Chapter 150 Acting
As Lunar New Year's Eve draws closer, everyone in the household becomes increasingly busy.
Hongchou not only had to do odd jobs in the yard, but also had to run errands, spending half a day away from the yard.
Xuan Yao counted the days, growing increasingly anxious. The day after the Xuan family left, Xuan Yao called Hong Tao over and gestured for her to look at a tray on the table.
Inside the tray were a silver hairpin, a string of pearls, and a white jade bracelet of good quality, totaling about a hundred taels of silver.
"Young lady, what are you doing?"
Red Peach, as always, was very attentive and asked, feigning ignorance.
“Red Peach, here we are the closest of people. You met my elder brother yesterday. From now on you will be my dear sister-in-law. We should be of one mind.”
Xuan Yao spoke of these things with utmost sincerity. If she hadn't overheard the conversation yesterday, Hong Tao would have been completely deceived and would have been grateful to Xuan Yao for her magnanimity and forgiving nature, which had helped her secure a good future.
"These pieces of jewelry are my elder brother's idea. When you marry into our Xuan family, you can't be without a dowry."
Xuan Yao speaks softly, which is very pleasant to listen to.
"Young lady, this is against the rules!"
"It's just acting again. Anyone can do that!" Hongtao took two steps back, her face turning bright red. She and Lin Yuesha had discussed that holding her breath was the fastest way to achieve this effect, so that Xuan Yao would mistakenly think she was shy and lower her guard.
"What rules and regulations? This is just a matter of time."
Xuan Yao chuckled, appearing to be in a good mood, but a glint of malice flashed deep in her eyes.
"Then...this servant will accept it."
Hongtao reluctantly agreed, thinking it would be foolish not to take advantage of the opportunity. She carefully put away the three pieces of jewelry, intending to exchange them for silver and split them equally with Lin Yuesha.
In her eyes, Xuan Yao was a dying person. Yesterday, the Xuan family sent a lot of silver, and Hong Tao tried her best to coax her as compensation for her loss.
Both of them wanted to befriend each other, so they sat together and chatted intimately over tea.
"My injuries are almost healed now, and I really want to see Your Highness. I wonder what Your Highness has been busy with lately."
After rambling on about irrelevant topics for a while, Xuan Yao finally began to reveal her true purpose.
"As the year draws to a close, the prince is often at the camp and only occasionally returns to the manor. I heard this from Granny Yu when I went to the main kitchen to fetch dinner."
The main kitchen was the most well-informed place in the manor. Ordinary servants never saw the prince, and they weren't even sure if he was in the manor at all.
“Young lady, you’ve been here for several days now, and the prince hasn’t shown up yet.”
Hongtao picked up the peach and sighed. Life wouldn't be so easy once she returned to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion after the New Year. There would be a princess above her and a bunch of rambunctious concubines below her, and those concubines loved to bully the newcomers.
“I’m worried too, you know… you know the prince hasn’t… anyway, I’m in an awkward position right now.”
Xuan Yao covered her face. Although she had this title, it was just a formality. She had finally managed to get into the bed of the Prince of Zhenbei, only to encounter an assassin. Not only did the bed not get warm, but she was also used as a human shield.
"Red Peach, does Your Highness have any preferences?"
Xuan Yao was shrewd; she wouldn't just listen to He Xing's side of the story, so she wanted to verify it with Hong Tao.
The opportunity has arrived, now is the time!
Hongtao stood up, deliberately closed the door, and whispered, "Miss, we'll be family sooner or later, so I won't hide it from you anymore."
A family? Xuan Yao could hardly control her expression, so she quickly took a sip of tea to cover it up.
"The prince prefers young girls who are a little bit naive."
Hongtao tried to be as tactful as possible. Seeing that Xuan Yao's expression was off, she knew that the other party had taken the bait, so she continued, "Miss, you don't need to worry. The prince just likes to torture young girls. In the end... in the end, those girls all end up in a mass grave."
Everyone in the Prince's mansion knew this secret, but no one dared to mention it openly.
"So that's how it is!"
Xuan Yao was quite frightened. It turned out that what He Xing said was true. As long as she betrayed Lin Yuesha, she could get a series of benefits.
As for whether Lin Yuesha was manipulated to death by the Prince of Zhenbei, that's none of her business.
"Hearts, to be honest, my current position is quite awkward."
Xuan Yao organized her thoughts and started talking about the past conflict between Lin Yuesha and He Xing, saying, "Don't be fooled by Lin Yuesha, she's very shrewd! She once complained about you to me, and I actually believed her, which is why I have a misunderstanding about you."
Xuan Yao used what she thought was a clever tactic: sowing discord.
"Pah! You little slut!"
Hongtao spat in agreement and said angrily, "Miss, please don't listen to her slander. I was a little dissatisfied with you at first because my former mistress fell into a well at Yutan Temple, but we've talked it out now, so please don't misunderstand!"
Xuan Yao is a ruthless character. She thought she could deceive everyone with her underhanded tricks. Hong Tao curled the corners of her mouth, lowered her eyelids, and concealed the hatred in her eyes.
"Lin Yuesha dresses up in a seductive manner all day long and tries to curry favor with Granny Xiao. Perhaps she has some ulterior motives."
Hongtao deliberately brought up the topic, but Xuanyao shook her head and said, "She probably knows the prince's preferences, so she's deliberately hiding it. We've all been fooled by her!"
If the prince favored young girls who hadn't fully grown up and adored them, Lin Yuesha wouldn't need to hide it. However, reality was different; the young girls who caught the prince's eye all ended up losing their lives.
"Miss, how about this? Since Lin Yuesha isn't on our side, why don't we get rid of her?"
Hongtao offered to exchange Lin Yuesha for the prince's attention to Xuanyao, so that the two of them would have a much better life once they returned to the palace.
Is this a good idea?
Xuan Yao hesitated, but was secretly overjoyed. Hong Tao was really perceptive and told her everything that was on her mind.
“What’s wrong with that? The girl and she have never gotten along. Besides, we’re just creating an opportunity, not causing her death.”
Hongtao tried her best to persuade Xuanyao, and Xuanyao thought about it and nodded hesitantly.
"So... what should we do?"
Unable to leave the courtyard, and unfamiliar with the servants outside, Xuan Yao had no one to turn to for help but could only rely on Hong Tao.
"Don't worry, young lady, I know all those people, but I'll have to offer them benefits first."
Hongtao said that she was familiar with the prince's servants and that as long as she gave them benefits, she could easily lure the prince over.
Meanwhile, they devised a way to give Lin Yuesha some medicine, causing her to reveal her true appearance and fall into a coma, so that she could be sent to serve the prince.
As for vying for the prince's favor, Xuan Yao has no need to worry at all. So far, not many of the young maids who have served the prince have survived, so they pose no threat.
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