Oh no! Seven kids at the start, all yellow and skinny.

Chapter 399 My subordinate just turned 25

"Thank you for bestowing this name upon me, Miss." Yun Zi knelt down and kowtowed; her name was finally officially recognized.

Fang Zhong handed A Zi's indenture to Yun Yi, then left with the other person.

Now that she was back, Yunyi wasn't going to stay in the yard all the time, so she decided to wander around, only to find that the little fox was gone.

She wasn't worried about that guy being in danger, since Sixteen was controlling him. It was good enough that she didn't cause trouble for others.

Thinking of Sixteen, I summoned it.

They discovered that even Sixteen hadn't made a move.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Sixteen had completely moved himself into the little fox's mind. One couldn't help but chuckle. Was this guy trying to defect or rebel?

If Shi Liu knew Yun Yi's thoughts, she would definitely feel wronged. She wasn't defecting or rebelling; she just wanted to find a host as soon as possible and become a human again.

Yunyi ignored Sixteen and took Azi out for a stroll, determined to find out when the girl had come in.

“Young Miss.” Seeing that there was no one else around, Azi spoke up first, “Originally, I planned to appear in the outskirts of the capital. I had even decided that if A-Lu sold herself to bury her father, I would sell myself to bury my mother. But something went wrong, and we couldn’t find a suitable body, so we had to enter the city first. Luckily, I ran into Granny Cao from the backyard of the Earl’s mansion. She originally wanted her niece to work in the mansion, but her niece eloped with a man…”

Yunyi was a little speechless: "Your journey has been quite eventful."

“Of course.” Azi nodded. “Grandma Cao took her brother to arrest someone, but she twisted her ankle outside the city. I carried her back. I didn’t expect her to be a gatekeeper at the Earl’s mansion. So, I came in as her niece. I promised her half of my monthly salary. As a maid, I only get two hundred copper coins, but as your head maid, I get one tael of silver a month. So, she’s more enthusiastic than me.”

Yunyi couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "You're really amazing."

"Hehe, I think so too." Yun Zi said proudly, "Otherwise, Sister Hong wouldn't have taken a liking to me."

“That makes sense.” Yunyi nodded. “Let’s go, let’s show off to Granny Cao in the backyard.”

Granny Cao had only been in the Earl's mansion for a short time. Before her, Granny Xu was the gatekeeper, but she was sent away for some reason, which gave Granny Cao the opportunity to come and watch the back gate.

Although she's just a gatekeeper, she doesn't have much to do. Few people come and go, so it doesn't stop her from doing her needlework.

"My dear niece, you must follow the young lady closely. If you become successful in the future, don't forget your aunt!" Granny Cao said with a fawning smile.

"I understand, Aunt." Yun Zi nodded. "I won't forget. I, Yue Yin, will have to take care of you in the future, and I'll have to help my younger brother find a wife, won't I?"

Granny Cao smiled broadly, her eyes barely visible: "You're a filial son."

Yunyi glanced at Granny Cao: "Granny Cao, how dare you try to pass off inferior goods as superior ones?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Cao's expression changed. She glanced at Yun Zi and noticed that Yun Zi's complexion was also not good. Her heart jumped: "Miss, this old servant does not understand what you mean."

"Azi, is she really your aunt?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Zi immediately knelt down.

Seeing this, Granny Cao knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she hurriedly knelt down as well: "Miss, spare my life."

"Young Miss, please don't send me away. I will be loyal to you."

"This old servant is also willing to serve the young lady." Upon seeing this, Granny Cao hurriedly followed suit and expressed her loyalty as well.

“In that case…” Yunyi took a deep breath, “then get up.”

"Thank you, Miss." Yun Zi hurriedly stood up and pulled Granny Cao along. "Aunt, quickly thank Miss."

"Talk is cheap; I need to see how you perform." Yun Yi smiled. "If you can't do it, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"I don't dare, old slave."

"Let's go, let's pretend we were never here," Yunyi said, turning and leaving.

Granny Cao had just breathed a sigh of relief, but when she saw what was under her feet, she couldn't help but gasp and take two steps back. If it weren't for the wall behind her, she would have fallen on her bottom.

I only saw the young lady wave her hand as she was leaving, but I didn't expect that a bamboo stick would stick out from under her feet and pin a rat down with it.

There have always been mice in the backyard, but they're too fast to catch. I never expected this...

Seeing the rat pierced through by a bamboo stick and pinned to the ground, Granny Cao's previous wavering thoughts completely disappeared.

Anyway, the Earl's mansion is in a mess, so following the eldest young lady might be a better option.

Yunyi left through the back door, but stopped shortly afterward: "If you want to look, then look openly. Do you need me to reward you with a wooden stick or a silver needle?"

Su Mu had no choice but to come out and say, "Young Miss."

"Spy on me?"

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare." Su Mu hurriedly lowered his head. "Your subordinate just..." He suddenly glanced around, then knelt on one knee. "Your subordinate just wants to ask Miss for a better future."

"Hehe." Yun Yi laughed. "Su Mu, you are Fang Tang's trusted bodyguard. You want to ask me for your future? You've got the wrong person. Or do you think this will allow you to infiltrate my side and monitor me?"

"No, Your Highness." Su Mu shook his head. "To be honest, Miss, I am not one of the Earl's men."

"Ok?"

“My master was a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world) who once saved the old master. After my master passed away, he entrusted me to the old master, who then let me join the Dark Guard Camp for systematic training. Later, I followed the old master.” Su Mu paused for a moment. “Back then, my master and the old master had an agreement: if I wanted, I could stay in the old master’s mansion for life; if I didn’t want to, I could leave after protecting the old master’s mansion for ten years.”

"Has this been ten years already?"

“Yes.” Su Mu nodded. “I went to the Earl’s side on the day you were born.”

"It's been almost fifteen years already." Yunyi was surprised. "I didn't realize you were in your early twenties. I didn't expect you to be so old, in your thirties?"

"I just turned twenty-five this year," Su Mu said, looking dejected.

"Ah? Hehe, hehe." Yunyi laughed awkwardly twice. "Sorry, I didn't see it right. It's okay, it's better for a man to look more stable."

"Miss, please stop talking. Guard Su is about to cry," Yun Lu said gleefully.

Su Mu took a deep breath, deciding not to argue with a woman.

"You can come with me if you want." Yunyi opened her palm, revealing a bright red pill in her pale hand. "Take this."

"what?"

"Poison, you know. I can't just believe you if you say you're loyal to me, can I? This stuff is something I just developed, it doesn't even have a name yet. It has a seven-day cycle, and when it takes effect, the pain is unbearable. If you don't take the antidote within an hour, you'll die in agony, so..."

Su Mu picked up the pill and put it in his mouth.