Transmigrated into an Ancient M-Preg Novel as the Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 8
As Yun Chenghuai left the front courtyard, she didn’t notice a shadow swiftly entering the study after she departed.
That figure, after leaving the front courtyard, headed straight for the imperial palace.
Yun Chenghuai hurried towards the main courtyard. It was getting late; she had to go accompany Shen Liunian for lunch.
Although the other party didn’t want to see her, she had to stick close to Shen Liunian.
Surely, after a morning had passed, Shen Liunian would have given most of her instructions by now, right?
Three days was simply not enough time. Yun Chenghuai worried that clinging too closely might backfire, becoming counterproductive.
Therefore, she gave Shen Liunian time to handle her private matters, and for the remaining time, she would continue to stick around.
Just now, on her way to the main courtyard, she heard An Yuan say that Bei Zhu, another of Shen Liunian’s maids, had left the princess manor.
An Yuan had sent people to follow Bei Zhu, and news would arrive soon.
Yun Chenghuai tightened her cloak. It was made of some kind of warm fur, and she didn’t feel cold walking outside.
The snow on the paths in the courtyard had all been cleared, but the snow lingering on the flowers and plants added a unique charm to the manor.
The main courtyard was now entirely filled with Shen Liunian’s people. The original owner’s former maids had been put to work sweeping outside.
In just one morning, their status plummeted from the Prince’s personal maids to courtyard sweepers.
Sure enough, seeing Yun Chenghuai set foot in the main courtyard, the boldest immediately rushed to her, falling to their knees at her feet and weeping.
“Your Highness, please let us follow you. We’ll do anything in the front courtyard.”
“To the front courtyard?” Yun Chenghuai looked down at the girl weeping like a rain-soaked pear blossom, with no pity in her eyes.
Most of these maids had been bought over by others; keeping them around would only cause trouble.
Shen Liunian had sent them to sweep the courtyard, but in her opinion, that was too close; they should have been sent away entirely.
Generally, Kun Ze individuals would not become slaves or servants. They only became servants if their families were convicted of crimes, usually ending up in the *Jiaofangsi* (official entertainment bureaus) and rarely seen elsewhere.
The ratio of Qian Yuan, Kun Ze, and He Yuan in this world was roughly 3:1:6.
Qian Yuan were relatively common, but the number of Kun Ze was very small. Most were concentrated in noble and aristocratic families, rarely appearing among common folk.
Qian Yuan individuals would all wish to marry a Kun Ze. Only if a family fell into decline and was literally starving, to the point of a life-or-death situation, would they consider a He Yuan.
The union of two He Yuan required certification from the government, with the government issuing “sacred water” to have children. There was a very small chance of giving birth to a Qian Yuan or Kun Ze, but most were still He Yuan.
Overall, for noble families, having a daughter-in-law who was a Qian Yuan was something to boast about. If a Kun Ze was born, proposals would come from hundreds of families.
In ordinary households, a Qian Yuan might be fine, but a Kun Ze would bring trouble due to their rarity, attracting attention from the wealthy and powerful.
Therefore, it was rare for a Kun Ze to become a servant; they usually became wives or concubines in wealthy households.
Like the original owner’s maids, they were all He Yuan, and of course, they were beautiful He Yuan with various talents.
After all, she was an imperial princess, different from ordinary nobles. Even her maids were better raised than the daughters of minor officials.
Among the several maids, one took the lead, while the rest knelt in a row before Yun Chenghuai.
She noticed a figure inside the house observing what was happening in the courtyard; by the build, it seemed to be Nan Ling.
She raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “An Yuan.”
“Your Highness.”
“Take them away. Those who wish to go home, send them home. Those who don’t, find them good marriages or jobs outside.”
Besides her personal guard unit, the princess manor also had private soldiers, 1,200 of them guarding the manor. There were so many retainers and managers; finding spouses was certainly possible.
These maids had people behind them; otherwise, marrying a *duizheng* (captain) would be sufficient.
But since they had backers, they could only be married into families unrelated to the princess manor or families of managers with no real power.
“Your Highness, I don’t wish to marry.”
“If you don’t wish to marry, go home.”
Yun Chenghuai gave them a choice.
Some accepted their fate, thinking this was a good outcome—at least not a concubine. Others felt it was better to be a noble’s concubine than a commoner’s wife.
Moreover, the Princess’s maids, when they went out, even officials would politely offer them silver.
An Yuan waved her hand, signaling someone to take the maids away. She rarely spoke more than necessary but added, “Your Highness, isn’t that a bit too merciful?”
Behind them were those imperial daughters. But Her Highness disliked her, saying she always had a grim face, like a dead person. If she hadn’t been sent by the old Duke, she would probably have been driven away by Her Highness long ago.
Today, Her Highness finally decided to deal with these maids, and she even used the Princess Consort’s name.
The Princess Consort sent the maids to sweep the courtyard. The maids were displeased and sought Her Highness’s intervention. Her Highness then took the opportunity to send them away. But Her Highness was still too lenient; these maids who betrayed Her Highness should have vanished without a trace.
Yun Chenghuai paused. Was she merciful? Perhaps. She still had a modern mindset and wouldn’t arbitrarily decide someone’s life or death.
“They too are not in control of their own fate.” If they had a choice, who would willingly be a servant?
Her handling of the situation was observed by Nan Ling, who recounted it to Shen Liunian word for word.
“The Princess said those who wish to go home may go home, and those who don’t, the captain of guards will find them good families to marry into, or jobs outside.”
Nan Ling’s words caused a moment of silence among the people in the room. They hadn’t expected Yun Chenghuai to be so humane.
Shen Liunian paused, then waved her hand, signaling them to stop talking.
Yun Chenghuai was not a merciful person. Her actions today were truly abnormal in every way.
Yun Chenghuai, completely unaware, entered the room, seeing several maids with lowered heads and a somewhat gloomy atmosphere. She wondered what had happened.
She lightly coughed. “How is Madam’s health?”
After kneeling for so long in the freezing weather, and with the careful use of medicine for pregnant women, she figured her body wouldn’t recover so easily.
Nan Ling curtsied and replied, “Reporting to Your Highness, the Princess Consort’s body is weak. The manor physician said she needs a quiet place to rest well.”
Another layer of meaning was: Your Highness, please don’t disturb my mistress if you have nothing important to do.
Yun Chenghuai wasn’t embarrassed. As someone who would become a lawyer, she had participated in many debates, including informal ones where people would swear at each other when things got heated. She cared little for such subtle implications.
The original owner had done so many things to humiliate Shen Liunian. A few subtle remarks from her wouldn’t hurt.
She smiled, pretending not to understand. “Call Yi Chun to wait here.”
Yi Chun was the most skilled physician in the manor, from a family of imperial physicians, specializing in children and pregnant women. Having her by Shen Liunian’s side would allow for timely treatment if any accidents occurred.
Shen Liunian looked up. In the morning, she had been forcibly kept in the main courtyard by Yun Chenghuai and made to manage all affairs of the main courtyard. She then placed the Princess’s personal maids in the courtyard, specifically on the path from the main courtyard gate to the house.
So, as soon as Yun Chenghuai arrived, those maids saw her and blocked her path.
All of this was Shen Liunian’s arrangement to test her, and Yun Chenghuai’s handling of the situation completely surprised Shen Liunian.
For half a year, based on Shen Liunian’s understanding of Yun Chenghuai, this person had always treated servants as expendable. A servant’s life was not a life; killing them was just a whim.
Yun Chenghuai’s recent actions were enough to be considered benevolent.
Shen Liunian didn’t believe she was such a person, meaning she must be putting on an act. An act implies another purpose.
What exactly was Yun Chenghuai’s purpose? Who was she targeting?
Shen Liunian leaned on the luohan bed, slightly bending her knees, her calves close to her arm. Perhaps she didn’t know what Yun Chenghuai wanted, but she and her people could certainly not be passive pieces in this game.