Volume 1, Chapter 10: Grandmother Sends Assistance
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Shang Yinqiong returned to her own courtyard. The few people Madam Yu had sent over, having yet to be assigned any duties, were all sitting on stools and cracking melon seeds.
Had Madam Yu deliberately sent these people here to disgust her?
A younger maid noticed Shang Yinqiong and hurriedly rose from her stool. Folding her hands before her chest, she inclined herself slightly.
“Good day, Third Miss.”
Only when they heard her voice did the others seem to come to their senses.
A sharp glint flashed through Shang Yinqiong’s eyes.
She seemed to know how to deal with these people now.
Just then, Nanny Tang entered with a large retinue, moving in a grand procession. She bowed respectfully.
“Good day, Third Miss.”
Shang Yinqiong quickly helped her up.
“Nanny, who are these people?”
“You know that the Old Madam always keeps you in her thoughts. Now that you have returned, you must be short of capable servants. These maids were personally trained by the Old Madam, and all of them are highly competent.”
Nanny Tang drew forward one of the older women.
“This is Nanny Li. You must have seen her at the temple.”
“I do remember her.”
At the time, Shang Yinqiong had been wearing only a thin garment as she knelt outside the temple, pleading for an audience with the Old Madam. She did not know how long she had knelt there—so long that both her legs had gone numb, devoid of all sensation.
In the end, she had not seen the Old Madam at all. Instead, Nanny Li had brought her a cloak, draped it over her shoulders, and advised her not to continue kneeling.
Seeing Shang Yinqiong’s expression, Nanny Tang knew that she remembered.
“In such a large courtyard, there must ultimately be someone in charge. The Old Madam has specially assigned one of her most trusted longtime servants to oversee this place.”
Shang Yinqiong naturally understood her grandmother’s painstaking concern.
Nanny Li appeared to be in her thirties. Dressed in flax-colored garments, she stood perfectly straight, exuding an imposing air.
“Good day, Third Miss. From now on, this old servant will manage your courtyard.”
Her eyes were filled with admiration for Shang Yinqiong.
Shang Yinqiong gave a slight nod, acknowledging her.
No one had visited her courtyard in three years. She had never expected so many people to arrive the moment its doors were opened.
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The moment Nanny Tang entered, she noticed the people sent by Madam Yu.
As the principal wife of the Duke’s household, it was perfectly reasonable for Madam Yu to send a few servants to her daughter. However, the people she had sent had left melon-seed shells scattered all over the floor and were lounging about carelessly.
They had not even prepared a place for Shang Yinqiong to sit, let alone a pot of hot tea.
Clearly, they had no intention of serving her wholeheartedly.
After Nanny Tang had returned from the garden to the Old Madam’s courtyard, she had not even had time to speak before the Old Madam assigned several people to accompany her to Third Miss’s courtyard.
Thinking about it now, the Old Madam had probably known all along about Madam Yu’s little maneuver.
But judging from Third Miss’s calm and composed appearance, she likely would not truly allow others to bully her.
“Third Miss is still young. Why not let this old servant take charge of the people in your courtyard?”
Nanny Li stepped forward and stood before the group.
“If I remember correctly, you all originally served in Madam’s courtyard. Third Miss is the principal wife’s daughter, so being transferred here should be considered a fortunate arrangement.”
The reprimanded servants all lowered their heads and remained silent.
Shang Yinqiong’s lips curved faintly.
These people truly were the sort who bullied the weak and feared the strong. In front of her, they relied on her youth and refused to work properly. Yet before Nanny Li, they did not even dare breathe too loudly.
Nanny Li surveyed them once more before continuing.
“Your contracts of service are held by the Duke of Protecting the State’s household. Now that the Old Madam has returned, whether you stay or leave is not for any one of you to decide. You are all intelligent people; you should understand what I mean. Do not imagine that, simply because your master is young, you can climb onto her head. A servant without her master’s favor cannot possibly remain in this household for long.”
Shang Yinqiong silently gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
The people her grandmother had sent certainly knew how to speak with authority.
Nanny Tang quietly came to Shang Yinqiong’s side and lowered her voice.
“Does Third Miss understand now? The servants in this courtyard must have their hearts aligned with their mistress. If anyone’s loyalty lies elsewhere, keeping such a person will sooner or later bring great disaster.”
“I understand.”
Shang Yinqiong had originally intended to deal with these people after a little more time had passed. Now, however, it seemed she would have to move that plan forward. She should also let her grandmother see what she was capable of.
Nanny Tang nodded with relief.
“Third Miss, you truly have changed a great deal in these three years.”
She still remembered how Third Miss had been when she first arrived at the estate. She had been like a firecracker—regardless of whom she spoke with or spent time around, her temper ignited at the slightest spark. Every joy and sorrow had been written plainly across her face, leaving her incapable of pausing to think things through.
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Back then, Third Miss had suffered several hidden setbacks at Second Miss’s hands, yet even after all that, she had never learned the other girl’s skill at manipulating people’s hearts.
Now, however, Third Miss truly seemed much steadier.
Shang Yinqiong was clearly smiling, yet beneath that smile lay boundless sorrow.
“Nanny ought to know better than I do that the imperial palace is a place that devours people without even spitting out their bones. If I truly had not changed at all, I would never have survived long enough to walk out of there.”
“Third Miss, you give yourself too little credit. Heaven protects the fortunate.”
Nanny Tang could only offer words of comfort.
Nanny Li had finished reprimanding the servants.
“Does Third Miss have anything to say?”
Shang Yinqiong stood before them all, composed beneath their assessing gazes.
“I believe Mother sent you here to assist me, not to act as though you were my ancestors. If anyone has come here intending to be treated like royalty, I will report it truthfully to Mother. She has managed this household for many years; surely dealing with a few unruly servants is within her ability.”
Nanny Tang was highly satisfied. She pointed toward the people standing behind her.
“From this day onward, you have only one mistress: Third Miss.”
The people behind her answered in unison.
“This servant understands.”
“Xiaoli, take Third Miss’s measurements so that new clothes may be made. While you are at it, have her change into the few ready-made outfits the Old Madam selected.”
“Yes.”
Xiaoli followed Shang Yinqiong into the room.
Shang Yinqiong looked at the several undergarments laid out before her. There was one in every imaginable color, and the fabric felt exceedingly soft beneath her fingers.
Xiaoli was removing Shang Yinqiong’s old clothes.
“These garments must be very expensive,” Shang Yinqiong murmured.
She had once seen the court robes worn by the imperial consorts while she was in the palace, and the fabrics before her were no different from those.
Xiaoli’s hands did not pause.
“To answer Third Miss, these clothes are indeed quite costly. They are made from Moonlight Brocade produced in Jiangnan. I have heard that a single bolt is worth ten thousand pieces of gold. Anything embroidered upon it appears almost lifelike beneath the sunlight. The fabric is also wonderfully light. It does not feel heavy when worn, yet neither does it leave one cold. It is exceptionally comfortable.”
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