novelden Chapter 1001 Miniature Version
Chapter 1001 Miniature Version
Xiao Yu'er hadn't been wasting his years in officialdom, and upon hearing Zhang Ping'an's words, he immediately had a plan in mind.
“Father, I understand. Grandfather has always been a mainstay in the officialdom. He has been able to remain in power through two dynasties, so he must have some extraordinary abilities. However, he is getting old now and mostly retires to the background, leaving my eldest uncle to take charge. My eldest uncle is good at maintaining the status quo but not good at expanding. If he comes up with any outlandish ideas, they are definitely not his. In any case, I will keep an eye on things in the future, so don’t worry!”
"Well, you've always been decisive, so I won't say more," Zhang Ping'an was consistently satisfied with his son's performance.
Therefore, he usually only speaks to his son briefly and doesn't scold him too harshly.
His son had a smooth and successful life from a young age, with a bright and intelligent personality. He had never experienced hardship, so he was inherently arrogant.
He appears approachable to outsiders, just like himself, but in reality, he is very distant and highly planned and purposeful.
Even Zhang Ping'an had to admit that such a person was born to be a politician. Given enough time to hone his skills and grow, he would surely achieve great things in the future.
The father and son analyzed the situation in the court and the harem again, and after exchanging information, they finally came out of the study after a long time. As soon as they reached the front yard, they heard the voices of servants begging for mercy coming from the yard.
"What's going on?" Little Fish asked loudly as he walked over with his hands behind his back.
Li's expression was no longer as gentle as it had been during the meal; her face was stern, displeased, and somewhat cold and unapproachable.
Hearing her husband ask, she immediately changed her expression, softened her tone, and replied gently, "It's nothing. The new servants are unruly. I'm just having the second steward go to the brokerage to get someone to come and take them away! I hope I haven't disturbed your conversation with Father?"
Little Fish shook his head: "No, we were just in the study. The servant made a mistake, so we just disciplined him. Why get angry? Take care of yourself."
Upon seeing the head of the household emerge, the two servants couldn't help but crawl forward on their knees, kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Please, sir, young master, spare us this time! We'll never dare to do it again! Please don't sell us off! We don't want to leave! Waaah!"
In the past two years, the household rules have been strict, and Madam Li has always handled these matters in secret, without letting Zhang Ping'an and his son see them in the open.
Seeing that the two servants did not look like cunning people, and that they were crying so pitifully, Zhang Ping'an couldn't help but step forward and ask, "What exactly is the reason for selling them out? If it's a small matter, then let it go. Just have the steward teach them some manners. There's no need to make a big fuss."
Little Fish never cared about such trivial matters. Seeing the two servants crying and wailing in a rather improper manner, he casually chimed in, "Yes, if we sell them, we'll have to buy new ones, which is troublesome. If it's a small matter, let it go. There's no need to get angry. Just teach them some manners."
Only then did Madam Li explain the reason in detail. It turned out that the two servants had just been purchased for the household last month. They were quite efficient, but since they were not born into the household, they did not know many of the rules.
The whole thing started because these two got into a fight with other people in the kitchen last night over the leftover food from dinner.
These two were originally farmers from the outskirts of Beijing, and came from respectable families. They were only able to be sold to the Zhang family because their families had pulled strings and used part of their sale money to bribe the brokers. Growing up, their families, while not extremely wealthy, were at least able to eat their fill. If it weren't for frequent natural disasters and man-made calamities, soaring prices, and heavy taxes, their families would never have been able to make ends meet and would never have sold them. Therefore, they retained a certain amount of backbone and a refusal to admit defeat, unlike the servants who were sold into the family at a young age who were adept at social maneuvering and reading people's faces.
The two were twelve or thirteen years old, a time when they were able to eat and work. Seeing that the other servants in the kitchen had leftovers to share, but they didn't, they naturally became resentful and started making a fuss. However, today they made a fuss in public and were seen by Madam Li.
Although the Li family was a declining noble family, Li Shi had a special nanny who taught her how to manage the household from a young age. She was most disgusted by servants who were shameless, unruly, and disruptive. Disruptive behavior meant disobedience, and if this continued, the atmosphere in the mansion would be corrupted, which would be terrible.
There were plenty of servants, and the Zhang family certainly didn't lack them, which is why Madam Li sent the second steward to call the brokers to come and get the servants.
"Fighting over a bite to eat, what kind of behavior is this? If word gets out, people will think that our Zhang family doesn't have enough food to feed our servants. What kind of reputation does this leave? It's simply outrageous!"
The two servants moved their mouths as if they wanted to say something, but in the end they just cried and begged for mercy without saying anything.
After hearing the whole story, Zhang Ping'an already had a good idea of what had happened. He knew that the two servants had probably been tricked by the old man in the kitchen, otherwise this matter wouldn't have reached Li Shi's ears. Wherever there are people, there is intrigue. Even though the Zhang family was quiet enough, such infighting among servants was hard to avoid.
"Alright, you two get up first. You're acting like this, crying and sobbing," Zhang Ping'an said calmly.
Looking at the two young boys, who were only twelve or thirteen years old and still had a touch of childishness in their eyes, and were about the same age as his niece Zhuzhu's eldest son, Zhang Ping'an couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted.
He then said to Madam Li, "Let it go this time. You're pregnant, so consider it a blessing for your unborn child. Have the steward teach them proper manners later. If it happens again, we can sell them off later."
Since her father-in-law had spoken, Li Shi naturally had nothing to say. She respectfully curtsied and replied, "Alright, I'll listen to you, Father."
After the two servants realized what had happened, they finally showed some tact and hurriedly kowtowed to thank the group. Their faces even showed signs of exhaustion from surviving a close call, indicating that their fear earlier was genuine.
Xiaoyuer had thought it was something serious, but when he heard this reason, he was speechless and couldn't help but look at the two of them and ask, "Didn't you have any food in the kitchen?"
After listening, the two hesitated for a moment, seemingly considering how to respond. After a short while, they honestly revealed the real reason:
"Young Master, there is food in the kitchen. The manor has always treated its servants very well, and they are always well-fed. The main reason for the argument is that the leftovers from tonight were quite good. We wanted to share two red date and white sugar steamed buns with my parents so they could try them tomorrow. That's why we had the argument. They have never eaten such good steamed buns in their lives, and I just wanted them to have a taste. We were short-sighted and didn't know the rules. We will never do it again!"
To be honest, once they leave the Zhang family, they don't know if they'll ever be able to find such a good family again. In these days, just having enough to eat is a difficult thing, let alone having a monthly allowance.
Aside from the unpleasant smell of being sold into servitude, their lives were much better than those of ordinary farmers. In fact, it was only after they were sold into servitude to the Zhang family that they truly began to enjoy a life of plenty, with enough to eat and wear.
So they really don't want to be sold off.
Upon hearing this reason, Li glanced at the two of them, her eyes showing some disapproval, but she said nothing.
She merely displayed the madam's authority and gave a few more warnings: "Since you have sold yourselves into the Zhang family, you are now members of the Zhang family. You must not have any disloyal thoughts, otherwise the manor will not tolerate you! Since the master has spoken up for you today, I will spare you this time. Go down now!"
Upon hearing this, the two servants quickly got up, bowed their heads, and left, and the others also dispersed.
At this moment, Zhang Heng and Zhang Zhuo, the two little ones, stepped forward to speak. Although they were small, they already knew how to behave and understood that they shouldn't interrupt when adults were speaking.
Zhang Zhuo didn't understand much yet, but Zhang Heng had already begun his formal education and knew some classical Chinese texts. At this moment, with a serious little face, he tilted his head back, somewhat puzzled, and asked his family:
"Why are they fighting over red date steamed buns? If there are no red date steamed buns, they can eat rice or flatbread; they taste pretty much the same."
The voice was young and clear, and the question was asked very seriously, but Zhang Ping'an felt that the question sounded so familiar.
This is a miniature version of "Why not eat meat porridge?"