Nanny Wang directly frowned and asked with some displeasure, “So it is Third Miss. Third Miss, do you have business here? The storeroom is not a place people may enter at will. If there is nothing, go play somewhere else.”
Wu Sheyue casually looked at the storeroom furnishings. “I have a private matter to discuss with Nanny Wang. May we step aside?”
Bailian had originally lowered her head. Hearing this, she couldn’t help glancing at Wu Sheyue. Could she be talking about Nanny Wang owing her money?
Nanny Wang let out a faint snort through her nose. Though slight, Wu Sheyue caught it. Nanny Wang snapped the account book closed and stretched her face into a smile. “Third Miss, look. This old servant is auditing the storeroom. If this old servant walks away and some little thief loses his senses and secretly takes one or two things, even if this old servant gives up her whole family, we couldn’t compensate for it. What matter does Third Miss have that cannot be spoken here?”
Wu Sheyue wasn’t angry. Instead, she smiled broadly. “Speak here? I was considering that Nanny Wang is old. If I speak of such a humiliating matter, that old face of yours won’t be able to keep its dignity.”
“You—” Nanny Wang had vulgar curses already at her throat, but suddenly remembered Third Miss’s mind was now functioning and she could no longer curse directly, so she forced them back down. She truly hadn’t expected that once Third Miss changed her face, her temperament would change too.
“Heh. This old servant has always behaved honestly and dutifully. I don’t know what Third Miss means. In any case, this old servant truly cannot leave. If anything is lost, will it count as Third Miss’s responsibility? If Third Miss has time, why not wait at the side until this old servant finishes the audit?”
Wu Sheyue silently looked Nanny Wang up and down a few times, then suddenly saw a flash of gold in Nanny Wang’s arms. Her eyes were sharp and clear. Nanny Wang felt as if she had been seen through, and an ominous feeling rose in her heart.
Wu Sheyue suddenly changed attitude and nodded agreeably. “Fine. I may lack other things, but I have plenty of time. Nanny Wang, how long do you need?”
Nanny Wang glanced at the working servants. “The storeroom has only just been opened, and we are about to begin. It will take at least two or three shichen.”
Ning’er glared fiercely at Nanny Wang. Even she, who didn’t understand these things, could see that the many things outside the storeroom had already been cleaned and arranged neatly. It was clearly already done. How could she say they had just begun? It was enough that she had bullied people in the past. Now she had grown addicted to it.
Wu Sheyue asked meaningfully, “You are certain it will take that long?”
Nanny Wang’s face showed undisguised contempt. “The food, clothing, and supplies for each courtyard must all be recorded carefully, and the remaining inventory must be calculated. Even if I explained the household accounts to Third Miss, you wouldn’t understand.”
Before Wu Sheyue could speak, the silent Bailian suddenly said loudly, “So what? Our Miss will sooner or later be a proper wife. In the future, she will manage an entire household. For now, she only temporarily doesn’t understand.”
The young servants and maids watching from the side each covered their mouths and laughed. The most disliked little concubine-born daughter in the Chancellor’s residence was now talking about becoming the proper wife of a great household in the future. She had only gained a slightly better position and already didn’t know who she was.
Even the cold-faced Nanny Wang couldn’t help laughing. “That is right. Third Miss will certainly hold great authority in the future.” The mockery in her words wasn’t hard to hear.
Ning’er glared fiercely at Bailian. Those reckless words were clearly making others mock Third Miss. But after Bailian spoke, she lowered her eyes and stood quietly to the side. At this moment, she was extremely contemptuous of Ning’er. Truly, Wu Sheyue had been a foolish ugly girl. Ning’er had rushed to flatter her just after she recovered. What shortsightedness. Bailian had only taken a little revenge. Who told Wu Sheyue to see her in danger and refuse to save her? She deserved it.
Wu Sheyue glanced casually at Bailian. “Then I’ll accept Nanny Wang’s auspicious words. Since I don’t understand, I won’t ask. Bailian, go get me a chair. I’ll watch Nanny Wang audit the storeroom from here.”
“Ah? Yes…” Bailian was suddenly ordered about and felt extremely unwilling. With exaggerated movements, she limped away. After two steps, she turned back to look, but Wu Sheyue had already turned her face away. Truly, truly too much. Ning’er was standing there perfectly fine, after all.
Seeing this, Nanny Wang no longer paid attention to Wu Sheyue and said heavily to the young servants and maids, “Third Miss is watching here. All of you, work properly.”
The servants all murmured their agreement.
Bailian was gone for a long time and still hadn’t brought a chair over. Wu Sheyue stood for a while, then began strolling back and forth through the empty space.
Nanny Wang saw this and mocked coldly, “Third Miss should stay farther away from these things. If these servants count wrong and something is missing, then blame Third Miss for it, that wouldn’t be good.”
“What a coincidence. Nanny Wang, are you so certain that anything I touch will definitely become missing?” Wu Sheyue shrugged unconcernedly. She saw an open box by her feet, inside of which rested two egg-sized balls, one black and one white. She bent and casually picked up the white one.
The ball was milky white and translucent, and in her hand it felt very smooth. She tossed it up and bounced it lightly. The feel was truly good.
The young servant nearby swallowed several times. After working here for years, he had never dared do this. If it fell to the ground, dying ten or eight times would still not be enough to compensate.
Ning’er’s heart also clenched. She wanted to remind Wu Sheyue to be careful, but she pressed her lips together and didn’t dare speak, as if breathing might scare the ball into falling.
Seeing her play with the jade ball, Nanny Wang said in a cold voice, “That is the female ball of the Taiji pair. The First Madam spent a thousand gold to obtain it.”
Hearing this, Wu Sheyue clicked her tongue and held the ball before her eyes to examine it. Oh, this really was ancient white jade.
At that moment, Bailian finally came back slowly with a chair. From far away, she saw Wu Sheyue seeming to look at some jewelry. Her heart moved, and she suddenly called, “Miss!”
Crack—
Just as Bailian’s voice fell, the round ball rolled from Wu Sheyue’s pale, jade-like fingertips and gracefully smashed onto the ground.
At once, everyone around sucked in a breath, staring wide-eyed at the pile of fragments on the ground, shattered beyond repair. Silence spread in all directions. In the end, it was Wu Sheyue who broke the long silence.
“It broke.” She patted her hands and said regretfully, “It really was a good Taiji ball. What a pity. Ah, what should we do now? Nanny Wang was auditing the storeroom here. If something breaks, who is responsible?”
Nanny Wang smiled without warmth. “Third Miss, if it were some other worthless item, this old servant might still plead with the Madam and say it was an accident. But this Taiji ball is far too valuable. I’m afraid this old servant will be implicated by you no matter what. Now we can only report honestly and ask the Madam to handle it.”
Hearing that, Bailian’s astonished expression slowly vanished. She couldn’t help lifting the corners of her mouth. Had she accidentally done the right thing?
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