Now that Qian Zhao Sheng had brought it up, the more he thought about it, the worse the situation seemed. He said nervously, "My mother told me before that in the few years after the mistress first went missing, a lot of people tried to curry favor with the Lord by deliberately finding women who looked like her and sending them to him. The Lord flew into a thunderous rage over it, and after that, no one dared to do it again.
The Lord later locked away all of the mistress's portraits so outsiders couldn't see them, and he forbade any from circulating. It seems he wanted to put a stop to people sending him those women.
My mother treats me like a child, so she wouldn't tell me the whole truth. But later, I overheard other servants in the mansion saying that the Lord didn't just fly into a rage back then. He had all those women who were sent over… cut down!
So, if a woman who looks so much like the mistress really does appear in this mansion, and the Lord finds out…"
As he spoke, he made a slicing motion with his hand and drew it across his neck.
Yu Zihan had already heard all this from Qian Zhao Sheng before. His thin lips pressed into a straight line. Remembering the love and gentleness in the woman's eyes, he said quickly, "I'll make sure my father never finds out about this!"
Seeing Yu Zihan's reaction, Qian Zhao Sheng couldn't help but click his tongue. "Young master, you seem to really like that woman. Aren't you worried she might be a bad person?"
After all, the women who were sent here before, the ones who supposedly resembled the mistress, all had ulterior motives.
As the legitimate eldest son of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Yu Zihan understood the stakes involved far better than Qian Zhao Sheng did. He fell silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, "She's not a bad person."
It was an indescribable certainty that seemed to well up from the depths of his heart.
Qian Zhao Sheng's eyes widened slightly, his curiosity about the woman piqued. He sat cross-legged beside his young master and looked at the woman in the painting. "If she's really as good as you say, and she looks so much like the mistress, then even if the Lord finds her, he might not necessarily cut her down. Who knows, he might even take her as his seventh concubine. That wouldn't be so bad, would it…?"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Yu Zihan reacted as if he had heard something utterly disgusting. Flames seemed to ignite in his sharp phoenix eyes as he said with a look of utter disgust, "The way my father is now, he doesn't deserve her. Besides…"
He paused, then murmured, "I found her. I won't give her to my father…"
'Whether it was my mother or the woman who looks just like her, I won't give either of them to him.'
'The way he is now, he doesn't deserve her. No one does!'
Meanwhile, Chen Ying and Zhu Yuan were so worried about their unknown and visibly bleak future that they had no appetite for dinner. After picking at their food a few times, they returned to their dormitory with long, worried faces.
The dormitory was empty. They hadn't seen Mu Shuangshuang at dinner and had no idea where she'd gone.
However, the time between dinner and the official lights-out was considered personal time, so they had no interest in finding out where Mu Shuangshuang had gone.
As soon as they got back to the room, Chen Ying flopped onto the bed, a miserable expression on her face. "We'll probably have to pack our bags and leave first thing tomorrow morning. It'd be a waste not to enjoy this nice, soft bed while I can. I'm staying right here tonight, so don't even try to get me up!"
Zhu Yuan pouted. "Getting kicked out of the Prime Minister's Mansion is the least of our worries. I'm afraid of what they'll do to us before they throw us out. I've heard the punishments for servants here are terrifying. They're known to beat people bloody and break their limbs…"
"AHHHH, ZHU YUAN, STOP TALKING!"
Looking like she was about to break, Chen Ying grabbed a pillow and buried her head in it, as if determined to bury her head in the sand.
Shen Qing watched them, both exasperated and amused, though a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes.
'If I were still the one running this household,' she thought, 'this would be a trivial matter. Forget punishment, I'd at most give them a verbal reprimand. After all, it's not like they did anything truly terrible.'
'But seeing Zihan's hurt and upset expression today, I can't be sure what Yu Jiuqing will do.'
'After all, the one in charge now… is not me.'
Unwilling to wallow in despair, Zhu Yuan sat on the edge of the bed. "We shouldn't scare ourselves like this. Maybe they'll just give us a light punishment and that'll be the end of it, right?
Instead of upsetting ourselves with these thoughts, let's think about where we'll be assigned to work after the assessment is over! Do you have anywhere you'd like to go? I saw the kitchen during dinner today. It's so big and bright. I was thinking it would be great if I could be assigned to work there. Then I'd get to eat lots of delicious food!"
Her attention diverted, Chen Ying glanced at her. "All you ever think about is food!"
Zhu Yuan stuck out her tongue playfully. Chen Ying thought for a moment before saying, "I'm fine with going anywhere. My mother always says my only good quality is that I'm quick with my hands and feet and a diligent worker. No matter where you go, you still have to work, right? What about you, Shen Qing?"
Shen Qing also walked over to the bed and sat down, smiling. "I'm fine with anywhere, too."
"Ugh, but the main thing is whether we can even stay!"
Chen Ying whimpered and rolled over on the bed. "Don't tell me the only one of us who gets to stay will be Mu Shuangshuang. Before we came to the mansion, she told me she wants to be assigned to serve in the Lord's or the young master's courtyard…"
Zhu Yuan's mouth twitched, and she pouted. "She might as well have her ambitions tattooed on her forehead! Does she think it's that easy to get into the Lord's or the young master's courtyards? The way she's so passive-aggressive with Shen Qing, she must be afraid Shen Qing will snatch her spot. It's not like Steward Su chooses people based on their looks!"
Mu Shuangshuang had picked fights with Shen Qing time and again, and Zhu Yuan had long since grown tired of her. She didn't hold back now. "Even if looks aren't a factor, Shen Qing's temperament and the way she handles things are far better than hers. If one of us is actually lucky enough to serve the Lord or the young master, it'll definitely be Shen Qing!"
Shen Qing didn't join the conversation. It had been a long and tiring day, and she was starting to feel exhausted. She covered her mouth and let out a small yawn.
'Although Space-Time Inspectors can travel between different worlds, it comes with side effects. The strain of moving between worlds is immense, which is why being a Space-Time Inspector is known as a high-paying, demanding, and high-risk profession.'
'Over the past three years, in order to shorten her assessment period as much as possible, Shen Qing had been jumping between worlds almost non-stop. Her body had inevitably been affected. After returning to this world, she could clearly feel her energy levels weren't what they used to be, and she tired out easily.'
'I don't know if this is a short-term or long-term side effect,' she wondered.
Chen Ying nodded vigorously in agreement. "Exactly! If they pick someone to serve the Lord and the young master, it has to be Shen Qing! Didn't you see how she faced that stone-faced guard today without a hint of panic? Shen Qing, when you win the masters' favor, don't forget…"
Before Chen Ying could finish, she noticed the fatigue on Shen Qing's face and quickly changed her tune. "If you're tired, you should go wash up and get some rest. We have to be up at 5:00 AM tomorrow."
Shen Qing smiled at Chen Ying and stood up. "Alright, I'll go wash up then."
Watching Shen Qing's retreating figure, Chen Ying couldn't help but murmur, "No matter how I look at her, Shen Qing just doesn't seem like the type to do manual labor. It's hard to explain… It feels more like she's the one who should be served…"
Zhu Yuan nodded. "I know what you mean. I haven't seen the women in the Lord's harem yet, but I bet Shen Qing is even more beautiful than all of them.
Sigh. Speaking of which, the last thing I want is to be assigned to serve the concubines. My mother always said that where there are many women, there's a lot of drama, especially in the inner courtyards of a great house. There are too many terrifying things that go on; I'd never be able to handle it."
Hearing this, Chen Ying nodded her head frantically in agreement.
But the thought of how they might have to pack their bags and leave at any moment made her lose the heart to think about it. She once again buried her face in her pillow, playing the ostrich.
The servants' courtyard had a public bathhouse, though the facilities were rather crude.
Shen Qing didn't mind. She heated a bucket of water, took a quick bath, changed her clothes, and went outside.
However, she hadn't taken more than a few steps when she felt something hit her back. A small pebble then clattered to the ground.
Shen Qing paused. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at the nearby courtyard wall.