Chapter 265

Chapter 265

"Since there's no one to look after the eldest young master in the front courtyard, maybe we should have Nanny An come over."

Now that Jiang Baobao was in bed recovering from her miscarriage, there was no need for two nursemaids to keep an eye on her.

With the eldest young master now out of his mind, it would be hard to get any information out of him.

The only lead Xie Run had left to investigate was Wet Nurse Mu.

Yesterday, Xie Run found out she'd tampered with the rockery, but since she still wanted to get more info out of Wet Nurse Mu, she hadn't made a move yet—just had her investigated on the down low.

Now that something had happened to the eldest young master, Xie Run had no choice but to put her under guard.

She'd even gone out of her way to bring in the front courtyard guards to interrogate Wet Nurse Mu.

But after a round of questioning from Guard Jin, he couldn't pry any useful info out of Wet Nurse Mu.

Wet Nurse Mu flat-out refused to admit she'd made the crack in the rockery, and she wouldn't even own up to the little saw they found in her own courtyard.

She just claimed someone was setting her up.

This really pissed off Guard Jin.

"Lady Xie, leave this wet nurse to me!"

"I'll definitely get her to talk!"

It didn't make sense that when Jing Wu was around, he could get anyone to talk.

But when it was his turn, he couldn't even handle a wet nurse.

Xie Run glanced at the wet nurse, not much pity in her eyes. "Then I'll leave her to you, Guard Jin."

Xie Run first went to Qingsong Courtyard to tell the Princess Consort about the eldest young master's condition and ask how to handle Wet Nurse Mu.

After hearing it all, the Princess Consort asked, "Do you have any thoughts on this, Cefei Xie?"

Xie Run said bluntly, "I found out she was involved in the crack in the rockery, but her family background is clean... I'm stumped—how exactly did Wan Linlang get a hold over her?"

"She's got sons and daughters, yet she won't talk. Isn't she worried about her kids at all?"

"You've managed the household for years and have more experience than I do, so I came specifically to ask for your advice."

The Princess Consort gave a faint smile. "If she stays tight-lipped even with kids, it means her weakness matters more to her than her family's lives."

"So tell me, what's more important than a person's life?"

Xie Run thought it over in silence for a long moment, then shook her head.

The Princess Consort said calmly, "Her reputation."

Xie Run was a little taken aback.

"Maybe the wet nurse is afraid that if her secret gets out, her family will lose all face and won't be able to survive, so she won't give up even a hint."

Xie Run couldn't relate personally, but with the Princess Consort's insight, she could understand.

In any era, there were people who valued their reputation more than life itself.

It was just that not many people were like that.

Xie Run said, "I'll have someone look into this right away."

"No need." The Princess Consort spoke with some effort. "You don't have many people outside the manor, so it'd be hard for you to find anything."

"I'll have my people look into it—it'll definitely be faster than yours."

Xie Run quickly bowed. "Thank you for your kindness, Princess Consort."

Seeing that Xie Run still kept a respectful attitude toward her at a time like this, the Princess Consort smiled.

She wondered if it was genuine respect or just really good acting.

But either way, she appreciated it.

Xie Run then brought up the matter of Xing'er. "Xing'er is from Jiang Shufei's family, and her family's contracts are all held by the Jiangs. Logically, she should be the last person to betray Jiang Shufei."

"I just can't figure out how Wan Shiqie managed to bribe her."

The Princess Consort was half-reclining on the couch. Her face was pale and colorless, but her expression stayed calm.

"The best way to buy someone's loyalty in this world is to give them what they want."

"It doesn't have to be money—maybe fame, maybe profit."

"Jiang Shufei has a violent temper and is stubborn and bossy. Since she came to the manor, she's offended a lot of people. She got demoted from Cefei to Shufei, and after this, she'll probably get demoted again."

"Tell me, what do you think her maids want most?"

Xie Run said slowly, "To get transferred away from Jiang Shufei, and if they could grab the chance to climb up to a higher branch, even better."

The Princess Consort nodded slowly. "Cefei Xie understands it all—you just haven't been through much, so you couldn't think of it right off the bat."

With the Princess Consort's guidance, things suddenly clicked for Xie Run.

Xie Run said, "I know where to look now!"

Before leaving, Xie Run asked again about the Princess Consort's health.

The Princess Consort brushed it off with small talk, mentioning that during these times, the manor's gates needed to be watched closely and the servants' comings and goings controlled.

Most people hearing this would think it was because the household was in trouble, and they needed to stop people from colluding to pass messages or stuff in and out.

But Xie Run thought it was about the chaos at court—they needed to keep a tight watch on the gates.

The moment she stepped out of Qingsong Courtyard, she immediately passed on the Princess Consort's orders.

She also instructed Xiaoshu: "Look into the maidservant transfers in the manor, especially those in Jiang Shufei's courtyard. See if anyone has been trying hard to transfer elsewhere."

Xiaoshu said, "Maidservants in each courtyard rarely transfer, but some junior maids who want to move to other courtyards will secretly bribe the various stewards or promise them favors."

"They first work their connections, then quietly find an excuse to transfer elsewhere."

As Xiaoshu spoke, she seemed to catch onto Xie Run's thinking. "Are you suggesting that Xing'er betrayed Jiang Shufei for this reason?"

Xie Run didn't respond, only saying, "Send someone to investigate first."

This kind of matter wasn't hard to investigate—it was just that most people wouldn't think to look into it.

The housekeeper who'd taken the bribe would give a little push, sure, but if it involved matters of great importance to the master, she wouldn't dare hide a thing.

Xie Run had only just arrived at Jiang Baobao's courtyard when Xiaoshu had already investigated thoroughly and eagerly reported back.

"Ma'am, I found out!"

"A year ago, Xing'er had been sending stuff to Mother Zhao, who was in charge of personnel assignments. At first, just simple food and drinks, but then it turned into rare, pricey stuff."

"Mother Zhao asked Xing'er what she wanted, and Xing'er just said she wanted to transfer to another courtyard, and if the chance came up, to have Mother Zhao give her a hand."

"Two months ago, a spot for a second-class maid suddenly opened up in the eldest young master's courtyard. Xing'er gave Mother Zhao ten taels of silver, and it's all been taken care of."

"She just has to wait a month, and then she'll go straight to serve the eldest young master."

Xie Run: "What a coincidence—the place Xing'er is moving to just happens to be the eldest young master's courtyard."

Xie Run had been looking into two things and always felt there was a missing link.

Now, she'd finally found it.

Xiaoshu: "How can there be such a coincidence in this world?"

"Maids in the young masters' courtyards rarely get swapped out; they're all raised together from childhood."

"The eldest young master never said his maids were slacking, yet suddenly there's a vacancy... Ma'am, I think Wet Nurse Mu is anything but clean."

The eldest young master was young, and all maid assignments in his courtyard were decided by Wet Nurse Mu.

Once Wet Nurse Mu's tied to Xing'er, even if she's innocent, she can't be seen as clean anymore.

"This has been in the works for a year?" Xie Run thought for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "A year ago was exactly when Jiang Baobao provoked me and got demoted to Shu Fei... So this girl was already covering her bases that early."

Xiaoshu couldn't help muttering, "Shufei Jiang really isn't a good mistress. Xing'er wanting to find a way out is understandable, but of all people, why did she have to get involved with Shiqie Wan?!"

Wan Shiqie's rep in the back courtyard wasn't much better than Jiang Baobao's.

As a fellow servant, Xiaoshu couldn't understand Xing'er's choice at all.

Xie Run: "That's a question for Xing'er."

Xie Run had always found Jiang Baobao useless, being played for a fool by everyone while only able to roar in impotence.

She had held no hope for Jiang Baobao whatsoever.

Who would have thought Jiang Baobao could still bring her a bit of a surprise.

Xing'er confessed!