Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The young steward’s name was Li Wang.

He worked efficiently and soon submitted two storehouse policy booklets to me. The provisions were clear, responsibilities and authority were carefully divided, and every tiny character was written with meticulous precision.

Sitting in a rockery pavilion cooled by a gentle breeze, I ate pastries while reviewing them.

“Add another signature box for the inspector beside the airing record. Execution is execution, supervision is supervision. Those two lines of responsibility cannot rest with the same person.”

Li Wang paused, then looked at me with admiration.

“That will leave evidence of every task performed and ensure that supervision is real. The eldest young lady truly considers everything.”

Of course I did.

I had created hundreds, if not thousands, of policies and workflows. An administrator’s instinct to preserve records, assign responsibility to individuals, and close every procedural loop had long since been carved into my bones.

Li Wang understood with the slightest hint. He reminded me of my former administrative assistant.

A noisy commotion suddenly rose in the distance.

The pavilion stood high and open, offering a clear view of every movement in the garden.

Two senior maids were cursing and clawing at each other near the moon gate. One had a gash on her forehead, the other’s arm was bleeding. A crowd of maids and servants surrounded them, but no one could pull them apart.

Someone shouted, “Quick, fetch Miss Qinghe!”

Before long, Qinghe arrived gracefully with a crowd around her.

Her expression was composed and her steps steady. A plain fitted robe with narrow sleeves outlined her slender waist, and the same simple wooden pin adorned her hair.

Standing at the center of the crowd, she calmly asked what had happened.

The two women, both kitchen workers, accused each other of taking the newly issued jar of osmanthus honey. One insisted the other had stolen some; the other claimed her accuser had hidden it. Neither would yield.

After listening, Qinghe considered for a moment and raised her voice.

“Since no one can determine who took it, further argument is pointless. This matter ends here. The two of you will put aside your hostility and bear no further grudge.”

“The Master has guests today, so fighting inside the manor was wholly improper. You will each forfeit one month’s wages as a warning.”

“Xiaocui, tell the gatehouse to summon a physician at once. Deduct the cost of their treatment from my monthly allowance.”

The onlookers nodded along with every sentence.

They praised her for combining mercy with authority and judging the matter fairly, without favoritism.

“Bravo! Very good!”

Applause sounded from behind the flowers.

Several young noblemen emerged, strolling forward with folding fans in hand.

“I have long heard that the Lu Manor has a little maid with a talent for household management and finance, whose bearing surpasses that of many highborn ladies. Meeting her by chance today, I see her reputation was well earned.”

“It goes beyond that! Her business talent is extraordinary. A few words from her once solved the difficulties of dozens of Lu family shops. Lord Lu brings her to every merchants’ gathering in the city. She is a remarkable woman.”

“I wonder whether Lord Lu would part with her. If he would, I, Chen, would gladly spend a thousand gold pieces to bring her into my household.”

“So would I—”

Qinghe stepped forward and gave a faultless bow. Her voice was not loud, yet every word carried clearly.

“The young masters flatter me. Qinghe may be only a maid, but I respect myself. Since childhood, I have sworn that I would rather be a common man’s wife than a nobleman’s concubine. Please do not make Qinghe the subject of your jokes.”

As she straightened, her foot slipped. An arm caught her securely around the waist before she could fall.

“Qinghe, watch your step.”

“…Thank you, Young Master Pei.”

The man holding her was my fiance, Pei Junyuan.

He wore a moon-white brocade robe that day, making his gentle refinement and tall figure stand out among the other young noblemen.

His hand lingered around Qinghe’s waist for an instant before slowly withdrawing.

Qinghe lowered her head shyly, revealing the pale curve of her neck.

I sat in the pavilion, quietly watching the scene below.

Lu Wan and Pei Junyuan had grown up together and once loved each other deeply.

He knew every one of her preferences. He wore the embroidered sachet she made every day. The first thing he did after placing third in the imperial examinations was visit the Lu Manor to propose marriage. Before leaving the capital on official business, he once slipped beneath her window, talked with her all night, and departed only with great reluctance.

But everything changed when Qinghe entered the manor three years ago.

Every time he visited Lu Wan, he happened to witness one of Qinghe’s brilliant moments. Later, an old red cord tied around Qinghe’s wrist revealed that she was the little girl who had once given him two steamed buns when he became lost as a child.

From then on, his gaze constantly drifted toward her. Whenever an unavoidable conflict arose between Lu Wan and Qinghe, he always defended Qinghe, then asked Lu Wan with bitter disappointment why she had become so cruel and willful.

Eventually, like everyone else in the manor, he chose Qinghe’s side.

Someone below noticed me and hurriedly called out, “Eldest Young Lady.”

Every head turned in my direction.

Qinghe’s bashful smile froze for an instant.

Pei Junyuan’s brow tightened slightly.

Awkwardness appeared on the young noblemen’s faces.

I wiped my hands with a damp cloth, rose slowly, and descended the rockery steps.

Li Wang followed closely behind, carrying the policy booklets.

When I reached the ground and approached, Pei Junyuan instinctively shifted in front of Qinghe, openly assuming a protective posture.

Before I said a word, he spoke in a grave voice.

“Wan’er, postponing our wedding was my own decision. It had nothing to do with Qinghe. If you want to make trouble, direct it at me.”

I glanced at him.

The day Lu Wan fell into the pond, Father had just told her that Pei Junyuan wanted to postpone the wedding. She later met Qinghe beside the pond and saw a wooden pin in her hair. Before that, Lu Wan had watched Pei Junyuan carve the same pin day and night, secretly delighted because she thought it was meant for her. In a burst of grief and anger, she reached out to seize it. During the struggle, both women fell into the water.

Lu Wan’s eyes were open as she sank.

She had once believed Pei Junyuan was her final ally.

At some point beneath the water, she stopped struggling.

“There is no need to postpone it,” I said.

Pei Junyuan frowned and sighed heavily. “Wan’er, I know you—”

“Cancel it outright,” I interrupted. “Third-ranked Jinshi Pei, I, Lu Wan, am ending our engagement.”

He stared, apparently unable to understand what he had heard.

After a moment, his eyes widened in disbelief.

I ignored him and turned to Qinghe.

She met my gaze calmly. Her eyes held composure, confidence, and a trace of condescending pride.

I smiled and spoke slowly.

“When a dispute breaks out among servants, you assign no responsibility and determine neither right nor wrong. You simply punish both sides equally and call the matter settled.”

“Are you some kind of grand master of muddying the waters?”

Qinghe’s expression faltered.

The garden fell silent.

Li Wang produced a brush and booklet, ready to record my words.