High-class maid

What Shen Kun and Wang Shi didn't know was that Jiang Huang had no intention of turning over a new leaf. It was just that when he first arrived at the manor, everyone was wary of him, and he had complained about it in private quite a bit. Unexpectedly, he managed to evade them this time.

Because Steward Liu had fled, Shen Kun had been temporarily taking over the job of steward of the estate for the past few days. He was now living in the house that used to belong to Steward Liu. Since there weren't many rules on the estate, the two of them lived together.

As the two stepped outside, they suddenly spotted a shadowy figure moving about furtively. Shen Kun immediately shielded Wang Shi behind him and shouted, "Who's there!"

The figure trembled slightly, turned around, smiled ingratiatingly, and said, "Uncle, Aunt, it's me."

Shen Kun heard a somewhat familiar voice, and upon closer inspection, he saw a gaunt face. Because it was so thin, its cheekbones appeared quite prominent, and with the darkness of the night, it looked extremely frightening.

"Hehe, I'm Jiang Huang. It's been a few days, Uncle and Aunt, don't you recognize me?" Jiang Huang grinned, his teeth, which matched his name perfectly, were dazzling.

"Oh, we're not that close, and we're not related by blood. Just call me Butler Shen from now on," Shen Kun said.

"Yes, yes, it was my oversight, Butler Shen." Jiang Huang rubbed his hands together; his thin clothes weren't warm enough for the October weather. His eyes kept glancing towards the room, as if waiting for Shen Kun to invite him in.

Shen Kun saw through his implication. Exhausted from a long day, he had no patience for further negotiation. Therefore, he took a step forward, blocking Jiang Huang's view, and asked...

"Speak quickly if you have something to say, I have official business to attend to."

"Um, it's like this, I don't know if things from the past still count," Jiang Huang scratched his head and asked embarrassedly.

Wang and Shen Kun exchanged a glance, both seeing the doubt in each other's eyes. Shen Kun asked, "What is it? When did we agree to that?"

"That's right, my marriage to Xing'er!"

"What are you saying! When did we discuss your marriage with Xing'er? Don't talk nonsense!" Madam Wang immediately became angry and stepped forward to question her.

"But we clearly agreed on this! You two aren't trying to renege on your promise just because I'm down on my luck now, are you?" Jiang Huang lost his patience and gradually revealed his old personality.

"Alright, so you two are engaged. Where is the marriage certificate, how much was the betrothal gift, and where are the tokens?" As expected of someone who had worked in the inner quarters, Madam Wang asked as soon as she came to her senses.

"Well, it hasn't come to that yet," Jiang Huang said, surprised that she was so difficult to deal with.

"Hmph, you've slandered my daughter's reputation for no reason. What are your intentions?" Shen Kun asked in a low voice, adopting the air of a head butler.

Although his voice was low, his imposing manner was by no means weak. Jiang Huang was so frightened that he almost knelt down. He steadied himself, swallowed, and said.

"Uncle, I sincerely want to marry Xing'er. If you are willing to help me out of this predicament, I will never forget you when I become successful in the future."

"Ha, you can't even leave this tiny village, yet you dream of getting rich? What a pipe dream! Bah!"

Wang only had this one precious daughter. When she saw that the other party dared to covet her daughter and was a lecherous man, she was furious and spoke without any mercy.

“Uncle, please consider what I’m saying carefully. Although I work as a farmhand on the estate, I’m not a servant born into the household. My child and Xing’er’s child won’t have to serve others at such a young age. You just need to help me settle the accounts…”

Jiang Huang's words became increasingly outrageous, and Shen Kun, unable to bear it any longer, kicked him away, sending him flying a great distance.

"Let me tell you, if word gets out about what happened today, I will make sure you die a horrible death!" Shen Kun said fiercely.

Jiang Huang saw that his words did not seem to be false, and coupled with his own timid nature, he was too frightened to speak.

"Get out!" Shen Kun roared, and Jiang Huang's legs trembled. He instinctively tried to get up and run away.

But the more he thought about it, the more unwilling he became. After running a few steps, he turned around and roared at Shen Kun.

"Hmph, so what if you're a steward? You're still just a servant of the family. You're nothing but a dog to your masters. Besides me, who else would want your daughter? Do you really think your daughter is some kind of celestial being? A servant will always be a servant..."

He wanted to continue speaking, but was interrupted by two slaps from the agitated Wang.

"Damn it, who gave you the guts! Even if we are servants, we are a hundred times better than your mother who is only good at embezzling and is a mistress!"

He kept talking while his hands kept moving.

"Alright, my wife, be careful not to hurt your hand." Shen Kun walked over and took Wang Shi's hand, then glared at Jiang Huang with a look that seemed to be poisoned, making Jiang Huang feel cold all over. This time, he really didn't dare to act recklessly again and ran away as fast as he could.

At this moment, Jiang Huang still thought he had escaped a calamity, but only Wang Shi, who knew her husband well, knew that his days were numbered.

Shen Kun helped the furious Wang Shi back into the house. Wang Shi clutched her chest, her heaving chest showing how angry she was.

"Alright, my wife, it's not worth getting yourself sick over such a lecherous man," Shen Kun said, patting her back to comfort her.

"My lord, this man cannot be allowed to stay any longer. He already holds a grudge against us today. If we let him remain on the estate, who knows what he might do?"

"That's what Wang said after she calmed down."

“I know. Leave this to me. After all, you’re in the inner courtyard, so it’s not as convenient for you as it is for me,” Shen Kun said.

"Husband, no matter how glorious we are, in the eyes of outsiders, are we just the dogs of our masters?" Madam Wang took Jiang Huang's words to heart and asked.

Shen Kun was also pondering the same question: how fickle the world is, how many people are respectful to him on the surface but secretly curse him for being a bully.

But he couldn't tell Wang, otherwise, given Wang's personality, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep well for many days.

"Don't overthink it, my wife. He's just jealous of us. If you take it to heart, you'll be falling into his trap," Shen Kun comforted her.

Wang nodded and didn't ask any further questions, fearing that if she asked too many, Shen Kun would be unhappy.

"Alright, I'll go get the food from the small kitchen. What would you like to eat?" Shen Kun asked.

Wang shook her head and said, "I'm not eating anymore. After he made such a fuss, I've lost my appetite."

"Alright, alright, if my wife doesn't want to eat, I won't either. I'll lose weight with you," Shen Kun teased with a smile.

Neither of them mentioned Jiang and Huang again, but this incident planted a seed in their hearts, which eventually took root and sprouted.

The next day, Wang went to work with two big dark circles under her eyes. Shen Kun saw this and kept it in mind. He then turned around and went to arrange things for Jiang Huang.

Soon after, a servant came to report that a farmhand in the manor was caught red-handed trying to steal from his masters. Shen Kun gave the order and sent him to the government office. From then on, Jiang and Huang disappeared completely from their world.

On the other side of the inn, Wu Xunzhi, dressed in new clothes, was carrying a letter and a visiting card given to him by his teacher in the capital, preparing to go to Ouyang Academy.