Wealth and glory seek stability

Jian Xi smiled bitterly in her heart, and she would be thankful if no one praised her in front of others.

Qiangwei is quite capable and handles complicated affairs in an orderly manner. In addition, she has gained a lot of knowledge from following Xia and has her own set of principles in dealing with things. Jian Xi has learned a lot from her.

I can't help but sigh that having such a senior secretary really saves me a lot of trouble!

Food, clothing, housing, transportation, interpersonal relationships, all aspects are taken care of, and maids like Qiangwei who serve Xia are somewhat respectable in front of other masters in the palace.

Qiangwei had also asked Jian Xi privately, "What exactly are you? Why did the Madam order you to do whatever you want in this courtyard, and all the food and clothing supplies are the same as those of the first-class maids in the mansion."

Jian Xi picked out the important things and talked about them. "It has something to do with my brother. My brother has a good relationship with the Third Master in the army. He went to ask the Third Master to speak for me." She was vague about the specific reason.

Qiangwei is a smart person. After careful consideration, she understood the key point. "Okay, you can learn from me during these days in the mansion, and you can help me a little."

Jian Xi is four years younger than Qiangwei. The maids in the mansion would basically be sent out of the mansion or married off when they were about eighteen years old. Some of them were given grace and could leave the mansion and get married when they reached the age of 15. A capable maid like Qiangwei, who was given the grace of her master and engaged at an early age, would generally not get married until they were between eighteen and twenty years old.

It takes time to train people. If you leave the house later, you can serve your master for a few more years.

All in all, Qiangwei will be able to get married in four or five years at most, and now is the time to select some capable people to be trained to take her place.

She was originally optimistic about Jian Xi, but man proposes, God disposes, and Jian Xi might leave the house two years earlier than her.

Now, in a rush, Qiangwei selected a few smart girls from the Magnolia Courtyard to train together, hoping to find a tall girl among the short ones, so that at least one of them can show promise.

It's not a problem if you don't know the goods, but it's a problem if you compare the goods. With a gem like Jian Xi in front of her, Qiangwei was dissatisfied with the little maids in front of her.

Jian Xi quickly expressed her loyalty: "Thank you for your kindness, sister. Sister has helped me a lot. As long as I am in the mansion, I will still be a member of Yulan Court. If you have any instructions, please don't hesitate to ask me."

Xia said this, but she still had to do what she had to do. It was a small yard, and they saw each other everywhere. They woke up and slept, and ate after sleeping. Even if Xia didn't say anything, the people below would have opinions.

Qiangwei admired Jian Xi for being able to understand the situation. "It's best if you understand things. This way, it will be easier for everyone." As expected, this girl is sensible. Look! She said what she wanted to say before she said anything else.

When he looked up and saw the stupid heads in front of him, he suddenly felt a headache, "You guys get off!"

"Yes, Sister Qiangwei."

Wherever Qiangwei's eyes fell, Jian Xi smiled sweetly, "Don't worry, sister. If you teach me, you don't have to worry about them. I will naturally help you train them well."

"I am most confident in your work." We are almost the same age, so why is there such a big gap between them? I really can't understand.

What else could Jian Xi say? After learning from Qiangwei, she went to find the few little girls she had been with before.

"Qiao'er, Huixiang, Huixin, is there anything you three don't understand about what Sister Qiangwei said today?"

All of them were family-born children, that is, children born to Xia's servants, and their family backgrounds were all clean.

Qiao Er was the first to ask, "I don't understand why Sister Qiangwei asked us to check the accounts. I clearly found out that the amount the kitchen purchased last month didn't match the quota. The amount purchased was 20 taels more than the quota. Why didn't Sister Qiang hold the person in charge of kitchen purchases accountable?"

Jian Xi explained: "Let's not talk about rice, flour, grain and oil for now. You know that it's okay to have more daily rations, but it's absolutely not okay to have less. The kitchen purchasing manager will buy more every month in case of emergency.

Besides, it’s summer now, and fruits and vegetables don’t last long, and spoiled ones can’t be eaten, so it’s reasonable to spend more money on shopping in summer than in winter.”

"Been taught a lesson!"

Huixiang was puzzled. "I checked the account books of the farm below. I found the same problem as Qiao'er. The harvest of the farm below was 10% less than last year. The head of the farm said it was lost when threshing. I thought it was a common thing and didn't tell Sister Qiangwei. But Sister Qiang was furious when she found out and reported it directly to the Madam. The Madam decided to sell the farm head."

When talking about selling, Huixiang's face turned pale. She didn't understand why such a small thing could have such serious consequences.

Seeing that no one understood Xia's method, Jian Xi explained to them, "Since it was the loss from threshing, why wasn't there any loss last year? Moreover, this year's weather is better than last year. It's not a bumper year, but it's definitely not bad. How come the harvest in the farms down there is less?

There is only one possibility, that is, the village head reported false accounts and enriched himself, which is absolutely not allowed. If he can make false accounts today, then if he kills someone tomorrow, will he do the same? For a wealthy family, the family's reputation is the most important. How can we allow such a cunning servant to deceive the master? "

"..."

Jian Xi was talking until her mouth was dry, but no one offered her a sip of tea.

These people are just as Qiangwei said, stupid.

Faced with the stunned people, Jian Xi couldn't help but share her work experience.

"I am now half your master. I am talking so much that my mouth is dry. If you have the sense to show me, shouldn't you offer me a cup of tea?"

Qiao Er retorted: "But you are not the master, why should we be so respectful to you?"

Jian Xi resisted the urge to knock her on the head and explained patiently:

"Then let me put it another way. If I am the master's confidant, serving him every day, and I suddenly remember that you are disrespectful to me, I would say a few words casually:

Madam, that Qiao'er is always picky and always bullies Huixiang and Huixin who are with her. Do you think Madam will believe what I say?"

You little brat, don't listen? I'll make things difficult for you!

Qiao Er was furious and quickly denied it, "You're talking nonsense, I'm not trying to be stubborn!"

Jian Xi was calm and composed, and said slowly, "Oh? Why are you talking nonsense? Aren't you just arguing with me now?"

Qiao'er was so anxious that she was about to cry.

Huixiang and Huixin immediately explained: "No, Qiao'er didn't bully us!"

Jian Xi stroked her forehead, "I'm not talking about this now. I'm talking to you about the ways of the world. There are some things that Sister Qiangwei can't explain directly, so I'll tell you. Since you are in Yulan Courtyard, you can't avoid dealing with the people in this courtyard. Just like now, if one of you makes a mistake, others can help say a few words."

Jian Xi thought about it and added, "But the most important thing is to be loyal to the master and not have any second thoughts, otherwise that village head will be an example." She almost forgot Qiangwei's instructions. She wanted to train a few little girls. It would be bad if Qiangwei knew that she was teaching the little girls to form gangs.

Fortunately, there are still smart people. Huixiang ran to the table and poured a cup of tea. "Sister Jianxi, have a cup of tea to moisten your throat."