Chapter 243

Chapter 247: Excitement (Part 1)

Amber was talking about how she dealt with the young maid: "...to let them know who is in charge in this courtyard!"

Eleventh Miss nodded with a smile, giving verbal praise: "Good, good. You reacted very quickly."

Amber's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but soon dimmed again: "You, Madam, said I reacted quickly but didn't comment on whether the handling was appropriate. Madam..." She hesitated.

After three days apart, one must view things with fresh eyes!

"From what I see now, your handling was also appropriate," Eleventh Miss pointed to a stool nearby for Amber to sit on, speaking softly and slowly, "But you must remember one thing. The same rice can feed a hundred different people. Not everyone will be loyal to us, nor will everyone respect us. For example, the people in our courtyard. Most were left by the eldest sister; they received her kindness and are grateful to her. Therefore, they are somewhat resistant to us newcomers, which is human nature."

Amber nodded.

"For those people, we only ask them to be honest and to dutifully complete their tasks. As for the rest, we should not force it. On the other hand, people like Dongqing and Binju are different. They were brought into the household by me, they are my attendants, and they also serve as the heads of this courtyard. Besides being honest and dutiful, they must also know to be loyal."

Amber listened, bowing her head in thought.

"As long as you can share my worries by my side, and those left by the eldest sister can do their work honestly, the courtyard will naturally be peaceful. So I say, your actions were very astute, timely punishing that young maid, making an example of her to deter others, and it served as a deterrent. Very well done."

Amber listened, even more confused: "If that's the case, then why did you, Madam..."

"I wanted to discuss this matter with you," Eleventh Miss's attitude became even gentler.

"Among the people left by the eldest sister, there are those like Madam Tao who are capable and have face in front of their masters, and there are also those like Lv Yun and Hong Xiu who were chosen to serve by her side because they were smart and clever. As for someone like Madam Tao, in terms of affection, she was the eldest sister's wet nurse; in terms of time spent together, from the eldest sister's birth to her death; in terms of favors, her son now manages the eldest sister's largest estate. Unless she is ungrateful, if a situation arose where both the eldest sister and I fell into the water, she would definitely be the first to jump into the river to save the eldest sister, even if I were within her reach, she would save the eldest sister first, not me."

Amber was stunned by the metaphor Eleventh Miss used. But upon careful thought, there really was no way to deny it.

"But if it were Lv Yun and Hong Xiu encountering this situation, it might be different. Even if they would jump in to save the eldest sister, if I were closer to them than the eldest sister, given that human nature is inherently good, they might save me first, then go to save the eldest sister. Think about it, isn't that the logic?"

Amber's eyes showed a bit of understanding: "Do you mean that if Madam Tao made a mistake, no punishment would be too much. But if Lv Yun and Hong Xiu made a mistake, the punishment could be lighter..."

Eleventh Miss laughed: "You're on the right track, but not quite there yet. Think more carefully!"

Amber tilted her head and thought for a long time, finally saying sheepishly: "Madam, I'm too slow-witted, I'd better listen to you!"

"The rules are the rules, no matter who breaks them, the punishment is the same. You assigned a young maid to the laundry room, and explicitly told her to wash all the bedding in the mansion. At her young age, she likely couldn't endure it for long."

"Then, what should we do?" Fine sweat appeared on Amber's temples.

"Take some gifts to the young maid's home, see who is in charge there. Then explain the situation to them. Tell them what she did wrong, why she was punished, make it all clear. Also tell her family that if she can't endure it, they can take her back. You can intercede on her behalf with the steward, and even help pay her redemption fee."

"Then, why did I punish her at all!" Amber couldn't help but exclaim.

"We have no past grudges, no recent grievances with her. Why push her onto the path of hating us?" Eleventh Miss sighed softly.

"However," she continued, her tone changing, "some people, even if we intend to befriend them, we can't win over. If they make a mistake, it's just bad luck. If they hate us for this, there's nothing we can do, right?" As she spoke, she winked at Amber, "Then let them hate us as they wish!"

Amber immediately understood.

"That's exactly what Madam means."

She was somewhat excited, "Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. If rules are broken, everyone must be punished. But after the punishment is given, whether to apply medicine, what medicine to apply, and when to apply it, is up to us."

"At least my words weren't wasted," Eleventh Miss was quite pleased to see her understand, and called to Amber, "Go, you only know to learn the rules from me, but don't know to pour me some tea to moisten my throat."

"Ah!" Amber jumped up, "It's all my fault." She quickly poured out the cold tea in front of Eleventh Miss and replaced it with a hot cup.

"I heard from Coral Sister that when you were in Yuhang, you drank Tieguanyin in spring and summer, and Qihong in autumn and winter, with two spoons of honey added to the Qihong. But since I've been with you, I've only seen you drink Longjing..." She sat on the stool beside Eleven Miss and chatted, "Is it because the tea we brew doesn't suit your taste?"

Eleven Miss took a sip of hot tea and smiled, asking in return, "Have you ever seen anyone add honey to Qihong?"

Amber thought for a moment and shook her head, "I'm not well-traveled, so naturally, I haven't seen it."

"It's not that you haven't seen it. It's really uncommon for people to drink tea like that." Eleven Miss's voice was somewhat melancholic, not exactly sad, but certainly not happy, which made Amber feel strange. "So, we should strive to enjoy Qihong with honey in winter."

Amber listened, confused, "But Lotus from Fifth Lady's room said that Second Lady even puts heated stones in her tea! What's so unusual about wanting to add a bit of honey to Qihong?"

Eleven Miss laughed heartily.

After laughing, she seriously said to Amber, "All new maids must learn the rules, which are the behavioral norms for maids and wives. Go and copy a set, then have everyone memorize them again. Make it clear to them that from now on, they should act according to the rules. If anyone breaks the rules again, you just follow the rules, and there will be fewer complaints."

She had a lot to do—Chang Jiuhe had just taken over the dowry estate, and she was unsure about today's harvest. The flower dew shop couldn't be opened, so she had to think of other ways. It was already the end of the first lunar month, and Lord Xu would be dealing with the stewards involved in the moldy rice incident in the next few days. Liu Yuanrui's eldest son from her dowry was twelve this year, and Chang Jiuhe's second son was ten; she needed to find an opportunity to see them and try to recommend them to the outer court, starting as pages or attendants. Also, Chang Jiuhe's eldest daughter and Wan Yizong's eldest daughter were old enough to start working in the mansion, but she hadn't met them yet... She didn't want to be bogged down by these messy affairs every day.

Amber nodded. Seeing that Eleven Miss was in a good mood, she leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Madam, when we returned to Bowstring Alley, Coral Sister said that the eldest daughter asked you to find a concubine for Lord Xu." Her eyes flickered, "She was afraid Lord Xu wouldn't be satisfied and wanted to pick a few more from our original sisters for Lord Xu to see..."

Eleven Miss looked at her and smiled, "What do you want to say?"

Amber immediately blushed, stammering, "Madam, look at me, I..."

While the two were talking in the room, Madam Tao was looking at the older woman who had brought her the news and sneering.

"Really, they've grown wings, even a little maid dares to show me attitude."

"Yes, Madam!" the older woman said indignantly, "As the saying goes, don't hit someone in the face. But that little wench Amber named names. If you don't find a way to discipline that little wench soon, I'm afraid in the future..." As she spoke, she carefully observed Madam Tao's expression.

Madam Tao simply smiled, had a maid bring twenty coins, and with a "buy some wine for Madam," dismissed her.

The curtain lifted, and Wan Xiang, wearing an official green silk jacket and a pair of gold double-longevity hairpins, walked out.

"I told you that little girl is sweet-talking but bitter-hearted, now you see how tough she is?" Her face showed a hint of mockery.

If it were the past, Madam Tao would have shot her a sharp look. But now, thinking of Chun Ge... she took a deep breath, suppressing her displeasure.

Seeing the usually tough Madam Tao soften, Wan Xiang couldn't help but feel a bit smug.

She sat down next to Madam Tao, "About what I asked you... what do you think?"

"No!" Madam Tao refused outright, "If Lord Xu wants to take a concubine, that's Lady Yongping's business. I won't interfere."

"Oh, my dear Madam!" Wan Xiang's face showed deeper sarcasm, "You still think you're the Madam Tao of old. The current Lady Yongping is not the eldest daughter of yesteryear. Your loyalty and righteousness need someone to buy into it! Besides, I'm not asking you to recommend someone to Lady Yongping, just to keep an eye out for when Lord Xu goes to the outer court, so she can meet him. If it doesn't work out, it's her bad luck, and I'll still be grateful for your help; if it does, it'll be a thorn in Lady Yongping's side!" She lowered her voice, "You'll see, she's the spitting image of Qiu Luo!"

Madam Tao raised her long eyebrows, her expression turning cold. "I'm not in a good mood today, you should go back early! Do your job well, don't think about these messy things."

Wan Xiang was so angry her chest heaved, and after a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Since Madam is so heartless, don't blame me for being unkind." She turned and left.

Madam Tao's face turned pale.

The maid who came to clean the teacups looked worried, "Madam Tao, Sister Wan Xiang..."

"Don't mention that pest. She's having a hard time now, desperate and blinded by greed." As she spoke, she suddenly stood up and instructed the maid, "I'll be right back!"