Lu Lingyun brought Xia Mei back to the Houfu. Upon returning, she handed Xia Mei over to Shuang Hong to arrange for her bath, change of clothes, and room assignment. Lu Lingyun instructed Shuang Hong to take care of Xia Mei for the time being. There were three senior maidservants in her courtyard, each sharing a room. Shuang Hong had previously shared a room with Zhi Yan, so now with Zhi Yan away, she would share a room with Xia Mei. As Xia Mei was young, Lu Lingyun asked her to stay by her side and perform the lightest tasks. After settling Xia Mei, Lu Lingyun found herself with some free time. Lady Qin was in charge of the household affairs, and while the servants had been a bit greedy with the accounts and money, they dared not be dishonest in other matters. Since Lu Lingyun took over, her previous incident of repairing the wall had served as a warning to all, and subsequent accounts submitted to her showed a significant decrease in discrepancies. Currently, in the Houfu, An Mamā had secured a position as a senior head servant, and Cui, the head buyer, had been replaced by Xiao Wei. On the surface, Lu Lingyun held considerable influence within the Houfu. However, she knew that considering the Houfu as a whole, her current level of authority was less than one-tenth. She needed to cultivate more loyal followers and place them in key positions. She languidly leaned back on a soft chair, when a head servant Mamā announced her entrance.
“Young Madam, there is a lawsuit seeking help from our Houfu.”
“A lawsuit?” Lu Lingyun perked up. Noble families like the Houfu held great power and influence, boasting an extensive network of connections. Many matters could be settled with a single word from them. Consequently, when encountering injustices, ordinary folk would often seek help from these prominent families. For instance, farmers and villagers in rural areas would often turn to local landlords for justice, while those in larger towns would seek the help of local prominent families. While the Ningyang Houfu was not the most powerful in the capital, their influence was still enough to attract many individuals seeking help and connections. During her time in Jiangnan, Lu Lingyun had seen and handled numerous such lawsuits.
“It’s the nephew of an old servant of our Houfu,” the head servant Mamā explained. “They run an inn in the western part of the city. As next year is the Spring Examination, the number of scholars entering the capital during this season is quite large, leading to a booming business for their inn. A few days ago, a death occurred at their inn. The innkeeper was arrested, and they pleaded with our Houfu, hoping that Young Madam could help them get him released.”
Lu Lingyun frowned slightly, “What sort of death?”
“Apparently, it involved a quarrel between a few scholars, which escalated to a physical fight. Coincidentally, the handrail on the second floor was rotten and had been neglected for a long time. The unfortunate innkeeper was arrested for it.”
“Hearing it this way, it seems he wasn’t so unfortunate,” Lu Lingyun said, “being the innkeeper, he failed to repair the furniture and equipment, resulting in a death. He deserves to be jailed.”
The head servant Mamā was startled, “That may be so, but he didn’t do it intentionally. Young Madam, the innkeeper’s name is Zhao. His uncle was the former old master’s head servant, Zhao Da Guan Jia, who saved the former old master’s life by taking a blow for him. However, he was incapacitated in that incident, leaving him childless. He has only one nephew to rely on, who is now in his 70s. Now, he has come to our Houfu with white hair and pleaded with us to get his nephew released, offering to pay whatever compensation is required!”
Upon hearing this, Lu Lingyun straightened up. “Is that old servant still outside?”
“Yes, he’s kneeling.”
“Tell him to go back for now, I’ll go see him tomorrow.”
“Alright!” The head servant Mamā excitedly went out.
Lu Lingyun made a note of this. She called Xia Mei over, “Xia Mei, did you live in the western part of the city before?”
“Yes, Young Madam,” Xia Mei replied promptly, adjusting her speech after entering the Houfu.
“Have you heard of the accidental death incident at the inn in the western part of the city?”
Xia Mei nodded repeatedly, “Three days ago, there was a death at an inn in that area. I heard it was a fight among several people, and one of them fell from the second floor!”
Lu Lingyun found the circumstances similar to what the head servant Mamā had mentioned and was convinced that neither the old servant nor the head servant Mamā had misled her.
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