In the Reflection mansion, Wei had asked Aide Fei to hire some workers for cleaning and gardening, the entire parameters of the mansion. The workers arrived in the morning and began working. Two weeded out the front garden and two weeded out the backyard. Two climbed the ladders to clean the ceiling as Fei and Lin as their helpers. Two were cleaning and polishing the wooden railings, while Madame Wei was putting things away and arranging.
Before it was the time o the lunch, Wei had asked Lin to make a trip to the kitchen. To have them make more food for eight people, so the workers could have their meals. She did as Wei asked. It was time for lunch at the mains from the kitchen did not come by. After a while Wei asked to enquire. Lin went to the main kitchen, and after a while she came back with only one food box.
Lin : "Madame, the lady incharge of the kitchen duties said that we need to go to the main kitchen to receive the meals. They will no longer deliver here to the reflection mansion.
Madame Wei : "Understood, take Fei with you, to get the other boxes."
Lin : " No Madame, they did not prepare the food for the workers.
Madame Wei: "What do you mean?"
Lin : "Incharge of the kitchen duties said that Madame had no right in ordering or demanding from the main kitchen. And that you should be grateful for having meals for self.
Wei was surprised but she understood what it was inclining. Whether it is the Lu residence or Xu residence. It was all the same. When you are not in power the servants start dancing on your head.
Madame Wei : "Hmm, I see. It is alright now. Fei go out along with helpers to a restaurant for meal. Rent a carriage for them." Wei hands out a money bag to Fei.
Fei : "Madame I cannot accept, this is an expensive of the reflection house. Naturally it will be subtracted from General's finances. I shall take my leave then Madame."
After the helpers and Fei left, Lin began nagging.
Lin : "How could you tolerate this!?"
Madame Wei : "Did you act out?"
Lin : "NO! I know how it will reflect on you. They will blame you for my misconduct. Therefore I left… quietly."
Madame Wei : "Quietly?"
Lin : "I may have said things…"
Madame Wei : "Like?"
Lin : "Like… You are General's Wife and they should not treat you like that."
Madame Wei : "And?"
Lin : "This is not what incharge Yi had said, under whose order your being so haughty?"
Madame Wei : "And?"
Lin : "And… I…I said… I did not know where delicious food is made there are ugly fungus creeping from the floor! And that she should get that ugly mole on her face checked maybe it was an infestation from her incompetency towards her duty!"
Madame Wei : "How colourful Lin."
Lin : "I'm sorry Madame I was just furious. One would think that the prestigious Prime Minister residence would have a class, even among the servants but they are all just worms…!" Silence fell, Lin paused. She was in the middle of opening the food boxes when she saw the food served for the Madame Wei was very simple. Something you would not serve a bride a prestigious household.
"Madame look," said Lin, as she placed the dishes on the table. Today's menu contained, rice and millet congee, seasoned taro and tofu soup. Simple and plain meal.
Lin : "Madame are they undermining…your position?"
Madame Wei : "Hmm, sit down Lin let's eat, we'll deal with this later. If your not happy with the meal, we can buy meat dish from a restaurant.
Lin : "No Madame, this is enough."
This treatment in the meals prolonged for a week. Helper worked in the reflection mansion for a week, cleaning and arranging every nook and cranny. It was good as new, and the helpers were not required from the following week onwards. Meanwhile the quality of food that madame received degraded. From eating luxurious like the rest of the members of the Xu residence to servants food. It was a quite day at the reflection mansion, Wie was completing her lotus painting. She was adding minute details like the veins of the petals and some final strokes. Fei was assisting her, Lin was send to bring lunch from the main kitchen.
Fei : "Madame I did not know gold can be used to paint."
Wei had brought a gold budget for the purpose of painting. She rubbed it vigorously against a hard surfaced rock, to collect gold dust. The gold dust was then mixed in with a binder to create a lovely gold pigment, than can be used for painting.
Lin returned back to the reflection mansion with empty hands.
Fei : "Where is the food box?"
Madame Wei : "What happened?"
"They…" Lin spoke with tears welled up in her eyes. "They were giving you a day old rice." Fei became furious, Wei was silent and calm, she took Lin's hand and guided her to seat. She lightly tapped her hand, and said "It's alright, don't be upset"
Lin : "How can I not be upset. One does not even serve dogs old rice. Why is my Miss treated so badly."
"Oh dear, I'm fine Lin'er," said lovingly Wei.
Lin : "Madame, they gave such a stupid excuse, saying they did not cook enough. Guests had come to the residence, so all the food got over. I could not tolerate it so just left. I was so angry, I want to grab her buy her hair and pluck out every single strand of hair until she was bald."
Madame Wei : "Lin'er next time when you say something so horrendous, please do not cry. Your expression and your words do not match." Wei wiped her tears, and said, "You did well."
Fei : "My lady are you going to let this continue?
Madame Wei : "Not quite. Fei go to Xu residence and try to understand what happened for this sudden change. Stealthily."
Fei : "Yes Madame."
Fei went around the mansion without being seen and heard the conversation of several kitchen maids and of the storage maids and he returned back to report to Madame.
Fei : "Madame it seem they were bribed."
Madame Wei : "By?"
Fei : "Xu Mei, your sister."
Fei : "Lady Mei went out to give gratuity to every servant in the kitchen and in the storage. She gave heavy sums to incharge of storage, who used to be master Madame Xu's midwife who became Xu Da's nanny. Encouraging her to keep everything for herself, that was to be served to reflection mansion. And she is friends with the incharge of kitchen duties. The chefs have been preparing meals for us on par with the aristocrats. But the incharge of the kitchen duties has been swapping the food with the servants dishes. She is eating reflection mansion meals, herself and with incharge of storage."
"Well done Fei. Tomorrow, shall we make a visit to the Xu mansion? I haven't greeted my in-laws in a while." Said Madame Wei with a plot in mind.