You take on two husbands, I'll turn around and marry the tyrant and rule the world.

The palace maids and eunuchs kneeling on the ground all had their heads bowed, and only their dark heads could be seen.

Chu Nianci knew in her heart that she had no foundation in the palace, and the people she sent must have been spies from all sides.

Even if this batch is returned, the next batch will be the same.

Moreover, since she hasn't reached the rank of concubine, the palace servants should be uniformly assigned. Qin Li's words just now were merely polite. If he were to actually pick and choose, he would easily earn a reputation for "being arrogant because of favor."

But for her, no one can be trusted right now.

As for who is trustworthy and who has ulterior motives, we will have to observe them over time to find out.

Besides, she wasn't worried; His Majesty had already assigned her the head steward, Aunt Lan.

She already had Tuanyuan by her side, who held the title of a third-class palace maid. As for the head eunuch, she did not intend to choose from the newcomers immediately, as Manbao was still too young and not yet qualified to be the head eunuch.

As soon as Qin Li finished speaking, everyone behind him bowed in unison: "This servant greets Miss Hui! May you be blessed!"

Chu Nianci glanced at Qin Li and saw that he was over forty years old and had a round, chubby face.

Her eyes darted around, clearly showing her greed. She naturally wouldn't point it out, but said gently, "Steward Qin is an old hand in the palace. The person you chose is certainly suitable. Reunion, here's the reward."

Reunion immediately handed over a heavy purse.

Qin Li felt the weight in his hand and knew it was a full hundred taels of silver ingot. The smile on the chubby boy's face immediately warmed up even more.

He served the Empress and the concubines of the palace. The most he ever gave was ten taels of silver from Consort Shu, while the Empress never gave him a single penny.

I never expected this newly appointed nobleman to be so generous and lavish.

Moreover, he had inquired earlier and learned that this Consort Hui had only been in the palace for a little over a month and had been promoted from a selected attendant to a consort without ever having served the emperor. It could be said that she was currently enjoying the emperor's great favor.

Despite receiving imperial favor, he remained humble and composed, and was also adept at understanding human relationships and worldly affairs.

Such a young master will not only live a long life, but will also live a very comfortable life.

Therefore, I cannot offer any advice or suggestions.

He smiled so hard his eyes narrowed into slits, took a half-step forward, and lowered his voice as if unintentionally said, "Although this group of people was carefully selected, there might still be a few weeds among the good seedlings... Oh, look at my foul mouth, I'm just rambling. Consort Shu is also waiting to pick some suitable palace servants to keep for herself, so this servant will take his leave now. If Your Highness finds them unsuitable, please feel free to come and find this servant later."

Even among good seedlings and beautiful flowers, there might be a few weeds.

Chu Nianci understood the meaning behind the words.

Among this group were people who had been transferred from the old palace.

The only people who harbored resentment towards him were Bai Shuren and Qiao Guiren.

It's just that we don't know which one of them it is yet.

She nodded with a smile: "Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch. I'm sorry to trouble you. Manbao, please see the Eunuch out."

Qin Li bowed again, beaming, and left. After the group from the Imperial Household Department left, Chu Nianci glanced at Tuanyuan and said, "Tell me first, which palace were you all from?"

Reunion understood, stepped forward, straightened his expression, and said to the crowd below, "State your names, which palace you used to serve in, and what work you did. If you conceal anything or lie, you will be immediately sent to the Imperial Laundry.

The palace maids and eunuchs stepped forward one by one to answer. Most of them looked honest and dutiful. Although they were not clever, they did not seem to be cunning or deceitful.

Chu Nianci didn't dislike this.

Being clumsy is always easier to deal with than being cunning. She set aside a few sturdy men for later observation. If any were suitable, she might hire a martial arts master to teach them some skills, which would provide an extra layer of protection and make it easier for them to do their work.

If one or two loyal ones can be selected from among them, it would be good to train them to become the chief eunuch in the future.

The replies from the previous people were all quite ordinary, and Chu Nianci listened calmly without easily revealing her attitude.

At this moment, a young eunuch stepped forward and bowed.

"This humble servant, Xiao Guizi, greets Your Highness." He bowed his head, his voice respectful. "This humble servant used to work in the Imperial Laundry Department. It is truly a great blessing to be assigned to serve Your Highness."

Chu Nianci sized him up a few times... He looked quite honest, but his complexion was sallow and his body was thin, indicating that he had suffered a lot.

As for why he entered the Xin Zhe Ku and how he was released and assigned here, Chu Nianci naturally had a question in his mind.

But she didn't show it on her face, only nodded slightly, and didn't ask any more questions.

Anyway, she won't easily trust anyone.

Her gaze shifted to the last palace maid: "And you?"

The thin palace maid's voice was so low it was almost inaudible, and her eyes darted away as she replied, making her appear very timid.

"Raise your head and answer," Chu Nianci said gently.

The young palace maid raised her head tremblingly, her voice still barely audible: "This servant... is named Zhuier, and I used to work in the laundry department."

Chu Nianci sized her up a few times.

She was pretty and delicate. Although she had frostbite on her hands, they were not covered with thick calluses like someone who does laundry all year round. Her hair was neatly combed and her clothes, though old, were clean.

"When did you join the laundry department?" Chu Nianci's tone remained relatively gentle.

Zhui'er knelt down with a thud, her voice trembling: "This servant...this servant has never served a good master before..."

"Answer whatever you're asked!" Tuanyuan frowned, stepped forward, and spat at her. "Stop rambling."

Zhui'er covered her face and quickly kowtowed, saying, "This servant dares not deceive Your Highness. This servant originally served Consort Qiao, but later... later Your Highness committed a crime and was banished to the Cold Palace. This servant was then assigned to the Laundry Department. This servant has always worked diligently there and has never made any major mistakes before. This time, it was only through my mother spending money and asking for favors that I was transferred out..."

She choked back tears as she continued, "The other palaces all think I'm unlucky and refuse to take me in... If I can't find anywhere else, I'll have to go back to the Laundry Department. I beg you, Your Highness, to have mercy and let me stay. I promise to be loyal and serve you well."

Tuanyuan's face darkened.

It sounds pitiful, but who doesn't know that Qiao Ying had a grudge against Chu Nianci back then?

Why would the Imperial Household Department send a palace maid of this origin without a reason?

This was clearly done on purpose, to make things difficult for their mistress.

The newly arrived palace servants all secretly watched their masters, feeling uneasy.

Chu Nianci knew that if he showed his true colors at this moment, he would kick the person out.

Then you will lose the hearts of these new palace maids.

Losing the hearts of the people will also earn you a bad reputation for being picky.

This is not just adding to her troubles, but also a trap. However, such a despicable tactic is not disgusting enough to disgust her.

Recalling Qin Li's earlier remarks, she understood... This was most likely a trap secretly set by the demoted concubine.

The other side definitely has a backup plan.

I wasn't afraid of her even when I was of lower rank, so why should I be afraid now?

It's simply a matter of dealing with soldiers when they come, and using earth to block water when it comes.

She glanced casually at Zhui'er kneeling on the ground: "If you really haven't done anything wrong, why are you feeling guilty? Serving her in the past doesn't mean you're a bad person. Don't overthink it. Just stay and do your job. As long as you are diligent and conscientious, I will naturally not treat you unfairly."

Zhui'er's voice trembled with gratitude: "This servant will be loyal and devoted, even unto death. I only ask that Your Highness allow me to do some menial work such as sweeping and carrying water. I know I am not worthy to serve in the house, but I am willing to be a lowly maidservant outside."

"He's not greedy at all," Chu Nianci said with a faint smile.

That's perfect, she would never put someone who had served Consort Qiao in her inner circle.

Zhui'er offered to do the rough work, which suited her perfectly.

Zhui'er kowtowed deeply: "Thank you for taking me in, my lord!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Since their master had spared even those who had offended or seen him before, he was magnanimous and trustworthy.

After dealing with this matter, Chu Nianci said some polite words to everyone and decided to keep all the palace servants and bring them all into Tangdi Palace after the investiture ceremony tomorrow.

Having no roots or foundation in the palace, it was necessary to slowly cultivate trustworthy people.

As for whether these people are truly clean or not, time will tell.

"You are all my people now. Whether you are clever or reliable, the most important thing is loyalty," she said, raising her eyes to signal to everyone. "Except for the head maid, Tuanyuan will be the head maid of Tangdi Palace from now on, and she will be in charge of all arrangements."

She gave them a few more words of encouragement and then persuaded Tuanyuan to give them a reward.

After using both kindness and severity, the cleaning and sweeping tasks were assigned to each person.

Back in the inner palace, Chu Nianci leaned lazily against the chaise longue and instructed Manbao: "Go and carefully inquire about the origins of these people, and check whether their stories match what they said, especially that little Guizi and Zhuier."

Then, she shared her speculation with Tuanyuan: "...I heard that Consort Qiao has been released now. She was demoted because of me, and she must be extremely resentful. This is probably just the beginning. There will definitely be more actions to come. You all need to be vigilant and pay attention to everything so that no one can take advantage of the situation."

Tuanyuan's expression hardened: "This servant understands!"

Before she knew it, it was the next day... Early in the morning, Chu Nianci was dragged out of bed by Aunt Lan. Still half asleep, she was made up and dressed in elaborate noble attire, in preparation for the noon ceremony to confer the title of noblewoman...