Before Su Rongrong returned to her family home, she wanted to assert her authority in the manor one last time. She sat in her chair, tightly clutching my indenture contract in her hand. She believed that as long as this piece of paper existed, I would forever be a servant of the Su family. She looked at me, her eyes filled with cold calculation. She was probably thinking of selling me to the lowest, vilest place before she departed.
"Wanning, do you really think that climbing into your father-in-law's bed means you are safe and sound? As long as I do not let go, you can forget about ever holding your head high in this lifetime."
I stood before her, neither speaking nor kneeling. This attitude of mine only enraged her further. Just as she was about to call Yuanru forward to strike me, the steward entered the room with several guards. In his hands, the steward held a thick register. It contained the newly established rules of the household. Without so much as a glance at Su Rongrong, he walked straight up to me and handed me the register.
"Young madam, the Duke has instructed that from today on, the internal affairs of the household will be managed by Lady Consort. As for that private indenture contract in your hand, the government office has already annulled it."
Su Rongrong froze in shock. She stared down at the indenture contract, suddenly trying to tear it to pieces in a fit of madness, but the steward was quicker. He immediately ordered the guards to seize the contract.
The steward then informed me that the Duke had already entered my name into the Fu family registry. This meant I was no longer a maid who could be bought and sold at whim, but rather half a master of this household.
Su Rongrong slumped into her chair, watching helplessly as the steward confiscated her official seal as well. They were stripping her of her authority. When she left with Yuanru, she didn't even look back.
Watching them leave, I knew very well that Su Rongrong was not returning to her family home to escape trouble, but to plot how to seize back control of this household.
Lord Su arrived at our doors much faster than I had anticipated. He brought no gifts with him. The moment he entered, he took the guest seat, his face extremely grim. He began to lecture the Duke. He said the Duke had been leading troops in battle for too long and had forgotten the proper etiquette of the capital.
The Duke sat in the host seat, flipping through several letters in his hand. Those were the evidence of the Su family privately contacting the city guard.
"Duke, you locked Jingyun in the dungeon for the sake of a maid. This is a slap in the face to the Su family. Don't you forget who helped you raise the military funds back then?"
The Duke put down the letters and looked at Lord Su. He did not take the bait about the military funds. Lord Su glanced at the content of the letters and his face instantly turned from red to white. He had originally wanted to use past favours to pressure him, but he never expected that his own leverage had already fallen into the Duke's hands.
"Lord Su, half of the high-interest loans Jingyun borrowed outside went into your pocket. Did you come today wanting to pay back the money, or wanting to join him inside?"
Lord Su sweated profusely. He saw me standing beside the Duke, his eyes filled with absolute hatred, but he did not dare to speak further and could only lower his head to sip his tea.
The Duke asked me to fetch the account book. It was a list of properties and assets that the Su family had carted away from the Duke's estate over the years. Every single transaction was recorded clearly. Lord Su looked at the list, his hands shaking.
Lord Su walked very fast when he left, as if a ghost were chasing him from behind. The Duke looked at his retreating figure and told me that the Su family still had many connections in the capital, and this had only temporarily suppressed him. He ordered the head steward to tighten the estate patrols, especially around my courtyard.
I knew that, being pushed into a corner, the Su family would surely find a way to make a breakthrough through me.
I went to the dungeon again, this time without bringing any food. Having stayed in the dungeon for a few days, Fu Jingyun had completely broken down. Seeing me, he no longer begged for mercy, but began to babble incoherently.
I dismissed the guarding soldiers to the outside of the door and walked up to the iron bars myself. I told him, "Lord Su has already given up on you and is preparing to have Su Rongrong remarry."
"Nonsense. The Su family cannot survive without me. I am the heir to the Su family. You are nothing now."
"Su Rongrong has already written a full confession of everything you did outside."
Hearing the word confession, Fu Jingyun froze completely. He began to scratch and claw at his hair frantically, and then suddenly burst into laughter. He told me that the Su family actually had a grand plan all along. Fu Jingyun was merely a spy they had planted in the Duke's estate. Through him, the Su family wanted to slowly take control of the Duke's estate's assets, and they even wanted to seize the Duke's military command.
"You think you've won? The Su family has connections in the Imperial Palace. Father has been targeted ever since he returned to court this time."
My heart skipped a beat. Although Fu Jingyun was mad, what he was saying did not sound like lies.
To avenge Su Rongrong's betrayal, he began to confess, one by one, the names of the spies the Su family had planted in our estate. I took out a brush and paper and wrote down these names one by one. This was no longer just a domestic dispute. The Su family's ambition was far greater than I had imagined.
When I left the dungeon, Fu Jingyun was still crying and laughing behind me.
I handed that list of names to the Duke. He fell silent for a long time after reading it. He told me that on this list there were several old subordinates who had followed him for over a decade. This estate was far more dangerous than I had imagined.