Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“You ask for a reason?” Jiang Pengji looked at the kneeling man. “First, you harassed the ladies’ attendants and tried to compel them by force. Second, as a dishonest servant, you took money from the family for your own personal entertainment. Third... who permitted you to enter the kitchen adjoining the ladies’ chambers?”
The servant’s face whitened as she spoke, and his eyes reflected his worry.
The housekeeper expressed his concern. “Second Langjun, you mean...”
“Furthermore, you were on some mistress’s bed last night instead of searching for me in the mountain, weren’t you? You and your fellows went to brothels together and had a wonderful night, eh? How convenient it is for you to lie for one another!”
Jiang Pengji frowned with dismay and told the housekeeper, “Rummage through their dwellings to see if they have kept our fortune. If you find evidence, do not bother selling them to the slavery market. Send them directly to the local affair office.”
“Second Langjun! We must not be maligned in such a manner unless you can prove your words!” The man who panicked soon composed himself and said, “My parents have served the masters most devotedly, maintaining the reputation of the house...”
“And your parents should be praised for it. But that has nothing to do with your sly nature. Oh! By the way, you reminded me of one thing.” She addressed the housekeeper: “Check if his parents’ hands are clean. We must not keep cheating servants in this house.”
The old man was puzzled by Jiang Pengji’s strong determination, for Liu Lanting had always been gentle and timid. Still, he obeyed loyally. The servants grew worried. They could not believe that Liu Lanting was being so reckless.
She would have gotten rid of them at once, but she had not forgotten the ancient teachings about respecting one’s parents. All the servants and attendants in the house had been selected by Master Liu, and he was returning within a couple days.
At that time, filial piety was of the utmost importance. The Langjun would never be a disrespectful son and jeopardize his career by dismissing them. The thought eased their minds.
The System lost its speech as it watched her imprudent actions. “Wait a minute, my host... You need support for the accusations, or else others will form negative opinions about you.”
The normal routine for house intrigue began with the protagonist confronting the devious servants with her wit; then she defeated them all in the end by showing her proof and explaining her logical inferences. That was the way its other hosts usually won.
On the contrary, Jiang Pengji had shortened what could have been a dramatic story spanning over ten chapters into a few plain sentences that she had just articulated. Could she be more professional at house intrigue?
“Are you kidding me? What I see is the evidence. If the others doubt me, it is because they are all blind. I will not waste any time telling them where to look.”
“...”
Was she verbally bullying it again? Fine!
“Besides, these are merely servants. On what grounds can they demand proof from me? Tell me, who is the master of this house–the servants or me?”
Indisputable.
Then she laughed coldly. “The outsiders cannot say a word against what the housekeeper will find. That will be the proof of bribery or deceit that they demand. By punishing these men, I am also warning the others... Do not lie to me, or they will die. You get it?”
The computer felt a chill in its back. “I think I am one of those being warned...”
Jiang Pengji trusted the housekeeper to perform his duty flawlessly, so she stopped thinking about the servants and turned to order hot water and new clothing from the servants. She should change back to her own clothes before the clothes she had borrowed from Feng Jin caught unnecessary attention.
The System praised her satirically: “I have never met another host with as strong an adaptability as you.”
She thought what she had done was sensible and reasonable. “I should wisely utilize the advantages this new identity brings in order to save myself some trouble.” It was no fault to make use of the influence that Liu Lanting’s body gave her.
Liu Lanting’s garments were more lavish, with more exquisite patterns and embroideries, than the ones she had borrowed. The complicated pieces, however, were also harder to put on. She asked the attendants to pick the plainest set.
Two of the girls wrapped and flattened her breasts, and then they put the costume on her layer by layer.
“My host, it seems people in this house know Liu Lanting is a girl... All her servants are female, and no boy is assigned to study or spend leisure time with her.” The System was perplexed. “I wonder why she pretends to be her brother.”
“Not all of them know. Or the noble ladies would not have been so surprised when they found out her real gender.”
“So only a few know?” asked the System.
“That is right. Her closest attendants, the housekeeper, and the stepmother know. They will certainly keep the secret. Others may not do the same if they knew; they might gossip or tell people for their own purposes.”
It would be impossible for Liu Lanting to hide the truth without help. Even though Jiang Pengji ordered the attendants to leave her as she bathed, she would not be able to get dressed without their assistance. She wished the designs of Lanting’s clothes were easier.
“I, too, want to figure out why she swapped identities with her brother. Let us see if anyone knows why.”
Since it was a trend to add a fragrance to one’s garments, she wore a perfume that had a soothing scent.
She thought everything would be done after the layers of clothing were fixed on her. Afterwards, however, the attendants placed jade ornaments and aromatic sachets on her waist. Although she assumed that it would cling annoyingly to her as she walked, she tolerated it. After that, another girl came in and showed her a tray of silk flowers to put in her hair.
“Ugh... You can put these away.” She refused to put colorful flowers on her head. From Liu Lanting’s memories, she knew that wearing perfume and flowers was considered fashionable during that period, but she could not bear to put an eye-catching flower in her male hairstyle.
“There is one more thing I need...” Jiang Pengji thought for a moment and then took a sandalwood fan that was decorated with an image of bamboo, the symbol of perseverance and determination.
“Now, do I not look dazzling?” When the attendants left, she pretended to pull a sword out of its sheath and observed her blurry reflection in the copper mirror. In the next second, she opened the fan fully. “This is how TV dramas present people from the ancient times. A devastating young man, capturing the hearts of both sexes with a smile.”
The System sighed. Both sexes are now prey to her.
All of a sudden, a bullet screen shot through the interface. “Hahahaha...”