Chapter 147 My maid's name is Cuixiang
Hongying stared blankly at the woman in front of her, her feelings a complex mix.
She had never felt so conflicted when facing Zhou Zhining.
Her feelings toward Zhou Zhining were nothing but inferiority and hatred stemming from the torment she had suffered at Zhou's hands.
But when it comes to this woman—
Hongying always knew that she was just a plaything of the Second Master, and that she only followed him to have food to eat.
But now she knows that the reason she receives special treatment from men is simply because she has eyes similar to hers... Her so-called "tough luck" is merely because of these eyes.
Because of this woman, she lost her own name and became her substitute...
Hongying slowly clenched her fist.
Yao Qingling looked at her and noticed that something was wrong with her eyes.
It seemed like helplessness, anger, and grievance.
Once her disguise is exposed, does she reveal her fangs?
Yao Qingling understood that the runaway maid didn't want to die; she was like a trapped beast. She didn't want to be caught and wanted to make a final stand.
However, the emotions conveyed in her eyes were not limited to these.
It seems... like I know her?
Qingling thought about it several times in her mind and was sure she had never seen this person before.
Or perhaps, she was visiting someone's house and didn't notice the little maid.
However, Qingling was very careful when visiting noble families; she didn't offend anyone, and she had no need to bully servants.
But no matter what, this maid shouldn't have shown such an expression.
Qingling remained calm and said in a low voice, "My people saved you, you shouldn't be clenching your fists at us."
Hongying snapped out of her daze, glanced down at her unconsciously clenched fist, and immediately relaxed it.
Her throat tightened, and she suddenly stood up. Even though her leg was injured, she still knelt on the kang (a heated brick bed) and kowtowed deeply to Qingling and Taoye, saying softly, "Thank you, ladies, for saving me."
Qingling was unmoved by her gratitude; she had seen through the maid's pretense and would not change her opinion of her just because of this thank you.
But he said, "You still know how to express gratitude, which means you're not ungrateful. So tell me, whose maid are you?"
Hongying pursed her lips slightly; she could tell at a glance that she was a maid, not someone's concubine.
Haha, the dignitaries in the capital certainly have a sharp eye.
Hongying suppressed her ulterior motives and remained kneeling humbly: "Miss, I want to live, please forgive me... I cannot say."
She was worried that this Miss Qingling would use her as a favor and send her away.
She survived by fighting for her life amidst natural disasters and chaos; if she hadn't been cunning, she would have been a pile of bones long ago.
She didn't know what kind of person this Miss Qingling was, but she came up and splashed water on her and poked her eyes, so she didn't seem like a kind person.
When Hongying served Zhan Xingzhuo, she discovered that this man was cold and ruthless. When he suppressed riots, he was ruthless and brutal to the unarmed, showing no compassion.
This man likes Zhou Zhining, who is vicious; this man also likes Miss Qingling, and those he sets his sights on cannot be kind.
Hongying was also very clever and pragmatic. What did backbone or dignity matter? Being a substitute allowed her to escape the fate of being a beggar. This was her glory and good fortune.
Humble kneeling was the only way she could stay alive.
Yao Qingling gazed indifferently at the prostrate woman.
She was as insignificant as dust, her trembling body betraying her fear.
Her master wants to kill her?
Qingling wasn't a kind-hearted person who wanted to help others just because they were pitiful.
She came to see it in person because she was worried about the secrets hidden in the manor.
With Old Man Hu's betrayal as a precedent, Qingling became even more cautious.
This maid suddenly appeared, pretending to be stupid, but she was actually clever and quick-witted. I wonder if she had discovered something.
Or perhaps she deliberately fell off the mountain in an attempt to sneak into the manor and find out what was going on?
Also, the way she looked at her when she first saw her was very strange.
Qing Ling paused for a moment, lowered her eyelids to examine her fingernails, and said calmly, "What's your name?"
“This servant…” Hongying’s eyes darted around from where she couldn’t see, “This servant’s name is Cuixiang.”
The Second Master changed her name for her sake, but Hongying secretly used her own name in front of Qingling.
She thought darkly, they all treated her like a lowly servant, but she was determined to play tricks on the Second Master's beloved woman.
Furthermore, apart from Second Master and Minglu, no one else knew her name, not even Zhou Zhining.
Even if Qingling wanted to give her away as a favor, he couldn't find a way to do it.
"Do you know me? Or, have you seen me before?" Qingling's next question followed immediately.
Hongying was engrossed in her own cleverness when she was suddenly asked a question. She paused for a moment before shaking her head in denial: "This servant has never. Miss Qingling is like a cloud in the sky, how could this servant possibly have the opportunity to meet her?"
I thought to myself, this really is their first meeting.
It's just that Hongying knows a little more than Qingling.
"...My mistress accused me of stealing and wanted to beat me to death, so I ran away." Hongying made up a reason, hoping that Yao Qingling would stop asking questions.
All she wanted was to recover from her injuries and return to Second Master's side.
Qingling: "So, where are you going?"
"I haven't decided yet..."
Qingling knew that she wouldn't get anything out of the maid; she was very cunning.
She gave Taoye a wink, then got up and left the room.
After a while, peach leaves appeared.
Qingling said, "Send someone to keep an eye on her, don't let her run around in the village, and especially don't let her go to the manor."
Whether you're a man or a woman, it's easy to get information out of a girl with such delicate skin and a charming way of acting cute.
Qingling meant that this maid could not be kept.
But she still had to go back to the city to find out which family had lost a maid.
As the saying goes, "You have to consider the owner before you beat a dog," so Qingling doesn't act rashly.
She added, "You can't let her trick you into telling you things, but you have to get some information out of her."
Qingling kept thinking about the way women looked at her; it was so strange.
Taoye nodded: "This servant understands."
She added, "That old man Hu is already dead."
As she spoke, she lowered her eyes slightly.
At this moment, the fear and timidity on her fair face had faded, and her expression was calm yet firm.
Old Hu must die; we can't let him bring disaster to everyone!
Tao Ye was timid, and Qing Ling originally wanted to take matters into her own hands and get rid of the old man, just to buy some time and lure out the outsider who was fighting cocks.
But after all this time, that person never reappeared.
Qingling looked at Taoye; she was growing up very fast.
"How did he die?"
“I asked Yang Kuan to drink with him, and he drank a lot of alcohol... He went to the latrine, fell in, and drowned.”
Old Hu was a gambler and drinker. He gambled away his house and even drove his wife away. Because he was a villager, he managed to stay in the village and find work to make a living.
After his wife ran away, he was all alone, so his death was merely a spectacle for the people and villagers of the village.
He died, he fell into the latrine while drunk and died, they dug a hole in the mountain and buried him, nobody mourned him.
After this incident, Yang Kuan stopped losing his temper and was kept under close watch by Tao Ye.
He caused a ruckus and almost leaked the secret. Killing Old Man Hu was his way of making amends for the incident.
Qingling nodded, but gripped Taoye's hand tightly, squeezing out a single word from her throat: "Okay."
That night at Yongning Temple changed her and Taoye's fate.
They changed the lives of many people.
Qingling didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Their hands were stained with blood, and their hearts ached a little.
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