Chương 7: Being Lenient
"Oh... So Zou mama is aware that This Lady [1] is the master of this manor? Then tell me Zou mama, how should servants behave?"
XuanRong smiled but her eyes were full of coldness, making Zou mama choke on her own saliva.
XuanRong turned and sat on the chair. She placed her arm on the table and supported her head while looking at Zou mama with a small smile on her lips.
She chuckled when Zou mama was unable to say anything as if the old woman forgot how to speak. She tapped the table slowly, making Zou mama feel awkward and uneasy.
Zou mama tried to compose herself and smiled amiably but deep inside, she wanted to slap herself for talking too much.
"Replying to Da XiaoJie, servants should listen to their masters. If their master says 'crawl', the servants will crawl without any objection. If their master says 'left', the servants will not turn right. Servants exist to serve their master. Their master's words are the law and any servants who dares reject their master's words will be subjected to unimaginable punishment."
Zou mama's words were full of devotion like a loyal servant, making XuanRong inwardly roll her eyes.
"Mmm... so, in this courtyard, who has the highest authority?"
Zou mama lowered her head, concealing the hatred in her eyes and spoke slowly.
"Da XiaoJie is the master of this manor and has the highest authority. Da XiaoJie's words are the law."
Deep inside her heart, XuanRong jeered at Zou mama's flawless words but on the outside, she nodded and appeared to agree with Zou mama's words.
"Indeed, in this manor, This Lady holds the highest authority. Although father sent me here to live as my punishment for angering him, This Lady is still his daughter-- the Eldest Young Miss of the Xuan Family. Someday, This Lady will return to ZhongYang [2] and leave Lu Shan [3]. I hope Zou mama is aware of that."
She wanted to imply that if she, XuanRong, would experience injustice during her stay in Lu Shan, once she returns to the capital, she would immediately recount all the grievance she experienced. If Zou mama was intelligent enough, she would know that her words were not empty threats.
Zou mama paled when she realized that XuanRong was not joking. The disdain and contempt she felt suddenly vanished and was replaced with fear. She hated XuanRong for being arrogant but not to the point of 'You die or I die' kind of hate.
"This servant knows. This servant will ensure that Da XiaoJie will not experience any hardship during your stay here in Lu Shan."
XuanRong smiled and nodded.
"Then, This Lady will bother Zou mama and let you handle the servants. If Zou mama doesn't have anything else to say anymore, then you can return now. Ah, that's right. Tell the physician that the entire manor will no longer need his service. This Lady doesn't want to waste money and feed someone like him who doesn't work properly. Find someone else to replace him."
Zou mama wanted to smack her own mouth. How was she supposed to tell XuanRong that it was her fault for not informing the physician and just claimed that he was busy?
Zou mama, being a shrewd woman, would never cook herself using her own pot [4] so she could only zip her mouth and let the poor physician shoulder the blame.
"Yes, this servant understands."
Zou mama slowly took a step back and was preparing to leave when YuLi arrived carrying XuanRong's dinner.
YuLi placed the tray on the table and Zou mama saw that it only had a bowl of gruel, some pickled vegetables and a small piece of egg as the main dish. Even though this manor was very far from the capital and seldom receive assistance from the main residence, it could support on its own since it has a jewelry shop as the main source of income. Having meat and a couple of side dishes more wouldn't affect the overall revenue of the manor.
The commoner's food was even more luxurious than the food that was prepared for the Eldest Di Daughter of the Xuan Family. If it reached the ears of those nobles in the capital, the Xuan Family would be mocked to death.
XuanRong laughed and looked at Zou mama.
"This Lady hopes that Zou mama will not turn a blind eye about this. If Zou mama can't handle a simple matter such as this one, then it would mean that Zou mama is already old and can't continue working inside the manor. It would be better if you train some younger servants to replace yourself in taking care of the entire manor."
Zou mama's expression changed and immediately assured XuanRong that she would not be lenient against the servant's atrocious behavior.
"This servant will definitely investigate this matter. Da XiaoJie, rest assured! This servant will not let them escape unpunished."
"Mmm... This Lady will trust Zou mama. This Lady wants to eat and rest afterwards, so, This Lady can only ask Zou mama to leave early."
Zou mama curtsied and left hurriedly.
YuLi asked XuanRong why she was still calm and composed even the servants were bullying them.
"XiaoJie, you should have slapped that old woman! How dare she put airs in front of you? Why is XiaoJie not angry? This servant feels horrible every time XiaoJie is being bullied by them. XiaoJie should punish them like what XiaoJie usually did in the main residence! XiaoJie is the Eldest Young Miss but they always treat you like you are an insignificant person! This servant will write letters to the capital and inform Er Furen that you are experiencing hardship here in Lu Shan. For sure, Er Furen will definitely help you."
If she was the previous XuanRong, she would definitely follow YuLi's suggestion. She would then leave her courtyard and go to the servant's quarter to curse them endlessly and write letters to her 'beloved' Er Niang [5] to whine and complain afterwards.
Unfortunately, the arrogant and stupid 'her' had vanished already and was replaced by her twenty-two-year-old self. She was not the same idiotic girl who would think that being arrogant was normal for noble people. If not for her maternal family, she would have been an outcast that nobody wanted due to her nasty attitude.
Too bad, everything was nothing but a scheme--- a scheme to use her as her sister's stepping stone. Her 'beloved' Er Niang 'pampered' her until she was spoiled rotten up to her core. Xiao-Shi raised her to be an arrogant and uneducated girl to highlight and emphasize her half-sister's elegance. In short, she was nothing but pitiful cannon fodder in her sister's life.
'What an ignorant girl I was.'
Now that she came back to life, XuanRong was willing to become the female antagonist in this lifetime. She, XuanRong, would make Xuan Fei's life a living hell. The things she experienced in her previous lifetime, she would make sure that Xuan Fei would taste all of it. The bitterness of being mounted repeatedly like a farm animal, the sadness of losing the people you cared for and the heartache of being despised by the one you love…
'A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye. Xuan Fei, you cannot escape.'
After a few seconds of silence, XuanRong grabbed the bowl of gruel and ate it without any hesitation.
"It's already late. This is not the time to reprimand them. Tomorrow, tell Zou mama to gather all the servants and wait at the center hall."
YuLi's eyes flashed but she did not say anything and continued serving XuanRong.
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[1]. 'Ben XiaoJie'- XuanRong addressed herself in more authoritative way.
[2]. The capital of Qian Zou.
[3]. 'Green Mountain'- where XuanRong was banished by her father.
[4]. Tattle her own misgivings
[5]. Second Mother
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Edited and Proofread by: Prikkrang and Supremetobs
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Imma gonna sleep now~
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