Jiang Shuwan sat to one side, listening attentively to Zhang Niangzi's lecture.
Zhang Niangzi spoke earnestly, and the teaching content was all based on what she had said before, choosing only those closely related to the maids' lives and work.
She nodded in satisfaction.
For an ordinary schoolteacher, having one or two taels of silver is already considered a high price.
She gave him three taels directly.
This money wasn't wasted.
The maids seemed to know that Jiang Shuwan wanted to train them, so they studied very hard.
Especially Qingxing, this girl used to get headaches, foot pains and all sorts of pain whenever she had to learn to read.
Now he knows how to work hard, writing and drawing on the small board with charcoal, without the slightest slack.
"get out of class is over. Let's rest for a while, like having a cup of tea."
When the break time arrived, all the girls breathed a sigh of relief.
It was their first time teaching, and their hands were sweaty with nervousness.
After class, instead of rushing out to play, they used their little boards to review the characters they had just learned.
"This looks like a chair..."
"Why does it feel like a table again..."
"Oh no, I just remembered it and I forgot it again..."
The young girls were in a panic. They had a natural fear of Zhang Niangzi, like students fearing their teacher. If they didn't know a word, they didn't dare to go to her and instead went to Qingxing.
"Sister Qingxing, what character do you recognize?"
"This chair, with the character for 'wood,' means it's made of wood..."
Qingxing patiently answered their questions.
While teaching the little girls, she reviewed the material herself, which solidified her foundation in the subject.
Jiang Shuwan was increasingly satisfied. She strolled out of the east wing and saw Granny Tao rushing over.
"Miss, the old lady requests your presence."
As Granny Tao spoke, she glanced at the girls learning to read in the east wing; her daughter, Xiao Tao, was among them.
"Miss, the old lady is probably going to question you about the lady's matter."
"The lady is also in the old lady's courtyard at the moment."
Seeing her worried expression, Jiang Shuwan's expression remained unchanged.
"Come on, let's meet my wife."
Wen's family is quite capable; they've even learned to file complaints.
Soon, Jiang Shuwan led Granny Tao to Madam Pei's courtyard.
"Please come in, young mistress. The old lady and all the ladies are waiting for you!"
Chang's mother lifted the curtain for her.
Her words immediately revealed the existence of not only the Wen family, but also other wives.
This is the benefit of recommending Chang Mama as the head nanny; she can casually reveal information that is advantageous to her.
"Thank you, Aunt Chang."
Jiang Shuwan thanked her softly and went into the house. Sure enough, she saw that in addition to Madam Wen, there were also the third and fourth wives.
The Wen family is quite something; not only did they file a complaint, but they also brought two helpers with them.
"Wanwan has met the old lady, the madam, and her two aunts."
Jiang Shuwan greeted them one by one.
While Granny Tao was anxious, she remained calm, bowing and glancing around the room.
Except in special circumstances, Madam Pei would not allow younger generations to come and pay their respects.
Therefore, this was her first visit to Madam Pei's courtyard since the "battle for the title of etiquette matron".
The same goes for the Wen family; Jiang Shuwan hasn't seen her for several days either.
Ever since Madam Wen fainted from anger last time, she has been dealing with the household's "self-inspection" affairs every day with her two maids.
With the Lunar New Year approaching in the middle of the month, there will be a lot of social interactions within the household.
Fearing that any mistake would lead to Old Madam Pei having Jiang Shuwan take over household management, Madam Wen personally handled everything, leaving her with no time to attend to Jiang Shuwan these past few days.
She even skipped the usual greetings from Jiang Shuwan.
There is no need for Madam Pei to pay her respects, nor is there a need for Madam Wen to pay her respects.
Jiang Shuwan has been sleeping in late every day lately, as comfortable as a salted fish.
Only after seeing the Wen family did I realize that I was deeply embroiled in a power struggle within the household.
The snow has been falling for the past few days, and the underfloor heating in Madam Pei's room makes it warm and cozy.
Wen's gaze, however, was as cold as ice as she looked at her.
"Old lady, look at her! She has absolutely no manners!"
"These days, I've seen people reward maids with clothes and money, but I've never seen anyone hire a female tutor for a maid!"
"These days, even young ladies from poor families can't afford a female tutor to teach them to read!"
"If you didn't know better, you'd think she kept a whole yard full of young ladies!"
The third and fourth wives also felt that Jiang Shuwan hadn't handled things well, and they all chimed in.
“What my sister-in-law says is true.”
“Our family, though kind and generous, is not so generous as to hire a female tutor for our servants.”
"Throughout the entire capital, even in the mansions of princes and dukes, no female tutors are hired for their servants."
"Wan's actions are really too eye-catching!"
Jiang Shuwan certainly knew why they objected.
In today's society, most farmers' sons can't afford to go to school, so for her to hire a female tutor for her maid is as bizarre as a major earthquake.
Moreover, they were very high-profile.
With the added prestige of a noble title, and the current commander of the Imperial Guard, the Marquis's family is truly favored by the Emperor.
It can be said that the Marquis's Mansion is not afraid of the Duke's Mansion or the Prince's Mansion.
But you have to keep a low profile on the surface!
The fact that the emperor favors the noble family is already enough to make people hate you. If you're so high-profile, aren't you just an easy target to attack?
The reason Madam Pei summoned Jiang Shuwan over was because of this.
Wen also knew that Jiang Shuwan's behavior was too arrogant.
Therefore, he specifically called for a third wife and a fourth wife.
Both of these ladies sided with the Wen family.
Perhaps feeling confident of victory, Wen's smugness was completely undisguised.
At this moment, he was spinning his prayer beads while staring blatantly at Jiang Shuwan.
She was so excited!
Less than a month after Jiang Shuwan entered the household, she had eliminated almost a third of her staff, including the etiquette matron and her goddaughter's faction.
She was also scolded by Madam Pei for not managing the household well, and Jiang Shuwan also got her hands on Madam Pei's pearl, which she had long coveted.
She was so angry she couldn't sleep at night, but she couldn't do anything about Jiang Shuwan.
She's been so busy every day that she's barely able to breathe. She's already decided that once this busy period is over, she'll deal with her arrogant eldest daughter-in-law.
Unexpectedly, instead of finding fault with Jiang Shuwan, Jiang Shuwan herself made a mistake.
The old lady disliked arrogant and high-profile people the most.
Thinking about it, Wen couldn't help but feel happy.
The head maid and the storeroom maid stood behind her, looking quite smug.
They were so busy, preparing New Year's gifts for various households and conducting self-inspections.
They were so busy they didn't even have time to sleep, and they offended many servants, making it quite difficult for them to carry out their tasks.
—And all of this was brought about by Jiang Shuwan.
Now that Jiang Shuwan is being criticized, they've even skipped mealtimes, just wanting to see her make a fool of herself.
So what if he knelt before the young mistress a few days ago? So what if the slap mark on his face is still swollen?
If they don't step on Jiang Shuwan today, they've wasted their time.
"Grandma, the New Year is just around the corner, and many distinguished people are coming and going in the mansion. Some of them have already heard about this matter."
"Young mistress's actions are truly illogical. We urge the old lady to make a decision as soon as possible."
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