However, this time, Yun Manxia wasn’t bluffing. After experiencing her notes being taken by Yun Yiyi and her flowers secretly swapped by Xiaomei, how could she feel at ease without installing a camera in her room?
She immediately took out her phone. After a few quick operations, she opened a surveillance video.
It clearly recorded that from beginning to end, she had only touched the box once—when she had just taken it down!
Xiaomei’s face turned deathly pale, her legs going weak.
Seeing her reaction, it was already obvious who had damaged the item.
The Old Madam was furious. “How dare you frame your master? Who gave you the courage?!”
Xiaomei collapsed to the ground, crying, “Old Madam, Ninth Master, I was wrong!”
At the same time, she instinctively looked to Wu Xiaoya for help. But Wu Xiaoya wore a shocked and angry expression. “Xiaomei, I treated you as a good friend and even spoke up for you just now! How could you do such a thing?!”
Xiaomei’s heart turned cold. She almost blurted out, “Wasn’t it you who encouraged me?” But meeting Wu Xiaoya’s threatening gaze, she swallowed the words.
No… she couldn’t drag Wu Xiaoya down. She was Aunt Wu’s daughter. If Aunt Wu pleaded with the Old Madam, nothing would happen to her.
If she spoke out, she would gain nothing and might even face Wu Xiaoya’s revenge!
She could only endure it and cried, “Old Madam, Ninth Master, I just acted on impulse…”
The Old Madam frowned sharply. “Impulse is enough reason to frame your master?”
“I didn’t want to do this either! It’s just that Madam left me no way out first!”
Yun Manxia raised her brows. “When did I leave you no way out?”
Xiaomei cried pitifully—
“I only touched a few of Madam’s flowers, but she made a big deal out of it and wanted to drive me away. In the end, Aunt Wu pleaded for me, and I was allowed to stay—but Madam still deducted several months of my bonus…”
“Old Madam, please take pity on me! My father is disabled, my mother is seriously ill, and my younger brother needs tuition for school. My whole family depends on my salary and bonus to survive!”
“They were just a few flowers that were about to wilt anyway. Even if I didn’t touch them, Madam would have thrown them away in a couple of days. Yet for something like that, she deducted my family’s lifeline money, sob…”
The surrounding servants couldn’t help but feel sympathetic. Even the Old Madam’s attitude softened slightly as she looked at Yun Manxia with some displeasure.
As the new Madam of Yujing Garden, she needed to establish authority, yes—but was it necessary to make such a big deal out of something so minor?
The servants also thought the new Madam lacked compassion…
Seeing everyone’s reaction, Xiaomei covered her face and secretly curled her lips.
However, Yun Manxia, standing at the center of it all, remained expressionless. Just as she was about to speak, Bai Hedu’s voice sounded beside her—
“The flowers I gave you were stolen?”
Yun Manxia was stunned and turned to look at him. His brows were slightly furrowed, his gaze dark. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She hadn’t expected him to care about something so small. Warmth rose in her heart. She shook her head. “She only swapped out half. I already handled it myself, so I didn’t tell you. You’re so busy every day—you’re already tired enough.”
Her voice was soft, her words gentle.
Bai Hedu’s long fingers, resting casually on the armrest, curled slightly. Then his gaze, completely devoid of warmth, turned to Xiaomei.
“For what you did, Madam only deducting a few months of your bonus was already too lenient.”
Xiaomei panicked and turned to plead, “Old Madam…”
Ever since her grandson had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, the Old Madam had taken to vegetarianism and prayer. Thinking of Xiaomei’s earlier words, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Xiao Jiu, it’s just a few flowers. Let it go. That jade Guanyin can be replaced…”
“Stealing the master’s belongings, damaging the master’s property, and deliberately framing someone—Yujing Garden has no place for such a person,” Bai Hedu said calmly. “Since she did it, she must bear the consequences and pay the price. What does anything else have to do with others?”
The tactic of “I’m weak, so I’m justified” didn’t work on Bai Hedu. This man was known for his cold-heartedness.
Realizing he was standing up for her, Yun Manxia felt a sweetness in her heart. But at the same time, she didn’t want him to clash with the Old Madam over someone like Xiaomei. She quietly tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to stop, then said to the Old Madam—
“Grandma, Xiaomei is full of lies. Not a single word she said can be trusted.”
The Old Madam frowned.
Xiaomei opened her mouth to argue, but Yun Manxia’s cold gaze locked onto her first—
“You said your father is disabled, your mother seriously ill, and your brother needs money for school? Why is what I know completely different?”
“I heard your parents are perfectly healthy, spending their days gambling and living quite comfortably. And your brother—if I remember correctly, he took the college entrance exam two years ago and didn’t even get into university. What school is he attending?”
Xiaomei’s expression changed drastically as she stared at Yun Manxia in disbelief.
—How did the new Madam know about her family?!
Of course Yun Manxia knew—from memories of her previous life.
“Is that true?!” the Old Madam asked in shock. She hadn’t expected a mere servant to dare lie to her!
Yun Manxia nodded, her expression gentle and composed. “Of course it’s true. If you don’t believe me, you can have someone investigate.”
“N-no, Old Madam, I—I didn’t lie…” Xiaomei’s face was pale, her eyes full of panic and guilt. Anyone could see what was going on.
Clearly, Yun Manxia was telling the truth!
The Old Madam was both furious and embarrassed in front of her new granddaughter-in-law. She waved her hand angrily. “Xiao Jiu, handle it yourselves!”
Seeing that the Old Madam believed her, Yun Manxia finally relaxed.
Then she suddenly felt a strange warmth on the back of her hand. Looking down, she realized she was still holding onto Bai Hedu’s sleeve. The man was looking at her hand, his expression unreadable.
Yun Manxia startled and quickly withdrew her hand.
He lifted his gaze, his eyes deep as a cold abyss, and looked at her.
She clasped her hands behind her back, blinking innocently. “Husband, what’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
For some reason, Yun Manxia thought she detected a hint of regret in those two words.
Neither of them noticed the Old Madam’s surprised gaze at the side.
“Husband?”
Was that how the new bride addressed him? And Xiao Jiu actually responded!
Interesting—this one might be the right match.
As she quietly observed Yun Manxia, noticing the subtle intimacy between her and Bai Hedu, the Old Madam grew even more pleased.
Only… this girl’s character…
Thinking of what Wu Xiaoya had said about Yun Manxia’s domineering behavior after arriving at Yujing Garden, the Old Madam frowned slightly.