Chapter 9: Nanny, Be Careful

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, accompanied by Xiao He, arrived at Nanny Xue's room.

At this moment, light shone from within Nanny Xue's room; a figure paced back and forth, and judging by the silhouette, it was undoubtedly Nanny Xue.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin pushed open the door, strode over in a few steps, with Xiao He following closely behind, and closed the door.

"Nanny, you haven't retired for sleep yet?"

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin asked with a smile.

"You, you, what are you doing here???????"

Nanny Xue was as if she had seen a ghost; shouldn't the Second Young Lady be with Wang Er at this moment...?

"Dawn is approaching; I have come to ask Nanny whether we depart now, or if Nanny wishes to rest a while longer."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin continued to speak lightly and casually.

"You, you??????"

Nanny Xue retreated in terror; with a "clatter," the stool was knocked to the ground by her.

She fell backward, but Seeing Jun Jun Zijin grabbed Nanny Xue's wrist.

"Nanny, be careful."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's face was clearly smiling, yet it held no warmth, and his gaze was sharp.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, Nanny Xue was as if she had encountered a vengeful ghost; where was the Second Young Lady who could be rolled or flattened at will? Filled with both hatred and fear, how could she dare not be obedient? She spoke while trembling:

"I shall obey whatever the Second Young Lady commands??????"

"Mm, then let us rest for a while."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin released his hand and shook the rope on his palm:

"First, I must trouble Nanny Xue."

Xiao He understood; after she had bound Nanny Xue tightly, she then swiftly removed her own socks in three quick motions and stuffed them neatly into Nanny Xue's mouth.

Completely disregarding Nanny Xue's muffled, squealing roars, she clapped her hands and said:

"Done! Perfect!"

Now it was Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's turn to be stunned; he had not expected this girl to possess such potential. Mm, she was indeed a promising seedling.

The original owner's situation was difficult; she was timid, cowardly, and overly cautious. Xiao He had quietly brought food to the original owner; after spending these few days together, this girl indeed suited Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's taste.

Xiao He, this little money-lover, was as if addicted to snatching silver; naturally, she did not let go of the silver on Nanny Xue's person, regardless of how Nanny Xue ground her teeth in hatred yet remained helpless.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin did not stop her; he merely instructed Xiao He, whose eyes sparkled with greed upon receiving another hundred taels of silver, to put the silver away safely.

With money, matters proceed smoothly; without money, even ghosts become difficult to deal with.

One hundred taels of silver was, for the current Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, an astronomical sum.

With this silver, handling affairs in the future will be much easier.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin and Xiao He rested briefly; by then, the sky had fully brightened.

Because Nanny Xue feared the matter would be exposed, she dared not bring the carriage drivers from the manor; the hired carriage driver, seeing things had gone awry, had long since fled and was nowhere to be found.

Xiao He hired a new carriage driver and then, with Nanny Xue still bound, headed toward the village entrance.

They traveled intermittently, resting along the way; the mountain roads were rugged, the forests dense, and the carriage jolted violently until nightfall, when the carriage finally arrived before the Jun Manor gates.

There stood a large mansion with towering high walls, constructed of green bricks and glazed tiles.

Two large stone lions carved from green stone stood before the gate, lifelike and vivid.

On the plaque, written in a standard, upright manner, were the large characters "Minister Jun Manor."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin felt both unfamiliarity and familiarity; she silently murmured, "Rest assured, I have returned. From now on, I will accomplish what you left unfinished."

Nanny Xue, who had been stifled throughout the journey, ground her teeth in secret:

"You little wretch; once I return to the manor, you will see!"

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin ignored her and ordered the unbound Nanny Xue to go knock on the gate.

Nanny Xue was extremely hateful, but she dared not make a scene and confront the Second Young Lady right at the manor gate, so she went to knock on the gate, feeling stifled.

The gatekeeper saw that the leader was Nanny Xue, standing beside her were two girls, twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in shabby clothes and looking pale and emaciated.

Nanny Xue had not instructed the gatekeeper to announce the Second Young Lady's return; the gatekeeper assumed they were Nanny Xue's relatives. Given Nanny Xue's status within the manor, he did not make things difficult and allowed them entry.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin had no intention of holding Nanny Xue's deliberate actions against her.

Since the Old Lady wished to bring her back, even if Xiang Xiang Junzheng was foolish, he was still filial; to try to humble her here so eagerly would suggest he had lost his mind.

Crossing the heavy vermilion main gate, Nanny Xue led Seeing Jun Jun Zijin all the way to the main hall.

Green stone pathways, winding corridors and pavilions, artificial hills and strange rocks, jade lotuses and golden koi...

What a magnificent and grandiose scene.

Groups of servants, countless in number, surely a hundred or eighty, each wearing an expression of confusion, whispering among themselves, with varied demeanors.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin remained unmoved, but Xiao He's face showed some indignation.

Nanny Xue led Seeing Jun Jun Zijin around a pond of lotus buds about to bloom, and finally arrived at Daolezhengtang.

Nanny Xue blocked Xiao He outside the door; Seeing Jun Jun Zijin looked at Xiao He with a determined gaze, nodded slightly, and entered Daolezhengtang with composure and self-possession.

There sat a robust man in his thirties or forties at the head, wearing a gray-blue long robe, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, possessing a certain scholarly elegance.

Seated beside the man was a noblewoman adorned in dazzling jewels; her face was gentle and kind, but the loathing and ruthlessness that flashed briefly in her eyes did not escape Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's notice.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin knew that was her father, Xiang Xiang Junzheng, and Wu Shi.

Standing beside Wu Shi was the current legitimate daughter, Jun Jun Yiyi, dressed in exquisite white robes, looking pitiful and fragile.

Yet the disdain and disgust in her eyes at this moment ruined the aesthetic.

At the lower end, a man around forty was also sizing up Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, his face full of calculation.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin searched the original owner's memories; this was the second uncle from a collateral branch, Xiang Junzhuanyuan.

Grandfather Jun Xiang Zhongxian had two brothers; this was the son of Xiang Xiang Junzheng's uncle.

Since the Jun family had few members, both families lived within the Jun residence.

Sitting opposite was Second Aunt Li Shi. Jun Jun Zijin remembered that before the original owner went to the manor, Wu Shi had been elevated to principal wife and taken charge of the household; this Li Shi had followed Wu Shi's every command and caused no small amount of trouble for the original owner. At this moment, she was likely eager to watch the spectacle.

Next was Second Concubine Zhou Shi. In the original owner's memories, Zhou Shi was not ill-intentioned but timid and afraid of trouble; after her son died that year, she had not left her quarters.

Leaning against Second Concubine Zhou Zhou Yiniang was a girl of about ten, sweet-looking, blinking her large eyes with curiosity as she gazed at Jun Jun Zijin.

Jun Jun Zijin stepped forward, knelt before Xiang Xiang Junzheng, and said:

"Your daughter greets Father."