Chapter 6 Entering the Mansion

Zhuang Wan had expected Pei Xingju to wait at least a few days before settling her in, but unexpectedly, someone arrived only half a day later. To come and take her into the mansion at such a time, it seemed this person was incredibly rebellious.

When Mrs. Zhuang learned that someone from the Pei Mansion had come to pick up Zhuang Wan, she went out with a worried look on her face.

"Wan'er," she held Zhuang Wan's hand, and she had so many things to say but didn't know which one to say first. Finally, she just said, "You must be careful. Take care of yourself first."

Zhuang Wan nodded: "My daughter understands."

Mrs. Zhuang hesitated to speak and raised her hand to take something off her neck.

The gorgeous red rope flickered in front of Zhuang Wan's eyes, and then her neck felt a slight warmth. The thing was hanging on her body.

Looking down, I saw a jade pendant hanging with a red string. There was a statue of Bodhisattva carved on the jade pendant, and a few jade beads were dotted on both ends of the red string.

"This is Guanyin Bodhisattva. When I gave birth to you, I had a difficult labor and was seriously ill. Later, I met a great monk who gave me this. He said that this pendant could keep me safe. I put it on and it really worked. Not long after, I recovered and got out of bed. I have lived a very good life these years, without any disasters or difficulties. If it weren't for your father's incident..."

Madam Zhuang paused and gently tucked the jade pendant into Zhuang Wan's lapel: "Wear it well and don't take it off. The Bodhisattva will protect you."

Zhuang Wan felt a little complicated.

If possible, she wanted to confess that she was not her daughter. Not only did she occupy her daughter's body, but she also openly accepted her care, which made her feel very guilty.

She thanked him solemnly, thought for a moment, then knelt down and kowtowed seriously.

"Mother, take care of yourself."

Mrs. Zhuang waved her hand with tears in her eyes: "Go, my son will surely turn danger into safety."

.

Zhuang Wan got on the Pei Mansion's carriage, and the wheels rumbled as they quickly drove out of the alley.

At the corner, Zhou Wan stood there, his face confused and hesitant.

"Sir," the servant asked, "Miss Zhuang has been taken away by Master Pei. What should we do now?"

"What should I do? That's Pei Xingju, how dare I get in the way?"

"But how do we explain this to Prince Liang?"

Zhou Wan's face darkened at this. The job of confiscating the Zhuang residence was arranged for him by Prince Liang, and before he came, he had promised that he would bring Miss Zhuang with him.

But now...

"Let's go back!"

"Where are you going?"

Zhou Wan turned around and slapped the servant: "You think you can ask me where I'm going?"

"I dare not! I dare not!" The servant covered his head and dodged.

After Zhou Wan finished smoking, he felt relieved and got on the horse.

About a quarter of an hour later, the horse stopped at the west corner gate of Liang Mansion.

.

At dusk, Zhuang Wan arrived at Pei's house.

She was met by a guard in his twenties, surnamed Lu. Guard Lu stood in front of the carriage and said, "Miss Zhuang, please come in."

Zhuang Wan stood in front of the steps, looking at the two bright red lanterns at the gate, and felt a little uneasy.

Compared to the Zhuang Mansion, this place is like a den of dragons and tigers. If she walks in today, she can only rely on herself.

After a moment, Zhuang Wan calmed herself down and walked into the room.

I don’t know if it’s because it’s not very clear at night, but the residence of Master Pei is not as luxurious as imagined. Both the courtyard and the pavilion are extremely conventional, simple and low-key.

She saw no flowers or plants along the way, but there were plenty of water jars, with almost every door holding two large earthenware jars filled with water. Furthermore, the lanterns on the verandas were dim, with only a few dimly lit lanterns visible from a distance, making them look like those of impoverished families who lived frugally to save lamp oil.

There were very few servants, and the house was so empty that only the sound of footsteps could be heard. It was quiet and peaceful, eerie and creepy.

In this way, after walking for about quarter of an hour, we finally arrived at a small courtyard.

There were more lanterns here than elsewhere, and the light was brighter. Entering the courtyard, I saw an old woman leading two maids waiting at the main door.

Seeing her coming, the woman stepped forward and saluted: "Miss Zhuang, my surname is Xu, and I will be responsible for your food and daily life from now on."

She turned and pointed at the two maids at the door and said, "These two were sent by the master. The one on the left is called Chuqi, and the one on the right is called Shiwu."

Hearing such a low-brow name, Zhuang Wan's mouth twitched.

"Who are you?"

"I am a servant of the Pei Mansion. Miss Zhuang, you can call me Aunt Xu."

The woman was in her early forties, spoke with neither servility nor arrogance, and didn't look like a servant at all. However, her attitude was kind, at least she smiled when she spoke to Zhuang Wan and didn't embarrass her.

Aunt Xu said, "This courtyard was hastily prepared, so Miss Zhuang, please stay here for now. If you need anything, just let me know tomorrow."

After the handover, she said no more, bowed and left.

Zhuang Wan turned around and realized that the guard Lu who had led the way had left at some point. Now, the only people left in the empty courtyard were her and the two maids she had just sent.

The two maids did not come over to greet him, but stood upright at the door like two door gods.

Zhuang Wan tightened the bag on her shoulder. It contained two sets of clothes that Dong Ning had hurriedly prepared for her.

You see, Pei Xingju is such a decisive person. He came to pick her up as soon as he said he would, without even giving her time to pack her luggage.

Zhuang Wan stood there, taking in her surroundings. The courtyard was quite large, with two side rooms on the east and west sides. The main room was hers, its door open, revealing the brand-new, shiny furniture inside.

The furniture was of different sizes and not even arranged neatly, and it was obvious that it was put together in a hurry.

She walked up the steps slowly and stopped when she passed the two maids.

"Your name is Chuqi?"

The maid standing on the left looked straight ahead and replied, "Your servant...it is the seventh day of the first lunar month."

Zhuang Wan turned to look at the person on her right: "Your name is Fifteen?"

The man also answered: "My servant is fifteen."

Zhuang Wan nodded, stepped over the threshold, then stepped back out, saying to the two of them, "Your names are too ugly. Let me change them for you."

"Your name will be Jingzhe from now on." She pointed to the left and said.

Then he pointed to the one on the right and said, "Your name is Lixia."

The two maids looked at each other, looking a little angry.

"Miss Zhuang, our names were chosen by Master Pei and cannot be easily changed."

Zhuang Wan smiled and asked, "Who sent you to serve me?"

The two of them didn't speak.

"Pei Xingju asked you to serve me, so you are my maids. It is only natural for me to change your names. If you don't want to, you can go back."

"Or..." Zhuang Wan said slowly, "Go ask Pei Xingju to see if it can be changed."

The two dared to be angry but not to speak. They were indeed sent here by Guard Lu. Guard Lu's words were Pei Xingju's words. They could hardly even see Pei Xingju on a normal day, so how could they ask this?

Fifteen was angry: "Miss Zhuang, we didn't send you here to serve you, but..."

Before she could finish her words, Chu Qi bumped her arm. Chu Qi motioned her to be patient and said first: "Thank you Miss Zhuang for the name. From now on, I will be called Jingzhe."

"What about you?" Zhuang Wan looked at Fifteen.

Fifteen endured the anger and said, "From now on, I will be called Lixia."

Zhuang Wan was satisfied and walked in with a smile.

She knew that these two people were not here to serve her but to monitor her. But they were so disrespectful to her after just meeting her. If she didn't teach them a lesson, how would she survive in the future?

She is here to be the "white moonlight", so she can be as spoiled as she wants.

"I'm tired, go get some water for a bath," she ordered.

Jingzhe and Lixia stood at the door, neither of them moved.

Zhuang Wan frowned, "Why, Pei Xingju asked you to be gate gods to guard me?"

Lixia pursed her lips and bowed.

After entering the house, Zhuang Wan closed the door and slumped down on a chair in the corner, staring at the flickering candlelight on the table, as if gazing at a confused future.

After a long moment, she sighed.

Well, now that I'm here, I might as well make the best of it. Having stepped through this door, there's no reason to retreat. First and foremost, I need to figure out how to earn Pei Xingju's trust.

.

In the study, Shen Yi sat and drank tea with a gloating look on his face.

"I said this Miss Zhuang is no ordinary woman. Now that she's in your house, it looks like things are going to get busy."

"You specifically asked Guard Lu to lead her into the mansion through the south gate. Not only did it not scare her, but it actually gave her a bit of a warning."

"She can even change the names of people in your Xuanzhao Pavilion. Is there anything else she dare not do?"

You know, Xuanzhao Pavilion is where Pei Xingju trains his secret guards. Each person is given a code name upon entering, a name that will stay with them for life. Chuqi and Shiwu were chosen from among these many code names. They are not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also adept with poison. Unexpectedly, on their first mission, these two would lose their names to a powerless woman.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi couldn't help but laugh.

"Yuzhi..." He took a sip of tea and asked seriously, "Can you remember anything at all?"

"What?" Pei Xingju raised his eyes from the book.

"I think...she might really be your lover."

Pei Xingju was speechless and continued reading.

"How else can this be explained? How could there be such a bold woman in this world?" Chen Yi said, "She is clearly relying on your favor, so she is fearless."

"Are you done?"

Pei Xingju pointed at the study door without even looking up and said, "If you have nothing else, leave. I remember the Ministry of Rites still has matters waiting for you to deal with."

Chen Yi choked and dropped a candied date into his mouth.

"So sweet?" He stood up and walked away while chewing.

After Shen Yi left, Pei Xingju slowly put down the book and called out, "Someone come here."

A guard immediately came in from outside the door: "Sir, what are your orders?"

"Tell Chuqi to report everything that happens over there to me in detail."

"Yes!" After hesitating for a moment, the guard whispered, "Sir, the seventh day of the lunar year is no longer called the seventh day of the lunar year, but the awakening of the zhe lunar year."

“…”