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

After calming down Wang Mama, Granny Zhang from Yimei Garden also arrived.

"Please greet Miss. It has been some time since I last saw you, and my mistress has been thinking of you very much. She sent me to check if you are missing anything. If anything is lacking, please just send someone to the main courtyard to let this old servant know."

If you have any difficulties, young lady, don't keep them to yourself; try to solve them yourself. Although our lady is in charge of managing this manor, there are still many other masters living here, so our lady has it tough too.

"If, in private, the young lady were to accidentally do something that would cause her to lose face and become a laughingstock among those lowly women, she wouldn't feel the same way."

It’s true that good things don’t go out, but bad things spread thousands of miles.

Hua Sirong understood; this was because of what happened with Wang Mama, and they had come to confront her.

She invited Granny Zhang to sit down and then asked Granny Wang to make tea. "Granny, thank you for your trouble. I have everything I need. Granny Wang made a fool of herself at home today, and I was just talking about her."

I brought her and Chunyan to the Marquis's residence. They made a mistake, and as their master, I cannot escape responsibility. I have failed in my duty to manage my subordinates, and I request to be confined to my quarters for three months.

Granny Lao told my aunt that I would go to her to apologize three months later.

Granny Zhang: ...She can't make that decision either.

Regardless of whether Granny Zhang was in a difficult position, Hua Sirong continued, "Originally, I should have deducted Wang Mama's monthly allowance for making a mistake."

Since this whole affair started because of money, I naturally couldn't continue to be so harsh on her. Therefore, I took it upon myself to punish Granny Wang by making her clean the courtyard.

Originally, it was Wang Mama and Chunyan who did the work in their courtyard, so this punishment made no difference; it was just a show for outsiders.

"As for Wang Mama's daily social interactions, although I am the master, it is not appropriate for me to interfere in them in a big way."

Besides, I've always been rather undisciplined and lack manners. I'm happy to see Wang Mama get along with the experienced mothers in the household.

Please ask your aunt not to punish the servants in the manor because of this. If this matter hadn't been blown up, it wouldn't have been a big deal; it would have just been a private matter between the servants.

It's like living in the same village or alley; if you see someone, you're bound to exchange a few pleasantries. "Isn't that right?" the old woman said.

Granny Zhang could only nod. In this matter, the servants of the Marquis's mansion were more at fault, but the lady in charge of the household had never mentioned punishing anyone.

The young lady here took the initiative to punish herself and Wang Mama. From what she said, she wanted to make a quick and quiet decision, just to show the masters in the mansion. She didn't intend to hold the matter against the servants for their rudeness.

If this matter is simply considered a common interaction between servants, and the young lady is so considerate of the lady, how can she, the old nanny representing the lady, continue to be arrogant and condescending?

They arrived triumphantly, but left somewhat dejected and unconvinced.

Upon returning to Yimei Garden, she reported the truth, and Madam Shen let the matter drop without mentioning any further reward or punishment.

That matter seemed to have passed just like that.

Wang Mama of Qingwu Courtyard continued to associate with the servants in the mansion, as if it were an open secret and a perfectly normal thing.

Knowing that Wang Mama was short of money, the servants in the household stopped asking her to pay for everything. Of course, Wang Mama was also generous, and even subtly revealed that because of the previous joke, her mistress had secretly increased her monthly allowance.

When others heard this, they assumed that she had come from a poor family and earned a low monthly wage, and that the young lady had made Wang Mama's purse bulge out of consideration for her reputation.

Hearing the news that Wang Mama had inquired about, Hua Sirong and her servant smiled at each other.

“Young lady, you are truly insightful. Now that I’m in the manor, I’m more likely to hear the truth than when I first arrived. I used to think I would have to spend a lot of money, but because of this incident, I only lost a few copper coins, which is enough.”

"Although my aunt managed the household very well, it was still a family of nobles with many years of history, and the relationships within it were intricate and complex. When we first arrived, if we wanted to find out anything, they would treat us like we were the plague, let alone try to find out any secrets."

This experience has actually brought you closer to the servants in the household. By finding out some things that everyone in the household knows, they have both benefited and lowered their guard against us.

After a while, people became less reserved when speaking to you, and there were plenty of people eager to share information about the household that we previously lacked access to.

“What you say is true, young lady. Don’t underestimate those old women just because they’re not in charge of the household or what important positions they hold. They’re like rats with their own ways, and nothing in this household can escape their notice.”

Hua Sirong waved her round fan and nodded with a smile, "Xiaoyue, who was by the eldest young lady's side, has become the young master Zhuang's concubine. Xiaoyue was originally bought from outside and has no constraints in the mansion. I'm afraid the eldest young lady will have a hard time from now on."

Madam Wang only shared what she had learned each day with her daughter; many things she had to hear her daughter analyze before she and Chunyan could hear them.

"Xiaoyue's indenture is in the hands of the eldest daughter, and her personal maid is serving as the young master's concubine, which is also tacitly accepted in the large family."

Hua Sirong shook her head. "It's just a contract of indenture. If the Zhuang family's son-in-law really asks the eldest daughter for it, do you think she can keep holding onto it?"

In the inner quarters of the household, it's fine if the mistress of the house has established herself firmly. The real fear is that if she loses her footing and her husband's respect, and then has a maid who knows her well backstabbing her, life will be unbearable!

"If the eldest young lady treated Xiaoyue well, that would be fine, but from what we've heard, the eldest young lady beats and scolds the maids around her; she's not a good-tempered person."

Xiaoyue wasn't supposed to go and serve the eldest daughter, but by some twist of fate, she did. In just a short time, she became the young master's concubine.

Judging from our young lady's personality, she doesn't seem like the type to actively find women for her husband. So I guess Xiaoyue put in a lot of effort herself, which shows she's not exactly a stay-at-home type.

That young master Zhuang had a funny affair with his wife's maid when they were newlyweds, and less than six months into their marriage, he took Xiaoyue as his concubine. He doesn't seem like a good husband either.

Thinking of her future son-in-law in Zhuang En, Wang's mother was also filled with worry. "Our master is still the best. He has stayed by our mistress's side all his life. Miss, you must be careful in the future. You must not marry such a lecherous man."

Even the eldest daughter of a marquis has to suffer such injustices; her daughter is just a cousin in the household, who can stand up for her!

It's safest to find a more reliable son-in-law.

"Mom is always worrying. As long as we can stand on our own two feet, no matter what kind of family we meet in the future, we will be able to live a good life." Rather than pinning our hopes on fickle men and living an uncertain life, it is better to adjust our own mindset and just focus on raising our children.