Shang Si knew that Shou'an Tang had sent over a big maid, and pondered for a long while before coldly saying, "They're really keeping a close eye on it."
Liu Kun's maid quickly advised, "Don't make any foolish mistakes. This is just them reminding you; as I said, they understand what's going on. If you treat everyone equally, she won't be shortchanged of Fourth Lady's kindness either. Just look at how much care she shows for the eldest lady—sending letters to Beijing every now and then, out of concern for her own granddaughter. Why get upset over a maid? It's more important that Boshuo grows up well."
Shang Si gripped the handkerchief tightly as she said with a serious expression, "Having a few maids go over is fine; it wouldn't do to be kept in the dark about everything. There's no harm in knowing what you should know—just don't get too involved."
This wasn't the end of it. In the afternoon, two more girls were sent to Mucangzhai, and Liu Kun's maid personally brought them over with a bitter smile, saying that Lady Lin and Sheng Hongzhang had arranged for this. They weren’t short on their own maids but found it comfortable having servants around as brothers did, so they pulled out the two best from Changfeng’s quarters to send over.
Sheng Hongzhang looked at those girls, finding them well-educated and skilled in needlework, and was moved by Lady Lin's wisdom. After receiving much praise, Changfeng closed himself up in his study for several days to read books.
Looking at the two beautiful girls, Cao Er and Mei'er, aged fourteen, one charming and the other cold and elegant, the others in Mucangzhai were silent. Little Tangerine, with her unworldly face, stared in amazement as if her jaw would fall off. Pomegranate was dazedly looking at Minglan, while Yinxie and Jiurui exchanged glances. Cuirui remained calm and gently pulled the girls' hands to talk to them. Minglan almost sighed aloud; it truly showed that good magic always met with a higher magic. She quickly announced that Mucangzhai was small but fully staffed, so everyone could rest assured.
Minglan looked at those two beautiful girls and thought of Changfeng's personality; she almost asked: "Are you still as pure, my dears?" But she dismissed the idea for being too scandalous.
This brought a flurry of activity to Mucangzhai. Jiurui, whose mother was a servant manager, had an inclination towards meddling in affairs and soon became a disruptive presence. She didn't take long to become overbearing, chiding the girls who were quarreling before Cuirui could say anything. The small girls cried, while Pomegranate felt that Jiurui had overstepped her bounds.
Minglan smiled wryly: "It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white; as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat." Jiurui indeed managed to subdue the young maids.
Pomegranate was more discreet but worked hard. She loved gossip and often poked around Minglan’s room, praising her lavishly. Tangerine struggled to keep Pomegranate at bay; Cuirui scolded her several times: "Do you know any manners? After just a few days, you're poking into my affairs! The maids need to be disciplined!"
Minglan was in a dilemma as she said, "They are with their brother's people, so it wouldn't look good for me to discipline them publicly. I know Mei'er is troubling you all, but… her parents and relatives have passed away; she might feel wronged."
"Wronged—?" Cuirui looked surprised at Minglan. "What do you mean? My father mentioned that Lady Mei's father was a county magistrate in our nearby city of Dengzhou. He was incredibly greedy, exploiting his people. That’s why he was dismissed and imprisoned, his family stripped of their wealth."
"Could it be that her father is innocent!" Minglan recalled stories from TV dramas about loyal officials wrongly accused.
Cuirui laughed: "My lady, there are many cases where officials get in trouble and harm their families, but only one out of ten gets a fair trial. Few end up in the brothel system. There are no wronged officials! Everyone knows that Lady Mei’s father was a greedy man who overindulged himself. His wealth wasn’t enough to cover his crimes."
Minglan couldn't help but ask: "If a man commits a mistake, why punish his wife and children?"
Tangerine, entering the room, said unhappily: "Lady Mei's family’s fine clothes and delicacies are all from exploiting common people. How many families have gone bankrupt due to her father's actions? They should pay with their own lives! Being allowed into our household is a blessing."