Zhulan explained, "After you marry out, Mother hopes that all the maids by your side are from families, so even if Da Shu marries out with you, with their families in Mother's hands, they dare not betray you. Or Mother won't leave the Wan family behind, giving the entire Wan family to you as a dowry is also possible; you can hold the reins yourself."
As for the three new maids she had bought, she really couldn't trust them, especially Li Qiu who had sold herself into servitude at ten—she would be the easiest to betray her if family members were threatened, Zhulan thought. No wonder the big families in ancient dramas always favored servants born within their households!
Xue Han was taught a lesson, "Mother, then why didn't you buy all the servants from one family, why did you also buy Li Qiu and the others?"
