Chapter 156 I'll hit you if I want, but why pick a day...

"This servant is Xingzhi. Thank you, Princess, for bestowing this name upon me." Xingzhi murmured her new name several times before kneeling down and kowtowing several times.

"Alright, go take a shower and change your clothes first."

"Yes, this servant will go right away."

Upon realizing this, he quickly went to change his clothes.

Xiao Qiluo looked at the dressing mirror, her reflection in the bronze mirror.

He murmured, "Awaken, awake, awake as in being awake, know as in knowing."

Someone walked in from outside, with a swollen, pig-like face, and called out incoherently to the stunned Xiao Qiluo.

Seeing a pig's head walking towards her, Xiao Qiluo was startled. She quickly grabbed a hairpin from the dressing table and pointed it at the person, "How dare you! Who are you? Help! Help!"

Xingzhi, who had just put on her new clothes, heard the princess's cry for help and rushed over. She saw a pig-faced man walking towards the princess and knocking Alu to the ground with his head.

"Princess, are you alright?"

Looking at Xingzhi, who was also terrified but bravely shielded her behind her, Xiao Qiluo suddenly thought of Aluo.

Once, when she went to the Treasure Pavilion to buy something, she encountered a thief, and A-Luo actually pushed herself out of the way.

Compared to Xingzhi's approach, Xiao Qiluo suddenly felt that something seemed off.

Oh, right, A-Luo!

Yes, you guessed it, that person is A-Luo.

Xiao Qiluo looked over and saw A Luo lying on the ground. She never expected that her mother's two slaps could have left A Luo in such a state.

In the past, Xiao Qiluo would have felt sorry for A Luo, but now she stood there watching, her heart rippled, but she did not go forward to care about A Luo as she used to.

A-Luo glared at the little maid whose clothes were a bit messy and who had reached out to shield the princess behind her.

I don't know what happened today, but I was inexplicably knocked away twice.

When she woke up, she found herself lying under a tree, her cheeks swollen and painful, and no one paid any attention to her.

Moreover, when did such a little maid appear by the princess's side? A Luo felt a sense of crisis and pointed at Xingzhi, muttering something in her own words.

But her face was swollen like a pig's head, and she couldn't speak clearly, so it was impossible to understand what she was saying.

The system thoughtfully helped with the translation, but Xiang Bei didn't want to know what A Luo had said, nor did she relay it to Xiao Qiluo.

The male lead just spouted a few empty words; I don't know where she got such confidence from.

Xiang Bei thought that this was a good opportunity to get rid of A Luo from Xiao Qiluo's side.

It's called the Princess's Mansion, but not only the maids and servants inside, but even the gatekeeper and steward in the front yard are all related to the male protagonist's family.

Having spent so much time with the male lead's biological mother, they all became arrogant and acted like proper elders, like princesses.

As for how to deal with A-Luo, that's up to the princess's decision. As for the people in the manor, Xiang Bei will definitely have Xiao Qiluo replace them.

Xiang Bei rubbed her cheek and sighed, "The only thing missing from this mansion is that they've changed the sign from 'Princess's Mansion' to 'Son-in-Law's Mansion' to announce it to the world."

Even if they hadn't changed, the plot already showed that everyone in the capital knew the prince consort was keeping a mistress and that the princess was a useless woman who couldn't hold onto a man's heart.

Xiang Bei rolled her eyes repeatedly, unsure of what to say.

"Isn't it said that imperial power is supreme? I really don't see that at all."

Thinking of the emperor, who was just a tool in the book, and how the rumors had spread so far, yet the emperor hadn't made a single move, this was one of the reasons why Xiang Bei didn't immediately send the princess to find the emperor.

Xiao Qiluo's emotions are unstable. If she were to reveal her feelings for the prince consort to the emperor, causing him to misunderstand that she is deeply in love with the male lead and has prematurely decided to pass the throne to him, it would be disastrous.

Let's wait and see. Xiang Bei believes she can keep Xiao Qiluo in check.

First, calm her down and make her stop acting like she can't care about anything else whenever the prince consort is mentioned.

The system sat calmly to the side, saying, "The characters' personalities are all set by the author. The female lead's character is that she loves the male lead to the point of obsession and is willing to give up everything for him. Host, the missions in this world are more difficult than the previous ones."

Xiang Bei glanced at the system, "So, the mission rewards will be doubled too?"

system:"……"

The two stared at each other silently. The system was the first to speak up, "Well, I can report the host's request. Whether the reward is doubled or not is not up to me."

Xiang Bei nodded, thinking that money was a motivator.

Outside the big screen, Xiao Qiluo had Xingzhi straighten her clothes before looking at Aluo and saying, "Aluo, you're injured like this, you definitely can't stay by my side. You should take good care of yourself. Let Xingzhi take care of you here for now."

Hearing Xiao Qiluo's words, A Luo was immediately relieved. She assumed the maid's presence was temporary, so she left without looking back.

She felt that she really needed to rest and recuperate in her current state.

When A-Luo woke up, she thought about it carefully and realized that it definitely wasn't the princess who hit her; when she flew away, the princess was some distance away from her.

That means the princess has such a skilled person by her side, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. She learned that the prince consort had been informed of such a dangerous person, and she had to deal with him as soon as possible. How could she leave him here? What if he got hurt?

A Luo looked back again before turning away from the absurd situation.

Watching A Luo leave, Xiao Qiluo stood there for a while. After watching her leave, she suddenly felt a sense of relief.

A-Luo will definitely go back and complain.

Xiao Qiluo dared not think too much about it. From the moment she had the idea of ​​letting A Luo leave her side, she told her to go.

She didn't know why, but she felt that no matter what, as long as A-Luo left, that would be fine.

"Princess, Princess."

Seeing Xiao Qiluo's body slump down, Xingzhi quickly reached out to support her.

However, she was young and petite, and was knocked to the ground by Xiao Qiluo.

"Princess, Princess."

"Don't make a sound." Xiao Qiluo reached out and covered Xingzhi's mouth, signaling her to stop shouting.

Xiang Bei slowly withdrew her outstretched hand.

It seems that Xiao Qiluo also sensed that something was wrong, so this time she sent A Luo away without needing to be reminded.

Finally, he realized what was happening and helped Xiao Qiluo to the bed.

"Xingzhi, how old are you this year?"

"This servant is thirteen years old."

Xiao Qiluo looked at Xingzhi but did not speak.

Before her mother passed away, she arranged for four maids to serve her, whose names contained the characters for spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

When I first met them, they were thirteen years old.

Xiao Qiluo didn't know why, but she couldn't help but talk about the four of them to Xingzhi.

However, all four of them were kicked out by the prince consort for making mistakes.

Thinking of her husband, Xiao Qiluo couldn't help but feel sad again.

This time, she didn't mutter the prince consort's name again, but bit her lower lip tightly.

For some reason, whenever she thought of the prince consort, it felt like something was gently scratching at her heart, and she couldn't help but think of his appearance.

Xiao Qiluo shook her head, feeling someone hug her.

It is the Empress Dowager.

Only my mother could offer such a warm embrace.

After being hugged by my mother, I felt less uncomfortable.

Xingzhi looked at Xiao Qiluo, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "Princess, I have something to say to you, but I don't know if I should."

"Speak."

"This servant...this servant once heard our headmistress say that Sister Qiuyan, who serves the princess, seems to still be in the mansion."

"Qiuyan is in the manor? Impossible. I haven't seen her in the manor since she was driven away by the prince consort. If she were in the manor, why wouldn't she come looking for me?"

“She can’t come. I heard from that old woman that Sister Qiuyan is the concubine of Steward Zheng’s son. I heard she’s not honest and is often beaten.”

Xiao Qiluo was even more puzzled.

Qiu Yan became the concubine of the steward's son in the mansion?

Xiao Qiluo clutched her clothes, her forehead beaded with sweat. How could she not know about this?

Qiu Yan was the most beautiful of the four head maids left to her by her mother.

The cousin of the mother-in-law's family, who is also the son of Steward Zheng in the mansion, fell in love with Qiu Yan at first sight and often harassed her. Steward Zheng also asked Qiu Yan to marry his son.

Even her mother-in-law hinted that Qiu Yan was just a maid after all, and that it was already a great blessing for her to be her nephew's wife, thus fulfilling her nephew's infatuation.

Even the prince consort joined in the persuasion.

Qiu Yan didn't like the other person. When she was about to agree, Qiu Yan knelt down and begged her, saying that she would serve her by her side for the rest of her life.

The other three people also pleaded on her behalf, and she then refused the prince consort's offer.

I only remember that the prince consort looked unwell at the time, but he didn't say anything.

Later, Qiu Yan was found to be in bed with the steward's son. The prince consort, on his own initiative, said that Qiu Yan had ruined her reputation and made her become the steward's son's concubine.

She refused the offer because Qiu Yan said she had been tricked by that person, who had drugged her with a sleeping potion. She had wanted to find out more about the matter, and it was the prince consort who offered to help her investigate.

Xiao Qiluo's face was deathly pale, and cold sweat slid down her cheeks.

"Princess, this servant will go and fetch a doctor."

Xingzhi was encountering this situation for the first time, and no one had taught her what a head maid should do. Seeing the princess's pale face, she was at a loss and burst into tears.

"Don't go." Xiao Qiluo grabbed Xingzhi's hand.

"But Princess, you look terrible."

"Xingzhi, don't go, I'm fine, don't leave." Xiao Qiluo gripped Xingzhi's hand tightly.

She could feel that her mother was still by her side, and she could also sense that she didn't want to see the doctor, let alone anyone else.

"What else do you know about Qiuyan? Tell me, everything... tell me."

She remembered that Qiu Yan was caught trying to climb into the prince consort's bed, and the prince consort said that she was unruly and that he would deal with Qiu Yan.

What did the prince consort say back then?

He said he had found out that Qiu Yan was lying, that she had slept with the steward's son herself, and that Qiu Yan was afraid of being exposed, so she tried to seduce him.

He also said that a maid like Qiu Yan, who betrayed her master, should be killed. However, he thought that the princess was a kind-hearted person and would not be able to bear to punish the maid who had been by her side since childhood. Therefore, he would spare her life and send her out of the mansion.

The prince consort held her hand, his expression so gentle, and she let him handle it.

At that time, Qiu Yan's mouth was gagged, and she kept trying to get to her side, but was pushed away by the people around the prince consort.

Qiu Yan, who should have been driven out of the mansion by the prince consort, is now in some corner of the princess's mansion.

Seeing Xiao Qiluo's appearance, Xingzhi panicked for a moment, trying hard to recall the idle gossip of the stewardesses.

Those old women never took them, these little maids, seriously, and never held back when they spoke.

Xiao Qiluo felt increasingly uncomfortable.

Calm down first; you don't look well right now.

Xiao Qiluo shook her head; she couldn't calm down.

From the moment she discovered that the prince consort had mistaken his savior for someone else and was keeping that woman as a mistress, she realized that her relationship with the prince consort wasn't as wonderful as she had imagined.

It turns out that the prince consort had deceived her before this.

Qiu Yan, who had been expelled from the manor, was actually still inside.

"I want to find Qiu Yan."

Qiu Yan definitely knows what happened.

Xiao Qiluo stood up, but then felt dizzy and had to fall back down.

"Princess, you should find a doctor to take a look at her."

"No need, I'm fine. Xingzhi, do you know where that manager lives?"

“This servant knows.”

"Take me there."

"But your health..."

"Take me there."

As Xiao Qiluo spoke, she looked up at the sky, thinking that her mother should understand her thoughts.

Don't be afraid, your mother is here, I will help you.

Seeing the scrolling text appear, Xiao Qiluo smiled. Her mother truly understood her.

With her mother by her side, she seemed to have boundless courage.

Xingzhi helped her and they walked towards the steward's residence.

It was yet another place she had never been before.

There were so many places in this princess's residence that she didn't know about.

Xiao Qiluo was originally being helped by Xingzhi to walk, but when she saw the unfamiliar place in the mansion, her steps became much lighter and her body felt less uncomfortable.

"I understand," the system suddenly announced.

"What do you know?"

"Host, didn't you notice that in the original story, the female lead only stays in a fixed place? Even in the princess's mansion, she only stays with herself, the male lead, and the male lead's biological mother. At most, she stays with the male lead's younger brother and sister. She has never been to other places in the mansion."

Xiang Bei had the system switch the screen to show the map of the princess's mansion. She saw that the heroine's activity route was very fixed. In this huge princess's mansion, there were many places that Xiao Qiluo had never been to.

"You mean, the female lead is like a bound spirit, only staying in a few places set in the original story. Once she has thoughts that contradict the plot within these fixed areas, the plot will be forcibly corrected."

"That's right, that's exactly what I'm saying. As long as it doesn't involve places that appear in the plot, the female lead won't be forced to follow the plot. As long as we let the female lead move out of her current residence and into a courtyard that doesn't appear in the plot, she won't be harmed when the plot is changed," the system said, jumping up.

Even without being involved in the plot, being influenced by Xiang Bei can change even the most mild-mannered personality.

“That’s one way, but it’s only a temporary solution. We need to figure out how to get rid of this storyline completely.” Xiang Bei felt that simply bringing it up wasn’t enough.

Ultimately, Xiao Qiluo was still controlled by the world's consciousness and had no choice but to do what the world's consciousness demanded.

Her situation was different from Xiang Bei's, so naturally, the same methods couldn't be used to handle it.

The world consciousness wasn't actually in Xiao Qiluo, but rather in a few fixed locations where she frequently appeared; both she and the system overlooked this fact.

"That's true. After all, she's the female lead, and it's a female-oriented novel. It just doesn't feel right to let the female lead run away. Host, let me consult with other senior system users to see if there's any way to solve this."

Xiang Bei nodded, her gaze never leaving Xiao Qiluo.

From any perspective, Xiao Qiluo was in better condition than she had been in the room.

She can now walk steadily without any support from her mother, and her face is gradually regaining its color.

[After returning, I will immediately move out of the current courtyard and temporarily reside in another courtyard.]

Upon seeing the suddenly appearing text, Xiao Qiluo paused for a moment before nodding immediately.

The fact that the Empress Dowager said this suggests that there is something wrong with her current residence.

The princess's residence was very large. Although the stewards lived in a corner courtyard, they relied on their status as relatives of the princess's husband to ensure that their food, clothing, and daily necessities were not much different from those of the princess.

Xiao Qiluo stood outside the courtyard, her delicate appearance fading somewhat. She stood there with her lips pursed, exuding an air of authority.

Xiang Bei clapped her hands.

[That's more like it; now the princess's aura is really there.]

Xiao Qiluo's eyebrows twitched, her gaze following the scrolling text until it disappeared, before she looked at Xingzhi beside her.

Is this the place?

"Yes, I have been here."

Xiao Qiluo led Xingzhi inside directly.

The steward, Zheng, came out of the courtyard. Seeing a stranger approaching, he immediately scolded, "Where did this blind fool come from? Don't you know this is... Princess, what are you doing here?"

Xiao Qiluo forced a smile, her sense of absurdity growing stronger.

She was treated this way by her own servants in her own princess's residence.

That's incredibly absurd.

"How dare you!" Xiao Qiluo shouted.

Amidst the shock of Steward Zheng, he exclaimed, "This is the Princess's residence! Can't I even come here?"

Under Xiao Qiluo's gaze, the steward reluctantly said, "I wouldn't dare. In Her Highness's residence, one can naturally go wherever one wishes."

That sounded rather sarcastic.

Xiao Qiluo silently prayed, "May my mother help me."

Then he strode over and slapped the manager hard across the face.

The steward stared at Xiao Qiluo in shock, seemingly unable to believe why the princess dared to lay a hand on him.

So surprised, the manager forgot to cover his slapped cheek.

"Princess, how can you do this yourself? You are of noble status. Let your servant do this. Does your hand hurt?"

Xingzhi quickly went over and carefully held Xiao Qiluo's hand that had hit the steward; her palm was still a little red.

"Princess, how dare you hit me?"

[I'll hit you whenever I want, do I need to pick a day?]

Xiao Qiluo looked at the words in front of her and snorted, "I can fight whenever I want, do I have to pick a day?"

"Do you know that I am the prince consort's maternal uncle, your elder brother..."

Xiao Qiluo pulled her hand out of Xingzhi's hand and slapped the steward's face several times.

“Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, you are the emperor’s own father, and I will beat you today without hesitation.”

"Who gave you permission to look me in the eye? Who gave you permission to speak so disrespectfully to me? Who gave you, a mere steward, the right to overstep your bounds and interfere with my authority?"

Xiang Bei blew on her palm, concealing her accomplishments and fame.