Chapter 432: The 432 people brought out by Sikong Mo

Ye Jiu had thought that with such a great temptation, there would always be a few who would want to leave in search of freedom rather than continue as servants. Of course, she wanted people who were completely loyal to her, and those who wanted to leave, she would definitely not coerce them to stay.

However, contrary to her expectations, after she finished speaking, not only did no one want to leave, but they all assured her in unison, “We are willing to serve our master from now on.”

Their voices were loud and in unison, imposing in manner. Rather than servants, they sounded more like soldiers who had been through battles and bloodshed.

Ye Jiu thought to herself that Sikong Mo truly had a way with people. Even those from the secluded courtyard who were servants displayed such an aura.

The only flaw was that all these people, including those cooking in the kitchen, were men. There was not a single woman in the entire Royal Residence, not even an old nanny.

After listening to everyone declare their loyalty, Ye Jiu asked, “Who was originally in charge of managing the household?”

As soon as Ye Jiu’s words fell, a middle-aged man on the left stepped forward two paces and said, “Replying to the master, I am the steward who was originally in charge, named Zhou Fu.”

“That’s enough, the steward can stay, everyone else may leave,” Ye Jiu said.

After everyone had left, Ye Jiu then asked, “I see that everyone in the residence seems to be somewhat skilled. Could the steward tell me where these people come from?”

“Replying to the master, these people were originally the private guards of the Royal Residence, specially selected by the Prince to protect you,” the steward replied.

Ye Jiu frowned.

So, they were people Sikong Mo had purposely arranged for her. No wonder they seemed so different.

Internally, Ye Jiu was thankful for Sikong Mo’s arrangements for her while at the same time, she was somewhat uncertain about the loyalty of these people.

After all, these people were brought up by Sikong Mo. If there came a day when she had to stand opposed to Sikong Mo, whose orders would these people follow then?

If one is surrounded by subordinates who obey someone else’s orders, then could her safety still be guaranteed?

Ye Jiu was someone who lacked a sense of security, so it was truly difficult for her to fully trust someone.

Perhaps it was a strength of hers, but also her biggest flaw.

Being a seasoned steward, Zhou Fu would usually have been able to detect Ye Jiu’s worries.

But at the moment, Ye Jiu’s face was obscured by the veil of her headgear, and the steward didn’t have x-ray vision to see through it, so he could only stand there waiting for instructions.

After a moment, Ye Jiu finally posed the question, “If one day I must stand against your War King, what do you think? Whom should you be loyal to?”

This question was also very important to Ye Jiu, and it also determined whether these people would stay or leave.

The steward immediately knelt on one knee and said, “I only know to act according to orders. The orders we received are to follow your commands completely. As long as the master does not issue us orders to follow someone else’s commands, we will be loyal to you for life.”

This was a good response; Ye Jiu was very satisfied with the steward’s answer.

But whether what he said matched what was in his heart, that remained to be seen.

“Very good, the steward should oversee the household affairs as usual. Everything should be as it was before, and moreover, we will not stay in the capital city for too long, so I hope the steward can select some useful people to accompany me when I leave,” Ye Jiu said.

“Yes, I understand,” the steward bowed his head, showing no intention of leaving. Instead, he hesitated before saying, “There is a matter regarding the War King that I am unsure whether I should report.”