Chapter 1336 - 16: Leaving the Capital
Hmm.
There was a bit of a mishap in the process of buying Yun Chu.
Yun Chu’s appearance speaks for itself; such beauty is rare even among the well-bred young ladies of the Capital City. It’s understandable that many noble sons wanted to buy her; still, no reputable family wants to be told their maid looks better than the master.
If Shen Junshan hadn’t been worried about mishaps and accompanied Yan Ning, it wouldn’t have been certain that Yan Ning could buy Yun Chu.
Yun Chu stood beside Yan Ning, and those familiar with Shen Junshan teased him, "Miss Yan doesn’t lack maids to serve her, there’s no need to fight over a maid. Are you buying her to be your concubine?"
"Shoo, shoo, nonsense," Shen Junshan waved his hand.
Of course, he was all smiles, not angry at all.
Yan Ning knew Yun Chu; seeing her cousin so attentive to her, it seemed he was truly smitten.
Seizing the moment when Yun Chu wasn’t paying attention, Yan Ning glared at Shen Junshan and said, "Cousin said he’d gift me a maid, why is it her?"
Yan Ning was tight-lipped, and Shen Junshan trusted her, so he honestly disclosed Yun Chu’s identity.
That truly shocked Yan Ning.
"With such a status, how can she be my maid? It’s too much of a grievance for her," Yan Ning shook her head.
"Times change, I have to leave the Capital City for a while; leaving her at Ciyun Temple unsettles me," Shen Junshan said.
Placing Yun Chu by Yan Ning’s side was for Yun Chu’s safety and also for Yan Ning to keep an eye on her.
Besides those two reasons, there was a third one: watching over Yan Ning.
Yan Ning recently reached marriageable age, and Lady Ji Bei was already looking for a husband for her; though she’s a cousin, in Shen Junshan’s eyes, Yan Ning is like his real sister.
With her breathtaking beauty, whenever Yan Ning is on the street, countless eyes fixate on her; some timid ones only dare to watch from afar, while bolder ones dare to approach.
Yan Ning has a gentle disposition, and her maids follow her lead; she needs someone fierce like Yun Chu to protect her.
The Third Prince, who once fell down a mountain with Yan Ning, also schemed against him; Shen Junshan worried the Third Prince might covet his cousin.
Shen Junshan wasn’t sure of the Third Prince’s nature and had to be cautious.
Yan Ning glanced at Shen Junshan, "When cousin leaves the Capital City for errands, you may lose money or horses. Didn’t Uncle say he wouldn’t dare entrust the task to you anymore?"
"For personal matters," Shen Junshan replied.
Yan Ning immediately understood, "Is it for Yun Chu?"
Shen Junshan didn’t speak, tacitly admitting it.
"Don’t tell her," Shen Junshan instructed.
Yan Ning nodded.
The espionage case involving the Wenyuan Bo Mansion was hard to investigate; if word got out and her cousin couldn’t find evidence, it would be too embarrassing.
Though her cousin might be a bit idle, he has always been reliable; she believed cousin would restore the Wenyuan Bo Mansion’s innocence.
"Don’t worry, cousin, I’ll definitely take good care of Yun Chu," Yan Ning said.
The two took Yun Chu back to the mansion; buying a new maid required reporting to Lady Ji Bei, especially since Marquis Jibei was a General, and the house contained important items, in case anyone tried to sneak in.
Yun Chu was the most beautiful maid in the Jibei Marquis Mansion; upon arrival, she drew envy and jealousy from a bunch of maids.
Lady Ji Bei also scrutinized Yun Chu; no matter how humble Yun Chu appeared, her air of a well-bred young lady was hard to hide.
Lady Ji Bei found it hard to believe Yun Chu was just a maid.
Unsettled, as Lady Ji Bei examined Yun Chu closely, Marquis Jibei returned and recognized Yun Chu with one glance.
Marquis Jibei looked at Yun Chu, then at Yan Ning, and lastly at his own son.
No need for words; this was clearly his son’s idea.
Lady Ji Bei said, "Since she’s newly bought into the mansion, let her be trained for a few days before she’s placed by your side."
Yan Ning quickly said, "Aunt, I want to train her myself."
Lady Ji Bei frowned, and Marquis Jibei said, "If Ningning wants to train her herself, let her do it."
"It’s just right to take the opportunity to observe her ability to manage maids; it’ll prevent you worrying when she’s married off."
Yan Ning blushed, "I won’t speak to Uncle again."
"Tantan, let’s go."
Saying this, she grabbed Yun Chu’s hand and led her away.
With Marquis Jibei’s agreement, Lady Ji Bei couldn’t say anything more.
Yan Ning took Yun Chu back to her courtyard; the two personal maids could see the second young master thought differently of Yun Chu; though merely called a maid, it was more like placing her by their young lady’s side in care.
After all, the second young mistress hadn’t been settled yet, and the second young master had a poor reputation; proposing marriage was challenging, and if he took a concubine before marrying the main wife, it would be hard to find anyone willing to marry their daughter to him.
The second young master appeared idle to outsiders, but his reputation within the mansion was higher than the eldest young master’s; though there were quite a few masters in the mansion, the one most liked by the servants was still the second young master.