Chapter 387 forgot to mention
They've become sworn siblings? Lin Yuesha didn't know what the bearded man had said, but it seemed he had managed to fool Hongtao.
"Brother Bai left a few days ago and went to the capital with your Brother Yun."
After Hongtao finished speaking, Lin Yuesha froze, a strange feeling flashing through her mind.
Did the pockmarked man go to the capital? But he never said, never mentioned it.
The last time the two of them ate at Shuangfuji, the pockmarked man only told her that he was going on a long trip, without saying where he was going, but he did mention the local customs and culture of the Northwest.
Lin Yuesha thought that the pockmarked man had gone to the Northwest, but when she suddenly heard Hongtao say that he and the bearded man had gone to the capital, Lin Yuesha was stunned.
If you're going to Beijing, just go to Beijing. Why not tell the truth and instead subtly hint at going to the Northwest? You're not asking for pockmarks, so why make such a fuss?
On the road, Xiao Qi sneezed twice in a row, feeling inexplicably uneasy. He certainly didn't expect that his hidden whereabouts would be revealed by his subordinate Bai Ying, who then passed the information to Lin Yuesha through Hongtao.
"Thinking, cursing, and muttering: My lord, someone is cursing you."
Bai Ying once again disguised himself as a coachman with a big beard and followed Xiao Qi to the capital, he said with certainty.
"Yeah?"
Xiao Qi smiled faintly, pinched a pinch of chili powder from his hand, and sprinkled it on the talkative white figure.
The chili powder was prepared for him by my younger sister, who was worried that he liked spicy food but couldn't have it. It's made from red chilies grown at home, dried and ground into powder. Whenever he wants some, he just pours hot oil over them; it's delicious with vegetables or noodles.
"Achoo, achoo, ah..."
Bai Ying sneezed twice in a row. Just as he was about to sneeze a third time, Xiao Qi picked up a piece of mung bean cake and flicked it precisely into Bai Ying's mouth. The mung bean cake went right into the bearded man's mouth, perfectly blocking his sneeze.
"Okay, now that you've thought about it, you're cursing, and someone else is cursing you too."
After Xiao Qi finished speaking, he clapped his hands and looked away.
White Shadow: ...
As expected, the lord holds grudges. He would rather offend a gentleman than a petty person. He thinks it doesn't matter if he offends a petty person, he'll just be unlucky for a while, but if he offends the lord, he might be unlucky for a lifetime.
Over here, Hongtao is telling Lin Yuesha how good Big Beard is. She is currently a runaway slave. A few days ago, Granny Xiao came to see her and told her that her parents were looking for her.
"My parents couldn't find my body, so they suspected I wasn't dead and even planned to report it to the prince."
Hongtao smiled bitterly. Her own parents didn't want her to be well at all; they were afraid of being implicated by her.
"Then what should we do?"
Lin Yuesha was anxious. She was powerless to protect Hongtao. The city was only so big. If the Prince of Zhenbei wanted to find someone, Hongtao would have nowhere to hide.
"It's alright. I know my parents' personalities. They would only expose me if they saw me; otherwise, they wouldn't dare."
The servants of the royal household, who had lived for generations, knew the principle of "it's better to avoid trouble than to cause it."
Since moving into the courtyard, Hongtao has never left the house, so she has never had the chance to see her family.
"But……"
Lin Yuesha frowned in thought. After Hongtao recovered from her injuries, she couldn't stay hidden in the courtyard forever, and it wasn't safe in the prefectural city.
It would be best to leave this place, but if she left the prefectural city, where could Hongtao, a woman, go? Lin Yuesha was troubled by this question.
“Sister Yue Sha, I know you are doing this for my sake.”
Hongtao smiled, leaning against the pillow. Brother Bai had already made plans for this. She couldn't travel yet; once she had fully recovered in a month, Brother Bai would send someone to pick her up and take her to the capital.
Having left the northern lands for the capital, and with no further contact with the people of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion in this lifetime, Hongtao has nothing to fear.
Once she leaves the city, the world is vast, and she will adopt a new identity to live for herself.
As for her parents and family, Hongtao shook her head. Her parents had their faults, and her disobedience to the Prince of Zhenbei was equally willful, which almost implicated her family as well. So she didn't resent anyone.
From now on, it's better for my parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law to just pretend I'm dead, so they won't have to live in constant fear.
"It's better for everyone if I get away from here."
Whether it's Hongliu, the little maid who came to take care of her, Granny Xiao, or Lin Yuesha and Doctor Yan, Hongtao has to leave as soon as possible.
"But once she arrived in the capital, Sister Hongtao was unfamiliar with the place and had no relatives or friends..."
It's a new beginning, which is a good thing, but it also requires getting used to again.
Furthermore, Lin Yuesha always felt that the bearded man was less reliable than the pockmarked man, and that he was unpredictable in his actions.
"That's true, but I have an idea."
Hongtao looked at Lin Yuesha. She learned that Lin Yuesha's biological father was the Prefect of the Capital, and that Lin Yuesha would be going to the Lin family mansion by next year at the latest.
"I'm afraid things aren't going well in the Lin family. Lord Lin and Madam Qin each have their own agendas, and you also have a cunning younger sister."
Hongtao's family lived in the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion. Although she used to be a bit lazy, she knew how to get along with servants. If Lin Yuesha came to the capital, Hongtao would volunteer to be her maid and help her protect herself from assassination attempts at the Lin residence.
“It’s easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. I know you have two maids who were trained at the girls’ school.”
Seeing that Lin Yuesha was about to refuse, Hongtao said firmly, "You need manpower. You must have trustworthy people around you. You need to be extremely careful in the Lin family mansion, a place that devours people."
Hongtao had mentioned this to Granny Xiao, and Granny Xiao supported her.
"I'll be all alone in the capital, like a drifting duckweed. I'd rather stay with you. Does Sister Yue Sha despise me...?"
Red Peach fiddled with her fingers, looking aggrieved.
"Sister Red Heart, that's not what I meant."
Lin Yuesha shook her head. With Hongtao's help, she felt more confident. However, it was inappropriate for Hongtao, who had finally escaped the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion and was no longer a servant, to become her maid again.
I remember Hongtao mentioning before that her greatest wish was to escape slavery and marry a man she loved.
"I will never get married in my life."
Hongtao smiled bitterly. This brush with death had already severely damaged her health; it was a miracle she wasn't crippled. Everything was thanks to Doctor Yan. Ultimately, Lin Yuesha had saved her life, and Hongtao wanted to repay that debt of gratitude.
Hongtao has no chance to repay the kindness of Granny Xiao, Hongliu, and Doctor Yan for the time being. She plans to go to the capital to gather information first, and then the two of them will reunite when Lin Yuesha comes to the capital next year.
"You know my body..."
If she cannot have children in this life, it will be equivalent to making the man line end. Hongtao shook her head. Even if she was willing, the man would not agree. Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no descendants.
Lin Yuesha intended to refute, but considering how much Daqi valued the continuation of the family line, she ultimately didn't say anything.
Some things don't need to be said too definitively, such as marriage, which is also a matter of fate. When fate arrives, things will naturally fall into place.
"Oh, right, this is a package from Sister Hongliu, to help you memorize these needlework techniques."
Hongtao found a booklet in the shelf by the bed. Hongliu had only taught Lin Yuesha half of the previous needlework techniques before Lin Yuesha left.
Hongliu took some time to organize the remaining needlework techniques, drew them in a booklet to complete them, and had Lin Yuesha practice them diligently.
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