Chapter 61 Thanks
These words insulted almost every member of the Xiao family. Madam Xiao's eyes widened slightly, thinking she had misheard.
She snapped out of her daze and instinctively wanted to retort:
"Aunt Meng, you're not right. Yu Yao, she..."
"lady!"
Li's mother only regretted that she was too old and slow to act, and that she hadn't covered Madam Xiao's mouth before she could speak.
"Our lady has been working too hard these past few days and is quite tired. Please forgive her, Aunt Meng!"
Aunt Meng glanced at the woman, who was about her age, and, at least, there was someone normal. She subtly raised her chin.
"Is that the maidservant of Miss Xiao who you mentioned was suspicious? I've followed the Princess from the palace to the outside world for decades, and this is the first time I've seen a master treat human life so lightly without any solid evidence. Even a servant is still born of parents. Aren't you afraid that Lord Xiao will be impeached in court for abusing your power to take lives like this?"
Madam Xiao was startled and hurriedly explained:
"No, no, how could we dare to actually kill anyone? It's just that the servant is useless; he fainted after being tortured even slightly. Quickly carry Bihui away and let the royal physician treat him!"
Xiao Yuxuan's gaze barely left Bi Sui. Her summer clothes were thin, and thick blood seeped from her torn flesh, a gruesome sight.
Her eyes stung with tears. If it weren't for her conflict with Xiao Yuyao, Bi Sui wouldn't have made an example of someone to scare others.
"Hmph, you've wasted so much time and said nothing but nonsense. Lanxin, go and bring in the gifts bestowed by the Princess."
A group of palace maids filed in carrying countless gifts, all covered with red silk, and it was obvious without even looking that they were all good things.
Xiao Yuyao was stunned.
So this is what the nobles truly reward us with!
The little trinkets she used to receive from the imperial concubine and the fourth prince were often given to her without even a box; they were simply pulled off her waist or slipped from her hand.
Thinking of this, a pang of jealousy welled up in her heart again.
Xiao Yuxuan is really lucky. She has been back for almost two months. She has begged her uncle to let her attend a girls' school, and she has also gotten on the good side of the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess, as well as Hongzhu, who has regained her identity as Princess Minying!
The affection and respect she had once been so proud of from the Xiao family suddenly became insignificant in the face of these tangible powers and wealth.
Madam Xiao was also dumbfounded. What had Xiao Yuxuan done to deserve such a large reward from the Princess?!
Lan Xin took in their reactions, held the gift list in her hands, and said loudly:
"To express her gratitude to Miss Xiao for taking in and treating Princess Minying kindly, Her Highness the Eldest Princess has bestowed upon her fifty taels of gold, a set of pearl headdresses, a set of ruby headdresses, a goldfish-shaped pouch, a bolt of floral brocade, a bolt of shimmering brocade, and a Western Region colt."
After reading the long list, Xiao Yuyao's eyes almost blazed with fire.
It really is because of that Princess Min-young!
If Xiao Yuxuan hadn't interfered and taken Hongzhu away some time ago, this reward might have been hers!
"His Highness said that the Western Region foals are still young and cannot be separated from special people to feed and serve them. Therefore, they are still kept in the stables of the Princess's residence. If Miss Xiao feels like riding them or sending someone to visit them, she can use this gold fish pouch to enter and leave the Princess's residence at any time."
"In addition, these rewards are only for the eldest princess. His Majesty and the Empress will send more rewards to the residence soon."
Lanxin's favorite thing to do is to reward people, which brings her joy and a lot of money. Today, she gets an extra reward: to see the twisted faces of the Xiao family mother and daughter.
This is truly gratifying.
One is a biological mother who can't stand seeing her own daughter living a better life than her adopted daughter, and the other is an adopted daughter who has no tolerance for bullying and suppressing her younger sister. It's truly a match made in heaven that this pair can be mother and daughter!
Aunt Meng noticed Lanxin's unusually excited expression early on, but she couldn't bear to interrupt her and let her be.
After the items were delivered, Aunt Meng and Lanxin exchanged a few pleasantries before leaving.
Madam Xiao was so angry that she had a headache.
On the one hand, Yuyao's jewelry was left unresolved, after all, it was a gift from several young men, and she cherished it so much that it was inevitable that she would be heartbroken to lose it.
On the other hand, Yu Xuan's daughter is really too ambitious. Now that she has climbed up to the Princess, she even lets the Princess's people come to the Xiao family to show off their power. It's really exhausting for her.
As a daughter of the Xiao family, why doesn't she care about the Xiao family in everything, but instead fawns over the eldest princess? Could it be that she feels wronged and unhappy living in the Xiao family, so she wants to find a more powerful backer?
Madam Xiao was startled by her own guess.
Worried about Bihui's condition, Xiao Yuxuan followed Aunt Meng and Lanxin straight back to Lanting Pavilion.
Xiao Yuyao, having encountered numerous setbacks, feigned feeling wronged and distressed, and left.
In the main courtyard, a pile of gifts sent by the eldest princess still lay scattered about. Madam Xiao, annoyed by the sight, waved her hand and said:
"Mother Li, take all these things to Lanting Pavilion. They're not in my way here!"
As the items were being carried away, a piece of red silk covering the brocade suddenly slipped off, revealing the shimmering brocade underneath, almost making Madam Xiao unable to look away.
"Is this the Radiant Brocade, which only produces a dozen or so bolts each year? It's truly magnificent and dazzling. I wonder how beautiful the clothes made from such fine material would be..."
"Put them in my storeroom first. Yu Xuan doesn't lack clothes. When she asks, just say they're a gift to me."
Just when she was worried about not finding something suitable to make up for Yuyao's situation, Yuxuan had recently made a bunch of new clothes, which would be enough for her to wear to the upcoming palace banquet. Yuyao, on the other hand, didn't have a single decent outfit yet...
Xiao Yuxuan was preoccupied with Bi Sui and had no interest in seeing the rewards. When she heard that they had arrived, she casually told someone to take them to the small storeroom for safekeeping.
Bihui was beaten twenty times and her injuries were serious. The doctor said that if she hadn't received treatment sooner, she might have developed a chronic condition.
Now that the wound has been cleaned and medicine has been applied, the medicine is working even harder, making the wound feel like it's being pricked with needles and burning hot, causing her face to turn as white as paper.
But when she turned her head, she saw Xiao Yuxuan sitting by her bedside, silently shedding tears. Bi Sui panicked and quickly forced a smile.
"Miss, it doesn't hurt, please don't cry..."
“Silly Bihui, next time something like this happens, just admit it first. When I come back, I will definitely not let them succeed. Why do you have to actually get a beating?”
"It's all my fault, it's my fault, I didn't protect you..."
Xiao Yuxuan felt upset and began to blame herself again.
Today it's Bi Sui, tomorrow it might be her. Didn't she see through the selfishness and indifference of the Xiao family in her previous life? Why did she still stumble after being reborn?
Bihui was eager to wipe away her tears, but worried that her hands weren't clean, and that her own eyes were also red.
"Since I've followed you, Miss, I'm prepared to go through fire and water for you. What's a mere twenty strokes of the cane? I'll be back to my old self in a couple of days!"
Xiao Yuxuan wasn't actually fourteen years old, and she quickly snapped out of her brief self-pity.
That's not enough.
But that's far from enough.
She has too many people to protect, but her abilities are still too weak.
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