Lady Han did not grant Lin Yue even a few days of quiet. On the third day after settling in the capital, Lady Hans personal maid, Madam Zhou, arrived at the courtyard, ten young maids arranged neatly behind her.
"All carefully selected," Madam Zhou said, a thin smile resting on her lips. "Fourth Miss may choose three."
Lin Yue's gaze moved across the line. She didn't look for beauty. She watched for patience, for those who would not falter under pressure.
The first stood stiff, fingers twisting into her sleeves.
*No.*
The second held herself too straight, eyes sharp, pride barely contained.
*Foolish pride.*
The third looked pale, uncertain, her breath uneven.
*No this wont work.*
Lin Yue moved on.
After a moment, she lifted her hand slightly. "You."
The chosen girl stepped forward. Her skin was darkened by sun, her hands broad and worn, she stood without fear.
"Your name?"
"Lanru, Miss."
Lin Yue nodded her head faintly, then looked at the lines of girls again.
Her eyes settled on a slight girl who had not moved at all. She had watched everything, taking in each detail without drawing attention.
"You."
The girl stepped forward. "Shuang."
Lin Yue looked at her for a moment longer, then turned to the last one.
The smallest of them stood near the end, ink stains marking her cuffs, she didn't look up.
"You."
She stepped forward, voice soft. "Mei, miss."
Madam Zhou's smile tightened. "An… interesting selection."
Lin Yue bowed her head slightly. "I value diligence."
A brief silence passed.
Then Madam Zhou gestured lightly. Three more girls stepped forward without being called.
One with powdered cheeks and heavy-lidded eyes. "Baoyu."
Another with a sweet smile that did not reach her eyes. "Ting."
The last held her chin high, every movement full of quiet arrogance. "Jia."
"They are experienced," Madam Zhou said smoothly.
Lin Yue inclined her head. "As Mother wishes."
After Madam Zhou left, Lin Yue did not linger. She turned and led the three she had chosen deeper into the courtyard without a word.
Behind her, the other three hesitated.
"What are we supposed to do?" Baoyu asked, her tone edged with disbelief. Ting's smile thinned. Jia's chin lifted higher, irritation plain in her posture.
Before Lin Yue could answer, Auntie Rong stepped forward.
"You will work," she said, leaving no space for argument. "If you have hands, you use them."
She did not wait for a reply a broom was pressed into one girl's hands, a cloth into another's. Instructions followed, sharp and clear. There was no room for hesitation, no allowance for pride.
Their complaints died before they could fully form.
Lin Yue didn't look back.
She faced the three girls standing before her, for a moment, she said nothing, simply looking at them. The set of their shoulders, the steadiness, or lack of it in their breathing.
*History matters, loyalty is not given it is earned.*
"You will speak," Lin Yue said at last, her voice calm. "One by one."
Her gaze rested first on Mei.
"Where you came from, and your previous work."
Mei Stepped forward.
She carried a faint scholarly air despite her plain robes. Dark brown hair framed her face, small freckles scattered lightly across her cheeks. She bowed properly, her movements respectful.
"What is your background?"
Mei bowed again. "My mother works, I have no siblings,my father has passed."
Lin Yue inclined her head slightly, her gaze resting on the girl's sleeves. "There is ink on your cuff."
Mei's hand flew to her sleeve, trying to hide the stain. Her face went the color of a ripe plum. In this house, a maid who could read was a maid who could spy.
Mei startled, her eyes widening before she quickly lowered her head. "I…" She hesitated. "My family was once… a very minor official one...before my father passed."
Her fingers tightened slightly. "He said it was important to continue learning no matter what."
Lin Yue watched her for a moment, then gave a small nod. "You remembered his words."
Mei's head lowered further. "Yes, Miss."
"You did well to pick her," Qing murmured softly from the side.
For the first time, Lin Yue's expression softened a little. "I will treat you well here."
Mei looked up, surprise breaking through her composure. A wide smile spread across her face before she quickly bowed again, deeper this time.
"Thank you, Miss."
*Liars*
*They'll see through you, they'll see the girl with the tea tray.*
*Stop it*, she told herself. *I am the daughter of the Shen house. I am the master of this room.*
She forced her breathing to slow.
*One.*
*Two.*
*Three.*
The screaming in her head went quiet, retreating into the dark corners of her mind. Lin Yue's expression never changed on the outside.
Next, Lanru stepped forward.
She was sturdier than the others, her hands marked by work. Her black hair was cut short, uneven at the ends, and though she stood straight, there was a trace of nervousness on her face. She bowed low.
"What is your background?"
"My siblings and I all work in different households," Lanru said. "My father is a soldier. My mother says at home."
Lin Yue looked her up and down. "You are used to labor outside?"
Lanru's hands were mapped with scars, pale lines from kitchen knives and heavy lifting.
Lanru nodded. "I am the eldest." Her voice lowered slightly. "My father's pay is not much i have always worked. The harder jobs… they bring more."
Qing's brows drew together faintly. "Then why come here?"
Lanru hesitated. "My mother said our situation has improved. She said I do not need to take on such work anymore."
Lin Yue considered her, her gaze steady. "You carry responsibility well."
Lanru looked up, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.
"You will be valued here."
Relief softened Lanru's expression. She bowed again, deeper this time. "Thank you, Miss."
*Don't get used to this, they'll leave.*
Lin Yue closed her eyes for a moment, silencing her thoughts forcefully.
Finally, Shuang stepped forward.
She had been the quietest of them all. She had long black hair that fell down her back, slightly unkempt. She was thin, almost fragile looking. She stood with a faint stiffness, as if unused to being watched. She bowed.
Qing gave a small nod of approval.
"What is your background?" Lin Yue asked.
Shuang lowered her head. "I… do not really have one, Miss," she said quietly. "I slipped in when maids were being chosen at the market...no one checked."
Silence followed.
Shuang didn't blink, her eyes moved like a bird's, moving to the door, then the window.
*She isn't just standing here, she's looking for exits.*
Lanru stepped forward. "Then… how can you be trusted?"
Lin Yue turned to Lanru, her face calm. "She can be trusted because she spoke the truth, even knowing the risk."
Lanru paused, then lowered her head. "I understand, thank you miss." She turned toward Shuang. "I spoke too quickly please forgive me."
Shuang shook her head faintly."Its ok i understand."
Qing stepped closer. "You watch everything," she said. "And you move carefully, why is that?"
"I lived on the streets," Shuang said quietly.
For a moment, Qing said nothing. Then she turned to Lin Yue. "She will be useful."
Lin Yue reached out and lightly touched Qing's hand, her expression softening for just a moment. Then she looked back at Shuang.
"You may stay," she said.
Shuang's head lifted, surprise breaking through her restraint. She bowed deeply, her voice steady despite the emotion in it.
"I will serve you well, Miss."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♡
Auntie Rong, meanwhile, was left to deal with the other three.
Baoyu had already sunk to the ground. "I am too tired," she complained, not even attempting to rise. "Fourth Miss's servants are truly harsh." She said raising her voice loud enough for others to hear.
Lin Yue watched from behind a latticed window. The glass was cold against her forehead.
She couldn't hear the words. The wind swallowed them, leaving only the shapes of their mouths,the twist of Baoyu's lips, the fluttering rise of Ting's laughter.
*They are tearing her apart.*
*And you are hiding behind a piece of wood. What is your worth if you let them strike the only hand that holds you?*
*Aunt Rong is strong be quiet.*
Ting stood nearby with a pleasant smile, nodding at everything Auntie Rong said. Yet each time she moved, her foot would brush dirt forward toward Auntie Rong's robes.
"Where you come from...do people eat dirt? It would explain…" Her eyes looked Aunt Rong up and down, "why you look the way you do."
A few quiet laughs slipped out from the three girls.
Lin Yue's breath hitched, fogging the glass. She didn't need to hear the insult to know what it was, it was the taste of dirt, the taste of being "less than."
*Nothing. You are nothing.* The words weren't coming from the girls outside; it was coming from the hollow ache inside her own chest.
Jia did not bother with pretense. She stood with her chin raised, arms folded, her tone disrespectful. "You should remember your place," she said pointing her finger in aunt Rongs face. "Only Lady Han can give us orders."
Auntie Rong did not respond to any of them.
Lin Yue watched from inside. No, the colder part of Lin Yue argued, "If you go now, you show them where to strike. You show them that you can be hurt."
Jia stepped closer, voice rising. "Mind your own business. You are nothing here. You understand? Are you deaf?"
The laughter grew louder, feeding on itself.
Auntie Rong's broom didnt stop moving. Each stroke was firm, sweeping the dirt aside as if their words held no weight at all. Her silence pressed against their noise.
To Lin Yue, it looked like Auntie Rong was sweeping them out of existence. She wasn't fighting them; she was simply refusing to acknowledge they were there.
The girls' movements became more frantic, their gestures wider and more desperate as they failed to get a reaction. In the silence, they didn't look like powerful bullies. They looked like flickering shadows, dying in the face of a mountain.
Auntie Rong and Qing spent the entire afternoon in the courtyard, the winter light stretching thin across the ground as the hours passed.
Auntie Rong took charge of the three sent by Lady Han.
Baoyu was dragged to her feet more than once, each time she tried to sink back down, a sharp command followed, leaving no room for refusal.
Ting's sweet smile began to strain as her small provocations were met with silence and harder tasks, her hands soon no longer clean.
Jia argued at first, her voice sharp, her chin high, but every protest was met the same way: redirected and given work that demanded her full attention.
The laughter faded.
By mid-afternoon, their movements had slowed, their pride worn thinner with each repeated task.
Across the courtyard, Qing trained the three Lin Yue had chosen.
Lanru carried water without complaint. When corrected, she adjusted quickly, learning through motion rather than words.
Mei sat on top of a table, carefully folding cloth's, her fingers pausing for too long at first before Qing guided her faster, showing her how to do it neater and ceaner.
Shuang remained the quietest. She watched before she acted, taking in every correction given to the others. When she moved, she made few mistakes.
Auntie Rong rested her broom against the wall, her eyes sweeping over the six girls.
*They have done well.*