BSI Chapter 6 Wang Xifeng's Art of Managing People
Chapter 6 Wang Xifeng's Art of Managing People
Ping'er already knew that Wang Xifeng was feeling resentful, which was why she rushed back. Seeing that the two had parted on bad terms, she quickly advised, "Second Master just said he wanted to send a set of jewelry, Madam, why bother?"
"Ignore him! If I don't teach him a lesson, he'll really think I care about his looks!"
"What is Grandma up to?"
Wang Xifeng sneered, "He must have made at least a thousand taels of silver in total, but did he ever think of me? If I hadn't stubbornly refused to admit it, and if he hadn't asked me to cover for him in front of the Old Madam and the Madam, he might not have even bothered to show his face!"
"Grandma is usually too strict; she just hides some money from me."
"What do you know? Any man with a bit of money in his hands is prone to having wicked ideas."
At this point, Wang Xifeng frowned and said, "Have you noticed that something's been off about him lately?"
"What's wrong?"
"That thief isn't a stranger to this. He wasn't this scared the last few times, so why did he suddenly panic and run away last night?"
Originally, she hadn't told Ping'er about this to save Jia Lian's face, but now that the matter was out in the open, there was no need to hide it anymore.
"Second Master is really something. He knows the thief is dangerous, but he doesn't even know how to protect Grandma."
Ping'er knew what Wang Xifeng liked to hear, so she quickly spoke up for her.
Unexpectedly, Wang Xifeng said, "Am I angry with him about this?"
"That……"
Wang Xifeng looked on with reminiscence and said slowly, "Judging from his demeanor yesterday, he acted as if he wasn't even at home, as if he was afraid of being seen by someone."
"What?!" Ping'er looked incredulous. After a long while, she cautiously said, "No wonder Grandma kept calling him Master Qing. She was deliberately testing Second Master."
Although it is unknown why Wang Xifeng had this suspicion, it is unlikely to be unfounded.
She dared not follow Wang Xifeng's lead and add fuel to the fire, nor did she dare to openly defend Jia Lian. Instead, she praised Wang Xifeng's brilliant strategy, subtly reminding the other party that Jia Lian was jealous and that he cared about her.
Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng's expression softened somewhat, but she still persisted, saying, "These men! Even if they're having affairs outside, they're still afraid of trouble at home. Who knows what they're so anxious about?"
Upon hearing this, Ping'er dared not respond.
Wang Xifeng seemed to realize that her words had gone too far, and instead ordered, "Keep a close eye on them, and don't let those scoundrels sneak into the study. This time, I'll teach them a lesson they won't forget. If I don't leave them hanging for a month or two, they'll be begging for money before they even think about getting into my bed!"
"Yes! I understand," Ping'er quickly agreed, then added, "Even a rabbit will bite when cornered! If things get so tense, what if Second Master and Grandmother get into a fight..."
"What? Are you afraid that if he falls out with me, it will delay your hiring?"
Wang Xifeng glanced at Ping'er suspiciously and added, "Don't give him a friendly look!"
"How...how could this servant know?"
Ping'er, trying to avoid suspicion, said, "If Madam doesn't trust me, just have someone else keep an eye on Second Master."
"Oh dear! I was just saying that, look how scared you are. If I didn't know you, why would I have given you the honor of being the Second Master's concubine?"
Wang Xifeng pulled Ping'er into her arms, but then changed the subject: "However, I'm doing this for your own good. You don't know, men are just like mangy dogs. Before they've got their hands on you, they treat you like a bone, sticking out their tongues and drooling all day long."
But once you've been completely used up, you're like chewing wax—tasteless and meaningless. Who will remember that you satisfied their cravings and pleased them? They'll just abandon you to find something new and exciting.
As she spoke, she raised her hand and hooked Ping'er's chin, her thumb rubbing back and forth between her lips.
Ping'er, however, only felt a bitter taste in her mouth.
According to the Jia family's custom, all the young men, before they were married, would have two servants assigned to them. Jia Lian originally had two concubines in his room.
However, after Wang Xifeng married into the family, she was sent away for a year and a half.
Not only that, but even the maids who came with her as part of the dowry also left or were married off for similar reasons, leaving her all alone.
Ping'er didn't care about being a concubine, but Jia Lian was greedy and lustful. He thought he had the title of concubine, so he would come up to provoke her from time to time. Inevitably, Wang Xifeng saw this and became suspicious.
Although she was on guard and dared not overstep the bounds, she couldn't resist Wang Xifeng's intense jealousy. Whenever she had the chance, she would give her a nudge.
These days of walking on thin ice are not as comfortable as being an ordinary maid.
In other matters, it was fine. Relying on their years of friendship, Ping'er was not afraid at all and could even occasionally retort. But in this one matter, she dared not be careless at all.
Swallowing a mouthful of bitterness, she forced a smile and said, "Don't say that I don't have any meat or bones, even if I were a bone, I would still have them in my hands, Madam."
"You clever little devil, who would call themselves a bone or flesh?" Wang Xifeng retorted verbally, but her face showed great satisfaction, as if the metaphor had not come from her own mouth.
Ping'er thought to herself, "Isn't this just going along with what you said?"
But she said, "When I, this servant, am thrown away...and to whom, is entirely up to Madam."
She then made a couple more self-deprecating remarks before changing the subject, saying, "This servant is just worried that Madam's outburst will only strain her relationship with the Second Master."
Wang Xifeng said confidently, "What's there to worry about? We still have Brother Qing!"
Ping'er was startled and quickly said, "Grandma, it's one thing to say a few angry words, but you mustn't act foolishly!"
Wang Xifeng said irritably, "What do you take me for? He already boasted to the old lady, and now this task has fallen to him. Although we don't expect him to catch the thief, it's reasonable to ask him to send more people to patrol outside the mansion since he's close to the source."
"This matter has been formally resolved with the old lady. I've acted uprightly and honestly; who can find fault with me?"
Upon hearing this, Ping'er breathed a sigh of relief, but then she thought that the couple's battle of wits had caused Wang Qing to suffer an undeserved disaster.
She was usually caught in the middle between the two, and now, she couldn't help but feel a bit empathetic. She quickly advised, "Now that Second Master is already dissatisfied with Master Qing, if he finds out that Grandma is looking for him, who knows how much he'll resent him..."
Wang Xifeng, however, disagreed: "He himself said that he was grateful for my care and wanted to do his best. I haven't asked him to work hard for me yet! I won't let him suffer for nothing. He will benefit from it in the future."
"Perhaps we should send two second-class maids over first. I was worried about you, Madam, and left in a hurry without reminding the servants in the courtyard. You know that everyone in this mansion is a snob, and they might deliberately make things difficult for you!"
Ping'er felt guilty about this, and when she heard that Wang Xifeng seemed to want to make amends, she quickly made a suggestion.
"If I were to force someone into his room right now, wouldn't Second Master be furious?"
Wang Xifeng refused decisively, but then changed the subject: "You heard it just now, he is not the old lady's maternal grandson. He was only allowed to stay because of Huiwen."
Yingtian Prefecture hadn't caught that gang of thieves for over two months, yet the Five Cities Garrison managed to take them down? They were clearly being pushed out to take the blame, and might even lose their official positions and titles.
"Being treated coldly now isn't a bad thing. When the court blames him, I'll say a few good words for him to the old lady, admit my negligence, and embellish his grievances. The old lady will feel guilty, and who knows, I might even be able to save his future."
"Grandma is truly kind-hearted!" Ping'er quickly flattered.
Wang Xifeng scoffed, "A bodhisattva's heart? Kind people are bullied, and cowardly horses are ridden. I don't want to be ridden on!"
At this point, she narrowed her phoenix eyes, glanced at Ping'er up and down, and said, "You're a kind-hearted person, so I'll do this favor for you."
"Uh... favors?" Ping'er asked, puzzled.
Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Go to Brother Qing's place again later and tell him that Second Master mentioned that the hot potato has fallen on his head. Also, tell him what I said, but don't say that I said it. Just say that you came up with it. And from now on, go over and check on him from time to time..."
"Grandma, this..." Ping'er said with surprise and doubt.
Wang Xifeng teased, "What? Do you suspect I deliberately sent you there to tell the Second Master, so I could conveniently send you away?"
Ping'er quickly lowered her head, looking aggrieved, and said, "This servant...this servant wouldn't dare!"
"You've been with me for so long, I can't bear to send him away!"
Wang Xifeng patted Ping'er on the shoulder and said with a smile, "You are the only one who has seen him. Sending Shan'er and Feng'er would be an obvious way of telling others that we are going on orders."
Everyone in the manor knows that you, Miss Ping, are kind-hearted and compassionate, showing mercy to the poor and weak. Even if he has doubts, someone will tell him how good you are.
"This servant does not understand, please enlighten me, madam."
"When the old lady mentioned Huiwen before, I saw that she was not surprised, which meant that she had known about Huiwen's value all along."
"This thing is rare, but since he gave it away without batting an eye, he might have some left. Once you've gotten to know him better, try to get information about Huiwen for me."
"Grandma wouldn't be..." Ping'er hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Wang Xifeng seemed to understand her thoughts and spat, "Pah! They are relatives after all. Do you think I would take advantage of them? Wait until he messes up his job, then you can take the opportunity to have him bring Huiwen to me for help."
I just saw that the old lady liked it, so I wanted to get one just in case, not take it for nothing.
Upon hearing this, Ping'er breathed a sigh of relief, but then asked in confusion, "This servant is of lowly status and her words carry little weight. Wouldn't it be better for Madam to go herself? Why go through all this trouble?"
"Isn't your second uncle in a fit of anger right now?"
Wang Xifeng did not hide her concerns. She then smiled and explained, "If I go to his place every few days, even if there are no rumors, will those servants dare to take advantage of me?"
When the time comes, even if you try to say nice things to the old lady, it will be much less effective. On the other hand, you have always been kind to others, and people will only think that you have compassion for the poor and weak and that you have a kind heart.
You don't need to worry about Second Master finding out. Once he gives in, I will tell him the whole story. He still wants to fish out the money from the oil pot to spend. If you can get the Wisdom Mark from him, he'll be too busy spoiling you to blame you.
Even if he can't understand and is really going to hold a grudge, I won't let you suffer his humiliation.
Brother Qing at least has a title to protect him. Although he took the blame this time, he wasn't the only one in the Five Cities Military Command. One hundred strokes of the cane were divided among the East, West, South, North, and Central regions. If it fell on the West City Military Command, he would only get twenty strokes at most.
If the government makes an exception for him, he might even turn misfortune into good fortune.
He suffered much coldness and indifference, but you were the only one who showed him warmth and care. With this kindness in his time of need, I'll say that the Second Master is angry at you for being a traitor, and I'll make him give you a proper title, making you a legitimate concubine, not much worse than being the Second Master's maidservant."
Wang Xifeng's eloquent speech clearly outlined the arrangements for Wang Qing, Jia Lian, Ping'er, and the others.
Ping'er was originally Wang Xifeng's dowry maid. Her decision to stay or leave was entirely up to Wang Xifeng. After explaining so nicely for so long, how could she possibly object?
"This servant understands."
"Perfect timing. His courtyard wasn't prepared in advance, so even starting a fire might be a problem. Don't waste the ham and pork knuckle that Second Master loves. Pick a couple of side dishes and send them to him as well."
"Yes!" Ping'er replied and got up to go out.
Wang Xifeng watched her retreating figure with a deep gaze.
She has always been suspicious, and she even keeps a close watch on Ping'er, who has served her since childhood.
It's said that enemies are destined to meet; she was prone to jealousy, and so was Jia Lian.
Although Ping'er was loyal, she was still a concubine and might not be able to resist Jia Lian's persistent pleading.
Only by having Ping'er bring warmth to Wang Qing every now and then can the fire be directed at her, extinguishing the possibility of Jia Lian taking advantage of the situation at its source.
Furthermore, using Wang Qing to provoke Jia Lian is a double-edged sword. Although she had already planned to use Huiwen to explain, it was hard to guarantee that Jia Lian wouldn't be petty. In that case, the balance of power would shift, and Ping'er might actually appear more considerate.
Nowadays, she's just saying a few angry words; how can that compare to Ping'er, who comes to your door to offer her comfort and care?
Only by dragging Ping'er into this mess can we solve the problem once and for all.
If Jia Lian can't see the bigger picture and insists on being jealous, he might be able to take advantage of Wang Qing's affection for Ping'er to get more money back when he collects Huiwen's money.
Thinking of this, Wang Xifeng raised her eyebrows triumphantly, stretched out her long, shapely legs, and revealed her tender breasts covered by silk stockings. She pushed herself off the bed with both hands, slid off the bed, and picked up a pair of embroidered shoes that were lying in front of the bed.
……