Madam Wan promised that as long as Su Shuyao didn’t slander Su Mingzhu again, the matter of the engagement with the Yuan family would be left to Su Shuyao to decide.
As Su Shuyao left Chunjing Garden, Su Mingzhu stopped her.
“Elder Sister.”
She stepped forward, eyes glinting with something probing.
“Elder Sister, you liked Brother Yuan Zu so much, how could you suddenly give him up just like that? Don’t tell me it was just out of anger.”
She suspected Su Shuyao had also been reborn.
In the previous life, Su Shuyao had valued this engagement greatly. Even though Madam Yuan disliked her, she still insisted on marrying into the Yuan family to become their young mistress.
In this life, how could she simply let it go?
Su Shuyao gave her a faint glance. “I was the one who didn’t want him. He never said he didn’t want me.”
Su Mingzhu’s lips curved—so this was playing hard to get.
“Alright then. Let’s wait and see if Brother Yuan Zu comes crawling back to apologize.”
Just wait and see—he’ll never do that!
She thought to herself, how could there possibly be so many people who’d been reborn?
She was the only one favored by the heavens.
“A word of advice, Sister: don’t be too stubborn. If you drive Brother Yuan Zu away, you won’t find another match as good as the Yuan family even with a lantern in hand.”
Su Shuyao admired Yuan Zu, but Yuan Zu only had eyes for her. That thought gave Su Mingzhu an inexplicable sense of superiority.
Watching Su Shuyao get jealous was so entertaining.
“My affairs are none of your concern.”
Su Shuyao was speechless. Even after a second life, Su Mingzhu was still the same—reckless and petty. Just to steal her marriage, she was willing to tarnish her own reputation.
She hadn’t grown at all.
She didn’t even think to use her foreknowledge to gain real benefits.
As she watched Su Mingzhu walk away, arrogant and pleased, Su Shuyao began calculating. The porcelain replacements were nearly done; it was time to hand over control of the inner household affairs.
She had no desire to manage the marriage of Su Mingpei and some courtesan.
“Pass down the order: starting today, bird’s nest for all courtyards is to be suspended. The daily food rations are to be halved. The monthly allowances for the masters of the household are also to be halved. If they ask, tell them the residence has no money.”
The next morning, Cuihong returned from the main kitchen, full of indignation as she reported to Su Mingzhu, “Second Miss, the main kitchen has gone too far. They’ve stopped your daily bird’s nest porridge. The stewardess even said that starting today, your daily provisions will be halved.”
“They said if Second Miss wants anything outside the standard ration, you’ll have to pay for it yourself.”
Su Mingzhu sneered. So this was the retaliation for her words. Clearly, Su Shuyao was angry.
Meanwhile, the same situation was unfolding in Madam Wan’s courtyard.
In Chunjing Garden, the head maid Shuangjiang had one hand on her waist as she scolded the younger maids,
“Where’s today’s bird’s nest? It’s already this late and you haven’t even started cooking it yet?”
“Don’t tell me you little brats snuck some for yourselves!”
“Sister Shuangjiang, I wouldn’t dare!” The little maid panicked. “Eldest Miss said, from now on there won’t be any bird’s nest. Oh, and also, no more fruit. All the rations—food, ice, everything—is to be halved.” She handed over the meal box.
Shuangjiang took it, shocked. “What is this? Never mind, I’ll go ask the Eldest Miss myself.”
At lunch, Madam Wan sat waiting for the meal to be served.
Shuangjiang opened the box and frowned.
By Madam Wan’s standard, each meal included three meat and three vegetarian dishes. But since she followed Buddhist practices and didn’t eat meat, she would instead have six vegetarian dishes.
These dishes, though meatless, were cooked in rich broth made from chicken stock, marrow, and ham. Everything had to glisten with oil and be full of flavor.
But today, there were only three dishes: steamed eggplant, boiled cucumber, and boiled greens—watery and pale, like dishwater.
Madam Wan frowned. “What is this?”
Shuangjiang bowed her head. “Please don’t be upset, Madam. I’ll go ask right away. It’s probably a mistake in the kitchen.”
Madam Wan held her prayer beads and murmured, “Amitabha… Go quickly.”
Shuangjiang first went to the main kitchen. When she learned it was indeed Su Shuyao’s orders, she marched straight to Yilan Residence.
“Eldest Miss, the rations for Madam today seemed off.”
Su Shuyao responded calmly, “Good. You’re here. Go back and inform Madam that the Marquis Residence budget is insufficient. From now on, all courtyard rations will be halved. Also, there are too many servants—have Madam draft a list and dismiss at least half.”
Shuangjiang’s eyes widened like copper bells. “Didn’t the estate managers just deliver mid-year rents from all the lands? How could there be no money? Eldest Miss’s spice shop earns so much—don’t try to fool me!”
Su Shuyao’s eyes curved faintly.
Even Madam Wan’s servants no longer showed her respect. They dared to shout in her face, didn’t even refer to themselves as servants anymore.
In her past life, she had lived so miserably. Even a random maid from Madam Wan’s side dared to order her around.
When they made mistakes, she hadn’t dared to speak up.
But now, Su Shuyao merely cast her a cool glance.
“Drag her out. Slap her.”
Everyone who had wronged her in the previous life—she would not spare a single one.
Mama Liu rushed forward and gave Shuangjiang a resounding slap.
Shuangjiang was stunned.
How dare the Eldest Miss?!
She was Madam Wan’s head maid, a representative of her status. Even Su Mingzhu treated her with deference.
And the Eldest Miss dared to hit her?
“Leave. Next time you speak to me, learn some manners first.” Qiushuang immediately had her thrown out.
“Bring the token. Go collect 3,300 taels. Settle the spice shop’s accounts.”
The Marquis Residence had always taken incense from the shop without paying.
Incense was expensive. The sandalwood Madam Wan used was laced with borneol. One tael of incense cost ten taels of silver.
She burned incense every day—at least several hundred taels a month, sometimes more than a thousand.
The residence racked up a debt and never paid it back.
This 3,000 taels was barely enough to cover a fraction of it. No matter—it could be repaid slowly.
Even a broken ship has nails left. Though the Marquis Residence had declined, it still had ancestral property.
“Yes!” Mama Liu ran off like the wind.
The residence had never settled its debt with the incense shop. She was terrified the Eldest Miss would change her mind if she was too slow.
Elsewhere, Su Mingzhu heard that Shuangjiang had been slapped and quietly slipped into Madam Wan’s courtyard.
“Shuangjiang, here—apply this ointment on your face. A girl’s face is most important. How could Elder Sister be so cruel, to hit you on the face?”
Su Mingzhu’s kindness made Su Shuyao seem cruel and unfeeling.
“Thank you, Second Miss, for the medicine.” Shuangjiang accepted it with gratitude.
“So pitiful. Even if you made mistakes, your hard work should count for something. For Mother’s sake, she shouldn’t have hit you.” Her voice softened. “By the way, what did Mother say?”
Shuangjiang whispered, “Madam is furious.”
Su Mingzhu smiled. “Alright. I’ll go in and try to calm her down.”
Madam Wan sat with a dark expression.
“Mother, Elder Sister is too much,” Su Mingzhu said, walking over and gently massaging her shoulders.
She frowned, upset by Su Shuyao’s sudden turn of aggression.
Su Mingzhu watched her expression and probed,
“Mother, the inner household affairs… your daughter can manage them too.”
In the previous life, after she was brought back, the fallen Marquis Residence flourished like springtime. The servants whispered that all the glory had been Su Shuyao’s doing.
But how much could a woman like Su Shuyao possibly contribute?
It was utter nonsense!
Without Su Shuyao getting in the way, under her management, the Marquis Residence would shine even brighter.