Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Douya led Ningxiang and her servant through the mansion, deliberately slowing her pace. The spring garden was lush with flowers and plants, but she had no interest in admiring them. She was only concerned with curbing the prestige of this "distinguished guest" for her young lady.

When they reached a corridor, Douya stopped, turned around, raised his chin slightly, and said to Ningxiang sternly, "Since you've moved into the Zhang Mansion, you must abide by its rules from now on. You can't act as casually as you do outside."

She cleared her throat and raised her voice to ensure the servants around her could hear: "The servants in the front yard, because the master and mistress are still young and the Zhang family has no children yet, they all call the masters 'Young Master' and 'Young Madam'. But those of us in the backyard are mostly elderly people who followed the young lady from the Huangfu family. The rules are stricter and we all have to call them 'Master' and 'Madam'. This is respectful!"

She glanced at the indignant little maidservant beside Ningxiang and continued, "In this courtyard, the morning bell rings at the exact moment of the morning. All servants in the inner courtyard must rise and prepare to assist the master in dressing, dining, and taking up their shifts. This is a most important rule and cannot be missed."

The little maidservant beside Ningxiang couldn't help but murmur softly: "Miss, she is clearly treating us like servants..."

Ningxiang simply smiled softly, raised her hand to stop the maid from speaking, and turned her gaze to Douya. Her tone was gentle yet contained a subtle sharpness: "Miss Douya, these... I'm sure they are all part of a personal maid's duties, right? I'm heavy now, and my movements are not convenient. Can these rules be waived?"

Douya had anticipated her words and immediately directed her criticism at the maid: "Miss Wei, you are so precious that you naturally don't have to do these rough jobs yourself. But this young lady beside you should learn to work properly, right? Are we in the Zhang Mansion really going to keep idle people for nothing?"

Ningxiang didn't respond. Instead, she looked Douya up and down, her eyes revealing just the right amount of curiosity. "Miss Douya, from your words and actions, I can tell you're not from a slave family. Why would a girl like you lower yourself to become a slave in this mansion?"

Douya straightened her back, a hint of pride on her face. "The servants in this mansion are not of low status! They all voluntarily stay in the Zhang Mansion to work for a living or to repay a favor. I, Douya, am repaying the Huangfu family for their years of raising me. I am willing to serve my young lady for the rest of my life!"

"I see. You're so loyal and righteous. That's admirable." Ningxiang nodded in appreciation, a meaningful smile curling her lips. "Then... Miss Douya, have you ever thought about your lifelong plans? You know how I started my career. If you register with my matchmaking agency, with your appearance and your connection to the Huangfu family, I guarantee you'll find a husband of your dreams with a clean family background. Being your legal wife would be a hundred times better than being a slave."

Douya didn't expect her to talk about this. She was stunned for a moment, then said firmly: "I only want to follow my young lady in this life, and have never thought about those romantic matters!"

Upon hearing this, Ningxiang suddenly covered her mouth with an expression of extreme surprise. Her eyes deliberately wandered over Douya's slender figure. She lowered her voice, but her tone was ambiguous, "Could it be... Miss Douya already has someone in her heart? Could it be... Zhang Lang?" Without waiting for Douya to refute, she continued, "You serve me so closely every day, so I guess... you must have seen the master's body before, right?"

"You... what nonsense are you talking about!" Douya's face flushed red instantly, embarrassed and angry. She pointed at Ningxiang, "Humph! As expected... As expected, you come from that kind of place. All you say is these dirty words!"

Ningxiang wasn't angry or annoyed, but instead took a half step forward and lowered her voice to a whisper like a devil: "Miss Douya, you are the most capable person by the Madam's side. Don't you know what a 'tongfang girl' does? In the future, when the Madam is unwell or in a bad mood, won't the heavy responsibility of serving the master and expanding the Zhang family fall on you? You and I serve the same husband, and sooner or later we will be family."

"Master... Master is not as vulgar as you think!" Douya's heart was pounding like a drum, her cheeks were burning hot, and she couldn't even speak clearly. "During the time that Madam was ill, Master has been resting alone in the study and has never... never done anything inappropriate!"

"Oh? If that's the case, then Zhang Lang must be very lonely." Ningxiang raised an eyebrow, her tone tinged with regret. "That's your fault, Miss Douya. As a concubine, you can't share the master's worries. You've failed in your duty."

"You...shut up!" Douya was so angry that she was shaking all over and almost jumped up.

Ningxiang sighed, then adopted a tone of sympathy: "Alas, after all, you and I are both women with miserable lives. If you just lack opportunity, or are too shy, perhaps I could... do something for you?"

Douya was completely flustered by her words, which were both offensive and defensive. Her heart was pounding, and she felt ashamed and embarrassed. She just wanted to flee immediately. She stamped her feet and cursed, "I... I'm not as shameless as you! My body will naturally only be reserved for my future husband! You... you slut! I, I won't talk to you anymore!"

After saying this, she could no longer hold back and practically fled, completely forgetting the steps she had originally planned to set the rules, leaving Ningxiang and her servant standing alone on the veranda. Ningxiang looked at Douya's hurried back, the gentle smile on her lips gradually faded, and a cold light flashed in her eyes.

……

At night, in the county magistrate's study, flickering candlelight cast a shadow on the whitewashed wall, casting the figure of Zhang Jingwei bent over his desk reviewing documents. The door gently opened, and Douya walked in, head bowed, holding a neatly folded, cyan official uniform with a faint scent of soapberry.

"Master, I have ironed your official uniform for you." Her voice was a little thinner than usual, with a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.

Zhang Jingwei looked up from his paperwork and glanced at the official uniform with some confusion. "Hmm? This official uniform... I remember you just ironed it a few days ago." He thought for a moment, and thought he had figured out the reason. He smiled and said, "Oh, yes. The weather has been nice these past few days, so you wanted to take it out in the sun to get rid of the mold, right? Actually, just drying it is enough. There's no need to iron it every time. This official uniform is rarely worn."

Douya lowered his head and stared at the tip of his shoes: "Yes."

Zhang Jingwei put down his pen and looked at her with interest. In the candlelight, the little girl's ears were suspiciously flushed. He suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Douya, I've always been curious. You know quite a lot of words. Where did you learn it?"

Douya seemed startled by the sudden question, her fingers twisting the corner of her clothes unconsciously: "Ah... I... I went to elementary school with the young lady, oh no, it was with the madam."

"Elementary school?" Zhang Jingwei touched his chin and joked with a smile, "That's preschool. How come preschool kids these days can recognize so many words? You can even recite a few sentences from those difficult documents in my study."

Douya lowered his head even more, and his voice was as thin as a mosquito: "Yes... yes."

"Then you are awesome!" Zhang Jingwei praised sincerely in a relaxed tone.

"Thank...thank you for the compliment, sir..." Douya's voice was almost inaudible.

The more Zhang Jingwei looked at her, the more he felt something was wrong with her today. He leaned forward slightly and asked with concern, "Douya, what's wrong with you today? You look weird. Are you sick?" As he spoke, he naturally reached out his hand, wanting to touch her forehead with the back of his hand. "Why is your face red?"

Douya shrank back suddenly as if she was scalded, avoiding his touch and repeatedly saying, "I'm not... I'm not sick!"

Zhang Jingwei was amused by her overreaction. He withdrew his hand, leaned back in his chair, and said in a coaxing tone, "Hey, little brat, you're still shy?"

"I'm... I'm not a child anymore!" Douya suddenly raised her head and retorted, her cheeks as red as ripe persimmons, with a hint of grievance and stubbornness in her eyes.

Zhang Jingwei was stunned for a moment, his gaze lingering on her figure, which had clearly acquired the slender features of a young girl. He suddenly said, "Oh... I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was confused. I always associated your age with your height. Douya is already a grown woman."

It would have been fine if she hadn't said it. Once she did, Douya's face flushed red, practically bleeding. She turned abruptly and, almost shuffling her hands and feet, inched toward the door, her voice trembling, "Master, if you don't have any other instructions, Douya will be leaving first..."

"Wait a minute," Zhang Jingwei called her over, picking up an oil-paper package from the table. "Please help me deliver this package of sugar-skin pastries to my wife. They're too sweet, I can't get used to them, but I think she'll like them."

"Yes." Douya took the snack as if he had been pardoned, and walked out quickly without looking back, almost escaping from the study.

Zhang Jingwei watched her almost fleeing back, touched the back of his head in confusion, and whispered to himself, "This girl...what's wrong with her today? Could it be...her period has come and she's not feeling well?" He shook his head and laughed, "Look at her immature appearance. She's still like an elementary school student who hasn't grown up. Forget it, girls grow up and have serious thoughts. It's better not to tease her in the future."