Chapter 28: Why Has Shen Shilang Suddenly Become So Fond of Me?

“Manager Yue and the new steward who will come later are not here to undermine your authority, but to assist you,” Wei Zhaoxian said. “Madam, I trusted you enough to leave Shilang in your care, but I never imagined you would be the one mistreating him.”

“However, I believe you will change after this incident,” Wei Zhaoxian continued. Even if she didn’t, it wouldn’t matter now.

With Manager Yue and the future steward watching over things, he was no longer worried.

“Madam, don’t disappoint me again,” Wei Zhaoxian said as he started to leave.

Madam Wei quickly grabbed his arm. “General, you… you’re not planning to bring another woman back to the mansion, are you?”

Was he so disappointed in her that he would bring in someone else to manage the mansion and completely strip her of her authority?

Wei Zhaoxian turned around, staring at her in disbelief. “You spend all day neglecting your duties, only to imagine such ridiculous things! If that’s what you think, perhaps I really should bring someone in to help you with your responsibilities.”

He couldn’t understand how Madam Wei had become so unreasonable.

Shaking her off, he walked out.

“General, where are you going?” Madam Wei hurried after him, asking, “What did you mean by what you just said? Are you really bringing someone into the house?”

Wei Zhaoxian let out a bitter laugh. Where would he find another woman? Wasn’t leading the army exhausting enough?

“Back to the military camp,” he replied coldly, striding ahead.

“Aren’t you going to check on Jianming and Ruyan?” Madam Wei asked. “They haven’t woken up yet.”

“Didn’t the doctor already examine them?” Wei Zhaoxian sneered. “Shilang was beaten more severely and didn’t need a doctor; he recovered on his own. Why can’t they do the same?”

Besides, he had been careful with his strength, ensuring that neither Wei Jianming nor Wei Ruyan would suffer any serious injuries.

Without further delay, Wei Zhaoxian left the mansion.

Riding out of the city, he heard the sound of approaching hooves behind him.

“Father!” Wei Jianlang’s voice called out.

Wei Zhaoxian reined in his horse, waiting for his son to catch up. “Why are you following me? Don’t you have another day off?”

“I’ll head back later,” Wei Jianlang explained. “It’s rare to be home, and I haven’t had a chance to have a drink with Shilang. I must see him today.”

Wei Zhaoxian nodded. “With you there, I can rest assured.”

“Just now at the mansion, Mother was crying, saying you were going to bring another woman into the mansion to replace her and take over her position ,” Wei Jianlang said, scratching his head. “Where did she get that idea? Father… you don’t really have…?”

Wei Zhaoxian spent all his time at the military camp; how could he possibly have another woman?

Wei Zhaoxian’s face tightened with anger. “Your mother is becoming more and more absurd!”

“I respect her, which is why I’ve never thought of letting anyone else take her place. I just hope this incident will make her realize her mistakes and be cautious,” Wei Zhaoxian said helplessly. “I don’t even know why she would say I have a mistress when I’ve been faithful to her all these years.”

“But since that’s what she fears, I won’t deny it. Let her continue to worry; it might prevent her from doing anything out of line,” Wei Zhaoxian added. “Let her stew in her concerns.”

Wei Jianlang shook his head helplessly. “Then I won’t say anything to Mother either.”

After some time, when no new people came into the mansion, Madam Wei should be able to relax.

The real problem was that Wei Zhaoxian didn’t know how to properly handle Madam Wei.

As the legitimate daughter of the Earl of Yongning, he had to consider her family’s reputation.

He couldn’t just divorce her or completely strip her of authority—that would be a direct insult to the Earl of Yongning’s residence.

But if he did nothing, Madam Wei wouldn’t learn her lesson. She might behave for a few days, but would likely revert to her old ways soon enough.

Moreover, he couldn’t punish her the same way he did Wei Jianming and Wei Ruyan.

After considering all this, Wei Zhaoxian decided it was better to let Madam Wei remain in a state of constant worry. Fearful that if she didn’t perform well, someone might replace her, she might think twice before acting recklessly.

This psychological torment wasn’t any lighter than physical punishment.

Now that he understood the situation, Wei Jianlang felt reassured and turned his horse back towards the mansion.

Su Jinshi woke up groggily that morning, feeling too lazy to get out of bed. She reached for her phone, which was lying beside her pillow, and opened her game.

Unexpectedly, the system immediately bombarded her with notifications.

[System: Wei Jianming has been punished, XP +10,000]

[System: Wei Ruyan has been punished, XP +10,000]

[System: Madam Wei has been punished, XP +50,000]

Su Jinshi couldn’t believe her eyes. “How much?”

She must be seeing things!

Wei Jianming and Wei Ruyan’s punishments were understandable.

But Madam Wei’s punishment brought so much experience!

“Is it because punishing Madam Wei is particularly difficult?” Su Jinshi quickly checked her current experience points. She only needed 19,000 more to reach level 11.

Just then, another system notification appeared.

[System: Shen Shilang’s Favorability +5]

Su Jinshi’s mouth fell open. “What a great harvest this time!”

“Why has Shen Shilang suddenly become so fond of me?” Su Jinshi grinned, poking Shen Shilang’s cheek.

Shen Shilang shivered slightly and then heard Su Jinshi ask, “What kind of punishment did Madam Wei and the others receive?”

Knowing that Su Jinshi would leave after he fell asleep, Shen Shilang briefly explained what had happened that morning.

As they were talking, Manager Yue personally brought breakfast for Shen Shilang.

Today’s breakfast was noticeably more lavish.

The congee was thick and smooth, accompanied by four small side dishes.

There were also two meat buns, two boiled eggs, and a steamed bun💞.

“Young Master Shen, my name is Yue Zhengyao, and I am the Manager of the Northwest Trading Company,” Manager Yue introduced himself with a bow. “The General has already summoned a new steward from his hometown. Until they arrive, I will be acting as the steward of this household. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you, Manager Yue ,” Shen Shilang replied.

Manager Yue then took out three silver ingots from his pocket and placed them on the table. “Young Master, this is your monthly allowance.”

Shen Shilang was a bit surprised. “But I’ve already received my allowance for this month.”

Manager Yue smiled politely. “The mansion has indeed been cutting back on expenses to support the military, so your allowance for this month has been adjusted according to the reductions made for other members of the mansion. This is the amount you should receive for this month.”

Shen Shilang understood. It seemed that Manager Yue had taken over all the recent affairs of the mansion.

“Thank you.”

“It’s my duty,” Manager Yue replied respectfully. “If there’s nothing else, I will take my leave now, so as not to disturb you further.”

Shen Shilang nodded, “Thank you for your trouble.”

With a final bow, Manager Yue departed.

His attitude was entirely different from that of the previous steward, Zhou.