Chapter 157 We All Need to Live Well
Manager Zheng was completely stunned by the slaps Xiao Qiluo gave him.
When he came to his senses, he found Xiao Qiluo staring at him fiercely.
"Am I now qualified to move freely within this residence?"
Perhaps frightened, Steward Zheng remained silent.
Xiao Qiluo kicked him, sending him sprawling to the ground. "Where is Qiuyan?"
"Autumn... Autumn Goose?" Steward Zheng finally came to his senses.
He looked at Xiao Qiluo, his eyes darting around.
Don't tell me you don't know?
Seeing Xiao Qiluo raise her hand again, Steward Zheng swallowed back the words "I don't know".
If the princess could find this place, she couldn't possibly not know about it.
"What does the princess want with the autumn geese?"
When Xiao Qiluo saw that he admitted it, she became even angrier. Qiu Yan had indeed not been sent away from the manor; she was actually still there.
What exactly is her husband and the people in the mansion hiding from her?
Give her back to me.
The steward lowered his head, his expression changing several times, before finally looking up at Xiao Qiluo and smiling, "Princess, you seem to have forgotten that Qiu Yan once seduced my son. Later, when the Prince Consort found out, she even tried to climb into his bed."
What are you trying to say?
“Princess, when Qiu Yan was kicked out of the manor by the prince consort, it was my son who took pity on her and begged the prince consort to show mercy, and then he took her in.”
"Your son took in Qiuyan?" Xiao Qiluo said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, although that girl is a bit simple-minded, my son is kind-hearted and couldn't bear to let her wander the streets, so he took her in as a concubine. The prince consort knows about this, but he was worried that you would be unhappy, so he didn't say anything. Princess, why don't you wait for the prince consort to return..."
Xiao Qiluo frowned, a sudden sense of powerlessness rising in her heart.
The prince consort, the prince consort again.
Why does everyone mention the prince consort in front of her?
She is a princess, and this is her princess's residence. She is clearly the owner of the residence, so why does everyone disregard her?
That old woman in charge is like that, and so is this Manager Zheng.
Is it because they are relatives of the prince consort?
Looking at the steward's demeanor, Xiao Qiluo suddenly felt a surge of anger.
I really want to... I really want to kill all these people who consider themselves her elders.
What kind of creature is qualified to be her elder?
【Kira, calm down.】
Xiang Bei advised.
It wasn't that she didn't support Xiao Qiluo's idea, but she sensed that Xiao Qiluo's emotions had momentarily spiraled out of control.
Seeing the words flashing before her eyes, Xiao Qiluo quickly calmed down. Her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms, the pain instantly bringing her back to her senses.
Killing him outright would be too lenient.
Whether their claim of taking her in is true or not, she'll only know for sure when she meets Qiu Yan and asks her directly.
She didn't believe a single word these people said.
Xiao Qiluo knew that the slaps she received earlier were so satisfying because her mother was helping her. Perhaps seeing how easily her mother could hit people, Xiao Qiluo raised her hand and slapped Steward Zheng.
She felt she had used a lot of force, but her hand hurt, and tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily.
Not enough, still not enough!
Crying makes you appear vulnerable.
She loathed that feeling.
Why did you cry when you were clearly retaliating? Why?
Manager Zheng didn't dare to look up at Xiao Qiluo, and didn't see her shed tears.
I just feel that the princess is acting very strangely today. Her husband is not at home. I need to inform the old lady as soon as possible.
After all, she was the princess's mother-in-law; how could she not control her?
Manager Zheng lowered his head, pondering how to complain to the old lady.
He felt he had to get back at them for all the slaps he'd received.
Xiao Qiluo had no idea what Steward Zheng was thinking. She pointed at him and said sternly, "Take me to Qiuyan right now. If you keep babbling on, I'll kill you!"
"Your Highness, please come with me." The steward didn't show it on his face, but he held a grudge in his heart.
Xingzhi felt a pang of heartache seeing the princess's red hands.
“Princess, I can do this kind of work from now on,” Xingzhi said, blowing on the princess’s hand.
Xiao Qiluo's tears fell instantly. She didn't want to cry, but for some reason, she just couldn't control them.
Xingzhi quickly handed her a handkerchief, "Princess, don't cry, Sister Qiuyan will be alright."
The steward glanced back at Xiao Qiluo, still not taking her seriously. So what if she was a princess? When faced with a problem, all she could do was cry.
When his gaze fell on Xingzhi, Steward Zheng frowned, a question forming in his mind. "This little maidservant beside the princess looks unfamiliar. Where is your maidservant, A Luo?"
"What's it to you? Is it any of your business to ask about my affairs? Shut your mouth. If you look at me again, I'll gouge your eyes out."
Xiao Qiluo said while looking at the words in front of her.
She was just crying and talking, which made her seem rather weak.
Xiang Bei has gotten used to it. Let's take it slow. Compared to how she was at the beginning, she's already done a great job.
The female protagonists she encountered before all grew up in this way.
Once you take that first step, the remaining ninety-nine steps will be much easier.
Xiang Bei patted the system, "System, get ready, this time your student may be the world's first empress."
The original story is set in a fictional dynasty, so Xiao Qiluo's path to becoming empress may not be smooth.
No matter what difficulties or obstacles lie ahead, nothing can stop them from moving forward.
Outside the big screen, Steward Zheng led Xiao Qiluo to the inner courtyard, and as soon as they entered, they heard foul language.
Upon realizing this, he quickly tried to cover Xiao Qiluo's ears, but she avoided him.
As he strode over, the shouts and curses became even louder: "You shameless slut, you dare to bite me? Today I'll pull your teeth out!"
After listening for a few moments, Xiao Qiluo looked at Steward Zheng with a furious expression, "Is the person inside Qiu Yan?"
Before Steward Zheng could speak, Xingzhi had already strode forward and pushed open the half-closed door.
"Who the hell dares to interrupt my good time?"
An obese man came out of the house, reeking of alcohol, and holding pliers in his hand, which were stained with blood.
Upon seeing Xingzhi, his angry expression suddenly turned lecherous. "Where did this little girl come from? Come, come into my arms, let me pamper you."
Realizing what was happening, he quickly dodged the other person's outstretched arms.
Zheng Liang immediately frowned in displeasure and cursed, "You ungrateful wretch, do you know who I am?"
As he spoke, he saw Xiao Qiluo again, and his eyes lit up. "Oh my, there's another beauty here. She even came to me of her own accord. Come over here and give me a kiss."
Before Xiao Qiluo could make a move, Steward Zheng slapped his son across the face, saying, "You good-for-nothing, this is the prince consort's woman."
Zheng Liang was half-sobered up by his father's slap. When he saw Xiao Qiluo, he quickly smiled obsequiously, "Oh, it's the princess! What brings you here?"
Xiao Qiluo frowned. Hearing the words of the princess consort's wife, an inexplicable anger welled up in her heart again.
Now that she still had some sense, she decided to go and see if the person inside was Qiu Yan. Ignoring the father and son, she looked through the open door and saw what was inside.
Inside the room, you could see a disheveled woman huddled in a corner. Her tattered clothes couldn't cover her back, and her exposed skin bore old scars and new wounds.
The woman was trembling all over.
Xiao Qiluo stopped in her tracks, vaguely sensing a certain familiarity in that figure from behind.
It looks like an autumn goose, but the autumn goose in my memory doesn't look like this.
"Qiuyan," Xiao Qiluo called out to the retreating figure.
The person with her back to her trembled even more violently. This time, Xiao Qiluo saw her profile; there were bruises on the corners of her mouth and eyes.
Her hair was also a mess. When she saw someone coming, she shrank back a little and desperately pulled her clothes up.
"Master, was this mentioned in the original text?"
It only mentioned that the four maids around the female lead were all dismissed.
The only thing mentioned is that Xiao Qiluo's wet nurse was killed by the male protagonist himself.
The system directly retrieved the original text and pointed it out to Xiang Bei. "It says here that a maid in the manor went mad and ran into the princess's courtyard, making a huge fuss. However, at that time, the princess herself was also tormented and was lying in bed. She could only hear the noise. Later, it was Steward Zheng's son who led people to take the mad maid away."
Xiang Bei glanced at it and said, "It didn't say that this was Qiu Yan."
"Based on my analysis, it should be Qiu Yan, and the characters match up."
As Xiao Qiluo watched Qiu Yan's figure, her eyes reddened, and despite her best efforts to hold back her tears, they still fell.
Xingzhi quickly picked up the clothes on the ground to put on Qiuyan, but found that the clothes were all torn. She searched around the room and finally managed to find a piece of clothing to put on Qiuyan.
"Sister Qiuyan, don't be afraid, the princess is here to save you."
"Princess?"
Qiu Yan's dull gaze regained its light for a moment. She murmured a few words, then suddenly struggled desperately, "Princess! Your Highness, save me!"
Xiao Qiluo walked over quickly and grabbed Qiu Yan's arm. "Qiu Yan, I'm here. I've come to save you."
“Princess, it really is the princess!” Qiu Yan looked up at Xiao Qiluo, as if trying to recognize her appearance.
“Qiuyan, tell me, why are you here? What’s the story behind the father and son saying they took you in?” Xiao Qiluo asked Qiuyan.
There must be something she doesn't know. What else is her beloved husband hiding from her besides keeping a mistress?
Qiu Yan grabbed Xiao Qiluo's hand in return, "They're lying! They're lying! Your Highness, they're lying to you. Zheng Liang and the Prince Consort conspired to frame me. I didn't seduce Zheng Liang, nor did I try to sleep with the Prince Consort. It was the Prince Consort who gave me to Zheng Liang. Your Highness, the Prince Consort is not a good person. Don't believe him!"
"You bastard, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you want to die?" Zheng Liang suddenly shouted.
Upon hearing Zheng Liang's voice, Qiu Yan's body trembled instinctively, and she clutched her head, letting out a scream.
Xiao Qiluo looked at Qiu Yan, who was already somewhat insane, wiped the tears from her face, and stood up to look at the Zheng family father and son.
The killing intent that had just dissipated surged back into his heart.
This time, even Xiang Bei didn't say a word to persuade them; these people really deserve to die.
"I'm giving you a chance to tell the truth. Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Zheng Liang rubbed his hands together and looked at Xiao Qiluo with a smile, "Princess, this is not my fault. Not a single word of truth comes out of that little slut's mouth. You must remember that when she tried to seduce me but failed, she went and tried to seduce the prince consort. She's quite the charmer when it comes to seducing men. Even though I kindly took her in, she still hasn't changed her ways. Oh, by the way, you might not know, but she also tried to seduce my father."
Steward Zheng nodded in agreement, “Yes, yes, Princess, you can’t believe what she says.”
"No, no, Princess, they're lying!" Qiu Yan suddenly grabbed Xiao Qiluo's skirt and cried out in anguish.
"So annoying, what's all the noise about? Zheng Liang, can't you do something about that crazy woman?" An impatient female voice came from over.
A woman adorned with gold and silver walked out of the house. Looking at Xiao Qiluo, she quickly walked to Zheng Liang's side, sizing up Xiao Qiluo with hostility before pinching Zheng Liang's fat. "Well, so you've brought back another little slut. Do you want to die?"
"Oh dear, my lady, you've misunderstood. This is a princess."
The woman withdrew her hand, covered her mouth with her shawl, and laughed, "So you're a princess. Judging from your appearance, I thought you were a courtesan from a brothel."
"How dare you! Who gave you permission to compare a princess to... to women from that kind of place?" Xingzhi helped Qiuyan get dressed and rushed over to stand in front of Xiao Qiluo, her face flushed with anger.
The woman rolled her eyes and began to fiddle with the obviously expensive shawl in her hand.
Xiao Qiluo suddenly laughed, first a soft laugh, then a loud laugh, tears streaming down her face as she laughed.
"Father, has the princess gone mad? What if the prince consort comes back...?"
"Shut up!" Manager Zheng felt a great panic as he heard Xiao Qiluo's laughter.
The princess seems very strange today. If she really goes mad, it will be difficult to explain to her husband.
Xiao Qiluo laughed at her own uselessness; everyone in the princess's residence obeyed only the prince consort's orders. She wiped away her tears and walked towards the group of people.
She looked at Zheng Liang's wife, "Do you know anything about Qiu Yan's matter?"
"What does the princess mean by this?"
"You just need to answer me, whether you know or not."
The woman covered her mouth and laughed, "You've troubled the princess. She's just a slut who seduced my husband."
Xiao Qiluo glanced at the woman's clothes and jewelry. Several pieces were clearly made by royal craftsmen, which the woman, given her status, would certainly not be able to use.
"Your jewelry and clothing are inappropriate."
"Princess, what do you mean by that? The Prince Consort hasn't said anything." The woman looked Xiao Qiluo up and down, her eyes filled with disdain. "If you ask me, it's the princess who should reflect on herself. Dressed like this every day, she looks like a widow. Don't think the Prince Consort is unhappy, even I..."
Xiao Qiluo took two more steps forward, and as she got closer to the woman, she reached out and waved her hand.
By the time the woman realized what was happening, Xiao Qiluo had already slit her throat. As she fell to the ground, blood from her carotid artery splattered out and sprayed onto the ceiling of the connecting corridor.
The woman's eyes widened, and she raised her hand tremblingly, trying to point at Xiao Qiluo, but Xiao Qiluo stepped on her wrist. "For the sake of you being a woman, I will give you a quick death. You go first, and then I will send them down to reunite with you."
Not long after, the woman died, unwilling to accept her fate.
Neither the Zheng family father nor son expected Xiao Qiluo to make a sudden move.
Even Xiang Bei, who was inside the space, was stunned. Just now, she handed a dagger to Xiao Qiluo, thinking that even if she didn't kill these people, she should at least teach them a lesson.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Qiluo suddenly made a move.
Xiang Bei looked at her hands, then at the system. "System, did you help just now?"
"No."
"That was a pretty accurate strike." It cut the major artery in one go.
The system nodded, "The female lead is indeed the female lead; she does have some talent in martial arts."
Looking at the dagger in her hand, Xiao Qiluo thought to herself how useful the dagger her mother had given her was.
"Father, Father." Zheng Liang watched his wife breathe her last, and he was so frightened that he lost control of his bladder, and his legs kept trembling.
"Murder! Murder!" Manager Zheng shouted, trembling.
Xiao Qiluo laughed, "Insubordination, shouldn't it be punished?"
She brandished the dagger between the father and son, "Next, who should it be? You, or you?"
"Princess, what if the prince consort finds out..."
Before Steward Zheng could finish speaking, Xiao Qiluo's dagger slashed down.
The dagger cut through iron like mud, and soon a bloody gash appeared on Steward Zheng's arm.
"So what if he's a prince consort?" Xiao Qiluo asked, looking at the other person.
It's the prince consort again. What makes them think that the prince consort can be above her, the princess?
If they think the prince consort is so good, why doesn't he come to their rescue?
Xiao Qiluo's gaze fell on Zheng Liang, and she smiled, "Then it's you."
Zheng Liang wanted to run, but he couldn't move his legs at all. He also felt someone pressing down on his shoulders, and he knelt down with a thud.
"Princess, Princess, spare me! Princess, please spare me! I was wrong, I know I was wrong!"
Zheng Liang knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
Xiao Qiluo found it amusing; he didn't know he was wrong, he was just afraid of dying.
With a dagger pressed against Zheng Liang's chest, a gentle slash tore his clothes open.
"So, you can be afraid after all?"
The dagger was thrust forward and pierced the flesh. "Now, you must answer my questions truthfully."
Zheng Liang broke out in a cold sweat, but nodded repeatedly, "I'll tell you, whatever you ask, I'll tell you."
"What exactly happened with Qiu Yan?"
Zheng Liang felt the dagger seem to have pierced his chest another inch, and he panicked even more. He dared not hide anything any longer and said, "I'll talk, I'll tell you everything."
He was indeed attracted to Qiu Yan's beauty, but Qiu Yan didn't reciprocate his feelings at all.
After his persistent pursuit failed, he resorted to underhanded tactics, hoping to force Qiu Yan into submission, leaving her with no choice but to comply. However, to his surprise, Qiu Yan declared she would rather die than marry him, and the princess actually refused to let her marry him.
The more he couldn't have her, the more distressed he felt. When his father, Steward Zheng, saw how much he missed Qiu Yan, he went to tell the old lady.
Unexpectedly, the princess also refused the old lady's offer.
Finally, the prince consort came up with this plan: he falsely accused Qiu Yan of trying to climb into his bed, and then tied her up and gagged her.
“Your Highness trusts your husband very much, and he said that you have rejected him several times before because of Qiu Yan’s matter. If he says that he will punish Qiu Yan leniently, not pursue her crime, and only send her away from the mansion, Your Highness will certainly not refuse his proposal again.”
Zheng Liang looked up and quickly glanced at Qiu Yan. "Then...then the prince consort sent Qiu Yan directly to my room. Qiu Yan never complied and tried to run away several times."
Xiao Qiluo closed her eyes briefly. "Everyone in the manor knows about this. Is everyone keeping it from me?"
Zheng Liang remained silent. Xiao Qiluo drew her dagger and stabbed at Zheng Liang again.
"Is everyone in the Princess's residence keeping this from me? Do you only listen to the Prince Consort?"
A hand reached out and stopped Xiao Qiluo.
"Princess."
"Autumn geese?"
Xiao Qiluo looked at Qiu Yan. If they treated Qiu Yan this way, what about Chun Xia Dong? Did they use the same method to drive them away from her?
Where are the three of them now? Could they also be hiding in some unknown corner of the mansion?
What about the wet nurse? Was her death truly an accident?
The prince consort had previously said that he didn't like the feeling of being watched, so for his sake, she returned all the secret guards that her father had given her.
Thinking back to before her mother appeared, there wasn't a single person left who was close to her.
Xiao Qiluo's hand holding the dagger was trembling.
Qiu Yan stood there looking at Xiao Qiluo, "Princess, this servant wants to handle this myself."
Xiao Qiluo handed the dagger to Qiu Yan.
Holding the dagger, Qiu Yan turned and pounced on Zheng Liang, gripping the dagger with both hands and stabbing him repeatedly.
Blood splattered on her face, but she continued stabbing until Zheng Liang died, without stopping.
Manager Zheng was so frightened that he collapsed to the side, unable to utter a single word.
Until Qiu Yan turned to look at him with her blood-stained face.
"Don't kill me, don't kill me!" Manager Zheng was so frightened that he couldn't stand up and desperately crawled towards the outside of the courtyard, trying to beg for help.
If anyone happens to pass by, if anyone can save him.
But it was too late; Qiu Yan staggered and caught up with him.
The father and son were the ones who plotted against her. Once, she almost escaped and met the princess, but the father and son caught her and broke one of her legs.
Qiu Yan longed to escape from this nightmarish place day and night.
She knelt on the ground, looking at the corpse in front of her.
Her hands were stained with blood, but she didn't regret killing these people; they deserved to die.
The princess came to save her, and she had no regrets even if she died.
Qiu Yan raised the dagger, about to stab her own neck, but was stopped by Xiao Qiluo.
"Princess?"
Xiao Qiluo reached out to wipe the blood from her cheek. "Qiuyan, if you're not afraid of death, why be afraid of living?"
"Princess."
Qiu Yan looked at Xiao Qiluo. She knew that she was in a corner of the princess's mansion. When Zheng Liang was drunk, he proudly boasted in front of her how the prince consort had tricked her into coming here, and said that the princess would never know and that she should not expect the princess to come to save her.
The princess only had eyes for her husband; as long as he gave her a few perfunctory replies, she would believe him.
Not just the princess's residence, everyone in the capital knows that the princess is head over heels in love with her husband.
Unexpectedly, the princess actually came to her rescue.
"This servant, this servant..."
"Qiuyan, we must live on. Our enemies are far more than just these people. We must all live well and personally grind those who harmed us to dust."
Xiao Qiluo lit torches, and Qiu Yan used torches to set fire to various parts of the courtyard. Watching the fire engulf the three bodies, neither Xiao Qiluo nor Qiu Yan felt any satisfaction.
These guys are just small fry.
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