Chapter 13: Returning to My Old Trade

Was Su Yue’s request granted?
Of course not.
What right did a servant girl have to change her name? Whatever name the master gave, that was the name she would bear.
Su Yue—no, now she should be called Su Zhuyuan—silently cursed this feudal society in her heart.
“You too—on your very first day, you went and banged your head against the wall. That Granny Jin doesn’t seem like someone you can reason with,” Lingzhi remarked as she straightened her clothes, her face all but spelling out: ‘Are you out of your mind?’
“To be honest, your name ‘Tianxiang’ by itself is fine, but with the surname attached, ‘Yue Tianxiang’ just doesn’t sound good at all. If you’d spoken up with me to Granny yesterday, we might have gotten your name changed.”
“Just shut up already.” Perhaps rattled by the name ‘Yue Tianxiang,’ the other girl seemed somewhat annoyed.
That morning, the three of them arrived at the front courtyard in turn. Yesterday, Granny Jin had brought them in; today, the task of guiding newcomers fell to a senior maid.
“My name is Mo Qi, and this is Le Qin. Oh, and there’s another companion of yours—Hongxiu, come and greet them. In the future, once Le Qin and I have left, the four of you will be the most trusted attendants at the Young Master’s side.”
Mo Qi, the round-faced maid, smiled kindly, exuding warmth and friendliness.
“I’m Hongxiu. Greetings, sisters,” said the newcomer.
Tianxiang eyed Hongxiu with some displeasure. Among the maids, she was the one who, thanks to her cultivation of the Pure Maiden’s Heart Sutra and years of dance practice, possessed the finest looks, bearing, and figure—truly the beauty of the group.
But this Hongxiu before her, though demure and well-behaved, had a face that was simply too arresting.
She was just a maid, yet dressed more like a young lady. Her hands, pale and unblemished, belonged to someone unaccustomed to labor. Her appearance was striking—the dewy almond-shaped eyes were cast downward, lashes fanning out in a graceful arc that tugged at one’s heartstrings. Her nose was delicate, her lips a natural crimson.
Su Yue, observing the transformed Wen Xueyi before her, secretly marveled: “She can exude a different air in any attire. In rough linen, she appears the gentle, modest maiden; in this ribbed brocade skirt, her otherworldly grace becomes even more touching.”
Indeed, the woman calling herself Hongxiu was none other than the novel’s heroine, Wen Xueyi.
Compared to the previous two, Yurun was the calmest. She simply addressed the others as ‘sisters’ and fell silent.
Mo Qi took in their expressions with a knowing eye. To be honest, when she first met Hongxiu, she thought the Young Master had finally come to his senses and decided to take a concubine. Little did she know the girl had come to repay a debt of gratitude, serving as a maid.
“Alright, Hongxiu and Le Qin still need to attend to the Young Master shortly. The rest of you, follow me.”

Mo Qi led the three of them to the small side room on the west side. After reassuring them with a smile, she shut the door and her face turned stern.
“Did you see yourselves just now? What sort of behavior was that? Especially you, Tianxiang.”
Mo Qi’s gaze was cold as she looked at Tianxiang, clearly displeased.
“I know exactly why you’re here, so let’s speak plainly. Hongxiu holds a special place in the Young Master’s heart. I advise you all to treat her with respect. If she is eventually elevated to concubine, good days may await you as well.”
Tianxiang glanced at Mo Qi’s expression, lowered her head, bit her lip, and her eyes reddened.
“Enough, I’m only reminding you for your own good. Here in the Snow Pavilion, everything revolves around the Young Master. Don’t harbor petty thoughts. Now, let me assign your duties. I’ve looked over your records. Originally, Tianxiang, you were to attend the inner chambers, but since Hongxiu has taken over, you will handle meals and external affairs.”
Tianxiang accepted her new post softly, and Mo Qi continued, “That’s actually the most powerful position among the maids—overseeing purchases, personnel, and the management of all banquets. It’s a position with real prospects. Take my advice: don’t set your sights on the inner chambers just yet, understood?”
Tianxiang recognized the opportunity and nodded, accepting Mo Qi’s goodwill.
Mo Qi’s sternness eased as she went on, “Yurun, you excel at poetry, painting, and all the refined arts. Managing the study’s affairs suits you best.”
Yurun accepted her duties obediently, drawing an approving look from Mo Qi.
“As for Zhuyuan, to be frank, aside from your superior cultivation, I see little else that stands out. So, you’ll be responsible for training and managing all the servants in the residence, dealing with any infractions. From now on, disciplinary matters will fall to you. Arranging guards and issuing warnings will be handled by Shuqin and Jianqin, so you needn’t worry about those.”
Su Yue now understood: she was to play the ‘bad cop,’ while Tianxiang would be the ‘good cop,’ one to punish and one to reward.
All in all, it was a fairly leisurely post—unless the master wished to mete out punishment, the servants rarely volunteered for a beating.
“That’s settled, for now. If there are changes, I’ll let you know. Tianxiang, go report to Granny Jin—she handles most external affairs. Yurun, head to the study and find Shuqin, who knows the work best. Zhuyuan, go to the rear courtyard dungeon and look for Jianqin.”
The three accepted their orders and went their separate ways.
Su Yue circled the rear courtyard but couldn’t locate the entrance to the dungeon.
“Follow me.” Just as Su Yue was bewildered, a dark figure appeared before her.
Looking closely, she realized the man resembled Shuqin—expressionless, eyes cold as he gestured for her to follow and led the way, saying not a word more.
Su Yue surmised this must be Jianqin. It was said that Shuqin and Jianqin were twin brothers, both sons of Granny Jin, who had studied and cultivated alongside the Young Master since childhood.

Su Yue had met Shuqin, who wasn’t like this, so this had to be Jianqin.
The dungeon was hidden behind a secret room at the back of a side wing in the rear courtyard, concealed behind a shelf in the Treasure Pavilion. Su Yue followed Jianqin for the better part of half an incense stick before they reached the bottom.
As she walked, Su Yue silently counted the number of prisoners. The entire dungeon was shaped like a funnel, the path spiraling downward. The right-hand wall was lined with many small hidden rooms, used as cells. Some held prisoners, others were empty.
“From now on, this is your office. The prisoners here need only be fed once a day. Ordinary servants guilty of lesser offenses can be punished quietly in the rear courtyard—no need to bring them here. The entrance mechanism is open at the hours of chen, wu, shen, and wu—I’ll personally open it then; at all other times, it’s sealed. So, plan your time accordingly,” Jianqin explained at the bottom of the dungeon.
“Yes,” Su Yue replied, marveling at the imposing prison.
“Today, start with feeding them. Each prisoner gets one steamed corn bun, no more. As for those at the lowest level, you needn’t bother—they don’t need to eat.”
Su Yue understood: the prisoners at the bottom must have reached the Golden Core stage. Only cultivators at that level could subsist without food.
So Su Yue carried a bucket of corn buns from top to bottom, distributing them to the prisoners. Some lunged for the food and bit her hand; others clawed at her with their nails.
The first group broke their teeth; the others were left clutching bleeding fingers and howling.
“Why do you insist on such foolishness?” Su Yue muttered.
After that, word spread among the prisoners: the new little maid, for all her delicate looks, was as tough as a spiritual artifact—ordinary means wouldn’t harm her in the least.
Jianqin, hearing the prisoners wailing, came to check.
“Isn’t it time you advanced to the second level of your Cloud Sea Sword Technique?” he asked, eyeing the prisoners rolling on the ground in pain.
“Yes, I plan to break through to the second level before reaching the Golden Core stage.”
Jianqin nodded, “Then from tomorrow, go see Granny Sujin. Once you’ve broken through, return here. I’ll oversee things in the meantime. Next year, when the Young Master travels, Shuqin and I will accompany him, and the dungeon will be left in your care.”
Su Yue nodded and agreed.