Chapter 18: People Have Those Who Are Close and Those Who Are Distant

As the ancestral matriarch of the family, Lady Gu naturally wholeheartedly supported the idea of having more descendants. She had once considered adding a few reliable concubines to her three sons’ rooms, but her eldest son was an official in the capital, her second son was fighting in Jiaozhi, and she simply disapproved of her third son, so the matter was put off. Now that these maids had been sent by the Duke of Yingguo, she personally inspected them and assigned each one to a specific household, keeping only the two reserved for her second son to serve her temporarily.

With these twelve people of special status suddenly appearing in the household, the maids, wives, and old women throughout the inner courtyard were quite dissatisfied. Even the maids serving in each household were unhappy with the newcomers.

One day, as Qiuhen was tidying Zhang Yue’s room, she suddenly heard a rustling outside the curtain. Turning around, she saw Linglong, the chief maid serving Lady Dongfang, bending in to enter. Curious, she put down the duster she was holding and went to greet her, asking with a smile, “Sister Linglong, what brings you here today?”

“I don’t have that much free time!” Although only fifteen years old, Linglong had been personally chosen and trained by Lady Dongfang. In the second household, she was similar to Lingxi, who was close to the old lady, and usually quite reserved. Seeing that only Qiuhen was in the room, she asked thoughtfully, “I heard there’s a girl named Hupo serving the third young master now. Why is it just you tidying the room?”

Qiuhen quickly replied with a smile, “The old lady called her over for a talk.”

Hearing this, a hint of sarcasm appeared on Linglong’s face. She looked around and confirmed that there was indeed no one else present, then said with a smirk, “Madam originally sent me to invite the third madam over for a talk. Who would have thought she wasn’t here? Sigh, Madam was in a good mood this morning, but something made her so upset that she didn’t even eat breakfast. She’s still lying in bed.”

“Who would be bold enough to upset the second madam?”

“Isn’t it our eldest young master? Well, actually, he was just acting foolishly. As a result, he ended up with Zixia… All those newcomers are charming and cunning, not like us who were born into this family—known and trustworthy. For example, Luoying, who used to be his most trusted maid, was personally chosen by Madam and was very gentle and reliable. Yet she was overtaken by an outsider. In my opinion, you should keep a close eye on that Hupo too. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, it’ll be too late for you to cry.”

When Qiuhen first heard about matters between men and women, two red clouds instantly appeared on her face, but as she listened further, her fear grew. Although it wasn’t unusual for young masters around fourteen or fifteen to understand such things, Zhang Chao had just turned thirteen. Thinking of Huobo’s demeanor, which resembled that of a noble lady, and the fact that she was highly regarded by the old lady, Qiuhen’s face turned even paler.

Linglong spoke with gritted teeth. Seeing Qiuhen unconsciously twisting the handkerchief in her hand, she couldn’t help but comfort her a few times before gloatingly saying, “But the one most unhappy about this is the eldest madam. You don’t know—this time the eldest master isn’t going to Nanjing. There were just news that he’s going to Zhejiang to oversee the sea dikes, so he probably won’t take the eldest madam, the eldest daughter, or the fourth young master along. The old lady ordered those two maids to go with them to serve. I heard the eldest madam even smashed a vase in her room…”

“Cough!”

Linglong was about to continue when she was startled by a cough and jumped up. Turning her head stiffly, she saw that it was Zhang Yue who had pulled back the curtain and entered. Her heart became even more uneasy, and she quickly bowed slightly. Seeing Zhang Yue’s displeased expression, she didn’t dare stay and gossip any longer. She said a few words casually before hurrying to leave.

“Young master…”

Seeing Qiuhen hesitating, her cheeks flushed red, as if showing some unusual youthful sentiment, Zhang Yue put aside his stern expression, stretched, and sat down by the bed, patting the space beside him.

“Qiuhen, come and sit here.”

At that moment, Qiuhen was terrified that Zhang Yue might have heard what Linglong had said. She couldn’t think of anything else for a moment and walked over in a daze. But as soon as she sat down by the bed, she immediately jumped up, her face full of panic. The next moment, she felt someone firmly grab her hand, forcing her to sit down involuntarily.

“I heard everything Linglong said just now.” Feeling the hand he was holding tremble suddenly, he shook his head slightly, his tone becoming more comforting. “I can’t interfere in other people’s affairs. She said it’s no big deal for you to hear it—after all, it’s her who’s gossiping, not you. But…”

He gently squeezed her soft hand and said slowly, “The eldest brother is the eldest brother, and I am me. No matter how good Huobo is, she can’t compare to the bond we’ve shared over the years. Do you understand?”

“Amber is the Duke of Britain… and there’s also the old lady…” Qiuhen was both shocked and delighted, so much so that she couldn’t speak coherently, her words becoming somewhat incoherent. “Besides, Amber is literate and well-educated, and she’s also very beautiful…”
“What are you talking about?” Zhang Yue was both annoyed and amused as he listened. He couldn’t help but reach out and pinch Qiuhen’s plump cheek. “Just because someone new has arrived who’s pretty and capable does that mean I’ll forget you? If you want, I can teach you how to read too. You don’t need to worry about the Duke of Britain or your grandmother—after all, I’m still young; who will take care of these matters for me?”
At that moment, Qiuhen felt an indescribable joy. She hadn’t noticed that Zhang Yue’s earlier action had been somewhat flirtatious. All she knew was that she had been by his side while he was recovering, and she was still there when he studied. Now that there was someone new by his side, she remained the special one. Her once empty heart was instantly filled, and her eyes shone with more brightness.
Although he had given Qiuhen such assurances, Zhang Yue was thinking about Amber in his mind. She was someone sent by the Duke of Britain and was often called over by Lady Gu to talk with her. Yet she never showed any arrogance, speaking gently to the other maids and being respectful to him and Lady Zhang Zuosun—even so respectful that she avoided getting too close to him. She was also extremely diligent in her tasks. He really couldn’t find any faults with such a sensible and capable maid.
In the main hall, it wasn’t just Amber whom Lady Gu called over to talk to; there were also Zixia, Yufen, and Bishao, who were assigned to the other three grandsons. As she looked at these four girls, around thirteen or fourteen years old, her expression gradually darkened.
Her expectations for her sons and grandsons were different. It was good for her sons to have many descendants, but now her oldest grandson was just a little over thirteen, yet already had a maid involved with him in improper relations. How could this be acceptable? So, as she looked at the charmingly beautiful Zixia, she frowned slightly, feeling displeased and increasingly annoyed.
After pondering for a moment, she ordered Lingxi beside her in a stern voice, “Go see the second son’s wife later. Tell her it’s my order—Zixia’s monthly allowance should be the same as yours, plus two extra dresses.”

Hearing this, Lingxi replied with a nod, but couldn’t help glancing at Zixia. Seeing her kneel down in joy to express gratitude, Lingxi sighed inwardly. Her share was merely that of a top-ranking maid in the household, while concubines and secondary maids had even higher status—clearly, Zixia was not favored by the old lady. She then glanced at the other three and noticed that Yufen and Bishao both showed unmistakable envy, while only Hupo stood there calmly.
Even if they came from a duke’s family, would the duke really support a few mere maids? It was one thing for those who served the master and had children by their side; but with four young masters still at an unstable age, who would remember their childhood joys when it came time to marry and take concubines?