itor local prices. If anyone is raising prices arbitrarily or manipulating food costs, have them arrested immediately. All their grain should be purchased at a fair price and stored in the granaries."..."Send someone to investigate and see if Old Master Wu has left any contingencies. Have that house bought, along with those two shops and the hot springs resort. Keep an eye on all of them. I don't believe Wu Youcai wouldn't leave anything for his only daughter."

"Yes, subordinate will do it right away!"

The ripples of their conversation naturally went unnoticed. However, she was well aware that this trip to the village wouldn't be smooth sailing. So, before leaving the city, she had instructed Wu An, that nimble little rogue, to run a quick errand to the largest鏢局 in town, hoping to secure some protection.

Of course, she chose a route that was both convenient and had valuable goods to escort. This meant the鏢局 would send strong people for protection. They traveled in two carriages, and with some silver, they could safely reach their destination. Lianyi felt this was a very worthwhile deal.

That day, the Zhenyuan鏢局's people escorted goods out of the city gate as soon as it opened. With a hundred-strong team marching under their banner, they made quite a show of it.

The two carriages of the Wu family trailed behind the鏢局's convoy, and also left the city.

Wu Zhong immediately took the silver and went to find the head of a鏢局, offering twenty taels of silver to ask the escort team to take care of him.

This tipster actually heard the rumors about the Wu family, but just looking at those two carriages that were obviously rented, and a few light boxes, it was clear they didn't bring anything valuable.

"Master Zheng, my young mistress is returning to the ancestral home to observe filial piety. Recently, I've heard some rumors and feel a bit uneasy. I want to borrow the prestige of your鏢局 for some courage. Please accept this money as tea money for the鏢師."

Wu Zhong respectfully handed over the silver.

Zheng, the鏢頭 (head of a caravan), didn't hesitate to accept it. He flipped through it and knew exactly how much silver it was. This sort of thing often happened when they were transporting goods, so he simply nodded in agreement. Who wouldn't want to earn more

Thus, the ripples joined the team of Zhenyuan鏢局 and arrived very smoothly at the manor where she was to live for three years.

But secretly preparing to make a move and test the Wu family's group of people, they could only temporarily abandon their thoughts. They were able to deal with the three melons and two dates of the Wu family, but they had no ability to confront hundreds of people from the鏢局. They could only silently retreat back into the city and report to their master.

Before the team from the鏢局 left, Lian Yi specially had Wu Zhong meet Zheng Biao Tou and gave him ten taels of silver privately. She also expressed her request to him.

“Master Zheng, this is my young mistress’s instructions. She wants to give you this reward for your hard work and has a favor to ask.”

"You said."

The鏢 head, Zheng, readily accepted the silver.

“I know that Head Zheng has traveled all over the place, so you must have a lot of experience and friends. I would trouble you to help my family find a female martial arts instructor for my young lady. She must be skilled and of good character. My Wu family will provide for her. Besides teaching my young lady some self-defense techniques, she is also to train several capable female guards for my lady.”

"Don't worry, Wu Butler. This trip will only take a month round trip. I'll keep an eye out for suitable people and give you an answer when the time comes."

"Thus, I shall take my leave. Should you find a suitable female artisan, the Wu family will offer further gratitude to Master Zheng."

"Sounds good!"

Zheng Biao Shi, with a hearty wave of his hand, rode away on horseback.

And all the people at the hot spring resort stood in two rows, already waiting for their young master at the entrance.

The ripples did not dismount the carriage. Introduced by Wu Zhong, she only saw the head of the village and then went to a two-entry courtyard built at the foot of the mountain.

As soon as Ripple took a step into the courtyard, she noticed that the outer courtyard had been well-maintained. Although there were no pavilions or towers, there were also small streams and lush flowers, trees, and grasses.

The house was cleaned very well, with all the tables and chairs in place. The guards brought along were stationed in the front courtyard, responsible for guarding the entrance and occasionally running errands.

The courtyard of Erjin is where the ripples reside, but after taking a look around, she frowned and ordered Luo Huai to summon Wu Zhong.

"Wu Guanjia, how many people live in the head of this estate How do they work"

Wu Zhong was taken aback by the question, and immediately said:

"Miss, I've only visited this estate a limited number of times. The steward is still quite respectful. After Master passed away, I had someone notify the steward to clean this courtyard thoroughly, replace the furnishings, and prepare for Miss to observe three years of filial piety here."

This house doesn't look like it's been empty for long. Instead, there are signs of someone living here for a while. You check each house with the guards and confirm my guess.

Then, have the carriage driver take the people back to the county office and summon two guards. Also, bring Sun Po-tze from the dental shop along. We'll settle this matter today so that there are no unforeseen circumstances overnight."

With a pair of sparkling, watery eyes, she gazed at Wu Zhong and softly instructed him.

Wu Zhong's expression turned grave. This family from the village had such audacity, daring to move into the master's house without permission. It seemed there was something fishy going on at this estate.

If someone with ill intentions seizes this opportunity, Miss will not be able to live peacefully here. It's a shame that he previously told Miss that all these people were loyal servants arranged by the master. He truly slapped himself in the face. No wonder Miss had to hire female warriors.

"It's Wu Zhong who hasn't been handling things well, so I'll arrange for someone to take care of it."

He then bowed and went to the front courtyard to summon a guard. He entered the second courtyard accompanied by two old maids, inspecting every room.

The guard's eyes were sharp, spotting some overlooked little things. It was these very things that proved someone bold had lived here, and not just for a day or two. That's why they missed these small items in their hasty departure.

And here, Ripple instructed Sakura:

"Bring out all the deeds of servitude from the village."

Yes, Miss!

Luo Ying's face was also not good-looking. These people were really bold, bullying the young miss while the master had just left. They definitely would downplay any major incident and turn a small one into nothing. However, Miss Luo couldn't tolerate even a speck of sand in her eyes. This incident was a perfect opportunity to establish authority and discipline the people on the estate.

The hot spring village wasn't large, but there were about twenty households, with a little over a hundred people in total, men, women, and children. If all these people ganged up against Miss, Luo Ying felt a chill down her spine.

"You all first clean up my place. Once everyone is gathered, I'll see the others at the Zhuangzi and then deal with them all at once."

Ripple turned her head and, smiling at Luo Ying, said,

Yes, Miss!

The two maidservants immediately got to work, while the two elderly nannies tidied up the inner courtyard once more.

Two hours later, a carriage arrived carrying two constables and Granny Sun from the pawnshop. Wu Zhong met them at the entrance of the house and led them into the main hall.

Then the bronze drum on Zhuangzi sounded, summoning everyone on Zhuangzi to come and see Miss, their mistress.

Ripples changed into a light and thin white cotton robe, understated yet suitable for her mourning status. This was her first appearance before everyone in the manor.

The head of the household was uneasy, especially when he saw the constables. Neither Ripples nor the steward gave them so much as a glance.

"Today I called you all here to introduce you to Master Zhuangzi. After receiving your reward, everything remains as before. It's a pity that some people, taking advantage of the fact that the master has been away for many years while running this hot spring resort, have actually betrayed him. Do they think Miss won't be able to deal with you"

Huang Zhong's face was so gloomy it could drip water. The two yamen officers had received their run-away money and, along with the guards on duty, went to check the situation. After confirming that this was a case of a slave bullying his master, he coldly scanned the circle of people kneeling below, stepped forward, and sneered:

"Who did it, come out!"ck this long before making a move!"He wants my life, and I don't fight back Shall I just put my neck out in front of him!Ripple smiled back."Jian Ge supports you!""Thank you, Jian Ge. I won't be invo...