"How dare you gawk around after entering our Prime Minister's Mansion? Have you no sense of propriety? If not, you might as well just turn around and leave!"
Hearing the sharp rebuke, which was dripping with displeasure, Shen Qing retracted her gaze. Lowering her head slightly, she spoke softly to Steward Su, who was leading them into the residence a short distance away. "I lost my composure. I await your punishment, Steward Su."
Sumei Xue, who had been gearing up to put this new, ill-mannered Maid in her place, froze for a moment. She narrowed her eyes, studying the woman with surprise. Though plainly dressed, she was exquisitely beautiful and possessed a refined, comforting aura—the kind one associated with the daughters of great families. Her mind began to whirl.
The woman before her looked no older than twenty. If she hadn't claimed to be twenty-five, Sumei Xue would never have guessed. She would have assumed the woman had only just recently passed her twentieth birthday.
Her skin was fair, tender, and so perfect it was enviable—not at all the skin of a woman from a poor family accustomed to manual labor. And that didn't even account for the impeccable etiquette evident in her every gesture.
But the woman had an explanation for this. She said that she had previously served the legitimate daughter of the Mei State Inspector in the Inspector Mansion. It was there, she claimed, that she had learned her refined manners and how to conduct herself appropriately.
Truthfully, Sumei Xue was very pleased to find a woman with experience serving in a great household. Her beauty was a bit conspicuous for a Maid, but she had said she was married and even had a child. Besides, their Lord was not the sort to be led astray by a pretty face. Her looks shouldn't interfere with her duties, so Sumei Xue had hired her.
And it was precisely because Sumei Xue knew her background that she found it strange that the woman was now acting like a country bumpkin marveling at the big city, despite having just entered the Prime Minister's Mansion.
'A regional Inspector Mansion is no match for our Prime Minister's Mansion, of course. But she's still worked in a great household before. Surely she wouldn't be this easily flustered?'
Shen Qing could easily tell that Sumei Xue had grown suspicious. She lowered her head a little further. "The layout of the Prime Minister's Mansion bears some resemblance to the Inspector Mansion in Mei State where I previously served. For a moment, I was simply lost in the memory."
Sumei Xue stared at her, her gaze unreadable.
She was a woman of about forty, with features that were severe to the point of being harsh.
Her sharp eyes seemed to bear down on people with a crushing weight.
The other new recruits could hardly bear her gaze, their knees beginning to tremble. Shen Qing, however, remained standing ramrod straight, her expression serene and her eyes slightly downcast. Her posture was so perfect that one couldn't find a single flaw. In fact, she exuded a sense of comfort, like a gentle breeze.
Sumei Xue knew this comfortable feeling stemmed from the woman's calm, dignified demeanor—neither servile nor arrogant.
'This woman... although she applied to be a Maid, she's different from the others. She doesn't have a hint of servility about her. Instead, she possesses what those pretentious scholars call an undeniable 'backbone'—a strength of character you can't ignore.'
'If she hadn't claimed to be from a common family, I would have sworn she was the young lady of a fallen noble house.'
She stared at Shen Qing for another moment before finally looking away. "I'll let it slide this time," she said coldly. "But if there's a next time, you're out of the mansion."
The other servants, all familiar with Steward Su's nature, couldn't help but gape in astonishment. This newcomer had so easily made the "Iron-faced Steward" relent.
'This quiet newcomer is really something else!'
With that, Sumei Xue turned, her face once again an icy mask, and continued leading the new Maids forward.
The Prime Minister's Mansion had hired four new Maids this time. Aside from Shen Qing, the other three were teenage girls who looked vibrant and adorable.
A girl with a round face and round eyes walking beside Shen Qing took the opportunity, when no one was looking, to nudge her with an elbow and frantically make faces at her.
The young girl's name was Zhu Yuan. True to her name, which meant "round," she looked plump and smooth-skinned, with wonderfully rich expressions that made her quite adorable.
Shen Qing had discreetly helped her during the interviews earlier, and the girl, being naturally friendly, had latched onto her ever since, treating her like a close confidante.
Her expression now clearly asked: *Why did you suddenly lose your composure like that? That's not like you at all!*
Shen Qing's lips curved into a faint smile, her face taking on a wistful expression that Zhu Yuan couldn't possibly understand.
'I'm not usually so easily rattled,' she thought. 'But it's been ten years. To return to the place where he and our child are, to walk through the home where they live... even I can't suppress the storm of emotions rising within me.'
'Ten years...'
'Such a long time. It was long enough for the Daqi Dynasty, once beset by crises and struggling to rebuild, to become prosperous and peaceful. Long enough for Yu Jiuqing to renovate the entire Prime Minister's Mansion, leaving behind barely a trace of the home she once knew. Long enough for the little sticky rice ball, who was barely two years old and loved to cling to her, to grow into a little tyrant at the Imperial College. And long enough... for everyone who should have been so familiar to become strangers.'
As this thought crossed her mind, a familiar ache settled deep in her heart. She sighed inwardly, careful not to let any of her turmoil show on her face as she followed Sumei Xue into a courtyard.
This was clearly the servants' quarters. Sumei Xue gave them a brief tour, explained some of the rules, and then said coldly, "Although you have entered the Prime Minister's Mansion, this does not mean you are now a part of it."
"The Prime Minister's Mansion is a place of immense prestige. Throughout the entire Daqi Dynasty, the only place more distinguished is the Imperial Palace, where the Holy Emperor resides. Naturally, not just anyone is permitted to work here."
"You will now begin a two-week probationary period. During this time, I will observe your performance and ultimately decide who gets to stay and where you will be assigned."
"However, whether it's during your probation or after, if any of you do anything out of line, I can and will have you thrown out of the Prime Minister's Mansion at a moment's notice. All of you had better remember that!"
All of the newcomers, except for Shen Qing, were naive young girls who had never seen much of the world. They were immediately intimidated by Sumei Xue's fierce demeanor, and they all bowed nervously. "Yes, we will be sure to remember your teachings, Steward Su!"
Sumei Xue slowly looked them over and nodded in satisfaction. Then, her gaze seemed to casually drift over Shen Qing as she added, "There is one more thing. I hadn't thought it necessary to mention, but experience has taught me that with every batch of new recruits, there are always one or two who get ahead of themselves, thinking they can climb to a higher branch."
"While there is currently no official mistress in the Prime Minister's Mansion, our Lord is a man of noble status and impeccable character. He is not someone just any riffraff can approach."
"If I discover any of you harboring such sordid ideas, or disturbing the Lord's peace, the consequences will be far more severe than simply being thrown out of the Prime Minister's Mansion..."
Sumei Xue paused, letting the unspoken threat hang in the air.
Although their Lord was not a man swayed by lust, there were always a few foolish flies who didn't know any better than to buzz around him.
Then, looking at the pale faces before her, she finished in a low, heavy voice, "The Prime Minister's Mansion has always been merciful. But if you are truly so shameless, don't blame me for selling you off to a baby broker. As for where you end up after that... you'll have only yourselves to pray for."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Ostensibly, her speech had been for all of them, but Shen Qing distinctly felt Sumei Xue's eyes drift toward her several times as she spoke.
Shen Qing raised an eyebrow, touching her own cheek in faint amusement.
'Sumei Xue seems like a fair, serious, and overly dispassionate person,' she thought. 'She wouldn't target me for no reason.'
'The only reason she'd look at me that way is that, of the four new recruits, I'm the most beautiful—and therefore the most likely suspect.'
'Tsk. Of course, I know I'm beautiful.'
'Otherwise, back when Yu Jiuqing still didn't know I was a woman, I wouldn't have been able to charm him so thoroughly that he became utterly bewildered. He'd even foolishly believed he'd developed a 'passion for men' and was too ashamed to face me for the longest time.'