The maid who was taking care of Yue Ling reported that Yue Ling had woken up and had seen her sister's body.
Aunt Ge instructed that the princess should be met in the side hall after she had finished her breakfast.
At the dinner table, Jiang Yue remained calm and used serving chopsticks to serve food to her maternal grandparents.
"I haven't had pickled mustard greens for years!"
Grandpa Gu sighed, saying that he and his wife had been eating the food in Yunshui County for many years, but they still hadn't gotten used to it.
"Just eat. After this is all over, I want to go with Nannan to visit her in-laws."
Mrs. Xu carefully peeled the tea eggs and placed them in the empty bowl in front of her granddaughter.
She made this herself; it's not sold here.
Jiang Yue, not wanting to be impolite, took a bite, and indeed, it tasted like her hometown.
Qingyao smelled the fragrance and called out sweetly—
"Grandma, I want some too!"
“Oh, Grandma also peeled it for Yao Yao.”
In that coquettish cry, Madam Xu lost herself and completely ignored her "dear grandson".
Gu Liulang munched on a fried dough stick, a pang of sadness rising in his heart.
Even his grandparents weren't this patient with him.
"Uncle, you should eat too!"
Qingyao smiled brightly at her uncle, thinking to herself that her uncle was quite pitiful, having pretended to be blind for many years.
Gu Liulang nodded quickly upon hearing his niece's words.
Sigh, they're about the same age, but he's a generation older...
Author: My bad, I'm sorry~
After finishing breakfast in a relaxed atmosphere, the bodyguards hired by Jiang Yue arrived just in time to report for duty.
After scanning the list, I selected four skilled individuals and placed them next to my cheap underlings.
"Liu Lang, you should take over the Gu family's assets, take over what you should take over and sell what you should sell off, reorganize them into a book, and then report back to me."
"Okay, I'll do whatever you say, sister."
Gu Liulang accepted the order, and together with the bodyguards his elder sister had entrusted to him, left the Prince's residence...
Of the remaining sixteen bodyguards, ten stayed in the manor to strengthen security and teach the servants simple physical exercises.
Of the other six, two were placed next to the grandparents to protect them.
The two were placed beside their daughter to ensure her safety.
The last two were guards beside her.
For a time, the Prince's residence was "as solid as a rock".
Outsiders want to plant people in to gather intelligence, but they simply can't.
Jiang Yue took some time to meet with Yue Ling, the young girl.
Unlike her initial wariness upon first meeting, this time Yue Ling knelt down directly to thank the Lady for taking her in.
Jiang Yue allowed the other person to kneel down and express their gratitude. After the other person finished kowtowing, she asked:
"What happened to you sisters after we parted yesterday?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, shortly after you and Miss left yesterday, the steward of the Shangguan family sent men to search for young children..."
Yue Ling calmly recounted her experiences, her eyes filled with boundless hatred for the Shangguan family.
The prefect is a pervert who loves young children and girls, and the Shangguan family is an accomplice in his evil deeds!
Every so often, Shangguan Jie'ai's steward would purchase large quantities of young children and girls to supply the prefect with his playthings.
All the young children who were bought disappeared without a trace!
Originally, some poor families sold their children for money.
But as the bodies disappeared without a trace, fewer and fewer people were willing to sell their children.
This led to the Shangguan family's steward starting to collect young children everywhere!
No matter how much the Yue sisters try to conceal it, they cannot change their age and gender.
After the princess and young lady left, someone in the slums sold the sisters for a reward...
When she and her sister refused, he ordered his thugs to punch and kick them, maliciously slashing their faces as a warning to others...
She didn't want to die. She remembered the kind old woman who told her to go to the county magistrate's residence later.
With sheer willpower and an unwavering determination to survive, she struggled to carry her younger sister on her back, step by step, through the snowy night, leaving the slums...
"My lady, please take me in and bury my sister. I, Yue Ling, am willing to serve you as your slave and maid to repay your kindness!"
Yue Ling thought about it all night. After falling into a deep sleep, she dreamed of her parents and her happy little sister. They told her to live well, to live well in their place.
Only by living can one avenge their grievances!
"Alright, I'll give you a chance. You can stay by my side for now. I'll have Steward Ge properly bury your sister. From now on, your life is mine."
Jiang Yue nodded, seeing the hatred in the girl's eyes.
She didn't mind keeping the little girl.
"This servant thanks you for taking me in, Master."
Yue Ling knelt down, her head hitting the cold floor with a resounding thud.
"Get up. Heal your injuries first. After you're healed, Steward Ge will teach you the rules."
Jiang Yue waved her hand, indicating that the other party could leave.
After everyone left, Aunt Ge stepped forward and reminded them:
"My lady, I'm afraid this child harbors too much hatred; what if he...?"
"It's alright, we have the same goal. I will make her personally kill her enemy."
Jiang Yue shook her head. In this era, human life is really worthless.
Human hatred can truly last a lifetime.
Gratitude lasts a lifetime.
She sent the Yue sisters to seek refuge with her because she couldn't bear to see the two young girls suffer such hardship.
Now, with one dead and one injured, where can she go if she doesn't keep Yue Ling?
"This servant understands. This servant will properly train Yue Ling to serve the Princess."
Aunt Ge knew that the princess was a soft-hearted goddess.
But she was different; she wanted to safeguard everything that might threaten the Prince.
If Yue Ling grows up to be a bad person, she will directly eliminate this danger for the Princess!
If Yue Ling is upright and grateful, she will do her best to train this promising talent so that Yue Ling can serve the Lady!
Yue Ling took one last look at her sister, telling her to leave in peace and be laid to rest.
He then immersed himself in learning the rules of the county magistrate's residence and actively followed the servants to learn basic skills...
After learning about the girl's tragic past, Manager Qian took care of her to some extent.
The same applies to the other maids and servants.
In the Junjun Mansion, no one would laugh at Yue Ling or ostracize her because of her ugly face.
This gave Yue Ling a great sense of security and belonging to the County Lord's Mansion...
So much so that after she avenged herself, she remained alone for decades, guarding the princess's side...
But that's a story for another time.
Jiang Yue picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said with bright eyes:
"Please have Manager Qian come to the study; I have something to discuss with him."
"Yes, ma'am!"
......
Judging by the timeline, another surprise force should be arriving soon!
Before that, she needs to gather more evidence—witness accounts and physical evidence—to punish corrupt officials and restore order to Yunshui County...
Hopefully it won't be too late; she still wants to go back to Taohua County and her village before summer vacation to assign new summer homework to the students.
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