Chapter 368 : Rules (5)Translated byきつねonAugust 07, 2022

Mama Qu frowned. “Madam, shouldn’t we let the mother and child sign the enslavement deed if we’re going to have them stay in the mansion? This way, we will have an explanation to the outside world.”

Yuxi shook her head. “No need. That boy has not only courage but also pride. He will certainly be unwilling to sign the deed.”

Mama Qu was still uneasy. “This Fan Shi should not be put in the inner courtyard.” The so-called inner courtyard was the courtyard where Yuxi lived. Mama Qu did not want to let Fan Shi come into contact with Yuxi. This Fan had been scared like that by two scoundrels. If she was forced to poison Madam next time, who knew if she would also agree to it? That was why this kind of person should not be allowed to get in touch with her Madam.

Hearing Mama Qu’s concern, Yuxi nodded and said, “You can make a suitable arrangement for this person.” The maids and old women servants in residence were all under the control of Mama Qu. Although Mama Qu was not as good at cooking medicinal foods and pharmacology as Momo Quan, she was no worse than Momo Quan in her ability to train people.

Yun Qing did not express any opinions on this matter. But Yuxi could see from his expression that he was in a bad mood. Seeing this, Yuxi smiled and said, “It’s useless to be angry. It’s already been decided.” Although Yun Qing had military power, the military and political affairs were two separate beings. Yun Qing could not intervene in local affairs. Otherwise, it would not be a joke if he was caught in the crosshairs.

Yun Qing stated, “This Mu Tongjian can’t stay in Yu City for long.” This time, Assistant Prefect Mu’s behaviour angered the Zhao family. Assistant Prefect Mu originally wanted to use this rumour to suppress the Xu family’s arrogance but ended up having it reversed into his own hands.

Yuxi asked with some curiosity. “What kind of handle does the Xu family have on this Assistant Prefect Mu? He even changed his tune immediately. It’s not corruption and bribery, is it?”

Yun Qing shook his head. “I’m not sure about the specifics. However, it must have been a vitally important one caught by Xu Shi. Otherwise, he would not have dared to go against the Zhao family’s wishes.”

Yuxi sighed. “I thought Yu City would be cleaner, but I didn’t expect it to be filthy either. The Xu family has Xu Shi as its backer. It won’t be easy to bring that family down!”

Yun Qing rarely did not respond to Yuxi’s words.

Yuxi wanted to roll her eyes. She knew that Yun Qing understood her words about wanting to eradicate the Xu family. It was the hardest thing for them to achieve because the Xu family had a powerful in-law. If Qin Zhao was still alive and was the guardian of Yu City, then it was unlikely for them to touch the Xu family’s position. If Qin Zhao died, the Xu family then lost Qin Zhao’s shelter, and it would be much easier to bring that family down. But the problem was that Yun Qing would not kill Qin Zhao! Alas, this thing about owing favours or something alike was really the most annoying.

Yun Qing said, “One day, they will pay for their sins.”

When Yuxi heard this, she could shake her head. “I don’t know if we have to wait until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse for that to happen?” Fortunately, Yun Qing did not say that virtue had its reward, evil its retribution. Otherwise, she would have been depressed.

Yun Qing responded, “It won’t take long. Although the Fourth Master Xu was not brought to justice, he has lost the people’s hearts.” Not everyone was a fool. Even if this matter had been suppressed, those with discerning eyes had long understood what was going on.

Yuxi smiled a little. Even if she continued to dwell on this matter, the Xu family would still not collapse. At that moment, she changed the subject. “the matter of the judge Mu, I do not believe that the Zhao family people really do not know anything regarding the matter related to Assistant Prefect Mu. They probably just turn a blind eye to it. He Rui, be careful when dealing with the Zhao family in the future.” This time, it was not so much to request punishment for Fourth Master Xu; it was more of Yuxi testing the water to see the Qin family’s position in Yu City. This time, the result of the water testing was quite fruitful. Not only was the Qin family’s power in Yu City beyond her expectations, but it was also the Zhao family, which she found to be not that clean either.

Yun Qing said, “General Zhao is a person who cannot tolerate sand in his eyes. He must be unaware of this matter, so you do not need to worry.”

Yuxi understood what Yun Qing meant. He was telling her that General Zhao could be trusted. As for the Zhao family, whether they were clean or not had little to do with him. “Still, be careful. You should leave some leeway in everything, you know?” General Zhao was a member of the Zhao family. Some people could even sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the family. What was a mere ally?

Yun Qing felt that Yuxi was particularly worried since she was pregnant. But in order not to let Yuxi worry, even more, he just nodded and agreed.

Two days later, Yuxi called Hao Dazhuang to the mansion, handed him a thin booklet and said, “This is what I have thought of for a few days. You go back and tell the children what is written in it.” It was also the matter of the impersonation that made Yuxi smell the danger. However, she was unwilling to give up halfway. If she lost her money halfway, her reputation would be damaged, and she would look too incompetent when she backed out after encountering a little difficulty.

This booklet was written with rules and regulations, such as no late arrival, no early departure, no fighting, etc. If they violated the rules, they would be punished accordingly.

Hao Dazhuang flipped open the booklet and took a looked inside. Then he smiled. “Madam is overly concerned. If they are late and leave early, then they won’t be able to eat.” As for skipping class, that was even more impossible. Unless they were sick and couldn’t come, where else would they part with the three meals provided for free?

The meals served in Qingming Hall in the morning were rice porridge with mantou, followed by baozi with a vegetable dish and a bowl of soup at noon. While the food in the evening was the same as the one prepared in the morning. Of course, the mantou and congee were not only made with plain white flour and white rice but they were mixed with coarse grains. This was enough to give these children a delightful surprise. They could eat their fill in the dining hall, and moreover, they could have three meals every day. It was important for one to be aware that ordinary people usually ate two meals a day. (The author originally wrote Qingming Hall as Qingfeng Hall in this chapter. Since the school was only two buildings sharing the same name, Qingming Hall couldn’t have another building just for them to have their meals. So, I changed Qingfeng to Qingming. )T

/C

Yuxi laughed a little. “I forgot about that, but I still have to add it.” When they were not constrained in the future, she would turn Qingming Hall into a real school instead of just having a name and not being worthy of it as it was now.

Hao Dazhuang nodded his head and agreed.

Yuxi smiled and asked, “After talking for a long time, I forgot to ask you, how is the school? Can those children get used to everything? Is there anyone who has gotten tired? Martial arts training is not an easy task.”

When Hao Dazhuang heard this, he laughed and told her, “At the beginning, these little brats were especially active, but after three days, when the novelty was gone, they started to be lazy. What Madam gave this time is just the thing that can be used to motivate them.” The booklet not only set out the system but also wrote that there would be rewards if they performed well. However, Yuxi did not state in it what reward it would be. It was because she didn’t know what these children wanted most yet, so she put it aside for now.

Yuxi asked with a smile, “What do you think would be a good reward if they perform well?” Initially, she wanted to present them with the four treasures of the study, but on second thought, it was inappropriate. There was a good saying that one should not worry about scarcity but rather about uneven distribution. Therefore, you could not award someone something too out of the ordinary.

Hao Dazhuang laughed. “Just reward them with a bowl of meat. This is the most affordable.” The children in the school couldn’t eat a single meat meal all year round. If they could eat a bowl of meat, they would be happier than when the New Year came.

Yuxi responded with a smile, “Rather than serving them with mear for a month, let’s limit it to ten days only. When the time comes, I’ll have Mama Bai go to the school to make it, and I’m sure these kids will never forget it after eating it once.” No one in the Yun residence did not love Mama Bai’s braised pork. She believed that after those children tasted it, they would definitely study very hard.

Hao Dazhuang smiled and said, “When that time comes, I like to request Madam to ask Mama Bai to make more so that I can also have a bowl.” He had heard that Madam had a female cook who was particularly good at cooking. Her cooking skill was even better than that of the restaurant!