The young master usually followed the Marquis around, so he naturally understood many things. Some things seemed insignificant, but the more you thought about them, the more alarming they became. The young master was well aware that before Emperor Liang Cheng abdicated and the new emperor ascended the throne, life in the mansion would be very difficult.

Nothing happened that night. When Ning woke up the next day, the young master was no longer in the bedroom. She called the maids over to help her wash up, and Li Mama quickly arranged for Ning to have breakfast.

Ning asked, "Granny, what time did the young master get up?"

Li Mama said, "The young master got up at dawn to avoid waking you, saying that you are tired from managing the household affairs and that you should rest more." Li Mama was genuinely happy when she said these words. She was a dowry maid of Ning Shi, and if Ning Shi was well, she would naturally be well. The young master's consideration for Ning Shi showed that the couple had a good relationship, and if the couple had a good relationship, Ning Shi's prestige in the household would be even greater.

Ning nodded and said, "Granny, later you have the maid find the roster of people in our mansion for me. Let's adjust the personnel in the mansion before the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Upon hearing this, Granny Li's heart jumped, and she said with some worry, "Madam, this is something that could offend someone."

Ning sneered and said, "They are all servants in the manor, taking the manor's monthly salary to serve others. If one can't do it, another can. What, do they want to earn money but are they thinking of picking and choosing? Do they consider themselves servants or masters in the manor?"

Upon hearing these words, Granny Li knew that this was not Ning Shi's idea, but at least the Marquis's. She quickly nodded in agreement and said, "After the people from the third branch of the family returned, they all used the servants they brought back with them. Should we send a few servants over to them?"

Ning said, "Don't worry about that for now. They'll ask when they're short-handed. The third branch of the family has always been very protective of their territory. If we rashly give it away, we'll offend them. We've made a lot of money from the third branch these past two years, so we should remember their kindness."

Granny Li nodded and said, "Next spring, the second young lady of the manor will get married. Her father-in-law, Lord Feng, will be promoted from Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Should the second young lady's dowry be increased?"

Ning said, "It's not appropriate for me to make this decision. I need to discuss it with Madam and the Old Madam. Please remember this for me. We need to decide on this matter as soon as possible, so that we don't forget to do it when things get busy."

Granny Li nodded. Ning finished her meal in a few bites, rinsed her mouth, changed her clothes, and went to the courtyard of Lady Wu, the wife of the Marquis.

Wu was not a meddlesome person. Since she handed over all the household affairs to her daughter-in-law Ning, she did not allow Ning to come and pay her respects morning and evening. Ning would come to Wu's place to visit after breakfast on the first and fifteenth of the month. Today was neither the first nor the fifteenth of the month. When she heard that Ning had come, Wu was a little surprised and quickly called people to the banquet area.

After the maid served tea, Ning said, "Mother, I've been thinking, we should reorganize the servants in our household."

Ms. Wu asked, "Move a little? How should I move?"

Ning said, “In our household, some servants are getting old and finding it difficult to work in their original positions. Others are not doing their jobs well. Mother, our Yongning Marquis's mansion is a large and powerful family. Who in the entire capital doesn’t give us a thumbs up for our training of servants? I have been observing from the sidelines, and some people are really not suitable to continue working in our household.”

Madam Wu frowned and said, "But the servants in this mansion are so interconnected that if one of them does something, it will implicate many others. Won't this cause some trouble?"

Upon hearing Wu's words, Ning understood that her mother-in-law was afraid that if someone came to her for help, it would cause her trouble.

Despite her dissatisfaction, Ning still smiled and said, "Mother, how could I dare let those ignorant people come and trouble you? You can rest assured."

Finally, Madam Wu relented. Madam Ning left Madam Wu's courtyard with a heavy heart. She turned around and looked at the small courtyard hidden in a bamboo grove. She sneered inwardly. This mother-in-law was really not a responsible person. She always dodged or pushed things away. Fortunately, the second mistress of this mansion was not the kind of person who liked to seize power and cause trouble. Otherwise, it would be hard to say who would rule this mansion before she even entered the family.

After leaving Madam Wu's courtyard, it was almost lunchtime. Madam Wu saw that she was not far from the old lady's courtyard and said to Granny Li, "Let's go to the old lady's place for lunch."

The old lady's courtyard was quite lively at this moment. A group of servants stood outside the small kitchen in the backyard, while the old lady was under a pomegranate tree in the backyard. An eight-immortal table and several chairs had been set up under the pomegranate tree, and Granny Lu sat down beside her. When she saw Ning Shi arrive, she quickly invited her to sit down and have some tea.

Ning thanked her with a smile. She knew very well what position Lu Mama held in the third branch of the family. It was only because Aunt Zhu was someone who didn't care about anything that Aunt Zhu was able to do so. If Aunt Zhu had a good relationship with Xu Rao and his mother, and wanted to go to Hexi to enjoy a life of luxury, given the friendship between the Zhu family and the Xu family back then, even if the Marquis disagreed, the Old Madam would have to speak on her behalf.

Seeing several people gathered in the kitchen, Ning asked curiously, "What are they doing?"

The old lady said with a smile, "Our Ninth Miss and Seventh Young Master are going to make us cold noodles. They say that at this time of year, eating cold noodles will improve our appetite and we can eat more rice."

Upon hearing this, Madam Ning said, "Oh dear, I've only heard people talk about it, but I've never actually tasted it. Madam, please have pity on me and let me have a meal here."

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