Chapter 16

"Young lady, you're finally back," Granny Zhu said sarcastically. "You didn't come home all night; did you go to pay your respects to the Grand Madam?"

Gu Zhizhuo said condescendingly, "I'm going back to my own home. Do I need a servant like you to interfere?"

"you……"

"What do you mean, 'you'!" Gu Zhizhuo sneered. "Is this how the Grand Madam taught a servant to point fingers at his master?"

Granny Zhu choked for a moment and quickly put her hand back.

Gu Zhizhuo walked straight ahead.

Behind her, Granny Zhu said in a deep voice, "This servant will report everything you said to the Grand Madam."

Oh dear, I knew they were going to complain again. It's the same old story.

Gu Zhizhu stopped in her tracks. Granny Zhu thought she was scared, and the corners of her mouth turned up, waiting for her to admit her mistake.

However, instead of an apology, she only received the words: "By the way, Granny Zhu, since you like Ruihuang so much, remember to take her with you when you leave. On the way, you two should talk things out, discuss things properly, and think about how to file a complaint. Don't disturb the peace and quiet of my courtyard."

She flicked her sleeve and said, "Show them out!"

Granny Zhu trembled with anger, forcing out the words through gritted teeth: "Young Miss, this servant will take her leave now!"

After saying that, she left with a dark face, her footsteps heavy, venting her displeasure.

Ruihuang was stunned, her mouth half-open.

Does this girl mean she wants to kick her out?

Gu Zhizhuo's gaze swept over the servants in the courtyard. Most of them were surprised and uncertain, and some even cautiously looked at Ruihuang's expression.

Why.

Gu Zhizhuo found it somewhat boring.

Not only in this mansion, but she couldn't even win over the people in her own courtyard.

How useless I was in the past.

In her previous life, the young master had taught her: It is impossible for a person to be perfect; one should make the best use of their strengths (Note).

Qiongfang is loyal, but she's too soft-hearted and obedient. She's a good person, but she can't control people. It's really a bit difficult for her to manage all the people and things in this courtyard.

"Qingmei, you take charge of this courtyard."

Huh? Qingmei was stunned for a moment.

On her very first day as a spy, she quickly became the target's confidante.

no!

Does Miss Gu still remember that she is from the Eastern Depot?

Gu Zhizhu patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "From now on, the entire courtyard is in your hands."

"I'll back you up if you have a girl."

This statement was made with great conviction.

"Let's see if I, surnamed Gu, can be in charge of you Gu family servants."

Ruihuang's heart seemed to be clenched, and she blurted out, "Miss!" only to find that Gu Zhizhuo had already led Qiongfang into the house, seemingly unconcerned about everything that was happening outside.

She felt vaguely uneasy.

Qingmei: "..."

Alright, the supervisor asked her to be the young lady's maid.

Then she'll do her job as a maid.

Qingmei stood smiling under the eaves.

The maids and old women were mostly surprised and uncertain. In Lingxiao Courtyard, Qiongfang and Ruihuang were both head maids. Qiongfang always served the young lady by her side, never leaving her side. In this courtyard, Ruihuang always made the decisions, big and small.

Now this is...

Is the world about to change?

"What are you looking at!" Ruihuang strode up to her, her voice sharp but her tone weak. "I was given to me by the Madam."

"This Lingxiao Courtyard is not up to a little bitch of unknown origin like you to make decisions."

Qingmei smiled innocently: "Sister Ruihuang, what did you call me?"

She's delicate and gentle, and looks like she'd be easy to bully.

Emboldened, Ruihuang tilted her head back and said, "You little bitch!"

Before she could finish speaking, Qingmei swung her hand and slapped her so hard that she stumbled and almost fell.

Ruihuang covered her face, furious: "How dare you!"

Qingmei asked softly, "Sister Ruihuang, what did you just call me?"

"Small……"

Ruihuang wanted to curse as soon as she opened her mouth.

Qingmei rubbed her knuckles and looked at her with a smile.

The action was so shocking that Ruihuang swallowed the rest of her words, almost coughing up blood: "What...what do you want to do?"

Qingmei casually pointed at the rough old woman below her: "Throw her out."

When she uttered those three words, Qingmei was also very gentle and kind.

The old women looked at each other, each pondering their own thoughts.

The maids in the courtyard cautiously took a half step back.

Ruihuang raised her chin triumphantly. She was the madam's woman! Who in this mansion dared to touch her?

Everyone's expressions were reflected in Qingmei's dark pupils.

Oh?

Qingmei drew a long black whip from her waist and lashed it across the ground with a whoosh. A small stone flew up and split in two.

The servants all shrank back, knowing that if the whip fell on them, their skin would be torn and bleeding.

Qingmei tossed out another silver ingot, which rolled smoothly to the feet of several rough-working women.

An old woman swallowed hard.

For women like them who did menial tasks, their monthly allowance was the lowest in the household. This one silver ingot was enough to cover half a year's wages for them.

Is it a whip, or silver?

Normal people don't need to make a choice.

The red-faced old woman was the quickest. She pounced and picked up the silver ingots from the ground. Without Qingmei needing to say anything more, she raised the large broom she was using for sweeping and swung it at Ruihuang.

Dust and withered leaves from the broom covered Ruihuang all over her body.

"Go! Go! Go!"

She was shooing away kittens and puppies.

"Ahhh! How dare you! I'm going to report to the madam. Ah!" Ruihuang screamed repeatedly, trying to dodge, but she was still forced step by step towards the courtyard gate.

The red-faced old woman shoved her out and then swiftly closed the courtyard gate.

Ruihuang kept banging on the door outside, shouting and cursing.

The red-faced old woman ignored him and looked at Qingmei with a fawning expression.

Qingmei stood there with a smile: "All of you, behave yourselves and do what you're supposed to do. If you disturb the young lady's rest, you'll be in for a beating!"

She pointed at them with her riding crop, speaking softly and gently, making her exceptionally easy to talk to. (Xia)

Qingmei straightened her skirt and entered the house with light steps.

Before she could speak, Qiongfang gestured for her to be quiet.

Gu Zhizhuo leaned against the chaise lounge, rubbing his forehead, looking somewhat listless.

"It's alright, go ahead and tell me."

Gu Zhizhuo took the teacup Qiongfang handed him and sipped the warm water slowly.

Qingmei said lightly, "Miss, I've chased the person away."

She recounted what had happened, which made Gu Zhizhu smile. She clapped her hands and said, "It's settled then. I'll leave everything to you. If you're unsure about anything, you can ask Qiongfang."

Qingmei: "..."

Is Miss Gu really that unfriendly?

Even Qiongfang was nodding, smiling without a trace of guile. Didn't she really feel that she had taken over her position as a newcomer?

Qingmei could only say, "Okay."

She always felt that her role as a spy... seemed a little off.

Before she could think it over, Gu Zhizhuo said wearily, "I'm going to take a nap first."

Her legs felt weak, and she staggered as soon as she stood up, leaning on the floor-to-ceiling screen for support.

"Miss." Qiongfang quickly helped her up and carefully placed the back of her hand on her forehead. The burning temperature startled Qiongfang.

Ever since she vomited blood last night, she had a slight fever. It wasn't a big deal at first, but shortly after leaving Baijitang, Gu Zhizhuo noticed that her temperature started to rise and the fever got worse.

She waved her hand: "You can brew the medicine I brought back for me, and I'll take it when I wake up."

She was helped back to her room by Qiongfang, and lay down immediately.

In that hazy moment, Gu Zhizhu couldn't help but think.

In her previous life, she had a fever and fell into a coma.

This life is no different.

Sigh, she knew it; she really couldn't escape this illness.

Gu Zhizhu slept for several hours, waking up in the middle of the night to take his medicine before falling asleep again.

The high fever didn't subside until late the next day, when the sun was high in the sky. Sweat soaked through his undergarments, clinging damply to his skin, making him feel sticky and uncomfortable.

Qiongfang has already prepared hot water.

After washing up and changing her clothes, Gu Zhizhuo felt much more comfortable.

There was no small kitchen in the courtyard, but porridge was simmering on a red clay stove, along with some side dishes that Qiongfang had bought from Shanbiju.

As soon as Gu Zhizhuo woke up, Qiongfang was already laid out on the round table.

Gu Zhizhuo ate his porridge with the side dishes, feeling a warm sensation in his stomach, and comfortably squinted his eyes.

Qingmei smiled and proactively reported from the side:

"Miss, I've transferred Granny Jiang to take care of the flowers and trees."

Granny Jiang was the one who chased Ruihuang away with a big broom earlier.

Gu Zhizhuo scooped up a spoonful of porridge, put it in his mouth, and slowly swallowed.

These unskilled women did the most menial tasks: sweeping the yard, cleaning the house, washing clothes... It was tiring, and their monthly allowance was meager.

With this transfer, Qingmei went from a rough-and-ready old woman to a manager. Not only did her monthly allowance increase and her work become easier, but she also had one or two maids to serve her.

This small transfer was enough to make the other servants envious.

Gu Zhizhu praised, "Well done."

The people in this courtyard are a mixed bunch. Replacing everyone from top to bottom would be too much of a hassle and unnecessary.

These unskilled women, in particular, had little connection with the prominent stewards of the mansion; otherwise, they wouldn't have to do such menial work at their age.

Letting them know the benefits of "obedience" is enough to make them obedient.

Qingmei smiled adorably and said a few more words:

"The second-class maids in the courtyard have now split into two factions. Sishi and Qingwei are convinced that Ruihuang will come back, while Xuezhong and Chunxin have started to curry favor with me."

"After Granny Jiang was transferred to manage the flowers and trees, all the maids were green with envy. So I had Chunxin spread the word that the young lady wanted to select two more maids to manage the small storeroom."

"This time, all those old women came over to pledge their loyalty to me."

Gu Zhizhu smiled gently.

Qingmei is like a carrot dangling in front of a donkey's mouth; they have to fight and struggle for it themselves to get their hands on it.

Gu Zhizhuo found it interesting and ate two bowls of porridge and drank a bowl of medicine before going to sleep.

When she woke up again, the listlessness on her face had vanished. Looking at her fair and rosy complexion in the bronze mirror, Gu Zhizhuo took her pulse.

She quietly felt the pulse and asked, "Has my elder brother replied?"

"not yet."

Gu Zhizhuo then asked, "What news has there been in the capital these past few days?"

Qiongfang listened to him. Before Gu Zhizhuo fell into a coma, he told her to go for walks outside the mansion more often, so she went to teahouses and taverns every day and heard a lot of rumors from the streets and alleys.

When Gu Zhizhuo asked, she replied, "I heard them say that when the Qingping Zhenren of Taiqing Temple was in seclusion, she cast a divination, and the divination indicated that a woman of destiny would appear in the Daqi Dynasty..."

A note from the author:

Note: From "Huainanzi: The Art of Governing"