When the mamas received the letter, they immediately came to the main room. Without needing any instructions, they each stood in three neat rows according to their positions. When Yu Miaoqi looked over, they took the initiative to report their names and the scope of their duties. Their attitudes were very respectful.
Yu Miaoqi originally thought that these people would join forces to give her a show of strength. Then, she would be able to take advantage of the situation to pick out a few thorns and deal with them. She would then quickly gain a foothold in the Marquis Household. But she didn't expect them to be so well-trained and obedient. Could it be that Yu Xiang didn't secretly incite them to make things difficult for her?
Previously, she had thought so well and considered so thoroughly. But now that she saw this group of disciplined and respectful stewards, she felt so sullen in her heart. It was as if she had thrown a heavy punch but hit the air. She had a feeling of wanting to fall to the ground. Yu Miaoqi took a few deep breaths to calm herself down while she was drinking tea.
The head of the Lin Clan didn't think so much. She only said a few words like "I'll take care of everything in the future." Then, she turned to her daughter and asked her to take out the draft regulations.
This time, Yu Miaoqi wasn't in a hurry to change the rules set by Yu Xiang. She only said two points: First, in the future, there was no need to check the memorization of the family rules every month. It was fine as long as everyone knew what to do. Second, even sweeping the floor, chopping firewood, and fetching water had to be elected a group leader. The management staff in the household was too redundant. From now on, the group system would be abolished. Everything would be handled by the corresponding mamas. In the end, she asked if anyone had any opinions.
Yu Miaoqi also had her own concerns when making these two changes. First, she wanted everyone to relax and show the kindness of the new master. Second, she wanted to win over the hearts of the people, especially the stewards who suddenly had a lot of authority. Third, she wanted to save the allowance given to each group leader to open up sources of income and reduce expenses.
She didn't dare to make big moves as soon as she came, so as to avoid distracting the people. Instead, she secretly made small steps and strived to implement them one by one within three to five months.
Not having to memorize the family rules was naturally a good thing. No one objected. Although the team leaders received a monthly allowance, they also had to be responsible for the mistakes made by their team members. Usually, they were under a lot of pressure. In addition, they weren't at the level of a manager, so they couldn't see their master. Their words carried little weight, so even if they had opinions, they couldn't raise them.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Yu Miaoqi took it that everyone agreed. Those who had something to say said they had something to say, and those who had nothing to say left. Naturally, everyone had nothing to do. After bowing, they left one after another. The first fire of this new official's appointment was silently lit.
The Lin Clan was full of praise for their daughter's intelligence and ability. They said that if they handed the family over to their daughter, nothing would go wrong. She felt relieved. After saying that, she walked into the inner hall and continued to reminisce about the past in front of the memorial tablet.
-----
In the courtyard of the West Wing, someone immediately reported Yu Miaoqi's actions to Liu Lu, and Liu Lu reported it to Yu Xiang.
"There won't be any trouble? It's only temporary. " Yu Xiang laughed contemptuously as he tied the knots, "I've governed the fu like an iron bucket. She has no place to interfere, so naturally she will break the rules I set. Then she will slowly support her own trusted subordinates. When I was in charge of the household, as long as I did my job well, servants of the same rank would be treated the same. Those with outstanding abilities would even have a chance to be promoted. I didn't care about background or connections. But she can't be as fair as I am. If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass. If she feeds her own trusted subordinates, then she will naturally starve others. When others are hungry, they will be jealous. When they are jealous, they will cause trouble. Sooner or later, our fu will be in chaos. It's like a blindfolded donkey. You only need to whip it, and it will only focus on grinding. When you take off the blindfold one day and let it see the colorful world, will it still care about you? It will slip away long ago. You can't even pull it back. "
Tao Hong was speechless when he heard this. He asked, "Miss, you're not going to do anything? You should at least give her a reminder! When the fu is in chaos, no one will benefit. "
Liu Lu glared at her with disdain and mouthed, "Silly girl."
Yu Xiang scratched his head with the needle and sneered, "Silly girl, if I can see it, how can Old Ancestor not see it? Yu Miaoqi's mistakes are the same as the Lin Clan's mistakes. Old Ancestor is waiting to catch the Lin Clan's weakness. Think about it. How many of the seven rules did she commit? She disobeyed her parents, didn't bother her uncles, didn't teach her children, was jealous, and talked too much. If she was in another family, she would have been divorced long ago. It's only because Old Ancestor is soft-hearted and hasn't had time to spare these years that he let her go. Just wait and see. If they cause trouble this time, Old Ancestor definitely won't let them off easily. One will be divorced; the other will either be locked up for a few years or be married off far away. "
Tao Hong was speechless when he heard this. He didn't dare to say anything else.
-----
In the main courtyard, the matriarch also received the news. She knew that Yu Miaoqi didn't make any big moves and only abolished two rules that were neither light nor heavy. Thus, she sighed to Mama Ma, "I thought she was very scheming, but she's also short-sighted. These two abolished rules were indeed insignificant, but she didn't think too deeply about it. Those servants were under control all year round, so they had a clear division of labor. She suddenly removed the power to control them, so the division of labor was also unclear. There was no conclusion as to who was responsible for this matter and who was responsible for that matter. Wouldn't this make the servants anxious? You push me, I push you. No one can do the work. Sooner or later, there will be chaos in the fu. For example, if you suddenly let go of the power that was holding onto it, it would instantly relax and inevitably fall down. Management is also a kind of knowledge. Its principles are similar to governing a country. Governing a country strictly means that the world is clear and bright. Governing a country is biased and chaotic. In the end, Yu Miaoqi can't compare to Xiang'er ah! "
Mama Ma agreed, "That's natural. After all, Miss Xiang'er was personally taught by you and Master Hou. Ordinary people can't compare to her."
The matriarch's mood eased a little. She muttered in a low voice, "In the end, the Family Shen is a businessman. His knowledge is shallow. The children he taught are really unpresentable."
Mama Ma nodded in agreement.
What the two didn't know was that it wasn't that the Family Shen didn't know how to discipline, but that he didn't dare to discipline. Just looking at Shen Yuanqi, he was extremely outstanding among thousands of people. In the end, Yu Miaoqi was held too high by the Family Shen. He accidentally killed himself and became what he was today.
-----
Because Yu Miaoqi's methods were gentle and gradual, and she secretly looked for trusted aides who could support her, the Marquis Household didn't cause any trouble for the next half a month. She gradually relaxed.
On this day, Yu Siyu, who had been hiding in the house and didn't go out, suddenly came to the door with many gifts. Yu Miaoqi smiled and let her into the house. There wasn't the slightest bit of ill will between them.
Yu Siyu exchanged a few words and stammered, "Younger Sister, it's not that Elder Sister covets Mother's dowry. It's just that I don't dare to refuse Elder Sister's gift. In that situation, if I insisted on refusing, wouldn't the Old Ancestor be even angrier? I had no choice. Mother doesn't blame me, right? "
How could the Lin Clan not blame her? Later, when Yu Miaoqi learned about the value of the shops and fields, her heart bled. She wanted to eat Yu Siyu alive.
Yu Miaoqi lowered her eyes and drank her tea. When she spoke again, her tone was indescribably warm and cheerful, "How could Mother blame Elder Sister? Mother has neglected Elder Sister a lot these years. This time, she's done her best to add to Elder Sister's dowry. When the time comes, I'll also prepare a generous gift for Elder Sister to complete our sisterly relationship. "
Yu Siyu was greatly moved. She held her hand and praised, "Younger Sister is still the most considerate. You're not like Yu Xiang, who's cold-hearted and cold-hearted."
Yu Miaoqi covered her mouth and chuckled.
The two continued to chat. When they were about to leave, Yu Siyu said, "I heard that Younger Sister is now in charge of the household. If you're too busy, I can help. Younger Sister also knows that I'll be getting married in about a year and a half. It's time for me to learn how to manage the household. "
"Elder Sister hasn't learned before? Daughters of ordinary families start learning when they're seven or eight years old. "Yu Miaoqi pretended to be surprised.
Yu Siyu's eyes were filled with tears. She pointed to the west wing and then pointed to the main courtyard. She grumbled in a low voice, "One is overbearing and savage, and the other is selfish and biased. I'm struggling to survive in the cracks. How can I learn real skills? I'm just passing my days in vain."
"Good Elder Sister, then Younger Sister will have to rely on you in the future." Yu Miaoqi agreed without hesitation. After sending off Yu Siyu, her face immediately sank. She sent the maidservants away and called Mama Kim over.
"Have the people you sent to Yangzhou sent back any news? When can they get rid of Yu Siyu? I think she's really an eyesore. " After the farce in the main courtyard, Yu Miaoqi didn't bother to pretend to be virtuous and gentle anymore. She completely revealed the crafty nature she had developed in the Family Shen.
Mama Kim didn't feel disappointed. Instead, she was happy to see it happen. Madam was unreliable. Second Young Miss should be more unyielding. She smiled and said, "Replying Second Young Miss, I just received news that Fang Family's mother and son have been persuaded and are rushing to the capital. They should arrive in seven or eight days."
"Seven or eight days? Don't make any mistakes. "Yu Miaoqi rubbed her forehead.
Mama Kim quickly waved her hand, "There won't be any mistakes. That mother and son are in dire straits right now. They don't even have a place to shelter from the wind and rain, let alone a full meal. They're about to die. How can they not hold on to Yu Siyu, this life-saving straw? They're even more anxious than us. "
"That's good. When this matter is completed, I'll reward you handsomely. Also, I asked you to find some trustworthy servants to support them. Have you made any progress? "
"I still need to observe for a while. Young Miss, don't worry. The power is in your hands. We don't need to spend any effort to find them. Naturally, someone will come to your door. "
"That's true."
The two were discussing when they heard someone report from outside the room, "Second Young Miss, Chunmei and Dongshui request an audience."
Yu Miaoqi looked at Mama Kim with an inquiring gaze.
Mama Kim lowered her voice and introduced, "These two were originally given to Master Hou by the Old Madam. For some reason, they were sent to the sewing room by Miss Three. It's been almost four years, but they haven't even seen Master Hou's face. Master Hou doesn't care, so The Old Madam won't stand up for them. They see that you're the head of the household and are begging you to come. After all, you're an unmarried girl. It's not good for you to intervene. It's better to let Madam make the decision. Just now, I said that you don't need to worry. See, they came to find you on their own. "
Yu Miaoqi nodded slightly. After pondering for a moment, she said, "Tell Mother to transfer them back to Eldest Brother's courtyard. One of them will help him with his grooming and the other will help him with his brush and ink. Eldest Brother has already been crowned, so he can't not have anyone to warm his bed for him. Wouldn't it be a joke if word got out? " She should find some beautiful concubines to distract Yu Pinyan. It would be best if he quickly got married. If he had wives and concubines, he would have a house full of children. How would he have the mind to care about Yu Pinyan? At that time, even the Old Madam wouldn't be able to take care of her.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was feasible. She pulled on Mama Kim, who was about to leave, and asked, "Is Eldest Brother engaged?"
"He is." Mama Kim nodded, "He was betrothed before he was born. The other party is the legitimate daughter of Duke Jingguo fu. However, she's currently in mourning, so the marriage has been delayed. " Mama Kim spent all day with the Lin Clan. She had also lost her power, so her eyes and ears were naturally not as sharp as before. She didn't receive any news that the Old Madam and Yu Pinyan wanted to break off the engagement.
Not only her, but most of the servants also didn't know of their master's plans. They thought that Chang Yafu was going to marry into the family as soon as he left the service.
Yu Miaoqi thought for a moment, then asked, "How long will she be in mourning?"
"Not long. She'll be able to leave the service by the end of next month." Mama Kim counted on her fingers.
"Okay, I understand. Take Chunmei and Dongshui to Mother." Yu Miaoqi sent Mama Kim away and couldn't help but smile in relief. Then she thought about how the new daughter-in-law would be in charge of the family's finances after marrying into the family. Her face darkened as she pondered how to deal with it.
However, as long as the Lin Clan didn't let go and the daughter-in-law couldn't forcefully snatch it away, then she could take a few more beautiful concubines for Yu Pinyan. The legitimate daughter of Duke Jingguo fu wouldn't have the time to care about anything else. Yu Miaoqi leaned back in her chair. Many thoughts spun in her mind, and her expression slowly changed from hesitation to determination.