Meng Yaren, after understanding the situation, respectfully said, "To tell you the truth, madam, I brought four older women, six young maids, four young servant boys, and two middle-aged guards this time. There are also two families."
Su Xiaoqi nodded upon hearing this, thinking he had indeed come prepared.
She considered and then asked him to lead everyone to the front courtyard.
She turned back to beckon Shen Yun, "Since that's the case, let's go take a look. We'll keep whoever catches our eye."
Shen Yun offered no objection.
He always deferred to Su Xiaoqi on such matters.
He trusted that with her capabilities, she could arrange everything well if she set her mind to it.
When the two had finished discussing and arrived at the outer courtyard, He Qiulei and Meng Yaren had already gathered everyone in the front courtyard, arranging them in a line.
Zhang Yu was very observant.
As soon as Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi arrived, she immediately brought out three redwood chairs with Guo'er and Li Shushao.
She invited the two, along with He Qiulei, to sit.
Only then did Su Xiaoqi begin to appraise the people below.
Standing at the front were the older women and young maids.
Su Xiaoqi selected four young maids, around twelve or thirteen years old, with clear features and lively eyes, and two twelve-year-old servant boys.
It was difficult to choose among the older women, as one of them was a steward嬷嬷 from the disgraced Jia family.
Because their master had committed a crime, their servants were naturally resold.
The advantage of such a嬷嬷 was that having served in official households, she understood the rules and would not require much training.
The others were older women of clean backgrounds, but they appeared naive and clueless, knowing nothing.
Su Xiaoqi hesitated for a moment before looking at Shen Yun, wanting his opinion at this crucial juncture.
She simultaneously informed Shen Yun that the Old Madam had agreed to give her a capable嬷嬷.
Meng Yaren couldn't help but interject, "The Old Madam of the Duke of Yu's Mansion?"
Su Xiaoqi nodded and asked how he knew.
Meng Yaren said, "In the entire capital, the only one who can be addressed as Old Madam is this old lady from the Duke of Yu's Mansion."
The Daliang Dynasty had many Dukes and many surviving Old Duchesses, but in terms of reputation and status, none could match the one from the Duke of Yu's Mansion.
Su Xiaoqi had known from early on that the Old Madam was no ordinary person, but she hadn't expected her to have such prestige among the common folk.
At this moment, Shen Yun had already made his decision. He pointed to the two嬷嬷 Su Xiaoqi had mentioned.
One was the Peng嬷嬷 from the Jia family, and the other was a slightly younger-looking Shen嬷嬷.
Su Xiaoqi blinked, wondering if this meant he wanted both.
"One for the front courtyard, one for the back," Shen Yun said concisely.
Su Xiaoqi thought about it and nodded, realizing her own perspective had been too narrow, as she had been thinking of choosing one out of two.
He had directly chosen both.
Next were two more families, each consisting of a husband and wife with a daughter.
Su Xiaoqi immediately took a liking to the three people standing at the back.
They had kept their heads bowed since entering and had not looked up, appearing very proper.
She pointed to them, signaling to Meng Yaren, and decided on them.
However, Meng Yaren stepped forward and whispered, "Madam, please forgive my directness, but should Madam reconsider this person?"
Su Xiaoqi raised an eyebrow, finding Meng Yaren's actions amusing. He brought people for her to choose from, and then, after she made her choice, he suggested she not take them. What kind of logic was that?
Sensing Su Xiaoqi's displeasure, Meng Yaren quickly explained in a low voice, "I dare not hide anything from you, Madam. These people… are from Prince Ning's mansion.
They committed a mistake. I originally intended for them to learn some rules from me to avoid future transgressions, but the young girl fell ill and needed money for medicine.
They couldn't stay put, so they begged me to bring them out.
Whether the master takes a liking to them is their fate." Meng Yaren spoke frankly.
But Su Xiaoqi listened with a smile that was not quite a smile.
As Meng Yaren met her clear, bright eyes, he couldn't help but lower his gaze.
Alright, although their interaction had been brief, he already knew that the person before him was exceptionally intelligent.
In front of her, all his little schemes seemed to be laid bare.
However, he felt fortunate that he had spoken the truth and hadn't truly misled her, so he straightened his back again and met Su Xiaoqi's dark eyes, which were as lustrous as ink.
Su Xiaoqi saw through his thoughts and did not blame him.
Fortunately, he had used an open strategy, clearly informing her about this family's situation.
Rather than waiting until after she brought them home to discover their issues.
"Oh, she's sick? Let me see," Su Xiaoqi said, standing up and walking towards the young girl standing at the very back.
She was wearing a grey coarse cloth garment and stood with her head bowed, appearing normal on the surface.
If Meng Yaren hadn't mentioned it, she might not have noticed the girl's illness.
Su Xiaoqi reached out and took her wrist.
The young girl trembled all over with fright. If not for the woman beside her supporting her, she might have fallen to the ground.
Su Xiaoqi ignored her, focusing on feeling her pulse. Upon doing so, there was no need for a detailed examination; she instantly understood the nature of her illness.
She wasn't sick; she had clearly had a miscarriage.
She was already frail and severely depleted. Coupled with being punished, her body had become so weak and fragile.
Su Xiaoqi admired her for being able to stand there for so long.
Thinking that, as a fellow woman, she was so beautiful and attractive, yet her life was so hard.
Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but feel compassion. She released the girl's wrist, walked back to the armchair, met Meng Yaren's inquiring gaze, and said softly, "It will be them."
If she didn't take them, she doubted anyone else would be willing to.
Meng Yaren looked at her with surprise upon hearing this. Then, he nodded at that family, a look of relief appearing on his face.
He then beckoned to the family, drew them closer, and cautioned them, "You must be grateful." After speaking, he told them to come forward and express their thanks.
Su Xiaoqi felt a little down and didn't say much, only asking Guo'er to take them back to the servants' quarters for them to settle in and unpack.
Shen Yun left instructions for Zhang Yu to temporarily teach them the rules until the Old Madam's嬷嬷 arrived, at which point they would be handed over.
Zhang Yu nodded in agreement, and Su Xiaoqi had no objections.
She herself didn't quite know how household servants in grand families should be trained.
Zhang Yu, however, had come from the Gu family, so her etiquette was naturally not lacking. Even the Old Madam hadn't found fault with her before.
She only added an extra instruction, "Huai Hua doesn't need to come tomorrow; she can rest first. I'll prepare a medicinal soup for her later."
Huai Hua was the girl with the maiden's hairstyle who had miscarried.
Su Xiaoqi had looked at the information Meng Yaren had given her; it stated she was only fourteen years old.
Good heavens, fourteen years old...
She wondered what kind of den of wolves and tigers Prince Ning's mansion was, to not spare such a young girl.
Worse still, after bullying her and causing her to become pregnant, they had ordered her to be beaten thirty times, resulting in the loss of the child.
She was then sold along with her entire family without even being allowed to rest.
These methods were quite ruthless. She wondered whose hand was behind it in Prince Ning's mansion.
"Madam Shen is benevolent. Meng is grateful to Madam Shen here," Meng Yaren said, looking at Su Xiaoqi in shock.
Initially, he didn't understand why Su Xiaoqi insisted on keeping the Mu family after learning of their situation.
Now, he understood.
Madam Shen might simply be kind-hearted; his observation of her sympathetic gaze towards Huai Hua was enough to tell him.
It wasn't that he was saying it, but in the past two days, he had taken the Mu family of three to over ten households. The person in charge at each household only took a liking to the Mu couple, and no one was willing to take in Huai Hua, finding her too frail and also deeming her restless...
In short, they were giving her away for free, but others found it a waste of resources.
He had brought them along today with the mindset of trying the impossible.
Fortunately, he had finally met the right person.
Meng Yaren felt relieved and, at the same time, silently vowed that if Madam Shen wanted to buy anyone again in the future, he would find the best for her.
Just as he thought this, he heard Su Xiaoqi ask if he could help her buy a manor.
"No problem, no problem," Meng Yaren promised, patting his chest, and assured her he would arrange it as soon as possible.
Although there were many masters before who had asked him to look for and buy properties,
Meng Yaren had already decided that if he found a suitable one, he would prioritize showing it to Madam Shen.
Su Xiaoqi, being as sharp as she was, understood his intentions by observing Meng Yaren's shifting expressions.
She was happy about this, paid for the people she bought, gave him a reward, and politely saw him out.
Upon returning to the inner courtyard, Su Xiaoqi indeed prepared a nourishing recipe, took out medicinal herbs from her space, and handed them to Guo'er to be brewed in the kitchen. She instructed that once ready, it should be brought directly to the back rooms for Huai Hua to drink.
"Master, you are truly kind," Guo'er said.
Su Xiaoqi sighed without speaking.
After Guo'er left, she turned to look at Shen Yun. Seeing his deep eyes looking at her attentively, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why, do you think I shouldn't have kept her?"