Rebirth of a Farming Wife - Chapter 256
Chapter 256: Chapter 265: Put into Use
“Aunt Li, carry out my orders as I have commanded!” Su Wenyue said with a cold voice, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
Since the last incident involving Su Hengyi’s injury, although Su Wenyue knew she was also at fault for being too impulsive out of emotional impulse—a lapse in control due to the emotional accumulation from her previous life, which almost led to a significant loss—she reflected on herself. At the same time, she no longer took a lax attitude towards the servants. A mistress cannot always be lenient with her servants, nor overly strict; a balance of leniency and strictness is needed to manage a household well.
Previously, she used to think that since the servants in her home were sent by her mother and were well-disciplined and loyal, she did not need to worry too much. As long as Aunt Li and Grandma Chen did their jobs, she didn’t need to ask too many questions. But the recent incident exposed some problems. After a thorough rectification, the servants at the Han Family home respected her much more, with none daring to act duplicitously. Even old women like Aunt Li and Grandma Chen didn’t dare go against her wishes, and she finally became the true mistress of the mansion, with all the authority and dignity that came with the title.
“Yes.” Seeing Su Wenyue like this, Aunt Li complied, even though she had her concerns. The Madam was not like before; she was decisive and not to be disobeyed. If Aunt Li truly crossed Madam’s boundaries, Madam might not care about her “old face”.
After Su Wenyue issued an order and saw the Han Family’s servants follow it obediently, without a single hint of defiance, truly making her command unquestionable, nobody dared to show the slightest negligence or contempt because the mistress was a young and delicate woman. At this moment, Zhai Li and others began to realize the extraordinary nature of this woman: her intelligence, decisiveness, initiative, and her methods all showed she was a match for a man like Lord Han.
Zhai Li and his companions held Lord Han in high esteem. Their approval indicated their high regard for Su Wenyue, acknowledging her as their future mistress and the figure they would have to be loyal to aside from Lord Han.
“Now that everyone else has left, can you speak now?” Su Wenyue was actually quite curious whether these young men’s origins were as she had guessed—coming from Chang’an and likely having some connection to Prime Minister Wang Mang, who currently wielded immense power in government.
Zhai Li, worried about exposing his identity and the risks it might bring, now only saw Su Wenyue present, and with previous instructions from Han Yu, he naturally held nothing back, telling Su Wenyue everything he could.
Compared to the excitement Han Yu felt inside when he learned of this, Su Wenyue was not much better off. However, both spouses were good at keeping their composure and hiding their emotions, so their reactions were not obvious to others. Su Wenyue thought to herself that Han Yu was indeed very lucky, which was no surprise considering his rise to Prime Minister in her previous life. Personal achievements depended not only on capability and brains but also significantly on luck.
As for the risks that the origins of Zhai Li and his companions brought them, Su Wenyue, like Han Yu, had considered it, but found that they were outweighed by the benefits they brought. After experiencing her previous life, Su Wenyue was more aware of the power held by Wang Mang than Han Yu. Right now, Wang Mang was already dominating the imperial court, and in the future, he would usurp the throne and declare himself emperor, though he would later be overthrown by an armed insurrection. Still, at present, he was at the peak of his power. Nevertheless, Su Wenyue was unafraid, thinking that if they couldn’t even shoulder this risk, they couldn’t talk about achieving great things.
“I didn’t expect that you gentlemen are the heirs of the Major Martial Arts Families. The rigid and noble spirit of the elders is admirable yet also regrettable. No wonder you all possess such demeanor. Centuries, even millennia of heritage from the Martial Arts Families are sure to produce such distinguished offspring, so it’s not surprising at all,” said Su Wenyue. In her previous life, she had no knowledge of these things and had never even heard of the Martial Arts Families. That she now understood so much, even enough to speak with authority, she owed largely to Sikong Ling. Although Sikong Ling was quite a bad lot, promiscuous, and even deceived her “affections”, he surprisingly trusted her, letting her in on some outside affairs, and was not very guarded against her. Sometimes, she wondered what Sikong Ling’s real attitude towards her was.
Her expression, observed by Zhai Li and his companions, has yet another meaning, further convincing them of the unusual nature of Madam Han, who was not much older than themselves. Not only was she deeply knowledgeable about the major martial arts families, but she also maintained her calm and composed demeanor upon learning of their identities—as if she had just learned of an ordinary person’s background, seemingly treating it as quite a normal matter. It made them, who had some pride and confidence, start to feel somewhat uneasy inside.
“Madam seems to have a deep understanding of matters in the martial arts world, which quite surprises us. We did not expect a woman raised in the inner house to possess such insight. We are quite impressed,” said Zhang Xing, who was a bit careless by nature and not accustomed to praising women. Although he genuinely admired Su Wenyue, his words came out somewhat disrespectful—not towards Su Wenyue specifically, but rather reflecting a general disparagement towards women.
Su Wenyue did not take offense upon hearing this, recognizing that Zhang Xing did not mean any harm. In fact, she even detected a hint of flattery in his words, and responded with a confident smile, “Of course. If I did not understand all this, how could my husband trust you to come to me? This is a matter concerning one’s life and fortune.”
Zhai Li and the others, no strangers to women, were taken aback by Su Wenyue’s confidence and grace at that moment, staring at her as if they were just young lads. Zhai Li was the first to regain composure, a hint of noticeable red coloring his ears, whether out of embarrassment or feeling slightly ashamed since they had never behaved like this towards a woman before.
“May I know how you plan to arrange our stay, Madam? When I came in, I roughly surveyed the layout of this House and saw it’s not very large. Besides, with people coming and going, it does not seem secretive enough. Staying here might not be suitable. Our exposure is not of concern, but we fear implicating you and the Master,” said Zhai Li as if to cover his awkwardness with a cough before becoming serious. The security of both them and Lord Han’s family was at stake, and it was no joking matter.
Su Wenyue was not anxious. In fact, she had never intended for Zhai Li and his companions to stay here—or in her own Zhuangzi, or anywhere connected to the Han Family or the Su Family. These young men were figures in the current limelight, and neither the Han Family nor the Su Family had the capacity to contend with a vast power like Prime Minister Wang. Charging headlong into such a confrontation would only lead to their own destruction.
“Rest assured, even if you dared to stay here, there is no way I would dare let you. Naturally, I have another place in mind to accommodate you,” assured Su Wenyue, her mind already made up about where to place Zhai Li and his companions. Those days she had sent Xiao Xi scurrying all over to handle her tasks were not for leisure; her past preparedness, with no foreseen need, now proved quite beneficial.