Jiang Yimian handed the letter she had written to Wang San, and then summoned all the maids, servants, and concubines in the manor to the back garden.
Once everyone had arrived, she looked at the densely packed crowd standing in the open space, a dark mass that surprised her.
I didn’t expect that even though the Ministry of Justice took away so many people, there are still so many in the manor, at least two hundred.
Jiang Yimian glanced at everyone before asking, "Besides Steward Chen, who else managed this manor before?"
Such a large estate cannot be managed by just Steward Chen alone.
Liu'er hesitated for a moment before stepping out from the crowd and saying in a clear voice, "Reporting to Miss, apart from matters concerning the mines and when Lord Zhu instructs Steward Chen, I manage everything else in the manor."
Jiang Yimian sized up the person in front of her. She noticed that although the other person spoke respectfully, their back was ramrod straight, without any...
He showed none of the obsequious, fawning manner that others displayed.
Her eyes were clear and bright, without any hint of a servant's demeanor. She possessed a calm and composed air, which made even the bright red birthmark on her face seem less out of place.
However, the other party walked lightly and silently, clearly a martial artist, and not just someone who knew a little bit of fist and footwork. It was obvious that he was a trained fighter, standing out among the servants who only knew a little bit of fist and footwork.
Although she deliberately imitated the behavior of an ordinary person and tried to conceal her true nature, she still noticed it from the other person's subtle habits. Subconsciously hiding one's aura is something that ordinary people cannot do.
She raised an eyebrow and casually said, "Tell me about the basic expenses on this estate."
Liu'er simply nodded and clearly recounted the expenses incurred in the manor over the past few days, from food and jewelry to the salaries of the various concubines.
Jiang Yimian glanced at her with satisfaction.
If you can manage the accounts on the estate clearly, you don't need to worry about the workshop.
As for how to treat people, she thought this person was a calm and steady person, and as long as she was told what to do, she shouldn't mess it up.
According to Wang Shuihua, she was highly valued by Zhu Shichang, so she must have been quite capable.
However, the expenses on this estate are a bit outrageous. The daily cost is over one hundred taels, and the monthly cost is three thousand taels. Zhu Shichang is indeed rich.
Not to mention the Zhu family mansion; if they had other estates, they could spend thousands of taels a day there.
It is indeed remarkable that a mere county magistrate could produce such a large sum of silver; the industries involved behind it must be quite complex.
Realizing all this, she simply said to everyone without changing her expression, "To tell you the truth, the reason I asked everyone to come here today is because I'm going to open a workshop."
"If you're willing, you can continue to stay on the estate as workers in my workshop. If you're not, then you'll have to obey the Ministry of Justice's arrangements. Whether it's exile, being sold, or whatever the outcome, it has nothing to do with this estate."
Upon hearing this, everyone was startled, and their previously lifeless eyes suddenly lit up with light.
"What did she say? I...we don't have to die? Really?"
"Who knows? Zhu Shichang was plotting a rebellion. I heard the Minister of Justice come and tell you all that no one in Zhu's household was going to survive. How could we possibly survive?"
"I don't know, but it should be true, right? Didn't the Minister of Justice not mention our results just now?"
"That's because there hasn't been time yet. Right now, the most important thing for the Ministry of Justice is definitely trying Zhu Shichang's case of plotting a rebellion. We weren't involved, we were just implicated. There hasn't been time to deal with it yet. In a few days, we'll either be beheaded or exiled with the Zhu family. Those are both certain deaths."
Wang Shuihua also looked at Jiang Yimian with shock in her eyes, feeling as if she were floating, and the despair in her heart gradually turned into anticipation.
She had heard a lot about this Miss Jiang from her brother and knew that she was not a malicious person. If she were truly evil, she would never have been able to save so many people with that Young Master Lu.
They even went to treat the injured.
He immediately said, "Miss Jiang, I am willing to stay and work as a worker in the workshop."
Even if she couldn't go out while staying in the manor, at least she could keep track of her parents' and brother's current situation and wouldn't have to worry about when she would die.
There couldn't be a better outcome.
Many people echoed this sentiment.
“I’m willing too. We’ll all stay. From now on, Miss Jiang will be our mistress.”
Most of those who echoed this sentiment were maids and servants from the estate. Their indentures were all with Zhu Shichang. Now that the Zhu family was going to be raided, these people would also become part of the Zhu family's property, and their future was uncertain.
They were either sold to other places or dismissed, but because they didn't have a contract of indenture, they were still servants. Even if they were dismissed, they had nowhere to go and could only sell themselves to a brokerage firm.
There's no difference between the two; neither will lead to a better outcome than staying here as a worker.
Moreover, after observing her over the past two days, I've found that Miss Jiang is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She may seem difficult to get along with, but she's actually very kind to everyone and doesn't scold or beat them casually. She's an easy-going mistress.
Rather than following the Ministry of Justice's arrangement to go down a path with no hope, it's better to stay here.
Seeing this, the girls and male prostitutes who were initially hesitant all decided to stay.
Although some of them were kidnapped by brokers and sold to the village from various places, most of them had been away from home for many years, and some didn't even remember where their home was.
This time, the Zhu family suffered a calamity. They were lucky enough not to be sold off, but they had no means of making a living. On the contrary, with their good looks, they were still targeted by brokers.
It's better to stay on the estate. As long as there's a way to make a living, it won't be worse than life at the brokerage.
Seeing that many people were echoing her, Aunt Li waved her handkerchief with some dissatisfaction and said irritably, "It's easy for you to say. What if we are still sold off in the end? Don't try to fool us!"
If it weren't for this group of people who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and disrupted the village, she could have lived her whole life dressed in gold and silver.
Although she couldn't leave the estate, so what? There was food and drink here, and she could even wear those fine silks and satins, things she never dared to dream of before.
With her monthly allowance and occasional subsidies from Steward Chen, she lived a very comfortable life.
When she takes that money out, she'll never be worse off than she was on the estate.
She only earned a few dollars as a workshop worker; it wasn't even enough for a set of clothes.
Anyway, women are born to serve men, and she would rather serve Zhu Shichang.
Jiang Yimian looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman dressed in a flamboyant manner staring at her with hostile eyes.
It took her a while to recognize the somewhat familiar voice; it seemed to be the person who had been with Butler Chen in the rockery that day.
She raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "You don't have to believe me. When the Ministry of Justice's case is over, you can go with the people from the Ministry of Justice. I won't interfere with you."
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