Chapter 862 A Dream of Youth 394

"Is the young lady inside?" The carriages in the Xie residence are all marked, and unless there are special circumstances, everyone rides in the same carriage, so Qingli came forward to ask.

"Miss must have been busy all day and is now asleep from exhaustion." Qingxu spoke softly, and Qingli subconsciously lowered her voice as well.

“I bought some shrimp meat cakes. I remember the girl likes them. Take them back and heat them up for her when she wakes up.”

"Oh, if Sister Qingli has some free time, please come to the manor tomorrow. Qingle and I have a lot of questions we'd like to ask you." Xie Ning was too busy, and neither she nor Qingle wanted to trouble her.

"good."

Qingxu was in a hurry to get home, so she didn't talk much to Qingli.

As the carriage slowly moved away, Qingli turned around and saw the little maid beside her staring straight at the carriage with a hint of regret in her eyes.

Qingli couldn't help but pat the little girl's head. "Want to see Lord Xie?"

"Uh-huh!"

The little girl nodded vigorously, but she was also sensible. "Lord Xie is too busy. She doesn't have time to see me, but it's okay. I will go to her."

Seeing that Qingli had bought another hair accessory and put it in the basket, the little girl was a bit confused. In her opinion, Qingli was a very frugal person, but she didn't expect her to be so willing to spend money on clothes and food.

Qingli picked up a yellow hair accessory with tassels and placed it in the little girl's hand, saying, "This is for you."

The little girl touched her hair, which was no longer so yellow, and it was held up by a single peach wood hairpin. "Sister Qingli, you don't need to spend money on me. I don't need these things."

That's too expensive.

Qingli insisted on placing the hair ornament in the little girl's hand, saying, "The books teach us to be filial to our parents, respect our teachers, and care for the younger generation, but I think the most important thing for people is to love themselves."

Whether it's a young woman or a young man, they were both flowers when they were young. However, these flowers were not well watered and were battered by wind and rain, but they still took deep root in the earth and grew up tenaciously.

Some people, because they lack something, give their children, their descendants, or others what they never had but longed to have, in order to make up for their own deficiencies.

But the person we should make the most of is ourselves. So, before taking care of others, take good care of yourself first.

She had many regrets when she was young, so when she had enough money, she would buy her favorite foods, clothes, and jewelry.

She felt suffocated being with her mother, so she set up a small courtyard next door where she lived alone with a raccoon dog. The courtyard had a flower stand filled with all kinds of flowers, all of which she liked.

She takes very good care of herself.

The little girl clutched her sleeve, where the money she had brought was. After hesitating for a long time, she finally mustered up her courage and said, "Sister Qingli, I want to buy that pink short jacket and the peach-colored pleated skirt!"

If she left the wages to her mother, her mother would surely use the money to make new clothes for her younger brother. But she hadn't made new clothes for a very long time. She wanted to wear a new dress during the Mid-Autumn Festival and go moon-viewing with the older women in the weaving workshop!

Even at night, the bustling streets remain as bright as day. Moonlight spills onto the painted boats on the lake, where music and dance fill the air. The wind passes through the lanterns hanging from the bridge, creating ripples on the water's surface, making it sparkle like stars.

Under Yan Xi's strict orders, the matter of what Consort Lu had done was quickly investigated and clarified. Generally speaking, a consort of the Great Zhou who marries a princess cannot hold an important official position.

Lu, the imperial son-in-law, was already resentful. In particular, after seeing that Princess De'an not only brought glory to the Left Imperial Son-in-Law's family, but also that the Left Imperial Son-in-Law served as the commander of the Imperial Guards, while he married Princess Baochu, his career was blocked and his talents could not be displayed, he found it even more unacceptable and resented Princess Baochu even more.

If Princess Baochu had a temper like Princess De'an, then so be it; he wouldn't be that bold.

After several attempts to test the waters, and discovering that Princess Baochu liked him and had a gentle personality, and that she would endure any mistreatment without complaining, Prince Consort Lu became increasingly bold.

Meanwhile, his widowed mother, Madam Lu, became increasingly dissatisfied with Princess Baochu because of her husband Lu's attitude, to the point that she disregarded royal authority and frequently imposed rules on Princess Baochu.

The Prince Consort Lu was a womanizer by nature. After his career was not going well, he spent more time with his cronies, frequenting brothels. Anyway, he wasn't worried about money; the princess had brought so much dowry that it was enough for him to squander.

After being warned and suspended from his post by Emperor Jing, Princess Baochu felt guilty for hindering his career and begged Emperor Jing to reinstate him. Feeling that he had Princess Baochu under his thumb, Prince Consort Lu not only indulged in debauchery outside, but also committed indecent acts in front of Princess Baochu when he returned home.

He figured that if Princess Baochu died of anger, so be it; it would be good for him to vent his anger, and all that dowry would be his.

He just didn't expect that Princess Baochu's wet nurse would bypass Princess Baochu and complain to the palace, catching him red-handed.