The next morning, the butler led the child traffickers to Xiao Man's courtyard. When Madam Yan received the news, her expression changed repeatedly.
She hadn't known about the maids being bought for Xiao Man's courtyard!
"They said the Old Madam permitted it, and the money didn't come from public funds, likely paid for by the Old Madam herself."
"Hmph, she's protecting her now. I wonder who it was, gnashing her teeth with hatred daily. Now that Monk Wuyou has predicted her fate, she's treasured like a gem," Madam Yan seethed inwardly. "Xiao Man doesn't think this means I can't plant my people, does she?"
Xiao Man, watching the rows of maids standing in the courtyard, sat lazily on a chair and took the bird's nest porridge handed to her by Qiu Tong, eating it in small sips. "Butler, will you be adding people to Grandmother's courtyard?"
"The Old Madam said no one will be added to her courtyard. She wants the Eldest Miss to choose first, and after she's chosen, the other young ladies will choose," the butler replied softly, standing to the side.
In the past, the Eldest Miss was arrogant and wore her thoughts on her sleeve. Now that she had calmed down, he found himself unable to fathom her thoughts.
"How many should I pick?"
"The Eldest Miss needs one first-rank maid, three second-rank maids, and two third-rank maids. The Eldest Miss can pick two more," the butler said immediately.
Xiao Man nodded, her gaze falling upon the people standing in the courtyard. Her eyes swept over each of them, and she pointed to a few. "These four are sufficient."
"The Eldest Miss is only picking four?"
"I don't need that many servants by my side. I'll take four. Take the rest to the younger sisters to choose from. Second Miss's personal maid is gone, so she needs one too. Don't forget."
"This old servant remembers." The butler left with the child traffickers.
Xiao Man's gaze swept over the four women. "Qiu Tong, I entrust these four to you. Teach them the rules well, so they can get up to speed quickly and you and Yin Zhu won't be too tired."
"Yes, Miss," Qiu Tong replied repeatedly and led the four women away.
A slight smile played on Xiao Man's lips, a smile of satisfaction.
These four were all people arranged by Qin Xue, and they were all skilled.
She would clean out this courtyard. No matter who was hidden in the shadows, it wouldn't be easy for them to scheme against her again.
Xiao Xiang's injuries had improved slightly but she was still unable to get out of bed. Lying on the bed, she heard that the butler had sent maids for her to choose from and her heart leaped. "Did Grandmother ask me to choose?"
The butler glanced at the pale Second Miss and his tone remained unchanged. "The Eldest Miss asked this old servant to send people. All the young ladies have them. After the Second Miss chooses, she will go to the Fourth Miss's courtyard. As for the Third Miss, the Madam said there's no need."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Xiao Xiang's face. Indeed, with her reputation ruined, she was nothing in her grandmother's eyes.
How could Grandmother possibly care about her? In this mansion, apart from Xiao Man, there was no one left who cared about her!
Xiao Xiang casually picked one person, and the butler led his men away.
The Third Concubine knew Xiao Xiang was upset, but their current situation was precarious, and they could no longer afford to be picky.
"Second Miss, now, the only person we can rely on is the Eldest Miss." The Third Concubine saw clearly that those who offered a helping hand in times of trouble were friends. Although the Eldest Miss was a bit overbearing, her heart was not bad.
"Concubine, don't you think Xiao Man is helping us with ulterior motives?" Xiao Xiang gave a bitter laugh. She had fallen to a point where she could be trampled on daily, and it was all Xiao Man's doing!
Xiao Man was doing all this just to show her that in this mansion, if you offended her, Xiao Man, you would never get anywhere!
"But now, we can only rely on her." The Third Concubine also felt hatred. If it weren't for Xiao Man, how would they have fallen to this point? But if they wanted to stabilize their footing in the General's mansion, they had to rely on Xiao Man. "Endure humiliation for a moment, and repay it a thousandfold in the future!"
A trembling woman stood outside the Protector General's Mansion, staring at its imposing gates. Suddenly, she dashed her head against the stone lion outside the mansion, splashing blood everywhere.
This scene stunned the guards at the gate and the passing commoners. They gathered around, pointing at the General's Mansion. The guards rushed into the mansion to report that someone had committed suicide outside the mansion, which was no small matter.
A man in green approached and helped up the woman who had struck her head in suicide. After a check, he confirmed she was still alive and skillfully bandaged her wound to stop the bleeding.
"It's Doctor Ye," the surrounding commoners whispered when they recognized the man in green.
When the butler arrived, the woman had already regained consciousness. As soon as she woke, she began to cry mournfully, "My son, my poor son..."
"Madam, why did you decide to end your life?" Ye Qing asked the woman to sit down firmly, released her, and began tidying his medicine box. He then took out a handkerchief and handed it to the weeping woman. His gaze fell on the butler who had come out, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"Doctor Ye is here, please come in," the butler said, stepping forward to bow and invite Ye Qing in.
Ye Qing flicked some dust from his robes and picked up his medicine box, ready to enter. Unexpectedly, the woman lunged forward and grabbed the butler's leg. "Where did you hide my son? Hand over my son."
The butler frowned. "Old woman, why would I hide your son?"
"Your Protector General's Mansion abuses its power and arrested my son. It's been over a month with no news. Where have you taken my son?" The woman clung to the butler's leg. "If you don't hand over my son today, I'll kill myself right here!"
"Auntie, why have you come here?" A scholar pushed through the crowd and hurried to support the woman.
"My son, Ah Kuan, tell them, tell them to hand over my son!" The woman struggled fiercely, and the wound on her head began to bleed again.
Ye Qing frowned slightly but remained standing still.
The butler signaled, and someone was immediately sent to fetch someone.
"Madam, who is your son, and when did our General's Mansion arrest your son? You must clarify this. If you slander the General's Mansion, it will be more than just being handed over to officials." The butler was also shrewd. This person was clearly here to cause trouble. Their General's Mansion had not arrested anyone!
"Ah Kuan, tell them, my son, my son Zi Chu, wasn't he taken away by people from your General's Mansion and hasn't returned since?"
It turned out this woman was Liang Zi Chu's mother, Madam Zhang.
Upon hearing that her son had been missing for over a month, Madam Zhang rushed to the capital. After understanding the situation, she came directly to the General's Mansion to demand him back. However, fearing the powerful status of the General's Mansion, she knew she might not get him back, hence her attempted suicide to gain public sympathy and pressure the General's Mansion.