The rest—Hongdou and Qiulan—were now even more anxious.
Seeing the nervousness of the people below, Qiao Rongjin took it all in. After weighing her options, she decided to keep Qinyun and Hongdou. These two were easier to control.
“Qinyun and Hongdou will stay. The rest may leave. Haitang Courtyard simply doesn’t need this many people.”
Upon hearing this, Qiulan and Mama Wang felt their last thread of hope snap completely.
But human joys and sorrows are not shared. Qinyun and Hongdou were overjoyed and immediately knelt to kowtow to Qiao Rongjin.
“Thank you, Mistress.”
Hongdou in particular grinned so widely her teeth showed, looking rather foolish, which made Qinglian look at her with clear disdain.
Still, Qinglian was also pleased—at least the mistress hadn’t kept Qiulan.
“Get up. From now on, you all will listen to Qinglian. Since everyone is here, I’ll lay down the rules of Haitang Courtyard.”
“Yes,” Qinyun and Hongdou replied in unison.
“Haitang Courtyard has two head maids. One is Qinglian—this is the one beside me—she manages all affairs of the courtyard, including you. The other head maid is Zhuyun, this one here.”
Qiao Rongjin pointed to Zhuyun standing beside Qi You.
Zhuyun, suddenly promoted to head maid, glanced blankly at her young master, then said nothing and simply lowered her head again.
“Hello Qinglian-jiejie! Hello Zhuyun-jiejie!” Qinyun was quick-witted and immediately greeted them with a bright smile.
Hongdou followed a beat later and also bowed.
Qinglian nodded in satisfaction. Not bad—they knew to respect the senior maid of the courtyard.
Zhuyun remained silent as always, though a faint change flickered in her eyes.
“Let me make this clear first. Haitang Courtyard is not like other places. Your master—me—is not favored. If any of you want a better future, you may leave now. But if you stay and I discover any betrayal of the courtyard, the consequences will be something you won’t want to see.”
“Your contracts are all in my hands. Think carefully. Either of you have anything to say about staying?”
Hongdou spoke first without hesitation.
“This servant is willing to stay!”
Qinyun clearly felt the gaze from above and shivered inwardly. It seemed her ambitions had already been noticed.
Indeed, she did want to rise higher someday, but she had no intention of betraying her mistress. And right now she had nowhere else to go, so she could only remain and wait for opportunities. If a better path appeared in the future, she would speak honestly then.
So she also knelt firmly.
“This servant is willing to stay!”
“Good. If you stay, you are people of Haitang Courtyard now. Qinglian, you arrange them.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“Zhuyun, come with me to the Princess Consort’s residence. We’ll retrieve their contracts. You two come as well.”
Qiao Rongjin pointed at Mama Wang and Qiulan.
The two, who had heard everything clearly the entire time, were speechless.
This Mistress Qiao truly didn’t even bother hiding anything.
“Son, wait at home for your mother. Mother is going to bring that old nanny back for you.”
She bent down and pinched Qi You’s cheek with a smile.
“Alright, Mother, come back soon,” Qi You replied with a smile.
He had also agreed with the choices she made earlier. As expected of his mother—they thought alike. He was in an excellent mood.
When she heard that Qiao Rongjin had arrived with the people Mama Zhang had sent over, the Princess Consort felt puzzled. Was she dissatisfied?
“Let her in,” she said calmly.
She was already somewhat displeased with Qiao-shi. These past few days, it felt like the woman’s presence was everywhere, which was increasingly irritating.
“Yes,” replied the attendant Qiyun, and she went out.
Outside, Qiao Rongjin saw the same maid return, now accompanied by another who appeared to be a senior maid.
“I am Qiyun. Greetings to Mistress Qiao. Please follow me,” she said, guiding them with an unhurried, composed demeanor. She carried herself like a capable head maid beside a principal wife.
Qiao Rongjin nodded with a smile. “Thank you, Miss Qiyun.”
“You are too kind, Mistress. It is only my duty,” Qiyun replied, returning the courtesy.
As they walked in, Qiao Rongjin took the opportunity to look around the courtyard. It was truly grand—spacious and elegant, making her somewhat envious.
She remembered that in this dynasty, once the emperor died, consorts with sons could leave the palace to live with their children in retirement, while those without sons could remain in the palace to enjoy their later years peacefully.
Once the male lead died in the future, she could leave the palace and live with her son. Then she could go wherever she wanted—how wonderful that would be!
If possible, she even wanted to buy a large estate—no, a mountain villa. That would be even more spacious and comfortable than the Princess Consort’s residence.
The more she thought about it, the brighter her future seemed.
They passed through corridors and gardens before finally arriving at the Princess Consort’s chambers.
Qiao Rongjin entered and bowed.
“This servant greets the Princess Consort.”
The Princess Consort looked her over. No matter how many times she saw her, this woman always stood out—though only in appearance.
“Rise. We are all family,” she said with a faint, insincere smile.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“What brings you here today?” the Princess Consort asked, her eyes already drifting toward the maids behind Qiao Rongjin.
Qiao Rongjin got straight to the point.
“Today, I have a request for Your Highness.”
The Princess Consort raised an eyebrow. “Speak freely.”
“It’s about the old nanny who has been caring for Qi You. She has looked after him for two years, and he is not used to others. I would like to take her to Haitang Courtyard. As for the others, we simply do not need so many servants. Two will be enough.”
The Princess Consort paused briefly, then smiled.
“Is that all? If Little Five wants her, I will have her contract sent over together. As for the others you don’t like, so be it—it’s their lack of fortune.”
Qiao Rongjin sincerely thanked her.
“Thank you, Princess Consort. I will not disturb you further.”
This was a small matter, so the Princess Consort agreed quickly, just as expected.
After Qiao Rongjin left, Mama Zhang frowned.
“Your Highness, that nanny who used to care for the Fifth Young Master doesn’t seem like a good person.”
The Princess Consort took a slow sip of tea.
“This was requested by Qiao-shi herself. I cannot refuse her. As for what kind of person that nanny is, it has nothing to do with me. If Little Five likes her, that’s enough. If anything happens later, it won’t be our responsibility.”
In her view, the nanny was likely not a kind person and had probably made the child suffer before. She didn’t understand why Qi You still wanted her—but children were attached to familiarity. That was all. And it had nothing to do with her.