Chapter 32 World 2 (8)

Baoshan quickly caught enough fireflies. When she arrived at the agreed place, she waited for a while before she saw Jinxiu running towards her.

Jinxiu had a circle of cloth bags hanging around her waist, but there were only a few fireflies in each bag, and only a few scattered lights flickered. It was as if the waist was stained with layers of phosphorus powder, emitting a faint light in the deep night. Baoshan and she gathered the cloth bags containing fireflies together and roughly counted the fireflies they caught. They were probably enough to use as candlesticks. Jinxiu saw that the red silk around Baoshan's waist was tied to her chest at some point, although it seemed that she was afraid of the coldness of the night, so she untied the red silk and used it as a shawl. But she also saw that Baoshan had trouble with his feet, with the left side lighter than the right, and he staggered when he walked. Jinxiu had a guess in her mind and was panicked for a while.

He looked so miserable, could it be that something bad happened to the precious fan when they separated?

She blurted out, her question full of panic: "But someone bullied you? How did you sprain your ankle and tore your clothes?"

Jinxiu thought that Baoshan was being harassed by one of the maids in the palace.

But Baoshan was already feeling guilty, and after hearing these words, she became even more flustered. Her face flushed with shame, and she shook her head gently.

"No one has ever been."

The heartbeat beneath his chest rose and fell, and the collar of Baoshan's jacket was slightly open, revealing her snow-soft skin.

Jinxiu held the cloth bag in her hand and, with the help of the light of the fireflies, took a closer look at the slippery area.

The buttons that should have been neatly arranged on top are now gone.

In such a situation, how can one not think about it?

If it was just now that Jinxiu was more anxious than angry, she was more worried about whether Baoshan was in any harm, and whether he had any other injuries besides his feet. Now, her heart was filled with anger.

——Who on earth is this audacious scoundrel who actually has the audacity to have evil intentions towards Bao Shan and treat her so recklessly!

A sprained foot, a button that was torn to pieces... all these things were enough to prove how unkind and lustful that lecher was. He couldn't even take off the clothes properly, but had to tear off the buttons to satisfy his selfish desires.

Jinxiu's eyes were bright, as if there was a ball of fire. She was worried that her anger would scare Baoshan, so she lowered her voice and asked.

"Can you tell me which one?"

Jinxiu's mind flashed with the images of the guards and servants in the palace, and she secretly despised them: no matter what their tempers were on weekdays, once they were in front of the precious fan, they seemed to have lost their bones and temper, and they kept giving her food and jewelry in various ways.

Seeing that Baoshan refused to accept the jewelry they gave her, they set their sights on snacks that were difficult to store. They made the excuse that they had too many snacks on hand and could not finish them but were reluctant to throw them away, so they had no choice but to ask Baoshan for help.

Humph, normally everyone would have their eyes glued to Bao Shan. But they all knew that Bao Shan was timid, and they didn't dare to lose their composure, so they kept their distance carefully.

Now, no one knows who bullied the precious fan, and they no longer have the love and care they once had for it, and they only care about their own pleasure.

Jinxiu was furious. It turned out that there was no good guy among men. At that time, he was probably only thinking about his own pleasure and didn't care about anything else.

"Baoshan, tell me quickly..."

Jinxiu hesitated, wanting to say, "Tell me quickly, and I'll go find the steward, file a complaint, and make trouble for him." But she was afraid that Baoshan was too kind-hearted, and worried about the safety of the scoundrel, so the words on her lips turned into other thoughts.

"So I can identify who he is."

Baoshan's eyes were full of affection, and the smoky glow on her cheeks had not yet faded, but was now covered with a pale white, which made her slender figure even more charming.

Her voice was so thin, like a gentle breeze that would disappear into the darkness.

Jinxiu's repeated questioning made Baoshan finally reveal the name.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After saying this, Baoshan seemed to feel embarrassed, so he turned to the side with his back to Jinxiu.

Since she had mentioned the name, she confirmed that Yuwen Xuan had seen this appearance.

As a woman, her disheveled figure was seen by others.

If anyone knew about this, they would all look at her with disdain. Bao Shan shuddered—besides, she wasn't just disheveled, she was...

She threw herself into Yuwen Xuan's arms and stared at him for a long time.

If Baoshan knew that Jinxiu was not thinking about being seen in this state by a man, but thinking that she was contaminated by Yuwen Xuan, she would definitely be ashamed and angry to death.

Jinxiu was surprised that it was actually the prince.

After the surprise wore off, Jinxiu felt only deep powerlessness and uneasiness in her heart.

If it were anyone else in the palace, she would demand an explanation.

But he was the prince. In this palace, the plants, flowers, insects, blue bricks and white tiles, as well as the slaves who sold themselves to the palace, all belonged to the prince.

If Yuwen Xuan wanted to take the precious fan, no matter how rude and reckless he was or how he showed no compassion, they would not be able to say a word against it.

In Jinxiu's heart, she could not blame the prince, so she transferred the blame to herself.

If it weren't for her, how could Baoshan come out to catch fireflies in the middle of the night, and how could she have happened to meet the vicious and cruel prince and suffer such torture.

Jinxiu looked at Baoshan's trembling eyelashes and her exposed fair skin, and her heart felt even colder: It seemed that the prince wanted to be an ungrateful man after having favored Baoshan.

Baoshan stretched out her slender jade fingers and gently gathered the red silk on her body.

Even her shabby, disheveled clothes couldn't conceal her graceful beauty. Jinxiu's face was filled with dejection: "I'm afraid the prince won't give me the fan's proper status at this moment. I've had fun today, but I'm afraid I won't be able to live the life of an ascetic monk in the future."

Baoshan timidly instructed Jinxiu, "Don't tell anyone else about this. Even though I'm just a worthless servant, if others knew about it, they'd just laugh.

But the prince's reputation is precious, and he must not be tarnished by the words of these vulgar people."

Seeing her being so humble and still caring about Yuwen Xuan's face at this point, Jinxiu felt a bitter taste in her throat and responded in a deep voice.

"I won't tell you."

Jinxiu is not the kind of person who likes to gossip, so this matter will definitely remain to herself.

The two of them parted ways. When Baoshan returned to his room, the door creaked. Hua Qing on the bed just muttered, turned over, and went back to sleep.

Baoshan took off his clothes, stroked his collar gently, and his eyes were slightly deep.

She folded her skirt neatly, put it in the box, and pulled up the quilt to cover the coolness on her body with warmth.

When Jinxiu handed the fireflies to Miss Deng, she received a few words of praise.

Jinxiu's face was as calm as water, and she looked unperturbed by praise or criticism, which made the maids around her look at her sideways.

"It's what a slave should do."

Miss Deng originally wanted to deliver the fireflies herself, but as soon as she stood up, the housekeeper's serious face and words that sounded like a warning rang in her ears.

"Miss Deng, please remember that being content and law-abiding is the long-term solution."

Miss Deng sat back on the round stool, stretched out her finger, and tapped the brocade: "Go and give these fireflies to Yuwen Xuan. Tell him that I think fireflies are lively and cute, and they can add some vitality to the house. I hope he won't let me down."

"Forget it, forget it. Don't mention the last sentence."

Jinxiu still had a stern face: "Yes."

Miss Deng casually grabbed a few golden melon seeds and put them into Jinxiu's arms. Seeing Jinxiu bowing and thanking her obediently without any joy on her face, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart: It's a pity that even the most lively maid beside her has become like this.

The other maids looked at each other in bewilderment. They had just been envious of Jinxiu, but when Jinxiu was first assigned to catch fireflies, they all sighed in their hearts, thinking that it was a tough job.

I didn’t expect Jinxiu to catch so many in one night and even get a reward.

The sourness in their hearts didn't last long before it was covered by feelings of pity and sympathy.

What’s the use of getting a reward? All the fireflies that I spent a whole night catching will probably be thrown out soon. When Jinxiu comes back, she will have to bear Miss Deng’s anger.

Jinxiu picked up hundreds of fireflies. She and the treasured fan had put so much effort into it. But Miss Deng only touched it twice, and the hundreds of fireflies returned to her hands.

Yuwen Xuan was not at home at the time, so Jinxiu temporarily took Firefly back to her own residence.

The maid who lived in the same room with Jinxiu was standing in the small courtyard chatting with others.

"Could it be that Miss Deng is interested in the prince?"

"Of course it is."

"How can she be so bold?"

She actually dared to like Yuwen Xuan. I'm afraid she doesn't want to live anymore.

Another maidservant had a smile in her eyes and said in a leisurely tone: "Everyone knows that wealth and honor are sought through risk. Without taking the risk of losing your life, how can you get great wealth and honor in return?

The prince's admiration and favor are not easy to obtain."

“However, the prince still treats Miss Deng differently in a few ways.

If it were anyone else who disturbed the prince like this, they would have chopped off more than their heads."

"The prince is very kind to Miss Deng, otherwise where did all those gold melon seeds and silver ingots come from?"

"Those weren't given by the prince. They were brought out from the palace by Miss Deng..."

Jinxiu heard all this gossip. When she heard the maids' speculation that the prince was "not interested in women," she clenched her fists and tried her best to hold back, not shouting out what was in her heart.

——The prince is not indifferent to women. If he were not, how could he do such a shameful thing to the precious fan?

When I heard everyone discussing Miss Deng, they talked about her love for the prince.

Although Miss Deng denied it, she just wanted to cure Yuwen Xuan and had no other thoughts.

But the maids were not stupid and they all understood what such obvious admiration and intention to get close to her meant.

Jinxiu felt depressed. She didn't want Miss Deng and Yuwen Xuan to be implicated. Whenever she thought of that scene, Jinxiu felt like a huge rock was pressing down on her heart, making her unable to breathe.

Not only Miss Deng, but other women also cannot stand with Yuwen Xuan.

Only the treasure fan is different.

She was so delicate and pitiful, so weak that she could be bullied. Since Yuwen Xuan had bullied Baoshan so badly and made her look so miserable, he should have protected Baoshan.

Any man who possessed a beauty like the precious fan would be grateful and treasure it. Even the noble Yuwen Xuan was no exception. Since he had received the treasured fan and tasted its beauty, he must not be unfaithful.

Jinxiu's eyes darkened slightly as she stared at the fireflies on the table, feeling slightly dazed.

Although she was as humble as an ant, I have heard scholars say that a thousand-mile dam can be breached by the blood of ants, which shows that ants also have their uses.