I don’t not consider you men;

I don’t consider you a man.

Yan Sanhe said coldly, “Prepare two rooms.”

“Very well, Miss Yan. This old servant will prepare them immediately.”

Though the Old Steward looked aged, his movements were quite nimble. Yan Sanhe watched his retreating back and suddenly asked:

“At the Old Steward’s age, he should have also served Old Grand Master Zhu, correct?”

Eldest Master Zhu: “Miss speaks correctly. When my grandfather was alive, he was already the steward.”

So he was a veteran of two reigns.

“They say ‘new emperor, new ministers.’ Why did Old Master Zhu still use him?”

“First, the Old Steward was reliable in his conduct and thorough in his manner.”

Eldest Master Zhu: “Second, my father was nostalgic. He couldn’t even bear to change the courtyard he’d lived in—much less these old household servants.”

“That doesn’t quite add up!”

Yan Sanhe pointed at the eight servants in the courtyard. “They all look quite young—not like old servants accustomed from before.”

Reminded by her, Young Master Pei quickly walked out of the study and squinted at the courtyard for a few glances.

Indeed, all eight people looked quite young.

Old Master Zhu was forty-nine this year. If they were truly old servants he was accustomed to, they should be over forty years old.

The maids being young was understandable—most were probably released.

But why did the two personal male servants also look quite young!

Like him, Young Master Pei—having grown accustomed to Huang Qi, unless Huang Qi had some major issue, he generally wouldn’t replace him.

“Elder Brother Zhu.”

Young Master Pei turned back in. “What’s this about?”

At this point, Zhu Yuanmo had to admire Yan Sanhe’s meticulous attention. “Let me first address the maids. Miss, how do you find my appearance?”

“Excellent.”

“My appearance falls far short of my father’s.”

Yan Sanhe caught his implied meaning. “So Old Master Zhu was extremely attractive to women during his lifetime?”

Eldest Master Zhu nodded.

“Even if my father had no such intentions, he couldn’t prevent some women from wanting to throw themselves at him. For this very reason, the maids in this courtyard were replaced frequently.”

“Who replaced them?” Yan Sanhe asked.

Eldest Master Zhu’s face showed some embarrassment as he lightly bit out two words: “My mother.”

Yan Sanhe carefully recalled Madam Mao’s figure and appearance—she didn’t find Madam Mao unattractive.

On the contrary, Madam Mao was quite good-looking, and she possessed an elegant bearing that could only be cultivated through wealth and silver.

“My mother is three years older than my father.”

Only then did Yan Sanhe understand why the maids in this courtyard were replaced frequently.

Though Madam Mao looked good and had fine bearing, women aged easily—especially women who’d borne six children. No matter how well-maintained, their vital energy was ultimately depleted.

Old Master Zhu surpassed her in appearance, was younger than her, and held the position of heading the Imperial Astronomical Bureau with excellent skills in divination and feng shui reading.

Such a man was like Tang Monk’s flesh—young women all wanted to take a bite. Not seeking immortality, but hoping to transform from maid to mistress, never worrying about food or clothing for life.

However good Old Master Zhu and Madam Mao’s relationship, they ultimately slept in separate courtyards.

At night when Old Master Zhu returned to his own courtyard, who knew which little vixen might climb into his bed in a fit of lust?

“What was Old Master Zhu’s attitude toward women who threw themselves at him?”

“My father…”

Eldest Master Zhu was silent for quite a while.

“Miss Yan, it’s normal for men to have three wives and four concubines. My father was no saint. According to my mother, he did touch one or two, whom my mother later sent away.”

So that’s how it was.

As the household’s mistress, Madam Mao had seen maids climbing into beds often enough—she didn’t care at all. After all, in matters of pleasure between men and women, women always suffered the loss in the end.

What she cared about was whether bellies became pregnant after climbing into bed.

If pregnant, the children born would be secondary sons and daughters who would compete with legitimate children for the family property in the future.

That’s why they had to be replaced frequently.

“What about the male servants?”

She asked again, “Why were they also replaced frequently?”

“The male servants weren’t replaced frequently. These two have actually followed my father for over ten years.”

Eldest Master Zhu sighed. “The previous two had improper intentions.”

“How so?”

“My father wasn’t versed in economic affairs—he only understood studying the Book of Changes and Eight Trigrams. One of them seized upon this weakness and secretly stole talismans my father had drawn to sell outside.”

Eldest Master Zhu: “Later my mother discovered it. Furious, she had him beaten thirty times and expelled from the Zhu residence.”

“What about the other one?”

“The other learned some superficial knowledge from my father and secretly read people’s eight characters and divined for them, doing feng shui readings outside.”

Eldest Master Zhu ground his back molars. “His skills were poor. He misjudged a feng shui case. When the other party came for him, seeing the matter exposed and his indenture contract still in hand, he fled on his own.”

Yan Sanhe: “Didn’t you report to the authorities?”

“Miss Yan, if such matters became big scandals, in the end it’s still the Zhu family that loses face. This person was originally selected by my grandfather for my father—they’d grown up together from childhood.

Eldest Master Zhu: “Now that this happened, Father also felt ashamed and told Mother to forget it, let him go.”

Yan Sanhe: “Then you replaced them with these two?”

“Right. These two were personally selected by my mother. Though their minds aren’t supremely clever, they’re honest and dutiful, without the courage to walk crooked paths.”

Eldest Master Zhu glanced toward the door. “Mother’s eye for people is accurate. They’ve followed my father for over ten years without any mishaps.”

“Did Old Master Zhu listen to the Madam in everything?”

Eldest Master Zhu’s face again showed that slightly embarrassed expression.

“Mother is three years older than Father and was a legitimate young miss from her natal family, with some young miss temperament. My father was born secondary, so…”

Yan Sanhe understood—Old Master Zhu marrying Madam Mao was social climbing.

Precisely because it was social climbing, in their interactions, the secondary-born Old Master Zhu was in the weaker position.

Over time, even after Old Master Zhu took charge of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, he ultimately lacked confidence, which is why the couple’s intimacy always occurred in Madam Mao’s courtyard.

Moreover, Madam Mao was very fertile—three sons and three daughters. No one’s spine was as straight as hers.

Hearing this, Yan Sanhe suddenly thought of someone—Xie Daozhi’s legitimate wife, Lady Wu.

Both married their men before they’d made their fortunes.

Both had sons and daughters at their sides.

The reason Lady Wu couldn’t straighten her spine wasn’t that she was foolish, but that she wasn’t born into a good family.

Lady Wu married up.

While Madam Mao married down.

“This courtyard—station guards as usual. Lock the study door for me. The maids and servants can go about their business. I’ll come find them later.”

Yan Sanhe looked at Eldest Master Zhu. “Now, please take me to the main hall, Eldest Master.”

Eldest Master Zhu’s expression turned serious. “Miss Yan, please!”

In the main hall, Madam Mao was waiting anxiously. Suddenly hearing the Old Steward call, “Madam, Miss Yan has arrived.”

“Quickly!”

Madam Mao grasped the armrest and stood. “Quickly invite her in.”

Zhu Weixi patted Madam Mao’s arm. “I’ll go greet her.”

“Go quickly, go quickly.”

Zhu Weixi walked out of the courtyard, just in time to see her elder and second brothers bringing Yan Sanhe in.

Winter sun shone on Yan Sanhe’s body. Everything around her became ethereal, leaving only Yan Sanhe’s pale, small face.

Zhu Weixi’s feet suddenly felt as if filled with lead—very heavy.

Could such a small person resolve Father’s heart demon?