Chapter 366 She Has a Problem

As soon as Meng Jinyao finished speaking, the girl froze, stunned and bewildered, seemingly unable to understand why her act of repaying kindness as a servant was seen as ingratitude by this lady.

The young woman turned to look at the handsome and refined young nobleman beside her. Seeing his gaze on the beautiful lady, she knew how much she meant to him. She asked nervously, "Does Madam think I'm not serving you well? I can do laundry, cook, chop wood, carry water, and do all kinds of housework."

Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly and said calmly, "It's not that I think you're bad, it's just that I really don't lack maids. Miss, what your aunt said makes sense. Why would you give up being a good citizen and become a slave and sell yourself into servitude? If you were forced into it, that would be fine, but now I'm giving you your freedom, isn't that good?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I am so grateful to Madam for saving me just now. I am willing to serve you like a slave to repay your great kindness. I hope Madam will grant my request."

Her tone was sincere, and her expression was earnest.

However, Meng Jinyao remained unmoved: "There's no need to be a slave. I only said a few words for you, it's nothing. If you really want to repay your kindness, then go back to the capital and live a good life, and don't be fooled again. That's the greatest way to repay your kindness."

Gu Jingxi chimed in, "My wife is right. It's just a matter of talking; there's no need for you to go to such lengths, Miss. May I ask where your uncle and aunt disembark?"

The girl replied, "My uncle and aunt will disembark at the next dock."

Gu Jingxi made a decisive statement, leaving no room for refusal: "The girl will disembark at the next dock and then take a boat back to the capital. We will keep an eye on your uncle and aunt to make sure they don't have a chance to disembark with you. This way, you won't be caught by them halfway. Once you get back to the capital, with the help of your neighbors, they won't dare to do anything again. If all else fails, you can report it to the authorities."

Seeing this, the girl stopped insisting and knelt down to kowtow to them, saying, "This humble woman thanks you, sir and madam, for your great kindness."

Afterwards, Meng Jinyao led the girl to the next guest room so that she could be with Chan'er and Qingqiu, and also so that Chan'er could keep an eye on her. She would then be allowed to disembark and leave at the next dock.

After making the arrangements, Meng Jinyao returned to her room, sat down next to Gu Jingxi, took the teacup he offered, and took a sip of tea.

Gu Jingxi said gently, "Ayao, I thought you would keep her."

Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback, then shook her head: "No, before I spoke up to help her, I also asked for your opinion with my eyes. I only helped her because you didn't object. But even though I can help her, I won't keep her here."

Gu Jingxi asked, "Why?"

Meng Jinyao explained, "Who knows if someone of unknown origin will become a threat if they stay? Besides, you're not just going to Huzhou Prefecture to pay respects to your ancestors; you have other things to do. Who knows if she's being instructed by someone to deliberately approach us? Of course, if I'm overthinking it, then helping her is doing good deeds and accumulating merit."

Gu Jingxi was slightly surprised after hearing this. He hadn't expected A Yao to be so thoughtful. He had originally thought that the girl was kind-hearted and soft-hearted, and would easily feel sympathy for others, so he would take her in.

Seeing that he remained silent, Meng Jinyao asked, "Husband, is there something wrong with what I did?" As she spoke, she lowered her head, her mood suddenly becoming somewhat depressed. "It's probably my upbringing that has made me so sensitive and suspicious. It's hard for me to trust anyone, and I become suspicious of everyone I meet."

Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly, pulled her into his arms, patted her head, and praised her generously: "No problem, Ayao did a great job. You should do the same in the future. You should not have the heart to harm others, but you must be wary of others. You should not easily entrust your trust to people before you know their background. You should be vigilant towards people whose background you do not know."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's slightly tense expression relaxed. She leaned against him, looked up at him with bright eyes, and asked with a smile, "Husband, if I hadn't thought so much and had kept her, what would you have done?"

Gu Jingxi smiled nonchalantly: "If you want to keep her, then I will respect your wishes and keep her as a maid. Even if she has problems, it doesn't matter. If someone can send an informant, and we don't accept it, they will probably send someone else. Since that's the case, we might as well accept this one and keep an eye on her."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao knew that he didn't take the girl seriously, even if she was someone else's spy. She then asked, "Does my husband think there's anything wrong with her?"

Gu Jingxi replied, "We can't see any problems yet, but it's not important. Whether she stays or not won't have much impact on us."

-

The next day, upon arriving at the next dock, Meng Jinyao gave the young girl enough money to travel back to the capital by boat and have enough to live comfortably for a few months. She told her to disembark and then take the boat back to the capital. The girl did not refuse, accepted the money, thanked her repeatedly, and then left.

As evening fell, Yu Chuan came to find Gu Jingxi, bowed to Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao, and then said something abrupt: "My lord, they do have a problem."

Gu Jingxi asked, "What's the problem?"

"I overheard that middle-aged man saying that the girl was useless, that even so, he couldn't persuade the madam to keep her," Yu Chuan said. He then asked, "My lord, should I arrest the man and interrogate him to see who sent him?"

Gu Jingxi seemed to understand something, and then said, "No need, so as not to alert them. Let's pretend nothing happened. We just need to know that maybe some people are just impatient. If they are impatient, it proves that there is definitely something fishy about the case."

Yu Chuan nodded: "Your Excellency is wise."

Gu Jingxi said calmly, "This is none of your business. You can leave now. The couple is still on the boat, so keep an eye on them."

Yu Chuan acknowledged and withdrew.

Upon hearing Yu Chuan's words, Meng Jinyao immediately put herself in the shoes of the young girl and the middle-aged couple, her heart filled with shock and disbelief. She never imagined that the three of them had arranged to put on a show in front of her and her husband.

Seeing his wife's furrowed brows and serious expression, Gu Jingxi reached out and touched her brow, trying to smooth it out, and asked softly, "Ayao, were you frightened?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao quickly shook her head and looked up at him: "No, I just didn't expect that they actually had a problem. That girl's goal was to get close to us."

Gu Jingxi said, "If this plan fails, the person behind it should not try the same trick again."

Meng Jinyao pondered for a moment, then asked curiously, "Husband, is the case you're investigating related to people in the capital? We've only just set off, and it's impossible for Huzhou Prefecture to receive the news so quickly. Even if someone wants to plant spies, they're probably from the capital."

Gu Jingxi replied, "They are related in terms of interpersonal relationships. As for how much they are related to the case, we'll have to see what evidence is found. The other side probably wants to send in spies to find out the purpose of our trip."

After saying that, he changed the subject: "Ayao, it's time for dinner. Are you hungry?"

Meng Jinyao hadn't felt anything at first, but upon hearing this, she actually felt hungry and nodded, saying, "I'm a little hungry. Let's finish eating first."