The butler was taken aback, "What does the master want to know?"
"Speak about Jinnian's situation, talk about the maid that was sold off yesterday!" Yun Chen said indifferently.
But being an Imperial Censor, his incorruptibility sent the butler into a panic.
"Master, the Fourth Miss is doing quite well!" the butler spoke dryly.
"Is that so? It seems that while I have always gone to impeach others, I never thought about the one in my own household most deserving of impeachment. Go pack your belongings and leave, the Yun Family can no longer accommodate you!" said Yun Chen, still indifferent.
The butler, terrified, knelt down on the ground, "Master, it wasn't me, it wasn't me, it was Mrs. Yuan's orders, she forbade providing the Fourth Miss with too many luxuries; she even said 'To impose a great task upon someone, one must first suffer their mind, labor their muscles, starve their body and skin,' hence the Fourth Miss only has one maid and a wet nurse by her side!"
Yun Chen was so angered his whole body trembled as he said in a stern voice, "Continue!"
"The food for Niannian Garden is always delivered cold, no charcoal has been delivered this year, and the winter clothes are all the ones the eldest miss no longer wants. A few days ago, the Fourth Miss accidentally fell into Lotus Pond, and the old lady didn't send for a doctor but had someone grab some medicine from outside at random..."
"Get out!" Yun Chen bellowed angrily.
The butler scuttled away in terror.
"Keep your mouth shut, and if a single word leaks out, you know the consequences!" Yun Chen said coldly.
Where would the butler dare to gossip.
Yun Chen took a few deep breaths and walked towards the garden.
In the garden,
Yun Jinnian was picking plum blossoms intently.
Mrs. Yuan looked around worriedly.
"Wet nurse!"
"Miss?"
"You must remain calm, the person I'm waiting for will definitely come back!" Yun Jinnian said, handing Mrs. Yuan the branch of plum blossoms she had picked.
Suddenly she spoke up, "Wet nurse, do you think if grandmother sees these plum blossoms, she might reward me with a few pieces of green bean cake?"
"..."
Mrs. Yuan found herself unable to respond at the moment.
Yun Jinnian continued, "I didn't eat lunch or dinner yesterday, and I don't even know if there will be anything to eat this morning, I'm so hungry!"
Mrs. Yuan immediately burst into tears, "Miss, it's all the wet nurse's fault for being useless, when I went to the kitchen yesterday, there was nothing left to eat, if only I'd gone earlier!"
"How can you blame yourself, wet nurse? You also had nothing to eat, right? If grandmother rewards me with a few pieces of green bean cake, I will definitely save two pieces for you!"
"No, no, no, Miss, just eat them yourself, you're at the age where you need to grow!"
Yun Jinnian stopped talking, for the figure behind the rockery had already disappeared.
Yun Chen returned to his study once more, beckoning someone from a hidden spot, instructing him to investigate the inner courtyard's affairs before leaving for court.
As Yun Chen left the house, his heart felt very uncomfortable.
After picking plum blossoms, Yun Jinnian, accompanied by Mrs. Yuan, walked leisurely towards the old lady's Cixin Academy.
Despite its name being Cixin, the old lady's courtyard didn't show a shred of compassion.
At the entrance, Yun Jinnian could already hear laughter coming from inside, laughter belonging to Mrs. Yuan's granddaughter, her nine-year-old cousin Xu Xinmo.
Because her mother, who was also Yun Jinnian's maternal aunt, died early, and her father was assigned to work elsewhere, Mrs. Yuan couldn't bear the thought of her granddaughter suffering and brought her to her side. Xu Xinmo had her own courtyard in the Yun Family, but she mostly stayed in Mrs. Yuan's Cixin Academy.
She was the favorite of Mrs. Yuan and enjoyed bullying her cousin Yun Jinnian the most.
Overtly and covertly, she never held back.
"The Fourth Miss has arrived!" Ming Liu called out loudly, and the laughter in the room abruptly stopped.
Then came a thumping sound as Xu Xinmo appeared in a charming pink dress, looking at Yun Jinnian haughtily and asking sharply, "What are you here for?"