TRBDM -Chapter 40 Escaping the Marquis’ Mansion

Wei Chang was already over sixty but still in robust health.

He had always doted on Xie Wanyi, so it was natural for her to seek him as a source of support.

Wei Zhaorong knew this well. She closed her eyes indifferently and said, “Then let her go.”

“Madam? The journey to Qingzhou is long. The young lady has neither a carriage nor attendants. What if she encounters danger along the way…”

“If you are so worried, why not accompany her to Qingzhou yourself? She only left a short while ago. You travel fast; you could catch up in less than half an hour.”

The maid immediately knelt down. “I dare not.”

Wei Zhaorong lifted her eyelids. “Are you from Linshui Courtyard?”

“Yes, Madam,” the maid replied.

“Summon all the maids and servants of Linshui Courtyard.”

The maid, unsure of what the madam intended, nervously obeyed and hurried off in small steps.

Before long, all the servants of Linshui Courtyard had gathered.

“Is everyone here?”

“Xiao Luo isn’t. She left with Second Miss.”

Xiao Luo was Xie Wanyi’s personal maid. Before running off on her own, Xie Wanyi had specifically told her to follow.

Wei Zhaorong stared at the maids and housekeepers in front of her, and the intense gaze made them shiver.

There were restless elements in Linshui Courtyard, and Wei Zhaorong planned to deal with them carefully.

Xie Wanyi was seventeen, but she had learned to drink. That meant someone in Linshui Courtyard must have led her astray.

These servants, usually meek and obedient, all had hidden agendas. Drinking was only one of their transgressions.

When Xie Wanyi was punished with kneeling, Wei Zhaorong had been lenient. She did not assign anyone to ensure Xie Wanyi truly knelt for ten full days, nor did she check whether someone else had copied the household rules on her behalf.

Even though ten days had passed and Xie Wanyi had endured, why did she choose this particular time to “run away”?

Someone must have secretly instigated it.

“When did Wanyi drink for the first time?”

The gathered servants lowered their heads, no one daring to speak.

“You won’t speak?” Wei Zhaorong didn’t pause. “Then I’ll sell all the people of Linshui Courtyard to the yazi.”

At her words, cries for mercy erupted.

“Madam, spare us! I’ll tell! I’ll tell…”

Several spoke at once.

Wei Zhaorong raised her chin, signaling them to continue.

“Second Miss drank for the first time during the period after the late Old Marquis passed away.”

The late Old Marquis had pampered Xie Wanyi even more than Wei Zhaorong. After his death, Xie Wanyi had cried for a long time.

When one’s spirit is fragile, one is most easily led astray.

“Who gave her the wine?”

The servants fell silent again, like quails.

After a while, an older housekeeper spoke: “It was Xiao Luo.”

Wei Zhaorong narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the housekeeper. “All the wine in the mansion is kept in the wine cellar. To take wine from the cellar requires my seal. How did Xiao Luo get the wine?”

“She… brought it from outside the mansion.”

Xiao Luo had no parents and was sold into the marquis’ mansion at the age of eight. Now fourteen, she was timid by nature. Serving the hot-tempered Xie Wanyi had always made her fearful.

Even if Xiao Luo had ten times her courage, she would never dare break the mansion’s rules by buying wine for an unmarried young lady.

“Nanny Qi, among the Linshui Courtyard servants, who likes to drink?”

Nanny Qi was not only in charge of Anhe Courtyard but also oversaw the distribution of maids and housekeepers in other parts of the mansion. She had some knowledge of the goings-on in each courtyard.

“Nanny Chen, I remember you are fond of drinking,” Nanny Qi pointed at a woman—the very housekeeper who had implicated Xiao Luo.

“Madam, it wasn’t me. I… I never gave the young lady wine.”

Wei Zhaorong had no time for idle chatter. “Take her down and give her twenty strokes of the rod, until she tells the truth.”

Two burly men stepped forward, holding Nanny Chen.

She struggled and shouted, “Madam, you have to believe me! It really wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!”

Wei Zhaorong sipped her tea slowly. Just as she finished her second mouthful, a scream came from not far away—Nanny Chen’s scream.

After the fifth strike of the board, Nanny Chen couldn’t hold out any longer and admitted that she had tricked the Second Young Mistress into drinking.

Nanny Chen had an addiction to alcohol. When the late Marquis’ funeral was held with grandeur, the wine served to guests was all top-quality—wine she had never tasted before.

She craved it—so much that she couldn’t sleep at night.

Those few days, Xie Wanyi cried so much her head ached. At that time, everyone from Linshui Courtyard was busy helping with the funeral, leaving only Nanny Chen behind.

Nanny Chen lured Xie Wanyi: “Second Young Mistress, you have a headache? I, your servant, have a method that can ease it.”

“Tell me.”

“Drinking a little wine can help relieve headaches.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

And so, at fourteen or fifteen, Xie Wanyi tasted alcohol for the first time.

Afterward, whenever Nanny Chen craved wine, she would tempt Xie Wanyi again. Xie Wanyi’s tolerance was low; she’d get drunk after a little, and Nanny Chen would finish the rest herself.

After learning the whole story, Wei Zhaorong said coldly, “Twenty strikes, not one less. After that, throw her out of the mansion.”

Nanny Chen was old, with few teeth left—she was simply thrown out of the mansion to fend for herself.

“As for the others…” Wei Zhaorong glanced around. Everyone quickly lowered their heads, almost touching the floor with their foreheads.

“Knowing that the Young Mistress violated house rules and failing to advise her, instead indulging her and keeping it secret—half of everyone’s monthly pay from Linshui Courtyard will be deducted, and you will all be punished by writing the mansion’s rules one hundred times.”

Everyone bowed and apologized fearfully, grateful for Wei Zhaorong’s mercy.

But it wasn’t over yet.

“The Second Young Mistress was properly punished with kneeling. Why would she suddenly try to escape the mansion today? Did someone ill-intentioned give her bad advice?”

“No, it wasn’t us. The Second Young Mistress wanted to escape herself.”

“Madam, it really wasn’t us. Please judge wisely.”

Wei Zhaorong said nothing. Her overwhelming presence pressed down on the servants of Linshui Courtyard like a tangible weight, making it hard to breathe.

They didn’t dare to disobey.

The journey from the capital to Qingzhou was long. There would be meals on the road, exposure to the elements, and no guarantee of safety.

They knew the Second Young Mistress’ temperament better than anyone—she was delicate. Her food, lodging, and carriage had to be the best of the best.

On the road, conditions couldn’t match those in the mansion. If anything was less than perfect, Xie Wanyi would throw a fit.

So when they learned she had specifically chosen Xiao Luo to go with her, the others secretly exhaled in relief.

“Madam, should we send someone to follow them? If the two young ladies encounter trouble on the road, it would be terrible,” Nanny Qi said anxiously.

Wei Zhaorong remained unmoved and asked,

“What did the Second Young Mistress bring in her bundle?”

“Silver notes and clothing.”

Xie Wanyi was cunning. She had carefully planned this escape.

She brought enough silver to hire a carriage once outside the mansion and pay a driver to escort her safely to Qingzhou. She deliberately brought only Xiao Luo with her, intending to make Wei Zhaorong worry.

With Wei Zhaorong’s affection for her, as soon as she heard the news, she would immediately send someone to track her.

Wei Zhaorong had guessed perfectly.

At that moment, Xie Wanyi sat in the carriage, happily humming while drinking the sweet syrup Xiao Luo had bought for her.

“Tell the driver to go slower,” she reminded, still eating.

Xiao Luo lifted the curtain and saw the carriage almost standing still. She said helplessly, “Miss, the carriage hasn’t moved.”

“Not moving? That won’t do. Make it go—head toward the city gate.”

“Oh, okay.”

The carriage moved slowly through the capital. It wasn’t until nightfall that they reached the city gate.

Seeing they were about to leave the city, Xie Wanyi finally grew anxious. “Xiao Luo, have the people from the mansion caught up with us?”