Chapter 247 Excitement (Part 1)

Amber talked about how she dealt with 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 the handling was appropriate. Madam..." She was hesitant to speak.

"From what I can see, 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, most of the people in our yard are those who stayed here before my eldest sister. They have received my eldest sister's kindness and are grateful to her. Therefore, they have some resistance to us newcomers. This is human nature."

Amber nodded.

"As 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. I brought them into the mansion, they are my companions, and they are also the managers of this courtyard. In addition to doing their job well, they also need to 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 a chicken to scare the monkey, and having a shocking effect. You did a good job."

Amber was even more confused after hearing 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 is respectable in front of the master, and there are those who were originally 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 with her, she was from my eldest sister's birth to her death; in terms of favors, her son now manages my eldest sister's largest estate. Unless she is an ungrateful villain, otherwise, if my eldest sister and I fell into the water at the same time, she would definitely be the first person 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, she really couldn't deny it.

"But if Luyun and Hongxiu were to encounter the same situation, I'm afraid it would be different. They would certainly jump in to save my elder sister, but if I were closer to them than my elder sister, they would probably save me first and then my elder sister, because human nature is good. Think about it, isn't that the truth?

Amber's eyes showed something clear: "You mean, if it was Mother Tao who made the mistake, then no punishment would be excessive. But if it was Lvyun and Hongshuang who made the mistake, then the punishment could be lighter..."

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

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 is a rule. No matter who breaks it, the punishment is the same. You sent a 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?" Amber had beads of sweat on her temples.

"Take some things to the maid's home and find out who is in charge of the household. Then tell them about this matter. Explain clearly what she has done and why she is being punished. Also tell her family to take her back if she can't stand it. You can also help her get a favor from the steward, and you can also help her pay for the money she has to pay for 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 who we can't persuade even if we want to befriend them. 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, "Let them hate us as much as they want!"

Amber understood immediately.

"That's exactly what my lady said."

She was a little excited. "Rules are dead, but people are alive. If the rules are violated, everyone will be punished. But after the beating, whether to apply medicine, what medicine to apply, and when to apply the medicine are all our business."

"At least my words were not wasted." Seeing that she understood, Shiyi Niang was very happy and called Amber, "Go, you only know how to learn the rules from me, but you don't know how to pour me some 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 Jinwu to talk 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 not very knowledgeable, so of course I have never seen it."

"It's not that you haven't seen it before. It's just that very few people drink tea this way." Shiyi Niang'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 tea 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 to them clearly, and in the future, they should act according to the rules. If someone commits a crime again, you should 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 get rid of the stewards involved in the glutinous rice incident in a few days. The eldest son of Liu Yuanrui, who she kept company with in the 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, starting as servants and attendants. And Chang Jiuhe's eldest daughter and Wan Yizong's eldest daughter were also old enough to work in the palace, but she hadn't seen them yet... She didn't want to get involved 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 lady asked you to take in a maid for the Marquis." Her eyes flickered, "I was afraid that the Marquis would not be satisfied, so I wanted to pick a few more from our original sisters to let the Marquis take a look..."

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 given her the news.

"You've really grown wings. You even dared to look down on a little maid."

"Yes, mother!" the old woman said indignantly, "As the saying goes, don't hit someone in the face. But that little bitch Amber mentioned her by name. If you don't want to find a way to calm that little bitch down, 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 coins, and sent her away with a sentence "Buy some wine for mother".

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

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

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

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

She moved to sit next to Mother Tao and asked, "What do you think of the thing I asked you to do?"

"No!" Mother Tao flatly refused, "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 the mother Tao of the past. 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 someone to the lady. I just want you to help me see when the Marquis goes to the outer courtyard, and then let her meet the Marquis. If it doesn't work, it's because she is unlucky. I am also grateful for your help. If it works, it's okay for our lady to feel a little ashamed in her heart!" As she spoke, she lowered her voice, "You will know when you see her. She is a real Qiu Luo!"

Mother Tao raised her long eyebrows, and there was a hint of coldness between her brows. "I'm in a bad mood today, so you should go home early! Do your job well and don't think about this mess."

Wan Xiang's chest rose and fell with anger. After a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Mom is so heartless, so don't blame me for being ungrateful." She turned around and left.

Mother Tao's face turned blue.

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 right now. She's desperate and has lost her mind." As he said that, he suddenly stood up and told the little maid, "I'll be back soon!"