When Lüdou saw that Duoduo was still holding the note and reading it, she could not help giving the maid a fierce glare.
“Princess, you don’t need to read it!”
“Anyone who would pay her to deliver this message must have a master behind them who is no good either!”
“He must have some ulterior motive. That’s why he doesn’t dare come to see you openly!”
Nanny Li agreed after hearing what Lüdou said.
“Princess, Lüdou is right!”
“If someone wants you to meet him, you must not trust him.”
“Anyone who uses such a method to lure you out is definitely up to no good.”
Duoduo glanced at Nanny Li curiously.
“Nanny, how did you know what was written on the note?”
Nanny Li froze for a moment before lowering her head.
“Princess, I was only making a guess!”
“Besides, according to the rules, if he wanted to see you, he could simply have someone deliver an invitation to the manor.”
“There was no need to bribe a maid with silver and resort to such a despicable method!”
When the rough maid heard Nanny Li’s words, she lowered her head, not daring to make a sound.
Just then, the steward was pulled over by Qingliu.
The steward lifted his sleeve and wiped the sweat from his face before bowing to Duoduo.
After straightening up, he noticed the rough maid kneeling on the ground. His brows furrowed.
“Princess, did this girl do something wrong?”
“I’ll be sure to punish her properly later!”
Nanny Li stepped forward.
“Do you know what she did?”
The steward knew Nanny Li’s status. Seeing how unpleasant her expression was, he immediately grew uneasy.
“Please enlighten me, Nanny!”
Nanny Li pointed at the five taels of silver on the ground and the note in Duoduo’s hand.
“This girl took five taels of silver from someone else and secretly delivered a message to the Princess!”
“Steward, if I remember correctly, the first rule taught to the servants of Prince Pingyang’s household is loyalty to their master, isn’t it?”
“But this girl’s loyal master is probably not our Prince!”
Nanny Li’s words were severe, and the steward’s expression darkened as well.
The servants in the Prince of Pingyang’s residence in the capital had once all been born into servant families attached to the household.
However, after Prince Pingyang’s family returned to the capital, there were not enough servants in the residence. That was why several batches of servants had been purchased from outside.
The first few batches had all been taught the household rules by Nanny Li.
The last time, they had bought several rough maids and male servants. The steward had thought that these people would not have to appear before their masters. Furthermore, Nanny Li had been transferred out of the residence because of the epidemic, so he had merely given them a brief lecture instead of teaching them the rules in detail.
For such a long time, none of them had caused any trouble, so the steward had not continued to keep an eye on them.
But at this critical juncture, this maid had caused such a huge disaster!
Not only would the maid be punished, but he himself would also be reprimanded by his master.
Sweat poured down the steward’s face. His legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground.
“Please forgive me, Princess!”
“It was all because I failed to manage the household properly!”
Duoduo had remained silent until then. Only now did she speak slowly.
“Nanny Li is right!”
“The first and most important requirement for the servants of this household is absolute loyalty to their master!”
“Whether it’s food, clothing, daily necessities, or the red envelopes given during festivals, has the residence ever treated you unfairly?”
“If someone is willing to sell out their master for a few taels of silver…”
“They eat the master’s food and wear the master’s clothes, yet sell the master for money. Tell me, how should such a servant be dealt with?”
The steward was filled with fear.
“According to the household rules, she should be beaten to death!”
“As for the person responsible for managing the servants, he failed in his duty. He should receive twenty strokes, be stripped of his position, and never be employed again!”
Upon hearing this, the rough maid began trembling violently with fear.
“Please spare me, Princess!”
“This servant knows she was wrong!”
“Please, Princess, spare my life!”
Seeing the stern look on Duoduo’s face, the steward hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and stuffed it into the maid’s mouth.
Then he twisted both of her arms behind her and shouted toward the door.
“Bring a rope!”
Before long, two burly matrons entered carrying a rope and tied up the maid.
“Drag her to the courtyard and beat her to death!”
“Let every servant in the residence see what happens to someone who sells out their master!”
The steward waved his hand, and the two matrons dragged the maid out.
Duoduo turned to the steward.
“You have served in this household for many years. Go explain your own mistake to Father.”
“As for how Father chooses to punish you, that will depend on your own fate!”
The steward was instantly moved to tears.
The Princess was helping him. Perhaps the Prince would take into consideration the many years he had served without causing trouble and punish him less severely.
He knelt down and kowtowed to Duoduo.
“Thank you, Princess!”
The steward rose and walked out with staggering steps.
He had devoted his entire life to the household, never imagining that in his old age, he would be implicated by a mere rough maid!
Perhaps he really was getting old.
If he survived the twenty strokes, he would return to the countryside and retire there.
There were still a few acres of land in the countryside, enough to grow some grain and get by.
The steward seemed to have aged many years in an instant. His entire back had become hunched.
He had remained in the household as its steward only because everyone in his family was gone.
Although he still had a little land in the countryside, even that had been granted to him through the household’s favor.
Once he left the residence, who knew how long a lonely old man like him would be able to survive?
The steward’s eyes reddened, but he did not dare delay. He soon arrived outside the study.
“Please inform the Prince that I have something to report to him.”
The steward spoke to the guard at the door.
The guard gave him two puzzled looks.
Why did the steward seem different from usual?
He looked as though he had aged several decades!
Could something serious have happened?
That was what the guard was thinking, but his feet did not stop moving.
He knocked on the door. Only after hearing a voice from inside say, “Come in,” did he push the door open and enter.
“Prince, the steward is outside. He says he has something to report.”
Xiao Yi nodded. “Let him in.”
Not long after the guard left, the steward entered the study.
The moment he stepped inside, he knelt down.
“Prince, this old servant has come to ask for forgiveness!”
Xiao Yi lowered the official documents in his hands, his face filled with surprise, and looked at Yunxiao beside him.
Yunxiao nodded. He stepped outside, closed the door, and sent everyone else away.
“What happened?” Xiao Yi asked coldly.
The steward straightened up and recounted everything that had just happened in detail.
“Prince, it was all this old servant’s fault!”
“Please punish me!”
After speaking, the steward lowered himself to the floor and did not dare make another sound.
Xiao Yi’s gaze turned sharp.
He had specifically instructed Yunxiao not to let Duoduo learn even the slightest bit about this matter.
Yet he had never expected that the supposedly impenetrable Prince of Pingyang’s residence would have such a major loophole.
“What did the Princess say?”
