Daily life of the Mistress 13

Lady Qin looked at her carefully nurtured son with disappointment. She uttered her final words and, ignoring him, took Lu Lingyun’s hand and left. Lu Lingyun stayed in Lady Qin’s room and talked with her for a long time, patiently comforting her. When they left, Lady Qin looked at Lu Lingyun as if she were her own daughter, her affection growing. She instructed Wen Mama to pack a lot of things and told Lu Lingyun to freely take whatever she needed in the future. If she encountered any problem, she should simply ask Wen Mama, and the servants would learn from her. This meant that Lu Lingyun had been given genuine authority over the household. This differed from the past when Lu Han Yi had only been given the keys to the household ledger, a mere symbol of authority. In a large family, people, not possessions, held the true power. Ledger keys and account books were merely superficial. The core of the family was controlled by Lady Qin’s people. Lu Han Yi only had the right to look, not to touch. The vast Houfu was essentially divided into different domains. The servants in the Houfu were divided into two main factions. One group consisted of the descendants of the Houfu’s hereditary servants, whose ancestors had been serving the Houfu for generations. They were the most loyal to the Houfu and formed the core of the household staff. They were responsible for managing the estates, shops, land, and real estate outside the main house, all under the control of the old Houye. The other group was Lady Qin’s people, mainly her dowry. These people, after entering the Houfu, gradually took over the management of the inner house, holding positions such as the head steward, the chief instructor, and the managers of the accounts, treasury, and personnel. In short, they controlled the core of the inner house. Now, Lady Qin was giving her authority to Lu Lingyun. By allowing Wen Mama to assist her, she was enabling Lu Lingyun to gradually bring her own people into the Houfu. This was a genuine acknowledgment of her. Of course, Lu Lingyun could not immediately replace everyone from the beginning. She wasn’t at that stage yet. The Houfu was not hers yet. Lu Lingyun, being intelligent, expressed her gratitude to Lady Qin and reassured her. With Lady Qin’s approval, Lu Lingyun exited the room. A group of maidservants and servants respectfully bowed to her. They all acknowledged her as the new mistress of the Houfu. In this world, the husband’s affection is not absolute. A woman must have real power and sufficient wealth to be respected. Lu Lingyun looked at the respectful servants and said to An Mama, “An Mama, go back and prepare small red envelopes. Have the servants from each courtyard come to our courtyard to receive the red packets. Everyone has worked hard to get me settled in. We should order 200 kilograms of pork and 100 live chickens for the kitchen. Take the money from our treasury. Let’s have a special meal today for everyone.” As Lu Lingyun’s words faded, the servants in the mansion said in unison: “Thank you, Young Madam!” Lu Lingyun left with the others in the midst of everyone’s joy. In the afternoon, her courtyard became lively. Servants from all the courtyards in the Houfu came to receive the red envelopes and express their gratitude. The Houfu had only one heir for several generations and was sparsely populated, so there were not many courtyards. Besides the treasury, kitchen, and servant’s quarters, there was Ningxin courtyard where the old Houye and Lady Qin resided, the three concubines’ courtyards, and the Young Master’s Yao Guang Ge. The three concubines were all the old Houye’s mistresses but had no children, and were now sent to the Buddhist hall to recite scriptures. As for the Young Master’s beloved concubine, she did not have her own courtyard, as she was not even considered a concubine. She had entered the Houfu without a proper matchmaker, a betrothal ceremony, or a title, and was just raised by the Young Master in the Yao Guang Ge. No one in the house knew how to address her and simply called her Miss Xing. It was said that she was quite pleased with this arrangement and didn’t see any problem with it, saying she didn’t care about empty titles. This eventually led to the entire Houfu looking down on her. Everyone in the Houfu came to Lu Lingyun’s courtyard to receive their rewards. Those who came from the Buddhist hall were especially delighted as they enjoyed a special meal today. When they left, everyone praised the newly arrived Young Madam.

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