Song Chuyi stood in front of Old Lady Song, her fists clenched at her sides, using all her strength to hold back the surging anger, her eyes red as she asked: "Is it that Xu Ayi did something wrong? Grandmother, you know Xu Ayi has always been very considerate towards me."

  Mrs. Song knew that Song Chuyi was softhearted, so she pulled her hand and pressed her head into her own bosom, sighing heavily after a while.

  "Although it's said that she was asked to leave, it wasn't because of any wrongdoing." Old Lady Song brought out the explanation she had discussed with Song Yi: "The estate in Tongzhou is short a manager, and Xu's husband is capable, so this can be considered a promotion for the couple. You also need someone by your side, so I'll give you Permit Auntie, just like Grandmother gave you Permit Auntie."

  Song Chuyi endured and endured, finally nodding with tears in her eyes.

  Tears as big as beans fell on Old Lady Song's hand and also heavily fell on her heart.

  What a good kid, knowing that things are not so simple, clearly reluctant to part with the nanny, yet stubbornly agreed not to make it difficult for others, without even asking an extra sentence that would make people feel embarrassed.

  She patted Song Chuyi's back gently and comfortingly, telling her over and over again that everything would be alright, and that their lives would get better in the future.

  Song Chuyi returned to the main hall with red eyes, and it was clear that she had been crying. Xu Ayi was shocked and didn't know what to do, thinking that Song Chuyi must have offended Old Lady Song, so she anxiously pulled her aside to ask what happened.

  Song Chuyi herself wiped away her tears with a casual swipe of her hand, calm and composed as if nothing was amiss. She opened her mouth to instruct the person in green clothes to keep watch at the door.

  Nowadays, Wang Ya and Huang Yao have been driven out, and the new people haven't arrived yet. The entire Baoxuan is full of people that Song Chuyi trusts.

  Lu Yi went out according to her words, and Song Chuyi pulled Xu Niangniang down to sit.

  Madam Xü knew that something was wrong, she wasn't as clever as the few senior maids by Madam Cui's side, but she wasn't stupid either. After thinking carefully for half a day, she asked Song Chuyi: "Miss, did I do something to offend the old lady?"

  Song Chuyi shook her head and lowered her voice: "The old lady said that Zhang Shu should be transferred to the estate in Tongzhou with you as the manager, taking care of the affairs on the estate."

  Auntie Xu was shocked, Zhang opened his mouth for half a day before suddenly shaking his head: "How can this be? It's not okay, I promised Miss that I would take good care of you. I'll go ask Old Lady."

  Song Chuyi grasped her arm, suppressing the heartache and indignation, and resolutely shook his head: "It's useless, nanny. I'm too clear about what kind of person my grandmother is. If there was still room for maneuver, I wouldn't have waited until now to come back."

  Mrs. Xu's body went limp and she collapsed into the chair, sobbing for a long time before managing to say a coherent sentence: "Why?"

  Song Chuyi's teasing raised the corners of her mouth.

  Yu Lan said, this morning Song Yi came to Ningde Institute and had an in-depth conversation with the old lady for almost half a morning.

  Her father had been somewhat estranged from Old Lady Song since she was a child, and although the relationship between mother and son wasn't bad, compared to other uncles and aunts, there seemed to be an unspoken barrier between them, with a hint of awkwardness and distance in their interactions.

  Mr. Song, who seemed to be hiding something every time he spoke with Old Lady Song, was being unusually proactive this time, and no matter how you looked at it, there was something abnormal about it.

  He walked ahead, and behind him, Old Lady told her about Xu's nanny's affair. What a coincidence!

  Li wanted to move the people around her for a long time, this time she sent away Huang Yao and Wang Yiniang, and used Xu Yiniang as revenge. She didn't expect that she would eventually turn to Song Yi's body, she wasn't always deeply in love with Song Yi, unwilling to let Song Yi get involved in the inner court disputes, trying to make him a good minister? It turned out that one day she would also use Song Yi as a knife in her hand.

  Mrs. Xü was choked with worry and anxiety. She was really worried about Song Chuyi's future, although the old lady said she spoiled her, but behind her there was also the cunning Li Shi, if even herself were gone, who would Song Chuyi trust in the future?

  "Don't cry, Auntie." Song Chuyi comforted her calmly: "Old Lady has given me permission to take care of you. You are older and more experienced, and you were Old Lady's most trusted person by her side. I will be fine, and you should also be fine outside."

  Mrs. Xue didn't want Song Chuyi to be sad, so she wiped away her tears and stroked her hand, still feeling a bit sorrowful: "Poor Miss, if Madam were still here..."

  Song Chuyi didn't speak, after a long while, she suddenly looked at Xu Mama and asked: "Xu Mama, my mother, how did she die? Why were all the people serving her replaced after she passed away?"

  She remembered that Cui's family had a big argument with Song's family because of this, and it was not until Old Lady Song intervened that they were able to barely persuade Cui Ying Shu.

  Xu's whole body trembled slightly, looking at Song Chuyi for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

  "Mother, do you know what I asked Qingtuo's parents to investigate?" Song Chuyi didn't immediately press Xu Ayi for an answer, instead continuing to speak on her own: "I had them look into where the maids who were by my mother's side back then were sold."

  Although slaves can be bought and sold at will, they cannot be killed at will. If you want to kill a dozen or so slaves all at once, the commotion would be too great.

  Even if Song Yi wanted to do so, Old Lady Song and Song Cheng Yu would not allow it.

  The most they can accept is probably to send these underlings far away.

  Song Chuyi was only as tall as Xu's waist, and seemed to still be the little girl who would tear up whenever Song Yi held her for a moment longer than her sister. However, upon closer inspection, there was an unmistakable air of calmness in her eyes that didn't belong to someone of her age.

  Xu's nanny hesitated for a long time, and finally trembled as she hugged Song Chuyi: "When you were born, the mistress assigned me to follow you. At that time, Luoyi was also newly born, and I had to take care of both of you at once. The news from the mistress's side gradually became less known. Only knew that before the mistress's accident, she would often quarrel with the second master. The day the mistress gave birth to Brother Yun was a broken water in the mountains, and the second master personally escorted her back."

  Many things she herself wasn't clear about, were just her own conjectures based on the gratitude she felt towards her former master, and she didn't dare to express her guesses directly for fear of influencing Song Chuyi.

  "Madam had a difficult labor and after a day and night of struggling, she finally gave birth to Young Master Yan, but unfortunately didn't make it herself." Xu Ayi couldn't help but sob again: "When I received the news and went over, the courtyard was empty. Mei Mei, Mo Hua, and the others were all gone, and there were only unfamiliar faces around. Even the older ayis who had been in charge for years were nowhere to be seen; they were all brought by the Cui family, so logically speaking, if the Cui family didn't let them go or assign them to you or Young Master Yan, they would have followed the people from the Cui family back to their hometown."