Best friends dressed up in ancient times to become mistresses? You run, I run too!

His heart sank, and he immediately called Chen Aniu over.

They didn't even have time to pack their things before rushing towards the capital.

When they arrived at the city gate, they found the city peaceful. The two quietly returned to their courtyard in the west of the city.

On the third floor of the adjacent attic, Qingyun stood listlessly with his sword in his arms when suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Master, Miss Liu is back."

Upon hearing this, the man who was resting with his eyes closed suddenly sat up, his eyes trembling slightly.

Looking down, a smile finally broke out on his cool face as he finally saw the beautiful figure.

You finally... came after all.

The previous gloom vanished, and Song Hanchuan quickly stood up and gave the order:

"News has spread that the Song family is looking to hire a maid. The requirements are that she must be no younger than ten or no older than twenty-five, hardworking, honest, and dutiful."

Qingyun: ? ? ?

"Remember, tell everyone that the owner of this house is a government official, and a high-ranking one at that."

Qingyun's eyes suddenly lit up, a flash of inspiration struck him.

"Does Master mean to lure Miss Liu to work in our household?"

"Brilliant! As expected of your master, this idea is absolutely brilliant! Miss Liu is deeply in love with Miss Shen; in order to find Miss Shen, she will surely come to you herself."

Song Hanchuan seemed somewhat distracted by Qingyun's compliments, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Qingyun, do you think she'll blame me if she finds out I'm the owner of this house?"

Qingyun was also somewhat unsure.

"Logically speaking, we were trying our best to help them, but they drugged us and ran away. When we meet again, she should be the one feeling guilty."

"And Miss Shen's situation is none of our business!"

Prince Chen is cunning and full of tricks.

Despite having sent countless people to secretly monitor the Crown Prince's residence and being extremely careful in this operation, they still slipped up.

Ultimately, they didn't do it on purpose.

For three whole days, Liu Zhiyi and Chen Aniu disguised themselves and wandered the streets and alleys of the capital, restaurants, teahouses, and even brothels without rest.

However, they didn't get any useful information.

Shen Ningzhu seemed to have vanished into thin air, and the more time passed, the more uneasy Liu Zhiyi felt.

Chen Aniu looked at the dark circles under her eyes and worriedly advised her.

"Sister Yi, why don't you go home and rest for a day, and I'll continue searching outside? What do you think?"

Liu Zhiyi looked dazed, slowly stirring the glistening wontons in her bowl, and shook her head.

"No, you haven't slept for three days either. Let's eat first. After you finish this bowl of wontons, we'll go home, rest, and then continue."

There's no rushing this right now.

The two of them lowered their heads and ate their wontons.

Just then, a few people walked into the stall and sat at the table next to the two men. One of them ordered a bowl of wontons, and then they started chatting loudly before the food arrived.

"Have you heard? A high-ranking official in the west of the city is hiring maids. It's said that they don't sign permanent contracts, only one-year contracts. Once the contract expires, they can be free again."

"West of the city? You must be mistaken. What kind of high-ranking official would stay in the west of the city, where ordinary people live, instead of living in the east of the city?"

"That's right. It's said that the old man held a high position and great power, but he was aloof by nature, which is why he chose to live in a place with few people."

"Hey, you know what, the reward they offered was really generous. If they weren't only looking for women, I would have gone too."

Liu Zhiyi paused in her chewing motion.

Suddenly, his eyes darted around.

"Ah Niu, I'm full, let's go back now."

Chen Aniu: "Ah? Oh, okay."

After calling for payment and placing twenty copper coins on the table, the two quickly left the wonton stall.

The group of people who had just spoken exchanged glances, took out a coin, placed it on the table, and then dispersed.

At the entrance of Song Mansion

Liu Zhiyi looked up at the large, gold-embossed characters above, and her lips twitched involuntarily.

"This...is this really the place?"

Chen Aniu scratched his head, his eyes filled with uncertainty. But in the entire western part of the city, there was only this Song family!

"How about we knock on the door and ask?"

To be honest, ever since he bought the house in the west of the city, he has stayed in the house every day, occasionally going out to buy things, but he has not found out who lives next door.

From the outside, the house looks unremarkable except for a conspicuous plaque.

Looking back, he seemed to recall never seeing anyone enter or leave the house.

Just as the two were undecided, the door suddenly creaked open.

A middle-aged man came out.

Looking at Liu Zhiyi and then at Chen Aniu, she said, "Are you two here to apply for a maid position in our household? I'm sorry, but we only need one maid, and only women."

He paused, pondered for a moment, and stroked his beard.

"However, this young lady does meet the requirements quite well. Would you be interested in joining our household?"

Liu Zhiyi agreed without even thinking.

Shen Ningzhu couldn't have left on her own; the only possibility is that she was kidnapped.

And the person who could abduct her so quietly must be either rich or powerful.

Given her current status and Chen Aniu's position, she has no way of having contact with such a person.

Becoming a maid in the Song household might be an opportunity.

“Great, then come with me, young lady.”

And so, Liu Zhiyi entered the Song family smoothly and became an ordinary maid.

I originally thought that I would have to learn etiquette from the household nannies for a month before entering the mansion.

After signing the contract, the housekeeper's first task was to arrange her accommodation and take her to the storeroom to collect two brand-new sets of maid's clothes.

The dress is a lovely pink.

It fit her perfectly, as if it were tailor-made for her, and the material was—pearl yarn.

This fabric has a pearly luster, making it a favorite among wealthy women in Beijing. Of course, it is also ridiculously expensive, the kind that ordinary rich families can't afford.

But the Song family actually gave it to their maids to wear?

Is this a large and wealthy family with so much money they simply don't know what to do with it, or... is there something else going on?

Liu Zhiyi preferred to believe the latter.

So, he looked at the butler with a puzzled expression.

"This...are you sure this is for me? Do the other maids in the manor also wear such expensive fabrics?"

The butler smiled and shook his head.

"Miss, you are overthinking it. There are only servants in the manor. You are the first maid in our manor."

"As for this dress, feel free to wear it."

From now on, you will stay by your master's side and serve him closely in his daily life.

When necessary, we also need to accompany our master to various banquets and occasions. If we dress poorly, wouldn't people look down on the Song family?

Liu Zhiyi understood.

People in ancient times valued appearances, so personal maids naturally had to dress appropriately.

"This servant has learned a lot, thank you, Steward."

"Yes, go and rest! There is a flower viewing banquet in three days, and you need to accompany the master."

"This banquet is very important, but it also harbors many hidden dangers. Therefore, I want you to take good care of your health beforehand."

Make sure you take good care of your master throughout the banquet, without leaving his side for a moment. Do you understand?