With such a guess, Mu Anxiao quickly returned to the back door of the general's mansion. Unexpectedly, just as she was about to push the door open, a voice suddenly came from behind her, "What are you doing?" The person spoke with a fierce tone.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao froze for a moment, then slowly turned her head. It was the servant responsible for purchasing vegetables for the mansion. Seeing the servant, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and said, "I'm going back after buying the general some pastries he likes." After speaking, she chuckled sheepishly.
Conversely, the purchasing servant frowned, "Why do you look so unfamiliar?"
"I'm new, my name is Cao Gen." Mu Anxiao introduced herself, then looked down at her clothes and deliberately emphasized, "The general lent me these clothes to wear, you should find them familiar, right?"
The purchasing servant said coldly, "Not familiar. You're new." He glanced at the food in Mu Anxiao's arms and sneered, "Who are you trying to fool? Tell me, who sent you to harm the general?"
"Harm?" Mu Anxiao repeated, then said with a wry smile, "No, brother, you're exaggerating. At most, I pulled some strings, and the general asked me to buy this. If you call it harming, then it's quite serious, isn't it?"
"Normally, servants use the front gate. Why are you using the back door?"
"The front gate? What are you thinking? As a servant, how could I have the right to use the front gate? Besides," Mu Anxiao, unwilling to waste any more words with the purchasing servant, put on a stern face, "You say servants use the front gate, then why are you here?"
"It's not your place to ask me." The purchasing servant's guilt was evident.
Mu Anxiao calmly observed the purchasing servant's guilty expression, then glanced at the back door again and said, "I know it's not my place to ask you. Similarly, I'm here to work under the general, not to be provoked. If you want to stir up trouble, go ahead. But I have my limits. If you cross them, don't blame me for being impolite."
"You..."
"What about me? Go use the front gate." With that, Mu Anxiao turned around and was about to push the door when she inadvertently noticed the chain hanging on the door. Her expression stiffened, and she stopped.
Seeing Mu Anxiao suddenly pause, the purchasing servant snorted, "You don't even understand the general's mansion rules, yet you talk about limits. How ridiculous." Saying that, he turned and walked away first.
Mu Anxiao's expression stiffened. She turned to look at the purchasing servant's retreating back and shouted, "What do you mean by that?"
"It means the general said everyone is equal and no one is allowed to use the back door, unless they have special status." The purchasing servant replied without looking back, then raised a set of keys and dangled them.
Mu Anxiao glanced at the keys, then thought about Feng Qishi, who had told her nothing, and her eyes darkened. She muttered, "This is really disappointing." Saying that, she smacked the back door hard and then turned to follow the purchasing servant's footsteps.
In the blink of an eye.
Mu Anxiao stood with the purchasing servant at the bottom of the steps of the front gate.
The purchasing servant felt Mu Anxiao's presence and subtly turned his head to glance at her, saying, "Don't follow me. Don't you have your limits?"
"The back door is locked by you. No matter how many limits I have, it's useless now," Mu Anxiao said through gritted teeth.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's defiant tone, the purchasing servant sneered, "When dealing with people outside, don't offend them unnecessarily, lest you harm yourself." He looked at Mu Anxiao and said, "Watch, I'll teach you how to handle things." After speaking, he walked up the steps.
Mu Anxiao looked at the purchasing servant's back with disdain. Just as she was about to step forward, the purchasing servant was blocked by the gatekeeper. "What are you doing?" the gatekeeper asked.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao withdrew her outstretched foot, thinking, "He's just boasting."
Over there.
The moment the gatekeeper blocked him, the purchasing servant's expression turned obsequious. "Let me in. We are all colleagues."
"Who is your colleague? Don't you know the rules of our mansion? Servants use the back door." The gatekeeper replied rudely.
The purchasing servant completely forgot about Mu Anxiao and continued to smile at the gatekeeper, saying, "The back door is locked. I just got the latest menu from a high-class hotel. If I don't go in now and delay the general's meal, it will look bad."
"The menu?" the gatekeeper repeated.
The purchasing servant nodded. "Yes, the menu." As he spoke, he took a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper was about to take the paper when the purchasing servant said again, "This is for the kitchen. Our chefs are very picky. Anyone who touches this paper will be recognized at a glance. So," he said, retracting the paper again, "for your own good, you'd better not look at it." After saying that, he glanced at the main gate.
The gatekeeper paused, then looked up at the purchasing servant and said coldly, "You're doing this on purpose."
"I'm doing it for your own good," the purchasing servant said, blinking his eyes.
The gatekeeper was speechless.
Meanwhile, Mu Anxiao calmly watched the purchasing servant's back. Hearing his nonsensical words, she muttered, "So, this guy deliberately wants to use the front gate. Locking the door was just to find a scapegoat." She curled her lips, "What bad luck, I actually fell for it."
Immediately after, as Mu Anxiao finished speaking, the purchasing servant suddenly turned to her and said, "You, come here."
"Me?" Mu Anxiao feigned ignorance, looking around.
The purchasing servant said impatiently, "Who else but you? Come here and show this young master what you've bought." He beckoned her over.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao deliberately said, "No, the general asked me to buy this. What business is it of yours?" She deliberately didn't give the purchasing servant any face.
Upon hearing this, the purchasing servant's expression changed. "Don't joke. You're clearly my subordinate. Come here."
"Your subordinate? I am the general's subordinate. The general himself gave me these instructions. What are you?" Mu Anxiao said, but still walked up to the purchasing servant.
The purchasing servant was rendered speechless.
Immediately after, Mu Anxiao glared at the purchasing servant, then looked at the gatekeeper and said with feigned composure, "The general asked me to buy this. Open the gate." Her expression was calm.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's words, the gatekeeper then looked down at the food in her arms and said, "Servants cannot use the front gate. If you use it, what kind of order would that be?"
"There's no one here." Saying that, Mu Anxiao casually took a plum from her bag and offered it to the gatekeeper. "It's delicious."
"I don't want it, this is for the general."
"I can put in a good word for you with the general, maybe you won't have to stay here anymore." As she spoke, Mu Anxiao popped the plum into her mouth.