Help! The Frosty Noble's Son Is in Love With Me!-Chapter 289: Already Guilty of Heinous Crimes

Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Already Guilty of Heinous Crimes

"These items were found in the servants’ quarters of various households after I returned home. The saying goes, ’Family scandals should not be made public,’ so a minor reprimand sufficed initially. However, the incidents continued intermittently. Due to my busy schedule, I couldn’t deal with it immediately, so I had the objects preserved for later handling. But today, I found the box almost overflowing. Realizing the seriousness of the situation and fearing further delay might cause major trouble, I gathered all the elders here to discuss how to resolve this issue."

What was the issue?

It turned out that the box contained items secretly exchanged among the servants, including undergarments, letters, and obscene materials, which were offensive to public decency.

In a large and complex household, management oversights are inevitable. However, secret exchanges among staff can, at best, tarnish the participants’ reputations and, at worst, implicate the entire mansion.

A family should avoid secret exchanges at all costs. Where did these items come from? Surely purchased from outside. Today, it might be letters or purses; tomorrow, it could be something harmful to the Pei Mansion.

An affluent family was once reported for harboring evidence of treason, leading to its downfall.

Thus, these clandestine exchanges could range from trivial to significant. Now it seems that the Pei Mansion has substantial management issues. The servants’ audacity hints at potential disasters.

Though the households have been divided, they remain part of one mansion and cannot truly separate. For example, with the marriage of servants, their children might work in other households, maintaining interconnectedness.

Therefore, Heir Pei clarified that his investigation targeted the entire Pei Mansion, not just the main branch, which necessitated everyone’s presence to witness and resolve the problem. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

All matters involved the participation of all three households, which is why everyone from the three branches was called here.

The old lady listened, her expression grave. "You were careless. At the first sign of this, you should have reported it to me. Those who deserve death should be dealt with accordingly, and those deserving severe punishment should be dealt with harshly. This would have prevented the situation from escalating to today’s extent."

Pei Ji’an hastily apologized, "Grandmother’s reprimand is well-deserved, and it is my fault. Even with a busy schedule, I should have resolved these critical issues sooner. I won’t delay again next time."

The old lady sighed, "You can’t be entirely blamed; you are young, newlywed, and haven’t managed the household long enough to understand the gravity. Today, it’s the servants secretly exchanging items; tomorrow, outsiders might incite them to pass around our households’ private items. Wouldn’t our family’s reputation be ruined?"

After speaking, the old lady wasted no time ordering, "Immediately arrest these insolent servants. Punish them based on the severity of their exchanges. Sell those to be sold, beat those to be beaten—no leniency!"

Pei Ji’an continued, "Aside from this, there is another matter I initially underestimated. Given the mistress’s words, I realized it should be addressed promptly to prevent any adverse effects."

The old lady already considered the secret exchanges enormously grievous. Was there more happening in the mansion? She immediately asked, "What is the matter?"

Pei Ji’an replied, "This matter could also be significant, but it’s different—it’s about the servants gathering to gamble and drink while on night duty. Some even got into a group fight over their losses..."

The old lady struck the ground with her cane, "What if, in a fit of impulse, someone kills another? What kind of people are involved? Do you have their names?"

"The list is recorded. Does the old lady wish to look over it?"

"Bring it quickly, let me see!"

Pei Ji’an glanced at Steward Cai, who promptly presented the list to the old lady. Upon inspection, indeed, it showed that servants from all three households were involved.

According to the final tally, the main branch’s servants were least involved, followed by the second branch, with the third branch having the most participants.

"You all take a look as well; let’s resolve this today. Without Si, I wouldn’t have realized how chaotic Pei Mansion has become."

The Pei family’s household conduct is considered good. If it’s so chaotic inside, how disastrous must it be in other households?

Indeed, even affluent families face challenges. Outsiders see the splendor but are unaware of the difficulty in managing internal affairs. A minor slip can trigger a chain reaction and lead to irreparable consequences.

There were over a dozen identical copies of the notebook—this was Heir Pei’s foresight, preparing multiple copies for easy circulation, saving a lot of time.

Not only did each of the three masters have a copy, but even Master Lu and Mrs. Ning and her daughter did as well.

The booklet only recorded the names of those involved in gambling, how much was bet each time, how much was lost, who had conflicts with whom, and what near consequences ensued, and so on.

This record was exceptionally detailed—one would think it was an investigative report by the Ministry of Justice.

All that’s missing is a signed confession to seal the case.

Thinking about signed confessions shows some still doubted the documents. What if they were forged?

Not just Third Madam, Pei Lan, and the rest—even Third Master and Pei Lian had their doubts. Did so many of their servants really indulge in drinking and gambling?

Pei Ji’an seemed to perceive their skepticism, his lips curling slightly before resuming composure, "Bring all involved parties here."

He intended to interrogate on the spot, to uncover the truth completely and leave no room for dispute.

To make an issue of gambling and drinking, otherwise, if the clandestine exchanges blew up, public opinion would be one thing, but tarnishing the family’s reputation was the real concern.

At this point, it appeared to solely involve household matters and servants, unrelated to the masters.

Not exactly.

In sum, Pei Ji’an settled in his seat, as the three masters would handle the interrogations; he could simply observe the developments.

Those indulging in drinking and gambling could not withstand much interrogation. After a few lashes, they would confess everything.

Drinking and gambling, the sums spent, whose money was stolen when funds ran out, even pilfering from the masters—all were laid bare.

The seriousness lay herein—if they dared to steal the masters’ money, what about other possessions? What if they were used for malevolent purposes? It would be disastrous.

Servants from the main branch, second branch, and third branch were all subjected to on-site questioning.

Before that, someone couldn’t hold back, "Second Brother, with such significant issues at home, why isn’t Second Sister-in-law present?"

The person asking was none other than Pei Lan.

She voiced what many felt—everyone in the family was summoned, except for Qu Fulan. What does this imply?

Could it be that as Young Lady Pei, she enjoys special privileges? Even the old lady and the elders are here—what status does she hold above them?