Chapter 11: Where Did This Mad Dog Come From

Jun Jun Zijin, accompanied by Xiao He, carefully inspected the small courtyard; arriving for the first time in this man-eating mansion, it was always better to be cautious.

Soon, they had walked through the simply arranged courtyard; feeling slightly reassured, they returned to the room where the evening lamps were just being lit, and after a brief wash following a day and night of exhaustion, the master and servant went to bed to rest.

Soon, the even breathing sounds of Xiao He came from the outer room; that girl was utterly exhausted.

Jun Jun Zijin lay in bed but could not fall asleep; although her body was very tired, her mind was exceptionally clear.

She gently turned over, gazing at the moonlight outside the window and listening to the chirping of crickets, her heart filled with myriad thoughts, when suddenly a person floated into her mind.

Nanny Dong was the nanny who had accompanied Lady Fang, the original host's mother, as part of her dowry when she married; she had served Lady Fang closely, and after Lady Fang passed away, she continued to serve the original host, with Nanny Dong being utterly loyal to the mother and daughter pair.

When Wu Shi was elevated to the position of principal wife and took charge of the household, she could not stand how Nanny Dong protected the original host like the apple of her eye, so before the original host was sent to the farm, Wu Shi framed her and drove her out of the Jun Manor.

The original host had also inquired about Nanny Dong's whereabouts, but shortly thereafter, she was sent to the farm where she was constrained in every way, and from then on, there was no more news of Nanny Dong.

Now that she had returned to the manor, she must find Nanny Dong as soon as possible; with Wu Shi's informants everywhere in the manor, she needed someone trustworthy by her side.

Moreover, since Nanny Dong had protected the original host so dearly back then and was framed and driven out of the manor, her life must have been difficult; now that she had returned, she would definitely protect Nanny Dong well.

Having made up her mind, Jun Jun Zijin finally fell asleep.

The night passed without incident.

At dawn, Jun Jun Zijin was awakened by the noise in the courtyard; she pushed open the door to come out, determined to see who was being so arrogant.

She saw a young girl who appeared to be around fourteen years old, wearing a goose-yellow cross-collared top with a red jacket and a long green skirt below, who was shoving Xiao He:

"You blind cheap whore, just as low as your mistress; don't you even know who I, this Young Lady, am? Do you think you can afford to provoke me?"

"Hurry and call your mistress out; hiding in the room like a turtle, is she afraid to show her face??????"

Jun Jun Zijin had not seen this flower butterfly in the main hall yesterday; searching the original host's memories, she realized this person was Jun Jun Yiyi's follower, Jun Jun Zhidie, and true to her name, she really was like a flower butterfly.

She was born to Li Shi of the second branch, arrogant and domineering, and had bullied the original host quite often within the manor.

On the very day the original host was sent to the farm, Jun Jun Zhidie had pushed her out the main gate, causing her to fall to the ground and smash her head against the stone lion at the entrance.

Jun Jun Zijin touched the scar beneath the hair bun on her forehead, her eyes flashing with cold light, and impatiently cursed:

"In the early morning, where did this mad dog come from, barking wildly and disturbing people's sweet dreams."

"Jun Jun Zijin, who are you calling a dog?" Jun Jun Zhidie asked, pointing at Jun Jun Zijin.

"Whoever answers is the one I'm talking about."

"Bitch, be careful or I'll tear your mouth apart!" Jun Jun Zhidie made a move to tear at Jun Jun Zijin's mouth.

Jun Jun Zijin grabbed her finger, applied slight force to bend it back, and Jun Jun Zhidie immediately screamed in pain, yet still continued to curse:

"Jun Jun Zijin, you bitch, you actually dare to hit me; I'm going to tell my Great Aunt, let's see how she deals with you!"

"I'm hitting you precisely; go ahead and report it, if I were afraid I wouldn't be Jun Jun Zijin," Jun Jun Zijin said indifferently.

After speaking, Jun Jun Zijin released Jun Jun Zhidie's finger.

Jun Jun Zhidie secretly rejoiced in her heart, thinking that Jun Jun Zijin, this bitch, was merely saying one thing while meaning another and indeed did not dare to hit her.

Little did she expect that the next moment, a slap from Jun Jun Zijin landed on her face, instantly stunning her.

Covering her face with one hand and pointing at Jun Jun Zijin with the other:

"You, you, you???????"

Jun Jun Zijin shook her hand, which felt somewhat sore from the impact:

"You, you, you, remember, only this counts as hitting," Jun Jun Zijin kindly reminded.

"Also, do not point at others in the future."

"Be careful of your fingers, snap!" Jun Jun Zijin threatened.

"If you've remembered, then scram."

After speaking, Jun Jun Zijin covered her mouth to yawn, turned around to go inside and catch up on her beauty sleep, ordered Xiao He to close the door, and paid no further attention to Jun Jun Zhidie.

Jun Jun Zijin was awakened by the heat; yes, her courtyard caught the wind in winter and bore the scorching sun in summer.

"Wu Shi has truly chosen a wonderful place for me," Jun Jun Zijin sneered.

In the weather of June, the courtyard was already extremely hot.

Jun Jun Zijin felt somewhat irritable and was just planning to wander around the manor when she saw Nanny Xue, wearing an expression of resentment, leading ten or so maidservants for Jun Jun Zijin to select.

Xiao He brought a chair, and once Jun Jun Zijin sat down, Xiao He began fanning her.

The maidservants stood in a row; Jun Jun Zijin swept her gaze across them, and although they all kept their heads lowered, their eyes were far from honest, with some glancing east and west, and others secretly raising their eyes to look at her.

She felt a surge of contempt in her heart; the original host must have been very unpopular in this manor before, given that the maidservants sent over were all unfit for polite society.

Not only that, but among these mere ten or so maidservants, there were quite a few spies: the two on the left had been looking around since entering the gate, the two on the right kept stealing glances at Nanny Xue, and the two in the middle occasionally raised their eyes to steal a look at her, wearing expressions of disdain and calculation.

Nanny Xue was not stupid; she knew that most people liked to start looking from the sides, and the middle was also a conspicuous position, but did she think that by doing this, I, this Young Lady, would keep them?

She remained outwardly calm and deliberately said in a cold tone:

"I, this Young Lady, do not accept just any cat or dog; all of you raise your heads and explain your family backgrounds to me one by one; remember, speak in detail, and no lying or concealing is allowed."

Wu Shi, I will not keep these spies you sent, but that does not prevent me from finding out the backgrounds of these people of yours.

"Start with you," Jun Jun Zijin said, pointing at the first maidservant on the left.

The maidservant said: "This slave is named Xiao Cui, fourteen years old this year, a home-born slave, with both parents working in the manor."

"What is your family surname?"

"Surname Xue..."

Another one surnamed Xue; there were not many people with the surname Xue in this dynasty, yet the Jun Manor seemed to harbor a whole nest of them; Jun Jun Zijin understood clearly in her heart but showed nothing on her face.

The second maidservant, who was looking around, spoke in a somewhat timid voice:

"This slave is named Xiao Yue, the distant niece of the household steward," which caused a stir in Jun Jun Zijin's heart; not bad, it seemed there were many in the Jun Manor who did not wish her well.

The maidservant in the middle said:

"This slave is named Xiao Hong, fifteen years old, bought from outside."

This Xiao Hong had a fair and beautiful complexion, and when she spoke, her eyes were disdainful and her tone coquettish.

What good is beauty? I am not a man. Seeing Jun Jun Zijin thought sarcastically.

The answers of the next few maids were much the same.

Then, the first maid on the right, who kept stealing glances at Nanny Xue, said:

"This servant's name is Xiao Xiao Lian, daughter of Aunt Liu of the kitchen."

After all the maids had introduced themselves, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin remembered every single one clearly without missing a thing.

She was not joking; she possessed the ability to remember everything she saw. In her past life at the medical university, memorizing medical books as thick as a finger was nothing.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin pondered silently: leaving not a single one of the six spies would not be good either. Since Lady Wu failed today, she would surely try to insert someone again.

Having made up her mind, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin kept Xiao Xiao Lian and another maid named Xia Qiu, who seemed relatively honest, to serve in the outer courtyard, along with two rough-handling maids.

Seeing that Xiao Xiao Lian had been kept, Lady Wu felt a surge of pride. She had not messed things up this time and could report back to the First Lady.

After selecting the maids, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin fell silent for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth:

"I do not need anyone with crooked intentions or who thinks they are clever. If anyone violates this, they will leave immediately. For serious offenses, death will be the penalty!"