Chapter 131 Alliance
At dinner time, a strong wind blew up again, and Granny Xiao brought Hongtao to deliver dinner.
Although the Prince of Zhenbei's dinner was all vegetarian, it was much better than the meal he had with Zhang Qing'er. The two of them brought four food boxes with them.
There are eight kinds of pastries, and the exquisite carvings make it almost too beautiful to eat.
The Xuan family was considered wealthy among ordinary people, but Xuan Yao still couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. Realizing that she was showing signs of being unsophisticated, she lowered her head slightly and blushed.
"Girl, let's eat."
Despite the abundance of food, Xuan Yao could only eat until she was about five or six tenths full, as she was to serve the prince that night, and the prince disliked women with small bellies.
Granny Xiao explained some rules, and Xuan Yao, not daring to disobey, nodded obediently.
"Granny, do you know how my maid is doing?"
Xuan Yao asked about Xiao Qian's whereabouts, and she realized that she was all alone and felt that something was missing.
"He died and was thrown down the mountain by the guards to be fed to the wolves."
Granny Xiao also wanted to intimidate Xuan Yao, so she said coldly, "Mistakes should be punished. Not everyone is as lucky as you, Miss."
To be precise, Xiaoqian was just a maidservant who died in place of Xuanyao.
After saying this, Granny Xiao left with Hongtao, and the two of them would come back to help Xuanyao with her makeup when it got dark.
The door slammed shut, but Xuan Yao didn't look up for a long time. Her face was deathly pale, her pupils were dilated, and a trace of fear remained.
Xiaoqian was tortured to death by the guards and then thrown down the mountain to be fed to the wolves?
In this snowy weather, wild wolves come out to hunt for food. If they encounter a corpse, they will devour it until not even the bones are left. The King of Zhenbei is so ruthless!
Killing someone is as simple as drinking a cup of tea; not even a glance is needed.
If she hadn't been chosen by the Prince of Zhenbei, would she have been the one played to death and then thrown into the back mountain? Xuan Yao closed her eyes, her body trembling as she thought of that scene.
Although Xuan Yao was ruthless, she was just an ordinary girl who had never witnessed such a bloody scene before, and was now gripped by immense fear.
Although she knew that Xiaoqian was likely to die a horrible death, she never imagined that Xiaoqian would end up with a mutilated corpse.
Lin Yuesha sat to one side, offering no comfort to Xuan Yao. Logically speaking, Xuan Yao was even more naive, and the death of her eldest cousin, Chen Dahua, still cast a long shadow over her.
"Do you think Xiaoqian might hold a grudge against me and come back as a vengeful ghost to haunt me?"
Xuan Yao suddenly looked up, startling Lin Yuesha.
Although Lin Yuesha really wanted to nod, she understood that Xuan Yao was only temporarily frightened. Once she realized that everything was alright, she would still have to settle accounts with her.
Now that I'm in such a bad situation, working as Xuan Yao's maid, I'd better not offend anyone.
"No, this wasn't your decision."
Lin Yuesha said against her will, "You didn't want to either."
"Of course I don't want to, I'm just... too scared."
Xuan Yao muttered a few words, prayed to the gods and Buddhas in the corner of the wall, and after a long while, she stood up and sat calmly at the table to eat.
Lin Yuesha: "..." She's ruthless! It seems her decision just now was correct.
"I can't eat too much of these, come and have some."
Xuan Yao gestured for Lin Yuesha to sit down and said, "Although I resent Xiao Qi, he is, after all, your stepbrother, not your biological brother, so you can't hold him accountable. Don't worry, I will talk to the Prince and send you back when we go down the mountain."
Xuan Yao didn't mean what she said, but she was all alone now, with only Lin Yuesha by her side, who could barely be considered an acquaintance.
"You are so magnanimous, young lady."
Acting? Anyone can do that. Lin Yuesha didn't expect Xuan Yao to let her off easily, but given the current unclear situation, the two could only form an alliance for the time being.
The food at the Prince of Zhenbei's house was really good. Xuan Yao didn't dare to eat too much, which benefited Lin Yuesha. Thinking of her bad luck, she turned her grief and anger into her appetite and ate until she was full.
"you……"
Xuan Yao stared in disbelief as Lin Yuesha devoured several plates of food. Was she some kind of starving ghost reincarnated?
“My family’s conditions were limited. Back in the village, when we cooked, we would just wipe the bottom of the pot with a gauze, and there wasn’t even any oil in it.”
Lin Yuesha was telling the truth. It wasn't just her family that was like this; every household in the village was in the same situation, especially in winter. There were only a few kinds of vegetables available, and they ate stewed dishes all day long. Occasionally, they could have a meat bun, which was a rare treat.
Xuan Yao seemed thoughtful. So poor and shabby, it was a good thing she hadn't eloped with Xiao Qi. She was truly lucky; she thought marrying He Xing would ruin her life, but who knew she'd suddenly find herself serving the Prince of Zhenbei.
"Do you know anything about storybooks?"
Xuan Yao only glanced at it, as well as the erotic paintings she had stolen from her elder brother Xuan Zhi. The paintings on them made her blush.
She has no experience; will she be disliked by the prince for serving him?
Xuan Yao sought out Lin Yuesha to discuss how she could win the prince's favor.
Lin Yuesha: "..." Don't ask her, she's just a naive twelve-year-old girl, still a budding flower! She doesn't understand!
After chatting for a while, the two found they had nothing in common, so Xuan Yao had no choice but to take off her shoes and get onto the kang (heated brick bed), once again lost in her own thoughts.
Lin Yuesha sat at the table, cracking melon seeds and drinking tea. She really wanted to go out and complain to Zhang Qing'er and Jiang Baozhu. She couldn't hold it in any longer!
As soon as it got dark, the snow had already fallen to a depth of people's calves. Granny Xiao, accompanied by Hongtao, knocked on the door again, wanting to take Xuanyao to the washroom.
To make it easier for Xuan Yao to worship Buddha at Yutan Temple, the Prince of Zhenbei built a clean room in the backyard. Inside, there was a pool with hot water already prepared, where Xuan Yao would wash up.
"Granny, should I come along?"
Xuan Yao went to take a bath and serve her. Lin Yue Sha didn't know what to do. She couldn't very well ask her to help scrub her back, could she?
"You shall stay in the side room, and what you must do is not wander off."
The courtyard was full of guards, some of whom did not recognize Lin Yuesha. If she bumped into them and was shot through the heart with an arrow, she would die a truly unjust death.
Xiao Mama's words immediately made Lin Yuesha give up the idea. She promised that she would wait in the room and not go anywhere!
"Alright, girl, let's go."
Granny Xiao had Hongtao help Xuan Yao, and the three of them left the room.
As soon as the person left, the room became empty. Lin Yuesha was deflated and started fiddling with needle and thread out of boredom.
With the future uncertain and the road ahead unknown, it would be a lie to say I'm not worried at all.
Holding the amulet, Lin Yuesha sighed repeatedly, and finally went to the kang (a heated brick bed) and fell fast asleep.
She worried that if Xuan Yao was sent back in the middle of the night, she wouldn't be able to sleep if the two of them squeezed together in the middle of the night, so she had to be careful that Xuan Yao didn't do anything bad.
Thinking this, Lin Yuesha relaxed and actually fell asleep.
As night fell, the mountain behind Yutan Temple was quiet and still.
Suddenly, several dark figures darted out from the ancient forest and headed straight for the room of Prince Zhenbei, Xiao Su.
At that time, Xuan Yao was already wrapped in a cotton quilt and sent to the bed of Prince Zhenbei, Xiao Su.
Xuan Yao was very nervous, her eyes were glistening with tears, and she looked pitiful.
Xiao Su became somewhat interested; he liked young, innocent women, and the more innocent they were, the more it aroused his desire to conquer them.
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