“Then who did?”
“I, I don’t know…”
Fu Shen said menacingly, “I have no patience to watch you sift chaff. The sooner you explain, the better—I’ll give you one more chance. Think carefully before you speak.”
The young servant bit his lower lip, continuously wringing the corner of his clothes. Finally unable to withstand Fu Shen’s pressure, he whispered the truth: “I really don’t know, maybe it was Wang Gou’er…”
Fu Shen was puzzled: “Who is Wang Gou’er?”
“He’s the son from the Wang family in Yangshu Gou in the east of the city, who often comes with his father to deliver vegetables… Last night, Grandfather Fu asked me to bring a vase to the study. Wang Gou’er said he wanted to see what a wealthy family’s study looked like.
Fu Shen: “Xiao Xun.”
Xiao Xun: “Understood.”
An outsider entering the lord’s study, even if there were no important items, was a significant oversight by these guards. Xiao Xun immediately took two personal guards to investigate this “Wang Gou’er”. Fu Shen slowly scanned the people standing below and suddenly let out a soft, cold laugh.
“It seems I’ve indeed been negligent these years, thinking this ‘backyard’ was of little value and not worth setting on fire. Who knew that despite guarding day and night, a family thief would be the hardest to prevent, with holes larger than a sieve. Today’s events are a lesson for everyone, including myself. Steward Fu—”
The old servant tremblingly stepped forward: “Please give your orders, my lord.”
“Dismiss all servants within ten days, send them back where they came from. From now on, the manor will be managed by the North Yan military.
No outsiders are allowed to stay. That’s all, go.”
A group of people knelt down: “My lord! Please have mercy… spare our lives!”
“Don’t make me say it twice,” Fu Shen waved his hand, “Xiao Ding, supervise this.”
A personal guard stepped forward, grabbing the old servant’s collar and dragging him out. With the matter settled, the remaining people left the study one by one.
