Volume 1, Chapter 15: The New Master of Rong-en Hall
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“What do you think you’re doing? Shouting and carrying on like this! Rong’en Hall is no place for you to run wild.”
Shi Zhao’s brows rose sharply. She did not need to raise her voice to command respect.
The servants and maids who had been making a racket in the courtyard immediately drew back and stopped what they were doing.
When the crowd in the middle of the courtyard finally parted, Shi Zhao saw Madam Lan and another older servant woman locked in a struggle, each gripping the other’s hair and refusing to let go.
Shi Zhao walked toward them. Her gaze swept over the bloody scratches on Madam Lan’s cheek before she said to the other woman, “Release her. Now.”
The woman was burly and coarse, yet her eyes darted constantly over Shi Zhao, shrewd and calculating.
“Second Young Lady, I came on the Old Marquis’s orders to pack your belongings. This old woman blocked me and even tried to hit me. You must stand up for me!”
Now that Shi Zhao had returned, Xiaoxi and the other maids felt as though they had found the backbone they needed. They could not help speaking up.
“Miss! They aren’t packing at all. They’re throwing everything outside and turning the trunks upside down!”
“They were bullying us too much. That’s why Madam Lan argued with them!”
Shi Zhao had never seen this woman before. Frowning, she said, “Let go of her.”
The woman was reluctant to obey. “If I let go, what if this old woman hits me again? Oh, my good young lady, instead of wasting time here, you should go inside and pack properly. Once we escort you to the country estate, we’ll be on our way!”
At the mention of the country estate, all the maids of Rong’en Hall looked anxiously toward Shi Zhao.
She was their young mistress.
Ever since the old lady’s death, the Old Marquis had wanted to close Rong’en Hall, redistribute its servants, or sell them off outright. It was only because the Second Young Lady had declared that she would observe mourning in the small Buddhist shrine that the hall had remained open.
If the Second Young Lady left, they might be forced to follow her into some desolate wilderness. Even if they stayed behind, they would never receive decent assignments.
The better positions in the various courtyards had long since been claimed. Where would there be any place left for them?
Madam Lan spat out a mouthful of blood and said bitterly, “Our young lady will stay right here. She is not going anywhere. Stop spouting nonsense and sullying her ears!”
Shi Zhao had no desire to argue with the woman. Seeing that she still had hold of Madam Lan’s hair, Shi Zhao removed the hairpin from her own coiffure and thrust it toward her.
The woman gave a startled cry, instantly released her grip, and stumbled several steps backward.
“Second Young Lady, have you gone mad? Help! She’s trying to kill me!”
Shi Zhao could not be bothered with her. She bent down and helped Madam Lan to her feet.
“Madam, are you all right?”
“Miss, I’m fine...” Madam Lan wiped the blood from her face and steadied herself. “Just wait here. I’ll drive this woman out!”
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“As long as our young lady is here, it is not the place of outsiders to give orders in Rong’en Hall!”
Shi Zhao stopped Madam Lan with one hand. Looking around at everyone in the courtyard, she said clearly, “It is true that I am leaving the Marquis’s residence.”
Madam Lan stared at her in disbelief. How could that be? The young lady was observing Buddhist rites by imperial command. Surely the Marquis’s residence could not be so bold as to send her away to the outskirts.
She was just about to ask when she saw Shi Zhao blink.
Madam Lan understood at once. She closed her mouth and quietly remained at Shi Zhao’s side.
“Miss... we can’t bear to see you leave...”
“Miss...”
The servants throughout the courtyard began murmuring among themselves, many of them weeping aloud.
Shi Zhao waved her hand and said calmly, “The Old Marquis has permitted me to take a few maids and servants with me. Whoever is willing to leave with me, go and pack your belongings.”
The servants fell silent. They looked at one another, none of them knowing how to respond.
Xiaoxi was the first to step forward.
“Miss, I’ll go with you.”
The sorrow on the others’ faces faded into unease. Whenever their eyes met Shi Zhao’s, they lowered their heads and hurriedly looked away.
The marquis’s residence was a place of wealth and comfort. Who would willingly go suffer in some remote wilderness? Besides, if they followed this Second Young Lady, whose position in the household was so awkward, they might never be allowed back.
For a long while, no one else spoke. Madam Lan’s face flushed with anger.
“You ungrateful wretches! The Second Young Lady has always treated you generously and never made things difficult for any of you. Now that she is in trouble, every last one of you—”
Shi Zhao gently cut her off.
“Life outside the residence will certainly be extremely difficult. Think carefully before you decide.”
Xiaoxi glanced from side to side. Several of the sisters who were usually closest to her kept their heads down in silence. She bit her lip and spoke softly to a maid named Xiaosheng.
“Two years ago, you accidentally broke the old lady’s jade cup. You were supposed to be sold, but our young lady pleaded for you and allowed you to stay!”
Xiaosheng avoided Xiaoxi’s gaze, her voice faint.
“I could never repay the young lady’s kindness, not in this lifetime. But...”
The countryside and the capital were simply too different. She did not want to go.
Several other maids and servants who had once received Shi Zhao’s kindness also remained silent.
At last, a young helper from the kitchens stepped forward, followed by a little maid who had entered the household only recently.
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Shi Zhao looked over everyone in the courtyard one final time and nodded.
“From this day onward, the bond between master and servant has come to an end. Pack your belongings and leave as you see fit.”
The burly woman who had led the others did not approve.
“Oh, my good young lady, how long will it take them to finish packing? Why don’t you leave first and let them take their time?”
Only then did Shi Zhao spare her a glance.
“Who are you? I have never seen you in this household.”
The woman proudly thrust out her chest.
“My surname is Wang. I am the senior steward brought here from the Zhou family by the Marchioness, to assist her with household affairs.”
The Marchioness of Wen’an was a daughter of the Zhou family. Her father served in the Pacifying-the-South Army as a third-rank Cloud-Banner General.
Shi Zhao raised an eyebrow. Slowly, she understood.
A faint, enigmatic smile touched her lips.
Most of the senior women in the Marquis’s residence were experienced and each managed her own sphere of responsibility. Why had the Marchioness suddenly brought a trusted attendant from her maternal family?
Because she had taken an interest in the affairs Madam Lan managed.
When the old lady had overseen the household, Madam Lan had been in charge of the kitchens. Even after the Marchioness took over the household accounts, the old lady had never removed Madam Lan from that position.
The kitchens handled a great deal of purchasing and daily expenditure. The Marchioness had wanted control of them for a long time.
While the old lady’s mourning period was still fresh, the Marchioness had not dared move against Madam Lan, for fear of public criticism. But now that Madam Lan had plainly chosen to advance and retreat alongside Shi Zhao, naturally the Marchioness had hurried to find someone who could place the kitchens in her own hands.
Madam Lan understood this as well. Her chest heaved several times, and fury rose within her.
Not for her own sake, but for Shi Zhao’s.
Only moments ago, the Marchioness had wept bitterly and claimed she could not bear to see her daughter leave the residence. Yet she could not even wait until the girl had returned from the palace. What kind of mother behaved this way?
Shi Zhao narrowed her eyes slightly and gestured toward those who had chosen to remain.
“You will make a thorough inventory of everything in the courtyard. List every damaged item and send the record to the Marchioness.”
Xiaoxi froze. She did not understand. Shouldn’t they be packing and leaving now?
Steward Wang stamped her foot and shouted, “Second Young Lady, what do you mean? This residence does not belong to you. If you cling to it like this, you’re nothing but a shameless squatter!”
“Impudent!” Madam Lan thundered.
Shi Zhao calmly smoothed a stray lock of hair beside her temple, ignoring Steward Wang’s words completely.
“In this residence, whether I leave or stay is entirely up to me.”
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