Chapter 281 — Splitting Up
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
Dou Yan motioned for Suxin to take the rosewood box containing the tally tokens, then said to the Elder Madam with a smile, "I've only just arrived, and I'm not yet acquainted with the stewards of the household. I must trouble you, Aunt, to make the introductions."
Matters having come to this pass,
the Elder Madam swallowed a silent sigh and introduced the stewards of each branch to Dou Yan. Through these introductions, Dou Yan came face to face with every steward in the household.
Yet inwardly, she could not help but find something odd.
Ever since Lady Jiang's death, Song Cen's people had held the rear quarters of the Ying Ducal Estate in their grip. After Song Cen and Song Yan fell out, the estate had been purged; the maids and women who had served Lady Jiang were either killed, vanished without a trace, or driven out. But the stewards who had once followed Lady Jiang—though there had been changes—had changed little. Some had been replaced, while others still held their posts. They shared one peculiar trait: they were all rather young. Every older one had been swapped out; every younger one had been kept.
Was Song Cen trying to avoid notice, or was there something else at play?
Dou Yan gently brushed the floating leaves in her teacup, took a quiet sip, and continued listening to the stewards report on their duties.
Behind the Elder Madam stood Madam Dong, who glanced at Dou Yan's graceful posture and felt a bitter, acrid taste in her heart.
The night before, she and her mother-in-law had been at their wits' end, barely sleeping a wink, not knowing how to answer to the Second Uncle. And as for her father-in-law—he likely did not even know yet what a catastrophe had befallen them...
Her heart tightened involuntarily.
Her father-in-law would certainly blame her and her mother-in-law for bungling the affair. Her mother-in-law and father-in-law were bound in their original marriage; at most he would give his wife a scolding. The blame, in the end, would likely fall on her shoulders.
Madam Dong's face was somewhat pale. She heard Dou Yan asking a fair-skinned, comely woman, "You are Steward Chen, in charge of the Second Young Master's quarters?"
The woman bent her knee in a hasty curtsy and answered "Yes," her manner exceedingly deferential.
Dou Yan asked how much Song Han's monthly allowance was, how many maids were under his name, how many pages, and the like—just as she had asked the kitchen steward how much was spent monthly, how many women worked in the kitchen, and how many assistants there were. There was no particular attention paid, nor any neglect.
Steward Chen could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Look at this new madam—barely ten days in the household, and she had quietly taken the tally tokens, the symbol of authority over the Ying Ducal Estate, into her own hands. If anyone tried to tell her the new madam was as gentle and courteous as she appeared, she would not believe it if they beat her to death. Yet by unlucky chance, she was the one in charge of the Second Young Master's quarters, and the Duke had given orders that the Heir Apparent was not permitted to meddle in the Second Young Master's affairs... She truly feared the new madam would fix her eye on the Second Young Master's quarters and question her endlessly, and that those gossips who loved to stir up trouble would report it to the Duke. And since the new madam now held the tally tokens, summoning her for questioning was entirely proper—leaving her caught in the middle, unable to please either side.
But since the Heir Apparent now controlled the inner quarters, he would certainly meddle in the Second Young Master's affairs sooner or later. She would end up caught between the two no matter what.
At that thought, a faint bitter smile crept across her lips.