Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 524 - 524 525 Not a Frugal Lamp_1

Chapter 524: Chapter 525 Not a Frugal Lamp_1 Chapter 524: Chapter 525 Not a Frugal Lamp_1 The two nannies, gritting their teeth in anger, ultimately dared not say another word, lest the cap of blame would fall upon them.

Muniang casually placed the teacup on the table and then said, “Your presence is no longer required, you may leave now.”

Yet the two nannies didn’t move, and Muniang looked over coldly, “Is there something else?”

Nanny Zhu ventured to say, “The Lady meant for this old servant to assist the Princess with the management of the inner court and household affairs. Given this, it is incumbent upon me to always be by the Princess’s side for constant guidance.”

Muniang laughed scornfully and stood up, “Nanny Zhu, naturally, those who serve by my side are my personal senior maids. Even the house steward helps me manage everything, should that old man then also be by my side at all times?”

Nanny Zhu gritted her teeth, “This old servant is not the same as him!”

“What’s so different?” Muniang raised an eyebrow, “Both are halfway into the grave already. I never keep older people by my side. Nanny Zhu should know what she looks like; having you by my side, aren’t you afraid that people would say you’re shaming the Marquis Chen Mansion!”

Nanny Zhu’s face turned green; although she was in her forties or fifties, no one had ever insulted her appearance. Now Muniang’s words were blatantly unreasonable, yet they left her utterly unable to refute.

Qingya struggled to hold back her laughter, commenting seriously, “Don’t blame the Princess for her straightforwardness. The Princess has always liked beautiful things. Just look at the maids in this room, which one isn’t fresh and lovely? Once, a Taoist priest specifically mentioned that by frequently seeing these young and beautiful faces, one’s mood improves, and their appearance becomes radiant. The Princess fears that constantly seeing Nanny Zhu, on the other hand, might…”

There was no need to finish the sentence, as Nanny Zhu was already furious to the point of exploding.

Muniang softened her tone and smiled, “I know my mother means well, which is why when she said she would send a few servants for me to command, I didn’t say much and happily accepted. It’s just that my mother really doesn’t understand my preferences, hence she sent a few that don’t suit my taste. But as a daughter-in-law, I naturally cannot show the slightest dissatisfaction with my mother-in-law’s kindness. Therefore, I have not sent the two of you back, but instead kept you to hold positions in the mansion; you two nannies should not be ungrateful.”

Nanny Zhu and Nanny Li’s expressions darkened. With just a few words, Muniang had completely absolved herself of responsibility. Even if she didn’t like them, she accepted her mother-in-law’s gifts; that was filial piety. If they complained because Muniang didn’t keep them close or even tattled to the Lady, then they would be the ones who were ungrateful.

In the past, they thought she was just a country girl, but now it seemed that this woman was even more scheming than those born and raised in deep, wealthy compounds.

After sending the two old nannies out, Muniang’s face grew stern, “Whatever positions those two hold and whatever they’re in charge of, they must get my permission for anything they handle first and foremost.”

In fact, Muniang wasn’t particularly interested in the mansion’s affairs. With few people in the house, those in charge were mainly responsible for the maids and old women. In theory, she could have let those two nannies manage the mansion, but she deliberately wanted to suppress them and couldn’t let them feel comfortable.

These two had been important figures in the Marquis Chen Mansion, commanding respect even from the concubines. Yet, in her presence, she refused to give them a good time. She granted them authority only to suppress it, torturing these two old goods!

Qingya’s eyes shone with understanding, realizing that her lady intended to use this to suppress the two women, and she promptly agreed.

Yu Ze was once again hurrying back in the darkening evening. These days, due to the initial establishment of the Guard, everything had to be carefully managed, and he had to attend to it all personally, which had practically exhausted him.

Yet as he walked into the courtyard and saw the bright candles inside the house, half of his fatigue seemed to dissipate.

“I told you to go to sleep first; there’s no need to wait for me. Don’t ruin your health,” Yu Ze said as he entered and saw Muniang still curled up on the soft couch, reading miscellaneous books, her eyelids nearly drooping, yet she was stubbornly staying awake.

While he said so, his heart felt unspeakably warm. Who said his bride was spoiled and petulant? Didn’t she always consider his care first? It was deep into the night, yet she still waited up for him so eagerly. What more could he want in a wife?

“You’re back? I was keeping the shrimp porridge warm for you in the kitchen, have a bite first.”

Yet Yu Ze grabbed Muniang, burying his head into the nape of her neck, “I’m not hungry.”

“Hungry or not, you have to eat, otherwise my efforts would be in vain,” Muniang pushed him away, saying fiercely. He had no chance to eat well where he was, she wouldn’t let him ruin his health.

Yu Ze couldn’t help but smile, letting Muniang serve the shrimp porridge, which he promptly finished in a few bites.

Seeing him like this, Muniang truly didn’t want to bother him with domestic issues anymore.

“Is the matter with the Guard troublesome? Is the Emperor pressing you hard?” Muniang looked at his exhausted demeanor with sympathy.

“Not really, I naturally wouldn’t work so hard for matters in the Capital, the key is that I still need to build my own power base, infiltrating the Guard,” Yu Ze said in a low voice.

Muniang’s heart skipped a beat, “Wouldn’t the Emperor… if he found out…”

“He won’t know. This matter is of great importance, so I’m very cautious in everything I do, Muniang. Although I have no intention of rebellion, the Emperor doubts me at every turn, especially since this incident happened so suddenly. I’ve been living peacefully in Qinghua City for over a year now; why would he suddenly think of me? It must be due to the woman the Rong Family sent to the palace who has been whispering in the Emperor’s ear. If I’m not wrong, the Rong Family has already sided with the Qilian Kingdom.”

He hadn’t wanted to upset Muniang, hoping to keep her in the dark, but now he felt she needed to be forewarned.

“Then isn’t taking on this task like holding a hot potato?”

“That’s why I can’t remain passive. Only with my own power base can I stand my ground. I’m doing this as a precaution.”

If it were the past, when he was alone, he would be fearless. But now, he had Muniang and a child; how could he not be cautious? The Emperor’s actions were certainly not well-intentioned, and if he didn’t prepare in advance, he might be the one to suffer later.

Muniang leaned into Yu Ze’s embrace, “As long as you’re alright, nothing else matters.”

However, soon after, a pigeon from the Capital brought news – the Emperor intended to leave the palace to travel, heading north, the final destination was naturally Qinghua City.

Yu Ze crumpled the letter, snorting coldly, “That was fast.”

Muniang felt anxious, “Coming in such a hurry, could there be trouble?”

“This actually saves me the trouble. Spies from the palace reported that this outing will use the ferry route, all the way here. The key point is, on this trip, the Emperor will bring along several favored concubines, including Noble Lady Rong. That woman is like a fuse, and I’ll just get rid of her.”

“Isn’t there anyone in the palace who can deal with her?”

“She’s crafty. I’ve sent people to make several deadly moves against her, and she managed to evade every one. She’s no easy target.”