The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

"Sixth Miss's words are both wrong and right."

The sixth sister didn't quite understand, but she knew how formidable her aunt was.

"Please teach me, Auntie."

"It's true that servants are the property of their masters, but you shouldn't say that in front of the servants. The Sixth Miss is beautiful and kind-hearted, and she understands the hardships of servants. How could she look down on them?"

Moreover, there is a natural difference between humans and animals. Even servants who sell themselves into slavery are born of human parents, not sprang from a rock.

As human beings, we are subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death. They were born into bad luck, reborn as servants, unable to even set up a mourning hall when their loved ones died. No matter how reluctant they were, they could only cry a few tears on the sidelines, let alone observe mourning.

But it's not good to say it so bluntly; it might discourage them.

How can you be a good master if you can't win the hearts of your servants?

How can you instruct them to do things for you?

How could one possibly make a living in this secluded mansion?

“Auntie is right. But I have their indentures; does that mean I can’t order them around?”

"You hold their lives in your hands, so naturally they wouldn't dare disobey you. But there are two kinds of things when it comes to getting things done: doing them wholeheartedly and doing them perfunctorily. Does Sixth Miss only want to get a perfunctory result in the future?"

"No, I want them to serve me wholeheartedly and risk their lives for me."

Aunt Shui had a look of "this child is teachable," thinking that with the Sixth Miss's looks and her guidance, she would surely rise to prominence in her husband's family in the future!

"It's good that you think that way. Don't be like your older sister, she's still so self-righteous. Look at how many of the loyal servants who have served her since childhood are left." Having lived in this mansion for so many years, she can still find out some of the little things.

Besides, the lady didn't specifically surround or block the eldest daughter's courtyard to prevent outsiders from finding out.

Aside from the old lady, who remained uninformed, everyone in the household who needed to know knew that several of the eldest daughter's maids were unwilling to go with her to her husband's home.

The story goes that she was the first daughter of the Hou family to get married in her generation, and she married Zhuang En, the youngest son of the Imperial Censor Zhuang. He was over eighteen years old and already a scholar.

For a concubine's daughter to marry a legitimate son is considered a step up for her.

However, one is from a noble family and the other is a high-ranking censor. It's hard to say who is climbing the social ladder. If we split the bill, it's about the same.

Because of Censor Zhuang's stubbornness, although his official rank was low, his power was not to be underestimated. Therefore, the Zhuang family also had some reputation.

Even so, some maids still declined to go, which means the problem isn't with the future son-in-law's family anymore; the problem must lie with the young lady of the Marquis's mansion.

Upon further inquiry, it became clear that the affairs of the young lady's courtyard could not be kept secret.

"I used to think she was just a bit spoiled and arrogant, but I never imagined she was so brainless." It was impossible for Lady Hou not to be angry, after all, she was the one who had been slapped in the face.

"The eldest daughter is about to get married. Her mother-in-law and husband will take care of her from now on," Granny Zhang comforted her from the side.

"After all, she is one of our family members who has married out. I still have a seventh daughter, and in the future, there will be a granddaughter that Zhang-ge will give me. I am really afraid that because of the eldest daughter, one bad apple will bring trouble to the other girls in our family."

"You must keep a close eye on her yard. If anyone leaks even a whisper of this, don't blame me for being ruthless and killing them."

"Don't worry, Madam, this old servant will keep a close eye on things."

The young lady was overjoyed to have exchanged the bracelet for twenty taels of silver. But suddenly, her stepmother sent four newly bought maids to serve her, specifying that they were to be taken to her husband's house, and that none of the previous maids should be taken.

She was so angry that she smashed her favorite vase, but it was no use.

Xiaoyue was secretly pleased, and it was worth it for her to be so 'discreet' when she exchanged the bracelet for silver.

Madam Shen looked at the bracelet that the steward had redeemed and examined it for a long time.

"You've done a good job. Go and collect your reward." Madam Shen dismissed the steward before speaking to the servants around her.

"Wenqin, has Rongjie's monthly allowance been paid?" Madam Shen thought that this bracelet was equivalent to the annual income of the young ladies in the manor, so she asked this question.

"Reporting to Madam, Miss Rong has only been in the household for a short time, and so many things have happened before. This servant has forgotten about this matter. It is this servant's fault." As a servant, she certainly could not say that her mistress had not given specific instructions, and she dared not make such a decision on her own.

Upon hearing this, Madam Shen did not find fault with anyone, but simply instructed, "Rong'er will receive her monthly allowance from the manor, according to the standard for a concubine's daughter in a marquis's household, two taels per month. In addition, one tael will be added from my allowance, just like Seventh Miss. This way, no one else in the manor can say anything."

"Yes, I will do it myself and send the two months' allowance to Miss Biao." Wenqin accepted the order.

Madam Shen nodded, "Yes, no rush. Just make a trip when you have time." She was giving Rong'er face, and Rong'er should understand the situation.

She's not some greedy, gluttonous creature.

“It seems that Rong’er is not short of money.” Madam Shen chatted with Wenqin. “I thought she had really given all her wealth to Baiyun Temple, but I didn’t expect her to be so clever and shrewd.”

Granny Zhang came in at this moment, and after hearing this, she also had to say a few words, "She must have set aside enough money for her own expenses, otherwise she wouldn't be so generous. The eldest young lady has never invited the cousin, yet she still gave her such a nice pair of bracelets."

Madam Shen nodded, agreeing that it was indeed true. It was equivalent to the annual monthly allowance of the young ladies in the manor. As expected of someone from a merchant family, even though they appeared to have no money, what they held in their hands was not a drop in the ocean.

Wenqin then subtly praised the young ladies of the manor, saying, "Miss Biao is nothing but a silver digger; she can't compare to the precious young ladies of our Marquis's manor. The young ladies are meticulous about everything they eat, wear, and use."

There are many things that you can't buy no matter how much money you have.

Take, for example, the sandalwood cane in the old lady's hand, the jade thumb ring on the Marquis's thumb, the agate beads in the lady's dressing case, and the pendant on the young master's folding fan—aren't they all imperial gifts?

Furthermore, our second daughter loves reading and has made a name for herself in it. The rare books that the old Marquis collected when he was still alive have also fallen into her hands. Those are all priceless.

These things, you can't just buy with money.

That's what she said, but Lady Shen, the wife of the Marquis, didn't like what she heard next.

Having such a rare copy, yet giving it to a concubine's daughter instead of her son or daughter, how could she possibly accept this?

When she first married into the household, the Marquis was still in an important position, but as his power gradually slipped away, the Marquis's household began to decline.

If it weren't for the money she had to back her up, she was really worried that outsiders would laugh at her for not being a lucky woman.

Noticing the displeasure on the lady's face, Wenqin cursed herself for being so sharp-tongued. Why did she have to bring up such a sensitive topic? Talking about how wonderful the rare items in the Seventh Miss's courtyard were, and talking about the Second Miss, was just plain stupid.

Seeing that the lady was not in high spirits, Granny Zhang came to the rescue, "I heard that even though the rare book was taken, I didn't dare to look through it casually, for fear of damage. The second young lady usually reads a copy."

In my humble opinion, when any of our daughters get married in the future, each of them should receive a copy of this book. That wouldn't be considered unfair. Besides, books are meant to be read; what's the point of putting them on a bookshelf?