Chapter 171 Aru
"Yuyao, go back to your courtyard in peace. I will talk to your mother. She will understand after a while."
Looking at the haggard and exhausted Xiao Yuyao, Xiao Su offered a few words of comfort.
But Xiao Yuyao just stared blankly at her toes, not saying a word, as if her soul had been ripped out.
"Alright, don't worry. Even if... even if she doesn't understand, your father will always stand by you. From now on, you will be the only girl in our Xiao family, and no one will dare to look down on you."
Xiao Yuyao nodded blankly, but she remained listless and silent.
Xiao Su patted her on the shoulder and then left for his study.
"Girl, let's go."
The maid beside Xiao Yuyao gently supported her arm and asked in a low voice.
She carefully observed the Fourth Sister's expression, only to be horrified to discover that the sorrow and grief that had been in the Fourth Sister's eyes had vanished, leaving only a cold and ruthless intensity.
"This can't go on..."
Xiao Yuyao muttered to herself.
"What did you say, young lady?"
The maid didn't hear what she said clearly and thought she had misheard.
"Take all the hairpins and ornaments off my head. I'm going to the family temple to pray for blessings."
She coldly gave the order, and the maid was taken aback. Not daring to question it, she immediately obeyed.
The Princess's residence received two gifts.
One gift was from the Zhao family. As soon as the Zhao family regained their status as imperial merchants, they immediately reciprocated by sending a bunch of rare and precious items to Princess Chang Le. There were all kinds of rare and valuable items. Lan Xin was dazzled just by looking at the gift list.
The princess, however, did not react to this. She simply had someone check the records, put the items into the storeroom, and register them. She did not even personally inspect them.
The last serving was rather meager.
No, it's too shabby.
Compared to the gifts brought by the Zhao family in a carriage, this one was simply a set of writing implements and a thin letter, delivered by a messenger from the capital.
After asking the family that gave the gift their names, Lanxin pondered for a long time but couldn't recall any prominent families in the capital with the surname Xie.
She hesitated whether to report this matter to the princess, when Bihui arrived at that moment.
"Sister Lanxin, the princess wants to buy some silk thread to make a purse for His Highness. She would like to trouble you to find a brother in the manor who is fast on foot to take her to buy it."
"You've come at the right time. I've just run into a problem that I can't figure out. Can you help me take a look?"
Lanxin briefly explained the matter of the Xie family sending gifts, and Bihui then asked:
"Could it be the Xie family from the west of the city?"
You know?
“A few days ago, the princess sent someone to deliver medicine for the epidemic. I suppose she was here to express her gratitude. Why don’t you take it to the princess so she can take a look? In case it’s something important, it would be bad if we delayed it.”
Hearing Bi Sui say this, Lan Xin nodded seriously: "Then I'll go there. You go directly to the gatehouse to find Chen Liao. That kid is familiar with the capital and knows many of the back roads."
"Thank you, Sister Lanxin."
Inside the gatehouse, a group of seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys were chatting and laughing heartily about the latest happenings in the capital.
Is Chen Liao present?
Bi Sui hadn't been at the Princess's residence for long, and she also had to take care of the princess. There were many servants at the Princess's residence, and she hadn't gotten to know them all yet. At this moment, she stood at the door and asked loudly, and saw a handsome young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes stand up from the spot surrounded by several young men.
"Did my sister call me?"
He stepped out from the crowd, bowed respectfully to Bi Sui with his hands clasped, displaying impeccable manners, his posture neither overly humble nor lacking in respect, and a perfectly measured smile on his lips.
“I am Bihui, who serves the princess. Sister Lanxin told me that you are most familiar with the capital. Now the princess wants me to buy some silk thread. Do you know which family in the capital makes the best silk thread?”
Bi Sui secretly observed the young man named Chen Liao. She noticed that his eyes were bright and lively, indicating that he was quick-witted and had his own ideas.
"Sister Bihui, you've come to the right person. If we're talking about the best silk thread, then it has to be..."
The two talked as they walked towards the Princess's residence.
Halfway there, the two exchanged ages from their hometowns and had become quite familiar with each other.
Bi Sui glanced at the fork in the road ahead and behind, and suddenly said:
"Chen Liao, I see you are a capable and resourceful young man, why are you willing to do such menial work in the gatehouse?"
Chen Liao blinked, sensing a hidden meaning in Bi Sui's tone.
"Sister Bihui, to be honest, I'm the only son in my family, and I've been a brat since I was little. Serving in front of such an important person, if I mess up and get kicked out of the manor, that's a small matter. What if I implicate my family..."
"Unlike Sister Bihui and Sister Lanxin, who are always so proper and composed, isn't it good for them to handle things in front of important people?"
Chen Liao fawned over her for a couple of times, but Bi Sui remained expressionless before changing the subject:
"Actually, the princess sent me out today not only to purchase silk thread, but also for another matter. I wonder if you would be willing to help."
"Sister Bihui, what are you saying?! The princess has given the order, and Chen Liao will do anything, even risk his life. What is there to say about whether he is willing to help or not?"
"Alright, take me somewhere..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Liao's previously composed expression immediately changed.
"This...that..."
"What, you don't want to?"
Bi Sui raised an eyebrow at him.
Chen Liao shook his head vigorously, "No, no, I'd be more than happy to!"
"Then Sister Bihui, you'd better stay close to me and be careful."
"nature."
One hour later.
Chen Liao and Bi Sui searched almost every brothel in the east of the city, but after asking around, they still couldn't find the person they were looking for.
"Sister Bihui, should we continue looking? Could it be that the princess has made a mistake? How could the person the princess is looking for be in a place like this?"
Bi Sui's eyes were firm: "The princess would never be wrong."
“Oh dear, I misspoke. What I meant was… is it possible that they don’t want to tell us?”
Chen Liao slapped himself in the face, looking extremely cautious.
Bihui's gaze swept across the long street.
Suddenly his gaze sharpened and landed on the entrance of a teahouse.
"Get out of here, you filthy beggar! Don't dirty our land. If you stay here for even a moment, you'll ruin all our business!"
The waiter at the teahouse chased out a disheveled man in tattered clothes, cursing him rudely.
The person who was driven out was exceptionally thin, his hair was covered in dust and grime, and his face was so dirty that his facial features were no longer visible.
"Aru! What are you doing here again?!"
A girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old hurried over from a short distance away, looking at the beggar with disgust.
"If you dare to sneak out again, I won't care about you anymore! I'll let your mother beat you to death!"
The waiter at the teahouse, seeing that the young girl was dressed neatly and presentably, gave her a once-over and spoke rather rudely as ever:
"Keep an eye on your stupid idiot. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was some beggar who ran away!"
"Can't you speak properly?! If you can't speak properly, then shut your mouth!"
The little girl's eyebrows furrowed, as if she wanted to argue with someone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com