Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

Gu Hua and Zhou Zhilan acted immediately.

First, two groups of young maids were selected from the Prince's mansion. Six of them, who were literate, good at arithmetic, and clever, were chosen as the head maids of the Prince's mansion. Most of them were servants born into the Mu family.

Zhou Zhilan will train them for over a month, and once they are competent, they will be assigned to the head steward as assistants to gain experience and become part of the second tier of female stewards.

The princess also said that the older generation of head maids would receive a reward of one hundred taels of silver for each apprentice they taught. Once the apprentice could become independent, she would be eligible for retirement, no longer needing to work, and would still receive silver.

The supervising nuns immediately dispelled the disciples' doubts about starving their master and began to carefully discipline the younger generation under their command.

They then selected ten women with martial arts skills and quick reflexes to serve as female guards.

These ten men were almost all orphans of soldiers from the Mu family army. They were not only skilled but also extremely loyal.

Gu Hua plans to train Zhou Zhilan to become the backbone of the future female soldiers, so that she can lead a hundred women and one day lead a female soldier team of more than a thousand.

In the event of a major battle, if the men of the Mu family army were to go out in full force, then the women could take on the responsibility of protecting their families and even the city of Juzhou, allowing the men to go out and fight with peace of mind.

In the morning, Zhou Zhilan, along with six maids led by Dongqing, would observe how she managed the affairs of the inner quarters, how she communicated and arranged things with the stewardesses, and how she would patrol the mansion four times a day, carefully explaining what places needed to be observed and how to deal with any clues she discovered.

In the afternoon, Zhou Zhilan instructed the female guards in martial arts.

At this time of year, the old lady would lead Tuantuan and Yuanyuan to sit on stools and watch them practice martial arts.

But Tuantuan was engrossed in reading her sketchbook, seemingly uninterested in martial arts.

Sometimes he would sneak off to watch his mother and Aunt Zhou discuss household matters. He would sit like a little adult in a big armchair, his short legs crossed, his hands neatly placed on his lap, his little face full of seriousness.

I couldn't understand, but every now and then I'd give them an approving smile, as if to say, "You've done a great job."

At this time, Gu Hua and Zhou Zhilan would laugh so hard they would be doubled over. Zhou Zhilan would also deliberately ask him a few questions for his opinion, and the little guy would nod seriously to show his agreement or shake his head to show his disagreement.

Gu Hua and Zhou Zhilan immediately agreed with him and gave him a thumbs up.

This is the rare moment when the little kid giggled like a two-year-old.

Yuanyuan, however, couldn't sit still. She would often run to the group and join the older girls, shouting "Hehe haha" and doing a few punches. With her short arms and legs, she sometimes couldn't even stand steadily, but she still had a lot of spirit, making the group of older girls laugh so hard they were bent over.

Gu Hua had notices posted in Juzhou City to recruit twenty female guards for the Prince's Palace.

She and Zhou Zhilan never expected that just an hour after the notice was posted, the gates of the Prince's Mansion would be nearly broken down by crowds of people.

Some came with their own daughters, some came to the door on their own initiative, and some came to inquire about news for their female relatives.

Gu Hua quickly had tables and chairs set up at the street corner so that Zhou Zhilan could sit in and personally select the items.

Because of the princess's actions, everyone in the palace was suddenly full of energy and enthusiasm. They worked with great speed and joy, as if it were a major festival, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

Yin Tao wandered around the Prince's mansion for a long time and was shocked to see this scene. They had actually started recruiting female guards.

She hurried back to her small courtyard and saw Yiyun sitting in the east wing, calmly reading a book. She snatched the book away from her in a huff.

"Look, look! Do you think reading these worthless books will help you marry a good husband? Will they give you gold and silver? Don't you see how much the world has changed? And you're still reading them!"

Yiyun frowned at her: "Can you please stop yelling and talk things out?"

Yin Tao laughed angrily: "So you've come here to live the life of a pampered young lady? You've completely forgotten the Empress's instructions, haven't you?"

Yiyun glanced quickly at the door. The old woman who had been guarding the door had been removed, leaving only the two maids. The two of them went to the kitchen to get their food.

Yiyun stood up, walked to the courtyard gate, looked outside, and breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that no one was there.

He closed the courtyard gate, pulled Yin Tao into the east wing room, and said in a low voice, "Aren't you afraid that others will know you are the Empress's person? Why are you shouting so loudly?"

Yin Tao's face paled. She quickly glanced outside and lowered her voice, saying, "What should we do? Should we report this to Her Majesty the Empress?"

"We can't get out, how can we report it?"

Yin Tao thought for a moment: "Didn't they say that we could throw a token over the west wall and someone would tell us how to pass the message?"

Yiyun was very unwilling.

But she knew very well that they weren't the only two people here who were the Queen's spies. If they didn't pass on any information, they would be of no use.

Yin Tao, annoyed by her dawdling, urged, "Hurry up and take it out. Isn't the token with you?"

I have no idea what the Empress saw in her?

Is it because she was once the daughter of an official?

How can someone who is as timid as a mouse accomplish anything?

Yin Tao was cursing in her heart when Yi Yun went into her room, took something out, and handed it to her.

"Throw it over the west wall at midnight."

Yin Tao took it and examined it; it was just an ordinary wooden hairpin: "That's it?"

She simply couldn't believe that the token given by the Empress was this piece of junk.

Yiyun whispered, "Hollow."

Yin Tao quickly took it and examined it closely. Sure enough, she figured out the trick: it could be unscrewed, and the inside was hollow.

"Then write a note and put it in. Just write about the Prince's mansion recruiting female guards recently."

Yiyun looked at her as if she were an idiot: "If I don't write it down, what if someone else finds it and discovers us? Wouldn't that be suicide?"

Yin Tao choked: "So you're just going to throw it out like that?"

"Didn't you say someone would come looking for us? Let's give it a try. If no one comes looking for us, don't blame us."

After Yiyun finished speaking, she took the book from Yin Tao's hand and continued to sit down and read.

Helpless, Yin Tao had no choice but to wait until dark.

……

Gu Hua, with her pregnant belly, sat behind Zhou Zhilan, watching the women who came to register. Those who were chosen by Zhou Zhilan cheered with joy, and she felt happy too.

Even those who weren't chosen received fifty coins, which pleased everyone.

Gu Hua wanted to instill confidence in Juzhou City and dispel the unease and frustration brought about by decades of war.

Women in southern Xinjiang are indeed quite different from those in the Central Plains. There are many ethnic minorities around, and many Miao and Yi tribes have settled in Daliang. They still earn money by hunting, cutting firewood in the mountains, and picking wild plants and medicinal herbs to sell in the market.

But this kind of income is a gift from God. If there are many people and children in the family, the whole family will go hungry sometimes.

Being a female guard in the Prince's mansion not only provides a fixed monthly salary, but also brings honor to the whole family.

The girls who came to participate surrounded Zhou Zhilan and her group in layers, and soon, the pool of twenty girls was filled.

Zhou Zhilan looked at Gu Hua and asked in lip reading: Is that enough?

Gu Hua nodded with a smile.

These things can't be rushed.

The Prince's mansion now has a son and a daughter, and the Princess is pregnant again, so it is not surprising that a large number of female guards are needed.

But recruiting too many people at once might arouse suspicion.

Zhou Zhilan stood up, stretched, and turned around happily to see twenty women standing in three neat rows. She was overjoyed.

She strode towards them and smiled, "Go home and pack your things today. You don't need to bring anything. Clothes will be provided by the Prince's Mansion, and food and lodging will be taken care of by the Prince's Mansion. You won't need to spend any money, and you'll even receive a monthly allowance."

"We'll arrive at the Prince's residence at dawn tomorrow. First, we'll sign a contract, then you'll receive two taels of silver to take back to your families as a token of your filial piety. The day after tomorrow, we'll officially begin our training at the Prince's residence."

"The slaves obey."

One of the women, a tall, dark-skinned woman, responded loudly.

The others, who were unsure how to respond, all shouted in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

The combined shouts of twenty women were deafening.

Zhou Zhilan was so shocked that she couldn't help but take two steps back.