“Our mansion has six gatekeepers per shift, and six guards as well. These twenty-four people work in two shifts. Those who were on night duty yesterday are resting today. Then there are those in the kitchen, who are busy there. Those responsible for cleaning swept all areas early this morning. They all have their assigned duties and wouldn’t dare to wander around idly. Therefore, it’s normal that the Young Master and Young Mistress didn’t encounter any servants while walking around.”

“Bring me their register,” Ye Yaming said.

She turned to ask Lu Guanyi, “Where are their indenture papers?”

Lu Guanyi, with an expressionless face, tossed the question to Lu An: “Lu An, where are the indenture papers for the household servants?”

Lu An maintained the same respectful attitude as before: “The indenture papers are kept by the masters. This humble one doesn’t know where they are.”

Ye Yaming and Lu Guanyi exchanged glances.

“Fine, I understand,” Ye Yaming said.

“Then shall this humble one go get the servants’ register for the Mistress now?”

“Yes.”

After Lu An walked away, Lu Guanyi asked Ye Yaming, “How do you plan to deal with them?”

Instead of answering, Ye Yaming asked, “Do you have any estates under your name?”

Lu Guanyi instantly understood her meaning, and a smile spread across his face: “Yes, I have two in the suburbs of the capital. One is five hundred mu, the other eight hundred mu, both with farmhouses.”

“Which estate has worse conditions?” Ye Yaming asked.

“The eight-hundred-mu one.”

Ye Yaming nodded: “After I examine the situation with the household servants, I’ll keep those who are useful and send those who aren’t to the estate. Farm servants don’t eat if they don’t work, so let them support themselves.”

The land on the estate belonged to the owner. Each year after harvest, most of the produce had to be given to the master, with only a small portion left for the servants’ sustenance. What remained was certainly not fine rice or white flour, let alone chicken, duck, fish, or meat. It was half a year of vegetable bran and half a year of coarse grain.

Outside, tenant farmers lived such lives, and estate servants certainly couldn’t be better off. The biggest advantage perhaps was that in years of famine, while tenant farmers could only sell their children or starve to death, estate servants still had masters to look after them, at least keeping them alive.

Of course, if the masters were heartless, then there was only the road to death, without even the option to sell their children.

The servants of Marquis Xuanwu’s mansion, though called servants, lived lives much better than commoners outside. They had new clothes for each season, all made of fine cloth. Stewards could even wear silk. They regularly ate meat, and those who served the masters could enjoy delicacies that even small landowners might not taste.

Being sent to the estate to become farm servants would be even more unbearable than being sold.

At this point, she looked at Lu Guanyi: “This is a way to handle them without drawing attention.”

Lu Guanyi smiled at her: “From your words, it seems you have another method that would draw attention?”

Ye Yaming nodded: “You could go to the government office and have them issue new indenture papers, then sell them all off in one go. But this approach is a bit harsh and would make people point fingers at us. After all, Madam Shi has friends, and her son Lu Guanyu is still around. Doing something too extreme wouldn’t be good for our reputation.”

Did Madam Shi and Lu Guanyu think she had no way to deal with these servants? These servants were disobedient and dared to scheme behind her back, wasn’t it because their indenture papers weren’t in her hands, making them believe she couldn’t sell them?

If they truly angered her, she would sell them directly to places where they would mine black ore.

Lu Guanyi thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s go with the first method.”

Given his personality, he preferred the second method. But he had to consider Ye Yaming’s reputation. Ye Yaming’s background was a disadvantage, and finally Princess Yuning had endorsed her at the wedding banquet, preventing people from looking down on her. But if the servant matter wasn’t handled well, all their previous efforts would be wasted.

As for him, if someone went to the Emperor or Crown Prince to speak ill of him, saying he was too cold and disregarded family feelings, it wouldn’t be good for him either.

He said, “Fortunately, you took a defensive stance in front of so many people yesterday. If I select a few who caused trouble yesterday to be punished and sold, no one would say anything. This would also serve as a warning to others.”

Ye Yaming had a sudden thought: “You have evidence?”

Lu Guanyi nodded: “Of course I had to be prepared.”

Ye Yaming gave him a thumbs up: “Well done.”

She had no choice yesterday. Being new to the place, she couldn’t set up any scheme to catch the troublemakers, and could only take the inferior strategy of being defensive. But her heart wasn’t without regret and frustration.

It was the first time she had ever been in a situation where she could only take blows without being able to strike back.

Although she had given those dowry servants a task to investigate yesterday’s incidents, they were newcomers who had just arrived at the mansion and were unfamiliar with the place. Expecting them to discover anything was impossible.

She thought she would have to swallow this silent grievance. Unexpectedly, Lu Guanyi had done what she wanted to do.

“Then I’ll leave this matter to you,” she said happily. “Do you know which household servants are good and which are not?”

Lu Guanyi nodded: “I’ll have An Tai give you a list later.”

“That’s wonderful,” Ye Yaming was increasingly pleased.

Lu Guanyi moved closer to her and asked, “You’re that happy?”

“Of course,” Ye Yaming sighed. “In the past, I always had to rack my brains to plan and scheme. This is the first time someone has done this for me.”

She smiled sweetly at Lu Guanyi: “Thank you.”

A look of tenderness flashed in Lu Guanyi’s eyes: “Wait for me a few more years. When I return to be by your side, I won’t let you worry about anything.”

“All right.”

Madam Xia had been on night duty last night and was resting today, so she wasn’t present. Otherwise, if she had heard this conversation, she would certainly have praised Ye Yaming for “knowing how to manage her husband.”

When a man does something for you, you should praise him profusely, praising him so much that he becomes increasingly willing to do things for you. Over time, as it becomes a habit, all your affairs become responsibilities etched into his bones.

On the contrary, some virtuous women do everything themselves, contributing silently without making demands of their men. Not only will men not be grateful, they won’t even see the good in you.

In short, men are just cheap to the bone—they don’t move when coaxed but will move when pushed.

Soon, Lu An brought the servants’ register. Ye Yaming had Bai Rui take it, then dismissed Lu An: “All right, you may go.”

Lu An left with multiple acknowledgments, his eyes beneath his lashes full of smugness.

The Second Young Master was right. These two didn’t have their indenture papers and were concerned about their reputation, so they wouldn’t dare do anything to them. As long as they didn’t cause too much trouble, they could stay comfortably in this mansion.

For their own sake, they wouldn’t directly and openly oppose the two. But using soft knives to cut flesh was still possible. Especially after the Young Master went to the border, dealing with a merchant’s daughter from Lin’an, they would certainly make her suffer grievances she couldn’t even complain about.