Chapter 149 Strangers
Tao Tao threw off the covers and got out of bed, enduring the pain as she put on her clothes.
Granny Sun couldn't dissuade her, so she could only carefully support her from the side and help her out.
She clutched her shoulder, her lips bloodless, and managed a faint smile: "Thank you, Granny."
When Murong Yan saw her come out, he quickly went to greet her, squatted down in front of her, and said, "Come on, I'll carry you out."
Tao Tao looked down at his back and suddenly paused, "No, no need, I'm not injured and I can still walk."
He looked up, frowned, and said, "How are you going to walk like this? Stop being stubborn and hurry up."
Murong Huai Shi chimed in, "It's alright, Xiao Tao. Let your brother carry you. You were so badly injured saving the Emperor, how could you possibly walk?"
Not wanting to stay there any longer, she awkwardly lay down on it.
As soon as she got into the carriage, she said, "I want to go back to the Tao family."
Murong Huai Shi frowned slightly and comforted her, "Now that you are a daughter of the Murong family, you should go back to the Tao family less often. Besides, you are now a county princess, so you shouldn't get involved with those people and things from the past."
"That's undignified."
She used to be a merchant's daughter, and she did such an unlucky and dirty business. Now that she has gotten rid of it, she should not go back to her old ways.
Moreover, His Majesty is unaware of all this. If His Majesty finds out later, he will likely be charged with deception.
Therefore, we should minimize contact with her in the future and try to conceal her past identity.
Upon hearing this, Tao Tao's eyes showed displeasure, and she said coldly, "What do you mean by 'unseemly'? I, Tao Tao, am upright and honest, and I do legitimate business. I don't think there's anything unseemly about it."
"On the contrary, when did I agree to be listed on the royal register? You're trying to tie me to yourselves, hoping for a shared fate?"
"Don't you realize that I'm a danger that could erupt at any moment? Haven't you considered the consequences of all being harmed together?"
Her eyes held a mocking smile, and her words were full of sarcasm.
Murong Huai Shi hadn't expected her to be so strong-willed, to say such things. She looked like a well-behaved and harmless young lady, yet every word she uttered was so sharp.
He paused for a moment, then quickly smiled and said, "Xiao Tao, that's not what your godfather meant. You've misunderstood."
Murong Yan frowned, also feeling that his father's words had gone too far.
"Let's go, I'll take you back to the Tao family."
Hearing this, she finally let out a sigh of relief, lowered the carriage curtain, and went inside.
A moment later, she popped up again and said, "Don't forget to send the silver that the Emperor bestowed upon me back to the Tao family."
"Okay, okay, Godfather will do as you say right away."
Murong Huaishi shook his head helplessly, thinking to himself, "Does this young lady really think he would embezzle that batch of silver?"
When the butler saw Tao Tao return, his face was full of joy: "Miss, you're back. I'll go tell Madam right away."
He was so happy that he didn't notice her strange expression. Granny Wu and Rong'er helped Tao Tao inside, while Murong Yan followed behind.
Upon hearing the news of Tao Tao's return, Tao's mother happily came to greet her.
It had been half a month since the mother and daughter last met, so she still missed her daughter very much.
Several maids and Leng Qiao also came out.
Zhu Xia and Shu Jie surrounded her, chattering excitedly, "Miss, you're back..."
"Miss, where have you been all this time? Remember to take Zhu Xia with you next time..."
Leng Qiao noticed the unusual expression on her face immediately and rushed to help her up. "Miss, are you injured? Where? Is it serious?"
Upon hearing this, the two maids stopped talking and asked with worried expressions, "Miss, what's wrong?"
Granny Wu said, "You can't call her 'Miss' anymore. She is now the Princess Huaimin, personally appointed by the Emperor. You should call her Princess."
"The county princess?!"
Both of them stared at Tao Tao in surprise.
Tao's mother was even more shocked, but realizing that her daughter was injured, she suppressed her urgent desire to ask questions.
She said, "Let's go inside first and talk about it."
Tao Tao felt completely relaxed when she returned to her room.
Seeing how tired she was, Murong Yan decided not to disturb her, gave a few instructions to the maids, and then left.
Rong'er and Granny Wu took the medicine and went to the kitchen to brew it, leaving only Tao's mother in the room.
With a worried look in her eyes, Tao's mother asked her daughter in confusion, "Tao'er, what exactly happened? When did you go to the palace? I heard from Granny Wu just now that you were made a county princess because you saved the Emperor?"
Tao Tao pursed her lips, unsure of where to begin.
She didn't want to tell her mother that she knew Duan Gan, nor did she want to tell her what she was planning.
She smiled and reached out to take her hand: "Mother, I am the adopted daughter of the Prince of Yingzhou, and it is only right that I attend the palace banquet with the Prince."
"She's just an adopted daughter, why would she ask you to attend a banquet and cause you such a serious injury?"
Tao's mother simply couldn't believe that a prince would take his adopted daughter, who was not related to her by blood, to the palace.
"Tao'er, tell your mother honestly, do you want to enter the palace and become that old emperor's concubine?"
These words startled her so much that she almost jumped off the bed. She said, somewhat amused and exasperated, "Mother, what are you talking about? How could I possibly want to enter the palace and become that old man's concubine?"
"You're overthinking it. I don't have such thoughts."
That old man was practically half-buried; who knew when he would pass away?
Moreover, when she saw his expression, she felt that he lacked energy, as if his body had been hollowed out, and that he wouldn't live much longer.
"Tao'er, listen to your mother, let's not become the county princess, okay?"
"You have no idea how brutal the struggles within the royal family are; a single misstep could cost you your life!"
Tao Tao said calmly, "Mother, I am just a county princess. How can I be involved in any royal struggles? That's their business. Besides, I can't just become a county princess because I want to."
"This title was bestowed by His Majesty at his request. It was a reward for saving his life. I was almost dead. I deserve it."
Tao's mother, however, ignored her words and, contrary to her usual behavior, scolded, "Is it really such a coincidence? I don't believe it. Did you and the Prince exchange something?"
"Why can't you just live a normal life? Why do you have to get involved in all these things!"
"Aren't we doing just fine now? Can't we go back to the way things were? Why do you always have to covet things you shouldn't have!"
Tao Tao looked up at her in shock, sensing her unfamiliarity at that moment.
"What do you mean by 'I shouldn't have received it'? Why shouldn't I have received it? I almost paid with my life!"
She sensed that Tao's mother was a stranger at this moment, and Tao's mother also sensed that her daughter was a stranger at this moment.
She felt that her daughter was becoming more and more disobedient and rebellious towards her mother, unlike the quiet, obedient, and sensible daughter who used to listen to her in everything.
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