After the replacement marriage, I was forced to fight at home

Chapter 185 Skirt Incident (1)

When the last servant came hurriedly, patting the dead leaves off her body, Dongmei picked up the roster and stood on the steps. There was a desk next to her, and Chuan'er was sitting there with a pen, with Caiyun standing behind him.

Meng Wan was in the room, looking through the glass window at the people standing in the corridor. From the time he arranged for Dongmei to call people to the time the last one arrived, it took a total of two incense sticks of time, or about half an hour.

Meng Wan looked at the people of different heights and expressions, and his eyes swept across their faces one by one. It was like a department manager sitting in the office, looking at the subordinates who came in twos and threes for a meeting. Their indifference to the manager was clearly written on their faces.

Meng Wan even heard a maid muttering in a low voice, saying that a large basin of clothes had not been washed yet.

The one called Lvliu glanced at everyone and walked up to speak to Dongmei. Dongmei nodded, and then Meng Wan heard the name being called.

Every time Dongmei called out a name, that person stepped out and answered Dongmei's questions. Chuntao and Wanxia looked at each other. Dongmei not only asked about their age, family situation, whether they were bought from outside or born at home, but also asked about their relationship with other servants in the mansion.

The maid standing behind Chuntao tilted her head and said to the maid next to her, "She actually asked these questions openly. Shouldn't she have inquired about it privately? She is so heartless. Let's see how she responds when the princess asks about her intentions later."

Another old woman said with disdain, "What ability can a maid have? Look at that one called Chuan'er or something. I remember that he was so serious, as if everything they said was true. I think we can just say whatever we want, and don't let her find out anything else."

"Of course. Who would really tell her all the twists and turns? Didn't you see that even Mother Fan didn't bother to pay attention to her?"

"Mother Fan is slapping herself in the face. Before Second Madam came in, she was lecturing us, saying that we should listen carefully to Second Madam's instructions and answer all her questions without any second thoughts. Tsk tsk, now she has given up the task."

As they were chatting animatedly, one of the women who was called reluctantly took two steps forward and started talking about the situation in her own family.

The girl in purple standing in front of the two of them raised her head and glanced at Mother Fan's room, giving her an incomprehensible smile.

Faced with the extremely uncooperative attitude of the servants in the yard, Dongmei suppressed her dissatisfaction and patiently put down the roster while everyone gave reasons such as some had forgotten and some could not remember.

"I called everyone here today just to get to know each other. I'm sure you all know our names and our duties. From now on, all matters and people involved can be referred to us. One more thing I need to explain is that no matter what the rules of Qinghe Garden were before, once Second Madam enters the house, you have to follow Second Madam's rules. No one is allowed to enter the upper room without Second Madam's permission. If there is anything, it must be reported to Shanlingtong. This rule is set in stone. No matter who it is, if they enter the upper room without permission, they will have to bear the consequences themselves."

Chun Tao looked at Dong Mei when she said this, but her eyes seemed to look at her unintentionally. Her face, which was just smug, turned red. What did she mean by this? Was she trying to hit her? Humph, wait and see. The Second Master has promised to serve her personally. He will find a chance to report you. Let you see.

"Whatever position you originally held, you are still doing what you are doing now. Just follow the original requirements and standards. If there is a need for change, I will inform everyone." Dongmei turned around and whispered to Chuan'er for a few words, then said, "One last thing, next time you gather everyone to the yard, no matter what task you have, as long as it is not life-threatening, you must be there within half an incense stick of time. If you are late and don't have a reasonable explanation, then you have to pack up your bedding."

Everyone looked up at the same time. They really didn't expect Dongmei to say such a thing. He Wen watched Shan Ling come out of the upper room and talk to Cai'er for a few words before Dongmei said these words. He thought that it must be the second grandmother's order. Come to think of it, the second grandmother took so long to gather everyone together, and everyone was so careless, which was really unruly.

It's just that the Second Mistress was a little too impatient. Who can work in Qinghe Garden without someone behind them? Everyone hopes that the courtyard will be as chaotic as possible. Now she doesn't think about how to appease everyone and find out the details, but instead issued two orders that give people something to talk about. Sigh.

A few servants were left behind to put the large items of Meng Wan's dowry into the storeroom in the back room, while the rest of the people went back to their respective jobs.

Meng Wan took the roster and looked at the long description behind each name. "Keep this and make another copy for daily use."

"Don't I need to return it to Mother Fan?" Cai'er asked.

"Return? It's not hers, what's there to return?" Meng Wan said softly.

The interpersonal relationships behind more than a dozen people are actually spread throughout the palace. Chuntao's sister is serving Hu, Wanxia's mother is the housekeeper in Zhou Yinghan's room, and Wen's brother is Zhou Zheng's second-class follower. The daughter of the gatekeeper is married to the silly nephew of the outer courtyard manager, and Xiaoxing's sister-in-law, who cleans the house, makes delicious soup and is very much loved by Zhou Yingning...

This amount of information is really too much. I haven't investigated it yet. What I heard from Zhou Yu and what the servants said just now are already a mess. Of course, how much of it is watery needs to be verified carefully, but Meng Wan believes that since they said this, they should not be afraid of investigation. It is all out in the open. As for the private relationship, it may be difficult to understand.

Zhou Yu did not come back for lunch, and there was no movement from Mrs. Hu. Meng Wan ate lunch, took a nap, and picked up the roster to look at it again. Caiyun stood by and added timely descriptions of each person's appearance and some words they said that were not recorded at the time.

Meng Wan was really impressed by Caiyun's memory. Not only could she remember what they said, she could also remember everyone's appearance and even describe the expressions on their faces when they said those words.

"Second Grandma, Mother Hong is here."

Meng Wan put down the roster and looked outside. It was around four or five o'clock. The wind was blowing outside and it looked like the weather was going to change. If it rained, it would be a really cold autumn rain.

Madam Hong walked in with a big smile on her face. She didn't even bow or wait for Meng Wan to let her speak. She said directly, "The princess specially prepared crab dumplings for Second Madam this morning, but she didn't expect to miss them. I wanted to send someone to deliver them to Second Madam, but I heard that Second Madam was packing her dowry, so I didn't want to disturb her. This is the last basket of crabs this year. Second Madam didn't get to eat them early, so the princess was very distressed. She specially asked the kitchen to pick out the most plump ones and invite Second Master and Second Madam to eat them tonight."

Meng Wan looked at Mother Hong with a fake smile and said embarrassedly, "It's not that I don't want to go and pay my respects to the princess, it's just that the dowry is piled up in a mess and it makes the Second Master unhappy."

"I know, I know. The princess told me that if there is a shortage of manpower, I can just ask. We have to put everything in order before we can tidy up the yard."

Chuan'er snorted in his heart, thinking that it was their fault that they were thinking about the housekeeper and the directors before they even had a firm foothold.

"I don't dare to trouble you, Princess. It's almost done here. There are still some detailed tasks to be done. It will only take a few more days."

Madam Hong nodded. "In that case, I will go back first and wait for the family dinner of Second Master and Second Madam in the evening."

"The Second Master went out early in the morning and didn't bring back any messages. I don't know what he did. Please tell Mother Hong and the Princess."

Mother Hong looked at Meng Wan's embarrassed expression and said with a smile, "The Second Master still has the same temper. Before he got married, he wouldn't be seen for ten days or half a month. You don't know that when the princess missed him, she had to search all over the capital for him. I thought he would be able to focus after getting married and stay at home for a few more days, but I didn't expect... hehe..." The laughter sounded extremely uncomfortable.

Meng Wan pretended not to understand and said, "I don't know where the princess found Second Master. Why don't I send someone to look for him later? I can't let the princess' kindness go to waste."

Mother Hong looked at Meng Wan with a serious face and suddenly lost the intention to continue testing her. She chuckled and said, "Second Madam, no one knows this better than Mother Fan." After saying that, she left.

"Second Madam, the princess must have bad intentions. She knows even the smallest things in our yard immediately. Second Master went out early in the morning and hasn't come back yet. How could she not know? She asked Mother Hong to invite you over for dinner in the evening. Is she setting a trap for you?" Chuan'er said worriedly.

"Well, she did this on purpose because she saw that the Second Master hadn't come back."

"How does she know that the Second Master won't come back? It's not even dark yet and there's still time for dinner. What if the Second Master comes back later?" Cai'er was tidying up the roster on the table.

"You forgot, when the Second Master went out, I chased him to the gate of the yard and asked him when he would be back. He said he would not be back for dinner that night and told me not to bother him."

Chuan'er looked at Meng Wan's narrowed eyes and suddenly felt very distressed. They were two people who were obviously in love with each other, but they had to pretend to be incompatible in front of others. The Second Master also had to cooperate and hang around outside for a day, just to make people believe that he didn't like the Second Wife. Oh, I hope everything in this palace can be settled soon.

As expected, when the red light in the yard was turned on, Zhou Yu had not returned yet. Meng Wan let Chuan'er help her put on her clothes and tie her cloak.

"Second Madam, have you thought of what excuses the princess will use to embarrass you?"

"I'm not a god, how can I imagine that?" Meng Wan smiled as he looked at Cai'er's worried face.

"What should I do?"

"What should I do? Let's drink it cold."

Watching Meng Wan walk out with Dongmei and Chuan'er, Cai'er turned around and asked Mother Kong, "What kind of cold dish did Second Madam make?"