Golden Branch

"Princess, Madam Li has come to pay her respects to you!"

Bai Zhi bowed and replied, with a slightly complicated look in her eyes when she mentioned "Madam Li".

Wang Heng was flipping through the account book in her hand. After hearing Bai Zhi's words, she thought for a moment and then remembered who Madam Li was.

It’s not someone else, it’s also “Angelica dahurica”.

But it’s not the angelica in front of you, but the first generation of angelica.

The maids around Wang Heng have always been four Bai: Baiwei, Baizhi, Baishao, and Baiji.

Over the past decade, nothing has changed.

However, it is not the person who remains unchanged, but the name.

As the saying goes, "A name is permanent, but the maids are transient." Wang Heng was a terrible namer. She even named her own cat slave and her own daughter in a rather casual way, let alone other things.

There were already many slaves and servants around her, and they were replaced every few years, so Wang Heng became increasingly lazy about giving them new names.

Let’s just take the easy way out and change the person without changing the name.

Bai Zhi is already the third generation, and the "Mrs. Li" she mentions is the first generation.

Speaking of which, Madam Li was left to Wang Heng by Concubine Jiang.

She was a few years older than Wang Heng, and had gone through the most difficult years of her life with Wang Heng.

My biological mother remarried, my biological father was unkind, my grandmother was cold and indifferent, and my stepmother was vicious.

Madam Li also accompanied Wang Heng to the manor and witnessed with her own eyes the acquaintance and friendship between Wang Heng and Lou Yu. She also watched the interaction between Wang Heng and Wang Mian, the two best friends.

After a few years, Madam Li reached the age of marriage.

Wang Heng didn't want to delay her, so she asked for her opinion and then selected a few candidates from the housekeepers at home and the shopkeepers outside and let Madam Li take a look.

Madam Li suppressed her shyness and chose a servant of the Wang family, the eldest son who was in charge of the other courtyard, from among several people.

Although Wang Heng was young, she already had the bearing of a young lady. She prepared a generous dowry for Lady Li so that she could marry in style.

Afterwards, Wang Heng came to the capital, and Lady Li and her husband also followed her to the capital.

They continued to manage a farm under Wang Heng's name.

Not only the couple, but also the two sons and one daughter born to Madam Li are growing up slowly.

The couple had already agreed that when the child was older, they would send him to work in the mansion.

Especially after Anan was born, Madam Li thought that her daughter was three years older than the little girl and could be a playmate for the little girl.

Just like she was back then, both a servant and a sister.

Because of the affection of growing up with the little girl, even though she was a slave, she lived a richer and more decent life than the daughters of some minor officials.

With something in mind, Madam Li was very attentive.

Every once in a while, she would come to the mansion to pay her respects to Wang Heng.

As the first generation of Baizhi, and having experienced sharing the joys and sorrows with the queen, Lady Li was considered somewhat respectable among the many slaves and maids.

Every time she came, the servants in the mansion would inform her.

Wang Heng raised her head, thought for a moment, and nodded in understanding: "It's almost August Festival. Is she here to give me a gift?"

It is normal for Wang Heng to have such a guess.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the managers of the various manors under the names of Wang Heng and Lou Yu will rush to send festival gifts.

The grains, vegetables, fruits produced on the farm, the wild game and game from the nearby mountains and rivers... were continuously sent to the capital in baskets and carts.

Wang Heng and Lou Yu had many properties, and the number of holiday gifts they sent was also considerable.

The resources of just the Duke's Mansion and the Princess's Mansion are simply not enough to be fully utilized.

However, Wang Heng and Lou Yu also have many relatives and friends.

During festivals, Zhuangzi would send piles of gifts, and Wang Heng would distribute them according to the list and kinship.

The Wang and Lou clansmen, Wang Heng and Lou Yu’s teachers, classmates, relatives, and friends, Wang Heng’s study partners and close friends, Lou Yu’s colleagues…

Unknowingly, the young couple had quietly built a huge network of contacts.

These people all need daily maintenance.

And every festival gift is an excellent opportunity.

Lady Li and her husband managed the farm for Wang Heng, and she would come in person every time to send holiday gifts.

Wang Heng was sorting out the account books for this year's August Festival. When she heard her coming, she made a guess.

Bai Zhi hesitated for a moment, but quickly replied, "From the look of Madam Li, it doesn't seem like she's simply here to give a holiday gift. She seems to have run into some trouble!"

As they were all Wang Heng's slaves and shared the same "work number", Bai Zhi naturally felt close to Madam Li.

Bai Zhi took the initiative to speak for Madam Li without her even asking for help.

Wang Heng was stunned for a moment. "Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Madam Li is Wang Heng's servant.

Although there are many powerful people in the capital, the two titles of Princess Langya and Duke of Qi are enough to intimidate many people.

As a noble servant of a wealthy family, Lady Li does not bully others on her own initiative. This is because Wang Heng's family rules are strict, and the probability of them being bullied is very low.

Isn't it bullying from outsiders, but a conflict within Madam Li's family?

Did her husband bully her?

probably not.

Beating a dog depends on the owner.

Lady Li's husband was a servant of the Wang family and also Wang Heng's man.

But, slaves are still different from each other.

In terms of closeness, a maid like Li Niangzi, who has been serving the young lady since childhood, is much closer to her than a manager of the outer courtyard.

Among the ladies who are in charge of the outer courtyard, unless they are Madam Li who was born as a personal maid, it is difficult for others to be qualified to pay their respects to Wang Heng.

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for the early love between Li Niangzi and Wang Heng, he would have been unable to meet Wang Heng if he was just the manager of the farm.

Lady Li's husband is a smart man. Even if he doesn't love her anymore, he will continue to value her for the sake of his own interests and will never dare to cause any trouble.

In a short period of time, many thoughts flashed through Wang Heng's mind.

Bai Zhi, who was serving with her hands lowered, bowed low. Hearing Wang Heng's words, she said softly, "Well, I see she looks troubled. She doesn't look very energetic either, as if she hasn't had enough rest!"

Wang Heng nodded: "Let her come in!"

The person had already come to the door, so Wang Heng didn't have to spend any time guessing. She could just call him in and ask him, and everything would be clear.

"Yes! I'll go right now, slave!"

Bai Zhi agreed and ran out herself without telling the maid.

Soon, Bai Zhi came in with a woman in her twenties.

"I greet Ninth Lady!"

Madam Li saluted with her arms crossed, her attitude respectful, and she only put a little thought into her address.

She did not address Wang Heng as Princess, but called her by the old name.

"Get up!"

Wang Heng put down the account book and leaned against the bag.

She waved her hand, indicating that Madam Li didn't need to be so polite.

"Thank you, Jiuniang!"

Madam Li stood up straight with a polite manner.

Wang Heng took a quick glance and saw that Madam Li had a pretty face and looked fine.

Although he looked a little sad, he didn't look anxious or aggrieved overall.

Wang Heng estimated that she had indeed encountered difficulties, but it was not the kind of serious problem that would harm her.

"Is everything going well at home lately? Are your children behaving well?"

Wang Heng did not ask the question herself, but exchanged a few pleasantries first.

"Thanks to Jiuniang, everything is fine!"

Madam Li replied respectfully, "Although the children are naughty, they are beginning to learn to behave. Especially my youngest daughter, who is five years old this year. She has been following me and learning to read and do housework..."

Although Madam Li came to ask her master for help, she cared more about the future of her daughter and the whole family.

Therefore, she talked about her daughter every other sentence and tried her best to send her daughter to work in the mansion.

Even someone as smart as Wang Heng could see through Lady Li's simple thoughts at a glance.

She didn't respond.

Anan is her only child, so she has to be very selective about the people around him.

Madam Li was born as her personal maid, and her husband's family had been servants of the Wang family for several generations.

If you think about it carefully, Mrs. Li's daughter knows everything about me and is absolutely reliable.

But what Wang Heng wants is not only reliability, but also affection.

Anyway, Anan is still young, so there is no need to rush to choose a maid of similar age for her.

Of course, Wang Heng didn't completely ignore Li Niangzi's daughter. Well, let's put her on the list of candidates for now.

Next, Wang Heng will send people to the farm to conduct a thorough investigation and careful observation to confirm that the girl is "usable" before considering the next step!

"Ah Li, I see you don't look well, but is there something troubling you?"

Wang Heng did not respond to Li Niangzi's topic about her daughter, but she would not really ignore Li Niangzi.

She affectionately called Madam Li "Ah Li" and asked softly.

Seeing Wang Heng like this, Madam Li was immediately moved.

She bowed again and crossed her arms, "Nineth Lady has a keen eye. I, I really do have something to ask of you!"

After opening the conversation and getting to the point, Madam Li felt a little embarrassed.

She took a deep breath, looking determined, and whispered, "It's my aunt—"

Wang Heng frowned slightly.

She did have a good memory, though not as good as Lou Yu's photographic memory, but she would never neglect anyone she cared about. However, she had too many servants under her name.

If not tens of thousands, there must be at least four or five thousand people.

In addition to the private soldiers, and the people who work seriously in the government office and farms, there are also a large number of family members.

Many of the slaves under Wang Heng's name were only registered and would never appear in front of Wang Heng.

Madam Li’s sister-in-law?

Wang Heng really didn't have much impression.

Wang Heng looked at Madam Li and quietly and silently encouraged her to continue.

When Lady Li saw Wang Heng like this, her panicked heart was soothed.

She pinched her palms hard and continued, "My aunt just turned 15 this year."

"My parents-in-law are planning to choose a husband for her. Both elders love their daughter very much and did not send her to work in the palace. Instead, they raised her at home like a little girl."

"Two years ago, I sent her to study at Deyin Hall—"

At this point, Madam Li paused and said, "In the academy, I didn't learn any serious books, but I became fascinated by the folk storybooks."

And those miscellaneous books can easily become spiritual opium for people who are not mentally mature enough.

Lady Li's sister-in-law was so obsessed with reading so many miscellaneous books that she lost her mind.

Perhaps because she had opened her mouth, Madam Li no longer had the scruples of "family disgrace should not be made public" and whispered all the absurd things her sister-in-law had done.

"She was obsessed with the talented men and beautiful women in the book and even drew herself into it."

"The in-laws wanted to find her a husband, but she secretly found her own lover!"

"If that person had a clean family background and a good character, his family would naturally not object, but, but he is a villain who is good at disguising himself."

As Madam Li spoke, she began to feel aggrieved.

As a daughter-in-law, there are always times when you are treated as an outsider in your husband's family.

Especially when it comes to her husband's family, Madam Li is often in a dilemma.

No matter what, you will be called heartless and unfilial.

If you do, you will be considered nosy and it will be a thankless task.

For example, when it comes to her sister-in-law's marriage, Madam Li is in a dilemma whether to interfere or not.

But whenever something goes wrong, her in-laws will still come to her and ask her to ask for help from the princess.

Wang Heng frowned. What kind of messy, trivial and dirty thing was this?

As the master, she can control the life and death of her servants, but she will not waste her time listening to their gossip.

Seeing Wang Heng's uneasy expression, Lady Li hadn't noticed it yet, but Bai Zhi discovered it first.

She quickly coughed lightly to remind Madam Li to speak quickly if she had anything to say and not to talk nonsense.

The princess is so noble and busy, how could she care about the "love affairs" of these infatuated men and women?

Lady Li was reminded and quickly glanced at Wang Heng's expression, then she realized in shock—

He was really used to the life of luxury in Zhuangzi and had lost his sense of proportion.

She quickly gathered her thoughts and got to the point: "Nine Mother, my aunt was deceived by a lunatic and eloped with him!"

Wang Heng: ...So? You want me to send someone to recapture those eloped mandarin ducks?!

Madam Li continued, "If that man had simply abandoned her after having sex with her, it would have been fine, but he also, he even murdered her for money!"

"Nine Lady, you don't know that my aunt has been missing for half a month. My husband asked someone to draw a portrait of my aunt and that lunatic, and he has been searching everywhere for them."

"It's okay for the young lady, but no clues were found. On the contrary, someone recognized that lunatic. He is the down-and-out scholar who cheated his neighbor's daughter!"

"He was recognized by more than one person, and he has several identities."

"Some say he's a poor scholar, some son of a down-and-out aristocratic family, some wandering knight. The most outrageous thing is that someone said they saw him in a small mountain village and said he was a peddler wandering the streets!"

When Wang Heng heard this, her slightly furrowed brows relaxed.

Oh no, could this guy be a liar who specializes in seducing women?

Or, he is a human trafficker!

Those women who were deceived by him not only lost all their money, but also became commodities?

What's more, this person is not a single person, but an organized gang!

If this is true, then it is a big case.

Wang Heng's brain raced, and she suddenly remembered that a woman had gone missing in Beijing a few months ago.

It’s not the missing case from a few years ago. That case was essentially caused by poison.

This time, it seems to be a simple disappearance, and the identity of the missing person is very fixed——

A young, decent-looking woman!

Wang Heng had already linked the woman’s abduction to a gang crime, and then to the disappearance case a few months ago.

She had an inexplicable feeling that these must be related.

There is going to be a major case in Beijing.

"Nine Lady, although this little girl of mine is a bit willful, she is not a bad person!"

"My parents-in-law didn't have her until they were forty, so they've been pampering her a bit."

"Now that she's missing, my parents-in-law are terribly worried. They're not afraid that she's been scammed, they're just afraid that she's been murdered!"

"Nine Lady, I know I shouldn't bother you, but, but I really have no other choice. I beg you to have mercy and at least save her..."