"Among families of officials serving in the same court, as long as they have backbone, even if they are illegitimate daughters, they will not be sent to other people's homes to be concubines, because that would be degrading themselves."

"Anyone with any sense of shame would not agree to take a perfectly good young woman into their household, disregarding their colleagues; that would be shameless."

Xu Yunci remained calm, but the disdain in his eyes clearly expressed his contempt for the Du family.

"Not to mention the Du family lady's words of affection. I have never met anyone from the Du family, and even General Du has only met them a few times in the capital. How could I possibly have any feelings for them?"

"I'm afraid it's because the illegitimate daughter doesn't have any say in her own life and lets others talk nonsense."

It's not impossible that there might be a situation like Fu Yunning's, but regardless of the case, given past examples, Xu Yunci dares not gamble with people's hearts again.

Especially the woman who said "Xin Yue" (meaning "heart's desire"), she could be so ruthless that she could kill someone. He couldn't bear to see it come to that, just like Fu Yun Ning.

Li Shiyue remained silent. She had roughly guessed Xu Yunci's thoughts. It was impossible for her to say that the Du family's daughter was innocent and to show kindness and generosity by welcoming her into the mansion.

As for the Du family, if they are truly people who curry favor with the powerful, then Xu Yunci's actions are not entirely unjustified.

Just as she was about to say something, Li Shiyue noticed Chunling standing under the eaves: "When did you return? Have you made all the arrangements?"

Chunling naturally noticed that there was no one else in the flower hall. She stood on the corridor, hesitating whether to come in or not. If she didn't come in, it would be bad if she didn't reply to Li Shiyue's instructions in time and delay the important matter.

But if I go in and disturb them abruptly, I'm afraid my master will be angry.

When Li Shiyue asked, Chunling stepped in, keeping her head down and not daring to look around: "I have met all the people that Granny Sun mentioned, and I also told them to come here after lunch."

Since these matters have been entrusted to her, she should meet with all the old women and maids in the inner quarters, or even the famous maids.

Li Shiyue nodded, her gaze falling on the roster beside her, which listed the various servants marked by Granny Sun, all of whom were capable of managing affairs.

Several of them were marked as old nannies from the Duke's mansion and some maids who had been sold into servitude for many years, some of whom were also extremely temperamental.

Xu Yunci followed her gaze and looked over, somewhat puzzled: "This is the management of the Duke's mansion. It seems that Mother is going to hand it all over to you."

Li Shiyue pursed her lips, somewhat uncertain: "Let me try it out first. If I do well, then Mother will feel comfortable entrusting everything to me."

"I'm just worried that I might not handle things well and embarrass my mother, since I've been learning from her for quite some time."

"Fortunately, Mother was very thoughtful. Luo Mama is a capable person by Mother's side, and Sun Mama is an old servant in the mansion and your wet nurse. They can explain things very clearly if you don't understand anything."

After returning to Tongxintang and having lunch, Li Shiyue, along with Lian Dong and Chun Ling, did not rush to show themselves.

Many of the old women and nannies had arrived in the flower hall, along with a few young faces, standing in turn with their heads bowed, not daring to say a word.

Li Shiyue did not rush inside. She stood behind the screen, her round fan swaying slightly in her hand.

Lian Dong and Chun Ling exchanged a glance, and in perfect unison held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound, standing behind her.

The flower hall was very quiet. Even though Li Shiyue was a little late, it was still very quiet inside, and there were no whispers.

With her head slightly tilted, Li Shiyue peeked through the screen and could vaguely see the people in the flower hall standing with their heads bowed. Occasionally, a few impatient people would turn their heads to look back and forth, but no one made a sound.

Luo's mother stood beside her, seemingly unsurprised by her actions, and smiled slightly when Li Shiyue looked over.

"When my mother was in charge of the household, the rules she established were very good, and the people in the mansion obeyed them very well. Seeing it today is even more convincing than I had heard."

Li Shiyue felt both admiration and envy.

Madam Yang is truly blessed. She has the unwavering love of the Duke of Rongguo for many years, a respectful mother-in-law, and filial and intelligent children. She also manages the vast Duke's mansion in an orderly manner, even ensuring the servants follow proper etiquette. It is truly admirable.

After saying this, Li Shiyue took a step forward and appeared. Instantly, everyone in the flower hall knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness's wife."

Sitting in the middle of the rosewood chair, Lian Dong and Chun Ling stood to her left, while Luo Mama walked to Sun Mama's side.

The smile on her face vanished as she entered, replaced by a calm expression, downcast eyes, and the air of a typical housekeeper.

Granny Sun, standing to the side, was the same. She didn't smile, her face was expressionless, and her eyes showed no emotion. She seemed to be listening to Li Shiyue's orders.

Upon seeing the attitudes of the two men, the man who had knelt down began to ponder the matter.

"Get up, everyone."

Li Shiyue spoke gently, and seeing everyone stand up, she smiled and said, "As you all know, my mother handed over the management of the household to me today. I heard Granny Sun and Granny Luo explain some matters very clearly, so I thought I would take this opportunity to meet with you all."

The smile in her eyes wasn't very obvious; it just appeared faintly.

“What the Crown Prince’s wife says is true. Now that you are the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest son’s family, the power to manage the household should naturally be handed over to you.”

The one who spoke was a woman standing on the far left, wearing a light brown, narrow-sleeved, plain jacket. She was broad-shouldered, and the flesh on her cheeks was piled up because of her smile.

Compared to others, she seemed exceptionally eager, so much so that even Luo's mother didn't notice her.

Li Shiyue saw everything but did not react: "Who is this?"

The old woman couldn't hide her joy upon hearing this. Before Granny Sun could speak, she stepped forward and introduced herself with a beaming smile: "My surname is Pang, and everyone calls me Granny Pang. I work in the kitchen."

"So you are Granny Pang. I've heard Granny Sun mention you. You do a very good job in the kitchen."

His tongue is a bit long, and his arms are a bit too long.

Li Shiyue recalled the list that Granny Sun had circled, and Granny Pang was the first one there.

She was not someone Yang trusted, and to be precise, she wasn't in charge of the kitchen. Her eagerness stemmed from the fact that she had once been a member of the second wife's household.

However, ever since the second wife moved out of the Duke's mansion, her status in the inner quarters has become increasingly inferior to that of others, and Madam Yang is unwilling to employ her. Now that she has met her new master, she has no choice but to be more proactive.

The old woman standing beside her did not move her eyebrows or eyes. She was wearing a plain, narrow-sleeved jacket. Although she was old, it was not hard to see that she had delicate features and was dignified and beautiful when she was young.

She stood there, listening to Granny Pang's enthusiastic response without much change in expression.

"Which one of you is Granny Ji?"

The old nanny standing beside Granny Pang stepped forward, curtsied respectfully, and said, "This servant greets the young master's wife."