Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Lu Min'er coldly observed the scene before her, increasingly convinced that Madam Wang was a fool. Without even conducting a proper investigation, she had one of her maids lured away.

Last time, she had someone inquire about Jiu'er's unusual behavior and learned that Madam Mei wanted to bring Jiu'er to serve her. At the time, she thought Madam Mei was being delusional, but who knew it would be so easy? She got herself a personal female bodyguard for nothing.

She assumed that Madam Mei and Jiu'er had some past relationship, and that she knew Jiu'er's martial arts skills, which was why she wanted to bring Jiu'er to her side. Little did she know, Mei'er had no idea that Jiu'er knew martial arts; she only considered her an ordinary maid. Lu Min'er and Mei'er weren't particularly close, so for a time, the matter remained undiscovered.

On the day Lady Wang left the palace, she was missing a maid named Jiu'er. Meanwhile, Lady Mei had a younger sister named Jiu'er by her side.

That night, in bed, Lu Min'er told Prince Ding'an about the incident as a joke.

"You know, Madam Wang is really stupid. Such a good maid, who also knows kung fu, was tricked away by Madam Mei with just a few words. She got such a good maid for nothing. If I had known it was so easy, I would have asked her for two maids to keep by my side."

Prince Ding'an was somewhat tired. He listened to Lu Min'er's rambling and only gave a deep laugh without saying anything. But a thought flashed through his mind, and when he tried to think about it further, he couldn't grasp it anymore.

Mei'er told Mr. Hua about finding her younger sister, but Mr. Hua was clearly more interested in Mei'er than in the fact that she had found her sister. He only said one sentence, telling her to settle down well, and then began to busy himself with Mei'er.

And so, Jiu'er's arrival caused not a ripple in the Prince's mansion; she simply stayed quietly.

Four or five days later, Lady Wang came to the Prince's residence again to speak with Consort Lu. The maid who came with her begged Mingzhu to take her to see Jiu'er.

“Go ahead, the sisters have been together for so many years, they must miss each other when they are suddenly separated.”

Lu Min'er nodded and instructed Mingzhu.

Having received their master's instructions, the two maids happily followed Mingzhu to the courtyard where Mr. Hua lived to find Jiu'er.

Mei'er has been extremely pleased with herself these past few days. With just a few careless words, she managed to get a personal maid from Lady Wang of Jinling, and she was quite smug. So what if you're born into wealth and are the principal wife? You're still being manipulated by me, a mere concubine. And then there's Madam Hua, who's just from an ordinary family. She only gained an advantage by being born a few years earlier and becoming the teacher's principal wife. With her intelligence and beauty, she can easily control her just as well.

While I was getting ready in the room, I heard my maid, Xiaozhu, come in and report.

"Madam, Mingzhu, the concubine's maid, has arrived, along with two maids from Madam Wang's household. They said they missed Miss Jiu'er and came to see her."

Mei'er looked at herself in the mirror, her face as beautiful as a flower, but one eyebrow seemed not quite drawn perfectly. She waved her hand and instructed Xiaozhu...

"Take them there and let them have fun. Don't forget to bring some snacks and fruit. Be careful to serve them and listen to what they have to say. Then come back and report to me."

Mei'er gave this order not because she was afraid they were plotting anything, but because she wanted to know how envious Madam Mei's two maids were of Jiu'er's current appearance, given how well she had treated Jiu'er these past few days, dressing her in gold and silver.

Mingzhu handed the two maids over to the servants in the courtyard and then left. Outsiders were not allowed to enter Mr. Hua's courtyard easily. Usually, they would only go as far as the gate.

The two women accompanying Madam Wang on this outing were Da Niu and Er Shi Jiu. They both paused for a moment when they saw Jiu'er, then their eyes filled with envy.

"Jiu'er, these gold hairpins on your head are really beautiful. Did Madam Mei give them to you?" Twenty-Nine asked enviously, looking at the elaborate hair ornaments on Jiu'er's head.

"Yes, they were all given to me by my sister. Aren't they pretty?" Jiu'er nodded carefully, holding her head. She didn't dare to make any big movements, afraid that the things on her head would fall off.

"Beautiful, so elegant. Just like the empress in the opera!" Twenty-Nine exclaimed.

"My sister is so good to me. She cooks all my favorite dishes every day, especially a dish called Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple, which is so delicious with its sweet and sour flavor. Don't leave today, I've asked the kitchen to make it for you to try." She then looked at the maid standing beside her.

"Xiaozhu, may I have you two sisters stay for dinner? I think my older sister will agree!"

“Miss Jiu’er, Madam loves you the most. She has never refused any of your requests. Don’t worry, I will go and tell the kitchen to prepare more dishes for you to entertain the guests today.”

"Xiao Zhu, thank you for making this trip. Here, take this and play with it." As she spoke, she took out two bat-shaped silver ingots from her purse and handed them over.

"Thank you for the gift, Miss." Xiaozhu was overjoyed, holding the two silver ingots. She thought to herself that Miss Jiu'er was much more generous than Madam Mei. She had been serving Madam Mei for so long, and at most, Madam Mei would only reward her with two plates of food and snacks. But Miss Jiu'er had only been here for a few days, and she had already given her five silver ingots and two silver rings. She was truly a generous and kind mistress.

Having received the reward, Xiaozhu had completely forgotten what Mei'er had told her to do. She ran to the main kitchen of the mansion and asked the old woman there for some of Jiu'er's favorite dishes.

Once he was sure no one was in the room, Twenty-Nine dipped his finger in the tea in his cup and wrote a few words on the coffee table. Jiu'er nodded after reading it, indicating that she understood. Twenty-Nine then wiped it clean, leaving nothing on the coffee table except for a water stain.