It was said that on this day, many people in the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion dropped and broke things, but these matters were of no concern to Qi Yue. She was watching A’Ru arrange the bedding while A’Hao, who could now move around, was not allowed to do any work and could only watch from the side.
“Don’t be too meticulous, we won’t be staying here for many days,” Qi Yue said with a smile.
A’Hao turned around with a shocked expression on her face.
“Young Madam, is… is the Prince going to drive us away?” she asked stutteringly.
Qi Yue burst out laughing.
“Don’t worry, he won’t during this period,” she said with a smile. But after some time, who knew what would happen. “We need to weather this storm first, establish our authority properly, and then we can move back.”
“Ah, so we’ll still be driven out by the Prince?” A’Hao sighed with a frown.
“What do you mean driven out?” Qi Yue didn’t like hearing this, so she stood up and pointed around the room with her fan. “This is my home. I can live wherever I want. If I want to leave, I’ll leave. If I want to come, I’ll come. Who’s driving me out? On what grounds?”
“Then just stay here at the Prince’s place,” A’Hao said with a pout. “Otherwise, those old women will say again that you’re about to be divorced, and they’ll all be insufferably arrogant…”
She felt somewhat frightened thinking about those old women who had caused trouble in the courtyard today. However, when she heard A’Ru say that the Young Madam was moving to live at the Prince’s place, the expressions on those old women’s faces had been quite satisfying to see.
“I’ll see how I feel then,” Qi Yue didn’t want to discuss this topic deeply, nor did she want to explain to this little girl about the principles of knowing when to stop, advancing when the enemy retreats, and retreating when the enemy advances. She brushed it off with this vague response.
“Young Madam, which of these girls should stay close to serve you here? The Prince’s courtyard maid quarters can’t accommodate all of us,” A’Ru asked.
“You,” Qi Yue said. A’Ru understood her meaning and looked up at her with determination. Qi Yue had to swallow what she was about to say. “You and Jiu Zhi will stay. A’Hao, you go back to Qiu Tong Courtyard to live. The other girls will return to their servant quarters.”
A’Ru nodded with satisfaction.
“Young Madam, am I very useless?” A’Hao said from the side, with some self-reproach.
“No,” Qi Yue said with a smile. “Everyone in this world is useful, just in different ways. Besides, it’s just not living here. Are you planning to slack off and not come to attend to my needs during the day?”
Only then did A’Hao smile with relief.
“But maybe Jiu Zhi shouldn’t stay here,” she said in a lowered voice, glancing outside. “Look, she’s been uneasy since entering, not even coming in to help. She just stands by the door looking toward the Prince’s room.”
“Oh, silly girl,” Qi Yue laughed heartily and reached out to pinch A’Hao’s nose as she leaned closer. “In this world, there are only willing parties involved, never cases where one-sided enthusiasm can accomplish anything. Some things can be prevented, others cannot. Don’t worry about this.”
After all this commotion, it was dark and time for dinner.
Qi Yue naturally no longer used her own small kitchen. Her meals were now served at the same time as the Marquis and his wife in the mansion.
“The Prince is dining with the Marquis and Madam,” the serving woman said to Qi Yue with some flattery.
Just as the maids from Qiu Tong Courtyard were successively moving bedding and grooming items over, Chang Yuncheng was called away by Madam Xie, certainly to be asked what this was all about. These matters didn’t concern Qi Yue; she believed Chang Yuncheng would give Madam Xie a satisfactory explanation.
After dinner, Qi Yue returned to her room, too lazy to look at the maid Qiu Xiang who was guarding the Prince’s door with a watchful yet resentful expression.
Qi Yue didn’t know when Chang Yuncheng returned. She read for a while before the traditional characters made her drowsy and she fell asleep. In her drowsy state, she was awakened by the girls’ argument in the courtyard.
“…Who told you to put things here…”
“I put them here, so what…”
These were the voices of Qiu Xiang and Jiu Zhi. Qi Yue frowned. A’Ru in the outer room rustled as she got up, but before she could open the door, they heard something crash and shatter in the courtyard.
“All of you get out!” Chang Yuncheng’s voice immediately exploded in the courtyard.
Suddenly, heaven and earth were completely silent.
Qi Yue turned over with satisfaction, hugged her pillow, and continued sleeping.
The next morning at breakfast, Qi Yue still didn’t see Chang Yuncheng.
“The Prince went out early in the morning,” Jiu Zhi reported busily, unable to hide some disappointment.
This was for the best, saving everyone from finding each other mutually disagreeable. Qi Yue nodded and glanced at Jiu Zhi, who had changed into new clothes.
Jiu Zhi had no mind to serve her meal, frequently smoothing her hair or looking outside through the door.
“Jiu Zhi,” Qi Yue felt it was necessary to remind this girl of a few things. Although her original intention was that A’Ru and A’Hao could live peacefully and steadily after she left, since she had dragged this girl into this, she couldn’t just watch coldly as she got into trouble without caring. So she put down her chopsticks and called out.
Only then did Jiu Zhi hurriedly look over, eagerly taking the tea from A’Ru’s hands to offer it.
“Young Madam, have you finished eating?” she said with a smile.
Qi Yue nodded while taking the tea from her hands.
“We’ve moved in, but we should still act as we did in our courtyard. Don’t go near the Prince without reason,” she said after sipping the tea.
Jiu Zhi’s expression became somewhat awkward.
“This servant, this servant just wants to do more for Young Madam,” she said with a forced smile.
A’Hao, who was clearing the dishes, snorted and gave Jiu Zhi a sideways glance. Really treating everyone like fools—her intentions were so obvious she might as well shout them out.
Qi Yue wasn’t displeased but nodded.
“I know, I understand,” she said with a smile, then stood up to sit in a chair nearby. “But there are some things I need to explain to you all. A’Hao, go call Lan’er and Liu’er in too. Everyone should listen.”
A’Hao was startled but quickly nodded, went out to call the other two second-class maids, then sent the junior maids out and closed the door before returning to stand properly.
All the first-class maids serving the Great Young Madam were now present. Not knowing what the Young Madam wanted to instruct, they all looked somewhat apprehensive.
“Let me ask first—why are you all following me?” Qi Yue put down her teacup and asked with a smile, looking at her team.
This question left everyone stunned.
“Naturally to serve Young Madam well,” Jiu Zhi was first to answer, sensing her earlier mistake and eager to make amends.
“Yes, that’s your duty as servants, but there’s another point—serving me well is also for your own sake,” Qi Yue said. “When the master does well, the subordinates can rise with the tide, eating well, dressing well, being envied by all and holding high positions. This is also why when word came that I needed people, no one was willing to come, yet you few who were bullied were sent over—because everyone understood that following me as master had no future.”
The word “following” sounded strange, but everyone understood the term “future.” Since the Young Madam came from that background, using some crude colloquialisms wasn’t surprising…
“Young Madam, you’re joking. If there’s no future following you, who else would have a future?” Jiu Zhi said with a flattering smile.
“Exactly. Since everyone is following me, you should have meat to eat and good days ahead,” Qi Yue said with a smile. “However, this is just the goal. Whether it can be achieved doesn’t depend on me alone.”
The people in the room all looked somewhat dazed. This was the first time they’d heard anyone speak like this, including the usually subdued Lan’er and Liu’er, who all showed surprised expressions looking at Qi Yue.
“Young Madam, we will naturally do our work wholeheartedly,” A’Hao, as the trusted confidant, was first to pledge loyalty.
The others also reacted, regardless of how loudly, they all followed suit. After all, disciplining servants was something every master in the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion did regularly—only the Great Young Madam’s method of discipline was quite unique.
“You should naturally be wholehearted. This isn’t for me, but for yourselves,” Qi Yue nodded. “Now it seems we’ve won a battle, handling those disobedient old women efficiently, quickly, and unquestionably. This doesn’t mean we’re particularly capable or that our position in the mansion is secure. In fact, it’s precisely because our status was low and others looked down on us that we had this opportunity. So now, the situation is much worse. After this incident, no one will underestimate us again. Our circumstances are more difficult than before, which is why I thought of moving into the Prince’s place.”
At this point, all the maids, including A’Ru, looked at her with shock.
The Young Madam was telling them, mere servants, about these matters.
“That’s right, I’m telling you about our current situation. Only when we’re clear about it can we work together,” Qi Yue continued. “Jiu Zhi, what I want to tell you is that the Prince is very reluctant to let me move in now, but because he owes me a favor, he had to agree. Actually, he doesn’t particularly like me as his wife, so naturally he won’t like my servants either. Therefore, you must be very careful.”
Jiu Zhi’s face suddenly flushed red.
“Don’t think that just because the Prince doesn’t like me, he necessarily won’t like you,” Qi Yue thought for a moment and said.
Jiu Zhi fell to her knees with a thud.
“This servant doesn’t dare, doesn’t dare to have such thoughts,” she said, kowtowing and trembling.
Qi Yue smiled but didn’t tell her to get up, letting her kowtow three times before calling a stop.
“I’m not saying you have such thoughts. I’m just giving a reminder,” she continued. “You should know that since you’ve entered my courtyard, in others’ eyes you’re my people. We’re grasshoppers on the same rope. If they don’t dare directly deal with me, then you’ll be the first targets.”
She looked at A’Hao.
“A’Hao is an example.” A’Hao’s eyes reddened.
“This servant was stupid and foolish, bringing trouble upon herself and causing problems for Young Madam,” she also knelt down and said.
Qi Yue didn’t tell her to get up either, just nodded.
“I warned you repeatedly to be careful, yet you were still deceived by a few words. In your heart, you thought you were being kind to me, helping me, but actually, you nearly lost your life and caused me trouble. So when you act, don’t think that doing something ‘for my good’ gives you license to act recklessly,” she continued.
A’Hao knelt on the ground sobbing and kowtowing.
“This servant has learned,” she said through tears.
“I’m saying this not for any other reason, but to tell you not to become complacent. The current situation is truly very bad. Everyone must be careful, careful, and more careful. Since we have the fate to gather together, we must unite as one. Troubles in this world can’t be avoided. When troubles come, we can only face them head-on to get through. Once we work together and stand firm, the good days you want will come. When I tell you to do something, just do it with confidence. If something goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility. I have no other hobbies except protecting my own people. My people—no matter how bad they are, I can scold them, I can beat them, but others? Not even a little bit!” Qi Yue said with a smile as she stood up for her final summary. “So now, everyone remember—what is our goal?”
The maids all looked up at her seriously. Seeing the Young Madam grin, showing her fine white teeth.
“No cavities,” Qi Yue said.
The maids were stunned. This was… what was this…
“Just kidding,” Qi Yue laughed heartily, waving her small fan.
The previously somewhat heavy atmosphere instantly became relaxed.
Jiu Zhi was the first to laugh along, showing a somewhat helpless expression.
“Young Madam, you really are…” she didn’t know what to say, looking seriously at the Young Madam before her for the first time—this master she had seen as a stepping stone. “Really special…”
“Our goal is no cavities!” Qi Yue said with a restrained smile. “That way we can eat well, drink well, and sleep well.”