The cruel little princess

Even after sending you a thousand miles, we must finally say goodbye. Even if Shen Zijin was worried about her sister, she still had to prioritize the greater good and could only bid her a tearful farewell. Originally, it was assumed that only Eunuch Xiao Xizi and the Imperial Guards would escort her back to the capital. Because there were also her "workers," Liu Jianye's family, and servants, Daddy had sent a hundred Imperial Guards to escort them. But unexpectedly, His Royal Highness Prince Jin also returned to the capital, along with his secret guards. This time, there were nearly a thousand people!

Shen Zijin sat steadily on the horse, his face solemn as he stared at the carriage as it drove further and further away, unable to recover for a long time. His sister, ah, had finally grown up! She was starting to be able to live independently away from her father and brothers! All he and his father could do was to firmly protect his achievements, so that his sister could rely on her father's honor, be proud of the family, and make sure that future in-laws could not shake her sister's position!

Shen Youyou, however, didn't feel the slightest bit of sadness about leaving. Even if she did, it was only a slight feeling as she walked out of the military camp. As the carriage moved forward, she was also eager to see the different world outside, so the slightest bit of sadness was quickly dispelled by the scenery outside! She excitedly lifted the curtain to look at the scenery outside, and suddenly saw a peerless figure riding a horse slowly alongside her carriage. She sighed inwardly, no wonder they say beauty is a feast for the eyes, it turns out not only men like to look at beautiful women, she also likes to look at handsome men with unparalleled looks! Sure enough, the ancients were not wrong!

Seven or eight days passed by in a daily feast, and it was almost time to go to the capital. Shen Youyou suddenly felt a little nervous. Although she had brought her father's handwritten letter to Zeng Bo, she had read novels about the complicated relationships in the capital, and how each family had banquets and invitations. She didn't want to deal with all these complicated relationships! In Shen Youyou's inaudible uneasiness, they said goodbye to everyone one by one, especially Liu Jianye. She gave Liu Jianye the address of his former general's mansion, agreed to discuss the matter another day after everything was sorted out, and then took her own carriage back to the former imperial general's mansion.

Originally, His Royal Highness Prince Jin wanted to come with her to help her show off her power, but was rejected by Shen Youyou, "I'm going back to my own home, why do I need to be so majestic? Besides, if they are all slaves who bully their masters, I'm afraid my father will not tolerate him! I'll go home first, and if I need your help, I'll ask for your help!" After Shen Youyou's persuasion, His Royal Highness Prince Jin was reluctantly relieved, but he sent An Er to follow him so that he could pass on information at any time if anything happened.

Chuntao had already jumped off the carriage, and the coachman immediately brought a riding stool and set it aside. Chuntao quickly reached out and lifted a hand as white as a tender lotus root from behind the curtain. As Shen Youyou stepped out of the carriage, she saw the vermilion gate wide open. It must have been recently renovated. The red paint on the gate was bright and festive, and two large stone lions stood majestically at the entrance. Guards, servants, maids, and old women stood on either side of the gate, all neatly arranged in two rows. At the front stood a kind-looking man with gray hair, about forty years old, his hands drooping slightly, a bit unnaturally. Shen Youyou thought, this must be Uncle Zeng.

Before Shen Youyou stepped forward, she heard people on both sides shouting loudly: "Young lady, welcome back home!" The voice was deafening and uniform, which scared Shen Youyou.

Especially Zeng Bo who was standing at the front, with tears in his eyes and a mixture of crying and laughing on his face, he looked very excited.

Shen Youyou quickly stepped forward, "Everyone, no need to be so polite!"

"Miss, I have been waiting for you for so many years, and you are finally back home!" Zeng Bo stepped forward and was about to kneel down.

"Uncle Zeng, please don't show such courtesy to a junior like this!" Shen Youyou quickly raised her hand to support him. "Uncle Zeng, let's go in first. Don't make fun of us."

"Yes, yes! Look at this old servant, I completely forgot the rules when I was happy. Let's welcome the young lady back to the house first, and then meet her one by one!" Uncle Zeng wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and welcomed Shen Youyou in through the main gate.

"Miss, our main gate is usually closed, and the servants go in and out through the small gate and the back door. Only when the imperial edict is announced are they welcomed through the main gate, and only when the general and the young master return are they welcomed through the main gate! Now that the young lady has returned to the capital, our main gate can be opened regularly!" Zeng Bo happily led Shen Youyou to the main house in the front yard. The current general's mansion is a three-courtyard compound, which was also granted by the emperor at that time.

However, the father and son of the Shen family usually guard the border, and only come back during the New Year to report on their work or when the emperor summons them, so they both have their own rooms in the front yard. Because the Shen family has no mistress, the main room in the backyard is directly arranged as the young lady's boudoir. Originally, the servants said that this was not in accordance with the rules, but Shen Duanfang replied domineeringly: What rules or no rules, I am the rule here! Zijin and I live in the front yard, so I can arrange Youyou's room in the main room in the backyard! When Zijin gets married, I will work hard to earn an imperial edict for my wife and set up an independent house to live in! Youyou is still the darling of my house!

Because Shen Youyou was a little silly at that time, Shen Duanfang had already prepared to find a husband for her and keep a close eye on her. Or even if his daughter never got married, he could still support her!

Shen Youyou slowly reconciled the memories of her original self with the scenes and objects before her. "Uncle Zeng! When I was little, did I jump into that small pond to grab the lotus pods?" Shen Youyou suddenly asked, pointing to the pond in front of her.

"Haha, young lady, do you still remember? Yes, that time you said you wanted to eat lotus seeds, and before I could come to my senses, you jumped in. That scared this old slave, and then I jumped in to save you. I didn't expect you to say you liked playing in the water to cool down! This old slave is a rough man, and I have never taken care of a child. I thought it was okay to play in the water for a while on a hot summer day. But that night, young lady, you had a high fever! The general was so anxious that he went to the palace to invite the imperial physician overnight. From then on, the general directly ordered people to surround the pool and strictly forbid young lady to approach! This old slave was so anxious that he didn't sleep for several nights. I was relieved when young lady recovered!" Zeng Bo found it funny when he recalled it. He was not that careful and didn't know how to take care of children. He just thought that when it was hot, he also liked to play in the water for a while to cool down, and it would be okay. But he didn't expect Shen Youyou to be small and weak. After playing in the water, she caught a cold when she got ashore and was blown by the wind. "In the blink of an eye, young lady has grown up so much!" He said with emotion. "I'm old, but I'm experienced enough to help the young master and young lady take care of their children! I even went to ask Mrs. Zhang how to take care of children!"

Shen Youyou burst into laughter as she listened. They walked and talked, and Uncle Zeng would occasionally tell her some interesting stories from her childhood.

The front yard is where the two masters live, and the back yard is where Shen Youyou lives. The servants all live in the servants' quarters at the back. Those with large families have several rooms, and those who are single have a single room. Since there is a lot of open space at the back, two rows of servants' quarters were built. Whether they are guards, cooks, or maids, they are basically homeless people from the military camp. Or the men in their families died on the battlefield, and they have nowhere to go at home and come to the general for help. There are usually no masters in the mansion, so the servants don't have much to do. They just clean every day. Except for cleaning the master's room, the rest of the time they maintain the safety of the entire general's mansion. There are not too many servants in the general's mansion, but because the master is usually not there, there is no question of whether there are enough or not. The rest of the people are arranged in shops or on the farm.

"Miss, when you come back this time, shall I ask a pawnbroker to provide you with servants according to the rules for other ladies? Four personal maids, eight second-class maids, sixteen third-class maids, and eight maids for the yard. Are these enough? If not, I will ask someone to buy more." Uncle Zeng only wanted to give his own lady the best. What other ladies have, our lady must have too!

Shen Youyou was shocked when she heard this. It was so large, there were already thirty people serving me alone?! She waved her hands repeatedly, "Uncle Zeng, I don't want so many maids and servants! Chuntao is enough for me! When I was at home, I relied on Chuntao for everything!" Chuntao's eyes welled up with tears: "Miss, it has to be you! You value me so much!"