"Thank you, young mistress."
"This servant will be careful with her words and actions from now on and will never dare to be impolite."
The head maid and the storeroom maid also kowtowed and expressed their gratitude.
But I felt really frustrated inside.
They hadn't felt this way in a long time. Ever since Madam Wen took over the household, they had acted like half-masters in the mansion, arrogant and domineering.
Apart from the Wen family and Madam Pei, even the third and fourth wives dared not easily accept their kneeling.
They were the lady's most favored ladies.
Who would dare to touch them except for the wives and old ladies?
Now I have to bow and scrape before a new, inexperienced girl. It's really humiliating.
They were unhappy about being punished but dared not show it.
After all, Aunt Chang is here watching.
Good heavens, why did Chang Mama have to become the head nanny? Even if Tao Mama, who served the young mistress, became the head nanny, they wouldn't be in such a passive position.
The young mistress really made a brilliant move.
The head maid and the storeroom maid exchanged a glance, both seeing the resentment in each other's eyes.
But what can we do?
If you have to kneel, you have to kneel.
You should laugh, you still have to laugh.
There's absolutely nothing we can do.
Especially the head maid, the one with the highest power and status among the servants in the mansion, who used to be so arrogant, is now as destitute as she was.
This morning, she slapped herself more than a dozen times in the old lady's room, her face swollen like a pig's head.
From the Wen family's courtyard to Jiang Shuwan's courtyard, she kept her head down the whole time, as if afraid that others would look at her too much.
With a pig's face, how can one have any dignity?
Moreover, the old lady told her to do a self-examination.
She has no temper at all now!
Jiang Shuwan easily noticed their frustrated expressions.
After all, they were kneeling while she stood above them, and she could immediately see what they were thinking.
Jiang Shuwan didn't argue with them. The girl's bright eyes fell on the plate of sea pearls that Xiao Tao was holding.
At yesterday's clan banquet, Old Madam Pei praised her repeatedly.
That evening, Qingxing asked her excitedly, "Miss, does the old lady approve of you now? All this hard work hasn't been in vain. You've been sending food to the young master to win his favor, and making clothes for him. It's good that the old lady approves of you!"
At the time, she remained noncommittal, but in her heart she knew that Madam Pei did not approve of her.
The clan banquet appeared to be incredibly grand, but it was merely a small test to observe her words, actions, and etiquette.
If she behaved well at the clan banquet, Madam Pei would at most praise her for being poised, dignified, and well-mannered, adding "knows etiquette and manners" to that would be the limit.
Madam Pei raised Pei Yanzhi and had high expectations for him.
Pei Yanzhi is still the future heir of the Marquis's mansion, and the future honor and disgrace of the Marquis's mansion rest on his shoulders.
To secure the position of the Crown Prince's wife, it is not enough to simply be proper, dignified, and know proper etiquette.
Compared to these seemingly universally accepted etiquette rules, what Madam Pei truly wanted to see was her wisdom, ability, and courage.
This morning's "battle for the head nanny" was the real test for Madam Pei.
It was because she wasn't blinded by self-interest and misled by the benefits represented by the title "Grandma" that Old Madam Pei truly accepted her as her granddaughter-in-law.
Otherwise, if Madam Pei was as pleased with her as she appeared at the clan banquet, why didn't she reward her with anything?
On the contrary, after Madam Chang came over and asked her why she recommended her, Madam Pei immediately sent over two boxes of sea pearls.
Not only was it priceless, but it was also part of Madam Pei's dowry.
Such pampering is the true recognition of her.
These days, many women are easily swayed by sweet words and flattery.
In fact, whether it's a man's love or an elder's love, it is ultimately manifested in actions.
No matter how much love and tenderness are expressed verbally, it's all fake.
In the adult world, where money is, love is!
Simple and straightforward, yet it is the truth.
Madam Pei, the powerful figure she most wanted to curry favor with, perfectly demonstrated this point through her actions.
First, they sent Haizhu over, and then they had Aunt Chang lead the way to pay their respects.
Such high regard and genuine favoritism have now become common knowledge throughout the household.
The old lady's love for it is no longer a rumor she made up; it has become a reality.
The old lady gave her her approval.
From then on, she was able to truly establish herself in the Marquis's mansion.
After that came the struggle for the power of the Wen family's stewardship.
As she thought about it, Jiang Shuwan's gaze deepened.
She looked at the stewards kneeling on the ground.
Previously, the power of the servants in the Marquis's mansion consisted of Wen's confidants and disgruntled servants.
The people in charge of this room have now split into three factions.
The first faction was led by Li Gui's family in the kitchen and the old woman in charge of needlework.
The second faction was the Wen family's power, led by the head matron and the storeroom matron.
As a newly arrived young wife, her influence was originally no match for that of the Wen family.
The Wen family was deeply rooted and powerful. Even though the etiquette matron had been demoted, they still held two major matrons in their hands.
Although Chang Mama was subtly biased towards her, Wen Shi still far outnumbered her in terms of the number of head nannies.
While the number of head matrons was less than that of lower-ranking managers, the number of middle and lower-level stewards was much greater.
Originally, she controlled four main forces: the kitchen, the sewing room, the storage room, and the furniture room. This was only one-third of the Marquis's power.
However, she removed the group of middle and lower-level managers, including Manager Zhang, who worked for the Wen family, that morning.
With the numbers of lower and middle-level managers rising and falling, they have reached a tie.
With Granny Fang setting a good example, many lower-class servants and slaves flocked to her side.
Therefore, in terms of managing the middle and lower levels and winning people's hearts, she was much better than the Wen family.
In total, her overall strength is about one-third that of the Wen family, and with Chang Mama included, her strength should not be underestimated.
After that, as long as we proceed steadily and surely, and bring down Wen's two right-hand women, the head maid and the storeroom maid, we will have complete control over the household.
Of course, this can't be rushed; we can take it one step at a time.
The remaining force in the manor was mostly composed of servants, and their numbers were relatively small.
They wielded very little power, and they knew they couldn't afford to offend either the Wen family or Jiang Shuwan.
Therefore, I choose to do things properly, without taking sides or causing trouble.
Jiang Shuwan was quite satisfied with them.
Those who side with her and do well will receive her support.
She will also promote those who dare not take sides and do their jobs properly if they do well.
She would never suffer the consequences of the Wen family's nepotism.
"The capable should take the lead" is her life motto.
At this moment, the three major forces in this mansion are not only secretly banding together for mutual support, but also openly distinguishing themselves from each other.
They knelt together in groups, forming three distinct camps, making them easy to identify.
Jiang Shuwan withdrew her gaze with satisfaction. She first helped Chang Mama up, and then called the others to get up.
One by one, they announced their names and the positions they were responsible for.
"Reporting to the young mistress, this servant is Zhang Dajia's..."
“This servant is Liu…”
As the managers took turns signing up, one of them glanced up and saw Jiang Shuwan stringing pearls together and playing with them.
They all gasped in surprise.
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