Quick, female general, I traveled through time to save my father

Chapter 361: The Mother of the Bomen Raises Her Stepson 28

Madam Minghua had been in charge of the household for only half a month, but the whole Bo's mansion had changed completely.

The accountant was removed and replaced by a distant relative brought from her mother's family. The kitchen manager was transferred to sweep the courtyard and replaced by a sharp-eyed young woman. Even the old woman guarding the second gate was sent to the farm.

"Madam said we don't keep idlers in the mansion." The newly appointed housekeeper stood in the corridor, scanning the old servants with a cold eye. "If anyone disobeys the rules, please raise money and ask to leave as soon as possible to avoid embarrassment."

In the small courtyard behind the west wing, several old servants gathered together and whispered.

"Madame Li was punished to clean the night-scented incense barrel, just because she asked why the lady's bird's nest was doubled..."

"Manager Zhao was kicked out this morning because they said he couldn't keep his accounts. But everyone knows that he was trained by the late Madam, and there has never been a mistake in his accounts. Every single stroke of his pen can withstand scrutiny!"

In the corner, Shen Junyao's personal servant Asong quietly retreated.

It was late at night and everyone was asleep. Shen Junyao tapped the table with his fingertips, listening to Asong's report, his eyes darkening.

"Master, if this continues, I'm afraid none of the elderly people in the mansion will be able to stay." Asong whispered, "Should we go talk to the Marquis?"

Shen Junyao shook his head. "Father has been busy with court affairs lately and has no time to inquire about the affairs of the inner chamber. Besides, Madam Minghua has done everything perfectly and has done a great job on the surface. If we rashly complain, it would make us look narrow-minded."

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his eyes and said, "Go check where those servants who were sold went in the end."

When Shen Junyao returned to Sirong, he told her all these things.

The main reason was that Shen Junyao didn't have that much money, and he had no way to settle these people even if he bought them.

These elderly people were purchased by him and Sirong when they first came to the capital. They had always been diligent and conscientious, and had never made any mistakes. To just ignore them like this was a bit inhumane.

After Sirong learned the news, she immediately asked the manager to give Shen Junyao some money.

It just so happens that it’s not convenient to always live in a farmhouse outside Beijing.

Sirong bought herself a new large courtyard in the capital. Although not as large as the Bo Mansion, it also had three entrances. The servants were all used to it and did not need to be trained again. Sirong really wanted to thank Madam Minghua.

Three days later, in a private room of a teahouse in the south of the city, Shen Junyao met the manager Liu of the pawnshop.

"Don't worry, Young Master Shen. Those people have all been accommodated." Shopkeeper Liu smiled apologetically and handed over a list. "According to your instructions, none of them were sold out. They are temporarily accommodated at my farm."

Shen Junyao glanced at it, his fingertips pausing slightly at a certain point: "Is Li Ma's grandson also on the list?"

"Yes, the child is only twelve years old, but Madam Minghua said that the mansion does not want to keep idle people, so she insisted on selling him..."

Shen Junyao closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were calm. "I want all these people. I'll give you the silver according to the market price, and send them all to Tingyunju on East Street."

Sirong’s new house is named “Tingyunju”, which is taken from Tao Yuanming’s line “Misty and still clouds, misty and rainy”.

Although it is not as grand as the Bo Mansion, it is more exquisite, with blue bricks and small tiles, lush flowers and trees, and a string of wind chimes hanging under the eaves, which has a very Jiangnan artistic conception.

The redeemed servants swiftly put the courtyard in order.

Mrs. Zhang at the stove lifted the lid of the casserole, and the rich aroma of the stew immediately filled the courtyard.

She wiped her tears and said to the little maid who helped in the kitchen, "This old broth was my dowry when I was a girl. When Madam Minghua sent people to search the kitchen, I buried it under the osmanthus tree. At least she didn't destroy it..."

In the Wuwei Marquis's Mansion, Madam Minghua was listening to the stewards' reports in the flower hall with a smile on her lips.

"Madam is very capable. Now no one in the mansion dares to say a word against her." The new accountant said flatteringly.

Madam Minghua blew away the tea foam gently, her smile not reaching her eyes.

After the accountant left, Minghua's personal nanny, Mrs. Zhou, said with concern, "Madam, you've made such a big fuss about changing people. What about the uncle..."

Minghua glanced at Nanny Zhou nonchalantly and said, "It's okay. Those old guys are still thinking about their old master. I'm pregnant, so I have to be more careful."

"My uncle won't mind. Oh, and tell Mother to send over a few more children from other families, as well as a wet nurse and other things. Let Mother start preparing them."

A few days later, Mrs. Minghua's sister-in-law, Lin, came to the house with four strong women.

Among them was a round-faced woman wearing an indigo bodice and a string of seemingly ordinary sandalwood Buddhist beads hanging on her wrist. If you look closely, you can see that each bead is engraved with Sanskrit characters as fine as a mosquito's foot.

"This is Madam Xu, whom Mother specially found." Lin held Madam Minghua's arm affectionately. "Her ancestors worked in the Imperial Hospital, and they are very good at regulating fetal qi."

When the round-faced woman bowed, the Buddhist beads made a very light and crisp sound.

This mother Xu is not only good at regulating fetal qi, but also well versed in the interactions between medicinal food and food.

Mrs. Minghua asked her mother to ask Mother Xu to come over. In addition to ensuring that she would have a safe baby, she also had other arrangements.

"Madam, everything has been arranged," the housekeeper whispered. "Mrs. Xu has been assigned to the main kitchen. She knows a bit about pharmacology, so if the young master has a headache or a fever in the future, she will be able to take good care of him."

Madam Minghua nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Where are the new servants?"

"They are all the sons of our Marquis's family. They are very smart and have been placed in the young master's courtyard."

Within a few days, rumors began to spread throughout the Bo's mansion.

"I heard that the young master has been secretly interacting with the old lady and is secretly helping her!"

"Isn't it? A few days ago, someone saw the young master going to Tingyunju in the south of the city..."

"The Marquis hates hypocrisy the most. If he knew that the young master was in contact with the old lady behind his back, he would probably be furious!"

These rumors soon reached Shen Shigen's ears. He already had a grudge against Sirong, and now hearing that his son often went to Sirong's place, he felt very uncomfortable.

He closed his eyes, feeling a pain in his chest as if a stone was pressing on it.

The last time, the father and son had a deep talk in the study. Shen Junyao knelt in front of him and recounted his days at his uncle's house word by word.

"I slept in the woodshed in the winter, and my hands and feet were covered with chilblains. My aunt said firewood was precious and wouldn't let me light the kang..."

"Shen Junbao whipped me and said I was a bastard without a father or a mother..."

"I thought... I wouldn't live to see the day my father returns."

The young general's voice choked, and his tears fell to the ground, as if falling on Shen Shigen's heart.

He never thought that while he was fighting outside for many years, his son was tortured in his brother's home.

And Sirong, the woman he once despised and ignored, took Shen Junyao back thousands of miles to collect the debt, just to vent his anger.