“What are you doing!” Lauren Brooks yanked Fiona Quinn up and scolded, “It’s not like I don’t know you. Last time when Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Bennett came, you fell asleep only because you hadn’t slept for days on end—it’s natural to get drowsy. But from now on, when you see her, don’t be so timid. The more you fear her, the more imposing she’ll become. Now you’re in my courtyard—does she really dare punish you like she did when you were just a little maid?”

At the thought of being punished by Mrs. Bennett in Mrs. Harris’s courtyard—forced to kneel on blue bricks under the blazing sun until she nearly fainted—Fiona Quinn shivered. But seeing the brightness in Lauren Brooks’s eyes, she felt a bit better, though she still shook her head. “Miss, there’s no need to make things difficult with the Second Madam. In this marquis household, after all, she’s the rightful mistress in charge.”

Over the past month, Lauren Brooks had more or less figured out the situation in the marquis household, and the result was a clear understanding of just how difficult her own circumstances were. From the second- and third-class maids in her rooms to the little maids in the courtyard, not a single one had been assigned to her when her parents were still alive. Even Fiona Quinn had only served her for three years, but because she was honest, dutiful, and loyal, she was naturally the most reliable.

Precisely because of this, when Mrs. Carter hinted at it, she immediately followed Ivy Brooks’s lead and asked Ms. Turner for more people. Unexpectedly, Ms. Turner seemed to have already planned for this—besides giving her Ruby Hall, she also gave both Yvonne Brooks and Sophie Brooks a maid each.

At this, she waved her hand and said, “Say no more, I know all about it. After lying in bed for a month, I’ve thought things through. If others don’t make things hard for me, I naturally won’t make things hard for them. What I can endure, I will; what I can’t, I’ll just have to find a way to deal with.”

Hearing this, Fiona Quinn’s eyes turned red. She set the box down on the tall crabapple table beside her, then knelt forward. “Thank you, Miss, for trusting me. I just think, since we’re getting new maids today, you should, like Second Miss, name one yourself. Ruby Hall was bought from outside, she has no roots or backing in the household, unlike Lillian Jones. Lillian Jones’s father was the old Marquis’s trusted steward, and now manages the two largest silk shops in the household, handling the most money. Her mother is in charge of delivering gifts and greetings to other households during the seasons and festivals—she’s someone of status. Ruby Hall gets along with Lillian Jones, but since she’s from outside, the others are all quite jealous of her in front of the Old Madam. What use is someone like that to you, Miss?”

After hearing this, Lauren Brooks felt that this maid was very much to her liking. Being honest meant she wouldn’t act on her own, being reserved meant she wouldn’t show off, and as for being “useless”—anyone who could see all this was more than just loyal. So she smiled and nodded at Fiona Quinn, saying, “You’re right about all of this, you really are a careful person. Don’t overthink these things. Since Ruby Hall is here, just help her get familiar with things around here and treat her with a bit more respect. She’s new, after all, and will feel out of place.”

Unable to persuade Lauren Brooks, Fiona Quinn could only sigh and agree, then asked, “The chores in the room are usually divided between me and Evelyn Young. What do you want Ruby Hall to handle?”

“Since she’s the Old Madam’s person, let her take care of the jewelry and money.”

After Lauren Brooks finished speaking, she didn’t even look at the shocked Fiona Quinn, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. For her now, it didn’t matter if the people in her room had simple backgrounds—what drew attention was naming someone herself. Besides, of the four second-class maids, three could be taken away by her sisters, but Lillian Jones still had some needlework unfinished and had to stay with the Old Madam for a few more days. How could it be such a coincidence?

It seemed that the old matriarch didn’t want the second branch to take all the benefits either.

Chapter 006: Personnel

In Lauren Brooks’s memory, at the end of the Yuan dynasty, the world was in chaos and warlords rose up everywhere, but in the end Zhu Yuanzhang emerged victorious and took the throne. However, in this history, the impoverished Zhu Yuanzhang never even had a chance to rise; the one who swept the land and founded the Great Chu was the commoner Charles Green. After establishing the Chu dynasty, he first surveyed the land and set taxes, then encouraged commerce and industry, and even continued the maritime trade of the Song and Yuan dynasties. But no matter how good the system, it couldn’t withstand human corruption. Now, a hundred and fifty years after the founding, things were far from what they once were.

Knowing that in this history there was no Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, but instead Chu Taizu Charles Green, Lauren Brooks became even more cautious and prudent, immediately shelving some of her original plans. Once she had a general understanding of the bigger picture, she focused her attention on her own situation.

The Marquis of Yangning’s household was an aristocratic family. At the founding of the dynasty, they were granted ten rooms of servants by imperial decree, and when the family was promoted from earl to marquis, they were granted another ten rooms. Over more than a hundred years, these people multiplied, becoming a huge number. If not for regularly sending people out, the marquis’s estate wouldn’t be big enough to hold them all. Because of this, although there were enough people to use, each master’s side started out with very few maids.

The young ladies and young masters had no first-class maids at their side, only two second-class and four third-class, while the number of little maids doing chores in the courtyard varied. Now, Ms. Turner had given each young lady another second-class maid, and said that after the New Year, she would add another. Mrs. Harris, who managed the household, naturally had the biggest headache. If you add more second-class maids, can you not add more third-class ones? So, Lauren Brooks only heard that the Shuijing Hall, where Mrs. Harris managed household affairs, was busy all day long—people recommending others, volunteering themselves, inquiring, discussing… it was never quiet for a moment.