As the two spoke, they arrived at the western wing of the bedchamber.
The maid Baiguo, leading a group of young maids, was not attending inside the room but stood outside the door with a worried expression.
Seeing this, Wutong’s eyebrows shot up, and she began to scold:
“You were tasked with serving General Shen, so why are you all standing outside?
Do you intend to let General Shen, a patient, get out of bed on his own to fetch tea, pour water, and change his bandages?”
Though both were first-class maids serving Su Fengyi, being scolded by Wutong left Baiguo feeling aggrieved, yet she dared not argue. She only offered a weak explanation:
“General Shen said it was improper for men and women to be together and inconvenient. He insisted he has hands and feet and refused to let us serve him.
After I found a wheelchair for him to sit in, he insisted on driving us all out.”
Wutong pressed on relentlessly, her tone sharp:
“So, according to you, this is General Shen’s fault?
You failed to carry out Her Highness’s orders, and you still think you’re in the right?
Her Highness repeatedly emphasized that we must serve him attentively and not neglect or treat him perfunctorily. Is this what you call attentive service?
Are you all treating Her Highness’s words as mere wind in your ears?
General Shen was just being polite, and you took it seriously, leaving a patient with limited mobility unattended. If word gets out, how will others criticize the upbringing of our Eldest Princess’s Residence?”
Among Su Fengyi’s maids, Wutong was efficient, strong-willed, and thick-skinned.
If Wutong was ordered to serve someone, whether knives fell from the sky, fires raged on the ground, or someone tried to drive her away with words or a big stick, she would not leave.
In contrast, Baiguo was meticulous, patient, and good at caring for others, but her temperament was somewhat soft, and she was a bit thin-skinned. When General Shen drove her away, she couldn’t bring herself to stubbornly stay in the room, mindful of her dignity as a young woman.
Perhaps hearing the dispute, General Shen Quan pushed his wheelchair and opened the door. Seeing that Wutong had said so much without Grand Princess stopping her, he understood.
Grand Princess’s lack of intervention was tacit approval—approval for Wutong to set rules for Baiguo, and also a way to convey the rules of the Eldest Princess’s Residence to him through Wutong’s words.
Regardless, this dispute had arisen because of him. Shen Quan clasped his hands and advised:
“All of you ladies have your points, but please do not argue further. This matter is indeed my fault. I apologize to all of you.”
Then, turning to Su Fengyi, he said:
“I trouble Your Highness to mediate. Please do not let a mere military brute like me disrupt the harmony within Your Highness’s residence.”
In front of an outsider, both Wutong and Baiguo fell silent at once. Arguing among themselves was one thing, but quarreling in front of an outsider risked damaging the dignity of the Eldest Princess’s Residence.
Su Fengyi’s gaze passed over Shen Quan and into the room. No one was inside, but on the table sat two teacups, still steaming with heat.
Two people?
So this was the reason Shen Quan had driven all the maids out.
Since Shen Quan did not mention it, Su Fengyi did not expose it either, pretending not to know. She did not enter the room and instead smiled:
“The maids are young and mischievous, making General Shen witness such a spectacle.
I have matters to discuss in detail with General Shen. Please accompany me to the study for a discussion.”
Su Fengyi walked ahead, and without asking Shen Quan’s opinion, Wutong immediately pushed his wheelchair to follow.
For Wutong, Grand Princess’s opinion was a command. Whatever Grand Princess ordered was to be done; the opinions of others were unimportant.
Shen Quan had intended to push the wheelchair himself and politely declined:
“This thing is heavy and quite laborious. Let me handle it myself.”
As it turned out, Wutong, a girl who looked even more delicate than Baiguo with her slender arms and legs, possessed surprising strength. She pushed the wheelchair so fast that the wheels seemed about to smoke, fearing she might fall behind the Grand Princess.
Moreover, this young girl had poor hearing—no matter what Shen Quan said, she pretended not to hear a word, not uttering a single sound.
Jostled until he was dizzy, Shen Quan had witnessed firsthand the domineering and forceful demeanor of everyone in the Eldest Princess’s Residence, from the mistress to the servants.
Thinking about it, he found it both laughable and exasperating. He had no choice but to thank Wutong and calmly follow Su Fengyi into the study.
The matters discussed in the study were all important. Wutong’s keen sense of judgment had been honed over years of serving Su Fengyi, cultivated since childhood.
Without needing any instructions from Su Fengyi, Wutong immediately excused herself, swiftly closed the door, shooed away others, and stood guard outside, completing the task of clearing the room with seamless efficiency.
First Xie Xuan, now Wutong—Shen Quan watched in awe and sighed:
“Your Highness is truly skilled in managing subordinates. I am ashamed of my own inadequacy.”
Su Fengyi retrieved the imperial edict and handed it to him:
“It’s simply a matter of spending a long time together, becoming familiar with one another, and developing mutual understanding.”
The victim’s emotions were remarkably composed. Is General Shen’s family fortune that substantial? A million taels, and he didn’t even blink.
Su Fengyi was genuinely curious:
“General Shen, with a million taels, do you truly have a way to earn it?”
Shen Quan replied with earnestness and respect:
“Give Shen another eight hundred years, and perhaps there might be a ten percent chance. As for three months… allow Shen to think it over carefully.”
Then, under Su Fengyi’s expectant gaze, Shen Quan, with a grave expression, delivered a dry joke:
“In Shen’s opinion, to accomplish this in three months, the only option would be to resort to robbery.”