Chapter One

  She told the lady of the house about the affair with the outer courtyard, and also picked up a few interesting things she had heard from the gatekeeper's wife to tell the lady. The lady was clearly in a good mood, and even asked someone to bring a string of agate beads to put on Xianyi's wrist. Only then did Xianyi follow Xiuzhu out of the main house. After leaving the door, Xianyi didn't go home, but stayed in the side room where the maids waited, chatting and laughing with the second-class maids beside the lady. According to the rules of the official family, there were only two first-class maids and two second-class maids beside the lady, and a few small maids, as well as two personal matrons. At this time, those who were in the side room with Xianyi were Xiuzhu and Cuiyu. Second-class maids were generally not allowed to enter the bedroom, but did chores in the outer hall of the main house. The head maid Chunjing and Qiujing could stay beside the lady and serve her at any time. Of course, the status of first-class and second-class maids was also different from their monthly allowance.

  After noon, the second-class maids all went out to attend to their duties. Xian Yi didn't have anything to do, so she just ate some snacks in her room, until her mother, Chen Shi, came in from outside. She then wiped her hands with a handkerchief and smiled as she leaned against her.

  "Are you still hungry? Hurry back home and have some more to eat." Chen said, pulling her daughter up and down, looking at her, and then gently touching the agate bracelet on her wrist.

  Xian Yi shook her head and said, "Has the lady taken a nap?"

  Madam Chen nodded and tucked the stray hairs on her daughter's head, then said: "You can rest when you go back later, the mistress is going out this afternoon and won't be able to call for you."

  The fairy clothes should be worn, and looking around without anyone, curiously whispered: "What did the old lady give to the madam's face today?"

  Chen patted her daughter's nose and pretended to scold her: "Don't ask nonsense, or you'll get a spanking."

  Xian Yi wasn't afraid either, and coquettishly said: "Mother, how could I not distinguish between what's important and what's not? Besides, it's just the two of us mother and daughter here."

  Mr. Chen also knew his daughter's temperament, especially since he had sent her to the front yard today and hadn't seen her being dissatisfied, so he knew that his daughter was a person who knew what was important and what wasn't. Moreover, talking to his daughter about some things would also avoid him not seeing his wife's facial expression clearly and recklessly rushing into conflict.

  Pulling her daughter into the side room, Chen Shi looked around cautiously before whispering in her ear, "Today, Old Lady and Madame had a falling out again. They said that when Madame invited people to admire the flowers the other day, she spent too much."

  The fairy dress was clear, and it can be said that the old lady and the big madam had always been at odds. The Jin family's mansion seemed to be a powerful household, but in fact, before Jin Gongzhu took the imperial examination, he was just the son of a landlord in Linqing County, and the old lady was just a landlady with no vision. However, the big madam was different, she was the youngest daughter of the Minister of Revenue, and the Chen family was a well-known clan in the capital city. In terms of background and connotation, they were absolutely unimaginable and incomprehensible to a landlady. Take the flower banquet as an example, the big madam was clearly trying to pull relationships for her husband and do some diplomatic work with other wives, but in the eyes of the old lady, this big madam was just being pretentious. Those flowers and grasses were not as important as silver and grain, so the conflict of values caused another discord between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Xianyi could even predict that due to differences in education level and desire for power, this pair of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would become more and more incompatible in the future.

  "Tomorrow afternoon, both Young Master and Second Young Master will return from the government school. You'd better avoid them." Chen Shi instructed a few more sentences since no one was around.

  Xian Yi hastily responded, not wanting to be a bother. Her mother's wisdom was never superficial, and when it came to her own affairs, she had been careful not to let Xian Yi interact with the young masters since she was around ten years old. This was so that Xian Yi wouldn't have the opportunity to be noticed by others, and could later marry a suitable match or form an alliance with a family of similar social status. Although her mother seemed not to understand much on the surface, in reality, she secretly agreed with her mother's ideas. Since arriving at this estate when she was five years old, Xian Yi had been observing for eight years, and there were many concubines and mistresses coming and going in the back courtyard of the official's residence. However, no one could surpass the lady of the house, and everyone lived in fear under her strong control. Even if they appeared to be living a life of luxury on the surface, the bitterness inside was not what Xian Yi wanted for her own life.

  She has always been realistic, and she is very different from the female protagonists in the crossing. In the eight years since she came here, what she has seen and heard has given her a deeper understanding of her surroundings. The gate of the prime minister's mansion is not just a joke, and in this feudal society, a slave girl from an official's family is obviously much higher than a commoner outside. Even if their contracts are held by others, taxes, natural disasters, illnesses, and accidents can all destroy a family in an instant. Xian Yi has also yearned for that kind of life, but she is certain that she is not the female lead and cannot become rich at a young age. Moreover, her face is quite eye-catching, and if she were not in the mansion, or did not have a big tree to rely on, she dare not imagine what her life would be like after leaving the household register.

  In this era, Xianyi acknowledges that she is not a proud and arrogant woman from her past life, nor is she a spoiled rich girl. She has always looked down on the idea of finding a man with a refined demeanor, talent, good looks, and immense power. What kind of person would want to be in what position? It's not impossible to fly high, but the reasons behind it are complex, especially when it involves power and status. Love is just a sweetener for those wealthy people who have nothing better to do. If you really believe that, then you've lost.

  As for her future husband, Xianyi shares the same thoughts as her mother. She wants to marry a son of an official, preferably one who can become a manager outside the household. This way, she won't have to serve in the mansion and will have someone to take care of her. Her mother also told her that the wives of managers can live in a three-room courtyard, buy one or two small maids to serve them, and while it's not wealth and luxury, it's still a rich life. Additionally, with her mother's status as a respected lady-in-waiting, her husband's family won't dare to bully her. This is the best marriage arrangement for someone of her identity.

  "I'll come over in the morning to kowtow and then leave." Xian Yi wasn't unfamiliar with such situations, both Young Master and Second Young Master were born to Madame, and now they're both studying at the government school. The eldest young master is about 16 years old, it's said that Madame has been arranging his marriage early in the morning, but only recently has there been some progress.

  "It's good that you understand, Mother only has you left." Chen Shi felt relieved. She was well aware of how many maids in the main wife's courtyard were eyeing the two young masters, daydreaming about wealth and status that didn't belong to them. Fortunately, her daughter shared the same mind as her, and in a couple of years, she would settle her daughter's marriage, and this lifetime of hers could be considered complete.

  Xian Yi rubbed against her mother, whose father had passed away when she was two years old to save the life of the elderly master. Both Xian Yi's parents were born into the Chen family and were given as companions to the eldest mistress, Madame Chen. Before becoming a companion, Xian Yi's mother, Madame Chen, worked in the household of Madame Chen's mother, where she received special treatment. To show her importance, Madame Chen gave her the surname of the main house, allowing her to stand firm in the household and guard the main chamber for Madame Chen. Years later, Madame Chen had two sons and two daughters, and except for not getting along with the elderly lady every day, her life was smooth sailing. Therefore, she relied even more heavily on Xian Yi's mother, which also elevated Xian Yi's status to be different from others.

  After bidding farewell to her mother, Xianyi walked back to her own small courtyard through a small path. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Ah Bi, who was in charge of washing clothes, walking in from outside with a bashful expression. Xianyi first smiled and greeted her, then took out the dirty clothes from the house and handed them over to Ah Bi. Watching Ah Bi walk out of the courtyard, Xianyi sighed. This is the difference in status. Even though they were all maidservants, Chen Shi was a top-ranking maid, so their courtyard had young girls coming to clean up, and even the clothes were washed by someone specially assigned to do so. They only needed to serve their mistress well, and they would not have to worry about food and drink, being one level higher.

  As soon as she entered the house, Xian Yi took off the agate bracelet on her wrist and put it in the dressing box. In these years, various madams had also rewarded her with two boxes of jewelry, most of which were silver, only a few gold ornaments from her mother's side, but this was already considered to be one of the best family fortunes in Yuan Wai Lang Fu.

  In the history of this land, there was originally only one Zhou state. However, a long time ago, the Zhou state split and became more than ten small states. The Pei state happened to be one of the countries with the least mineral resources. As a result, from the imperial palace to the officials, gold became a rare luxury item to some extent. In some officials' homes, silver was even considered more valuable. Some people didn't see gold in their lifetime. Fortunately, the land of Pei state is fertile and has lakes and seas nearby, although mountains are scarce, there are still some hills. Therefore, even when other countries suffered from famine, Pei state had no worries about food and clothing over the years, and it was relatively smooth sailing.

  Too lazy to go to the big kitchen for food, Xianyi washed up a bit and then climbed onto her own big bed, where she went back to sleep.

  Xian Yi was a maid without a fixed position, although she also followed her mother to learn etiquette and received the monthly allowance of a third-class maid. However, the chores that a third-class maid needed to do did not fall on her, and even this time her mother asked her to go to the front yard was because she was afraid Xian Yi would harbor bad thoughts, and it was also for the sake of showing off to the suspicious Mrs. Zheng. Therefore, in the morning, without being summoned by Mrs. Zheng, Xian Yi rarely entered the main house, and most of the time she either practiced calligraphy and read books in her room or embroidered a handkerchief to pass the time.

  Last night, her mother didn't come back, and Xian Yi had already gotten used to this pattern. As the red person by the side of the big madam, not only did she have to accompany the madam during the day, but also at night, she had to take turns with the madam to keep watch over the gate. She still remembered that when she was young, Xian Yi lived with her mother in the big madam's wing room. However, as she grew older, and since her mother always followed the rules, they moved out of the main courtyard and into a small courtyard where the servants should live. Fortunately, her mother's status was high, so they didn't have to share a place with others.

  Xian Yi had originally thought that with the two young masters returning today, the madam would not call for her own past, but unexpectedly, she had just finished breakfast when a third-class maid from the main house came to summon her, saying that the madam had something to discuss with her. Xian Yi did not dare to hesitate and hastily changed her clothes, locked the door, and headed towards the main house.