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After listening to Sang Qingxiao's casual remarks, Zhu Zhu felt a bit more at ease. "Let the children play for a while; I'll help you with your work."
Sang Qingxiao did not outright refuse. "That wouldn't be appropriate; after all, you are the Right Chancellor's wife."
"When I'm at home, I'm always busy. Others might say I focus on trivial matters that aren't worthy of attention, but the elders tell me to just be myself and not care about what others think. It's just serving dishes, calculating accounts, and clearing the table—things I can handle. Let me help you."
Seeing her insist, Sang Qingxiao relented.
This Young Lady was quite capable; she worked efficiently and seemed to enjoy herself more and more. She even shared a few amusing stories about Mingze with Sang Qingxiao.
After more than two hours of work, she was sweating profusely yet claimed she wasn't tired. She was indeed earnest, but if this continued, it would appear to outsiders that she was making things difficult for the young heir, which could negatively affect Mingze's reputation.
After much persuasion, the Young Lady finally stopped working. With no tasks left to do, she returned to her shy demeanor.
Sang Qingxiao led her to the backyard.
The Dragon and Phoenix Twins were playing with the Two Little Treasures, four little beans running around wildly in the yard.
The boy, Ming Rugu, had a steadier temperament, while the girl, Ming Ru Bao, was bold and spirited. She shouted louder than anyone else and played more energetically. In her excitement, she ran without looking and bumped into Sang Qingxiao.
Like a little calf, she was quite sturdy; it actually hurt a bit.
The little one looked up at Sang Qingxiao with wide eyes and said defiantly, "You're a bad sister! You'll come back and steal my father!"
Zhu Zhu immediately wanted to scold her but was stopped by Sang Qingxiao. She asked Rui Bao, "Who is Peach Branch?"
Worried that the child might not explain clearly, Zhu Zhu replied, "Mama Chen's granddaughter. Mama Chen is Old Madam's most trusted aide."
Sang Qingxiao remembered having seen her before; she had come to the Small Tavern to book a banquet and had received quite a scolding from Sang Qingxiao.
Now that Matriarch Ming was incapacitated, Mama Chen still held significant power.
It sounded complicated—shouldn't the descendants of slaves also be servants? Why did this one have a special status?
Zhu Zhu recalled the recent troubles and said angrily, "Old Madam values Mama Chen highly and relies on her even more since becoming paralyzed. Her family is treated almost like family by Old Madam."
The master cared for Old Madam and knew this situation was improper but didn't want to go against his elder's wishes, so he gave them some face.
However, Mama Chen had grand ambitions; she wanted her granddaughter to become the master's concubine. The master rejected her multiple times. It wasn't until Old Madam stirred up trouble under Mama Chen's influence that the master took action against the Chen Family to quiet things down.
Seeing one plan fail after another, Mama Chen lost all shame and sent Peach Branch with various excuses to get closer to the master.
The master grew increasingly annoyed and even considered getting rid of Peach Branch entirely. But Mama Chen repeatedly brought Old Madam along to plead for her granddaughter's case; under those circumstances, he could only relent.
Peach Branch had been keeping her distance from the old master after receiving quite a few reprimands. However, she unexpectedly stirred up trouble among the children again, which was my oversight.
Wasn't that old fool supposed to be unable to speak? How could he still give orders? Though his words were unclear, his mind was not muddled. Mama Chen had served him closely for many years and understood him well; she could interpret the old madam's body language, expressions, and even her simple grunts and murmurs perfectly.
Sang Qingxiao shook her head in disbelief. In my opinion, the situation had escalated because of your excessive kindness. They should have dealt with Peach Branch decisively back then. The old madam might have been angry, but she wouldn't have let her emotions get the better of her over a servant's family. The only reason she showed Mama Chen any favor was that Mama Chen could accompany her, care for her, and speak on her behalf.
But when it came to threats against her own life and interests, she would undoubtedly abandon Mama Chen without hesitation. After all, like attracts like; having spent so many years together, they had developed some bond, likely due to their similar natures. If Peach Branch were to die, it would infringe upon Mama Chen's interests and make her realize that no matter how close she was to the old madam, the current Right Chancellor would not be swayed by her.
As their rift deepened, if you pushed them a little more from behind the scenes, Mama Chen would eventually reveal her true nature in a fit of anger and wouldn't serve as diligently anymore. Once the old madam saw through her facade and endured some torment from her, she would naturally demand that you replace Mama Chen without needing your intervention. Then they could find a more suitable mother figure to serve, and the Ming family's household would stabilize.
Zhu Zhu listened in confusion. After Sang Qingxiao offered a few hints, she set the matter aside. When she looked down again, another child had appeared by her side. This little one was much friendlier towards her, raising his small hand as if wanting to hold hers.
Sang Qingxiao squatted down and extended her hand. Xiaoru Gui grasped it tightly while Sang Qingxiao teased him with a serious face, "I’m someone who will compete with you for your father’s affection. Even if you smile at me, I won’t let you win."
Xiaoru Gui giggled with a sweet little voice. Peach Branch was troublesome; when she turned away, she glared at me and my sister. "Mother says hello to you, and Father does too," as if following some rule. My sister wasn't very clever; I hoped my sister wouldn’t take offense.
At that moment, Xiaoru Bao was captivated by the toy in her hand and gradually leaned against Sang Qingxiao because standing was getting tiring. But just as she settled in for a moment, something round came flying toward them, knocking Xiaoru Bao aside and nearly causing her to fall. Sang Qingxiao quickly steadied her while also having to deal with the mischievous little rascal clinging to her.
"Egg Yolk! You mustn't be rude!"
"Big sister is Egg Yolk's! No one else can hold her."
Indeed, Egg Yolk had learned to speak now; her shell had become even more beautiful. She was just as feisty as ever—craving attention and extremely jealous.
The two hot-tempered little girls began their playful scuffle. Fortunately, Egg Yolk had been taught that human children were quite fragile; she knew how to control herself. Yet even so, the two little ones ended up rolling around from the backyard all the way to Zheng Garden, covered in dirt.
Meanwhile, like a fisherman benefiting from their quarrel, Xiaoru Bao happily approached Sang Qingxiao.
Mingze finished his work and came to pick them up. For the first time, he overlooked Xiaoru Bao; his heart and eyes were solely on Sang Qingxiao. Thankfully, Xiaoru Bao's attention was focused on Egg Yolk; even as the losing party pinned down on the ground, she still looked back longingly at Egg Yolk as they left.
In the days that followed, after school, the Dragon and Phoenix Twins often came to the Small Tavern to play, much to the delight of Mingze and his wife. This allowed them more time to handle their work and household matters.
Zhu Zhu took Sang Qingxiao's words to heart and relayed them to Mingze. With a sigh, Mingze lamented that the servant was overstepping her bounds, and that as long as hidden dangers remained, the Ming Family was in peril. He realized he could no longer afford to be soft-hearted.
Madam Ming's ruthless side was even harsher than anyone had anticipated. Mama Chen, having failed to serve her meticulously for just one day, found herself on the receiving end of Madam Ming's wrath, being treated with disdain.
Mingze pushed further. Two days later, when he visited Kissing Relative as scheduled, he found Kissing Relative looking like a malevolent spirit, struggling to utter a death threat towards Mama Chen.
Mama Chen cried out in protest, "Old Madam, how can you treat me this way? It was only yesterday that I failed to change your foul-smelling urine pad twice! Is that really worth such punishment?"
Mingze would not give the old Kissing Relative a chance to backtrack. He dealt with Mama Chen and her family decisively.
At this time, the court officials were generally pessimistic about promoting a new ruler. After three days of discussion without any resolution, Shi Yun made a bold move by sending word to the princes, inciting them to turn against each other in a struggle for survival.
The princes acted swiftly, reaching out to court officials for support. Unfortunately, since the Sang Family had emerged on the scene, the officials' spirits had been revitalized. They eagerly awaited the return of the Sang Family, curious whether they would be met with snakes, tigers, dragons, or cats—there was bound to be a fierce battle ahead.
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