With his shout, others immediately joined in, all clamoring to enter the Governor’s mansion. Steward Lin, unable to tolerate the chaos, raised his voice with some displeasure, “What kind of behavior is this noisy commotion? If you have the ability, you’ll naturally be able to stay. Otherwise, go back and reflect properly.”

After being scolded like this, no one dared make another sound. They all looked at Steward Lin expectantly, and he said to several people behind him, “Ten people per group – take them inside for questioning. First, they must have clean backgrounds; second, they must have proper features; third, they must be able to recognize a few characters or at least write their own names. Additionally, don’t take anyone who is too weak or sick.”

Then everyone was taken inside for questioning. Because there were too many people, it took most of the day to select seventy-some people who met the requirements from over two hundred candidates. Yunyi and her group were all among them.

Steward Lin stood in the front courtyard and motioned for the thirty-some men to each move a large stone placed in the courtyard. Twenty people were selected based on their strength, and the rest were all sent away. Though Shen Moping looked scholarly and weak, he actually had some strength and successfully remained.

Seeing Steward Lin order the dozen or so unselected men to leave, Chunxiu said nervously, “They won’t make us move those stones too, will they? I definitely can’t lift them.”

Jirong was more composed and comforted her, “No, they must have some other method to choose us.”

Indeed, Steward Lin had people move the large stone away and said, “Among you, those who are skilled in singing and dancing or know musical pieces, step forward.”

The women looked at each other. After a while, several people stepped forward, then a few more. Finally, a total of nine people stepped forward, including Jirong, Chunxiu, and Meixue.

Steward Lin had them stand to one side, then walked to the remaining people and asked several questions. Those who couldn’t answer or answered incorrectly were all sent away. When those women left, they were all heartbroken, with some even crying quietly.

Steward Lin walked up to Yunyi and stared at her, “If a madam sends you to do something, and you pass through the garden and hear servants discussing a young master taking a concubine, what should you do?”

Yunyi lowered her head, “In response to the steward, I should continue doing what the madam instructed me to do.”

“Why?” Faced with Steward Lin’s inquiry, she replied calmly, “As a servant, what I should do is properly complete what my master instructed, not discuss gossip. Moreover, whatever the young master does, it’s not the place of servants like us to discuss.”

“Good.” Steward Lin was very satisfied with her answer. The Governor’s mansion wanted exactly this kind of servant who knew their place and didn’t speak or meddle unnecessarily. Although this woman wasn’t particularly attractive, she certainly understood propriety.

Now with twenty men and twenty women remaining, Steward Lin called over a servant, “Take them down to record their names, then bring the roster to me.”

Seeing that Steward Lin was ignoring her group, Chunxiu became anxious and couldn’t help but say, “Steward Lin, what about us? Don’t we need to be recorded?”

“You’ll come with me to see Second Madam shortly.” Hearing this, Chunxiu was quite surprised and asked carefully, “Steward Lin, why is that?”

Steward Lin smiled slightly, “You’ll find out shortly. If you can catch the madam’s eye, you’ll be much better off than those others.”

Seeing him say this, Chunxiu had to suppress her curiosity and stand there. After a while, a servant brought the roster over. Steward Lin took it and led the nine women around the front hall toward the back courtyard.

In the Governor’s mansion, with its winding corridors and pavilions, towering ancient trees, artificial hills and flowing water, the natural splendor was overwhelming. Chunxiu and the others couldn’t take their eyes off everything, becoming even more eager to stay in this place.

After walking for about the time of one incense stick, Steward Lin brought them to stop in front of a small courtyard with “Yuxiu Pavilion” written above it. Steward Lin said solemnly, “This is Second Madam’s residence. After you go in, be very careful. Don’t speak unless Second Madam asks you questions, or if the madam blames you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Jirong curtsied respectfully, “Thank you for the reminder, Steward Lin. We will certainly remember it and won’t put Steward Lin in a difficult position.”

Steward Lin nodded and led them inside. In the hall, Wan Shi was resting with her eyes closed. Steward Lin didn’t dare disturb her and quietly stood to one side with the group. When Wan Shi opened her eyes, he presented the roster, “Second Madam, forty people have passed the initial selection. The roster is here for your review.” After Wan Shi took it, he pointed to Meixue and the others, “These nine all claim to be skilled in singing and dancing or know musical pieces. This servant also noticed they all have decent appearances, so I brought them for you to examine and see if they qualify to become dancers in our mansion.”

Hearing the word “dancer,” excitement flashed through many of their eyes. They hadn’t expected Steward Lin to bring them here for this purpose. If they could truly become dancers, that would be wonderful – they wouldn’t have to do manual labor in the future, only practice singing and dancing, and the monthly wages would be far beyond what servants could compare to.

Wan Shi swept her gaze over Jirong and the others, “Their appearances are indeed passable, but as for singing and dancing…” She paused, “Show me what each of you can do.”

The nine people quickly displayed their specialties before Wan Shi. After watching, she frowned and said to the elderly woman at her side, “Nanny Xu, what do you think?”

“In response to Second Madam, these are all country girls. What they just performed in singing, dancing, and music can’t even be called barely adequate. However, this servant noticed that their figures are quite supple. If they’re given to Nanny Yang for careful training, it might not be impossible.”

“What you say is correct. In that case, let them start today, following Nanny Yang to practice singing and dancing. One month from now is the Governor’s fiftieth birthday. If they can earn a word of praise from the Governor, they can continue staying in the mansion. Additionally, during this month, whoever dances best will be the lead dancer, with double the monthly wages.”

“Lead dancer” – these two words deeply imprinted themselves in the minds of the nine women. Behind being the lead dancer was not only double wages but also an opportunity to distinguish themselves. Perhaps it could completely change their fate.

After the nine women each expressed their gratitude, Steward Lin led them to a place called the Dance Workshop, where Nanny Yang was in charge. From this day forward, they would live in the Dance Workshop and begin a month of practice.

As for the forty servants, Wan Shi conducted another round of selection, choosing twenty people to remain in the Governor’s mansion to serve. Shen Yunyi and her brother were among them.

Meixue had a graceful and supple figure and was willing to work hard in practice. She quickly memorized the songs and dances that Nanny Yang taught, not only mastering their form but also their essence. She often received praise from Nanny Yang, which made the other women secretly jealous, especially Chunxiu, who was practically gnashing her teeth and constantly looking for trouble with Meixue. The latter had a good nature and, knowing that Chunxiu was deliberately causing problems, simply endured it all.