The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 8 - Preparation (Part 2)

The sky was clear and the moon shone brightly. The willows in the residence had started sprouting new green buds, and the gentle night breeze brought a sense of tranquility. The beautiful scene lifted the spirits, but inside the second hall of the residence, the servants moved carefully, fearful of further angering the Second Lady.

Inside, the flickering candlelight dimmed the room. Su Xin cautiously lifted the glass lamp cover and trimmed the candle wick, brightening the room. Nanny Yu served Lady Li a bowl of bird's nest porridge, smiling as she tried to lighten the mood. "At least Master will return the day after tomorrow. Madam should be happy about that."

At the mention of Song Yi, the tension in Lady Li's expression eased slightly. She waved her hand, signaling Nanny Yu to take the bowl away, then turned to Huangyao, who stood nervously nearby. "You said just now that the Sixth Miss punished Hongyu and Luyi?"

Huangyao nodded eagerly and recounted the entire story in detail, ending with a worried tone, "Sixth Miss... she seems different from before."

Nanny Yu didn't take the matter seriously—after all, how different could a seven-year-old girl really be? But something stirred in Li Shi's mind. "Oh? What exactly is different?"

Huang Yao carefully reviewed her words and then slowly replied, "Sixth Miss... after leaving the Old Lady's room a few days ago, she went straight to the ancestral hall."

The ancestral hall? To kneel before her birth mother?

Li Shi's brows furrowed deeply, and her face darkened. After a long pause, she coldly chuckled, "She's not my own daughter, after all. No matter how much kindness I show her, she still runs off to her birth mother to complain."

Nanny Yu was just as confused. "That's strange, though. Ever since you've taken her in, Sixth Miss has always treated you as her real mother. She's never acted like this before... Could it be someone said something to her?"

"Not at all!" Huang Yao was so startled her face turned pale, quickly waved her hands in denial. "How could I dare! I try to avoid her as much as possible, let alone bring this up. Besides, I'm not the only one attending to her. Luyi is always close by too, and she's Nanny Xu's daughter, originally from the Cui family. Maybe she said something."

After a pause, as if recalling something, Huang Yao added hastily, "And the other day, something strange happened in the Old Lady's room. Usually, Sixth Miss would have caused a scene long ago, but that day, even when the Third Lady openly belittled her in front of everyone, she said nothing and even apologized herself to the Old Lady and Third Lady."

"Nanny, have you gone blind from chasing geese all these years?" Li Shi sneered. "I've told you before, Nanny Xu can't be trusted. After all, she was brought over by Cui Shi from her own family. Who knows what she might know? Even if she doesn't know our past, keeping someone who served Cui Shi for over twenty years by Sixth Miss's side will only lead to trouble. But you wouldn't listen. Now it looks like that trouble has finally surfaced."

Nanny Yu, puzzled, frowned deeply. "But Nanny Xu has been by her side for five years without causing any trouble. How did it suddenly become an issue?"

Li Shi lazily leaned against the pillow, resting her chin on her hand. "What does it matter when the trouble started? The real concern is that the lord will soon bring back another big problem with him. We can't afford to have two issues on our hands, can we?"

"So, what are you planning to do?" Nanny Yu cast a glance at Huang Yao, who was kneeling on the floor, then hesitantly said, "The Old Lady is sharp-eyed. Despite your careful efforts all these years, she's never shown you much warmth. If you take action against Sixth Miss..."

Susu, the most quick-witted maid, noticed the direction of the conversation and discreetly motioned to Huang Yao, who immediately realized she was no longer welcome. She quietly stepped out with Susu and Suxin.

"So what if the Old Lady has sharp eyes?" Li Shi chuckled lightly, showing disdain. "I've put in five years of work. Even the lord can't find fault with me. If some maids and servants caused Sixth Miss to suffer, and I'm doing it for her own good by swapping them out, will the Old Lady and the lord really come after me? Besides, I'm not in any rush to deal with her. Once we leave this estate for the lord's new post, far from the capital, who'll be able to meddle in how I handle her? Nanny, do you really think I can't hold back?"

Nanny Yu sighed inwardly but felt relieved at the same time. She nodded and agreed, "You're right. Nanny Xu may be the Sixth Miss's wet nurse, but she's been negligent in her duties. It's only proper for you to deal with her. However, with the New Year approaching, is now really the best time to punish her?"

In big families, servants were rarely disciplined right before the New Year.

"It's precisely because it's nearly New Year that we should act now, to avoid more trouble when the lord returns." Li Shi rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "These two issues are giving me such a headache. When the lord comes back, if Nanny Xu cries in front of him, it might remind him of Cui Shi's virtues. That woman loves to use the dead to stir up trouble. If it weren't for her whining to the lord, begging him to go to the Old Lady and plead for mercy, would Yan'er have been sent to her maternal grandfather's house for a year? There's no way any family would allow such a thing!"

Because of that incident, Li Shi had long been bitter toward Nanny Xu, harboring more resentment toward her than toward Song Chuyi herself.

With her temper, it was truly remarkable that she had tolerated Nanny Xu for so long. Now that Nanny Xu had failed in her duties with Song Chuyi's injury, no one could object to her being dealt with. Nanny Yu thought for a moment and nodded. "You're right. But what if Sixth Miss causes a scene?"