Being a second wife is difficult

When Wang Fu heard Jiang Wan's question, his smile finally froze. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, and after a moment he spoke: "No, no, that's not what I meant. I was just afraid that you would misunderstand, Madam. My relationship with Granny Ding is only superficial; we have no private connection."

"You just said that there are rumors outside that Granny Ding brought in people she shouldn't have," Jiang Wan picked up her teacup, took a sip, and continued unhurriedly, "What kind of people does Steward Wang think she brought in that she shouldn't have?"

Wang Fu's back stiffened visibly for a moment. He lowered his eyes, as if quickly organizing his thoughts, and after a few breaths spoke: "This old servant only heard it from the servants gossiping. They said that Granny Ding handled a personnel transfer back then, transferring a maid to the late Madam's courtyard. That maid later left for some reason. This old servant thought that if it was just a normal personnel transfer, the old lady wouldn't have been so angry."

Jiang Wan thought to herself that Wang Fu was indeed well-informed. Even though there was no news from the manor, he was able to find out about Lianxin. Although he was vague, he was on the right track.

This means he has spies everywhere in the mansion. He may seem obedient, but he's probably keeping a close eye on things all the time. We need to be careful.

Jiang Wan put down her teacup: "Manager Wang is certainly well-informed."

Wang Fu quickly shook his head: "This old servant wouldn't dare, this old servant just..."

"Just what?" Jiang Wan's voice wasn't loud, but when she lowered her tone, Wang Fu swallowed the rest of his sentence.

He chuckled dryly, picked up his teacup and took a sip, as if using this action to calm himself down, before speaking again: "It was this old servant who spoke out of turn, please forgive me, Madam. I was just thinking that with the recent major incident involving Granny Ding, the people in the manor are bound to be restless. As the steward, I must first keep myself in check and not cause any trouble for Madam."

Jiang Wan saw that he didn't respond immediately, and after a moment she spoke: "Manager Wang has always been reliable in his work over the years. The old lady often praises you for being efficient. Continue with the Mid-Autumn Festival shopping as usual. If you have any questions, just ask me."

"As for Granny Ding's matter, since the old lady has already dealt with it, there's no need to mention it again."

This was a hint that they were trying to get rid of him, and Wang Fu, of course, understood. He quickly agreed, stood up, and bowed, saying, "This old servant understands. This old servant will go back and sort out the purchasing matters again, and then send the order to Madam."

He left with slightly more hurried steps than when he came, as if something was chasing him from behind.

Jiang Wan sat in the hall watching his figure disappear at the courtyard gate, and only put down her teacup after a long while.

Qinghe walked over from the side, followed her gaze and glanced outside, casually remarking, "Manager Wang is leaving quickly."

He refilled her teacup with hot water and asked in a low voice, "Madam, is Steward Wang here to sound out what we're getting?"

Jiang Wan picked up the steaming cup of tea to warm her hands, but didn't drink it right away: "It's not just about testing the waters; he's here to clear his name."

"His words just now were all trying to distance himself from Granny Ding, but the more he tries to distance himself, the more it shows that he definitely has ulterior motives."

Qinghe thought for a moment, "Since Madam knows there's something wrong with his accounts, why not take advantage of this Ding Mama matter to deal with him as well?"

Jiang Wan placed her teacup on the table: "Granny Ding has just passed away, and the personnel matters in the manor haven't been sorted out yet. If I immediately follow up with Wang Fu's case, what will the stewardesses think?"

"They'll think I'm not reforming, but purging. If people panic, things will become difficult."

She paused, her gaze falling on the shopping list: "Besides, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and he has always been in charge of the purchasing. Now that someone else has taken over, things might not be running smoothly before the festival."

"Let him finish this job first, and we can settle the accounts after the holiday."

Qinghe thought for a moment: "Is Madam afraid that he will find out something and tamper with the purchases?"

"He wouldn't dare." Jiang Wan's tone was very calm. "What he's most afraid of right now is that I'll be found out about the problems with his accounts. At this critical juncture, he'll only make the purchasing even better than in previous years so that I can't find any fault with it."

"But the more you try to make your appearance look perfect, the more marks you leave behind." She finished speaking and stood up. "Let's go back inside to talk. It's windy outside, be careful not to catch a cold."

Qinghe responded and followed Jiang Wan into the inner room. As they passed through the hall, a gust of wind blew in through the half-open window, causing the edges of the stack of booklets in her hand to curl slightly.

She reached out to smooth it out, but her steps involuntarily slowed down by half a beat. When she looked up, she realized that Jiang Wan's figure in front of her had fallen behind. She then snapped back to her senses, quickly took two steps, and caught up with Jiang Wan, just half a step away.

Jiang Wan returned to the inner room, sat down at the table, took the stack of booklets from Qing He and placed them on the table, then picked up the top one and opened it.

The records inside were of the people under Granny Ding who were in charge of personnel transfers. Her gaze fell on a page with a folded corner.

That page contained a name, the very person who had caught her attention: Wang Mama, the second-in-command under Granny Ding.

She was in charge of personnel registration and the allocation of ordinary maids. When Granny Ding was around, most of the scheduling, promotions and transfers of the subordinates were handled by her. Even her words to Granny Ding were more effective than those to others, and the maids all respected her.

After Granny Ding was driven away, although Granny Wang was not officially dismissed, she was obviously not as efficient as before and kept to herself all day long, afraid of being implicated.

After all, she was Ding Mama's second-in-command, so it was impossible for her not to know anything about Ding Mama's affairs. Now that Ding Mama had fallen, she was probably worried day and night, waiting for the fire to spread to her.

Jiang Wan closed the booklet and tapped the cover lightly with her fingertips.

Qinghe, standing beside her, noticed her serious expression and gaze fixed on the page, and asked, "Is Madam thinking about Granny Wang?"

"She was in charge of personnel registration, and the maids and servants below her recognized her. With Ding Mama gone, she felt uneasy and dared not make decisions anymore, so naturally the people below her became disorganized."

"To keep these people in check, we need to keep Aunt Wang calm first," Jiang Wan said. "Tomorrow morning, go and invite Aunt Wang to come to my place. Tell her I have something to ask her."

Qinghe responded, "What does Madam want to say to Granny Wang?"

Jiang Wan thought for a moment: "Don't rush to tell her. When she comes, pay close attention to her attitude. See how she reacts when I call her over. Is she panicked or indifferent?"

She understood that these two attitudes corresponded to two different statements, and how to handle them depended on what kind of person she was.

Qinghe nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The next morning, Qinghe went to invite people. At that time, Wang Mama was in the room in charge of personnel, looking through the roster. The pen in her hand was placed next to the inkstone, and the ink was not yet dry.

Although she appeared to be no different from usual, reading the brochures and replying to questions as usual, she was not truly at peace inside.

She knew that if she lost her composure, the new wife would look down on her and might even fire her. She had to maintain her composure in front of others. Only by making the new wife see her value could she be kept on and even promoted to the top position.

We must at least hold onto our current position.

She also believed that the new wife was a smart woman. Ding Mama had just been kicked out, and the people below were in turmoil. She couldn't possibly eliminate everyone at once at this time. She had to keep a few capable people to stabilize the situation.

Wang's mother was gambling, gambling that the new wife wouldn't touch her.

She calmed herself down, put down her pen, and smoothed her hair. Although she knew what to do, she still couldn't help feeling nervous when it came to actually going.

She took a deep breath and followed Qinghe towards Jiang Wan's direction.

When she reached the main courtyard gate, she paused, as if hesitant. Qinghe glanced back at her and urged in a low voice, "Mama Wang, Madam is waiting. Please go in quickly."

Only then did Mrs. Wang step across the threshold.

After entering, she knelt down and performed a deep bow, her forehead touching the blue brick floor, her voice slightly strained: "This old servant greets Madam."

Jiang Wan was flipping through account books by the window when she heard the noise. She looked up and glanced at her, saying, "Wang Mama, please get up. There's no need for such a grand gesture."

When Wang's mother stood up, her knees were a little unsteady, and she had to hold onto the edge of the table to steady herself. She lowered her head and clasped her hands in front of her, looking completely different from her former sharp and assertive self.