"This child, you must be overjoyed! You've just arrived in Jiangnan County, have you eaten yet? I'll have the maid tell the kitchen to prepare a few dishes for you."

After their favorability rating increased, Fan spoke to Yan Xia much more gently.

"Thank you for your concern, Godmother. I ate some dry rations in the carriage and I'm not hungry. I'll come to your house again tomorrow to have a meal with you."

"You silly child, fine, whatever you want. Tomorrow, your godmother will have the kitchen prepare a nice meal to welcome you back!"

Fan put his arm around Yan Xia's shoulder.

The two were extremely close.

They look like mother and daughter.

Only Yan Xia herself knows.

What was she planning?

Half an hour later, it got dark.

Yan Xia left the Xu residence.

She walked further and further away from the gatekeeper's sight until the Xu family closed the gate. Only then did Yan Xia enter the deserted alley, flash into her spatial dimension, and teleport to a blind spot behind the Fan family's house to peer inside.

Originally, only Madam Fan and two maids were in the room.

Now there are almost ten more people; the entire Xu family has arrived, including their maids and servants.

"So there really are luminous pearls in this world. They're so beautiful! Mom, can I play with them tonight?"

Xu Wenshan stared greedily at the luminous pearl.

"Let's talk about it later." Although Madam Fan loved her daughter, she didn't agree.

This is the most precious treasure in the world, and she wants to hold it tightly in her hands.

"Mother, something about what you just said doesn't feel right to me." Unlike his sister, Xu Wenyan's expression was grave, as if he was deep in thought.

“Something’s not right. Yan is my goddaughter now. Don’t do anything to her behind her back. She almost got killed by bad guys while finding this luminous pearl for me. I already feel bad about it. Tomorrow I’ll have the kitchen prepare a nice feast to entertain her. Don’t always have a stern face when you see her. Be more polite.”

Yan Xia was surprised that after Fan Shi's favorability rating improved, he actually started speaking up for her.

Since his mother had spoken, Xu Wenyan, being a dutiful son, naturally dared not mention it again.

Several people were playing with the luminous pearl back and forth.

Their eyes were filled with amazement and excitement.

"Don't tell anyone about our family having a luminous pearl. Let Yan Shi suffer a little. Mother, don't worry. I've investigated privately before. She has frequent dealings with the Lu family, the magistrate of Jiashu County. No one can harm her. The officials will definitely protect her. And you lot, keep your mouths shut. If I find out anyone dares to gossip, I'll beat them to death with sticks!"

Yan Xia's expression was somewhat serious.

Xu Wenyan secretly investigated her.

"I'll listen to you." Madam Fan agreed immediately. Although she liked Yan Xia, she couldn't compare to her own family.

Ninety points is not a hundred.

Yan Xia had been observing from the shadows.

Until the Xu family left the Fan family's house.

Yan Xia then slipped outside Xu Wenshan's house.

After a short wait, the couple returned.

"My mother is so stingy. I begged her for ages and she still wouldn't give me the luminous pearl," Xu Wenshan said angrily.

“What belongs to your mother is yours anyway. You’ll get it back sooner or later. Don’t be angry,” Chen Shouguo comforted her.

“Miss, I think you should blame that Yan Shi. She is so inconsiderate. Why did she only give one as a gift? Just now, the old lady said that there were clearly two on that stall. Why didn’t she buy them? I think she never intended to give them to you.”

The maid Xiaoqing, standing to the side, was flatteringly slandering Yan Xia.

She was assigned to serve Xu Wenshan just before the Lunar New Year.

Originally just a low-ranking cleaning maid, she rose to the rank of first-class maid in just a few months thanks to her clever tongue.

As expected, Xu Wenshan's expression changed, and he began to berate Yan Xia.

"Hmph, that old hag is ugly and always tries to cling to my mother. I really hope she gets a good beating from those people who are looking for the luminous pearl."

The interior design style has changed.

They all started cursing Yan Xia.

Yan Xia's eyes outside the window were icy cold.

She remained silent.

They crouched low, waiting for their chance.

After a while...

After serving Xu Wenshan, the maid left.

She walked toward the servants' quarters in the backyard.

Yan Xia quickly followed.

Xiaoqing's room is a single room.

As a first-class maid, her treatment was naturally different from that of the cleaning maids who lived in eight-person rooms.

Just as she fell asleep, Yan Xia entered the room. The moment Xiao Qing woke up, she knocked Xiao Qing unconscious with a chop to the neck, put her in her spatial dimension, took out the jewelry she had stolen from Xu Wenshan, hid it under the maid's bed, and then flashed into her spatial dimension to transport Xiao Qing out of the city. Fearing that her mental energy would be depleted, she did not teleport to the deep mountains, but instead carried Xiao Qing step by step up the mountain.

Yan Xia was initially hesitant, since according to her plan, a servant in the Xu family had to suffer an undeserved disaster. Yan Xia did not want to harm an innocent person, so she planned to frame Chen Shouguo.

But the maid's words and actions just now completely enraged her.

After carrying the maid to the deep mountains, Yan Xia threw her into a cave and left.

It would take at least half a day to walk from the cave to the city gate.

When she returned to Jiangnan County, the city gates had just closed, but that had nothing to do with her; she wouldn't pass through them at all.

Yan Xia teleported to the street via spatial means.

She changed her clothes and first went to the alley where the teahouse was on the second floor. She pretended to talk to someone, but actually revealed the secret by talking to herself.

"Hey, have you heard? That luminous pearl really is in the hands of Manager Yan of Yan's Pastry Shop, but she found it to give to Old Madam Xu!"

"What? Is that true? How did you know?" Yan Xia pinched her nose and changed her tone.

She stood in the shadows, and the people in the teahouse on the second floor craned their necks to look, but they couldn't make out how many people there were; it was pitch black below.

"Of course I know. My master has already bribed a maid in the Xu family. I know everything about the Xu family. I heard that our magistrate's brother-in-law is henpecked! He's especially afraid of his wife! That makes sense. He's a deserter, so he has to appease his wife, otherwise he would have been dealt with by military law long ago."

"Huh? A deserter? He's a deserter? Good heavens, I heard deserters are executed, yet he's unharmed. It turns out he's hooked up with the magistrate's sister. The magistrate's hands are really deep."

Yan Xia stopped there, talking as she walked, her voice growing softer and softer until she disappeared into the alley.

The teahouse on the second floor became unusually quiet.

Jiangnan County has a vibrant nightlife.

So even though the city gates were closed, the teahouse was still packed with people.

Yan Xia then disappeared into the brothel, hiding outside the largest private room on the third floor, repeating what she had just said.

However, she made a slight change.

To avoid being exposed.

"I have something to tell you. My master just received news that the luminous pearl is no longer in the hands of Manager Yan of Yan's Pastry Shop. She gave it to Magistrate Xu's mother! I heard it with my own ears."

"Huh? Really?"

"Of course it's true. Do you remember the theft at the Xu residence? It was my master who did it. That Xu Wenyan is a scoundrel, a complete corrupt official. My master's family suffered terribly, so he came all the way from the capital to seek revenge. That theft was caused by my master bribing the servants at the Xu residence. Oh, by the way, he also bribed quite a few maids. This news was just revealed to my master by one of the maids."