At the third quarter of the Mao hour, the bronze bell in the front courtyard of the Dingbei Marquis Manor rang out. In the morning light, over a hundred servants gathered one after another. Jiang Wan sat in a moon-white brocade long dress, draped in a matching gauze cape, her emerald belt glowing with a warm luster in the morning dew. She sat upright on the steps of the main hall, her gaze sweeping across the matrons and maidservants whispering among themselves in the crowd.
"Silence." Nanny Zhou struck the corridor pillar lightly with a bamboo clapper, her voice carrying the dignity of a veteran housekeeper. "The Eldest Miss has something to say."
The crowd gradually quieted down. Jiang Wan stood up, her fingertips lightly brushing the silver-threaded tangled lotus pattern on her cuffs. Her voice was clear and crisp as she began: "I called you all here today to reaffirm the manor's rules." Her gaze swept over Xiuju standing in the corner—yesterday, before being sold off, half her head had been shaved, and at this moment she was cowering and trembling among a bunch of matrons.
Chapter 26