Doted By The Regent King-Chapter 541 Madam Zhou’s Growth

It wasn’t that Madam Zhou was overly curious and gossipy, wanting to pry into her daughter’s business, it was just that the sight of the two of them appearing together was quite striking. After all, Wufu had gone to the prefectural city by herself, but she had been brought back by none other than the Ninth Master.

Madam Zhou was truly curious.

"This time when I went to the prefectural city, the Ninth Master was also there. He helped me a lot, and since we were both headed back to Huayang, we decided to return together. It’s also nice to have someone to watch out for you on the road," Wufu said with a smile.

"Is that so," Madam Zhou said, enlightened. "Then you should prepare a gift to thank him for his help on the road."

Wufu smiled and nodded, taking a sip of tea. She didn’t go into detail about her interaction with Ah Jiu, so as not to give her mother too much to think about, and deftly changed the subject to talk about the things she saw and heard in the prefectural city, including various interesting market stories and the process of the competitions.

Having never traveled far from home, Madam Zhou naturally hadn’t seen much, and found the stories incredibly intriguing. When she heard about the madness at the stone gambling, her eyes widened in shock. "If you end up with just a stone, you won’t get your silver back?"

"Of course, that’s how it’s a gamble," Wufu said with a laugh.

Madam Zhou covered her racing heart and said, "That’s too risky. If you lose, wouldn’t you be ruined?"

Wufu didn’t see it that way. While gambling was a risk, wasn’t the thrill of it all about taking chances?

However, Madam Zhou was right, losing could lead to ruin, which certainly was a risk.

Seeing her mother’s anxious expression, Wufu didn’t mention her own gambling experience—where she even won a considerable sum—to avoid frightening her. Additionally, with such a large fortune, it wasn’t that she didn’t trust Madam Zhou. It was just that her mother tended to be easily startled, and it was better the fewer people who knew, to prevent others from coveting what they had and potentially bringing disaster upon them uninvited.

"Miss, Hongyu has arrived with two maids to pay her respects," Qiu Xiang reported, lifting the curtain.

"Let them in," Wufu said. Then, speaking to Madam Zhou, "On this trip to the prefectural city, I bought a few servants to attend me as well. Two are not with me currently, but these two have returned with me. Mother, you should meet them as well."

Hongyu led Purple Jade and Jadeite in.

They knelt down and kowtowed to Madam Zhou, who hurriedly had them get up. Her gaze settled on the two new faces, pausing when she saw their attractive appearance.

"They’re quite lovely. What are your names?"

"This servant’s name is Purple Jade."

"This servant’s name is Jadeite."

Madam Zhou’s expression was warm as she smiled and said, "It’s rare for your miss to take people into service willingly. It seems you must have caught her eye. Our household is small, so conduct yourselves well and stay out of trouble. Focus on serving your miss diligently," she said, glancing at Qiu Xiang.

Qiu Xiang took out two small purses, handing one to each. "This is from Madam, as a reward. Hope it’s enough for you."

"Thank you for Madam’s generosity."

Wufu’s brows rose slightly. It appeared her mother had picked up on some of the protocols of the nobility, knowing to prepare purses to reward the servants.

Good, she was learning.

"Have the things I brought back been properly stored?" Wufu then asked Purple Jade and Qiu Xiang.

Purple Jade looked towards Qiu Xiang.

Qiu Xiang smiled and said, "In response to Miss, the items you brought back are numerous, and logging them into the inventory will take some time. For now, they are placed in the West Chamber. In the afternoon, I will take Miss Zi Yu and the others to start recording them."

"Hmm," Wufu addressed Madam Zhou, "The prefectural city is huge and full of fine goods. I’ve bought many things. Why don’t you come with me to have a look? If there’s anything you like and it suits you, we can move it to your room. There are also some fabrics and brocades. Take a look and make a few new outfits for yourself."

Madam Zhou became interested and nodded approvingly. Mother and daughter got ready and headed towards the West Chamber.