Glory

"Our household has six gatekeepers per shift, and six manor guards as well. These twenty-four people work in two rotating shifts; those who were on night duty last night are resting today. As for the kitchen staff, they are all busy working in the kitchen. Those in charge of cleaning have already swept all areas early in the morning. Everyone performs their duties diligently and does not dare to wander idly. So it is quite normal that the heir and his wife did not encounter any servants while walking along the way."

"Bring me their roster," Ye Yaming said.

She turned to ask Lu Guanyi, "Where are their indentured servant contracts?"

Lu Guanyi expressionlessly passed the question to Lu An: "Lu An, where are the servants' contracts kept in the household?"

Lu An maintained the same respectful attitude as before: "The contracts are kept by the masters. I do not know where they are stored."

Ye Yaming and Lu Guanyi exchanged a glance.

"Alright, I understand," Ye Yaming said.

"Shall I go fetch the servant roster for you now, madam?"

"Very well."

Watching Lu An walk away, Lu Guanyi asked Ye Yaming, "How do you plan to deal with them?"

Instead of answering, Ye Yaming asked in return: "Do you have any manors under your name?"

Lu Guanyi immediately understood her meaning, a smile appearing on his face: "Yes, I have two, both located in the outskirts of the capital. One is five hundred acres, the other eight hundred acres, each with its own estate."

"Which manor has poorer conditions?" Ye Yaming asked again.

"The eight-hundred-acre one."

Ye Yaming nodded: "After I investigate the situation of the household servants, those who are useful will stay. Those who are not will be sent to the manor. The manor serfs there must work to eat—let them support themselves."

The manor's land belongs to the owner. Each year after harvest, most of the produce must be handed over to the owner, with only a small portion remaining to sustain the serfs themselves. What remains is certainly not fine rice or wheat flour, let alone poultry or fish—basically half a year of bran and vegetables, half a year of coarse grains.

Tenant farmers outside live this kind of life, and manor serfs naturally fare no better. The greatest advantage is probably that during famine years, while tenant farmers can only sell their children or starve to death, the serfs are still under the master's care, at least managing to keep themselves alive.

Of course, if the master is unscrupulous, there is only death, without even the chance to sell their children.

The servants of the Xuanwu Marquis Household, though called slaves, live far better than commoners outside. They have new clothes for all seasons made of fine cloth, with housekeepers even wearing silk. Meat is common in their diet, and those serving the masters occasionally get to eat rare delicacies that even minor landowners might not taste.

Being sent to the manor as serfs would be even more unbearable for them than being sold.

At this point, she looked at Lu Guanyi: "This is a discreet way of handling it."

Lu Guanyi smiled at her: "From the sound of it, you have another, more conspicuous way of dealing with them?"

Ye Yaming nodded: "You could go to the magistrate's office and have them issue replacement contracts, then sell them all off at once. However, this approach is quite harsh and would draw criticism. After all, Shi Shi has friends, and her son Lu Guanyu is still around. Acting too ruthlessly would harm our reputation."

Did Shi Shi and Lu Guanyu really think she had no way to deal with these servants? Their disobedience and secret scheming stem from the fact that she doesn't hold their contracts—they believe she cannot sell them.If she truly angered her, she could directly sell them off to work in illegal mines.

Lu Guanyi thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go with the first method."

Given his temperament, he actually preferred the second approach. But he had to consider Ye Yaming's reputation. Ye Yaming's background was a weakness, and it was only through Princess Yu Ning's endorsement at the wedding banquet that people no longer dared to look down on her. If they mishandled the servant situation now, all their previous efforts would be wasted.

As for himself, if someone went to the Emperor and Crown Prince to whisper criticisms, accusing him of being too cold-hearted and disregarding familial bonds, it wouldn't be good for him either.

He said, "Fortunately, you put up a defensive front in front of so many people yesterday. If I single out and punish those who were scheming yesterday by selling them off, no one will say anything. This will also serve as a warning to others."

Ye Yaming's heart stirred: "You've found evidence?"

Lu Guanyi nodded: "Naturally, I had to be prepared."

Ye Yaming gave him a thumbs-up: "Well done."

Yesterday, she had no choice—being new here, she couldn't set up a plan to expose the troublemakers and had to resort to the least favorable strategy of staying vigilant. But she couldn't help feeling regretful and frustrated.

This was the first time she had been in a situation where she could only take hits without being able to fight back.

Although she had given her accompanying servants tasks, hoping the clever ones would investigate yesterday's incidents, they were ultimately newcomers who had just arrived at the estate yesterday and were unfamiliar with the place. Expecting them to uncover anything was practically impossible.

She thought she would have to swallow this bitter pill. She never expected Lu Guanyi to do what she had wanted to do.

"Then I'll leave this matter to you," she said cheerfully. "Do you know which servants in the estate are good and which are not?"

Lu Guanyi nodded: "I'll have An Tai give you a list later."

"Excellent." Ye Yaming grew even happier.

Lu Guanyi leaned closer to her and asked, "So pleased?"

"Of course," Ye Yaming sighed. "In the past, I always had to exhaust myself planning and scheming. This is the first time someone has done it for me."

She smiled brightly at Lu Guanyi: "Thank you."

A flicker of tenderness passed through Lu Guanyi's eyes: "Wait a few more years for me. When I return to your side, I won't let you worry about anything."

"Alright."

Xia Momo had been on night duty last night and was resting today, so she wasn't present. Otherwise, upon hearing this conversation, she would surely have praised Ye Yaming for "knowing how to handle her husband."

When a man does something for you, you should praise him lavishly, making him even more willing to do things for you. Over time, it becomes a habit, and all your affairs become his deeply ingrained responsibility.

In contrast, some virtuous women do everything themselves, sacrificing silently without making any demands on their men. Not only will the men not feel grateful, but they also fail to see your worth.

In short, men are inherently stubborn—they won't move when coaxed but will when pushed.

After a while, Lu An brought the servant registry. Ye Yaming had Bai Rui take it and then dismissed Lu An: "Alright, you may leave."

Lu An withdrew meekly, a smug look in his eyes beneath his eyelashes.

The second young master was right—without their Indentured Servant Contracts and concerned about their reputation, they couldn't do much to them. As long as they didn't cause any major trouble, they could stay comfortably in this residence.For their own sake, they wouldn't openly confront the two of them head-on. But using soft knives to slice flesh—that was certainly possible. Especially after the young master went to the frontier, dealing with a merchant's daughter from Lin'an, they were bound to make her suffer losses without being able to voice her grievances.