Yining coughed a few times. Who had spread this rumor?
She decided to play dumb and said with a smile, “Every day I accompany Mother to watch operas, and everyone wants to marry off their daughters, nieces, or cousins to you. They ask Mother if you’re engaged. Third Brother, do you have any girl you fancy? If you have someone in mind, Mother won’t need to worry.”
Luo Shenyuan glanced at her indifferently and said, “I haven’t thought about it.”
Haven’t thought about it? He was fifteen or sixteen, the age when young men typically start to develop romantic feelings. Had he not thought about it?
“Don’t casually play matchmaker next time,” Luo Shenyuan patted her head. “I have no such intentions. If others hear about it, they might misunderstand. Understood?”
Yining nodded.
Luo Shenyuan took her to greet Old Madam Luo, who was drinking a bitter medicinal brew.
“You’re back? How was Tongzhou?” Old Madam Luo asked him.
Luo Shenyuan replied, “It was fine, but one tea shop wasn’t doing well. I replaced the manager there.”
Old Madam Luo raised an eyebrow. “Is it the tea shop in Yong’an Lane?”
“Indeed,” Luo Shenyuan’s expression remained unchanged.
“Your eldest aunt’s manager has been running that tea shop for years, almost always at a loss. I never interfered,” Old Madam Luo paused, then sighed and said softly, “Since you want to manage it, do as you see fit.”
Luo Shenyuan replaced his eldest aunt’s manager…
Yining was slightly startled. Over the years, although the Luo family’s property was said to be communal, and when Old Master Luo died, he had stated that the family’s assets were ancestral and should be divided equally if the family split.
But the eldest branch, with the eldest uncle working as an official in the capital and Luo Huaiyuan and Luo Shanyuan’s daily expenses being considerable, had higher expenditures. Some accounts from the managers under the eldest aunt went directly to her, without Old Madam Luo or Luo Chengzhang ever seeing them. Old Madam Luo, prioritizing family harmony, never questioned the eldest aunt about it.
Luo Chengzhang didn’t care about these matters, and Lin Hairu had brought a substantial dowry. Sometimes when the second branch ran short of money, she would use her funds to supplement.
However, Luo Shenyuan didn’t like letting things slide.
Old Madam Luo didn’t want family disharmony, but she also didn’t want to manage Luo Shenyuan. It might be good for him to reorganize the family rules to prevent future chaos.
Madam Chen quickly learned of this. She had been arranging Luo Huaiyuan’s wedding before the new year. Since Luo Huaiyuan had passed the provincial exams, it was time for him to marry. Two joyous events happening together were considered doubly auspicious. Madam Chen planned to host a grand banquet.
The manager was a bit troubled: “…First Madam, an all bird’s nest feast would be too expensive. The household might not have enough spare funds.”
“It doesn’t matter if the household can’t afford it,” Madam Chen put down her teacup. “I’ll supplement it.”
The manager agreed upon hearing this, but just as he was leaving, a maid informed Madam Chen about the manager being replaced.
Madam Chen’s expression immediately soured. She had just planned a grand event for her son, and now Luo Shenyuan pulled this stunt! She said coldly, “…He’s just a provincial graduate, wielding his authority like a chicken feather. Let him try to become a jinshi! How dare he interfere with my affairs.”
The maid asked softly, “First Madam, what should we do now? Perhaps you should stand firm, lest the second branch thinks we’re easy to bully.”
Madam Chen sneered, “What can I say? He has Old Madam backing him. That tea shop is full of my dowry servants, will they listen to him? Let him manage it, we’ll see what he can achieve.” She ran her hand over the golden silk nanmu table, taking a deep breath. “Go fetch our household manager back, we need to reconsider the wedding banquet arrangements.”
Regardless, Luo Huaiyuan’s marriage couldn’t be delayed.
The maid acknowledged and left.
After Luo Shenyuan returned to Feng Xie Tang, two maids immediately greeted him, smiling and calling him Third Young Master, helping him remove his cloak.
Luo Shenyuan spread his arms, waiting for them to change his outer garments. He went to the study and asked a servant to bring him the second branch’s accounts, which Lin Hairu usually managed. The more he looked, the deeper his frown became. It was indeed a mess.
A maid brought him a cup of tea, placing it beside him, then stood quietly waiting for him to finish, not leaving. She blocked Luo Shenyuan’s candlelight, causing shadows to flicker. He looked up at this maid, the one called Hualu.
Seeing the Third Young Master looking at her, Hualu’s heart raced and her face flushed. Before, it was nothing special; although Luo Shenyuan was a young master, he was only the son of a concubine recorded as legitimate. But now that he had become the top scholar and was handsome, which young lady in Baoding didn’t want to marry him?
Of course, given their status, hoping to marry Luo Shenyuan was a pipe dream. But if she could become a concubine, later bear a son, and be elevated to an honored concubine, wouldn’t that ensure a good life? That would be a meteoric rise.
Hualu noticed the Third Young Master’s gaze appraising her, and she couldn’t help but lower her head. Luo Shenyuan quietly observed her. Today she wore a pea-green gauze vest over a snow-white eight-panel xiangqun skirt, her skin like jade, clearly deliberately dressed up.
Hualu seemed to sense the appreciation in his gaze, her heart pounding like a drum, feeling light-headed and dizzy. She should say something, she thought. She noticed the jade pendant hanging at Luo Shenyuan’s waist, a finely carved pixiu made of high-quality mutton-fat jade.
“Third Young Master, this jade pendant is exquisitely carved, truly rare. May this servant have a chance to take a closer look?” Hualu said softly.
“You want to take a look?” Luo Shenyuan asked indifferently.
Before Hualu could react, the Third Young Master suddenly pulled her into his arms. Hualu let out a startled cry. She was now sitting on Luo Shenyuan’s lap, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt the Third Young Master’s strong arm around her waist. Hualu’s heart was racing too fast for her to speak.
“Isn’t this what you wanted?” Luo Shenyuan whispered in her ear. “Can you see it now?”
Hualu’s entire body went weak, leaning against Luo Shenyuan’s chest. Her voice was soft and alluring: “Third Young Master… I, I just…”
Before she could finish, she heard Luo Shenyuan’s gentle voice again: “Do you know what happens to those who try to seduce me?”
Hualu’s face paled slightly. Something seemed off about his words…
“A servant who tries to seduce her master will be beaten to death. If you survive the beating, you’ll be sold off to just anyone outside,” Luo Shenyuan said patiently yet coldly in her ear. “There was once a maid who also served me. Do you know how she died? Let me tell you, word for word. She also didn’t obey and then was torn apart by wolves and dogs. Before she died, she kept begging me to let her go…”
Hualu’s face turned deathly pale. She suddenly felt a chill all over her body, realizing she was drenched in cold sweat!
Like a frog hypnotized by a snake, she wanted to run but couldn’t move at all. Only after Luo Shenyuan finished his last sentence could she finally move. She retreated from Luo Shenyuan’s embrace, kneeling on the ground, trembling. “Third Young Master, please spare me! I didn’t mean to, I will serve you well in the future, I won’t dare to have any other thoughts.”
Luo Shenyuan stood up, slowly walking in front of her, looking down at her.
He wouldn’t easily let go of opportunities that fell into his hands.
Luo Shenyuan called for a matron to come in and said calmly: “Madam Xu, this maid has acted improperly and can no longer stay by my side. Go fetch my mother and let her handle this.”
The matron glanced at Hualu, who looked pitiful with her shoulder slightly exposed. She immediately understood the severity of the situation and hurriedly obeyed, going to Lin Hairu.
Lin Hairu was shocked when she heard the servant’s report.
She immediately brought a matron to Luo Shenyuan’s place, seized Hualu, and took her before Old Madam Luo for punishment.
Generally, young masters of Luo Shenyuan’s age would indeed have concubines, but the candidates were carefully selected by the main wife to ensure they wouldn’t lead the young master astray. This kind of active seduction was taboo. Such maids would usually be sold off, or in more severe cases, beaten to death! Maids serving by a young master’s side would naturally hope to become concubines. But there were rules for this. If they served diligently and properly, gaining the favor of the main wife, they would naturally have a chance to rise. Those who tried to be clever only had a dead end waiting for them.
Yining was having dinner with Old Madam Luo and Mama Zheng when Lin Hairu brought Hualu over.
Yining immediately recognized this maid who served her Third Brother.
Lin Hairu’s expression was grim. She whispered in Old Madam Luo’s ear, explaining what had happened.
Old Madam Luo’s tone immediately turned stern: “Unruly thing. Take her to the main hall! I’ll be there shortly.” She then told Madam Xu, “Go invite Madam Chen to come as well.”
Yining was obediently sipping soup with a small spoon. Old Madam Luo glanced at her, considering the matter too unsavory, and instructed Xuezhi to watch over her as she finished dinner, then put her to bed.
However, Yining immediately understood what was happening.
She wanted to follow and watch, but Old Madam Luo only took Mama Zheng to the main hall.
Yining ate two more spoonfuls and stopped, getting down from her seat and telling Xuezhi she wanted to go to the courtyard to look at flowers.
She stood outside the window of the main hall, next to a blooming osmanthus tree. It was a clear, moonlit night, with a waning crescent hanging in the sky. Moonlight filtered evenly through the carved window, casting patterns on the ground. Xuezhi heard faint voices from inside and was about to say something, but Yining gestured for her to be quiet.
She listened carefully to the voices coming from inside.
“…This maid was sent to Shenyuan by eldest sister-in-law. Shenyuan accepted her out of courtesy. Who would have thought she would be so unruly,” Lin Hairu spoke methodically, calmly stating each point. “Such undisciplined maids must be driven out to prevent corrupting the household’s morals. If every maid learns from her and tries to seduce the young masters, how can that be allowed?”
Madam Chen was clearly in the wrong this time and took a while to respond: “Second sister-in-law, are you blaming me?”
Lin Hairu continued, “How could eldest sister-in-law hear accusation in my words? I’m just stating facts! Please don’t overthink it. I just want to tell my eldest sister-in-law that in the future, we need to be more careful in selecting people. Our Shenyuan is incorruptible. If it were someone else, who knows what might have happened! The eldest sister-in-law manages the household, and most affairs are under your purview. We must be even more cautious in hiring servants.”
Yining listened approvingly, wanting to cheer for Lin Hairu. She had been worried Lin Hairu couldn’t handle the situation. It was rare for her to be so clear-headed!
The room fell silent again until Madam Chen took the initiative to change the subject.
“This wretched servant cannot stay in the household. Since she came from my side, I feel ashamed,” Madam Chen’s voice was cold. “Let’s sell her off tonight.”
Lin Hairu intervened again: “Wait, we can’t just sell her off quietly. We should beat her first and make all the maids serving the young masters watch. Let them see the consequences of such misconduct. Then they’ll never dare to do such things again! Eldest sister-in-law, don’t you agree?”