The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

Granny Liu stood in the passageway for a long time, until Zhao Gao's figure completely disappeared into the morning light.

She slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding for so long.

She had lived for fifty-three years and spent most of her life in the palace. What storms hadn't she weathered?

But she had never seen anything like this before.

She bent down to pick up her luggage again, the moment her fingers touched the coarse cloth bundle.

Her fingertips were still trembling slightly, but her steps were much steadyer than before.

Regardless of what lies behind it, she only knows one thing: from today onwards, she is the Ninth Prince's head nanny, and doing her job well is more important than anything else.

As for the rest, she couldn't ask a single question or think a single thought.

She walked along the passageway toward the side hall, her mind already racing, calculating the tasks the head maid should perform.

How many palace servants should a prince have? How many people are currently in the side hall? What is missing or lacking?

Neither Wei Zhongxian nor Zhao Gao explained when His Highness would get up, eat, or read each day.

But having worked at the needlework bureau for over thirty years, she knew the duties of the head maid better than anyone else.

Wei Zhongxian said that the side hall was lacking this and that, so she had to find out the details first, make a list of what was missing, and then go to the Imperial Household Department to find him.

When she reached the entrance of the side hall, she stopped, straightened her clothes, and patted the creases on her knees from kneeling.

The palace door was ajar, and the faint sound of turning pages and very soft voices could be heard from inside.

Granny Liu took a deep breath, raised her hand to knock on the door, and then pushed the door open to go inside.

The side hall was quieter than she had imagined.

The furnishings were simple, but the place was clean and tidy, with bright windows and spotless tables.

On the table sat a pot of evergreen plants growing vigorously, and in the corner, a small stove was warming a pot of water, bubbling and steaming.

Two young palace maids were sitting around a small table.

One was sewing clothes, and the other was peeling lotus seeds. When they saw someone come in, they both looked up.

Zhou Xing sat behind his desk by the window, engrossed in reading a copy of "The Geography of the Great Zhou Dynasty".

Chunlan was the first to react, putting down her needlework and standing up.

Qiuju also stood up and moved aside.

Granny Liu quickly stepped forward and knelt properly in front of the desk.

She prostrated herself on the ground in a deep bow, her forehead touching the cold blue bricks, her voice steady and clear yet carrying just the right amount of respect: "This old servant, Liu, has come to serve His Highness the Ninth Prince by order of the Imperial Household Department."

"I kowtow to Your Highness. From this day forward, I will take care of Your Highness's food, lodging, and affairs of the palace."

"If there is anything I have done poorly, Your Highness, please just let me know, and this old servant will do his best to correct it."

Zhou Xing put down his book and jumped off the chair.

He didn't speak immediately, his gaze lingering for a moment on Granny Liu's graying temples and her slightly restrained kneeling posture.

He thought that since Zhao Gao had stopped her on the road and reprimanded the head maid whom Wei Zhongxian had chosen for her, this person should be trustworthy and at least wouldn't cause any problems in the short term.

So he quickly stepped forward, bent down and helped Granny Liu up, saying in a childish tone, "Granny, get up quickly, the ground is cold. Granny, you must be tired from your journey. Please sit down and have a cup of tea."

When Granny Liu was supported by those small hands, she was slightly startled.

She had seen too many masters in the palace.

Some are bossy and domineering, while others are polite but distant at heart.

But when Ninth Prince helped her up just now, the action was as natural as helping his own elderly relative, without any deliberate effort.

Chunlan had already poured a cup of hot tea and brought it over, saying with a smile, "Please come, Granny."

Qiuju quietly moved a chair over and placed it behind Granny Liu.

Granny Liu quickly thanked her and accepted the tea. She took a sip of the hot tea to moisten her dry throat, but her mind was still replaying that moment in her mind.

Is His Highness being genuinely polite or just pretending?

She had seen too many shrewd and manipulative masters who smiled to her face but stabbed her in the back.

But the Ninth Prince is only nine years old, so his mind shouldn't be that deep.

As she was thinking, Chunlan spoke again, her tone revealing a hint of undisguised joy.

She said that the head nanny had finally arrived, as His Highness had been lacking a head nanny.

Over the years, she and Qiuju have figured out and accomplished many things on their own.

Their allowances were often reduced, and the fabric of their clothes was worse than that of other palaces. They didn't know who to complain to.

Now that the nanny has arrived, they have someone to back them up.

Qiu Ju responded with a rare "hmm," her voice soft but heartbreaking.

Upon hearing this, Granny Liu's judgment shifted slightly.

She put down her teacup and took out a blank booklet and a piece of charcoal pencil from her sleeve.

She had been a manager at the needlework bureau for half her life, and while I can't speak for other things, she had never made a mistake in managing people and materials.

They took stock of everything in the back hall, replacing what needed replacing and replenishing what needed replacing. They all had a share.

Today, she will first familiarize herself with the layout of the side hall.

After she finished speaking, she walked around the side hall carefully.

Look at the bed; the mattress is too thin.

Looking at the wardrobe, I realize that my seasonal clothes are incomplete.

Looking at the window frame, the paper windowpanes are newly pasted.

As she looked through the book, she made marks and sketches in the booklet with a charcoal pencil, her movements practiced and skillful, clearly the work of a seasoned professional who had spent her life doing housework.

After looking around, Liu Mama returned to the front hall, closed the booklet, her expression both serious and somewhat distressed.

Having spent so many years in the palace, she had long since developed a sense of justice.

When judging people and things, I never listen to what others say; I only look at the facts.

After walking this lap, I have a clear understanding of the scale in my mind.

The Ninth Prince lived a more impoverished life in this side hall than the unfavored illegitimate sons and daughters outside.

But the two young palace maids in the hall managed everything in perfect order.

What does this tell us?

This shows that if the master treats the servants well, the servants will be willing to wholeheartedly protect the household for him.

She didn't say anything more, rolled up her sleeves, and started working.

With spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums by their side, they cleared out all the old items that had been piling up in the warehouse for many years, sorted them out, and put them away again.

Then Chunlan led the way to the Imperial Household Department to collect the allowance that had been withheld over the past few months.

She was personally selected by the head of the personnel department.

No one in any department or warehouse dared to neglect their duties; all the cloth that needed replenishment, the window screens that needed replacing, and the charcoal stoves that needed repairing were brought back without fail.

In the days that followed, the side hall quietly changed under the care of Granny Liu.

The bed has been fitted with a new, thick, and soft mattress.

A few new clothes have been added to the wardrobe. Although the fabrics are not the best, at least we are no longer shabby.

The long-absent head maid's allowance was also made up, and the number of palace servants in the side hall was increased from four to five.

Her sense of propriety was practically ingrained in her bones.

Ask all the questions you should ask, and never inquire about the ones you shouldn't.

She figured out His Highness's and Chunlan and Qiuju's living habits, dietary preferences, and daily routines in less than ten days.

However, she never took the initiative to inquire about His Highness's academic progress, social life, or which palace servants he associated with.

Do more, talk less.

She dared not forget a single word Zhao Gao had said.

Every time she saw Chunlan and Qiuju following the prince, she would feel a sense of quiet comfort.

Although these two young palace maids were young, they were diligent and kind-hearted, and they cared for His Highness with all their hearts.

During her time in the side hall, she also heard bits and pieces of information about the incident in the Imperial Garden from Chunlan.

His Highness was scolded by the old nanny for being "unsupported," Chunlan was slapped, and His Highness stood motionless in the pavilion.

When Chunlan said that she didn't feel relieved at all when the old nanny was dragged out and beaten to death by Eunuch Zhao, she only felt scared. But when His Highness stood in front of her, she was no longer afraid.

Granny Liu didn't ask any more questions, but silently noted it down in her mind: the relationship between His Highness and these palace maids was not an ordinary master-servant relationship.

That was a bond forged through thick and thin, a friendship more genuine than any master-servant relationship she had ever witnessed in her life.

Meanwhile, the Ninth Prince's importance in Granny Liu's heart quietly rose from "the unfavored young master" to another position.

She noticed that His Highness read books extremely quickly.

He finished reading a thick book like "The Geography of the Great Zhou Dynasty" in just a few days, and he wasn't just pretending; he genuinely absorbed it.

Once, while tidying the bookshelf, she accidentally knocked over a geography book that His Highness had been reading. When she picked it up, she happened to be flipping to a page.

The corner of that page was folded slightly, and next to it were a few tiny words written in charcoal, the handwriting childish but neat.

She didn't read the contents carefully, but silently closed the book and put it back in its place, quietly adding another weight to the scale in her heart.

His Highness the Ninth Prince is practicing calligraphy, reading books, and quietly learning new things, and he is learning very diligently.

Such a child should not be neglected.