I am the stepmother of my son, and the little villain has changed into a little cotton-padded jacket

The emperor ordered all the major families to enter the palace to attend the farewell banquet held for Xiao Yizhuo.

Xiao Dezi rushed out of the palace and distributed the notices door to door.

The heads of the major families were shocked after receiving the post and reading the contents written in black and white. They did not expect that the rumors in the capital in recent days were actually true.

The cold-faced killer actually returned to Beijing.

Upon hearing this news, all the major families immediately became suspicious and each wanted to seek some benefits for themselves.

This time Xiao Yizhuo returned to the capital to quell the rebellion on the border. Facing a powerful enemy, the emperor would definitely use military generals.

This way they can curry favor with Xiao Yizhuo, who knows, they might even be able to rise to higher positions along with him.

When the noble ladies in the capital heard that Xiao Yizhuo had returned, they were immediately very excited. If they could show their faces in front of General Xiao, maybe they could even become the general's wife.

Although General Xiao has a bad temper, his handsome face is enough to offset all his shortcomings.

Wen Shutang didn't know at this moment what a sensation Xiao Yizhuo's return to the capital would be for the daughters of the aristocratic families in the capital.

Xiao Dezi finally went to the general's mansion.

"I have met the general's wife."

Wen Shutang frowned slightly and looked at Xiao Dezi, and asked him to stand up before he bowed.

"Don't be so polite, sir. Why do you have to make another personal trip?"

Xiao Dezi said with a smile on his face, "General's wife, you don't know that General Xiao went to war for the country. His Majesty is grateful for General Xiao's righteousness and is preparing to hold a farewell banquet for General Xiao. He specially ordered my family to send invitations to all the major families. Now everyone knows the good news that General Xiao is returning to the capital, and they will send generous gifts to General Xiao when the time comes."

Hearing what Xiao Dezi said, Wen Shutang frowned slightly, and then a smile appeared on his face.

"I see. Thank you for your trouble. I will accept the letter. When my husband returns, I will inform him of His Majesty's great favor."

Wen Shutang smiled and nodded slightly, then took the post from Xiao Dezi's hand.

Seeing this, Xiao Dezi immediately left with a smile on his face.

Having achieved his goal, he had to hurry back to the palace to report.

After seeing Xiao Dezi's carriage leave, Wen Shutang's face turned cold and he clenched the post in his hand.

She didn't believe that the emperor would be so kind as to take the initiative to hold a farewell banquet for Xiao Yizhuo.

Wen Shutang sneered. It was nothing more than that the emperor had heard the recent rumors about Xiao Yizhuo in the capital and the support of the people. The emperor wanted to use the opportunity of holding a farewell banquet for Xiao Yizhuo to gain a reputation for himself as a wise man.

Wen Shutang looked down at the exquisite post and smiled.

Since the stage has been set up, there is no reason for them not to go.

Wen Shutang put the post away and planned to tell Xiao Yizhuo about this matter after he returned from the parade ground.

She turned back to the courtyard. Cheng Chu walked forward with great tact, bowed and said respectfully, "Madam, I have just counted all the servants in the general's mansion. There are seventy-eight people in total, forty guards, eighteen attendants, and twenty maids who serve and clean. Madam, do you want to bring everyone up and choose a few to serve you personally?"

Hearing what Cheng Chu said, Wen Shutang nodded: "Well, bring it up."

After saying that, he turned around, sat on the stone bench and drank tea with an indifferent expression.

Cheng Chu nodded slightly and immediately brought all the attendants up.

Fortunately, the general's mansion was big enough, so it wasn't crowded even with seventy-eight people standing there.

Wen Shutang raised his eyebrows and looked at the group of people in front of him. When they bought it, he thought it was a bit too much, but now it seems that there are not many people.

Cheng Chu stood respectfully beside Wen Shutang: "Madam, everyone is here."

Wen Shutang responded, looked up and glanced at the crowd, and got a general impression of this group of people.

She coughed and said, "In the future, everyone who works in the General's Mansion will receive a monthly salary of five taels of silver, plus subsidies for festivals and holidays. This will definitely be a must. The General's Mansion will definitely not treat you unfairly in this regard. However, I have only one request."

Wen Shutang's sharp eyes swept across everyone's face, and his voice was cold: "You must be loyal. If I find out that you are disloyal to the General's Mansion, you must get out immediately. There is only this one condition. If anyone dares to cross the line, don't blame me for being rude. Do you understand?"

Wen Shutang's voice was not loud, but it was powerful enough to cause quite a stir in everyone's heart.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Wen Shutang looked up and inadvertently saw a thin girl standing behind the crowd. She frowned slightly and raised her chin.

"Come out for a moment."

When the little girl heard the voice, she timidly raised her head and glanced at Wen Shutang. After realizing that she was calling her, she walked forward somewhat stiffly.

"Your servant Mohua greets Madam."

Wen Shutang carefully looked at the little girl in front of him and found that she was thin and looked very young.

She was a little confused as to how such a young girl could sell herself into slavery.

"How old are you?"

"My lady, I am seventeen years old this year."

Seventeen? Then he is only a few years older than Xiao Ze.

Wen Shutang touched his chin and said, "You are younger than me. How about this? You should stay with me from now on. Be more generous and careful in your work. I will not treat you unfairly."

When Mohua heard what Wen Shutang said, she was stunned at first and then excitedly knelt down in front of Wen Shutang.

"Thank you, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am! I will definitely serve you, the young master and the young lady well!"

Wen Shutang was startled and quickly asked her to stand up: "Get up, don't kneel down all the time in the future, I don't need to be so troublesome."

Mohua stood up excitedly, not knowing where to put her hands and feet for a moment. She stood carefully beside Wen Shutang, secretly looking at his profile.

She originally thought that this time, like before, she would be rejected by the owner because of her small stature.

She never thought that one day she would become the mistress's maid.

The sudden change of identity made Mohua a little uncomfortable, but she had already made a secret decision in her heart that she would serve Wen Shutang well in the future and not let down the opportunity given to her by the lady.

Wen Shutang didn't think so much about it. She just felt that Mohua was still young and her body might not be able to handle the sweeping work in the outer courtyard. It would be easier for her to stay with her.

After accepting Mohua, Wen Shutang found a maid named Mingshi who seemed to be quiet and steady in her work, and asked her to stay by his side to serve him.

"Okay, let's do this for now, Butler Cheng. Let the children choose a servant or maid each. After they have made their choices, you will be in charge of assigning tasks to the rest of the people." Wen Shutang stood up and turned to look at Cheng Chu.

"Yes, ma'am." Cheng Chu responded with a slight bow.