Chapter 18

Xu Hao, who was confined to the house, could not go out. Every day, he stayed at home, exercised, read the Book of Songs and some wild history books, practiced calligraphy, accompanied his elder sister Qinglian in doing needlework, and teased his younger sister Hongye. His days were quite fulfilling.

One early morning, a housekeeper led a group of new maids from the main house. Xu Hao, upon hearing the news, hurriedly ran out of the study, with Qiuxiang following behind.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw a large group of girls in light green dresses standing in the flower hall, their beauty making one's eyes feast. Xu Hao quietly walked to Hongye's side and sat down, observing these young girls with interest.

Xiao Shi was also carefully examining each girl's appearance, frowning in thought from time to time. Xu Qingtang, standing beside her, had the look of an old monk in deep meditation, his eyes lowered, seemingly uninterested in the matter. However, Xu Hao, with his keen eyes, noticed that his father's feet were trembling uncontrollably.

As a child, Xu Hao knew his parents' situation all too well. For a long time, the maids around Xiao Shi had never been particularly attractive, though they were not ugly, they were far from being graceful and dignified.

Moreover, in recent years, as the four main maids—Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong—grew older, their figures became increasingly curvaceous. Xiao Shi treated them more strictly, never allowing them to enter the study alone when her husband was at home. This was a high-voltage line in the second house; anyone who crossed it would be punished.

Xiao Shi's intense jealousy was something Xu Hao naturally supported wholeheartedly. After all, no one wanted a second wife to suddenly appear in the family. However, the desire for beauty was a human nature, and everyone wanted to be around beautiful girls, right?

Seeing Xiao Shi's gaze repeatedly scanning the faces of the less attractive girls, Xu Hao feared he might be implicated and raised his hand to speak.

Fortunately, Xiao Shi, who implemented a dictatorial policy towards her husband, was quite democratic towards her children. She indicated that her son could speak.

Xu Hao glanced at his father's feet, which were trembling even more, and smiled inwardly. He said formally, "Mother, now that I and my sisters have grown up, we are about to add more maids. With so many people, it's not appropriate for everyone to crowd in one courtyard, don't you think?"

Xu Qingtang, who was secretly pleased, was suddenly stunned. He raised his head and glared at his son, inwardly cursing him as a little brat.

Xiao Shi pondered her son's words and her face lit up with a smile. She thought, "My son is indeed on my side; I haven't wasted my love on him." She nodded with a smile, indicating her agreement.

Xu Hao ignored his father's threatening gaze and said with a smile, "I was thinking of tidying up the garden. There are already a few pavilions for viewing, which can be slightly renovated to serve as the embroidery rooms for my sisters. We can reinforce and heighten the walls, and assign someone to guard the gates. After all, the boys have grown up, and it's inevitable that some of the servants and friends who come and go might have ulterior motives. By separating them, we can prevent idle people from entering freely."

"This is a good idea," Xiao Shi was greatly moved. Xu Hao's words struck a chord with her. Moreover, her daughters were growing up, and the maids were also getting older. Living in the same courtyard was not befitting of the status of a noble family.

Xu Qingtang snorted inwardly and said coldly, "What about you, my young master? Are you also planning to move over to avoid my and your mother's supervision?"

Xu Hao chuckled and nodded shamelessly, "I'm not yet eighteen. After my coming-of-age ceremony, I will naturally move out of the garden."

"Hmph!" Xu Qingtang sneered, but he was genuinely envious, picking up his teacup in frustration.

Xiao Shi glanced at her husband and carefully considered the matter. As the head of the household, she had absolute power and made the decision on the spot.

Xu Qingtang, disappointed, stood up and, not daring to vent his dissatisfaction in front of his wife, gently put down his teacup and left with a wave of his hand. Xiao Shi watched her husband's departing figure with a smile.

"You three can choose for yourselves. Each of you can pick two maids," Xiao Shi said, happy to fulfill her children's wishes without any worries.

"I'll go first," Hongye jumped up, hands behind her back, walking back and forth in front of the girls. She quickly pointed to two girls who were about her age and looked very honest.

Dongxue's mood sank because the young lady did not choose her cousin. As mentioned earlier, Dongxue and Qiuxiang's younger sister were selected, while Chunyue and Xiayu's sisters were not.

Xu Qinglian turned to her brother, pouted her lips, and motioned for Xu Hao to go first. However, Xu Hao shook his head.

She thought for a moment and said, "Qiuxiang, Dongxue, you two go and bring them out."

Qiuxiang and Dongxue, grateful, bowed to the young lady and, with smiles on their faces, led the two girls forward.

Xiao Shi watched coldly from above and said, "Since you two are not outsiders, I will say this beforehand. If you dare to rely on Qiuxiang and Dongxue to slack off or be lazy, I will not be lenient. You are not like others; you should know my character well. I cannot tolerate any sand in my eyes. If you do not serve wholeheartedly or engage in petty theft, not only will you suffer, but your parents' reputation will also be ruined. Remember this."

"Yes," Qiuxiang and the other maids bowed respectfully in response.

As the saying goes, without rules, there can be no order. Equality was far from being achieved even in the modern world, let alone in the class-divided ancient times. Xu Hao's reaction was quite calm.

Perhaps calmness was just a way to beautify his state. At this moment, Xu Hao's attention was entirely focused on the girls' faces. With his rich experience in entertainment venues, his gaze was bold and unrestrained, which was fitting for his current status as a young master.

"Strange," he thought, admiring the girls' delicate faces. Many of them were very beautiful, and two were particularly stunning. Xu Hao felt something was off and immediately asked the housekeeper, "How many did the main house select? What were their appearances?"

The housekeeper smiled and said, "A total of ten were selected. Eight were chosen here, and the remaining eight were from the third house. As for their appearances, I cannot say."

Xu Hao nodded and asked, "How many did the old lady keep for herself?"

"Four," the housekeeper replied with a smile.

Xu Hao was even more puzzled. Initially, sixteen girls were selected, and now there were more than double that number. Even if some were added through connections and favors, the old lady should have at least seven or eight.

Based on the historical dramas he had watched, the old lady should have personally assigned one or two maids to him. How could such a good opportunity be missed? In ancient times, with limited information, the only way to control or gather information was through people. Art comes from life, after all.

Pointing at the girls, Xu Hao said, "Can I choose freely? Any of them?"

The housekeeper smiled and asked, "What do you mean, Young Master Hao? I don't quite understand."

Xiao Shi, unable to bear it, said, "If you are to choose, do it quickly and finish. Then go back to your studies."

The housekeeper chuckled and said, "It seems Young Master Hao is a wise person, but you worry too much. With the second lady here, even the old lady would not make things difficult for herself."

"Oh, oh," Xu Hao blushed, inwardly cursing himself for forgetting his mother's deep experience. His petty schemes in the household were completely transparent to her. How could a few small tricks match the expertise of a woman born with the skills for household and palace intrigue?

Xiao Shi sighed and shook her head, "This child must have taken some wrong medicine. He is always worried about this and that, and his mind is not focused on his studies. It makes me both angry and helpless."

The housekeeper smiled, "I am not flattering the second lady, but Young Master Hao, at such a young age, is very thoughtful. His probing words earlier truly surprised me. In terms of insight and depth, he is superior to Wen and Ji. No wonder the old lady has been saying that Young Master Hao's behavior is already that of an adult these past few days."