"Yunhui..."
At the mention of her son, Old Madame Si finally calmed down. With Si Yunhui’s life and death hanging in the balance, she certainly couldn't just stand by; he was, after all, her own flesh and blood.
"I still have some money here. I’ll give you some from my own purse first. You must arrange for people to find Yunhui as quickly as possible. If you don't, I will hold you accountable!"
After a moment of hesitation, the Old Madame finally had to open her own purse. Xue Wanrou breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, Mother. I will go and get the silver right now and arrange for people to find Huilang."
Although she still had some private savings of her own, she knew that the Old Madame had tucked away far more over the years. She was reluctant to spend her own money when she could drain the Old Madame’s coffers first. As for Meng Yihuan, once she and Huilang faked their deaths and vanished, she was certain the Old Madame would still be able to extract more money from her. She was her mother-in-law, after all—Xue Wanrou didn't believe Meng Yihuan would truly be so heartless.
***
After leaving the Old Madame’s courtyard, Meng Yihuan ran into Doctor Yue. Feeling embarrassed that she had made him make a wasted trip, she instructed Lan You:
"We cannot let Doctor Yue have come for nothing. Tell the accounts office to pay the doctor for his consultation fee today."
Seeing how courteous Meng Yihuan was, the doctor quickly replied, "It is no wasted trip. Perhaps I should use this opportunity to check on the young master who is ill."
The young master?
This…
Meng Yihuan had not actually intended to have Doctor Yue continue treating Si Tianque, as he had been poisoned, and she was planning to spend the night properly researching a cure for the toxin. However, realizing she could use this as an excuse to visit her two children, she nodded in agreement. After all, Si Tianque and his sister were currently registered under Xue Wanrou’s name; if she visited them too often without cause, it would only invite suspicion.
Thus, Meng Yihuan brought Doctor Yue back to the second branch’s quarters.
"Little brother, take your medicine. This is the medicine the doctor prescribed for you. As long as you take it, you will surely get better. Once you are well, you can go back to your studies."
Before even reaching the doorway, Meng Yihuan heard Si Mengchu’s soft, sweet voice from inside. Her heart aching, Meng Yihuan stepped inside.
"Chuchu, the doctor has come to see Tianque again. How is he doing today?"
"Eldest Madam, greetings. My brother... he has only taken a little bit of the medicine; it doesn't seem to be helping much," Si Mengchu replied, bowing timorously.
Meng Yihuan’s eyes darkened as she caught sight of the clothes the girl was wearing. "Chuchu, why are you still wearing these rags? Did the Second Madam not make any new clothes for you?"
She had assumed that after she had given Xue Wanrou a piece of her mind, the woman would at least put on a show of changing things for the children, but it seemed nothing had changed.
Si Mengchu did not want to blame Xue Wanrou. Understandingly, she said, "Eldest Madam, Mother said she had no money. I don't want to make things difficult for her; I just want my brother to get better soon."
"Chuchu, your mother doesn't need to pay for your clothes. You are eight years old now; the estate provides a monthly allowance for you, and there is fabric issued every season. That includes your brother as well. Have you not received any of this for years? And what about the clothes the Second Madam was supposed to make for you during the holidays?" Meng Yihuan asked, her heart breaking.
Si Mengchu clutched her skirt, looking uneasy. "This..."
"What is it, Chuchu? Tell me the truth." Seeing the look on the girl’s face, Meng Yihuan felt a surge of unease.
Si Mengchu pressed her lips together and hung her head. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to remain silent. Her mother already disliked her and her brother; if she found out she had complained to the Eldest Madam, her life and her brother's would only become harder.
"Young Miss, if you have any difficulties, please just say so. The Eldest Madam will surely stand up for you," Lan You added anxiously from the side.
Even under their persistent gaze, Si Mengchu remained silent. Realizing her daughter was too stubborn to speak, Meng Yihuan decided to question the maids and nurses serving them. However, it was then that she suddenly noticed—there were no servants in the room at all.
She couldn't help but roar, "Lan You, go and call every servant in this courtyard here! I want to see why, when the master of the house is sick, there isn't a single servant here to attend to him!"
A moment later, Lan You returned, dragging one old nurse and one maid.
"Why are there only two? In such a large courtyard, are these the only two servants? Where are the others?" Meng Yihuan demanded, bewildered.
"Eldest Madam, you wouldn't believe it. Not only are there no servants, but these two were actually fast asleep inside the room!" Lan You said, fuming.
What? The servants were sleeping?
Hearing this, Meng Yihuan’s brow knitted in cold fury. She looked down at the two kneeling servants with a heavy gaze.
"Insolent! Who allowed you to sleep on the job? Is this how you serve your masters? Tell me, why are there only the two of you in this courtyard? If you don't speak the truth, I will have you sold off!"
"Eldest Madam, have mercy! It really isn't our fault, it wasn't our choice!"
"Please, calm your anger! We were only following the Second Madam’s orders. This was all arranged and demanded by her—we were just doing as we were told!"
Terrified by Meng Yihuan’s threat, the two didn't dare hold anything back and tremblingly exposed Xue Wanrou. Because Xue Wanrou had never expected Meng Yihuan to look into these matters, she hadn't bothered to threaten them into silence.
Xue Wanrou again!
Meng Yihuan’s hatred for her reached a breaking point. If it weren't for the fact that she didn't want the woman to die too easily, she would have killed her on the spot.
Once she calmed down, Meng Yihuan had the two servants punished. She had originally intended to wait and carefully select a maid to care for the children, but she could wait no longer. She immediately reassigned four or five maids and servants from her own courtyard to look after them.
Then, she summoned the maids from the estate’s sewing room.
"Bring out the Shu silk and the celestial cloud brocade that arrived this month. Measure the Young Miss and the Young Master immediately. Make them ten outfits each—two for every season, along with two winter cloaks. And don't forget undergarments, shoes, and socks."
Meng Yihuan gestured broadly, giving the orders with authority. The head seamstress was stunned, her eyes widening. "Madam, the Eldest Young Master and the Second Young Miss were here for measurements just days ago. Their attendants said that the celestial cloud brocade and the Shu silk were to be used for their outfits. If we use them for the Young Miss and the Young Master now, there won't be enough fabric..."
"There is no need to make clothes for the Eldest Young Master and the Second Young Miss. They have more than enough to wear. From now on, all of it will go to the Young Miss and the Young Master!"
Hmph! She paid for this fabric with her own money; naturally, it would go to her own children. As for those two little wild seeds Xue Wanrou birthed, they would never again get a single benefit from her.