Chapter 66: Killing the Monkey to Warn the Chicken

“Were you all serving nearby, and yet didn’t notice that the eldest sister-in-law and Miao Miao had lost their way here? How negligent—what use are you, then? Is this how you treat honored guests of the household? If anything were to happen to the eldest madam and young miss, could you bear the responsibility? Hurry and escort them back to their quarters at once. For this mistake, I dock three months’ wages from each of you, and next time, you’ll be expelled from the residence as a warning to others.”

The servants blanched at the words. Three months’ wages! Their resentment toward Madam Zheng and her daughter only deepened, their gazes sharp as blades, flinging silent accusations at the pair. Yu Zihuan, standing to one side, instinctively took a step back. General Chu was truly shrewd. On the very first day, he had cut off any chance for the main branch of the Chu family to win over the household staff in the future. Look at these servants of the general’s mansion—if looks could kill, Chu’s elder madam and young miss would be dead a hundred times over. The general certainly knew where to strike.

Shen Zhao’s cold gaze swept over the servants. They had all been serving not far off, and she had heard every word the Zheng mother and daughter had spoken. The servants in this household were indeed ungrateful wolves, impossible to domesticate. Zheng had only just entered the house and already managed to bribe someone to report on her movements. If given enough silver, who’s to say they wouldn’t dare to do her harm one day? Among these people, some had surely benefited from Zheng’s generosity—perhaps more than one.

The servants’ faces grew darker still, their furious stares no longer enough to convey their anger. They glared at the Zheng women with unbridled rage. What had they done to deserve being implicated like this? The mother and daughter had been laughing and chatting here—how were they to know that they were lost? Grown women, lost on the grounds—who were they trying to harm? Why not stay quietly in Jinzhou—why come to the capital to bring disaster upon them?

Two of the old servant women looked different from the rest; their faces were taut with anxiety as they threw a nervous glance at Zheng, then quickly lowered their heads. Shen Zhao, watching the servants closely, easily picked out these two unusual women. Guilty consciences indeed. She recognized them—they’d served in the Chu household for years, moving from one residence to another as Chu Mu’s rank rose. They saw themselves as the family’s benefactors and had always shown her little respect, even though their wages came from her purse. They’d never regarded her as someone to be feared. Now they’d been bought off by Zheng so easily—if not dealt with now, then when?

While warning Zheng not to overstep, Shen Zhao also intended to make an example of these ungrateful wolves—kill the monkey to warn the chickens. If one wasn’t enough, she’d remove two; if two weren’t enough, then she’d purge them all.

Stretching out her hand, she said, “You, and you—go find the steward, collect your wages for this month, pack up your belongings, and leave the General’s Mansion at once.”

Since these people were impossible to keep loyal, why should she keep them? She’d start with these two old women. They turned deathly pale in an instant, their faces ashen. But Zheng’s face was even worse. It was through these two women that she’d learned the general would pass by here every day. The third brother could not have pointed them out by accident, nor would he have expelled two of the Chu house’s oldest servants without reason. He was warning her.

A chill ran down Zheng’s spine. Had the third brother’s control over the General’s Mansion reached such terrifying heights? He wasn’t even home and already knew of her little schemes. Had everything she said to Miao Miao been reported to him as well? Was that why he treated her so coldly, and held such disdain for Miao Miao? No wonder… No wonder the third brother, normally so protective, would favor an outsider over her, his sister-in-law, and belittle his niece. Anyone would harbor resentment if betrayed by family, let alone when there was already distance between them.

The two old women trembled, while the other servants stood rigid, holding their breath, wishing they could tear Zheng and her daughter to pieces. The General was famous for his protectiveness, and now, with the madam and young miss left out in the cold, he must be furious. Yet they felt terribly wronged. Not only had he docked their wages, but now he was making an example of them. But had he chosen the wrong targets? These two old women were Chu family veterans—they were the monkeys, not the chickens. Shouldn’t he be punishing the rest of them instead?

Or perhaps… perhaps this was to warn the chickens by killing a monkey. If he treated the old servants so, what would he do to the rest of them? He might be even more ruthless—perhaps even sell them off if they erred again. The thought made them panic all the more. They resolved to warn their friends and relatives in the servants’ quarters: stay far away from the madam and the young miss. Don’t get tangled up with them, or you’ll end up like these sacrificial chickens.

The two old women’s hearts pounded in their throats—the General’s gaze was chilling, as if he could see right through them. Why had he singled them out? Was it because he knew they had taken money from the eldest madam and revealed his whereabouts? Or was the madam deliberately testing their loyalty by bribing them? The two exchanged a panicked glance at Shen Zhao.

They were old servants of the household and had served the Chu family faithfully. The General’s Mansion was lenient with its staff—except for those working in the second branch and the old madam’s quarters, most positions were easy, with little fear of punishment. Ever since the General’s marriage, the lady—no, the mistress—had raised their wages several times. Now they earned more than most servants in noble households. Unless one had taken leave of one’s senses, who would want to be expelled from the General’s Mansion?

And at their age, once expelled, where could they go? Who would hire them? Even if they found work, no one would pay them so well, and they would never live this comfortably again. With a thud, they knelt before Shen Zhao, begging for mercy. “General, please forgive us. The two of us were blinded by greed. For the sake of our years of service in the Chu household, please spare us this once. We have served for decades, if not with merit, then at least with toil. General, we know we were wrong. Please be merciful.”

Shen Zhao’s gaze grew icy as she looked down at these two cunning old servants playing the seniority card. She was not Chu Mu—she owed them no debt of sentiment.

“Must I spell out your wrongdoings? Have you forgotten who the true master of this house is?”

The two women shuddered. Clearly, the General knew they had accepted silver from the eldest madam and revealed his movements. How could this be? If only they hadn’t taken those five taels… For one moment of greed, they would now be expelled from the General’s Mansion.

The other servants were bewildered. The General was terrifying. They would have to perform their duties with the utmost care and never let him catch them in a mistake.

Shen Zhao’s tactic of killing the monkey to warn the chickens proved remarkably effective. In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, every servant in the household began to avoid Madam Zheng and her daughter as if they were plague. At her leisure, Shen Zhao led Yu Zihuan straight to Chu Mu’s study. Just as they reached the courtyard, they saw Chu Mu emerging, brow furrowed.

“Ah… Husband…” she began, but before she could finish, Chu Mu’s eyes widened in shock as he pointed at Yu Zihuan behind Shen Zhao. “Who… who is he?”