Chapter 71: Rectifying the Prince's Mansion

  (Today's first update, there will be another one tonight, thank you)

  As soon as Qing Sang's words fell, others also expressed their willingness to serve in the mansion.

  Looking at the twenty people who were willing to stay, Qing Sang felt a bit awkward. She had also thought of a certain scene from a Qing dynasty drama she had seen in her previous life, where the female lead dismissed those unfaithful and ambitious servants, and wanted to try it out herself to see if she could reduce the number of people to support. She was determined that the people in the mansion would not be able to live off the imperial family's charity, so she didn't want to let a single one of them rely on the imperial family. But unexpectedly, she ended up shooting herself in the foot. The servants in the TV drama who were favored by their masters had some benefits to gain, but they were different from the slaves in front of her, who only got one dou of millet per month and couldn't even eat their fill. So, there wasn't much difference between staying here or in another mansion. At most, they might eat a bit better in another mansion, but compared to the work they did and the treatment they received, it was probably more comfortable for them here. Moreover, she couldn't rule out that there were spies among them, and since their mission wasn't completed, why would they leave?

  Helpless, he could only say: "Since that's the case, from now on, everyone will have to share the joys and hardships together, and get through this difficult period."

  After finishing speaking, he asked everyone about their strengths and what they were currently working on.

  After listening to the report, Qing Sang thought for a moment in her heart. Currently, there are four people in the kitchen, one cook, two helpers, and one steward, three women and one man; Chu Tai Hospital has two people, one man and one woman; The gatehouse has four people, all men; The laundry room has four people, all women; The tea house has three people, two women and one man; Three people are sweeping the floor, all men. The remaining Cao Xiang, Chang An, and Ma Xi are all serving her and Fu Xi, and this division of labor is reasonable.

  After careful consideration, Qing Sang said: "From now on, all matters within the entire mansion will be handled by Ma Xi. Ma Xi will be the general manager, Cao Xiang and Chang An will be deputy general managers, you must all obey them."

  Everyone says so.

  Mei Xi was somewhat surprised and delighted, in her opinion, Cao Xiang and Chang An were the princess's confidants, and she should have been marginalized. But unexpectedly, Qing Sang had handed over the entire palace to her, wasn't she afraid?

  Qing Sang said a few more words and dismissed the crowd, leaving only Ma Xi, Cao Xiang and Chang An.

  "Mah Xi, you should be familiar with the layout of this mansion. Do you have a map? Also, about these twenty people, do you have a list?" Qing Sang left the three of them behind to carefully arrange the work that followed and also to figure out the situation in the mansion.

  Ma Xi replied, "This mansion was originally the residence of the third prince of the Martial King. The structural drawings and such cannot be found. As for these twenty people, Zha Lu has a list 'entrusted' to me, I'll go get it."

  Qing Sang nodded.

  "Princess, I've been wandering around the mansion for a few days and have basically figured out the layout. Let me draw you a map?" Chang An said.

  "Alright, alright, you're willing. " Qing Sang then had Cao Xiang bring over a brush and paper from the room. This brush and paper were still brought by Qing Sang from Xuan Chao; in Bei Rong's place, there was only ink and sheepskin.

  Chang An grasped his pen and began drawing with it in his palm.

  Qing Sang saw him holding a pen and couldn't help but ask with a smile: "Chang An, can you read?"

  Chang An was struggling to draw on paper, when Qing Sang asked him, he hastily stopped his brush and said: "I don't recognize a single big character, so this brush is also useless."

  "What about you?" Qing Sang turned her head and asked Cao Xiang.

  A faintly discernible panic flashed across Cao Xiang's eyes as she said, "My father was a teacher at the school when he was alive, so I can recognize a few characters."

  Qing Sang nodded and said to Chang An: "You say, let Cao Xiang come and paint."

  Chang An felt relieved and quickly handed the brush over to Cao Xiang.

  Watching Cao Xiang draw with a brush, Qing Sang felt that Cao Xiang had indeed learned from somewhere.

  Just in time, Maxi took over the list.

  Qingsang looked at it and found that the script of this Northern Rong was still somewhat different from that of the Xuan Dynasty, with many characters that he couldn't recognize.

  "Can you read?" Qing Sang asked Maxi.

  Ma Xi slightly bowed her head and replied: "I don't recognize him."

  Qing Sang somewhat disappointedly put away the list.

  After a while, the map of the mansion was drawn. Qing Sang looked at it and saw that it was drawn quite well, with important places marked in writing. Looking at the elegant handwriting on the paper, Qing Sang felt that Cao Xiang should have read a lot of books.

  From the map, the house can be roughly divided into four parts: three courtyards and a kitchen. There is one east courtyard and one west courtyard, plus a place for servants to live. She is currently in the east courtyard, which has a main bedroom and five small rooms; The west courtyard also has a main bedroom and five small rooms, where Zhu Lianyu, Cao Xiang, Chang An, Qingbi, Qiaolü, Shuiliu and two sick people live; The servants' quarters are not large, but they can accommodate 21 people, and Mahui also lives there. The laundry room and the sweeping room are both in that courtyard; The kitchen is simpler, with only four small rooms besides the cooking area: one is a woodshed, one is a tea house, and two are empty.

  The rest is the outer hall for receiving guests after entering the 'gate'. Behind the outer hall is a vacant lot, which may be intended for use as a 'flower' garden. The outhouse and warehouse are also there.

  Qing Sang roughly understood the structure of the entire Wang Fu and said according to the drawings: "From today on, Ma Xi, Cao Xiang, and Chang An will move to the East Wing to live, each occupying one wing room. The remaining two wing rooms, you clean up one for me to use as a study; Qiao Lu and Shui Li are still recovering from their illness, so they will temporarily stay in the West Wing. Qing Bi girl will also continue to live in the West Wing, Ma Xi, let 'Hua' Xuan go serve her."

  Ma Xi was stunned, with Qing Bi's current status, how could she still be served by others?

  Qing Sang saw the doubt in Ma Xi's eyes and said, "Miss Qing Bi is the legitimate daughter of our dynasty's Minister of Rites' family, her status is different from others. I have always been on good terms with her, and it's also a blessing from heaven that we can meet here today. You just take orders to make arrangements, and I will personally talk to Mother about the rest."

  Ma Xi nodded.

  Qing Sang asked again: "What are the names of the two attendants serving under Dr. Chu in the West Wing?"

  "Uyghur and Hala."

  "Alright, these two will also move to the West Wing, specifically to serve Dr. Chu. The seven people in the kitchen and tea house will be reduced to five, and you can arrange who will stay and they will all move into the two empty rooms next to the kitchen. This way, the servants' quarters will be more spacious." Qing Sang said. She had been to the servants' quarters on the day of the incident and knew that the inner rooms were not large, so everyone slept together in a communal bed. By dispersing the staff to different wings, they would not be crowded together, which was also a way of showing consideration for them.

  Ma Xi quickly memorized it in her heart.

  "By the emperor's side, there should also be someone who knows what's going on. I think Guan Zhou is quite clever, what do you all think?" Qing Sang asked.

  Cao Xiang and Chang An didn't understand Guan Zhou's words, so they dared not to speak rashly, only saying that it would be fine as long as the princess saw him.

  Qing Sang asked Ma Xi: "Ma Xi, do you know about Guan Zhou's situation?"

  Ma Xi lived in Xia Ren's house for a few days and roughly understood what was going on, then told Qing Sang everything.

  "Kuan-chou's father and mother were both slaves, so he was a slave from the moment of his birth. His father is dead, but his mother is still working in General Hei's household. That's all I know," said Ma-hsi.

  Qing Sang asked after listening: "Maxi, what is the servant system of Bei Rong like?"

  Ma Xi saw Qing Sang and asked him, he could only briefly say that the Northern Rong had been defeated.

  The slaves of the Northern Rong are divided into four classes. The lowest class has no freedom at all and can only work in places like quarries, stables, armories, etc., doing the most menial jobs. They have no wages, no freedom, and cannot get married.

  Third-class people, like Guan Zhong, can become slaves or maids in various aristocratic households. They receive one dou of millet per month and are allowed to marry among themselves, but their children will also be slaves.

  Second-class slaves, like Wang Mum, were no longer registered as slaves but as lower-ranking servants who served their masters. Their status and monthly stipend were higher than those of third-class slaves, and they could have one or two third-class slaves serving under them.

  First-class concubines are like Ru Lu, neither slaves nor servants, and can already be considered officials without rank. They have independent residences, have exclusive attendants, and marriage is not a problem.

  After listening, Qing Sang asked: "What if someone like Zhuan Lu marries a third-class slave, will their children still be registered as slaves?"

  Ma Xi said: "Third-class and first- or second-class are not allowed to intermarry, but if a third-class person gives birth to a child, they can take the child away, they just can't get married."

  Qing Sang understood that in fact, it means that if a first-class Yu and a third-class person have a relationship, the child does not need to be registered as a slave, but because the father or mother is a slave, they are still slaves.

  "Can I quit being a slave?" Qing Sang asked.

  "It can be done. It's just very difficult. We need to have achievements and report to King Rong before we can leave." Ma Xi said.

  "And you? Second class or first?" Qing Sang asked.

  Mah Xi lowered her head, seemingly somewhat distressed, but still honestly replied: "Neither, I am the younger sister of the Grand Empress Dowager by a different mother."

  Qing Sang saw that she had spoken out, thinking that this shouldn't be a secret, and also understood why she always referred to herself by name or "I", rather than as a servant. Even Zhuan Lu didn't call himself a servant, she should be considered the young lady of a wealthy family, even more so not calling herself a servant. So he asked again: "Oh? How did you end up here?"

  Ma Xi said: "My mother was a slave in my father's mansion, and my father had asked the king to remove her slave status, but it was not approved. So I was raised under the name of the queen's mother. When the queen married the king, she was worried that I would be bullied in the mansion, so she brought me with her. Later, the queen also arranged a marriage for me and set up a residence for me in Yan City, where my husband and children live, and they come to see me once a month."

  Qingsang thought to herself: If that's the case, why didn't the Grand Empress Dowager let Mahi and her family reunite directly and live in the Ye clan's mansion? Why did she have to keep her by her side?

  Although there were doubts, she also knew that Ma Xi was not just talking to her in detail, so she continued: "The mother's heart is kind and gentle, she is a good person. Ma Xi, do you remember the adjustments I made earlier? After Guan Zhou, don't go to guard the 'door', let him follow the prince and live in the East Wing. For other male slaves, apart from their work, arrange two people to be on duty every night, so Chang An won't have to stay up all night. From now on, you will take care of the major and minor matters in the mansion, Cao Xiang will help you manage the 'female' slaves in the mansion, and Chang An will assist you in managing the male slaves in the mansion. Apart from the people I arranged, you can arrange others as you see fit, but be sure to do it thoroughly and don't miss anything."

  Maki thanked Qing Sang for her trust and took orders to make arrangements.

  "Grass fragrance, will you 'girl' red?" Qing Sang asked.

  "Nü bi huì xiē." Cǎo Xiāng said.

  "Go ask the girls in the mansion, which ones know how to embroider flowers and sew clothes." Qing Sang said.

  The grass fragrance asked strangely: "Does the princess want to find someone to make clothes?"

  Qing Sang smiled and said, "When I was in Duosai City, I heard the shopkeeper mention that the three most valuable things in Duosai are Duosai's blue treasure, Kush's medicinal materials, and Xuan Chao's silk. We don't have silk, but if we embroider some Xuan Chao-style embroidery to sell, we should be able to exchange it for some silver."

  "Is the princess thinking of doing business?" asked Cao Xiang.

  "How can the prince's allowance alone support such a large palace? We should also do something. Chang An, go and think of ways to find out if there are people willing to do business with us. At the same time, check how much silver is needed for fabrics and silk threads." Qing Sang said to Chang An. Since the palace was supposed to be self-sufficient, she naturally wanted some 'ways' to fill up the treasury.