Steward Xu's head.

The well water was icy cold, causing Steward Xu to let out a wail, but his mind gradually cleared.

The cold wind was so biting that the housekeeper's lips turned purple and his body trembled violently.

His vision gradually cleared, and he saw that everyone around him was looking at him.

Just as he was stunned, he heard Zhou shout angrily: "You dog servant, have you gone mad?"

When Steward Xu belatedly turned around, he saw Madam Zhou sitting in a grand chair, glaring at him with her triangular eyes.

He paused for a moment, then remembered.

He had just chased after Xiao Tao in the courtyard, wanting to ask her if she wanted to be his concubine, when suddenly a strange fragrance wafted to his nose, and then he knew nothing more.

"Madam, this servant does not know what mistake I have made to make you so angry."

Zhou was instantly enraged, pointing her finger at his nose and cursing, "You dog slave, you're not going to admit what you did! Today I'll make sure you die knowing why. You, Xue Mama, tell me!"

Immediately, Mama Xue knelt down in front of Madam Zhou, pointed at Steward Xu and angrily denounced him: "He takes advantage of his position as steward and often bullies the young maids in the mansion. I have witnessed it several times. In order to quell the trouble, he offered me a large sum of money to keep me from telling anyone, but his behavior is worse than that of a beast. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I exposed him."

Manager Xu looked at Madam Xue with a look of horror, then burst into rage: "You old shrew, why did you harm me?"

The only person he encountered just now was Xue's mother; it must be her who caused his trouble.