"Stretch out your hands..."
The two girls obediently stretched out their hands. She examined their hands and nodded in satisfaction.
"Hmm, rough hands and large joints, looks like someone who practices martial arts. Keep them all!"
Upon hearing this, the two girls nodded happily.
"Thank you, young lady, thank you, young lady."
"Please state your names, home address, and past experiences..."
The short girl stepped forward and introduced herself generously:
"My name is Zhang Xiaohu. My family used to run a martial arts school. Later... later my family suffered a misfortune, and I was left all alone. So I came to the capital, thinking of finding a job. I happened to see that the Crown Prince's residence was looking for maids, and the price offered was very high. I just happened to meet the requirements, so I came here. I was lucky enough to be selected. If you like me, please keep me. I promise to serve you and the young master wholeheartedly."
"Hmm, your family used to own a martial arts school, so your kung fu skills should be pretty good. What about you?"
Another maidservant hurriedly replied:
“To answer your question, my name is Luo Chun’er. My ancestors used to run a security escort agency. Business has been bad these past two years, so I was thinking of finding a job to earn some money to supplement my family’s income. Please let me stay, my lady. From now on, you will be my mistress, and I will serve you faithfully.”
"Yes, Xiaohu and Chun'er, you can both stay at Donghui Courtyard. Just call me Miss Luo from now on."
Seeing that they could both stay, the two girls were overjoyed.
Leng Chuchen then instructed the steward to take them to change their clothes and to teach them some rules and regulations for living in the manor.
Seeing the two girls leave, she glared at him coldly.
"I heard that the Empress is protecting Yue Xiaoyue?"
Leng Chuchen nodded with a rather helpless expression.
"Yes, thanks to the Empress Dowager's strong support, and the ministers in the palace also pleaded for her out of respect for Yue's father and son, in the end, the Emperor punished her by confining her to her quarters for three months... However, Xiang'er, who killed her, was executed."
"Oh!"
She suddenly laughed mockingly.
"Xiang'er has become the scapegoat, how pitiful."
"She deserved what she got for committing such a heinous crime!"
Luo Zhiwan sighed helplessly.
Even if the Emperor disregards the status of Yue Xiaoyue's father and son in the court, and ignores the ministers' advice, Yue Xiaoyue will be fine simply because she is Empress Qi's darling.
Besides, Yiming is fine now, and if the Empress pleads with the Emperor, he will give her some face.
However, the day after this incident, Yue Xiaomin couldn't wait to go to the palace to complain, saying that Luo Zhiwan pretended to be a ghost to scare Yue Xiaoyue, which caused her to be frightened into talking nonsense and admitting that she wanted to harm Yiming. Leng Chuchen happened to hear this and ordered her to be locked up.
Empress Qi already disliked Luo Zhiwan, and now that she heard that Yue Xiaoyue was confined to her quarters because of her, her hatred for Luo Zhiwan intensified.
She ordered someone to summon Luo Zhiwan to bring Yiming into the palace, saying that the Empress Dowager missed Yiming.
Normally, when the Empress Dowager wanted to see Yiming, she wouldn't ask her to come along, but this time she specifically asked for her, which made her very curious.
Before leaving, Leng Chuchen softly reminded him,
“I have something to do today and cannot travel with you, but I will have Liping accompany you. If you need anything, please contact him.”
"No need, the palace isn't a den of wolves and tigers..."
"Those two maids are new here and cannot come to the palace with you for the time being. I will find two clever maids in the manor to accompany you. If you need anything, just tell them to do it."
"Yes, Your Highness, you need not worry. I know what to do."
The imperial palace is not like an ordinary household. Two newly arrived maids would not be allowed to enter the palace without confirming whether they were truly there to earn wages.
Before getting into the carriage, Yiming looked at him with pitiful eyes.
"Father, if you're done with your work, send someone to the palace to find me. I want to come back as soon as possible."
Luo Zhiwan understood Yiming's little scheme, and Leng Chuchen nodded knowingly in agreement.
"Okay, I'll come find you when I'm done with my work. You need to take good care of Mom."
"I see."
Yiming, like a little adult, pouted his cute little mouth and nodded.
However, his body was still too immature, and his identity only allowed him to protect himself. How could he possibly protect Luo Zhiwan?
After they entered the palace, Yiming and the two maids were taken to Changshou Palace to accompany the Empress Dowager, while she was summoned to Fengyou Palace.
She felt a vague sense of unease. Empress Qi had summoned her to see her alone; something must be going on. She had to be careful.
Led by a palace maid, she arrived at the entrance of Fengyou Palace. After examining her, Yanzhi led her to the main hall of Fengyou Palace.
Empress Qi sat in the main hall, her face dark as she watched her walk in.
"This humble woman, Luo Zhiwan, greets Her Majesty the Empress."
"Get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"I should thank you. I heard that you used your supernatural powers to find out who wanted to harm Xiang'er? You are really smart, even more so than Nie Yuan, the first-rank imperial guard, and the second and third-rank guards of the Crown Prince's residence. I called you here today to thank you properly."
Upon hearing this, her brows furrowed instantly.
Empress Qi didn't mean to thank her; she was trying to give her a hard time.
Everyone inside and outside the palace knew that Yue Xiaoyue wanted to harm Yiming, and she was confined to her quarters by the emperor because of it. Although her life was saved, it was a disgrace to the Yue family.
If she can't marry Leng Chuchen as a concubine in the future, it will be difficult for her to get married at all.
Empress Qi would be furious about this, so when she said she wanted to thank her, she was clearly being sarcastic.
Thinking of this, she bowed slightly and replied:
“I was also at fault in this matter. I failed to protect the young prince properly, otherwise Yue Xiaoyue would not have taken advantage of the situation.”
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