Chapter 168 The Stewards in Prince Qi’s Mansion
"I understand. I will explain it to them in a moment."
"Well, let's eat. Hongxiu, go call the people. I eat breakfast quickly. Tell the stewards to sit in the flower hall and serve them tea. I'll be right there."
"yes."
The master and his two servants went about their business separately.
After eating a few mouthfuls of food, he stood up and brought Hongzhu to the flower hall. At this time, the stewards from all departments had gathered there. When they saw the princess coming, they quickly stood up and saluted.
"Greetings, Princess!"
"No need to be polite."
Jiang Wan walked to the main seat with a smile and sat down. His words and actions were measured, and he had the air of a great man in his movements.
"Please sit down, everyone."
"Thank you, Princess, for the seat."
Everyone took their seats, but no one was sure what kind of person this new master was, and for a moment no one dared to speak.
"I called everyone here today because there's nothing important. The prince is busy outside, so I've been handed over to you guys at home.
So this princess thought of asking you all to come here and introduce yourself to me, so that if any trouble arises in the future, I won’t be at a loss for a while.”
"Your Highness Princess is absolutely right!"
Manager Yang immediately took his place.
"You are the mistress of the house, and you should be the one making the decisions regarding all matters within the Prince Qi's mansion. The prince has already stated that you are his equal in Dongling Mansion. Anyone who dares to neglect the Princess of Qi shows that they do not respect His Highness the Prince of Qi."
Jiang Wan nodded and smiled at Manager Yang out of respect for his clear position.
"Uncle Yang, have all the stewards in our mansion come?"
When Manager Yang heard that the princess had also changed her tune like the prince, his old eyes widened with laughter.
"Yes, not one is missing!"
"That's good."
Jiang Wan looked at the people present, her smile still too beautiful, but her voice was not soft at all.
"I've just arrived here, and I'm completely clueless about a lot of things. I don't want to brag about how capable I am as a housekeeper.
I've already taken a rough look at the palace's accounts, and there aren't any major issues, so for now, we'll stick to the same rules as before. Once everyone's familiar with each other, we'll consider revising any inaccuracies or inadequacies.
However, I have one thing to mention in advance, regarding the people I brought with me from the capital. From now on, we'll all eat from the same pot. If there are any minor disputes, I hope everyone will be tolerant of each other and avoid internal strife. Otherwise, if anything malicious happens, don't blame me, the princess, for punishing them.
I hope that all stewards will pay more attention to the affairs of the palace in the future and report any problems promptly."
Everyone agreed and said they would do their best.
Jiang Wan nodded with satisfaction.
"Alright, everyone introduce yourselves. Hongzhu Hongxiu, come over and take note of the people."
"yes."
Two personal maids came forward, one holding the roster and the other holding a wooden box containing a red envelope that had been prepared in advance.
An old woman in blue clothes sitting at the front stood up with a smile on her face and bowed to the host at the top before she began to recite the words she had memorized in private for a long time.
"Your Highness, I'm the kitchen steward. Everyone calls me Mrs. Liu. I'm the prince's pawn, Liu Sanlin!"
She was so nervous that she forgot the words, so Mrs. Liu could only make up a sentence and quickly shut up.
Jiang Wan curled her lips into a smile, her tone gentle.
"Remember, Madam Liu, the kitchen manager, is the mother of the Zhaowu Captain."
Hongzhu took up her pen and wrote down the names on the homemade roster. Hongxiu opened the wooden box in her hand, pulled out a red envelope, and handed it over with a smile.
"Madam Liu, how are you? I am Hongxiu, the maidservant of the princess. Please take good care of me in the future."
"Oh, no, no, no, Miss Hongxiu and Miss Hongzhu are both top-ranking maids serving the princess. Steward Yang has already told us! I dare not accept your gift."
Mrs. Liu was so anxious that she wiped her sweaty hands on her most respectable clothes. She couldn't lose this job, otherwise the whole family would depend on San'er's salary and starve to death.
Hongxiu quickly explained with a smile.
"Madam Liu, you misunderstood. This is a welcome gift from our princess. Every steward has one, so please feel free to take it."
"Really?"
She looked stealthily towards the main seat, and only after the beautiful princess, who looked like a fairy from heaven, nodded, did Liu Pozi dare to reach out to receive the reward.
"Thank you, Princess!"
"You're welcome. Madam Liu, please go ahead and do your work. Next one."
After Mrs. Liu happily retreated, a middle-aged woman with a pale face and thin body came forward to greet her.
"My name is Bao, and I am the manager of the sewing room in the mansion. My late husband, Xu Jingyuan, once served under the prince."
"Remember, the needlework room manager is Mrs. Bao, the widow of the Huaihua Lieutenant General."
After hearing the princess read out her late husband's official position word for word, Bao took the red envelope with tears in her eyes and knelt down to kowtow.
"Thank you, Princess, for the reward!"
"No need to thank me, you can go and do your work first. If you have any difficulties at home, you can come find me. Next!"
Another skinny boy stood up.
"I'm Jiang Dabao, the one who looks after the chores in the mansion. My father's name is Jiang Bei."
The child was embarrassed to say that he was the manager, after all, he had no one under him. At that time, the prince had squeezed out such an errand for him in the palace, just to allow him to enter the palace and find a way to make a living for his younger brothers and sisters.
Jiang Wan looked at him carefully.
"Remember, Jiang Dabao, the storeroom manager, is the eldest son of the Wuwei General."
One by one, the stewards came up to introduce themselves, and Jiang Wan pronounced the identities of almost every one of them correctly.
Some of these people are the parents of young generals in the army, some are orphans and widows left behind by generals who died in battle, and some are veterans who are so disabled that they can no longer go to the battlefield.
Behind every person is a family to support. This is just the families of the generals. If it were the families of the ordinary soldiers, who knows what life would be like.
One can imagine how poor the Dongling Prefecture is.
No wonder Li Chengxiu, a prince, could be so shameless as to beg for money in the capital. How could this be considered a fiefdom? It was simply a large beggars' den.
What he said last night was absolutely correct. If he didn't take people out to beg for food, he would probably starve to death in this three-acre wasteland!
After going back and forth for more than half an hour, all the managers were registered with their names, and the red-sealed box was empty. The managers happily went back to continue their work.
Butler Yang dragged his injured leg, which was half-immobilized, to Jiang Wan, knelt down, and kowtowed in gratitude.
"Old slave Yang Zhong, thank you for your mercy, Master!"
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