Duke Xu had recently been tasked with training troops at the western suburbs, and Xu Yuejia was also occupied with official duties. As a result, the two did not stay in the main courtyard for long and soon went about their respective tasks.
Wen Ye was kept behind by Madam Lu for a brief conversation.
Madam Lu didn’t detain her for too long, just long enough to explain a few matters concerning the west courtyard. After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, she allowed Wen Ye to return.
However, Wen Ye returned alone, as Xu Yuxuan remained in the main courtyard.
Once everyone had left, Madam Lu held Xu Yuxuan in her arms and said softly, “Yuxuan, the lady you just saw is your mother. Do you understand?”
“Mother?” A two-year-old could only remember so much. Xu Yuxuan tilted his round little head, his small face filled with confusion.
Seeing this, Madam Lu couldn’t help but sigh. Earlier, she had given Wen Ye several meaningful glances, hoping she would interact more with Yuxuan. However, Wen Ye had remained awkwardly silent, leaving Yuxuan still unfamiliar with her.
It seemed that during the day, the nanny would have to take Yuxuan to the west courtyard more often to let him spend time there.
Xu Jingrong came running into the room, dragging his younger brother Xu Jinglin behind him. He approached Madam Lu and said, “Mother, don’t send Yuxuan to the west courtyard. That woman clearly won’t treat him well. If you don’t want to keep raising him, let Yuxuan come to the east courtyard and live with me and Jinglin!”
After all, the east courtyard was spacious enough to accommodate several Yuxuans without any issue.
Beside him, Xu Jinglin nodded blankly. He didn’t fully understand the situation, but Xu Jingrong had told him that if he didn’t nod, their younger brother would be sent away. Xu Jinglin didn’t want that, so he obediently followed his older brother to plead their case.
Madam Lu reached out and lightly tapped Xu Jingrong’s forehead, scolding him, “What nonsense are you spouting in front of your younger brother? Your aunt Wen is Yuxuan’s mother!”
Although Madam Lu did have some reservations about Wen Ye, in front of the children, Wen Ye was their elder. The two boys’ lack of respect for their elder was unacceptable and needed to be corrected.
Moreover, no matter how much she might want to keep Yuxuan with her, he would eventually have to return to the west courtyard to live. The bond between him and Wen Ye as mother and son would have to be cultivated sooner or later.
For the sake of Yuxuan’s future, Madam Lu would never allow her sons to gossip or speak ill of Wen Ye in private.
Thus, Madam Lu put on a stern expression and said, “Go and copy the essay assigned by your tutor twenty times. Bring it to me for inspection at this time tomorrow. As for Jinglin, you will write twenty pages of calligraphy.”
Xu Jingrong and Xu Jinglin were both stunned.
It was like a bolt from the blue.
“Mother, can’t you reduce it a bit?” Xu Jingrong, at eight years old, was at that mischievous age where he was a handful for everyone. Sitting still to copy an essay for an entire day was worse than being whipped twice.
Xu Jinglin also chimed in, “Mother, twenty pages of calligraphy will take so long. My hand will hurt from writing so much.”
He then tried to snuggle into Madam Lu’s arms, a move that usually melted her heart and made her dote on him.
But today, Madam Lu remained unmoved and said sternly, “Wen Ye is your aunt. Just as you respect your uncle, you must also respect her in the same way. Do you understand?”
Xu Jingrong dared not say otherwise. If he didn’t understand now, it wouldn’t just be twenty copies of the essay—he might get even more punishment. He quickly nodded, “I understand, Mother.”
The younger Xu Jinglin was a bit slower to react, “Jinglin won’t do it again, wuwuwu… it’s all big brother’s fault…”
As he spoke, he began to cry. Xu Jingrong quickly covered his younger brother’s mouth and dragged him out of the room.
If Xu Jinglin successfully tattled on him, it would be a disaster.
Madam Lu didn’t bother with the secrets between the two brothers, simply instructing the nannies and maidservants attending to them to follow them out.
Xu Yuxuan widened his little eyes, wondering how his brothers had disappeared in the blink of an eye…
Madam Lu found it amusing and reached out to gently stroke his cheek.
At this moment, Nanny Xian, Madam Lu’s trusted servant, spoke up, “Young Master and Second Young Master may have spoken bluntly, but they weren’t entirely wrong. Madam, you also can’t bear to part with Third Young Master, can you?”
Madam Lu shook her head, “It’s true that I can’t bear to part with him, but Yuxuan can’t stay in the main courtyard forever. Right now, it might not seem like a big deal, but as time goes on…”
She couldn’t keep raising her brother-in-law’s son indefinitely. While the Duke’s household was currently prosperous and no one dared to gossip, life was unpredictable. Who could guarantee what the future might hold?
*
Wen Ye was unaware of what had happened after she left. As soon as she returned to the west courtyard, she immediately ordered someone to bring breakfast from the kitchen.
The bowl of porridge she had eaten in the main courtyard hadn’t been enough to fill her up.
In her previous life, she had always restrained herself to maintain her image, never eating to her heart’s content. Now that she had been reborn, free from the constraints of her past life, she could eat as she pleased.
Of course, Wen Ye didn’t overindulge. As soon as she felt full, she put down her chopsticks. After all, eating too much would be harmful to her health.
She was determined to live to a hundred this time, and good health was essential for that.
After eating her fill, Wen Ye finally had the leisure to summon two maidservants for a chat.
“How is everyone else adjusting?” Wen Ye asked them.
Yun Zhi replied, “The breakfast you just had was prepared by Hongxing.”
Hongxing had been the cook in Hengwu Courtyard’s kitchen before Wen Ye married. Most of her culinary skills had been taught to her by Wen Ye.
Wen Ye nodded, “No wonder the flavors felt familiar.”
Tao Zhi stood behind Wen Ye, massaging her shoulders, and asked, “Madam, should we summon everyone from the west courtyard to meet you?”
Even she had understood Yun Zhi’s hint, so there was no way Wen Ye hadn’t.
Yesterday, Wen Ye had only met Liuya and Liuxin, the two first-rank maidservants. She hadn’t seen any of the others.
Thus, Wen Ye agreed, “Yun Zhi, I’ll leave this task to you.”
Yun Zhi acknowledged the order and left the main room.
Soon after, a group of maidservants and older serving women, led by Liuya and Liuxin, entered the main room.
Wen Ye stood up and walked out of the inner chamber. The dozen or so maidservants and serving women, led by Liuya and Liuxin, bowed in unison to her.
Their movements were precise and flawless, a testament to the discipline instilled in the servants of the Duke’s household.
Wen Ye took her seat at the head of the room and gestured, “Liuya, how long have you been managing the west courtyard?”
Hearing her name, Liuya’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure and took half a step forward, replying respectfully, “Madam, I was assigned to the west courtyard by the Duchess two years ago.”
“Two years ago?” Wen Ye caught onto this detail and raised an eyebrow. Something didn’t seem right.
She had assumed that Liuya and Liuxin were both maidservants who had accompanied Xu Yuejia’s first wife when she married into the household. Now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“What about you, Liuxin?” Wen Ye asked.
“Madam, I came to the west courtyard in the same year as Liuya,” Liuxin replied calmly and without hesitation.
Wen Ye shifted her gaze to the rest of the group and said, “You may also introduce yourselves. When did each of you come to the west courtyard?”
The west courtyard had two first-rank maidservants, four second-rank maidservants, six third-rank maidservants, two cooks, and three serving women. And that didn’t even include the staff from the front courtyard.
Wen Ye couldn’t help but marvel at how fortunate Xu Yuejia was to have so many people attending to him.
However, what she found interesting was that the longest-serving among them had only been there for two years.
Wen Ye didn’t press for details about who had been in the west courtyard before them.
After questioning them, Wen Ye dismissed everyone except Liuya and Liuxin, instructing the others to return to their duties.
Of the two who remained, Liuya was the more nervous. She was worried not only for herself but also that the new mistress might take the opportunity to target Liuxin.
Liuxin, on the other hand, had a clear conscience. She had been managing the front courtyard without any issues. If the new mistress were to unfairly reprimand them, how could she be expected to treat the young master with genuine care in the future?
If such a day ever came, Liuxin believed that the Duchess would make a fair judgment.
In just a few words, Wen Ye had already gauged the general temperaments of the two first-rank maidservants.
Liuya had a gentle disposition, while Liuxin was more prideful. However, Wen Ye didn’t detect any disrespect in their demeanor or expressions.
“My sister-in-law has praised both of you,” Wen Ye said. “She mentioned that Liuya is meticulous and thorough in her work. As such, I’ll leave it to you to assign duties to my accompanying servants. From now on, you will continue to manage the west courtyard, reporting to me once a month at the end of each month.”
Liuya curtsied and replied, “Yes, Madam.”
But inwardly, she was surprised. The new mistress wasn’t planning to take control? She had been prepared for that.
“The front courtyard will remain under Liuxin’s management,” Wen Ye said, turning to her. “My husband is often busy with official matters, so you must take good care of him. Ensure that his tea and meals are prepared appropriately.”
“...Yes, Madam.”
Now even Liuxin was puzzled. Liuya managed the rear courtyard, and in the past, the master rarely stayed there, so the two of them didn’t interact much. In contrast, Liuxin had always been in charge of the front courtyard study.
Liu Xin had assumed that the first thing the new mistress would do upon entering the household was to remove her from the front courtyard.
To her surprise, the new mistress allowed her to continue managing the front courtyard.
Wen Ye, on the other hand, was preoccupied with the thought that she had only just begun to experience the joys of marital intimacy and hoped that Xu Yuejia would take good care of his health.
After all, she would need him for many years to come.
Madam Lu had mentioned that Liu Xin was good at taking care of others, so she decided to let her stay in the front courtyard study to look after Xu Yuejia.
"Now that everyone has met, you may all go about your duties," Wen Ye said with a gentle smile. "I have Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi here with me, and that's enough."
Liuya and Liu Xin exchanged a brief glance and replied in unison, "Yes, madam."
Then they both retreated from the main hall.
Once everyone had left, Wen Ye returned to the soft couch in the inner chamber.
Yun Zhi couldn't help but express her concern, "Madam, by allowing Liu Xin to remain in the front courtyard, what if in the future the master..."
She chose her words carefully, "What will you do if that happens?"
Wen Ye took a sip of tea handed to her by Tao Zhi and replied, "Such matters are beyond my control."
Yun Zhi hesitated, then nodded, "You're right."
Even Wen Ye's father, who was not known for his interest in women, had three concubines in his household.
And Xu Yuejia, before marrying her, had already been married once...
Tao Zhi, however, grumbled indignantly, "It's too easy being a man."
Wen Ye chuckled softly and gazed out the window.
She had never worried about whether Liu Xin might one day become a concubine.
If Xu Yuejia were to take a liking to Liu Xin in the future, even if Wen Ye were to banish her to the ends of the earth, it would be futile. Without Liu Xin, there would always be another 'Xin.'
Such matters should never be approached with illusions or expectations from the start.
As for the affairs of the west courtyard, since Liuya was already so capable, why should Wen Ye burden herself with additional responsibilities?
Everyone had their roles to play, and as long as they all performed their duties harmoniously, wasn't that the best outcome?
