Chapter 110 Meeting the Servants of Zhuangzi
When Zhao Lingmeng woke up, she found Qiuyue and Chunshui already waiting in the room. Qiuyue was embroidering a handkerchief for Zhao Lingmeng not far from her bed, while Chunshui was leaning against the window, lost in thought.
As soon as Zhao Lingmeng moved, they both knew that she had woken up, and they immediately came over to help her get up.
"What's going on? Why are both of you in my room today? Aren't you usually alone?"
"Reporting to the princess, everyone on the farm is waiting outside. I'm afraid something might happen, so I came here to guard. It's better to be careful." Chunshui replied while helping Zhao Lingmeng put on her clothes.
Zhao Lingmeng looked at the suit Qiuyue was holding and waved her hand. "Choose something neat! After meeting the people, I'll take the two young masters out to play in the fields for a while. Are the two young masters up yet?"
When Chunshui heard Zhao Lingmeng's order, she took the clothes from Qiuyue and went outside to find them. Qiuyue smiled and replied, "The two young masters haven't woken up yet. When you, the princess, meet people, I will go and wake them up."
Zhao Lingmeng smiled and nodded, "That's fine."
By the time Zhao Lingmeng finished packing and emerged, half an hour had passed. Zhao Lingmeng went straight to the highest chair in the courtyard and sat down. Chunshui and Nanny Sun followed closely behind Zhao Lingmeng, their presence full of energy.
"Greetings to Princess Funing!" When everyone saw the princess coming, they immediately bowed deeply. After all, it was their first time meeting the master, so it was necessary to perform a great ceremony.
"Everyone, please stand up!"
Only when the people below heard the princess's call did they dare to stand up respectfully, not daring to look around.
Zhao Lingmeng looked at the well-behaved people below and felt that they were indeed trained by the royal family and understood the rules. As for whether they were truly loyal, that would only be known after they were used.
Zhao Lingmeng took the hot tea handed to her by the waiter and drank it slowly. After leaving them alone for a while, she asked, "Who is the person in charge of this manor?"
As soon as Zhao Lingmeng finished saying this, he saw two middle-aged people, a man and a woman, step out of the crowd and salute.
"My lady, my humble servant and I are responsible for all matters in this manor. My name is Li Jinxi and my wife is Wang Xiaoju." Li Jinxi replied respectfully, with no intention of disrespecting the princess at all. They were all given to Princess Funing along with the manor as a reward, and if they were not loyal, it would be a slap in the face of the emperor.
Even if the princess didn't pursue the matter, the emperor wouldn't let them go. Before they were rewarded, the eunuchs in the palace had come to pass on a message that if they dared to bully their master, the emperor would send all nine of their clans to be reunited. They knew that this princess was a tough nut to crack.
"Mr. Li, Madam Wang, thank you for your hard work! This is my first visit, but I'll probably be here often. Prepare the account books; I'll need them later."
I will forgive you for what you did in the past, but I hope to see a clear account in the future. I am not stingy with rewards, so as long as you work hard, your rewards will definitely be more than what you asked for."
The people below were very happy when they heard Princess Funing say that past deeds would not be held accountable. The emperor basically could not remember this manor before, and he was even more perfunctory when checking the accounts, so no one present had completely clean hands.
Seeing Princess Funing like this, they knew she was not someone who could be fooled. But she was able to say that she would not pursue the past, which made them happier than any reward. They immediately bowed and said in unison: "Thank you, Princess Funing!"
Zhao Lingmeng reached out to stop them from saying anything more, "Don't be so quick to thank me. This princess will only tolerate it this time. If there is a next time, this princess will directly return your indentures to the emperor. You know the consequences of this."
Zhao Lingmeng glanced at the people below, paused, and added, "This princess cannot tolerate those who betray her. Everything in this manor must be kept secret from this princess. The Nanny Sun who serves beside this princess once served the emperor. I think you all know the consequences of betraying this princess."
As soon as she finished speaking, the people below lowered their heads even lower. They immediately knelt down and shouted: "I dare not..."
Most of those kneeling people were afraid. They did not expect that Princess Funing's methods were so tough and her background was so powerful.
Only Chief Steward Li and his wife, Nanny Wang, were incredibly happy. The more capable the master they served, the brighter their future prospects would be, if not for themselves, then for their children's. As for betraying their master, those with families to support wouldn't even dare to think about it.
Zhao Lingmeng didn't immediately tell them to get up. She still had to show some respect on their first meeting. She slowly drank another cup of tea, and when she felt she had left them alone long enough, she smiled and said, "Alright, everyone, get up! Today is your first time meeting this princess. I'll give each of you ten taels of silver. Serve well from now on."
As soon as she said this, the people below no longer thought that this master was difficult to serve. As long as they had money, they felt that they could serve any master.
"Thank you, Princess!" They were extremely sincere in their greeting this time. Usually, except for a few managers, most people only earned about two taels of silver per month. The reward from Princess Funing was almost their half-year salary.
"Alright, you can all leave now! This princess will summon you if anything needs any help." Zhao Lingmeng said this, then she stood up and went to the house of Zhao Houjing and his brother. She planned to take the children for a walk around the village this afternoon to let them get acclimated. Then, after the walk, they would soak in the hot springs, have dinner, and sleep. It would definitely be very comfortable.
When Zhao Lingmeng entered, the two children had already woken up, each holding a piece of snack and eating it. Zhao Lingmeng frowned as she looked at the snacks in the mansion, but still asked gently:
"Jing'er, Ming'er, are you hungry again?"
"I'm a little hungry, just a little!" Zhao Houjing gestured with his hand as he spoke.
"Didn't you two have enough for lunch? I noticed you two ate quite a lot for lunch, too."
Zhao Houming also said, "I ate, but I didn't eat very much. It's not as good as the chef in the mansion. Can mother have roast duck tonight?"
Zhao Lingmeng looked at the eager eyes of Zhao Houming and Zhao Houjing and sneered inwardly. These picky kids would have to eat only the food prepared at the farm for a long time. It seemed she had underestimated their picky eaters by having the cooks take turns cooking lunch. She decided to tell Qiuyue later to let the farm cook for the time being.
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