Please also Miss Su recognize your own status
These words were like a carving knife, chipping away at the last bit of self-esteem that Su Qingli had left.
Her fingertips moved, and she quickly swallowed the tears that were about to overflow from her eyes. She propped herself up and sat up, saying calmly.
"People die for money, birds die for food. I do all this just for the sake of survival. Why does the Prime Minister have to bring up the past to humiliate me?"
After saying this, she raised her hand to straighten her clothes, put on her boots and socks without changing her expression, and stood up to leave.
"Master Prime Minister saved Zhaoming, and Su Qingli is extremely grateful. However, if Master Prime Minister cannot fulfill his promise, then we will meet again later. As for saving my life, I will find another way to repay Master Prime Minister."
The white skirt brushed past Fu Xuechen, causing the corners of his eyes to turn red.
Suddenly, he raised his hand and pulled Su Qingli back, lowered his head, and spoke coldly and threateningly in her ear.
"Miss Su, who are you planning to be your concubine? How can I let others touch something I've touched?"
The familiar scent of ink made her heart tremble.
She was about to say something when she heard Fu Xuechen speak first.
"I will do what I promised, but I am not running a charity. Miss Su, please recognize your position and don't bring anyone into the house."
Fu Xuechen let go of her, threw out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve, and turned to leave.
The banknotes fluttered down to the ground, covering the ground.
In the past, she would never have suffered such humiliation, but now, these banknotes were the life-saving money for their entire family. In the face of life, dignity was worthless.
Su Qingli rubbed his sore arms, squatted down, and picked up the banknotes on the ground one by one.
This movement caused a dull pain in his already swollen lower body.
After counting carefully, the silver bills amounted to exactly three thousand taels, neither more nor less.
With this money, although it cannot completely change the family's plight, it can at least save their lives.
As for what happened back then, since Fu Xuechen was innocent, there must be someone else who framed her.
Two years ago, when the Su family was in power, that person was still able to attack her. Now that the Su family has fallen, wouldn't it be even easier for that person to deal with them?
She had to find out the truth as soon as possible and make adequate preparations in advance.
Thinking of this, Su Qingli hurriedly folded the banknotes, put them in her sleeve, and hurried to leave the room.
After all, she hadn't been home for a whole day, and it was almost midnight. Her mother and brother would surely be worried about her. She had to go back and report that she was safe before she could stay in the house and plan everything with peace of mind.
But she didn't expect to bump into someone as soon as she left the room.
The man staggered back a few steps, and the wooden basin in his hand was thrown far away with a dull sound.
But the person in front of him didn't bother to pick up the things and quickly bent down to apologize.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that, are you okay?"
A familiar voice came, making her stunned for a moment.
After hesitating for a long time, Su Qingli clenched her handkerchief, frowned, and spoke tentatively.
"Green bamboo?"
Hearing this, the maid with two buns in her hair raised her head.
Through the faint candlelight coming through the window, the maid was able to see Su Qingli's face clearly, and her expression visibly changed from fear to surprise.
"Miss, it's really you!"
Qingzhu approached Su Qingli intimately and looked through her hands.
"It's all my fault for being clumsy. Is the young lady hurt anywhere?"
Unlike Qingzhu's joy, when Su Qingli saw her again, he felt mixed emotions and thousands of doubts.
She pulled her hand back, smiled faintly and shook her head in response.
"I'm fine, but you, the Su family is in decline. Shouldn't you be released from the mansion and find another way out? Why are you here?"
The mansion was full of snobs who looked down on others and often made things difficult for Fu Xuechen.
Not to mention, Qingzhu was once her personal maid, and she looked down on Fu Xuechen, who was of low status at the time, and was arrogant and contemptuous of him.
Since Fu Xuechen controls the Su Mansion, how could he keep them in the mansion?
After hearing this, Qingzhu shook his head, his face full of confusion.
"I don't know either, but the mansion hasn't released the slave contract yet, so I don't dare leave easily. I usually do some cleaning work in the mansion. Today, the Prime Minister asked me to come and help the young lady with her hair and clothes, and I only then knew that the young lady had come to the mansion."
Su Qingli raised her hand and touched the hair beside her ear before she reacted.
She had spent a ridiculous day with Fu Xuechen, and her original bun had long since come undone. Now her hair was disheveled, and it was indeed inappropriate for her to go out like this.
"He asked you to serve me?"
Su Qingli lowered her eyes and asked softly.
If he resented and hated her, why did he keep Qingzhu and let her come to serve her? Or was it that after being together for so many years, he was not completely heartless towards her?
Thinking of this, her heart skipped a beat and her hands clenched their sleeves.
But the next moment, Qingzhu's words shattered all her fantasies.
"Yes, he said that although the young lady is a concubine, she also represents the face of the Prime Minister's Mansion. The Prime Minister's Mansion...can't afford to lose face. He also asked me to tell the young lady to behave properly in the future and not to bring trouble to the reputation of the Prime Minister's Mansion."
As he said this, Qingzhu's head drooped lower and lower, and his voice became smaller and smaller.
Su Qingli stood there in a daze, and her white fingertips relaxed.
That's true. In the past two years, Fu Xuechen has suffered humiliation in the Su family, and all of this is ultimately caused by her. He probably wants to skin himself alive, so how could he have any feelings for her?
It was all just her wishful thinking.
She concealed the loneliness in her eyes, smiled bitterly and nodded in response.
"I know, please dress me up!"
Qingzhu pursed her lips, intending to speak up for Su Qingli, but because the courtyard was full of Fu Xuechen's spies, she hesitated for a long time and finally swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Then, the two of them entered the room one after the other.
The person in the bronze mirror has eyebrows like dark mountains, lips like cherries, and skin as white as snow. Her flying fairy bun makes her already delicate face more fairy-like.
Even Qingzhu, who had served for many years, couldn't help but sigh.
"Miss, you are so beautiful!"
Looking at herself in the mirror, Su Qingli tilted her face slightly, but there was no joy on her face.
Beauty is beautiful, but what use is it to her?
Now that the Su family is in decline, this face will only make her a plaything among the powerful.
Su Qingli raised her hand to adjust the collar around her neck, then stood up and slowly instructed Qingzhu, "I have to go out of the house for something. When you return, tell him that I have noted his instructions. I will return home after I have settled my family."
After saying this, she paused and added another sentence.
"I won't cause any trouble to the Prime Minister's Mansion."
This Prime Minister's Mansion is where she grew up, and she can find the way out of the mansion even with her eyes closed.
Of course, there is no need for someone to lead the way.
Perhaps Fu Xuechen was busy with government affairs all day and had no time to renovate the mansion. The structure of the entire mansion was no different from before, as if the Su Mansion had never disappeared.
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