The Queen has arrived: An Lingrong does not want to fight in the palace after her rebirth

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xiao looked at An Lingrong in confusion. Under the flickering light, An Lingrong's pale face was full of astonishing aura. Aunt Xiao swallowed several times before she asked:

"Why do you say that, Miss?"

An Lingrong's almond-shaped eyes seemed to be able to speak as she stared at Aunt Xiao:

"Aunt, what do you think women fear the most in their lives?"

Before Aunt Xiao could reply, An Lingrong continued, "I'm afraid of not being able to control my life, not being able to control my body, being displaced, and being turned into mud. Am I right, Aunt?"

Every time An Lingrong spoke, Aunt Xiao's face became more bitter. She was born in a farming family and was engaged when she was young. When they were about to get married, the man died unexpectedly. Her fiancé's family said that she was unlucky and came to her house to ask for an explanation. Her father was accidentally beaten to death to protect her, leaving behind a weak mother and younger brother. The three of them depended on each other for survival. Someone in the family had malicious intentions and instigated the head of the village to seize the land left by her father. After she finished paying respects to her father, there was no more food left in the family. It just so happened that the wife of the new county magistrate wanted to find a concubine for her husband who was good at giving birth. In order to find a place to shelter her mother and younger brother, she entered the An family. However, she had an ordinary appearance and was not liked by An Bihuai. How could she give birth to children? If she had not had some ability to manage the household, she would have been driven out of the An family by An Bihuai. Thinking of this, Aunt Xiao asked directly:

"Miss, if you have something to say, just say it."

An Lingrong glanced at her and said coldly:

"Aunt, what kind of person do you think my father is?"

Aunt Xiao was not expecting An Lingrong to ask this, so she spoke carefully:

"The master is obsessed with his future and wants to build a prosperous family."

An Lingrong sneered:

"Aunt, you don't have to comfort him. Just look at how he treats my mother and you will know what kind of person he is. When I was in the An family, I tolerated everything for my mother, but once I am selected, I have to plan everything for my mother."

"Given my father's character, if I am not favored in the palace, my mother's life will be even more difficult. If I am favored, my mother may not have an easy life, but he will definitely take advantage of my power to do something illegal. How will I cope with it then?"

An Lingrong's words made Aunt Xiao's heart beat "thump, thump". The eldest daughter who had always been timid and submissive at home actually had such a big grudge against the master. Her words implied that she wanted her to pass on information to her at any time, or even to control the master! But how could she guarantee that she would be selected?

Seeing that Aunt Xiao was still hesitating, An Lingrong took out a silver note worth 1,000 taels from her purse and handed it to Aunt Xiao:

"Aunt, since your little brother has a talent for studying, he shouldn't waste his time in the countryside. Songyang Academy has always produced many talented people. You can let him go and give it a try. If he achieves fame, Aunt will have someone to rely on in the future."

Aunt Xiao felt that the banknotes were too hot to handle and wanted to refuse, but she thought about her family's situation and was reluctant to miss such a good opportunity. Seeing that she was moved, An Lingrong continued:

"Auntie, please take this money with peace of mind. I know the situation of the An family very well. But I ask you to take care of my mother a little more so that she can live a peaceful life."

After much persuasion from An Lingrong, Aunt Xiao finally accepted the banknote. She was a straightforward person and would do her job after receiving the money. She asked An Lingrong directly what her plans were:

"Miss, what are you going to do?"

An Lingrong smiled, but her eyes were cold. She spoke softly:

"Father's talent only needs to be used for copying documents and managing the warehouse. Don't let him worry about the rest. Auntie, you understand."

Aunt Xiao thought carefully about An Lingrong's words and nodded in agreement.

An Lingrong felt relieved. Time was too tight and she was in great need of people. Aunt Xiao was indeed the best choice at the moment. With her watching over the An family, An Bihuai would surely never cause any trouble in this life. However, Aunt Xiao alone was not enough. She had to arrange some other people for An Bihuai.

"Auntie, please go to the pawnshop again tomorrow. I need to buy a few more maids."

Now Aunt Xiao would no longer question any of An Lingrong's arrangements. She asked:

"Miss, what kind of maid do you want?"

An Lingrong thought for a moment and said, "It doesn't matter what the appearance is. Being smart is good, but being loyal and honest is even more rare."

Just after noon the next day, the matchmaker came to An Lingrong's residence again, bringing in twenty maids in their teens, and stood in the courtyard waiting for An Lingrong to make her choice.

The Beijing pimps had their own set of rules for training maids. Every time An Lingrong called out to one of them, someone would respond in a low voice, clearly stating their age, place of origin, and background. Many of them were outstanding in appearance and figure.

An Lingrong went through all the people and, thinking about what she had thought last night, she picked out two slim beauties first. One was Jinwen, who was outstanding in appearance, well-proportioned in figure, and had a charming look between her eyebrows; the other was Jinpei, who was bright and generous, knew arithmetic, and spoke quite fluently.

These two men were carefully trained by the pawnbroker for a wealthy family. The price was five hundred taels each, and An Lingrong readily agreed.

There were eighteen people left, and An Lingrong was in a dilemma. It was too difficult to pick someone who suited her taste after spending a short time with them.

"Miss, please buy me!" A slightly rough female voice suddenly sounded.

An Lingrong looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen who was speaking. She had slightly dark skin and was fairly pretty, with big eyes and thick lips. However, she was taller and more sturdy than the average person, and looked a bit wild.

The lead matchmaker heard her screaming, walked over and pinched her hard a few times: "You forgot what I told you when you came out. If you scream again and scare the master, I'll show you how I'll deal with you later!"

The girl didn't say a word even when being twisted by the matchmaker. Her expression didn't change at all. She just stared at An Lingrong, her big eyes full of desire.

An Lingrong was moved by her eyes. She had seen such eyes before. She quickly stopped the matchmaker and asked, "What's wrong with this person?"

The matchmaker nodded and replied, "Miss, her name is Daya. She is of clean origin and is a good worker, but she is not very good-looking. She has been in the matchmaker's office for half a year and has not been able to find a master, so she called her out in a hurry."

"How much does she cost?"

"Thirty taels!"

An Lingrong signaled Xiao Yi Niang to pay the money, and asked her to follow the matchmaker to the government to handle the indentures for the three of them. When Xiao Yi Niang brought people back to their residence, An Lingrong asked Xiao Yi Niang to take the other two people down first, leaving Daya behind, and asked in a deep voice:

"Tell me! Why do you have to follow me?"