Union

Chapter 11 Arranging Manpower
After the mother and daughter left Rongxin Hall, Madam Feng asked Lin Shuqing, "How is your mother's health?"

Lin Shuqing nodded, "My mother is in good health and has no worries."

After exchanging a few casual words, Lin Shuqing finally got down to business.

She first called out "Mother," and after Xiao Fengshi responded, Lin Shuqing continued, "Mother knows that my body is weak and I can't stand any hard work. Lingnan is a thousand miles away from the capital. I want to go with my husband, but I am worried that my poor health will not only prevent me from helping him, but will also cause him trouble."

Madam Feng sighed softly, her heart filled with sorrow as she thought of her departed son. However, she couldn't show this sorrow to her daughter-in-law, because her daughter-in-law wouldn't empathize with her.

Madam Feng only said, "I know what you mean, and I understand your difficulties. I asked Erlang before, and he didn't want you to travel around with him. He wanted you to live a comfortable life in the capital."

Lin Shuqing lowered her head and pouted, sneering inwardly but speaking sweetly, "My husband is so considerate, and I am ashamed to have failed him with his deep love and care. But since my husband cares about me, I cannot ignore his situation. Mother, I have specially selected a few suitable people and would like to ask you to send them to Lingnan."

"Give them away?" Madam Feng frowned and looked at Lin Shuqing. "You mean, you chose a few maids to serve Erlang?"

For a moment, Ms. Feng's beautiful, fair face seemed to be at a loss for what expression to make.

Madam Feng's appearance could only be described as pretty; compared to her exceptionally talented older sister, she was lacking in many ways. However, she was kind and easygoing, without desires or ambitions, and never got into disputes with others—in short, she had a very broad mind. Because of this broad mind, she looked very young, and whether sitting with the Crown Prince's wife or Lin Shuqing, they didn't seem like mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but rather like sisters.

Even the usually peaceful and unassuming Lady Feng couldn't help but frown when she heard about concubines and maidservants. This was because when she was still at her parents' home, she, her mother, and her sister had suffered a lot because her father had a favored concubine.

It wasn't until her elder sister married the Duke of Rong that her and her mother's lives became better.

But she never forgot the hardships, ridicule, and cold treatment she endured during those years. This led to Ms. Feng being "terrified of tigers."

Therefore, after the Crown Prince and his wife got married, she never interfered in their affairs. Even though the Crown Prince's wife had no children for three years after entering the family, she did not put anyone in her stepson's room; she even asked the Duke of Rongguo to wait patiently when he was eager to have a grandson, so as not to ruin the relationship between her son and daughter-in-law.

She didn't want to put people in her stepson's room to disgust him, and she certainly didn't want to put people in her own son's room.

Even though she was not satisfied with Lin Shuqing, as a woman herself, she didn't want Lin Shuqing to suffer the same hardships she and her mother had endured.

Madam Feng reminded him, "The emperor is far away, and if you're not by Erlang's side, I'm afraid those maids will develop inappropriate thoughts."

Lin Shuqing didn't think her mother-in-law was trying to be helpful. She just thought that her mother-in-law was subtly expressing her slight dissatisfaction that she wasn't going with her husband.

But no matter how dissatisfied she was, once she made up her mind not to go, she wouldn't go.

Lin Shuqing said, “Mother has her concerns, but ultimately, my husband is more important. Whether it’s welcoming guests or taking care of my husband’s daily life, someone has to be watching over him so we can feel at ease. Besides, we’re just sending a few maids over to serve him without giving them any official titles. Even if they have ambitions, my mother and I won’t agree to it. I don’t think those maids will be able to cause any trouble.”

Not to mention, she holds the indentures of those three girls in her hands. If she really loses face, she can sell them off without them even having a chance to beg for mercy.

Seeing the cold look in Lin Shuqing's eyes, Madam Feng clenched her handkerchief tightly. She didn't know whether to pity Lin Shuqing or the maids who were about to be sent away.

She remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Since you've made up your mind, then send the person over there."

Lin Shuqing then switched to playing the innocent, "I chose these people, and I think they're acceptable. But my daughters-in-law are still young and haven't met many people. Mother, could you help me assess them and make sure they're all of good character before we send them to my husband?"

Madam Feng simply said, "I trust your judgment. You said you have a pure heart, so those girls must not be bad. Just send them over directly."

At this moment, Madam Feng also realized that these girls were most likely chosen by the Lady of Chang'an. Otherwise, it wouldn't be such a coincidence that this daughter-in-law returned from her parents' home with these girls.

Now that Lady Chang'an has taken charge, there's nothing more to worry about. After all, no matter how many people in this world wish you bad luck, your mother definitely wishes you well.

Now there is only one problem to worry about: if the girls favored by the Marquis of Chang'an are sent to his son's side, won't these girls become people who monitor his son? If they regularly report to the Marquis of Chang'an on his son's official activities, will it cause trouble for his son?

Lady Feng was a simple-minded person; when she couldn't figure something out, she would ask the Duke of Rongguo.

The Duke of Rongguo had stern features and a thin beard. He was already in his forties, but his body remained upright and tall, and his gaze was still deep and sharp.

In his youth, the Duke of Rong was a renowned handsome man in the capital. Now in his forties, though his imposing presence has only grown stronger, he shows no signs of aging. His ruggedly handsome face remains captivating and awe-inspiring.

Although Xiao Feng had been married to him for twenty years, she was still not quite used to his strong aura, and she usually spoke to him with her head down. As night deepened, Xiao Feng helped her husband take off his clothes while telling him about sending someone to their son's place.

The Duke of Rongguo understood her worries and said coldly, "If he needs me to take care of even this little thing for him, he doesn't deserve to be my son."

Madam Feng didn't like hearing this, but unfortunately, she was lazy and never dared to argue with the Duke of Rong. Therefore, she just pursed her lips and remained silent. After the Duke of Rong went into the clean room to bathe, Madam Feng tidied herself up and went to sleep.

She was easygoing and didn't bother with that little unpleasantness, but she also didn't want to deal with the Duke of Rong anymore. When the Duke of Rong returned to the inner room, he found her fast asleep...

***
The next morning, after Yunying and the others had breakfast, they were summoned by a maid and told to get ready to go to Rongxin Hall.

Rongxin Hall is the residence of the Duchess. The reason for letting them go there now is naturally because the Duchess wants to see if they are appropriate.

that's the truth.

Madam Feng originally didn't want to see these people, but last night she had a nightmare in which her second son went to Lingnan and almost lost his life because he couldn't adapt to the local environment.

He had no female servants in his household, only four young servants who had grown up with him. But even a grown man can make mistakes when serving others, and his second son suffered greatly because of it.

Lady Rongguo was absent-minded as soon as she got up this morning, and finally decided to see what the three of them had to say. If they were reasonable, she wouldn't get involved; if they were still clueless and childish, she would have to send someone else to follow them.

When Yunying and the others arrived at Rongxin Hall, they found Lin Shuqing already there.

She was saying to Xiao Fengshi, "I was worried that they were inexperienced and might not be able to help but cause trouble. So after thinking it over, I decided to send Ruizhu, who is by my side, over as well."

Ruizhu was a quiet and reserved maid. Although she was Lin Shuqing's head maid, she was the least outstanding and the most silent of the four head maids.

She was of average appearance, but she had a knack for accounting and was loyal to her master, so she rose through the ranks to become the head maid.

When Madam Feng looked at Ruizhu with a puzzled expression, Ruizhu quickly came around from behind the chair and curtsied to Madam Feng.

Seeing that the girl was very well-behaved, Madam Feng was extremely surprised. "She is your capable maid. If you send her to Erlang, will you still be able to handle her? You can't let Erlang wrong you, otherwise Erlang will complain to me when he comes back."

Lin Shuqing chuckled, "I have plenty of maids around me. If Ruizhu leaves, I'll just promote someone else. Mother, don't worry about me. My husband is more important."

While the two were talking, Yunying and the other two entered the room.

After the group had exchanged greetings, Madam Feng called them to their feet, and three beautiful women with hibiscus-like faces immediately came into view.

Even though Madam Feng was used to seeing stunning beauties, she couldn't help but be stunned at this moment. These girls were just too outstanding in appearance. Wasn't Shuqing afraid that by sending them over, they would gain favor and Erlang would become inseparable from them in the future?
Madam Feng glanced at Lin Shuqing, but Lin Shuqing seemed completely indifferent. This meant either Lin Shuqing was confident she could control the three men, or she simply didn't care about her second husband.

Madam Feng breathed a sigh of relief, asked a few simple questions, and then sent the three away.

How can one truly judge a person's character in a short time? Just like her, it was only after this daughter-in-law entered the family that she saw all her flaws. Unfortunately, once she was inside the Rongguo Duke's mansion, it was too late for regrets.

In the end, Madam Feng decided to send an old man to Chen Yanzhou's place to look after them, but she couldn't be too direct, lest Lin Shuqing overthink it. She only said that it was a journey of thousands of miles to Lingnan, and she would only feel at ease if an old man looked after the young ladies.

The elderly have experienced a lot and know how to take care of people. If any of these young women on the street have a headache or feel unwell, the elderly can make some decisions and take care of them.

Finally, it was decided that Aunt Ding, who served by Xiao Feng's side, would go along.

This Aunt Ding was originally a head maidservant to Madam Feng. Unwilling to marry, she became Madam Feng's head maidservant after she had married. She was a capable and organized woman, and with her overseeing things, no mistakes could be made.

Lin Shuqing was unwilling and declined, saying, "My mother can't be without someone by her side. Managing the household is a heavy responsibility. If Aunt Ding leaves, there will be no one to share your burdens..."

"It's alright. Your sister-in-law has already taken care of everything at home. Even if there's something she needs to do, you're still here. You've been married for half a year now, and you can help manage things at home too."

These words struck a chord with Lin Shuqing, who reluctantly agreed and also agreed to let Aunt Ding go to Lingnan with her.

(End of this chapter)