Inside the house, hearing his wife's words, the Second Master Xie silently sat back down. After the Second Mistress Xie left with Nanny He, he summoned a little maid and told her to find out what had happened in that courtyard.
The little maid had just left when Nanny He sent someone again. The Second Master Xie knew he couldn't delay any longer. After thinking for a while, he didn't dare to shirk and changed his clothes before going out.
Just as he stepped out of the courtyard, the little maid who had just left came back, gasping for breath. "Master, the outer - courtyard study has been surrounded. This servant couldn't find out any news," she said.
"Got it. Go back," the Second Master Xie replied.
A sense of unease welled up in the Second Master Xie's heart. Without any delay, he hurried towards the East Courtyard.
As soon as he arrived at the study door, he was invited in.
Inside the study, the Elder Mistress Xie was sitting behind the desk. Xie Fengran stood behind her. Xie Yi took a seat next to the table. Lady Yun had also arrived and was sitting beside Xie Yi.
When the Second Master Xie entered the room, the only voice in the room was that of the Second Mistress Xie. She was first praising the Elder Mistress for her excellent upbringing of the children, and then complimenting Xie Fengran on her graceful appearance.
When the Elder Mistress Xie saw the Second Master Xie enter, she interrupted the Second Mistress Xie. "Everyone is here. Nanny He, bring the people in!"
Xie Fengran couldn't help but think, perhaps it was just an illusion, that her grandmother seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
Poor Second Master Xie still had no idea what was going on. He was forced to sit on a chair and watched as Nanny He led in a group of people.
The Second Mistress Xie looked down and almost jumped up. She recognized these people. They were all the maidservants beside Concubine Yuan and Xie Yunxi. There was even a maid who guarded the second gate of the West Courtyard.
Although she was panicking inside, she showed no sign of it on her face. With a forced smile, she looked at the Elder Mistress Xie and asked, "Mother, are these people not doing their jobs well?"
The Elder Mistress Xie gave her a cold glance and then looked at Nanny He. "You tell her," she said.
"Yes." Nanny He stepped forward, curtsied, and said, "To answer the Second Mistress, this Maid Li and Maid Feng are servants beside Concubine Yuan and the Second Young Lady. The gatekeeper saw them taking things out of the mansion the other day, but they couldn't explain why. And this maid who guards the second gate of the West Courtyard left her post without permission the other day. While on duty, she walked around in the front courtyard at will and even peeked into the study."
After saying that, she handed a booklet to the Second Mistress Xie. "Second Mistress, this is a record of the mistakes made by the other servants. This servant has written them all down one by one. Please take a look."
The Second Mistress Xie's eyelids twitched violently when she saw the booklet in Nanny He's hand. With a forced smile, she asked, "Is there some misunderstanding?"
"Second Mistress, you haven't even looked yet. How do you know if there's a misunderstanding? This servant has all the evidence ready."
"Is... is that so?" The Second Mistress Xie took the booklet and flipped through it. The more she read, the more shocked she became.
All the people recorded in this booklet were those she had placed in the East Courtyard. From stealing property to leaving their posts without permission, there were all kinds of misdeeds. Even the signatures and seals of the witnesses were there. There was no way to deny it.
Cold sweat broke out on the Second Mistress Xie's forehead. Her hands trembled involuntarily. She looked at the Elder Mistress and said, "Mother, this..."
The Elder Mistress Xie lifted her eyelids and swept a cold look at the Second Mistress Xie. In a cold voice, she said, "Wife of the second son, I trusted you, so I gave you the right to manage the East Courtyard. But I didn't expect that you would place a group of parasites in the East Courtyard. Am I too old, and you don't take me seriously anymore?"
"Daughter - in - law wouldn't dare!" The Second Mistress Xie knelt down with a thud. "Mother, please see clearly. Daughter - in - law was deceived and couldn't judge people correctly!"
The Second Master Xie also knelt down. "Please forgive her this time, Mother. Your son will definitely discipline her well!"
The Elder Mistress Xie remained unmoved. Her eyes were like knives scraping across the Second Mistress Xie's face. "Whether it's because you couldn't judge people correctly or you did it on purpose... no one knows. Over the years, you've been in charge of the household affairs. I think I've never treated you badly. But now, you've really disappointed me!"
The Second Mistress Xie went limp and slumped on the ground. She knew it was all over. The Elder Mistress didn't just want to punish her; she wanted to take away her right to manage the household.
Over the years, she and her husband had gained some face in the capital because she was in charge of the household affairs of the Marquis Mansion. The Elder Mistress had always shown her respect, and with Xie Yi's care, the Second Master Xie, they were not bullied in the capital.
But if she lost the right to manage the household, she would no longer be involved in the banquets and social activities of the Marquis Mansion. As a concubine - born daughter - in - law, how could she still have the qualification to associate with the people from noble families?
Xie Fengran looked at the Second Mistress Xie without any sign of compassion on her face.
Greed knows no bounds. The incident of Xie Chenghui's wet - nurse was a warning to the West Courtyard. But the Second Mistress Xie not only didn't restrain herself but became even more excessive.
These people had contributed a lot to the rumors about her in the capital this time.
Over the years, the grandmother had given the West Courtyard so much dignity. Instead of being grateful, it had only fueled their ambition.
The Second Master Xie also knew the seriousness of the matter. He quickly pleaded, "Mother, please give her another chance for the sake of all her hard work over the years."
"Elder brother, please say something too!"
Xie Yi felt sorry for the Second Master Xie's state. He opened his mouth, wanting to plead. But the Elder Mistress Xie gave him a look, and the words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.
His mother was too tough to mess with!
"Second brother, this matter has nothing to do with you. If you don't want your wife to affect the relationship between you two brothers, then get up," the Elder Mistress Xie said.
The Second Master Xie opened his mouth, glanced at his wife, and met the Elder Mistress Xie's piercing eyes. He immediately fell silent. Looking a bit dejected, he stood up and sat down on one side.
The Elder Mistress Xie was the one who had the final say in the Marquis Mansion. Moreover, the evidence was conclusive. Even if the Second Mistress Xie wanted to argue, she couldn't come up with anything.
She could only watch helplessly as the Elder Mistress Xie sent someone to retrieve the account books and punish the servants in the East Courtyard.
The Second Mistress Xie was unwilling to accept this and wanted to struggle, but the Elder Mistress Xie's words silenced her.
"If you don't agree, anyway, I'm not the second son's biological mother. Then let's divide the family!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the couple of the second branch didn't dare to say a word and quickly handed over the right to manage the household.
After the couple from the West Courtyard left, the Elder Mistress Xie gave the tokens and account books to Xie Fengran. "Check them carefully with someone and then give them back to me."
"Grandmother, granddaughter doesn't know how," Xie Fengran said.
"It's okay. Everything has a first time. You can learn," the Elder Mistress Xie replied.
Then she looked at Lady Yun. "Logically, it should be your job to manage the household. But..." At this point, the Elder Mistress Xie gave Lady Yun a resentful look. "If you were a better person, the household affairs of this mansion wouldn't have fallen into the hands of the second branch. Now there's no other way. You're the mistress of this mansion, and you can't escape some things."
"I'll assign two nannies to you. They'll help you manage the household together."
The Elder Mistress Xie waved her hand in disgust. "Go down!"
Lady Yun had become more sensible these days. Without looking at Xie Yi, she left directly.
Xie Yi wasn't surprised. He was a bit worried about the money he had withdrawn from the accounts. He wondered if his mother would scold him if she found out.
But looking at his mother's expression, he knew it was better not to say anything. He could only watch as his daughter helped his mother enter the second gate.