Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 84

Chapter 84
Teaching the servants

Since Emperor Chong’an handed over government affairs to Zhu Ming, he probably wanted to be undisturbed during these days in the temple. Therefore, after leaving the palace, Li Heming did not go to the ancient temple but returned to the mansion. He returned at the right time, just in time to catch up with Lin Yu’s lecture. In the courtyard before the hall, dozens of servants stood quietly with their heads down, filling half the yard. In the front was a maid in a green shirt and peach skirt, kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear.

On the steps facing the front, there was a mahogany square table with chairs on each side. Wenzhu and Zelan stood behind Lin Yu, who sat high in the chair in a vertical-collared long gown, her hands resting on the table’s edge. She looked at the maid kneeling on the ground with a cold face and a stern tone: “Did you move the things on my wedding day?”

The question was unclear, and the people below could not guess what the maid had touched, making Lin Yu reproach her as soon as she returned to the mansion. But the maid knew it well. When she heard Lin Yu’s question, she begged for mercy and cried pitifully: “Madam, spare my life! Please spare me this time. I won’t dare to do it again…”

When Lin Yu was in charge of the Lin Mansion, she and Zelan tacitly formed a set of rules. After the maid finished speaking, Zelan immediately stepped forward and angrily scolded the maid: “This time? Madam asked someone to punish you before leaving home, but you kept committing the same offense and colluding with outsiders while Madam was away. If you hadn’t been caught red-handed, you, a heartless, ungrateful person, would have committed the same offense countless times!”

Lin Yu didn’t want to dirty her mouth and say something unpleasant, but Zelan was eager to protect her master and scolded people mercilessly. She pointed at the maid angrily: “Shameless dog, you are a traitor and conspire with others. Has Madam ever mistreated you!”

Seeing that the master and servant were singing the same tune, Li Heming didn’t interrupt them. He walked up the steps before everyone, sat in the chair, and watched Lin Yu teaching the servants.

Wenzhu came forward and made him a cup of tea. Li Heming tilted his head and asked softly: “What happened?”

Wenzhu bent down and whispered in Li Heming’s ear: “This maid stole Madam’s things before. When Madam was away from home for some time, she took the opportunity to inform Madam Xu. Uncle Chen caught her, and then this happened.”

If it were gold, silver, and money, Lin Yu would not have made such a big fuss. Li Heming asked: “What did she steal?”

Wenzhu shook his head blankly: “I don’t know.”

When he said this, his eyebrows drooped, and his face showed a bit of grievance: “Madam and others didn’t tell me, and Zelan didn’t allow me to ask more.”

Keep him from knowing? Li Heming thought momentarily and understood that this might be the virginity handkerchief lost on the wedding night.

Zelan scolded the maidservant at the bottom of the stairs in a scary voice, and her body was shaking like a sieve. Seeing that there was no room for maneuvering with Lin Yu, she wanted to beg for mercy from Li Heming, but when she looked up and saw Li Heming’s cold expression and the embroidered sword he placed on the table, her face became increasingly panicked.

Lin Yu saw the maidservant’s little action. She frowned and said, “If I forgive you, others will not accept it, and this mansion will have no rules. But if I drive you out of the mansion, I will have to worry about you gossiping outside in the future. Why don’t you tell me what to do?”

Lin Yu killed the chicken to scare the monkey today, and the servants below dared not say a word, but Li Heming listened for a while and shook Lin Yu’s hand on the table insensitively. His rough palm wrapped around the back of her hand, lifting her jade-like fingers and rubbing her knuckles with his fingertips. However, the next moment, Lin Yu pulled out her hand and slapped him hard on the back of his hand.

There was a crisp sound of “slap,” unsure if anyone heard it. Li Heming remained calm but honestly retracted his red hand.

The maid knew that she could not escape the punishment today, and she also knew that if she were expelled from the mansion, she would most likely end up in a brothel and not have a good end. She banged her head on the ground, crying and begging for mercy: “Madam, I know I was wrong. I have elderly parents to take care of at home. Please spare me…”

Lin Yu saw that her forehead was wounded, and blood was coming out, but she remained calm and said lightly, “Since you don’t want to leave, then be a night maid in the mansion.”

T/N: The night maid is responsible for cleaning the human excretion.

Most of the night maids in the mansion were old, weird men and women who were the most difficult to get along with. If she became a night maid, she would inevitably be bullied. This long life had come to an end. The maid cried and expressed her gratitude, and when she got up and left, her legs were so weak that she trembled and looked like she was about to faint.

Lin Yu dismissed the remaining servants, and Li Heming pulled her to his side, raised his hand, and put his arm around her waist: “Madam is so dignified.”

Lin Yu’s face was mean just now, but now she sat on his lap with a grievance: “I am so angry! You don’t know what shameful things she wrote in the letter she handed over. If others know about it, I won’t be able to see anyone in the future.”

Li Heming asked: “What did she write?”

Lin Yu refused to say anything; she just said, “I think Xu Qingyin promised her some benefits. She couldn’t deliver the task, so she made up and wrote nonsense, which is very embarrassing.”

Her dependence on him was rare, so Li Heming was satisfied and adjusted his sitting position. He lifted her to his lap, hugged her, and asked, “Do you need me to do anything?”

“You must watch Xu Qingyin. I’m afraid she will know something and cause trouble.” Lin Yu was so angry that her eyes turned red. After saying that, she raised her hands to hug Li Heming’s back and buried her head in his neck.

A bit of wetness touched her neck. Li Heming gently stroked her back and whispered, “Why are you crying? How can my wife, Li Heming, cry all the time?”

Before he finished speaking, Lin Yu punched him hard on the back. “Bang,” heavy and dull, as if the bones made a sound.

Li Heming frowned and stopped talking after considering the situation. He let her hold him like a human-shaped wooden stick. He held her waist tightly in his arms, glanced at the head on his shoulder, and complained: She usually looks so weak, but how can she be so strong when she hits people?