Amber said about her treatment of the little maid: "...We need to let them know who has the final say in this courtyard!"

Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded, giving verbal praise: "Not bad, not bad. Very quick response."

Amber's eyes lit up when she heard this, but soon dimmed again: "Madam said that I reacted quickly, but she didn't say whether I handled it properly. Madam..." She was hesitant to speak.

When you meet someone after three days, you should look at him with new eyes!

"From the current perspective, you have handled the situation properly." Eleventh Lady pointed to Jinwu and asked Amber to sit down, and said softly, "But you have to remember one thing. The same rice feeds a hundred kinds of people. It is impossible for everyone to be loyal to us, and it is impossible for everyone to respect us. For example, the people in our yard are mostly those who stayed here before the eldest sister. They have received the eldest sister's kindness and are grateful to her. Therefore, they have some resistance to us newcomers. This is human nature."

Amber nodded.

"For those people, we only ask them to be honest and do their job well. As for the others, we should not force them. On the contrary, Dongqing and Binju are different. They were brought into the mansion by me, and they are my companions and the maids in charge of this courtyard. In addition to doing their job well, they must also be loyal.

Amber listened and lowered her head to think.

"As long as you can stay by my side and share my worries, and the people left by my elder sister can work honestly, this courtyard will naturally be peaceful and quiet. So I say that you acted very smartly, punishing the little maid in time, killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, and having a deterrent effect. You did a good job."

Amber became even more confused after listening to this: "If that's the case, then why did Madam…"

"I just wanted to talk to you about this."

Eleventh Lady's attitude became gentler.

"Among the people that my eldest sister has left behind, there are those who are smart and capable like Mother Tao, who are respectable in front of the master, and there are also those who were chosen to serve her just because they are smart and clever, like Luyun and Hongxiu. For example, Mother Tao, in terms of feelings, she is my eldest sister's wet nurse. In terms of time spent together, she was with my eldest sister from her birth to her death; in terms of favors, her son now manages my eldest sister's largest farm. Unless she is an ungrateful villain, if my eldest sister and I fell into the water at the same time, she would definitely be the first one to jump into the river to save my eldest sister. Even if I am within her reach, she will save my eldest sister first, not me."

Amber was stunned when she saw Shiyi Niang come up with such a metaphor. But after thinking about it carefully, there was really no way to deny it.

"But if it was Luyun and Hongxiu who encountered the same thing, I'm afraid it would be different. Even if they would jump down to save my elder sister, if I was closer to them than my elder sister, people are inherently good, so they would probably save me first and then my elder sister. Think about it, isn't that the truth?"

Amber's eyes showed some understanding: "You mean, if it was Mother Tao who made the mistake, no punishment would be excessive. But if it was Luyun and Hongxiu who made the mistake, the punishment could be lighter..."

Eleventh Lady laughed and said, "I have touched the door a little bit, but I haven't been able to enter yet. Think about it carefully!"

Amber tilted her head and thought for a long time, and finally said awkwardly: "Madam, I am stupid, so I'd better listen to you!"

"This rule is a rule. No matter who breaks it, the punishment will be the same. You sent that little maid to the laundry room and told her to wash all the bedding in the mansion. She is so young, I'm afraid she won't be able to bear it in a few days."

"Then, what should we do?" Beads of sweat appeared on Amber's temples.

"Take some things to the maid's home and find out who is in charge. Then tell them what happened. Explain clearly what she did wrong and why she was punished. Also tell her family that if she can't bear it, they can take her back. You can also help plead with the steward, and you can also help her pay for the money from selling her body."

"Then, why should I punish her?" Amber couldn't help but exclaim.

"We have no hatred against her in the past, and no grudge against her in the present. Why do you have to force her to hate us?" Eleventh Lady sighed softly.

"But," she then changed her tone, "there are some people we can't win over even if we want to. If they make a mistake, it's just bad luck. If they hate us for this, there's nothing we can do, right?" She blinked at Amber and said, "Then let them hate us as much as they want!"

Amber understood immediately.

"That's exactly what Madam said." She was a little excited. "Rules are dead, but people are alive. If the rules are broken, everyone will be punished. But after the beating, whether to apply medicine, what medicine to use, and when to apply the medicine are our business."

"Finally, I didn't waste my words." Seeing that she understood, Eleventh Lady was very happy and ordered Amber, "Go, you only know how to learn the rules from me, but you don't know how to pour me a cup of tea to moisten my throat."

"Oh!" Amber jumped up, "It's all my fault." She quickly poured out the cold tea in front of Eleventh Lady and replaced it with a cup of hot tea.

"I heard from Sister Dongqing that when Madam was in Yuhang, she drank Tieguanyin in spring and summer, and Qihong in autumn and winter, and added two spoons of honey to Qihong. But when I followed you, I only saw you drink Longjing..." She sat on the brocade stool and talked to Shiyi Niang, "Is it because the tea we brewed is not to your liking?"

Shiyi Niang took a sip of hot tea and asked her with a smile: "Have you ever seen anyone put honey in Qihong tea?"

Amber thought about it and shook her head: "I am short-sighted, so of course I have never seen it."

"It's not that you haven't seen it before. It's just that few people drink tea this way." Eleventh Lady's voice was a little long, and it didn't sound sad, let alone happy, which made Amber feel weird. "So, we have to work hard to drink Qihong with honey in winter."

Amber listened in a daze: "But He Ye in the Fifth Madam's room said that the Second Madam even put red-hot stones in her tea! What's so unusual about Madam wanting to add some honey to Qihong?"

Eleventh Lady burst into laughter after hearing this.

After laughing, he said to Amber in a serious tone, "New maids must learn the rules. These rules are the behavioral norms for maids and wives. Go and copy a copy, and then have everyone recite it again. Then explain it clearly to them, and in the future, they should act according to the rules. If someone breaks the rules again, you just act according to them, and you can be less angry."

She still had a lot of things to do - Chang Jiuhe had just taken over the farm that she had married with her, and she didn't know how the harvest would be today? The flower dew shop couldn't be opened, so she had to think of other ways. It was already the end of the first month, and Xu Lingyi would have to send away the stewards involved in the moldy rice incident in the next few days. Liu Yuanrui's eldest son in her companion's room was twelve years old this year, and Chang Jiuhe's second son was ten years old this year. She had to find an opportunity to recommend them to the outer courtyard and start as a servant. There were also Chang Jiuhe's eldest daughter and Wan Yizong's eldest daughter, who were old enough to work in the mansion, but she hadn't seen them yet... She didn't want to get caught up in these messy things every day.

Amber nodded. Seeing that Eleventh Lady was in a good mood, she leaned forward from her upright position and whispered, "Madam, when we returned to Gongxian Hutong, I heard from Sister Shanhu that the eldest wife asked you to find a maid for the Marquis." Her eyes flickered, "She was afraid that the Marquis would not be satisfied, so she wanted to pick a few more of our sisters to let the Marquis see..."

Eleventh Lady looked at him and smiled: "What do you want to say?"

Amber's face immediately turned red, and she said hesitantly: "Madam, look at me, I..."

* * * * * *

While the two were talking in the room, Mother Tao was sneering at the old woman who had told her the news.

"You've really grown wings. I've seen you even dare to show disrespect to a little maid."

"Yes, mother!" the old woman said indignantly, "As the saying goes, don't hit people in the face. But that little bitch Amber mentioned names. If you don't find a way to subdue that little bitch, I'm afraid in the future..." As she spoke, she carefully looked at Mother Tao's expression.

When Mother Tao heard this, she just smiled, asked the little maid beside her to take twenty cents, and sent her away with a sentence "Buy some wine for you, mother".

The curtain was lifted, and Wanxiang came out wearing an official green Lu silk jacket and a pair of red gold longevity hairpins.

"I told you that little girl has a sweet mouth but a bitter heart. Now you know how serious this is, right?" She had a hint of sarcasm on her face.

If it were in the past, Mother Tao would have already passed by with a sharp look. But now, thinking of Brother Zhun...she suppressed her unhappiness and took a deep breath.

Seeing that the usually domineering Mother Tao had surrendered, Wanxiang couldn't help feeling a little proud.

She sat next to Tao's mother and said, "What do you think of the thing I asked you for?"

"No!" Mother Tao refused flatly, "If the Marquis wants to take someone into his room, that's Madam's business. I won't interfere."

"Oh, my dear mother!" Wanxiang's face was filled with more sarcasm. "You still think you are Mother Tao. The wife of the Marquis of Yongping is no longer the eldest lady of the past. Your loyalty and courage need to be bought! Besides, I don't want you to recommend her to the lady. I just want you to help me see when the Marquis will go to the outer courtyard, so that she can meet the Marquis. If it doesn't work out, it's because she is not blessed enough, and I am still grateful for your help. If it works out, it's better for our lady to feel ashamed in her heart!" She lowered her voice and said, "You will know when you see her. She is just like Qiu Luo!"

Mother Tao raised her eyebrows, and there was a hint of coldness in her expression. "I'm not in a good mood today, so you should go home early! Just do your job well and don't think about this mess."

Wan Xiang's chest heaved with anger. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Mom, since you are so heartless, don't blame me for being ungrateful." Then she turned around and left.

Mother Tao’s face turned pale.

The little maid who came to clean the teacups looked worried: "Mom, Sister Wanxiang..."

"Don't mention that idiot. She's having a hard time now. She's desperate and has been blinded by greed." As he said that, he suddenly stood up and told the little maid, "I'll be back soon!"

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