Jian Xubai had to attend a court meeting the next day so he got up early. Song Yixiao thought that the loving show could be waived this morning, so when hearing the noises, she only turned around leisurely and intended to catch up on sleep. However, upon catching sight of her indifference, Jian Xubai didn"t feel happy now and very soon put on a gloomy face!

Having tied up his belts, Jian Xubai took a glimpse at the bed and saw his wife still sleeping at bed, making him feel so unhappy. Without hesitation, he rolled up his sleeves and shook her shoulders, “Wake up! Wake up! Your husband is going to attend the court meeting. How can you still be sleeping? Get up and serve me!”

Song Yixiao was speechless.

She pushed aside Jian Xubai"s hands and climbed to the bedside to look around. When she found that no servants were in the room, she couldn"t help complaining, “If you are really a good husband who loves his wife, you should get off bed carefully and put on your clothes outside so as not to disturb me!”

“It is you who dismissed Cuipiao!” Jian Xubai sneered, “I have only one close maid and Ji Su is not in the outer room to serve me. Do you want to ask your maid to help me put on clothes? Your two maids look pretty too. Are you okay with that?”

“Don"t make it sound like that I dismissed Cuipiao out of jealousy!” Song Yixiao said disgruntledly, “If she behaved well, why would I dismiss her at the risk of offending Her Majesty the Empress Dowager?”

As to Qiaoqin and Jinxun, she was not worried at all. Now that the household problem was not settled yet, why would Jian Xubai ruin the show of a loving couple?

“I was worried that you couldn"t explain clearly in the imperial palace so I intended to pay respects to Grandmother after the court meeting.” Jian Xubai said coldly, “But now you look so confident, I don"t think it is necessary to do so then. I can save the time to deal with my work!”

Instantly, Song Yixiao, who insisted on staying in bed, got off bed quickly and said with a smile, “I was kidding to you! You work so hard that I feel so distressed. If I don"t serve until you leave for work, how can I sleep well?”

While speaking, she dressed herself rapidly and advanced to adjust his clothes. Her enthusiastic att.i.tude was completely from before. Jian Xubai sneered and stretched out his arms, “Hurry up! You are doing so slowly!”

After seeing her husband off smilingly, Song Yixiao turned around and instantly put on a poker face, “Send someone to ask the Grand Princess whether it is convenient to her that I go there and pay respects to her later!”

The servants hastened to do as told.

Qiaoqin and Jinxun accompanied her back into the inner chamber. As it was still early in the morning, they asked, “Madam, do you want to sleep for another while?”

“I can"t fall asleep now!” Song Yixiao wanted to but she was not sleepy indeed. Hence, she could only take a glimpse at the bed regretfully. Qiaoqin and Jinxun made eye contact behind Song Yixiao. Then Jinxun asked, “Would you like me to fetch me some dessert for you? You were busy taking care of His Highness just now and you haven"t eaten anything!”

Given that she just flew into a rage in the kitchen last night, Song Yixiao was expecting turmoil might happen in the mansion this morning. She didn"t think much, “Just make a pot of tea for me.” She hedged and asked, “The breakfast was not made by the chefs of the kitchen this morning?”

“You claimed to dismiss them. How could they get to cook anymore?” Jinxun said, “Ms. Zhao asked the woman to cook who worked in the kitchen when we lived in the Hanxia Villa.”

Then she added, “Ms. Zhao also said that food should be prepared by our own people! The chefs in the duke"s mansion are skillful, but they are not attentive enough, making them unsuitable to stay!”

Song Yixiao said with a nod, “Exactly. If they are not skillful enough, they can manage to seek improvement. Yet, if they lack sincerity, I will not put up with them here!”

Speaking of this, she hinted Jinxun to bring her the tea, making Qiaoqin the only one person before her. Then she asked indifferently, “I heard that Mother gave birth to a baby girl last night so I asked Xubai to pay her a visit. However, when we arrived at Prince of Hengshan"s mansion, the prince was not at home and my mother was sleeping. In the end, even though I said I was hungry, Ms. Bo didn"t keep me there for supper. Instead, she only gave me a box of osmanthus cake. Do you know why?”

Qiaoqin and Jinxun always accompanied her out in turn after Song Yixiao got married.

Qiaoqin happened to be the one who stayed at the duke"s mansion yesterday. She turned shocked at once, “Madam, please listen to me! I"ve been on your side since the Princess Consort a.s.signed me to work for you! I will never conspire with the people in the prince"s mansion against you!”

“So you didn"t know anything?” Song Yixiao glanced at her vaguely and said, “But it has been only a few days since you came here with me. On the contrary, you used to serve my mother in the Prince"s mansion for several years…” She waved her hand at Qiaoqin to stop her anxious explanation, “You should have several old acquaintances in the prince"s mansion somehow. You must be able to inquire about something?”

She sighed, “After all, you are aware of my current situation! I cannot count on my father; mother is the only one who loves me. However, even she doesn"t want to meet me, how can I not try to figure out why?”

“I"ll do my best!” Qiaoqin bit her lips and made a promise with complex feelings.

She was not appointed to work for Song Yixiao by Wei Mengying until Song Yixiao got married. When Wei Mengying and Song Yixiao were on good terms, Song Yixiao would treat her well due to trust and respect for Wei Mengying. However, if they were on bad terms, she would be the first one to be suspected. In that case, she would be in despair!

“Go ahead!” Song Yixiao finished talking and then waved her hand to let her set about her task. Qiaoqin left on tenterhooks. The moment she walked out of the room, she encountered Ms. Zhao in surprise and made a curtsey, “Ms. Zhao?”

Song Yixiao was surprised to hear the voice and after a while, Ms. Zhao came inside with a tray. On the tray was the tea she asked for. She hastened to fetch it and groaned, “Jinxun becomes so lazy now. I asked her to make the tea. How can she make you do it instead?”

“It is me who ask her to give us a moment.” Ms. Zhao walked into the room with a calm face but after she put down the tray, she instantly turned around to close the door with a worried countenance, “Your Ladyship, please tell me the truth. Have you consummated your marriage with His Highness by now?”

Song Yixiao immediately realized that Jinxun left just now not to fetch dessert but to call in Ms. Zhao.

“Ms. Zhao, it is a long story…” She stayed embarra.s.sed for a while and decided to explain to the foster nurse. However, she was interrupted suddenly by Ms. Zhao, “This is not a story but a big problem! Do you forget what Her Highness teaches you? As a married woman, no matter how her husband loves you, you will be like a rootless floating lotus without a son! You know, Her Highness is such a beautiful and scheming woman, but she still had to remarry after struggling for 10 years in the Song"s mansion!”

Then she added, “In terms of appearance and social ident.i.ty, His Highness is even better than Master Song back then! Even if Her Highness the Grand Princess and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager are not as rigorous as Elder Madam Pang, in light of their social ident.i.ty, they can get whatever they want without being rigorous. Your Ladyship, it is not the time that you can act willfully!”

Song Yixiao said nothing and only got preached. For the moment, she didn"t know whether to cry or laugh. After thinking for a while, she talked sincerely, “I know what you just said. There is a reason why I don"t consummate our marriage.”

Then she told Ms. Zhao about the ins and outs of the matter as well as her intention, “Now Xubai is sulky now. I can"t force him to do it anyway. Just as you said, I am his wife, not a concubine. Given my ident.i.ty, I must defend for my dignity even between me and him. That"s what Mother told me too.”

“But you two can"t maintain the status all the time!” Ms. Zhao frowned with determination crossing her eyes, “When you got married, the philter that Her Highness put in the hidden drawer of your case…”

Song Yixiao felt helpless, “Xubai and I are married not for a long time. I don"t need that now…”

Ms. Zhao felt that Song Yixiao didn"t realize the significance of the problem at all. She was about to rebuke when Jinxun knocked on the door outside, “Madam, the Chief House Steward and the Second House Steward are waiting outside and expecting to meet you!”

“I just dismissed all the servants of the kitchen yesterday, which must be the reason why they are here.” Song Yixiao hurriedly told Ms. Zhao, “I will probably go to pay respects to my mother-in-law. May I talk about this with you later?”

Ms. Zhao had no other choice but to agree with a nod.

After sending Ms. Zhao away, Song Yixiao didn"t receive the two house stewards at once. Instead, she let Jinxun bring them to the drawing room while she got changed leisurely and had some tea. When it was about time, she went to meet them, saying, “You two are always busy. Why do you want to meet me in the early morning?”

“Good morning, Madam!” The two house stewards made a bow to her first and then said hurriedly, “We"ve heard that you want to send away all the servants of the kitchen? We suppose there must be some misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?” Song Yixiao responded with a sneer, sitting on the left-hand seat gracefully and yet not allowing them to take a seat, “Xubai and I only arrived back home a bit late and there was nothing to eat in the kitchen. Yet, all the kitchen servants were already full. In this case, why do I even need to keep this kind of people?”

Speaking of this, she suddenly became stern with her almond eyes full of coldness, “As to this matter, even if you don"t come to me, I will summon you for inquiry too. Xubai"s grandfather appointed you as the house stewards of this mansion out of trust and reliance! Xubai and I have never desired to change that because we respect and trust him! However, you"ve let us down! It has only been a dozen of years since he got retired and you"ve made the mansion become like this?”

“How can you keep these servants who don"t take their duties seriously? This is how you work as a house steward?”

The Chief House Steward replied with a smile, “Madam, you don"t know that in the old days when His Elder Lordship was in charge, in order to save costs, His Elder Lordship used to order that the kitchen servants should not need to prepare meals if the masters or madams were not in the mansion at meal time. Because you are new here and haven"t set new rules for us, the servants in the kitchen just followed the old practices, thus failing to set the meals after His Highness and Madam arrived back in the mansion. It"s absolutely not because they didn"t take their work seriously!”

“You mean I"ve wronged them?” Song Yixiao realized that the two house stewards must have thought a lot overnight. As she just mentioned they were the servants appointed by Jian Pingyu, they immediately seized the opportunity and talked about the old practice.

She became even angrier, “Then why didn"t the kitchen manager tell me about the old practice? And why didn"t you two come to tell me either last night? Now that Xubai has gone, you are here to tell me?”

The two house stewards felt a little helpless. They did try to meet Song Yixiao last night but their request was rejected by Qiaoqin who told them that Song Yixiao was tired. Now according to Song Yixiao, they were like villains who deliberately bullied the mistress of the family when Jian Xubai was away.

The Chief House Steward answered with a bitter smile, “The kitchen manager is not good at talking. Moreover, as he didn"t do his job well, he must have forgotten out of fear. And we didn"t report to you last night only because it was too late back then and we didn"t want to disturb His Highness and Madam"s rest!”

He didn"t mention Qiaoqin"s rejecting their request. After all, it was no use doing that. If he did, he might offend this first maid of the mistress.

“The kitchen steward can even forget the old practices that Xubai"s grandfather left, which shows that he must either be too old to fulfill his duty or disrespect Grandfather"s words!” Song Yixiao nodded her head and immediately pulled a long face, “As to you two, you have kept Xubai"s grandfather"s order in mind, which is great. Yet, should you also remind the subordinates of that too?”

Obviously, she didn"t seem to give the kitchen servants a way out. The Chief House Steward and the Second House Steward made eye contact with a frown and yet replied respectfully, “Madam, you are right. We are so sorry!”

“Since you are sorry, then I"ll impose a fine of three months" salary on both of you!” Song Yixiao didn"t show any mercy, “Besides, I don"t want to see anything similar happen again in the mansion. Is their fault to fail to serve a master and a mistress? No, it is yours!”

She lifted the tea bowl and implied that the two house stewards should leave. Looking at their stooping backs, Jinxun shouted with delight, “Madam, you are so great! How dare the two house stewards come to defend for the kitchen manager? You just managed to shut their mouths up easily with a few words!”

“Do you think the stewards in a duke"s mansion are so easy to handle?” Song Yixiao took a sip of tea with no delight shown on her face, saying casually, “If they really are, why did Xubai fail to deal with them? Don"t forget that they used to work for his grandfather. As a saying goes, the servants follow the suit of their master. Think about this. Xubai"s grandfather is the statesman who served two emperors. How established he is! I"ve been here only for a few days and my maiden family is not influential. How can I have his former chief house steward under control easily?”

Her eyes got darker, “I thought they would fight fiercely since I ordered to dismiss all the kitchen servants! Unexpectedly…”

They just gave up after giving a try. It was beyond Song Yixiao"s understanding why Jian Pingyu left so many servants behind. Did he just want to set against his grandson or simply to look after them out of kindness?