Chapter 965 Elevation

About fifteen minutes later, steady and powerful footsteps sounded again at the door.

Prince Xiao Su of Zhenbei stepped across the threshold and looked at the row of girls standing in the courtyard. Among them, the most eye-catching was Lin Yuesha.

"The new guy?"

Xiao Su hooked Lin Yuesha's chin with his finger, his imposing manner creating a sense of oppression.

"Your Highness, she is a new bride sent by the Wei family."

The henchmen bowed and scraped, fawning over him like lapdogs, only to be met with disdain from the Prince of Zhenbei, who said, "Did I ask you?"

"Yes, yes, I was being nosy."

The henchman took a step back and followed behind the Prince of Zhenbei, but he couldn't help feeling a little regretful, as yet another beautiful young girl was about to perish.

"Your Highness, I was captured. Please be magnanimous. My elder brother still owes debts to the gambling den. If I don't pay the money, my brother... please let me go!"

Lin Yuesha made up her lines without any preparation, delivering a long monologue that left the Prince of Zhenbei completely uninterested.

"Stay away from me!"

The Prince of Zhenbei hated noisy maids the most. Besides, although the maid was beautiful, she had a strong musky smell that made him nauseous.

Let's leave it for tonight. He's in a hurry to vent right now, we'll talk about it later.

If the girl has body odor, then just send her to his men; don't let the other girls get infected.

The Prince of Zhenbei whispered instructions to his men on how to deal with Lin Yuesha, then glanced at Wu Bailu. Why was this old maid still here?

"Your Highness, didn't you say you wanted her to stay? He's from the Wu family."

The henchman whispered that he hadn't been scolded this time.

Xiao Su nodded, ignoring Wu Bailu, and waved his hand, signaling Wu Bailu and Lin Yuesha to stand aside.

"Let's go back to our room first."

The alarm was lifted, and it was safe for the time being. Wu Bailu pulled Lin Yuesha back. If they didn't leave now, things would get complicated if the Prince of Zhenbei changed his mind.

After about fifteen minutes, the Prince of Zhenbei selected two young girls in the courtyard and instructed his men to bring in a few more with outstanding looks for him to choose from the next day.

The door was closed again, and the crying in the yard grew louder and louder.

The surviving girl burst into tears, whether from fear or relief at surviving the ordeal, it was hard to tell.

Lin Yuesha felt uneasy. She wanted to stop it, but she understood her own limitations and knew she had to consider the bigger picture.

"It's not midnight yet, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Wu Bailu sat under the oil lamp and took out a writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone from her small bundle.

"I can't sleep."

The scene of the Prince of Zhenbei selecting people, though brief, left Lin Yuesha uneasy. Even with her strong will, she couldn't fall asleep.

"If you can't sleep, you can close your eyes and rest."

Wu Bailu had already ground the ink and spread out the letter paper.

How did you bring all these things in?

In the package beside her was a large stack of letters. Lin Yuesha thought that Wu Bailu had put life and death aside and had the leisure to practice calligraphy. But upon closer inspection, she realized that Wu Bailu was writing about her experiences over the past few days.

The writing is plain and straightforward, factual enough, yet it plunges the reader into a state of fear.

“You can ask someone to buy it for you, and these servants are eager to earn some tips.”

Wu Bailu hesitated repeatedly but still didn't put pen to paper. Everything that happened today might be a major turning point for the future, and she couldn't reveal it now.

Wu Bailu's diary was comparable to a prison diary, yet Lin Yuesha read it with great interest.

"If you manage to get out safely, what are your plans for the future?"

Lin Yuesha leaned against the small couch and chatted with Wu Bailu, "Do you want to marry a good man and have a son and a daughter?"

"Of course I have plans, but they have nothing to do with getting married and having children."

Wu Bailu pointed to herself and said, "I'm already twenty. What good man can I find? Young men are immature and childish, while men who have come of age look down on me. I'm only doing this out of necessity for the sake of the Wu family's reputation. It's meaningless."

Wu Bailu didn't want to find herself a younger brother, much less a gigolo, especially since she was too busy every day to care about domestic matters.

“I opened a girls’ school to teach girls to read and write. If they learn well, they will be able to read and do accounting. They can work as shop assistants in cloth shops and cosmetic shops, and they will be no worse than men.”

Getting married and having children, then hiding in the inner quarters, is too much of a waste of time.

Wu Bailu was not interested in this and hated it when people called her an old maid.

Of course, no one understood her behavior. Her parents only felt sorry for her and therefore indulged her, but that did not mean they understood or supported her.

"I understand you."

Wu Bailu was a typical ancient non-marriage advocate, which was rare in Daqi. She became a topic of conversation, but Lin Yuesha didn't find it strange.

No one dictates that a woman must marry and have children, or follow the same path in her life. Everyone's different choices should be respected.

"As long as you're happy and live freely, that's better than anything else."

As for whether I'll regret it later, who cares? Let's live in the moment.

Everything was unknown; they didn't even know whether tomorrow or an accident would come first.

"Little Cloud, you are my confidante!"

Wu Bailu grasped Lin Yuesha's hand, her hands trembling with excitement.

This is the first time in all these years that someone has supported her choice.

"Let me clarify first, I am already married."

Lin Yuesha explained that she understood Wu Bailu's thoughts, but they took different paths.

"That's okay. I'm seeking understanding, not expecting all women to remain unmarried like me, haha."

Wu Bailu looked Lin Yuesha up and down and smiled, "I am fortunate to marry you, so your husband must be an extremely outstanding and reasonable person."

"Sister Bailu, you're giving him too much credit."

Lin Yuesha rubbed her temples, recalling her emotional journey to marry Qi Heng. Every step she took was rushed, and she didn't even have time to think.

Looking back now, I feel like I was tricked, but I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.

"If we both get out safely, I will support you in setting up a girls' school. If I have money, I will contribute money; if I don't have money, I will contribute my labor."

Lin Yuesha and Wu Bailu made a pinky promise, a gentleman's agreement.

At midnight, Hongchou came to the courtyard gate again. She first handed Lin Yuesha a set of maid's clothes from the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion through the gap.

"You change into it first."

Hongchou waited at the door. After changing her clothes, Lin Yuesha slipped out of the courtyard.

“At night, the Prince of Zhenbei’s guards patrol the villa, and the main courtyard is also guarded by secret guards. We have no other choice.”

Hongchou led Lin Yuesha straight to the main kitchen.

"Tonight, there's only one kitchen maid who tends the fire. She's lazy and I just glanced at her; she's already gone to sleep in the woodshed. Let's make something and take the food box with us so as not to arouse the guards' suspicion."

Hongchou led Lin Yuesha to familiarize herself with the Zhenbei Wang Villa, and the two had to devise an escape route in a short time.

Once the Prince of Zhenbei is assassinated, the secret guards will likely become alert, so Hongchou must make thorough preparations before sending the signal.

There was no one to contact and deliver messages in the villa of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, so the risk was extremely high.

Hongchou was thus in a dilemma. She couldn't think of a suitable solution, so she had to tamper with the food first to prevent Lin Yuesha from being chosen by the Prince of Zhenbei.