When selecting children to go to school at the Princess's Mansion, one must first examine the children's families and the character of their parents. If the parents have bad character, the children cannot be accepted no matter how smart they are.
Yingbao wanted to go and see it herself.
So, in March of the new year, she took her five-month-old daughter Nuannuan and four-year-old Wuhui, surrounded by many guards, to go for an outing in the countryside, and to check on several designated farm boys.
These farm children are of different backgrounds, some rich and some poor. Most of their parents and clansmen are very hardworking and capable, and have simple minds. Even if they have some minor flaws, they are not a big deal.
What made her even more relieved was that they all came from good families.
Ever since Yingbao started awarding plaques to five-good families in the countryside and selecting them every year, the villagers in each township have suddenly become more friendly.
Because they found that if a plaque of "Five Good Families" was hung on the door of a house, not only would they receive 30 kilograms of rice and half a kilogram of salt every month, but their children would also be more likely to get married, and their elders would often be invited to sit at the head of the table when they went out to dinner.
Even the village head and minor officials were very polite to these families.
This kind of honor makes the villagers extremely envious. At the same time, they also secretly correct their own words and deeds, and strive to make their family one of the next round of five-good families selected.
When Yingbao came back from her outing, she brought back six children aged between seven and ten. She placed them in a courtyard in the princess's mansion and assigned a servant to each of them to take care of their food and daily life.
In addition, Yingbao gave them a monthly allowance of one kan of silver each for their daily pocket money.
The six people lived in three rooms, that is, two people in one room, and the children of different ages lived together, making it convenient for the older children to take care of the younger ones.
Each of them has a separate bed and a separate locker, which can be locked so that the children can lock up important items.
All daily necessities, clothes, shoes and socks are also of the same style, blue robes with white linings, like the Lan robes worn by scholars in the county school.
This attire not only distinguishes them from the servants in the mansion, but also tells the servants, maids, and old women that they should not be treated disrespectfully.
Wuhui was so happy that he really became a junior brother. So he put his snacks in his clothes pocket and gave them to his six junior brothers.
He originally wanted to live with them, but his aunt wouldn't let him.
In the blink of an eye, it was July, and Nuannuan was already nine months old. Suddenly, someone came from the capital, claiming to be a servant of the Lu family, and asked Yingbao to take Wuhui home.
Yingbao sat on a high chair and looked at the person who came.
The two servants had muscular bodies and fierce looks, and did not look like ordinary slaves.
"Which branch of the Lu family are you from?" Yingbao held the teacup and gently blew away the foam.
The servant paused, as if he had not expected the princess to ask this question.
The leading servant hesitated for a moment and said, "We are from the Lu family's side branch, not the main family in the capital."
Yingbao said, "I can't leave the child to you. Please go back."
The leading servant was anxious and crossed his arms and said, "Princess, my master misses the young master very much. Please let him go."
Yingbao sneered: "What's your little master's name? Tell me about it."
The lead servant was stunned.
He only knew that he had come to the Princess' Mansion in Zhouhe County to ask for someone, but he didn't know the child's name. "This... the master didn't tell me the young master's name."
Ying Bao put down the teacup and said coldly, "In that case, the person you want is not in my house. Go back and tell your master that if you come to pick him up, you must get the emperor's order. Otherwise, I will treat you as kidnappers!"
After saying that, he asked the guards to take the people out.
The two servants looked at each other and had to leave the house.
But they did not leave Zhouhe County. Instead, they found an inn to stay in and wandered around the Princess's Mansion from time to time during the day.
All these things were told to Yingbao.
"They don't look like they're here to pick us up. They seem to have other purposes." Wei Zhan said to his wife, "Should we drive them out of Zhouhe County?"
Ying Bao hesitated: "Let's find out what they want to do first." She didn't want to be on guard against these people like thieves every day. "Write a letter to ask the Lu family in the capital, are they here to pick up the child, or to save the child's soul?"
Wei Zhan frowned: "Isn't that too straightforward?"
Ying Bao smiled and said, "What's so straightforward? By the way, let them send Wu Hui's medical expenses. A total of five thousand taels of silver and eight hundred rolls of brocade. Not a penny less."
Mrs. Lu is so shameless!
The next day, a fast horse set out from the Princess's Mansion and headed all the way to the capital.
Twenty days later, You **'s two servants in the county town suddenly left, and at the same time several carriages came from the capital. Master Lu came in person to apologize and gave five thousand taels of medicine, eight hundred brocades, and two boxes of jewelry.
Yingbao didn't hesitate to accept the proposal and suggested that Wuhui would be her adopted son from now on and she would not let him return to his family until he reached adulthood.
Of course, it’s also because Wuhui doesn’t want to go back.
Yingbao originally wanted to ask Mr. Lu who Wuhui's biological parents were, but then she thought it was unnecessary.
What kind of person could send her own child to the palace as a scapegoat? Now that she has no use for him, she wants to get rid of this burden. How cruel!
Only after Young Master Lu left did Wuhui slip out of his room.
"Your stomach doesn't hurt anymore?" Yingbao asked, "How about I give you a few injections?"
Wu Hui nodded quickly, then shook his head: "It doesn't hurt anymore, I'm fine now, no need to bother auntie."
Yingbao chuckled: "Why don't you go to school quickly?"
"Yes!" Wuhui jumped and ran to the school, but came back halfway and crossed his arms respectfully towards Yingbao: "Thank you, auntie! Wuhui will take care of you in your old age and see you to the end of your life!"
"OK."
Looking at the serious look of this little kid who was just four years old, Yingbao felt a little dazed, as if she saw her past self.
Suddenly, Xuanwu shouted in her mind: "Hey! Let me tell you something strange. The child you gave birth to inherited your ability. She also gave birth to a pair of divine pupils."
Yingbao's smile gradually disappeared.
He stood up and hurried towards Qingxinyuan.
I decorated this yard for Nuannuan, and she will live here when she grows up.
Every day during the day, the nanny and Mudan took Nuannuan to play in the yard.
As soon as I walked into the yard, I saw Nuannuan sitting on a mat under the wisteria tree in the yard, shaking a rattle in her hand.
Seeing Yingbao, Nuannuan smiled widely and stretched out her chubby arms towards her.
Yingbao bent down and picked up her daughter, then turned her head to glance at the four maids and a wet nurse present.
They all looked panicked and their eyes were evasive.
"What happened?" Yingbao asked.
Mu Dan knelt on the ground and whispered, "Just now I saw golden light coming out of the young lady's eyes, so, so I am a little curious."
The other maids followed suit and knelt down, trembling.
Yingbao knew what they were afraid of, which was just that they were afraid of being silenced by her.
Yingbao glanced at her daughter and saw that her eyes were bright and clear, and there was nothing unusual about her, so she felt relieved.
He turned to Mudan and the others and said, "The sun is very hot today, and Nuannuan was holding a rattle in her hand. I guess it was the gold rivets on the rattle that dazzled her eyes."
Mu Dan immediately said, "Yes, I was wrong. Now I think it is true."
The other maids also agreed.
Yingbao added: "You don't have to make a fuss. Nuannuan is my daughter. She was born different from others. This is nothing strange. However, this matter must not be spread falsely. If I find out that someone is making up stories, I will not let them off easily!"