Chapter 46: Completely Ripping the Mask Off

Note: if you want us to continue translate this story and to get access to +20 advance Chapters or you can purchase the full story from Patreon shop I hope to support us on Patreon.com/flokixy without your support we can't continue ???? "Young lady, are you sure you're making the right decision? We haven't done anything wrong. How can you just tell us to leave the mansion like this?" "Yes, young lady, you don’t have the right to do this. We’ve worked here for years, even if we don’t have achievements, we’ve worked hard." Some of the servants began to panic, but others didn’t take Su Li seriously, thinking that the young lady had always been under the influence of Xia Yiniang. As long as Xia Yiniang spoke up, Su Li would have to obey. Su Li observed the group of people, seeing that no one moved. A cold smile appeared on her lips. "What? You won’t move? Do you want me to have someone throw you out? If you pack your things yourself, you can take whatever savings you’ve accumulated over the years. But if I call someone to throw you out, you won’t be able to take anything with you!" Hearing this, the group of servants exchanged looks, their thoughts clear: as long as they didn’t move, the young lady wouldn’t dare act forcefully. Su Li turned to the housekeeper. "Xu Bo." Though Xu Bo didn’t understand why Su Li wanted to drive these people out, he knew that since the young lady wanted to establish her authority, he couldn’t go against her. "Yes, young lady!" A group of servants stepped forward, their faces stern, surrounding the others. The servants quickly realized that Su Li was not just trying to intimidate them—she was serious! "Young lady, even if someone is sentenced to death, their crime is usually announced first. We haven’t done anything wrong, why are you treating us this way?" "This is absurd! We don’t accept this!" "I want to see the madam! I want to see Xia Yiniang!" "Xia Yiniang, save us! The young lady has gone mad!" ... As the servants began to panic, Su Li coldly laughed and raised her arm. The room immediately fell silent. Now, everyone looked at Su Li either with fear or attempts to placate her, no longer as dismissive as before. "You don’t accept this? Then I’ll make you accept it!" "Old Zhang, you’re the loudest one here. I remember you’ve worked in the Su mansion since before I was born. Tell me, who helped you settle the case when your son killed those common women? Since then, you’ve visited my mother’s main courtyard less, but your trips to the West Garden have increased. You’ve been sending the best things there. Such a person, unable to distinguish priorities—how could I let you stay? If you don’t want your son to end up back in prison, you better behave!" "Then there’s you, Fang Cui. A kitchen servant, where did you get the money to buy houses and land? Surely not from cutting corners in the kitchen? I remember Xia Yiniang promoted you, saying she liked your southern cuisine. Should I report this to the authorities and have them investigate?" "And you, Old Li from the stables. That time I went out, you prepared the carriage. Why did the horse suddenly go wild? You really think I don’t have evidence?" Time had passed, so some evidence was hard to find. "Also, you, you, and you—always scheming, lending money at interest. If the authorities investigate, it will smear the Su mansion’s name. If you don’t leave voluntarily, I’ll have you sent to the authorities, and you’ll still get a good reputation!" Su Li pointed out several people, some true, some false. The people she pointed out all turned pale, staring at her in shock. They couldn’t fathom how the young lady knew about such private matters. Xu Bo looked at Su Li with a gaze full of admiration and guilt. As the housekeeper of the Su mansion, he hadn’t noticed the hidden intentions of so many servants, which made him feel like he had failed in his duties. Su Li coldly said, "I originally wanted to give you some face, considering the master-servant relationship. But it seems you don’t need it. If you want to end up in prison, I’ll make that happen for you!" As soon as she said this, the servants immediately started begging for mercy. "Young lady, please spare us! We’ll pack our things and leave the mansion immediately!" "We know we were wrong, please show mercy! We’ll leave the mansion on our own." ... Just as the servants were begging to leave voluntarily, Xia Yiniang finally arrived. "Stop!" Xia Yiniang’s voice froze the group of servants who had been about to leave. "Don’t leave!" The servants’ eyes lit up at the sight of her—they were saved! "Xia Yiniang, please help us! The young lady wants to completely ruin us!" "Xia Yiniang, you’ve come just in time!" "Xia Yiniang, save us!" ... Seeing that their ally had arrived, the group of servants immediately changed their tune. Xia Yiniang looked at Su Li and said, "Young lady, what are you doing? These people have been doing their jobs well. Why do you want to drive them away? Please listen to me, stop making a scene." Su Li found it amusing. Xia Yiniang asked, "What are you laughing at?" "I laugh at how naive you are. You don’t really think that, as a half-servant, half-lady, you can control me, the legitimate daughter, do you?" Xia Yiniang’s face darkened, and for a moment, she didn’t believe what her daughter had said about Su Li changing. But now, she realized just how much Su Li had changed! "Li’er, you..." Just as she was about to appeal to their family bond, Su Li interrupted her. "Li’er? Is that what you call me?" Xia Yiniang quickly corrected herself, "Young lady, you’re going too far. People will say you’re harsh and ungrateful. You already..." Su Li coldly laughed, "You don’t need to worry about that. Even if I never marry, I believe my father, mother, and brother would be more than happy to support me. You should worry more about your daughter. She has angered the Empress and the Princess, and no one else would want to marry her." Xia Yiniang was left speechless, her face turning dark with anger. "Young lady, are you really going to do this? If the master finds out, he’ll surely be angry!" At this point, the housekeeper stepped forward and spoke to Xia Yiniang, "Xia Yiniang, if the master knows, he will surely agree with the young lady’s actions. These deceitful servants have blackened their hearts." Then, he turned to the group of servants, "Do you choose to go to prison, or leave the Su mansion on your own?" Su Li also coldly said, "Think carefully! If you leave on your own, you might still find another master. But if not..." If not, Su Li would send them all to prison, even though some of their wrongdoings lacked concrete evidence. She was only dismissing them to maintain peace for her mother’s health and to preserve the Su mansion’s reputation. The group of servants looked at Xia Yiniang, but when they saw her helplessly staring at Su Li, their hopes were dashed. "We’ll leave now." "Let’s go... sigh..." The group of servants slowly dispersed. Xia Yiniang watched as her carefully cultivated servants were all driven out, and her vision blurred with anger. "Be careful, madam!" A maid quickly rushed to support her. Xia Yiniang pushed the maid away, grinding her teeth. "I’m unwell, I’ll go rest now." Without waiting for Su Li’s reply, Xia Yiniang turned and walked away. Su Li watched her retreating figure, curling her lips into a cold smile. Today, the mask was completely ripped off—war had been declared! She had originally planned to take her time, but Xia Yiniang’s actions against her mother had completely infuriated her. Xia Yiniang, your retribution will come soon!