Chapter 137 Feigned Intent
The carriage slowly entered Hanmen Pass. Turning left inside Hanmen Pass, one would reach the residence of the Prince of Zhenbei.
As a temporary residence for soldiers, the mansion was not large, consisting of only three courtyards.
Upon arriving at the residence, the Prince of Zhenbei led his guards through the main gate, while Xuan Yao, as a concubine, was not entitled to use the main gate.
The carriage wound its way to the back gate, which led to a secluded courtyard.
"Miss, we've arrived. Please get off the carriage."
After Hongtao finished speaking, she crossed her arms and looked down at Xuanyao with a sarcastic smile.
Thinking she had saved the prince, wasn't she arrogant? This time, she really left a deep impression on the prince. Indeed, losing control of her bladder in front of the prince and the stench of her urine was so strong it drove people away. Nothing could be more memorable.
"You...you shameless slut!"
Xuan Yao became even angrier, coughed a few times with her face flushed red, which aggravated her wound and made her cry out in surprise.
After finally getting off the carriage, Xuan Yao felt uneasy upon seeing the scene before her.
Even if it were a temporary residence, the residence of the Prince of Zhenbei should not be so remote and dilapidated. The roof tiles are broken into pieces. This is not a place for a human to live! It is even worse than the servants' quarters of the Xuan family.
"I'm going to tell Your Highness that you bunch of unruly servants are bullying people!"
Xuan Yao sensed something was wrong and angrily said.
Hongtao shrugged. "Go ahead and complain. I'm not afraid. This was arranged by Granny Xiao, not something a mere maid like me can do on her own."
"Young lady, life is hard and cold in this poor family, so I have no choice but to ask you to make do for now."
Granny Xiao remained expressionless. The reason she arranged this place was not to bully Xuan Yao, who was just a concubine and not worth her trouble.
Rather, the prince had instructed, "Stay away from me."
The courtyard was a bit lacking, but it wasn't without its advantages. At least it was near the back gate, where there was only one old woman on night watch, making it convenient to go out to buy things.
"I need to wash up and take a shower!"
Xuan Yao got off the carriage angrily, enduring the pain from her wounds as she shouted.
"But you have wounds, so it might not be appropriate for you to take a bath."
Granny Xiao didn't buy into Xuan Yao's act and handled things strictly by the book.
Meanwhile, Hongtao laughed out loud again, earning a warning look from Granny Xiao.
Although Xuan Yao is not favored, a master is still a master, and servants must do their duty. Hong Tao acts recklessly and has no sense of propriety. Once someone catches her doing something wrong, she will not have a good end.
Red Peach lowered her head, no longer daring to laugh.
"I'll just expose the wound!"
Even though she had changed her clothes, Xuan Yao still felt uncomfortable. She was too embarrassed to say it directly, so she only said that she wanted to take a shower and clean herself.
The wound reopened, and she broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, leaving her feeling sticky all over.
“This courtyard has been uninhabited for a long time. Hongtao and Lin Yatou, clean the house and heat up the kang (heated brick bed) first.”
Granny Xiao had other things to do besides managing the women in the back courtyard, so she left in a hurry after arranging everything.
"Miss, please go inside and rest for a while. Sister Hongtao and I will heat up the water and then serve you a bath."
Lin Yuesha assessed the situation and realized that it wasn't a good time to break ties with Xuan Yao.
The three entered the house, and Lin Yuesha was dumbfounded. Was this a haunted house?
It's unclear how long it's been since anyone lived here; the inside is even colder than the outside. The furniture is worn and the paint is chipped off, and even the teapot on the table is covered in a thick layer of dust.
"Waaaaah..."
Xuan Yao lay on a small couch, sobbing uncontrollably. It must be because she lost control of her bladder and embarrassed herself in front of the Prince of Zhenbei that she was thrown into this wretched place!
All of this is Hongtao's fault for laughing at her. That bitch, once she recovers, she...
"Young lady, please don't sit down yet!"
Lin Yuesha finally found an oil lamp, lit it, and discovered that there were still many spider webs above the small couch, and Xuan Yao's clothes had been rubbed black from lying on the couch.
Xuan Yao: "..."
What kind of place is this? Is it even fit for human habitation? Even if it's been cleaned, it's still uninhabitable. The Korean paper is full of holes; cold drafts will surely seep in at night!
"Really, it's all because of you, young lady, that our master was killed. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to suffer like this, living in a place like this."
Feeling annoyed, Hongtao couldn't help but say a few sarcastic remarks.
Lin Yuesha was also helpless, but if she didn't clean up, where would she stay at night?
Fortunately, although the courtyard was dilapidated, there was a tea room with a lot of firewood piled up inside. Lin Yuesha lit a fire first and boiled a large pot of water in preparation for cleaning.
"Yue Sha, you sit here for now. I'll go to the front yard to find Granny Xiao and get my allowance."
After finishing her sentence, Hongtao didn't even glance at Xuanyao before quickly slipping away.
Lin Yuesha bit her lip. When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. She used to be the laziest person in Chenjia Village, but now she has to jump around and do chores.
“Lin Xiaoya, you and I are both outsiders, and you’ve seen how Hongtao treats me, so we have to join forces.”
After Hongtao left, Xuanyao sat up and sized up Lin Yuesha. She narrowed her eyes, tossed out a carrot, and said, "You're from a good family, so you don't need to be a servant. I promise you, as long as I can establish myself, I'll definitely let you go back. Our past grievances will be wiped clean, how about it?"
Xuan Yao was isolated and helpless, and right now, the only person she could rely on was Lin Yuesha.
Of course, she didn't say these things from the bottom of her heart, but rather out of desperation.
"Girl, are you telling the truth? Are you really willing to let me go back?"
Lin Yuesha feigned ecstatic joy, but her eyes betrayed a coldness. The Xuan family was like a persistent leech; she had been framed by Xuan Yao but failed, and now she was forced to become a servant. Should she be grateful that Xuan Yao was letting her go back?
“I keep my word. I didn’t have much of a grudge against you to begin with. It was because Xiaoqian stirred things up before that we were even. Now Xiaoqian has gotten her comeuppance. We’re even.”
After Xuan Yao finished speaking, she observed Lin Yuesha's reaction. This little girl is slippery; she had to promise her benefits first.
"Okay, it's a deal."
Xuan Yao wanted to find someone to team up with, and Lin Yuesha readily agreed.
The two exchanged a glance, understanding each other without saying a word, and then went back to their own business.
About an hour later, Red Peach finally arrived, carrying two food boxes. She smiled and said, "The food was pretty good tonight. I specially asked for two chicken legs from the roast chicken in the main kitchen!"
Hongtao couldn't find Granny Xiao at all, and since she didn't want to go back to the courtyard to work, she went to chat with one of her close friends. When she estimated that it was about time, she went to get her food and came back.
"Do you have chicken drumsticks?"
Lin Yuesha rubbed her stomach. She had been tidying up a room and was already panting heavily. She was hungry.
"Yes, but there are only two chicken legs."
Hongtao glanced at Xuan Yao and said deliberately.
"Then you guys eat, I can't eat greasy food."
After discussing it with Lin Yuesha, Xuan Yao returned to normal. She didn't care if she suffered a little grievance now, as there would be plenty of opportunities to deal with Hongtao in the future!
She was the mistress, and Hongtao was merely a maid; this was an undeniable fact.
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