However, as the saying goes, flies always found the cracked eggs. The reason why Empress Shen’s brother had been targeted at was that he truly had failed in managing his family. His rivals might have embellished those stories, but some of those accusations were actually true. Gongsun Baishi inadvertently blurted out that the Zou family had even wanted to take charge of the purchase of the army provisions. That truly was outrageous. After he expressed how much he disdained the Shen family, he highly praised Minglan that she was good at running the family and governing the servants. Also, Gu Tingye had a reputation for having a bad relationship with his families. As a result, the Gu’s people hadn’t received any allegations.

Sir Gongsun was a mean and proud old guy who seldom sang praises to anyone. Minglan was wild with joy after hearing those compliments. In no time, she found this old wrinkled man looking much more pleasing to the eye. After the small talk, Minglan gave half of the fresh big walnuts which Little Shen shi had presented to her as well as a lucid Ganoderma which she had taken out from the storeroom to Sir Gongsun in order to prevent this old guy’s hair loss problem from getting worse.

After that, Minglan walked back to her room in great mood. On the spring day, the drooping vines smelled fresh and sweet like the grass. As Minglan was about to pick a flower bud, Xiaotao who was beside her had already pulled off a string of buds. The Madam and the maid looked at each other and smiled. Right at this moment, Lvzhi came over from the other side with sweats on her forehead, but the look on her face showed how surprised and happy she was. After she approached to Minglan in large strides, she said gently, “Madam, we got something on that bitch.” Minglan raised her eyebrows, “What happened?”

Seeing that there was only Xiaotao there, Lvzhi then said in a low voice, “She left the room when the Snow Bear Cubilose for you was still being heated on the stove.”

Minglan closed her eyes and sighed, “All right, let’s go there.”

Lvzhi’s happy mood was palpable. Still, she hesitated, “Then… what about Madam Wang…?” She thought of Wang shi.

Before Minglan said anything, Xiaotao said softly, “We have already persuaded that girl and Madam has already reminded her. Since she just wouldn’t change, what else could we do? It’s none of our business if Madam Wang would get mad. We don’t work for her now.”

With light flashing in Lvzhi’s eyes, she nodded fiercely. Lvzhi had got a problem with Caihuan for a long time. However, in case that Minglan would call her not kind enough, she had asked that question on purpose in order to show that she was a warm-hearted girl. Lvzhi, Xiaotao and other maids had grown up together, so it was hard for them to treat any newcomer as one of them, let alone that Caihuan was such a coquette who could be considered as the typical bad woman that Mama Fang had mentioned in her class. Therefore, those girls had a physiological rejection toward Caihuan.

Minglan sighed. She looked at her swollen belly and stroked it tenderly. If this was only about her, she could muddle through. However, Minglan had to do this for her kid. She couldn’t risk her baby and let a threat stay with her.

After Minglan had walked back to her room, Xiaotao helped her change into a pair of soft slippers first. Then, Minglan leaned on the bedside. Only until then did Danju brought someone in inside. This time Danju didn’t show a sign of hesitation and walked in the front with an imposing manner, followed by Caihuan and Xiayu who seemed super aggrieved. As Caihuan saw Minglan, she knelt down at once, “Madam, I know that I have done wrong. Please forgive me this time.” As saying that, she kept kowtowing and explaining for herself, “We have guarded the stove well, but someone came to find me. At that time, Xiayu happened to go to the restroom… I have only left for a short while… Madam, please forgive me…”

Xiayu, also frightened, kowtowed to Minglan ceaselessly.

Minglan sat there quietly and fell her eyes upon the Buddha hand shape green porcelain canakin with double fish threads and then looked to the ebony table inlaid with silver and then turned to Caihuan. Minglan pitied the girl a little, because this time Minglan had set the latter up. It was not difficult to punish a maid as long as the madam had that intention to. As long as Minglan caught Caihuan doing anything wrong, she could deal with the latter right away.

Caihuan had already held grudge against Minglan and made the mistake of associating with the people outside the Cheng Manor. Thus anyone with an evil intention would be able to take advantage of her. Now that Minglan was pregnant now, she had to be extremely careful. So she couldn’t keep Caihuan, the disloyal and evil-minded maid, in her family anymore.

“Who came to find you?” Minglan’s voice sounded ethereal.

Caihuan wiped the sweats on her face and faltered, not knowing what to say. Danju snorted and answered for Caihuan, “It’s a maid who always follows Mama Xiang, called Linglong or something.”

Minglan chuckled. Caihuan kowtowed hard and kept saying, “Madam, it’s my fault. I know that I was wrong…”

“I heard that when you chatted with her privately, you always complained that I never allowed you to serve me in my room and that I often kept a distance from you and ignored you.” Minglan said those things slowly. Hearing that, Caihuan, with her pupils shrinking, glared at Lvzhi and Danju. Xiaotao who saw that said honestly in a hurry, “I told Madam that.” Caihuan then turned to Xiaotao angrily.

“Madam, I know that I should be scolded for my thought.” Knowing that it was useless to beg for pardon, Caihuan then started to explain for herself, “However, I used to serve Madam Wang. At that time, I have made up my mind to be loyal to Madam Wang and serve Madam well. I never thought that…” She wiped her tears, “Madam never really trusts me. That’s why I have said those words…”

Minglan stood up slowly and then bent down to look right into Caihuan’s eyes, saying word by word, “You are a clever person. It has been a year you since you arrived at the Gu’s mansion. Do you really not know the situation in our family?” Caihuan stopped crying at once and looked at Minglan in a daze. Minglan raised the corner of her mouth, “You claimed that you want to serve me well for Madam Wang. However, do you have no idea what are the things that I fear the most?”

Caihuan’s face gradually turned pale. Besides the first-class maids, the other girls in the yard also remained overcautious and seldom contacted the people outside the mansion. Every time someone from Old Madam Qin’s place came over to have a chat, those girls would shun.

“I don’t want people from the outside to know what happened in this mansion. However, over these many days, you know exactly how many things you have leaked.” Minglan said slowly, “It’s not that you don’t know how serious the consequence would be. You just have your own intention.” Caihuan had never treated herself as a lady, therefore she had tried to find support and helpers in order to get a chance to become a concubine.

Lips trembling, Caihuan couldn’t utter a single word. She suddenly remembered Ruomei’s warning. ‘Is that possible… that Madam is going to deal with me?!’ Thinking of that, she got terrified at once and moved forward to pull the hem of Minglan’s dress, begging with a loud voice, “Madam, I know that I am wrong. If you have said those words before, I would never dare to do that!”

Minglan shook her head, “You have mixed up the order. You shouldn’t be loyal to me after I trust you. You have to win everyone’s trust first, and then I’ll consider you as one of us.”

Caihuan was all flustered. After her tears mixed with her make-up, her face was a complete mess. “But, but…”

“But you can’t wait.” Minglan finished Caihuan’s words, “You are not young right now and even one year older than Danju.” Caihuan was afraid that Minglan would marry her to a random guy before she became Gu Tingye’s concubine.

“That must have been rough for you.”