The next day, there was an early morning meeting, so Jian Xubai got up early. Song Yixiao thought that today's "lovey-dovey" display would be exempted, so when she heard the noise, she didn't take it seriously and lazily turned over, planning to sleep a bit more. But this attitude of not being concerned about others fell into Jian Xubai's eyes, and his mood was no longer good. His originally calm face quickly darkened!

  After adjusting his clothes and belt, Jian Yu Bai looked at the bed again and saw that his wife was still hugging the quilt and sleeping soundly with her head buried, without even a hint of greeting. He couldn't help but feel annoyed! Without saying another word, he rolled up his sleeves, went over to press down on her shoulders and gave her a vigorous shake: "Get up, get up! Your husband is going to court, what kind of virtuous wife are you still sleeping? Hurry up and attend to me!"

  Song Yi smiled: "......"

  She pushed aside Jian Yu's pale hand, crawled to the edge of the bed and took a look, seeing that he hadn't called for anyone to attend to him yet. With dissatisfaction, she began to complain, "If you were truly a loving husband, you should have gotten out of bed quietly and put on your clothes, so as not to disturb me!"

  "Who told you to dismiss Cui Tong?" Jian Yu Bai coldly smiled, "I only have this one maid, and Ji Su is not around to serve me. It's hard for you to get your maid to attend to my dressing? I see that those two maids of yours are quite fair-skinned, you should be at ease."

  "It sounds like I'm sending away Cuiyan just to be jealous! " Song Yi said unhappily, "If she had followed the rules properly, would I have been willing to offend Empress Dowager?"

  As for Qiao Jin and Jin Xun, she wasn't worried - the rear was still unstable, how could this guy be willing to break the "loving couple" situation?

  "I was worried that you wouldn't be able to explain things clearly when you entered the palace today, so I planned to go and pay my respects to the Empress Dowager after the morning court session." Jian Yu Bai said coldly, "But now it seems like you're in the right and full of confidence. I think I don't need to make a trip either, saving time to deal with a few more official matters!"

  Before the words had fallen, Song Yi Xiao, who was originally still lying on the couch and refused to get up, suddenly jumped out of the quilt with a "zip" sound, and smiled all over her face: "Playing a joke on my husband! My husband works so hard in the morning, as his wife, I can see that he is suffering, how can I sleep well if I don't personally serve you on your way out?"

  While they were talking, she quickly got dressed and came forward to help Jian Yu Bai adjust his clothes and accessories. Her enthusiastic appearance was completely different from before. Jian Yu Bai's mouth twitched, and he opened his arms: "Hurry up! You're so slow and clumsy, not nimble at all!"

  Song Yixiao saw off her husband with a smiling face, turned around and changed to an expressionless face: "Send someone to the Long Princess's mansion to ask if I can go over to pay my respects later!"

  People below were busy making arrangements.

  Qiao Xuan and Jin Xun accompanied her back to the inner chamber. Seeing that it was still early, they asked: "Does milady want to sleep some more?"

  "Can't sleep!" Song Yi smiled, but in fact she wasn't sleepy at all. She could only regretfully glance at the bed - behind her, Qiao Xuan exchanged a look with Jin Xun, and Jin Xun said: "Then I'll go get you some tea and snacks? You just took care of Master Gong and didn't eat anything yourself!"

  Song Yixiao had a fit in the kitchen last night, and I knew that this morning would not be peaceful. I was waiting for the commotion of the people in the house, but when I heard the words, I didn't think much: "The tea has been brewed." After thinking about it, I asked again, "This morning's breakfast seemed to have not been made by the kitchen?"

  "You all said don't let them have it, how can you still ask them to take it?" Jin Xun said, "It was the cook who Zhao's mother sent us to Huanxia Xiao Zhu that time."

  She also said, "Mother also says that the things at this entrance are still used by our own people! Although the cooking skills of the Guo Gongfu's chef are good, they don't pay attention to serving with a sincere heart, so it's not suitable for use!"

  Song Yi smiled and nodded: "That's right - a poor skill can be learned, but an unrighteous heart, I won't tolerate!"

  She mentioned this and hinted at Jin Xun to go get tea, so only Qiao Yan was left in front of her. She casually asked: "Yesterday evening I heard that my mother gave birth to a younger sister, so I specially invited husband to accompany me to visit her together. As a result, when we arrived at the Wangfu of Hengshan, the king wasn't there, and my mother said she was sleeping. Finally, I said I was hungry, but Thin Mama wouldn't even keep us for dinner, but stuffed a box of osmanthus cake into me. What's going on? Do you know?"

  Since Song Yi laughed at the door, Qiao Jin and Jin Xun have been taking turns accompanying her out.

  Yesterday, coincidentally, she stayed behind to keep watch. Upon hearing this, she was suddenly shocked: "Granny, you know! Since the princess gave me to you as a dowry, I have been your person! There's absolutely no connection with the Wang family!"

  "So you don't know anything?" Song Yi smiled meaninglessly at her for a while before saying, "But you've only been with me at the Jian family for a few days, yet you served my mother at the Wang fu for several years...". He waved his hand to interrupt Cui Chen's urgent excuses, "At the Wang fu, there should be some old acquaintances who can gather some information, right?"

  "She sighed, 'After all, you also know my situation! There's no hope from Father's side, and only Mother is fond of me - but unexpectedly, my mother doesn't even want to see me now, can I not understand the reason?'"

  "I'll definitely try my best!" Qiao Xin bit her lip, making a nervous promise in her heart.

  She was given to her daughter by Wei Mengying before Song Yixiao got married. When the relationship between the mistress and daughter was good, Song Yixiao trusted her and also gave her a certain amount of face in front of her birth mother, so her status was guaranteed; if the mistress and daughter became estranged or even enemies, she would definitely be the first to be suspected, and her future could be imagined!

  "Then go!" Song Yi laughed and saw that everything had been said, so she waved her hand to let her go immediately - Qiao Chen retreated with a nervous heart, and as soon as she went out the door, she was surprised and bowed: "Zhao Mama?"

  Song Yixiao heard the voice and was slightly stunned, and after a moment, she indeed saw Zhao's mother personally carrying in a lacquered tray with the tea water she had wanted. She quickly got up to take it from her, complaining: "Jin Xun is getting lazier and lazier, I clearly told her to make tea, why did you have to trouble yourself, mom?"

  "It was the old slave who let her avoid it." Zhao's mother entered with a calm expression, but after putting down the tea water, she turned around and covered the door, instantly changing to a worried look. "Miss, tell the old slave the truth, haven't you and Master Gūn consummated your marriage yet?"

  Song Yi Xiao heard this and immediately knew that Jin Xun had actually gone to call Zhao Mama, not to get tea and snacks.

  "Mom, this is a long story..." She was embarrassed for a while and just decided to explain it carefully to the wet nurse, but before she could even start, she was interrupted by Zhao's mother who was anxious and flustered: "This isn't about whether the story is long or not, miss! Have you forgotten what Princess Wang taught you before your marriage? As a married woman, no matter how much your husband loves and cherishes you, if you don't have a son, you're just a floating weed without roots! Think about Princess Wang's talent and abilities, yet she could only endure ten years of hardship in the Song family and ultimately had to remarry!"

  Also, "in terms of appearance and status, the young master is even better than Mr. Song in his heyday! Even if the princess and the empress dowager are not as strict as Mrs. Pan, these two identities don't need to be strict to achieve their goals - Miss, this really isn't the time for being willful!"

  Song Yi smiled and didn't say a word, but listened to a lot of teachings. For a moment, she was really at a loss whether to laugh or cry. After thinking for a while, she sincerely said: "Mom, I know all these things you said, so there's a reason why we haven't consummated our marriage yet."

  "I'll just tell you the whole story and my thoughts on it... ...now that husband is holding a grudge, I couldn't possibly force him... right? Just as mother said, I'm his wife, not some concubine who relies on her looks to get by. My status is at stake here, even within these chambers, I must consider my dignity - mother thinks the same way."

  "But this can't go on!" Zhao's mother frowned, a determined glint in her eye. "The aphrodisiac incense that the princess put in the secret compartment of your dowry chest when you got married..."

  Song Yi smiled secretly and wiped a cold sweat: "This marriage hasn't been long, it's not necessarily needed to use those..."

  Mrs. Zhao felt that she was completely unaware of the severity of the matter and was about to retort when Jin Xun knocked on the door: "Grandma, Da Guan Shi and Er Guan Shi have come together and said they want to see you!"

  "I said yesterday that I wanted to get rid of the whole kitchen, it must be for this reason." Song Yi smiled and hurriedly replied to Zhao's mother, "Later we'll probably go to pay our respects to grandma, let's talk about mom's things when we're free?"

  Mrs. Zhao had no choice but to nod in agreement.

  After getting rid of Zhao's mother, Song Yi Xiao didn't immediately attend to the two managers, but instead had Jin Xun take them to the flower hall to wait, while she slowly changed into a new dress, drank some tea, and looked at the sky. She estimated that they had been kept waiting long enough before sauntering over: "The two managers are always busy with affairs, what is it that you need to see me about so early in the morning?"

  "Please calm down, madam!" The two managers bowed to her and then hastily asked, "We heard that you want to drive all the kitchen staff away? Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

  " Misunderstanding?" Song Yi laughed and sat down at the head of the table, elegantly gesturing for them to remain standing. "My husband and I simply returned to the mansion a bit late, and the kitchen was already out of food - they themselves were all full and content... What's the point of keeping such a kitchen?!"

  As she spoke, her originally carefree expression suddenly changed, and apricot eyes were filled with coldness. "If you want to talk about this matter, the two of you wouldn't have come to find me, I would have asked someone to invite you to ask: when Grandfather appointed you as the first and second managers of this large mansion, it was a trust and reliance on both of you! Both I and my husband have never touched your positions, which is respect for Grandfather and trust in Grandfather's vision! As a result, you two are good, Grandfather has been retired for more than ten years, and the mansion has been managed like this?!"

  "How can you keep such a careless servant! How did you two manage your household and take care of things?!"

  "Grandma, you don't know this, but in the past when Master was at home, he instructed that if they hadn't returned to the mansion by mealtime, there was no need for the kitchen to prepare food. Since you had just arrived and we hadn't established rules yet, the kitchen probably followed the old way of doing things, which is why they didn't immediately serve dinner after Master and Grandma returned last night. It's not that they weren't diligent!"

  "Am I wronging the kitchen by saying this?" Song Yi smiled to herself, thinking that it seemed like these two were not idle tonight. She had just mentioned that they were left behind by Jian Pingyu, and now they immediately brought up an old rule.

  Her face turned even uglier, "So why didn't the kitchen manager mention this rule last night? Why didn't either of the managers come to tell me about this rule last night?! But now that husband has left, you have a lot to say?"

  The two servants were at a loss, thinking to themselves, "Why didn't we ask to see her last night?" Weren't all the requests to see her blocked by that single sentence "The master is tired"? This seems to be just like the joke about Song Yilao, where it appears as if they deliberately waited for Jian Yu Bai to leave before bullying their way in to see the mistress.

  The housekeeper smiled wryly and said, "The kitchen manager has never been good with words, and besides, he didn't serve well last night, so maybe he forgot out of nervousness? As for the little one not reporting yesterday, it was because the sky was already dark, and he was afraid of disturbing Master and Madam's rest!"

  He didn't mention Qiaorou's reluctance to inform, after all, it would be useless to bring it up now, and it would also offend Qiaorou, the main mistress's personal maid.

  "Even the rules left by our ancestors, the kitchen managers can forget, it seems that either they are too old to use or they didn't take grandfather's words to heart!" Song Yi smiled and nodded perfunctorily, then immediately fell into a sulk. "As for you two managers, you yourselves remember grandfather's rules firmly, this is good. But shouldn't the memory of the people below also be reminded?"

  It was clear that she had no intention of giving in, the two managers exchanged a glance, both secretly frowning, but still politely said: "Grandma's teachings are right! I know my fault!"

  "Since you know your fault, I'll fine both of you three months' worth of salary!" Song Yi laughed without being polite, "And from now on, I don't want to see similar things in the mansion - so many good hands and feet, can't even serve two masters properly, is this their fault? This is your fault!"

  She picked up the tea bowl, gesturing for the two managers to withdraw. Watching their dejected backs, Jin Xun exclaimed: "Niangniang is so formidable! What big manager and second manager, they dared to come and talk back to the kitchen manager? Niangniang just sent them off with a few words!"

  "You think it's that easy to deal with the steward of the national duke's mansion?" Song Yi smiled and took a sip of tea, but her face didn't show much joy. She said calmly, "If they were really that easy to handle, would your husband have had headaches over them in the past? Don't forget that they used to serve my father-in-law. As the saying goes, 'the servant follows the master.' Think about it - my father-in-law was a veteran of two dynasties, what an achievement! The stewards who came out from under such a master are not someone I, as a mistress who has just entered the household for a few days and doesn't have much backing from her natal family, can easily intimidate."

  Her eyes were deep and profound, "Originally thought that with a single move, they could settle the entire kitchen, but it seems...".

  It turns out that it was just a joke and they gave up——Song Yi laughed. This must be what Jian Pingyu had in mind when he left so many people behind all those years ago. Was he trying to deceive his son or simply cherishing the master-servant relationship, raising them for over a decade?