That night, the two talked for a long time, until it was late at night and the dew was heavy, then they went to bed.
Minglan slept with heartache, and even in her dreams she wanted to beat her chest and stamp her feet. Gu Tingye did not make any effort, but just hugged her and fell asleep. Minglan thought to herself that he was probably embarrassed to do something after just recalling his deceased mother.
The man's body was blazing, and he held Minglan tightly in his arms. Minglan felt like she was sleeping next to a stove, and soon she was sweating profusely. She tried to kick the covers, but it only hurt her toes. She whimpered, "My toes hurt!" and then felt a large, calloused hand rubbing her plump toes. It hurt at first, but the feeling changed as the hand slowly moved up her smooth calf. Minglan twisted her waist, trying to shake it off. She wanted to say, "Think about your poor mother," but she didn't have the courage. She could only say, "You have an early court tomorrow."
The man seemed to pause, twisted uncomfortably, and held Minglan even tighter, rubbing her against him several times.
An unknown amount of time passed before the sky began to brighten. Minglan half-closed her eyes, vacantly staring at the bed curtains. She reached out to feel around, but there was nothing beside her. She woke up with a start and called out softly, "...Where's the master?"
The thin silk curtain with red and gold threads was lifted, and Danju came over with a faint smile and said, "Waiting for you? Master, you are too late! I'm afraid the master is already in the court now."
Minglan sat woodenly at the head of the bed. The morning court session began at 3:00 PM. Considering the journey, Comrade Gu probably didn't get up for more than two hours. No wonder he was so quiet last night. It was really not easy to be an official in ancient times.
"Who helps the master to wash and dress?" Minglan's voice was still a little vague.
"We got up late too, luckily Xia He and the other two still remembered. Young ladies, please take turns to serve the master in the morning court." Danju glanced at Minglan's body buried in the pile of brocade. The old scars on her bare shoulders had not faded yet, and new scars had appeared, revealing an ambiguous purple-blue color. There was only a bright red exquisite Ruyi rope around her neck, and underneath it was a light yellow bellyband embroidered with light green irises.
Danju saw that Minglan's eyes were still dark, and she felt angry and distressed. She took out a white silk cotton undershirt and put it on Minglan.
Minglan let Danju help her get out of bed in a daze. Suddenly, she remembered something and shook Danju off. She stepped barefoot on the thick carpet and stomped over to the clepsydra. Huh? It was only the beginning of the morning.
Minglan was stunned. The situation was very strange. No one in the mansion needed her to greet or report for work. Her husband had gone to work again. Did that mean...she could sleep a little longer?
Thinking of this, she ran straight back to the bed, raised her bare feet, lifted the quilt and crawled back in.
Danju was very familiar with this routine. Furious, she lifted Minglan up and whispered, "Young lady, you can't sleep any more. You have a lot to do today. The mother in front has just come to tell you that all the maids and servants will be gathering in the front hall, waiting for your instructions. You sleep any more... sleep any more? I'll call you Madam Cui!"
Minglan painfully rose and soaked in the large tub for a long time before she felt somewhat better. The soft glow of the goat-horn palace lanterns in the room gradually faded, and daylight was gradually approaching. As Minglan sat in front of the mirror, asking Danju to do her hair and make up, Xiaotao came in and announced, "Mrs. Lai, the housekeeper, and Liao Yong's wife are here."
"Let them come in." Minglan said softly, "Danju, you're not going out today, so just wear your hair neatly combed and let it hang loose on the sides. It won't pinch my scalp and hurt."
Danju's skills were taught to her by Mama Fang. She had been serving Minglan for ten years and had already mastered them. She was very efficient and finished tying up the hair in no time. She also carefully braided the remaining hair, made it into several small buns and piled them under the bun, and slowly pinned small pearl flowers and gold bead hairpins on top.
After a while, a short, middle-aged woman with a round face and a thickset figure and her daughter-in-law, who was thin and slightly dark-skinned, came in. She bowed to Minglan with a smile on her face, her gesture very respectful. Minglan nodded slightly and said, "Mother Lai, Liao Yong's wife."
The two of them then stood up, and Lai Mama was the first to say with a smile, "Greetings to Madam. How are you feeling today? I should have paid my respects to Madam a long time ago, but she's been busy these past few days and it's not convenient to bother her. Yesterday, the master told her that she would look after the servants at home today."
Minglan smiled and said amiably, "Not bad, everyone's here now."
"This is the first time Madam has given instructions, and everyone is up early waiting for you." Mother Lai smiled very respectfully, "I don't know..."
Minglan glanced at the clepsydra beside her and said, "We'll meet at Chaohui Hall in half an hour. You can divide the family members among yourselves."
Mother Lai was stunned for a moment. At this moment, Liao Yong's wife suddenly looked up and asked cautiously, "Excuse me, Madam, how should we divide it? According to the job, or according to the family?"
Minglan glanced at her with a hint of admiration and said, "Divide them according to their errands. Those with the same errand will stand together." Seeing that Lai Mama seemed to want to speak, Minglan turned and said, "Lai Mama used to work for the Dowager, right? So you can take the lead and have the people from Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion stand separately."
Mrs. Lai forced a smile and said, "We are all family, why should we divide each other like this? Before leaving, the Madam specifically instructed us to serve her well, saying that she is the best-tempered one."
Minglan slowly turned her head away from the mirror and looked at her quietly, which made Lai Mama feel scared. After looking for a while, Minglan smiled lightly and said in a cold and polite tone: "You just do what I say." She didn't even give a reason.
Liao Yong's wife was quite surprised. She quickly glanced at Minglan and then lowered her head. Mother Lai looked at Minglan's beautiful face and felt a sense of awe for no reason. She lowered her head and responded.
The two of them left Jiaxiju, said goodbye to each other with a smile, and went in two different directions.
Liao Yong's wife was young and quick on her feet. She walked quickly out of the alley along the corridor, where a group of wives and old women were waiting. When they saw her, they immediately rushed up, pushed her into a corner, and started asking questions.
"What kind of person is the lady?"
"Are you in a good mood?"...
Liao Yong's wife said in a deep voice, "I can't believe that someone so young and delicate like a flower can be so powerful! Just now, Mrs. Lai has already hit a snag. You all should behave yourself and don't make trouble for yourself!"
On the other side, Lai Mama also returned to the maid's courtyard. Facing questions from others, she simply said, "I'm afraid it's a powerful one!"
…
Minglan sat alone in the right room having breakfast. She ate the not-so-delicious fried cakes with a slight frown on her brows while slowly recalling what she had seen last night. She put the accounts aside and looked at the people first. After skimming through the list of personnel, Minglan quickly sorted out the information in her mind.
There are a total of 62 servants in the Governor's Mansion, which is actually a little too few people for such a large mansion.
These people can be roughly divided into three categories. The first category is those bought from outside recently after Gu Tingye established the mansion. They have no foundation, but may have already befriended some forces. The second category is those rewarded by the emperor. Most of them are slaves of confiscated criminals. The more serious ones may also include some former young ladies and gentlemen. This needs to be paid attention to. The third category is the four families sent by the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion. The lady-in-waiting sent two families, and the fourth old lady and the fifth old lady each sent one family.
Oh, yes, there are also those people she brought as a dowry.
After breakfast, Minglan tidied up her makeup a little, and put on a homely goose yellow double-breasted jacket with a pattern of plum blossoms with green calyx branches, and a light smoke and willow-colored gauze dress with a collar. She was bright and beautiful in her outfit, and was led by a group of maids to Chaohui Hall.
By this time, the sky was bright, and the latticed windows on all four sides were open. Four central paintings hung on the east and west walls, and a plaque with the imperial seal bestowed by the current emperor hung high on the north wall. Below it was a bright and colorful mahogany eight-immortal table, flanked by large armchairs made of the same wood. Below that, two rows of wide, low-backed chairs were arranged in a straight line, with a small square table with a carved Ruyi pattern separating each pair. The floor was polished bluestone slabs to an extremely bright finish, with a dark red short-pile carpet in the center.
What a grand and imposing hall this is! It is majestic and imposing, and looks up high.
Minglan looked at the large high-backed mahogany chair and thought that such a chair would actually look more imposing if sat on by someone of Old Lady Sheng's age; however, she was now the mistress of the mansion, and there was really no one else who could sit there except her.
She walked forward steadily and sat down. A maid was already waiting by the side with a tea tray, serving tea and greeting her. Minglan nodded slightly and looked up. She saw that outside the hall, from the stairs down, it was already densely packed with people, clearly divided into several large groups, some of which were standing very neatly, and some of which were standing very loosely.
Liao Yong's wife stepped forward, bowed her head and said respectfully, "My Madam, everyone in the mansion is here. Apart from the four people who stayed to guard the front door, even the ones from the kitchen are here."
Minglan was very satisfied with her straightforward approach. She looked at her with appreciation and nodded.
Liao Yong's wife seemed encouraged. She pointed to the rows of people outside and briefly introduced them, "These are the ones who clean and sweep... These are the ones who do the needlework, these are the ones who do the shopping, these are the ones who guard the courtyard, and these are..." After introducing them for a long time, she pointed to the dozen or so young girls in the corner and said, "These ones don't have proper jobs yet. Nanny Chang said that after the mistress comes in, she will slowly teach them the rules and then use them. For now, they are just helping out with odd jobs."
The little girls shrank back and glanced at Minglan secretly. When they saw Minglan's clear eyes looking at them, they immediately lowered their heads and stood still.
Minglan followed the finger of Liao Yong's wife and looked at them one by one. She found that the emperor was quite reliable. Most of the slaves sent were young and strong, without any particularly old ones, and the girls also looked pretty. Minglan carefully noted down which types of people looked neat and which looked loose, and then noted down their leaders.
Finally, Liao Yong's wife hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Also, Miss Fengxian from Jingfei Pavilion...er, Lingding Pavilion in the back courtyard, the two older maids accompanying her are not from the mansion, so... they didn't come."
Minglan frowned slightly: "What is the name of that courtyard?"
Liao Yong's wife responded quickly: "It was originally called Jingfei Pavilion, but later Miss Fengxian changed it to Lingding Pavilion... The master didn't have time to pay attention, so everyone followed suit."
Minglan said nothing, but just looked at her and smiled. Liao Yong's wife's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she lowered her head and retreated. Minglan laughed in her heart: It seems that this Miss Fengxian is quite aloof. Not only did she fail to smooth things over, but she also annoyed many people.
Then, Minglan turned to look at Lai Mama, and saw several people who were obviously well-dressed standing on the steps beside the side door. Lai Mama smiled and introduced: the Lai family and the Hua family were sent by the lady-in-waiting, the Tian family was sent by the fourth room, and the Diao family was sent by the fifth room.
After the introduction, everyone bowed down and kowtowed to Minglan, greeting her in unison.
Minglan was a little uncomfortable with the chorus of kowtows and shouts, but she tried hard to hold it in. With a calm smile, she gently put down her tea bowl, folded her hands leisurely on her lap, and said aloud, "Master once said that this Chaohui Hall is rarely opened, only during festivals or when distinguished guests come. I thought that today is my first time meeting everyone, so it's a big deal, so I've taken the liberty of opening this hall so that I can officially meet everyone."
The reactions of the people below were all different. Some were moved, some were happy, some were confused, some were smirking, and so on.
Minglan took everyone's reactions in her eyes and continued with a smile, "From now on, we'll be family. However, before this, I didn't know any of you. So, I won't say anything else today, just ask me to get to know you all."
After saying this, everyone below the stairs looked confused and didn't know what was going on.
Minglan did not explain, but just waved behind her. Danju had already made preparations and asked someone to put a small table in the hall with writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone on it. Then Rumei came forward and sat down with a pen in her hand. Danju stood aside, and Xiazhu walked forward timidly.
Danju smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. Let me ask you, how old are you and where were you born?"
Xia Zhu was stunned. Mumu said, "Thirteen years old, Tu...Dun Village, Tudun Village west of Tongzhou."
"How many people are there in your family? What are you doing?" Danju asked sharply, holding a piece of paper in her hand.
"Dad, Mom, Grandma, three brothers, two sisters, and me... I'm the youngest; everyone in my family is a farmer."
"Why did you come to the mansion?"
Xia Zhu looked at Ming Lan, who nodded amiably. She mustered up the courage to speak, "When I was eleven, it didn't rain, the harvest was poor, and my brothers were getting married, so Dad found a man to sell the three of us sisters to be maids. I'm lucky to be here, and I have delicious food every day!"
There was already a chuckle below, Minglan glanced at it lightly, and the sound disappeared, and everyone stood in silence; Rumei was recording these quickly, and only the sound of the brush scratching on the paper could be heard.
"What happened next?" Danju asked gently.
Xia Zhu gradually grew bolder: "Later, Nanny Chang picked me, taught me the rules for half a year, and then I went into the house to serve." Facing Danju and the others, Xia Zhu naturally had a sense of inferiority, just like the envy of a junior high school student in the same unit seeing a master's student.
Then, Ruomei stopped writing and asked expressionlessly, "Put your fingerprints here. If you are ever found to have deceived the master, this will serve as proof. Don't blame others then."
"No, no!" Xia Zhu shook his head repeatedly and quickly pressed his finger prints.
Minglan smiled and said, "Okay, you're fine. Come over to me."
When Xia Zhuru heard the amnesty, she breathed a sigh of relief and ran to stand beside Minglan. Everyone in the hall gradually understood what was going on. Some of them turned pale, some looked doubtful, and some seemed dissatisfied.
Minglan ignored them and looked towards Lai Mama, then waved to a pretty girl with willow-shaped eyebrows, big eyes, a wasp waist and a big breast. She was charming and pretty, and quite pretty. "Yes... that's you. Come here."
The girl looked doubtfully at a middle-aged woman beside her, then took a deep breath and stepped forward. Danju, with a gentle smile on her face, pulled her forward and stood in front of her. The girl seemed quite bold and not shy, her eyes frequently glancing towards Minglan. Lvzhi looked unhappy and walked over to pull Danju away, turning around and smiling, "Madam, may I ask this sister?"
Minglan smiled and nodded, and asked Qin Sang beside her to go up and change Ruomei.
Before Luzhi could ask, the girl said with a smile: "My name is Mingyue, I am..."
"That name won't do!" Luzhi interrupted her suddenly. "It clashes with Madam's name. Go back and ask your parents to change it and remove the first character!"
Mingyue blushed immediately and looked back at the old woman next to Lai Mama with a look of resentment in her eyes. Luzhi ignored her and continued to ask questions.
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen and a half."
"Is he a home-born child or was he bought from outside?"
"A child born at home!" Mingyue was quite proud. "My mother is Diao Mama, originally the Fifth Old Lady's companion. My father is..."
Luzhi interrupted her again: "Are they in this house?"
"Of course!" Mingyue turned around and pointed proudly. The old woman next to Lai Mama and a middle-aged man behind her came forward and nodded.
"Then you don't need to tell me. You'll know when you ask them later." Luzhi said in a judge-like tone, "Are there any other people at home? Where are they now?"
"Yes." Mingyue gritted her teeth, "I have a sister and two brothers. My sister is serving Miss Ling, and my brothers... haven't done anything yet. They are waiting for the Second Master and Second Madam to give their orders."
Qin Sang wrote down his thoughts with a serious expression. Luzhi remained expressionless. "So, not all of your family came with you? Okay, what about you? Have you ever been a police officer before?"
Mingyue said proudly, "I was chosen to serve Miss Hui..."
"What rank maid?" Luzhi was very used to interrupting her.
Mingyue looked embarrassed: "Third... third class; but I'm always by your side..."
"How old were you when you entered the palace to serve?"
"Ten... thirteen years old; but I..."
"You've only served for a year or two. When did you get promoted to third-class?"
"...Yes...half a year ago, but Master Yang often praised me..."
"Can you read?"
"I know a little..."
"How much do you know? Tell me more clearly! Have you read the Three Character Classic? How about the Thousand Character Classic?"
"...I have only read half of the Three Character Classic, and the rest..." Mingyue looked at Qin Sang who was writing very fast in front of her, and Ruomei just now, her face turned red like pig blood.
"Have you received any rewards during this period? Silver? Jewelry? Clothes?"
"Yes!" Mingyue blushed. "Grandmother gave me a lot of new clothes and told me to serve the Second Madam and the Second Master well. She also praised me..."
"Have you ever been punished? Scolded? Beaten? And why?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Think carefully!" Lu Zhi said coldly, "You need to put your fingerprints on this. It doesn't matter if you made some small mistakes before, since you've moved to a new place. But if you lie the first time you see Madam, then you won't be able to use it!"
Mingyue was embarrassed. In front of so many people, she looked back at Diao Mama several times. Her face turned pale, and she whispered softly, "Grandma only scolded me a few times because I damaged Miss Hui's things. Nothing else..."
"Done!" Luzhi clapped her hands to indicate that she had finished questioning.
Mingyue pressed her finger prints with a very ugly expression, and slowly retreated. Tears seemed to be rolling in her eyes. As soon as she returned, she hugged Diao's mother and sobbed softly.
Minglan nodded to Luzhi to show her satisfaction. She had mentioned in advance that with so many people in the mansion, if everyone told a long story, it would probably take until midnight. Therefore, the purpose of this inquiry was to make the incident as clear and serious as possible, and the personal resume as clear as possible. Any difficulties or tragic past events could be omitted for the time being and could be asked again when necessary.
At this moment, she glanced and saw a familiar figure standing at the side of the hall. She lowered her head and thought about it, then laughed secretly.
After these two people asked, the rest of the people all understood Minglan's intention. Some said they didn't care, some looked very indignant, and some were a little sneaky. In short, there was a buzz in the room.
Minglan saw that it was almost done and stood up. Everyone immediately quieted down. Minglan smiled and said, "You all have seen it. Most of you will be employed in the future. If you want to employ people, you must know your abilities. What jobs have you done in the past and how well did you do? This will allow you to show your talents, right?"
After these words were spoken, most people gradually calmed down, and many even looked calm, especially Liao Yong's wife and the other wives around her. They felt that this was more beneficial to them who came from outside.
Liao Yong's wife stepped forward and echoed loudly, "Madam, you're absolutely right! This method is both convenient and straightforward. Madam doesn't even know us, so instead of having us muddle-headedly test each other and ask questions, it's better to do it this way!"
The people on Lai Mama's side looked a little unhappy, but they didn't dare to refute for a moment. They just lowered their heads and winked at each other.
Minglan smiled faintly at Liao Yong's wife, then took a few steps forward, standing condescendingly before them all, her tone still gentle. "Once this matter is settled, I will begin arranging the manpower within the mansion. But before I do, I must say one thing. I believe that the most important thing between master and servant is sincerity. We should maintain a long-term relationship, with mutual respect between superiors and subordinates. This is the only way to proceed. Therefore, I only hope that you will not be confused. If you are guilty of deceiving me, my Gu family will not dare to use you! I'll leave this unpleasant word out for now."
The young lady was dignified and beautiful. She stood at the head of the group and spoke slowly and politely. She looked gentle and kind, but no one in the group dared to underestimate her.
Lai Mama and her group looked at each other in bewilderment. Ever since they arrived, they had been eager to take charge of everything and take over the reins. Who knew they'd run into Gu Tingye, a man who was like a living devil, with a sullen face all day long, forbidding them to interfere in anything? When the Madam Dowager pressed them a bit, he sternly declared in front of everyone in the mansion that matters in the inner chambers should be handled by the mistress. But there wasn't even a mistress at that time?!
So they waited and waited, and finally Minglan came home. They thought that since Minglan was young and ignorant, and the new bride was shy, they, as the elders of the Gu family, could get their way by relying on the reputation of the elders of the Gu family. But Minglan hid in the house for two days before coming out. When she came out, she didn't tell them how to assign the task, but started with a "background check"!
Lai Mama's face turned several times, and she couldn't help but stepped forward and explained loudly: "Madam is very thoughtful. She should clearly question the people coming in from outside, but we are the elders of the Gu family for generations. Why do we have to do this? If Madam has anything she doesn't understand, she can ask the Grand Madam, the Fourth Madam, and the Fifth Madam!"
Minglan put away her smile and just looked at her indifferently, her eyes were cold and clear, with only a hint of chill. Lai Mama's forehead was slowly sweating. She really couldn't understand how a little girl of ten could look so intimidating!
The whole hall was silent as everyone waited to see.
Minglan stared at Mother Lai and said slowly, "Mother Lai, this is the second time you've refuted me today."
Mother Lai immediately knelt down and said in a trembling voice, "I dare not. I am just reminding Madam."
Minglan said coldly, "I thought the elders sent you here to be my helpers, not to be my ancestors."
Mother Lai's back was sweating, and she kept saying, "I dare not, I dare not..."
Minglan narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke slowly, her voice still carrying a cold sweetness: "Mother Lai, what did I say to you when you refuted me this morning?"
Mother Lai looked up, her eyes shrinking for a moment, and she stammered, not daring to speak. Minglan smiled and added softly, "Don't say you forgot. It's been so long, and your memory is so bad. You should go back and take care of yourself."
Mother Lai shuddered and said quickly, "Madam said...Madam said, whatever Madam says, we'll do it!"
Minglan smiled brilliantly, her dimples appearing, her beauty beyond compare: "Mother Lai has a really good memory." Then, she hid her smile and said lightly, "Next time, don't forget it again."
Mother Lai kowtowed repeatedly and retreated, her whole body drenched in sweat.
Minglan seemed a little tired and said wearily, "Mrs. Liao Yong, who do you think is the most respected and noble in this mansion?"
"Of course it's the master." Liao Yong's wife replied quickly.
Minglan asked again: "Then who am I?"
Liao Yong's wife shouted, "You are the mistress of this house!"
"...Very good." A faint look of fatigue appeared on Minglan's face. She slowly sat down in the high-backed chair at the head of the table and sipped her tea. "If you can't remember this, this mansion can't afford you."
Now, who dared to say a word? Danju, Luzhi and the others were all overjoyed, with an unusual sense of satisfaction and pride, even looking at people with arrogance. Originally, they were worried that Minglan, the concubine's daughter of a fourth-rank civil official, would be bullied and looked down upon in such a wealthy family, and they were all worried.
Who would have thought that Minglan was as hard as stone, not afraid at all, with a composed expression, a light smile and a light scolding, without even losing her temper or saying a word, she calmed the situation - they couldn't help but have their eyes light up.
Everyone retreated in turn to answer questions, and the space outside the hall gradually became empty. Minglan was left with Xiaotao and Xiazhu, two servants, plus a few accountants who had just been called, and several errand boys standing by.
Minglan lazily sat in the chair, turned her head and said softly, "Mr. Gongsun, you've seen enough."
A middle-aged scholar in a long green robe, who had been standing in the corner of the hall, finally came out leisurely. He walked up to Minglan, bowed low, and said with a smile, "I am so rude. I pay my respects to the lady."
Minglan stood up, bowed her head, and returned the greeting respectfully, then asked Gongsun Baishi to sit in the first seat below.
"Madam, why are you so?" Gongsun Baishi picked up the tea bowl and smiled cunningly. "I thought you were going to send me on an errand today."
Minglan looked at him for a moment before slowly speaking, "When I was little, I heard a story about an ancient emperor who wasn't too incompetent, but he had a group of extremely foolish and cunning ministers. The emperor clearly only wanted to choose two beauties, but his subordinates launched a nationwide search for beauties, causing widespread public resentment. The emperor clearly only wanted to build a small garden, but his subordinates extorted money from the entire country, making life miserable for the people... Within a few years, the country was destroyed. When the emperor was beheaded, he still felt that he had been wronged."
Gongsun Baishi looked at Minglan with interest, waiting for her to continue. Minglan then continued, "From ancient times to the present, so many things have been ruined by 'using the wrong people'—saying one thing, then doing another. Therefore, if you want to manage things, you must first manage people. No matter what the task, if you don't have trustworthy and suitable people to do it, no matter how good your ideas are, they are useless!"
Minglan turned her head and looked outside the hall with a leisurely expression: "If you want to use them, you should at least know who they are." To manage a company, a detailed and accurate personnel file is very necessary; and if they dare to lie, she will have an excuse to fire them.
Gongsun Baishi's expression gradually grew solemn. He stared at Minglan quietly for a long moment before he bowed respectfully and whispered, "The governor is fortunate to marry a beautiful woman."
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