"Magistrate Liu, there are certain matters that outsiders may not know, but those who manage the inner household are well aware.
Though my daughter is of humble talent and born of a concubine, she has been under my guidance for two years and is familiar with some affairs of the inner household.
First, as Wang Lianju mentioned earlier, that maid was wearing lotus-root purple clothing and had her hair styled in a double bun hairstyle.
Although Ye Manor may not be as strictly hierarchical as the households of officials and nobles, it still has its own rules.
The clothing and accessories for maids and servants of different ranks are all regulated accordingly.
At Ye Manor, any maid above the third rank wears her hair in double spiral buns, not the double bun hairstyle.
Those with the double bun hairstyle are all outer courtyard maids assigned to rough chores and cleaning.
Furthermore, the clothing colors for first, second, and third-rank maids at Ye Manor are Courtyard Moss Green, Scallion Lush, and Jadeite Mist, respectively.
Maids serving in the inner courtyard do not wear lotus-root purple clothing.
Second, Wang Lianju also mentioned that the maid wore a gold pendant with a leaf pattern.
Perhaps, in ordinary households, a maid wearing a gold pendant would certainly be a favored personal attendant.
But at Ye Manor, maids wearing gold pendants can only be low-ranking maids from outside the second gate.
Maids of the third rank and above at Ye Manor must wear accessories made of pearls on their heads and ears.
Hairpins, necklaces, and earrings are all primarily made of pearls.
Even on their wrists, they wear pearl bracelets.
In other households, there might be other accessories made of gold or gemstones.
In the inner household of the Ye Family, the higher one's status, the more pearl accessories they wear," Ye Cishu explained slowly.
Beside her, Madam Li nodded repeatedly.
Indeed, the accessories of the Ye Family members were primarily made of pearls.
"Is… there any particular reason behind this?" the Prefect's Wife sitting next to Madam Li asked softly.
Ye Cishu did not answer but instead looked at Madam Li.
This question was best answered by Madam Li.
"This is a rule of the Ye Family. The Ye Family's Old Madam and Old Master have a deficiency in the water element in their five elements, so they specifically consulted a master.
It was advised that attention must be paid in clothing, food, shelter, and daily activities.
Following the master's suggestion, the Old Master carefully selected the colors for everyone's clothing and accessories in the manor.
Green and blue belong to the water element, so the clothing colors for the household start from these two hues.
The clothing colors for the maids are the three shades the fourth young lady mentioned: Courtyard Moss Green, Scallion Lush, and Jadeite Mist.
The clothing colors for the male servants are Clear Mountain, Conferred Blue, and Sapphire Firmament.
As for accessories, the closer a maid is to her master, the more attention must be paid to her accessories.
Pearls are rare treasures from water; the better the water quality, the finer the pearls cultivated.
The Ye Family's Old Madam and the Aunt in the capital have always favored pearls.
Because of this, the Old Master has been collecting pearls from the south for many years.
To determine whether a maid or servant in the Ye Family is favored, one need only look at the pearls they wear—whether there are enough and whether they are large enough."
Madam Li explained with a smile to Magistrate Liu's wife.
Everyone in the hall understood.
When they looked at the Ye Family members again, they all noticed.
The attending maids were all dressed in shades of green.
Maids wearing Courtyard Moss Green stood close to their masters, while those in Scallion Lush held items and stood slightly farther back.
Maids in Jadeite Mist stood at the very back.
Upon closer inspection of the maids' accessories, everyone exchanged glances and fell silent.
Unlike the maidservants of other households, who often wore gold and jade in their hair, the maidservants of the Ye Family all uniformly wore the Double Bun Hairstyle, adorned with hairpins of various floral designs. There were plum blossom, magnolia, and crabapple blossom hairpins. Their earrings were consistently pearl drop earrings, with the only distinction being the size of the pearls, which varied according to their status.
After observing the jewelry of the maidservants, the onlookers glanced at the ornaments worn by the Ye Family's masters. Indeed, the young ladies all wore the Suiyun hairstyle, with hairpins made of pink or golden pearls that clearly matched the earrings they wore. As the matriarch of the Ye Family, Madam Li wore hairpins adorned with pearls as large as thumbs. Most striking was the large purple pearl at the center of the floral hairpin on her collar, which made her appear even more luxurious than the others.
Everyone shared a single thought: the Ye Family truly lived up to its reputation as the foremost Imperial Merchant of Dayu, so wealthy that they seemed to regard gold and silver as beneath them…
Ye Cishu couldn't help but think to herself: This is truly a case of pearls being as common as dirt and gold as worthless as iron!
"Mother has already explained to everyone that the maidservant Wang Lianju mentioned earlier—the one wearing a lotus-colored dress, leaf-patterned earrings, and a Double Bun Hairstyle—is not a maidservant from our inner courtyard, let alone my personal attendant. Although my personal maidservants are not first-class attendants, they are still second-class, and their attire would never be so shabby. Moreover, among my four personal maidservants, there is no one named Chun Tao," Ye Cishu continued.
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Liu couldn't help but nod in agreement. It made perfect sense. The others also chimed in with their approval. Indeed, wealthy and influential families had strict rules—how could they allow a young lady's personal maidservant to frequently run out to deliver messages so easily?
"But… perhaps she disguised herself to avoid being discovered!" Wang Lianju hastily interjected.
Ye Cishu sneered. "Disguised herself? She openly delivered items to the academy—what need was there for disguise? Since both Wang Lianju and Su Jieyuan received items from her, they must have known who she was. What purpose would disguising serve?" she retorted.
"To cover up the truth, to create multiple layers of deception—nothing is impossible! By the way, there are letters! I have exchanged letters with you, Fourth Young Lady! Are you going to deny that as well?" Wang Lianju pressed.
By now, Ye Cishu felt no urgency at all. If the maidservant was fake, then the letters must be forged as well. However, she was beginning to suspect that Wang Lianju might genuinely have been deceived. The person who deceived him not only tricked Wang Lianju but also sought to ruin her reputation. This person…
Ye Cishu glanced at Su Xiaosheng, who remained calm and composed, and already had her suspicions. But for now, the priority was to deal with Wang Lianju and prove her innocence.
"Letters? Then please bring them forward, Wang Lianju. Whether the handwriting is mine or not, the teachers from the Ye Family's school will be able to verify it."
"Indeed. Since there are letters, we can simply verify their authenticity. Wang Lianju, where are these letters kept? I will send someone to retrieve them," Magistrate Liu promptly added.
Wang Lianju quickly named a location at the academy. As Magistrate Liu's attendant went to fetch the letters, Ye Cishu turned her gaze back to Wang Lianju.
"Wang Lianju, you previously claimed that the personal items I gave you were all handmade by me, correct?" Ye Cishu continued to ask.
Wang Lianju nodded and hurriedly took out the silk handkerchief and pouch from his chest.
"Yes, that's what Chun Tao told me when she gave them to me, saying the Fourth Young Miss stayed up late to make them herself."
After speaking, Wang Lianju placed the two items on Magistrate Liu's desk.
Magistrate Liu initially wanted to pick them up for a closer look but seemed to reconsider and sat back down.
"Prefect, may I examine those two items?" Madam Li suddenly spoke up.
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Liu quickly nodded.
After Madam Li's personal maid brought the two items to her, Madam Li only touched them briefly, glanced at the embroidery patterns, and then shook her head with a light chuckle.
Ye Wanshu, the eldest daughter of the Ye Family, leaned over to look and also smiled faintly.
"Wang Lianju, these items could never belong to our Ye Family.
They certainly could not have been made by that girl Cishu," Madam Li said with a smile.
"Not? Why are you so certain, Madam?" Wang Lianju's face turned pale.
"Because… such things would never pass through the gates of Ye Manor," Ye Cishu, who had also examined the two items, said slowly.