The servants arranged round chairs and served their respective masters as they took their seats. Qin Huaiyuan, Second Master, and Third Master sat near Old Dowager in the front positions, while Second Madam and Third Madam, along with people from each branch, either stood or sat behind Old Dowager. It seemed they were completely ready to let Qin Yining handle this matter alone.
The servants gathered on the open ground were arranged in formation according to their respective branches and positions. Despite so many people being present, not one dared to make a sound. The scene was so quiet it didn’t resemble the inner quarters of a great family’s estate with maids and servants gathered, but rather a well-disciplined military camp.
Qin Yining held a fan shaped like crabapple blossoms, gently waving it as she stood before the crowd. Her beautiful eyes swept over all the managing servants and women, as well as the people they had brought.
“In our inner quarters, from the reporting office at the second gate to the gatekeepers at the rear corner gate, regardless of rank or age, we have a total of two hundred and forty-three people. Are you all present now? Each managing mother and sister-in-law, first check whether all the people under your jurisdiction have arrived.”
When Qin Yining stated the exact number “two hundred and forty-three,” the expressions of Old Dowager, Madam Sun, and others behind her changed somewhat.
Having managed the household for so many years, they had never paid attention to exactly how many servants were in the estate. They didn’t even know this precise number!
Old Dowager had originally been somewhat displeased. After all, Qin Huaiyuan had returned. If it was to help Qin Yining maintain control of the estate’s direction to avoid going astray, that would be one thing, but now that Qin Huaiyuan was home, surely there was no need for her to continue managing the household?
But Qin Huaiyuan didn’t speak up, and Qin Yining didn’t resign her position. Old Dowager couldn’t bring herself to compete with her granddaughter for the management tokens, so she could only continue to tacitly acknowledge Qin Yining’s status as the managing young lady.
Now seeing that she could still speak confidently to all the servants in the inner quarters, that the servants didn’t dare say a single unnecessary word in her presence, and that she could state an exact number off the top of her head, Old Dowager knew that Qin Yining wasn’t just putting on a show but truly had the ability to manage the household.
At this point, Old Dowager truly began to consider enjoying a peaceful retirement in the future.
In just a moment, the managing servants and women had counted all their people and reported to Qin Yining respectively. Upon hearing this, Qin Yining nodded and said, “Four people are missing. You can pass along what I say today to them later.”
“Yes, Miss, please give your instructions.” Nanny Fang smiled ingratiatingly.
Qin Yining then said, “You are all old members of the Qin family, having served in the Qin household for many years with wholehearted dedication. Among you, some sold themselves to enter the estate, others wrote documents of allegiance to come here. Regardless of which type, the Qin family will not treat you unfairly.”
“Now, everyone has heard about the situation outside. This morning, several people have already resigned to my face, so I might as well gather everyone here today to speak plainly.”
“The Qin family has never been a cruel master who makes things difficult for servants! When we come together, it’s at least a master-servant bond, and there’s no need to quarrel over matters of staying or leaving. Today I’ll be frank with everyone—following the Qin family means definitely following the Qin family’s path. When the Qin family eats sugar, everyone eats sugar; when the Qin family suffers, everyone suffers. If any of you wish to leave, whether you have arrangements elsewhere or relatives in the south to turn to, you may step forward now.”
After her words ended, the scene fell silent, with no one stepping forward.
Seeing this, Qin Yining smiled, “You needn’t feel embarrassed. We’re not here to settle accounts with anyone. Those who wish to leave—I won’t require redemption money from you, and I’ll give each departing person two taels of silver for travel expenses. Step forward now, register your name, and you can receive the silver.”
Seeing Qin Yining’s gentle expression and serious attitude, and thinking about the current chaos outside, some people could no longer hold out. Hesitantly, they stepped forward and quietly stood in the empty space to the side.
In the face of disaster, it was a matter of life and death. Once one person took the lead, others followed—one, two, three… more and more people left the formation and stood in the side area. Among them were not only those from the reporting office and small kitchen, but also head maids from various branches and courtyards, such as Sixth Miss’s head maid and Eighth Miss’s wet nurse.
Qin Yining watched quietly as the original formation became increasingly sparse while the people in the side area gradually filled the space. The original formation shrank down, and upon careful count, only about forty people were willing to stay.
The Qin family masters behind Qin Yining felt a mixture of emotions upon seeing this, their hearts growing cold.
Especially seeing that even those who served them personally chose to leave.
Young ladies like Sixth Miss and Eighth Miss were already quietly shedding tears.
Even the servants who chose to leave them, seeing their masters like this, also lowered their heads with flushed faces, and some quietly wiped away tears.
Seeing that everyone had taken their positions, Qin Yining continued, “Is there anyone else who wants to leave? Leaving now means you can receive travel money. If you choose to stay, then you must advance and retreat together with the Qin family.”
After her words, another woman hesitantly joined the other group.
Qin Yining waited another moment, and seeing no one else make a choice, she nodded and smiled, “Thank you all for your care during this time. Ji Yun.”
At Qin Yining’s command, Ji Yun led several young servants carrying out a chest.
Qin Yining said, “Now line up and come forward to receive two taels of silver each for travel expenses. I’ll return your indenture contracts or allegiance documents, and then you can go back to pack your personal belongings and leave.”
The chest opened, revealing glittering silver that was too bright to look at directly.
Qin Yining stood beside the chest watching the manager keep records, often adding advice:
“Try to go south after leaving.”
“If you have relatives along the South China Sea coast, that would be the best destination.”
“Xihua City is in chaos now. Everyone should avoid going north if possible.”
“If that’s not possible, finding a place in the outskirts of the capital can also ensure safety.”
…
They had never seen such masters. It was one thing to calmly send away those with allegiance documents who wished to leave, but those who had sold themselves to the Qin family and wished to leave were committing stark betrayal. Yet the masters were still so benevolent—not only not pursuing the matter but also giving them travel money and telling them where to go for safety.
People like Nanny Fang and Nanny Li, who had initially lied about wanting to leave, felt as if they had been slapped several times across the face upon hearing Qin Yining’s patient, repeated advice. They felt both ashamed and moved.
Having dismissed such a large group of people, not one harbored any resentment toward the Qin family. After the silver was distributed, everyone knelt down and kowtowed to Qin Yining and the Qin family masters behind her.
Qin Yining waved her hand, “After today’s parting, we’ll be in different places. Everyone take care of yourselves, and may we all be safe.”
“Thank you, Fourth Miss! Thank you, Master Marquis!”
Everyone kowtowed repeatedly, offering thanks in a chorus of voices.
After more commotion, these people finally left.
Qin Yining then turned to face the thirty-nine people willing to stay. “You are willing to remain and advance and retreat together with the Qin family. The Qin family will not doubt your loyalty and will never forget your intentions! Everyone can rest assured—as long as the Qin family exists for one day, we will protect you for one day. As long as the Qin family has one bite of food, we will never let you go hungry! From now on, we are one family—we share glory and loss together as one whole!”
These words stirred everyone’s emotions.
Seeing this, Qin Yining also smiled, “Alright, everyone come forward to register and receive ten taels of silver each. Afterward, I’ll reassign your duties. With such a large household, there are still many places where we’ll need to rely on all of you.”
Among those willing to stay were elderly servants, young girls who hadn’t yet put up their hair, and maids and wet nurses serving the ladies and misses of various branches.
Having just witnessed how Qin Yining treated those who left, they were already moved, feeling that the Qin family masters had such human warmth that they were worth their devotion. Now hearing Qin Yining’s words and seeing her give each of them ten taels of silver as a reward with such generosity, they were even more delighted and felt their decision was correct.
Qin Yining reassigned these thirty-nine people.
Nanny Qin would continue serving Old Dowager. Ji Xiang and Ruyi were unwilling to leave—besides serving Old Dowager, they would also do needlework and prepare small kitchen meals for Old Dowager.
Originally there was so much work, and even with streamlining, each person would have more tasks assigned to them.
But Qin Yining’s words touched their hearts, the reward money was generous, and their monthly wages were also increased, so everyone was full of energy.
After handling all this, Qin Yining sent everyone to their duties before returning to Old Dowager and Qin Huaiyuan.
“Father won’t blame me for acting on my own initiative, will you?”
Qin Huaiyuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Blame you for what? I actually think we father and daughter are in perfect sync. Just now, your second uncle, third uncle, and I were outside discussing how to streamline the estate’s personnel. But you acted decisively—we hadn’t even decided, and you had already finished everything efficiently. This actually saved us trouble.”
“Exactly. Those who wanted to leave, some of their family men also work in the estate. I’ll go to the outer courtyard shortly and use Yining’s method to release a group of people.” Third Master said.
Old Dowager looked at her sons, then at Qin Yining, “With such a large household suddenly having so many fewer people, can we still manage?”
Qin Huaiyuan supported Old Dowager’s hand and smiled, “Mother, times are different now. Our family is no longer what it used to be. My next step is to think about how to arrange our living quarters more centrally so it’s easier for the guards to defend.”
Second Master agreed, “Each branch shouldn’t worry about which courtyard to live in. Why don’t we all squeeze together and live centrally in the courtyards near Cixiao Garden?”
Third Madam laughed, “I’ve taken a fancy to the side building in Old Dowager’s back garden. I’ll move in later—Old Dowager mustn’t be reluctant to let it go!”
Old Dowager couldn’t help but laugh.
“That would be excellent.” Qin Yining also smiled at her female cousins, “My Shuoren Studio still has empty rooms. If you sisters don’t mind, why not all move into Shuoren Studio? We sisters living together would be more lively.”