Chapter Eleven: Deputy General Becomes a Maid

Granny Wang clutched her head and screamed in agony, her anger blazing as she looked around frantically.

Qingzhu, dressed in an undergarment, her hair a mess like a straw nest, ran out of the house in a madcap manner, clapping her hands and laughing foolishly.

"Kill the cockroach! Kill the big cockroach! Hehehe!"

When Granny Wang saw that it was this madman, her face turned ashen with rage, and her eyes were filled with disgust.

"He's just a madman..."

Clang!

Another bamboo winnowing basket landed precisely on her head.

"You! You insane lunatic! I'll beat you to death!"

Granny Wang completely lost her mind and was about to rush over, baring her teeth and brandishing her claws.

Song Yiqiu suppressed a laugh and quickly stepped forward to stop her, her tone seemingly meant to persuade, but actually intended to incite further trouble:

"Granny, please calm down! Please calm down! Qingzhu was my grandmother's personal maid who was given to me years ago. Although she is now mentally unstable, she is like a sister to me."

"I've suffered a lot of injustices and have just returned. I'm just a little sick, and I didn't mean to offend you. Please be lenient with me, Granny."

Granny Wang's gaze lingered on Qingzhu for a long time, confirming that she had truly gone mad.

Just as he was about to speak,

Song Yiqiu changed the subject, her gaze sweeping over the several pretty young maids behind Granny Wang, who were all bowing their heads:

"The old woman came today not just to inquire about my expenses, was she?"

Granny Wang felt a lump in her throat, unable to vent her anger, and having her secret exposed, she could only shove the maids behind her forward in a harsh voice, saying irritably:

"Madam understands that since Miss has just returned to the manor, it wouldn't be proper for her to be without someone to take care of her. So she specially selected these clever maids. Miss, please choose two to keep in your courtyard!"

Song Yiqiu quickly glanced at the maids.

The first few were all delicate and frail, with fair skin and shifty eyes. They were clearly carefully selected to be spies, not here to work, but to be the masters.

Finally, her gaze fell on the last maid who kept her head down and stretched out her hand.

She tried her best to be flamboyant, so how could Song Yiqiu not see the thick, rough calluses on the back of her hand?

Those are marks left from years of wielding a sword.

Song Yiqiu's heart stirred, and she pointed at her:

“You, lift your head.”

The maidservant looked up in response, revealing a delicate yet undeniably spirited face.

The moment their eyes met, Song Yiqiu was suddenly stunned.

This… isn’t this Bai Mei, the deputy general of Longnan under her command? What’s she doing here? And disguised as a maid?

Bai Mei winked at her quickly.

Song Yiqiu instantly understood, turned to Granny Wang, her face regaining its composure, and casually pointed:

“Granny, let’s take her. She seems honest, hardworking and reliable. I just came back from the army camp and I’m used to doing things myself. I don’t need so many people to serve me. As for the others, please take them back with you. Please thank my mother for her kindness.”

Granny Wang glanced at Bai Mei with disdain, thinking that this maid was the most ordinary-looking. She then looked at Song Yiqiu with contempt, thinking that this young lady was indeed vulgar and ungrateful.

She was about to say a few more words when a panicked shout suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate:

"No, something terrible has happened! Granny Wang! Young Miss! Something terrible has happened!"

Granny Wang was in a fit of anger and rebuked her sternly:

"Outrageous! Stumbling and shouting all over the place, what kind of behavior is this! What's causing this panic! Is the sky falling down?"

The young maidservant knelt down with a thud, stammering, her finger trembling as she pointed towards the front hall, her voice choked with tears:

"Yes, it's the heir of the Yongyu Earl's Mansion... He, he's here!"

Granny Wang frowned and waved her hand impatiently:

"So what if he's here? It's common for the young master to visit. It's nothing to make you so flustered..."

The little maid was almost in tears. She suddenly looked up at Song Yiqiu, trembling with fear.

"They said...they said they came to annul the engagement!!!"

"Master and Madam are in the front hall dealing with things. Second Miss has also gone there. Madam asked me to come and invite Eldest Miss over immediately..."

"I... I saw that the young master's face was very pale, I'm afraid, I'm afraid the visitor is up to no good..."

Granny Wang was taken aback at first, then her eyes revealed undisguised schadenfreude. She deliberately drew out her words:

"I'm afraid... I'm afraid of what? How dare you presume to know anything about the young master? You ill-mannered thing, get out of here right now!"

The maidservant, feeling as if she had been granted a pardon, scrambled away.

Granny Wang immediately turned to Song Yiqiu, her face plastered with feigned concern, but her tone was sarcastic:

"Oh dear, young lady, did you hear that? Everyone is waiting for you in the front hall!"

“The young master of the Yongyu Earl’s Mansion is no ordinary guest. If we keep him waiting, the master and mistress will not look good.”

Song Yiqiu sneered inwardly.

Fu Langxing, the heir of the Yongyu Earl's Mansion.

Her childhood sweetheart, with whom she was betrothed since birth, was the one who, in her past life, rushed to break off the engagement after she was tricked into having an affair with a stable boy, pushing her completely into the abyss.

In an attempt to curry favor with the Earl's family, the father, Song Qingming, actually said:

Such shameless words as, "The marriage contract back then referred to the legitimate daughter of the Song family, and Sang Yu is also a legitimate daughter, so she can be married in place of her."

She later learned that during the seven years she was away from home, Fu Langxing had already fallen deeply in love with Song Sangyu, and that they might have been involved in the conspiracy that ruined her reputation.

Seeing that Song Yiqiu remained silent, Granny Wang assumed she was terrified and pretended to speak again:

"Young Miss, what are you standing there for? Have you forgotten the way to the front hall? Or... shall this old servant show you the way?"

Song Yiqiu raised her eyes, and instead of panicking, her face flushed with shyness.

It's funny, of course it's all an act.

She feigned shyness, covering her face with her sleeve, her voice soft and delicate:

“What Granny Wang says is true. Since Brother Langxing has come, I should naturally dress up properly before seeing him. How could I be so rude? Granny, please go back first. I will be there shortly.”

Granny Wang was taken aback by this reaction, almost rolling her eyes, inwardly filled with disdain:

Pretending! Still pretending with me! Didn't you hear they came to annul the engagement? Do you really think you're the most precious person in the prince's heart?

But it wasn't appropriate to point it out openly, so he could only say dryly:

"Then this old servant will take his leave now. Miss, please... please hurry."

After saying that, she turned and left with a hint of sarcasm, and the maids who hadn't seen her off quickly followed.

The courtyard suddenly became empty.

As soon as Granny Wang disappeared at the end of the corridor, Bai Mei, who had been standing demurely to the side, instantly revealed her true colors and skipped over to Song Yiqiu's side.

He grabbed her arm and looked her up and down with a grin:

"General Song! Didn't you say you were coming back to the capital to live a good life? Is this the good life you were talking about? Tsk tsk tsk, I think it's even more exciting than the enemy attack on our Longnan camp!"

Song Yiqiu flicked her forehead in an annoyed tone:

"No manners! You have to call me 'Miss' now. Tell me, how did you end up here? And how did you end up as a maid?"

Bai Mei rubbed her forehead, pouted, and looked aggrieved.

"It's so boring in the barracks!"

"With your backbone gone, although there haven't been any major battles, we've been spending all our time training troops and patrolling, and our bones are practically rotting from boredom."

"Besides, you became a general and swept through Longnan. You deserve at least half of the military merit, right? When you return to the capital to enjoy your life and inherit your title, shouldn't I come along to ask for some rewards?"