Auntie Chen's eyes widened. "Y-you have no right to fire me! I'm Mrs. Chen's niece!"
Mrs. Chen?
So she was Chen Ruyin's relative. No wonder she was so arrogant.
Song Yutang ignored her entirely and looked only at Butler Wang. "How does an old mistress's relative count as a legitimate relative of this family? Butler Wang, I'll give you one chance to clean this up. If you can't handle it, I'll ask the old master whether he knows the servants he pays are bullying his own biological son. Since when did the Jiang family become a place that pays people to make its own members suffer?"
At those words, Butler Wang's expression changed drastically.
The most important reason he had lasted so long at the old master's side was that he knew which way the wind was blowing.
He had already witnessed Song Yutang's fighting prowess firsthand.
She could even keep Chen Ruyin, who had bewitched the old master, firmly in line. If a mere butler like him offended her, his fate would only be worse.
Butler Wang immediately bowed. "Young madam, I'll handle it right away."
He turned to Auntie Chen and said sternly, "Auntie Chen, you're fired. Go pack your things now and leave within half an hour."
"And you, you, and you..." Song Yutang pointed out the three servants who had clamored the loudest. "Fire them too. Butler Wang, the most important thing for new hires is that they understand exactly who the masters of this household are."
Butler Wang agreed repeatedly.
Those people still wanted to make a scene, but he summoned security and had them escorted out.
The kitchen was finally completely quiet.
Wiping away his cold sweat, Butler Wang addressed Song Yutang with utmost respect. "Rest assured, young madam. This will never happen again."
Song Yutang nodded impassively. "I hope so."
Once Butler Wang left, only the three of them remained in the kitchen.
Li Xiulan's eyes reddened as she took Song Yutang's hand. "Yutang... thank you. I just... didn't want to cause trouble..."
Jiang Guoqiang was embarrassed too. "I'm sorry, Yutang. We even needed someone from the younger generation to stand up for us..."
It wasn't that they had never thought of fighting back when the servants went too far.
But neither of them was good with words, and every time, they were argued into speechlessness.
The few times things had been brought before the old master, everyone had mocked them instead.
Especially after their son fell into a vegetative state, they worried even more that falling out with the Jiang family would leave them without money for his medical bills, so they endured whatever they could.
Song Yutang gently shook her head and clasped their hands. "Mom, Dad, I know you're kindhearted, but even kindness needs limits. Some people are born to bully the weak and fear the strong. True harmony isn't earned by giving in, but by mutual respect.
"Dad, you're Grandpa and Grandma's biological son, the only rightful heir in this family. Even though you were away for so many years, you still have a share in everything here. No one has the right to bully you as they please."
Jiang Guoqiang and Li Xiulan exchanged a glance and nodded firmly.
Seeing the light rekindle in her parents-in-law's eyes, Song Yutang felt much more at ease.
Since she was going to live in this household, she had to put it in order and make it the way she wanted.
She had come to be the mistress of the household, not to suffer indignities.
Of course, her parents-in-law were good people.
She couldn't simply watch them be bullied either.
Warm sunlight spilled into the kitchen.
Song Yutang was about to offer a few more words of comfort when she happened to notice a fresh burn on the back of Li Xiulan's hand.
A thought stirred in her mind, and she took her arm without betraying anything. "Mom, what happened to your hand? Let's go to my room. I'll put some ointment on it."
Back in the room, the two women first checked on Jiang Muyan.
Song Yutang then had someone bring burn ointment. As she applied it to Li Xiulan's hand, she chatted with seeming casualness. "Mom, Butler Wang has been with the Jiang family for years, hasn't he? He seems to carry quite a bit of authority."
Li Xiulan suspected nothing. "Yes, he's been at the old master's side for twenty years. He's very capable, just... a bit of a snob."
"A snob? He seemed pretty strict with Auntie Chen and the others."
Li Xiulan sighed. "That's because you're formidable. In reality, he's better than anyone at turning a blind eye. Still... Butler Wang hasn't had it easy either. His family was poor to begin with, and he has a whole crowd of siblings. Over the years, whether it was a nephew getting married or another nephew getting into trouble, hasn't he had to help pay for it all? A few years ago, he fooled around with a woman outside his marriage, and she sweet-talked him into investing a pile of money. Not only did he lose half a lifetime's savings, but she ran off with everything left over too.
"His wife was so angry she developed breast cancer, and she's still undergoing chemotherapy. His daughter was studying abroad and had a bright future, but all the family troubles upset her so badly that she developed mental health problems. She's in a care facility now, and it costs a fortune every month... On top of that, his elderly father has uremia, and he's expected to pay for the dialysis too..."
Short of money, then.
The perfect weak spot, just as expected.
Song Yutang's gaze shifted slightly. She had finished applying the ointment. "No wonder he's so cautious."
"Yes, with such a heavy burden at home, he dares make even fewer mistakes around the old master..."
After a little more everyday chatter, Song Yutang saw Li Xiulan out. Returning to the room, she picked up the internal phone and dialed Butler Wang's number.
Lying in bed, Jiang Muyan had a sudden thought.
So she'd been fishing for information about Butler Wang while chatting with Li Xiulan?
What exactly was she trying to do?
While he was pondering this, Butler Wang had already entered the study.
Song Yutang invited him to sit and even poured him a cup of tea herself. "Uncle Wang, you've served the Jiang family for many years, haven't you?"
Butler Wang was somewhat surprised and extremely cautious. "Twenty-one years, young madam."
Jiang Muyan instinctively pricked up his ears.
His room was a large suite.
A partition separated the bedroom from the study.
With the door open, he could hear the conversation inside.
And so Jiang Muyan heard Song Yutang say lightly, "Twenty-one years... that can't have been easy. But I heard your daughter is in a care facility these days. How is she doing?"
Butler Wang's expression shifted slightly, and his fingers tightened involuntarily. "Thank you for your concern, young madam. She's... still receiving treatment."
"Mental illnesses..." Song Yutang set down her teacup and looked at him calmly. "Sometimes they're hereditary."
Butler Wang jerked his head up. "Young madam, my daughter's condition developed later in life..."
"I know," Song Yutang interrupted. "But outsiders don't, or rather, they wouldn't dare take that gamble. The old master presumably knows your family's circumstances too, but he values your years together. If someone told him that a person with a family history of hereditary mental illness shouldn't be kept close, what do you think he'd do?"
Butler Wang's face instantly went deathly pale.
Jiang Muyan had begun to guess Song Yutang's intentions, and he broke into a mental cold sweat for her. ...Butler Wang has served the old master for over twenty years. Even if you want to bring him under your thumb, you should take it slowly. Corner him right from the start like this, and you risk a desperate dog leaping the wall and turning around to bite you.
Completely composed, Song Yutang took out the check her father had given her earlier and pushed it toward him along with a bank card. "Sorry for the trouble, but please cash this and deposit it into this account."
She also took several jars and vases down from the display shelf and pushed them toward Butler Wang along with an oil painting. "Also, these are all part of the dowry I brought with me. You have plenty of connections, Butler Wang, so please help me sell them. Whatever the final sale price, I'll give you ten percent."
Butler Wang froze, unable to react for a moment.
Song Yutang picked up her teacup again. "Uncle Wang, you're a smart man. After so many years at the old master's side, you should be able to see which way things are heading. An adopted son is ultimately an adopted son, and a biological son is always a biological son. You should know who the true master of this family is."
Butler Wang fell silent.
Song Yutang took a sip of tea and said mildly, "Don't worry. My husband is the old master's eldest grandson in the legitimate line, and my future child will be his biological great-grandchild. What could I possibly do to the old master? I'm merely asking you to help handle a few personal belongings. That's part of your normal duties. Even if the old master finds out, he won't be able to fault you."
The room fell quiet for a moment.
At last, Butler Wang reached out and carefully gathered up the antiques and framed painting, then bowed deeply to Song Yutang. "Rest assured, young madam. I'll get it done as soon as possible."
Jiang Muyan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
His new wife's methods really were something.
First, she seized Butler Wang's weak spot, then she steadied him with benefits.
She had both established her authority and offered him a sweetener.
It looked risky, but in fact, every step she took landed right along the boundary.
She truly hadn't done anything out of line. Even if the old master found out, he would have nothing to say.
But with this sort of thing, the first time was unfamiliar, and the second came easily.
Gradually, without his even noticing, Butler Wang would be able to do more and more for her, and his allegiance would tilt further and further.
But...
After all, he was an old hand who had served the old master for decades. Controlling him this way left far too great a hidden risk.
Yutang herself naturally knew that too:
[Using both favor and intimidation so directly is a little risky, but I've only just arrived. I have neither money nor people. I have to get some seed money first, then see whether I can win Butler Wang over. Even if I can't, that's fine. Once I have money, I'll naturally have people to work for me...]
Jiang Muyan fell silent.
He had to admit that Song Yutang's approach really was the best choice at present.
Bold yet meticulous, decisive in her methods, and able to judge the situation.
She was utterly unlike the timid, cowardly country girl his earlier investigation had described.
How could someone's temperament change so drastically in such a short time?
The Jiang family should know what Song Yutang looked like.
If someone else had taken her place in the marriage, they should have recognized it.
This...
Seemed a little fishy.