Chapter 349 Dismissal
She didn't have to report to Ninghe Hall today, and the Emperor and Empress' breakfast was not her responsibility, so Ye Jiayao slept until the end of the Mao hour.

Just as I was about to get up, Qiao Xi came in.

"I guessed that the Second Young Madam would get up at this time. Second Young Madam, it's still early. You should sleep a little longer!" Qiao Xi advised.

All in all, the Second Young Madam slept for less than two hours, how could that be enough!

Ye Jiayao couldn't get up. The weather was so cold that she really wanted to stay outside all day and hide in bed. She sighed and said, "No, I have so many things to do!"

Qiao Xi stuffed a hot water bottle into her bed and said, "The Third Young Master has sent people to the Helian Palace and the Third Master's house to announce the good news... I went to Doctor Jiang's place and he said that the Young Master is fine and is sleeping soundly after feeding... The First Young Madam has also had breakfast and Madam Fang said that he is in good spirits... The First Young Master Qiao is still asleep and has not woken up. Second Young Madam, you can rest assured and sleep a little longer now, right? Even if you can't sleep, it's good to lie down and recuperate."

Ye Jiayao couldn't help but look at Qiao Xi with new eyes. Qiao Xi was steady and loyal, there was no doubt about that, but she had always felt that there was something missing. What was it? She couldn't put her finger on it, but now she understood that Qiao Xi lacked initiative. He did whatever she told him to do. After she praised him yesterday, Qiao Xi seemed to have suddenly come to his senses. He could figure out her thoughts and knew what she was worried about.

Ye Jiayao looked at her with a smile: "Qiao Xi, you understand my thoughts more and more, and you are taking charge of your mother's platoon. You are so capable that I can't bear to marry you off. What should I do?"

Qiao Xi blushed and said coquettishly, "Second Young Madam is making fun of me so early in the morning! Who said I'm getting married?"

She had never thought about this problem. There were people in the mansion who had never married. For example, the housekeeper next to the eldest young lady had never married.

Qiao Xi fled in panic, and Ye Jiayao was in a good mood. She lay down again, hugged the hot water bottle and stayed in bed for a while. But she didn't stay in bed for long. There were some things that she had to deal with herself, and no one else could replace her.

After getting up and having breakfast, Ye Jiayao went to Qiao's first.

Mrs. Qiao is breastfeeding her baby. Since this is her second child, her milk is coming out quickly and she is pregnant now.

The child was too young and had little strength, so he fell asleep after taking a few sips.

When Mrs. Qiao saw Ye Jiayao coming to see her, she handed the child to the wet nurse and took her back to Doctor Jiang.

The servants all withdrew, leaving the two masters to talk.

"Sister-in-law, you look good!"

Qiao said, "After a good sleep, I finally recovered."

Ye Jiayao thought that it might be because she was in a good mood, so she asked curiously, "Have you made peace with Big Brother?"

Qiao spitted and said, "It's not that easy to make peace with him. I've figured it out. I'm just too easy to talk to. I always go along with him and obey him. That's why he doesn't take me seriously and becomes unscrupulous. This time, if I don't teach him a lesson, he won't know how to take me to heart."

Now that Qiao had given birth to a son and had an older brother, she was in the right and felt more confident.

Ye Jiayao agreed with both hands. You have to be ruthless to men who are servile and deserve to be punished.

"Sister-in-law, I support you."

Qiao smiled and said, "This is all thanks to you."

As he spoke, his expression darkened and he sighed, "If it weren't for you, I would have died eight hundred times already."

In her most difficult time, it was her second brother and sister-in-law who supported her without hesitation. She will never forget this kindness. Maybe Qiao has many shortcomings and is ambitious but lacks ability, but she still knows what is good and what is bad. She can still tell who is sincere to her and who is fake.

"By the way, sister-in-law, where is that bitch Cui Yan?" asked Qiao.

Ye Jiayao said, "I was afraid that she would not be safe in the mansion, so I sent her out first. Don't worry, take care of yourself first. I will go to the outer house to deal with the matter later. I heard that there are still many servants there, so it's better to send them away early."

Qiao deeply agreed, but also felt a little sorry: "It's just that I have to trouble my second brother and sister-in-law again."

Ye Jiayao smiled. She was so dedicated, not just for the Qiao family, but more for the perspective of the Marquis' Mansion. If the outer house was not properly handled, it would be a time bomb that would explode at any time.

After finding out the address, Ye Jiayao took only Qiao Xi and Manager Zhao to the outer house.

There are four maids, two old women, and an old man who is a gatekeeper in the outer house. The old woman in charge is named Dong, and Cui Yan's personal maid is named Xiaohong. These situations were all said by the eldest brother himself. In order to solve the trouble here, the eldest brother did not dare to hide anything and told Ye Jiayao everything.

Manager Zhao went to knock on the door. After the old man opened the door, he looked at Manager Zhao suspiciously, then at Ye Jiayao, and asked cautiously, "Who are you..."

Manager Zhao smiled and said, "This is the young mistress of the Marquis's residence. Come and take a look."

When the concierge heard that it was the young mistress of the house, he did not dare to neglect her, so he invited her in and went to tell Mrs. Dong. Ye Jiayao looked around the three-story courtyard, which was fairly tidy. When she entered the living room, she saw a set of furniture made of Hainan Huanghuali wood.

Ye Jiayao couldn't help but sneer. It seemed that the eldest brother's family assets were quite solid. However, now they all belonged to the Qiao family. In order to show his sincerity, the eldest brother had already handed over the title deed of this house.

Mother Dong came to meet them soon.

Facing the young mistress in charge of the Marquis' Mansion, Mother Dong felt uneasy, not knowing what the purpose of the young mistress's visit was. Aunt Cui went to the Marquis' Mansion yesterday and never came back. Xiaohong went to inquire about it, but was rudely driven away by the people there, who said that the eldest young mistress was about to give birth and they were busy and had no time to take care of her.

Now everyone is panicking and doesn't know what to do.

Ye Jiayao smiled and drank a sip of tea slowly, then put down the teacup and said, "Top-quality Maoshan Cloud Mist, not bad, not bad."

Madam Dong smiled awkwardly: "What instructions does the young mistress have?"

Ye Jiayao said faintly: "The eldest young master said that you are the mother in charge here, so I can just find you."

Mother Dong pretended to listen attentively.

Ye Jiayao said slowly, "The young master has bought an outer house. This kind of thing is actually nothing. As a man, who doesn't like to hide a beautiful woman in a golden house? It depends on whether you have the ability to hide her. But the problem is that our mansion has strict rules and strict family education. The marquis will definitely not tolerate it, so this house will be taken over."

Ye Jiayao deliberately said that this kind of thing was a common thing, but the Marquis' Mansion did not allow it, so as to prevent these people from threatening her and thinking that they had something against the Marquis' Mansion.

Mother Dong's face changed. If she took over the house, what would happen to Aunt Cui? And what about them?
Ye Jiayao saw through Mother Dong's thoughts and said, "It's OK if we didn't know about Aunt Cui before, but now that we know, the Marquis' Mansion can't just ignore it. But the specific decision should be made after the Marquis's wife comes back. Now she is staying in the mansion temporarily and will not come back. As for you..."

Ye Jiayao glanced at her calmly, and Mother Dong clenched her fists nervously.

"When I came here, I also asked the stewards of the inner and outer courtyards, and they all said that we are not short of manpower, so I plan to return your indentures to you and give you a severance pay. After all, you have served the young master, and we in the Marquis' Mansion are the most righteous and benevolent. We will not let you suffer any loss. What do you think, Mother Dong?"

Mother Dong is able to be the manager here, so she must have some vision. This young lady speaks very accurately and reasonably, making it difficult for people to object.

It would be good to be able to enter the Marquis's Mansion, but the waters of such a high-ranking family are very deep. With my ability, I am not good enough to enter. I can get back my indenture, become a free man, and get a severance pay... This is a good deal. In fact, the young lady can just hand everything over to the other maids to resell, and still get some money!
"Madam, the people here are not locals. The farthest ones are in Henan, and the closest one is in Zhenjiang. I am from Xiangshan. If I am no longer needed here, I plan to go back to my hometown. I don't know if the severance pay is enough for the trip." Mother Dong said.

Ye Jiayao smiled. She had already known about these people's backgrounds when she came here. It seemed that when her elder brother was selecting people, he deliberately picked people from other places to prevent the news from leaking out. Now it would be much easier to solve the problem. As long as these people took the severance pay and left, everything would be fine.

"Mother Dong, since I said I won't let you suffer any loss, I will definitely do it. How about this, you are the manager, fifty taels, and the rest are thirty taels. Of course, to the outside world, everyone will still pay the same amount. Do you understand this?"

Mother Dong was overjoyed. Her monthly salary was only one and a half taels of silver. Aunt Cui was stingy and didn't give her tips easily. The temple was small and the benefits were scarce. How many years would it take to save up fifty taels? Moreover, she had twenty taels more than the others. It was more than enough for her to go back to Xiangshan. With her savings over the years, she could live a comfortable life when she returned.

“I understand…” Mother Dong responded quickly.

Ye Jiayao deliberately frowned: "It's just... do you think other people will have any objections?"

Madam Dong promised, "Young Madam, please rest assured. I still have this ability."

Ye Jiayao smiled slightly: "Then I'll leave this matter to you. Manager Zhao is waiting here. I hope everyone will pack up and leave within half an hour. A carriage will take you out of the city or to the dock. He is also very busy. After settling you, the house will be taken back. Go back and report. If you can finish it in advance, I will tell Manager Zhao to give you another ten taels of silver."

When Mother Dong heard that she could get an extra ten taels, she dared not to work hard: "I will do it right away."

Ye Jiayao easily finished it and prepared to go to the palace. When she reached the courtyard, a maid ran over with a jar of wine: "Young Madam..."

Ye Jiayao stopped and asked, "What's the matter?"

The maid said, "Madam, I am Xiaohong, the servant who serves Concubine Cui. Concubine Cui has entered the mansion, and I am happy for her. This is Concubine Cui's favorite plum wine. There is only this jar left. Madam, can you take it to Concubine Cui?"

Ye Jiayao raised her eyebrows. It was better not to meddle in other people's business at this time. She smiled slightly and said, "Okay, I didn't expect Aunt Cui to drink."

Xiaohong said: "Madam Cui doesn't drink much, but she drinks a small cup every day, saying it is good for beauty and skin care."

"Drink it every day?" Ye Jiayao asked, thinking.

"Yes, I drink it every day." Xiaohong nodded.

(End of this chapter)