11. The Embroideress Maid
Concubine Zhao left in a huff, and indeed, another uproar ensued. In less than half a day, the entire Ye Mansion knew that Concubine Zhao had tried to ingratiate herself with Third Miss at Qingyi Pavilion, only to be scorned and chased out of the courtyard by Qingshuang, Third Miss's maid. Even though Concubine Zhao was currently favored, the Minister had only lightly reminded Third Miss of the matter when she came to pay her respects. Apparently, Concubine Zhao was not as favored as rumors suggested. With such an incident, the concubines in the harem naturally couldn't resist seizing the opportunity to gloat and make a few sarcastic remarks. Concubine Zhao, not to be outdone, retorted sharply. Ms. Wang was confined to her quarters and could only lecture Ye Ying in her own courtyard. Without her to manage them, the harem became quite lively.
Ms. Wang had incurred a great loss at Ye Li's hands this time. Not only had she needlessly lost tens of thousands of taels of silver, but she had also been confined to her quarters by the Old Madam. Ye Li wasn't interested in how much porcelain Ms. Wang had smashed in her own courtyard; she was merely contemplating that the Old Madam's so-called confinement likely had a lot of leeway. This was because Prince Li's Mansion would be sending betrothal gifts in a few days, and Ms. Wang, as the Ye Family's Mistress of House and Ye Ying's biological mother, naturally couldn't avoid meeting people.
When Prince Li's Mansion came to deliver the betrothal gifts, Ye Li was leisurely sitting in her own courtyard, selecting servants. The stewardess was an observant woman. While busy receiving guests from Prince Li's Mansion in the front hall, she hadn't forgotten the task Third Miss had given her. Early that morning, the stewardess had brought over a dozen or so maids for Ye Li to choose from. Ye Li sat in a chair placed under the eaves, calmly observing the maids standing in the courtyard. Seeing Ye Li remain silent for a long time, the stewardess looked at her uneasily, thinking Third Miss was dissatisfied with them. Just as she was about to suggest bringing in another group, Ye Li said plainly, "Qingshuang, you take a look. Keep the suitable ones." Qingshuang was deeply moved by her mistress's trust and quickly responded loudly, "This servant obeys."
Standing among the maids, who all wore different expressions, Qingshuang felt a little unaccustomed to the situation. Previously, her mistress had been poorly treated, and she herself had been ostracized by the other maids. Now, these same people stood before her, waiting for her to choose among them. Qingshuang carefully selected a few who looked pretty and demure, and who seemed well-behaved, bringing them before Ye Li. Ye Li glanced at them and smiled inwardly. That girl Qingshuang really worried too much, putting so much thought even into selecting maids. The stewardess, smiling placatingly, asked Ye Li, "Third Miss, will you only select these few? Perhaps pick two more, in case you don't have enough later?"
Ye Li's cool gaze rested on her, a smile playing on her lips. "Since you've said so, let's pick two more then."
The stewardess met Ye Li's piercing gaze and, for some reason, couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart. She quickly averted her eyes.
This time, Ye Li just pointed randomly without taking a look. "Those two will do."
Qingshuang followed her mistress's pointing finger. Of the two maids standing in the very front row, one had plain, unremarkable features. The other, however, was glamorous and coquettish, clearly not a demure type. What's more, that maid was actually looking at their mistress with an arrogant expression—truly courting disaster!
After waving for the stewardess to take the remaining people away, Ye Li carefully scrutinized the six maids standing before her and asked lightly, "What are your names?"
"This servant is Yun'er, this servant is Xiao Cui."
"This servant is Jing'er, this servant is Tian'er."
"This servant is Xue Yan, this servant is... Hanqing."
Ye Li nodded; none of the names were improper. She had no particular interest in giving them new ones. Her gaze fell on the last two she had pointed out. "Xue Yan, whom did you serve before? I don't believe I've seen you."
The maid named Xue Yan, who had plain features, appeared calm and unhurried. She curtsied and said, "To answer Third Miss, this servant was originally a second-rank maid in the Old Madam's courtyard. This servant was not prominent enough to be noticed, so naturally Third Miss hasn't seen me."
Ye Li smiled. "You don't look like someone who isn't presentable. In that case, you shall serve by my side, like Qingshuang."
Serving by one's side meant being a head maid. Xue Yan was slightly startled by Ye Li's promotion but wasn't so overcome with surprise as to be impolite. "Thank you for promoting this servant, Third Miss. This servant will serve you with utmost dedication. Please bestow a name upon this servant, Young Miss." Head maids serving a master were generally given new names by their master. This was both an act of grace and a symbol that, with a new name, they severed ties with their past and pledged sole loyalty to their current master. Ye Li raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and said, "You shall be called Qingxia."
"Qingxia thanks Young Miss for this grace." After curtsying, Qingxia stepped aside, standing respectfully with her hands lowered.
"Hanqing... can you embroider?" Ye Li asked.
A flicker of arrogance showed in Hanqing's eyes. She said in a clear, crisp voice, "Of course. This servant's embroidery is among the best in the mansion."
Ye Li seemed very satisfied with her answer, nodding and replying, "Very good. In that case, you will serve in needlework."
"Reporting to Young Miss, this servant is not a mere seamstress!" Hanqing's expression changed, and she stared at Ye Li, clenching her teeth in resentment.
"Insolent! How dare you question the Young Miss's words!" Qingshuang scolded angrily.
Ye Li didn't seem angry. She nodded and smiled. "I know you're not just any seamstress. If there's any truly important embroidery, I won't assign it to you." Becoming a skilled embroideress wasn't easy; any talented one would have at least ten, if not decades, of experience. This girl Hanqing didn't look like the type who could patiently sit and do needlework.
Hanqing's pretty face turned beet red with indignation as she continued to glare at Ye Li. Ye Li, however, paid her no mind. She stood up and said with a smile, "It might get busy these next few days. If you can't manage, go find the Steward-in-Chief. Once we're at the King of Ding Kingdom's Mansion, there will naturally be more people for needlework. Also... you should change your name. How about... Jingwen?"
"Thank you, Third Miss, but this servant is quite satisfied with her own name!" Hanqing retorted, her face flushing.
Qingshuang sneered. "Insolent! What does it matter if *you're* satisfied? Our Young Miss is not." This maid, with her coquettish face and such an improper name—did she think Qingyi Pavilion was some kind of brothel? Qingshuang still couldn't understand why her Young Miss would choose such a person.
"Change your name, or you can leave my Qingyi Pavilion. Or... you should go back and ask your former master?"
Hanqing's face paled. She clenched her teeth and said, "This servant thanks Young Miss for bestowing this name."
Ye Li's gaze swept past her, and she turned away. "Now that you've entered my Qingyi Pavilion, as long as you behave yourselves and know your place, I'm not one to make things difficult. However, if you harbor other intentions, it's best you leave sooner rather than later. Otherwise... the people who were flogged outside Rongle Hall a few days ago will serve as your example. Qingshuang, Qingxia, you will each receive ten taels of silver. The rest will receive five taels each."
"Yes, Young Miss."
"Thank you, Third Miss!" the maids chorused, thanking her hastily. For these maids, whose monthly allowance was less than one tael, five taels of silver was a considerable sum. Though a trace of disdain lingered in Jingwen's eyes, she knew better than to provoke Ye Li now, so she also offered her thanks with the others.
Ye Li left Qingshuang to manage the remaining details and was about to return to her room when the stewardess's voice came from outside the courtyard, "Third Miss, Grand Consort Wise Zhao requests an audience."