Chapter 492 - 486_1
Speaking of Zhang Peilan, Lin Yue remembered how proud and haughty that woman was when she was in the Capital City. Yet, in just over two months, she had fallen into the dust and become one of the most despised people.
"With Prince An’s rebellion this time, who knows how many will be killed or injured. Just thinking about it makes me feel apprehensive," Lin Yue couldn’t help but sigh.
Every time there’s a case of conspiracy or rebellion, the court conducts a purge both inside and out. Those in power, in order to consolidate the throne’s authority, would rather make a wrongful killing than let anyone off. The process is extremely cruel and bloody. Currently, the Capital City is a place of great anxiety and panic. Xin’an City, being farther away, has not been so tense. Even so, some officials connected to the court are extremely cautious not to make any slight misstep for fear of being implicated. Even Ceng Lu, a good-for-nothing fond of indulgence, knows the severity of the situation and has restrained himself.
"Stop thinking about it. These matters have nothing to do with us and aren’t within our control. Besides, didn’t Doctor Jiang say that this situation is almost over? Let’s just live our lives well," she reassured herself.
Although the new servants would not arrive for another two days, Lin Yue still sent someone to notify the servant selection office so that she could have the first pick of servants and avoid the good ones being taken by other large households. However, Lin Yue’s worries were in vain this time. Not to mention that this batch of people was being sold due to their implication in the treason charge, which would make most families cautious in buying them. Moreover, the large households in Xin’an City were under the squeezing management of the current Magistrate, Ceng Lu. Their days were far from prosperous; various exorbitant taxes did not even begin to cover the silver extorted by the Magistrate. Those families with thinner bases were even contemplating dismissing some of their servants, let alone taking on new ones.
When the servant selection office received Lin Yue’s notification, they brought people for her to choose from as soon as they arrived. Haishi’s wife, who had previously served in front of a Master, had her own insights into selecting servants. Lin Yue also called her over to help make informed choices.
This time, there were indeed some good picks. In one go, Lin Yue chose twelve, all with special skills; among them, one was a nanny nurtured by an Aristocratic Family who had come out of the palace and was implicated and sold with this batch. This was a truly valuable find, and without a second thought, Lin Yue took her in. The rest included two wives with good embroidery skills; the others were maids between ten and sixteen years of age.
With the arrival of the new people, the estate became thoroughly lively. However, supporting so many people also gradually increased the pressure. Just the monthly allowances amounted to tens of taels of silver, not to mention the other expenses.
With more people, rules naturally had to be established; otherwise, the household would become chaotic. Manager Xu’s mother was the most skilled in this regard. However, since she was new and not fully understood in terms of her background and character, Lin Yue naturally couldn’t trust her completely and thus had Haishi’s wife and Manager Xu supervise each other.