“What plan are you thinking of?” Mu Anxiao feigned ignorance. After chatting with Gu Yan for a while, Mu Anxiao realized that Gu Yan was much like a young lady from an ordinary family; she was afraid of dirt, cared about her appearance, and enjoyed being praised. Based on these points, she felt confident.
“I don’t want to pretend to be a groom and wash horses, especially cleaning up manure. It’s too dirty,” Gu Yan said, looking pleadingly at Mu Anxiao. “Cao Gen, please help me think of a way.”
“I’ll go,” Mu Anxiao said deliberately.
However, Gu Yan shook her head and refused, “No, you can’t go for me. This is the groom’s job. If you go,” she sighed, “and the master finds out, he’ll definitely be angry.”
“I’ll go. Why would the master be angry? I think he’ll be happy.”
“Lately, people in the manor already have opinions about the groom. If you go,” Gu Yan said, being cautious, “and someone with an agenda sees it, they’ll definitely gossip. By then, if the gossip reaches General Shen… the General will get angry and expel the groom from the manor. Wouldn’t that be a big problem?”
“Isn’t the General quite good to that groom’s daughter? I believe the General won’t do anything to the groom for the child’s sake, right?”
“How do you know the groom has a daughter?” Gu Yan was surprised.
However, Mu Anxiao had only blurted out the words on impulse. She hadn’t expected Gu Yan to take it seriously. Looking at Gu Yan, she paused for a few seconds, her face not blushing and her heart not skipping a beat, then said, “You’re not even listening to me. You’re being too disrespectful!” She pretended to be angry.
“How could I not…”
“I already told you, I was brought in by the General. Before entering the manor, the General also told me some things. And also,” Mu Anxiao interrupted, deliberately changing the subject, “I’m actually here to seek refuge with someone.”
“Seek refuge with whom?” Gu Yan asked curiously.
Mu Anxiao let out a shallow sigh and said deliberately, “A maid named Shu’er. But I find it strange, I’ve searched everywhere in this manor, and I can’t find that maid’s trace.” She stared at Gu Yan. “Fairy sister, have you seen her?”
“No.” Gu Yan’s eyes darted away.
Mu Anxiao didn’t probe further and sighed, “It seems she knew I was coming and ran away.” Saying this, she shook her head to express her helplessness.
Gu Yan didn’t want to continue this topic, so she deliberately said, “Uh, can you please help me think of a way? I really don’t want to clean that sickening stable.” She looked troubled.
Mu Anxiao looked at Gu Yan’s troubled expression and couldn’t help but think of the groom who had disappeared. She asked, “Speaking of which, does the master usually clean it himself?”
“I don’t know.” Gu Yan shook her head.
“You don’t know?” Mu Anxiao repeated, glancing deliberately at Gu Yan’s hand, and said, “I have an idea.”
“What idea?” Gu Yan was excited.
Mu Anxiao smiled. “You can use your sorcery. When I went down just now, weren’t you doing that? You can do that again in a moment, and it will be fine. Moreover,” she said cautiously, “I think the master probably does it this way too.”
“I don’t know how the master does it, but I know,” Gu Yan became troubled, “I can’t use sorcery randomly. If the master finds out I used sorcery to do something like this, he’ll definitely be angry.”
“Then let’s find the groom to help you,” Mu Anxiao blurted out, thinking that this way, she might be able to find the groom.
Conversely, Gu Yan put on a look of disdain. “You really know how to think. If I knew where the groom was, would I be this troubled?”
“You don’t know where the groom is?” Mu Anxiao feigned surprise.
Gu Yan: “Remember, we are just completing tasks for the master. We cannot interfere too much in other matters. I’m reminding you because I trust you. If you do something foolish again,” she shook her head, “I won’t be able to help you anymore.”
“I understand,” Mu Anxiao said, her gaze unintentionally falling on the money pouch at Gu Yan’s waist. She exclaimed excitedly, “I have an idea!”
“What idea?” Gu Yan asked doubtfully.
Mu Anxiao revealed a smile and then whispered her plan to Gu Yan. Gu Yan smiled after listening.
A short while later.
Mu Anxiao followed Gu Yan, who had transformed into a groom, to the back door. Just as footsteps were heard, Mu Anxiao grabbed Gu Yan’s arm and shouted, “Groom, I’m really out of money. Give me some money! I know your wages are higher than mine. How about this, I’ll help you clean the stable, and you give me money, okay?”
“No, this is my job. If you do it, what will I do?” Gu Yan shouted, feigning anger.
Immediately after, a few servants appeared in their sight.
Then, one of the servants asked, “Groom, what’s going on? Why are you bullying someone for no reason?” As he spoke, he glanced provocatively at Mu Anxiao, who was on the verge of kneeling.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao immediately glared at the servant and shouted, “I’m doing it willingly. If you give me money, I’ll help you too.” Saying this, she let go of Gu Yan’s arm and walked towards the servant.
Seeing this, the servant quickly took a step back. “I don’t need your help.”
“I’ll help you, and you give me money. It’s a good deal.”
“No need,” the servant refused outright.
“What about you guys?” Mu Anxiao said, looking at them one by one.
Subsequently, after they all refused, they uniformly pushed Mu Anxiao towards the groom ‘Gu Yan’.
The groom ‘Gu Yan’ feigned anger. “No, this is my job. If I let him do it, you lot will definitely go to the General and report me. Don’t try to harm me. I’m telling you, I’m not easy to bully.” Saying this, she straightened her back.
“He doesn’t want me, I’ll go with you,” Mu Anxiao said, stepping forward and clinging to their arms shamelessly.
The moment they heard Mu Anxiao say this, they revealed expressions of disdain. The first servant said, “We definitely won’t say anything. Just consider it a good deed and take her in. Please help us by taking her.” Saying this, he tried to shake off Mu Anxiao, but it was no use.
The second servant also said, “We won’t say anything. This person wants to work, so let her do it.”
“Exactly, we won’t say anything.” They said in unison.
Hearing their words, Mu Anxiao let go of them and turned to the groom ‘Gu Yan’. “Let me do it.” Saying this, she grinned foolishly.
Seeing this, Gu Yan was secretly delighted. With a troubled expression, she agreed, “Alright, I’ll give you money, and you do it.” Saying this, she glanced at them and tossed the money pouch to Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao caught it with a smile.
The next second, they all smiled too.
In this way, Mu Anxiao further gained Gu Yan’s trust.
With the help of the groom ‘Gu Yan’, those people all left.
After they had walked away, Mu Anxiao put away the money pouch, rolled up her sleeves, and started working.
Gu Yan stood by the back door, raising her hand to cover her mouth and nose.