Father hadn't returned for quite a while, so I took Wan'er to the front hall to check on the situation.
As soon as I arrived, I heard my father arguing with the Second Prince. I rarely saw my father arguing with anyone. I followed Wan'er and squatted by the window to eavesdrop.
"Second Prince, your concubines are missing. You should go and look for them. The women in my household are all family members. How could I possibly keep them hidden?"
"Lord Ji, I've only come to ask a few questions, please don't get angry."
"The concubine, they can't be talking about Caiwei, can they? Did she run away?"
I pulled Wan'er to hide and continued listening. The Second Prince wanted to search the mansion, thinking that Caiwei had run back.
Bah! It's his own fault for not cherishing the girl, that's why she ran away. Instead of reflecting on his own actions, he blames us for hiding her away.
Even if I hadn't hidden anything, I wouldn't have given it to him. The Second Prince is also a hypocrite. It's a pity I never dreamed of where Caiwei went, otherwise I could have sent her a letter.
"Ying'er~" Xie Yuancheng whispered in my ear, which almost startled me.
I lowered my voice: "What are you doing? I want to hear Father and the Second Prince's conversation."
Xie Yuancheng pulled me away without saying a word, and only spoke after we had gone some distance: "Ying'er, Xiren has been found, do you want to go and see her?"
"Xi Ren?" Wan'er and I exchanged glances, then decided to go with Xie Yuancheng.
We went out of the backyard, and Lin Chao was in front of the carriage. Wan'er blushed slightly when she saw him. Luckily, I have sharp eyes and noticed it.
The carriage was moving very fast. When we got off, we found ourselves at Yingxian Tower. This time, we went in through a secret passage.
The light in front of me brightened, and I realized that we had arrived at a very beautiful and exquisite room, with a person lying on the bed.
"It's Xiren!" Wan'er ran over to take her pulse: "Strange, why is it a pregnancy pulse?"
She was terrified. I looked at Xie Yuancheng, who said he didn't know either.
"Where did you find Xiren? She's pregnant! But she and Li Zhaole have only been separated for less than a month."
"This is a matter for your daughters. I only let you pass because I wanted to get to the bottom of things. Put on your veil later and don't say a word. Let Wan'er ask you."
Xie Yuancheng put the veil on me, and I rolled my eyes at him: "No wonder you brought Wan'er along, so that's what the Marquis was planning all along~"
"Alright, if you give yourself away, see how I deal with you."
Xie Yuancheng is good at talking tough, but in the end I still managed to teach him a lesson he won't forget.
Wan'er and I stayed in the room, and Wan'er carefully took Xiren's pulse again: "She is indeed pregnant, two months along."
"So long."
I saw that Xiren was about to wake up, so I gave Wan'er a look and sat down on the chair next to her.
Xi Ren blinked a few times before sitting up. She saw Wan'er and me. "Wan'er, what are you doing here?"
"This is my friend's house, I'm staying here temporarily. She's the owner of this house, but she can't speak."
"Thank you!" Xiren looked much more mature than before. She was only nineteen years old this year, how could she have such weathered eyes?
“What’s wrong with you? I was worried that you would be hunted down by the royal family, so I didn’t dare to send you to the palace. You’ll have to stay here for the time being.”
Wan'er is also a cunning young woman; she's very good at getting information out of people.
"I... I jumped into the water to protect the princess."
"But you're two months pregnant, do you know that?" Wan'er had lived with Xiren for some time and knew that she was worried about Xiren.
"I know!"
This surprised me. Could it be that she was willing to sacrifice her body to protect Li Zhaole?
Wan'er covered her mouth and slapped her arm: "Are you stupid? You're not married or engaged, what kind of child are you pregnant with!"
I clutched the soft bag in my hand. Of all these girls, Xiren was the most pitiful. How could she suddenly be pregnant?
"This is my second child. My first one was... she aborted it."
"Him? Who is he?"
Xiren was sobbing uncontrollably on the bed. I went to the table and poured her a cup of hot tea. Even though she was crying like this, she still managed to say thank you to me.
Wan'er pressed for details, and Xi finally spoke up, saying, "It's the Empress. She doesn't want me to give birth to the Crown Prince's child."
"The Crown Prince?" Wan'er was stunned: "How can you be associated with the Crown Prince? He is of noble status and treats his subordinates like dirt. He even dared to kill the Crown Princess, let alone you."
I want to applaud Wan'er. It's rare to find a girl with such a clear mind who understands the ruthlessness of the imperial family.
"I... I didn't do it willingly. The Empress stole me into her palace and made me serve the Crown Prince in her place. Later, the Crown Prince found out and took me to the East Palace. After that, I returned to Heqing Palace."
This is another one of the Crown Prince's doing. He treats women badly and wants to get rid of men as soon as possible.
Wan'er bit her lip; it was probably the first time she had encountered something like this. I pulled her hand and sat her down on the stool next to me.
"Wan'er, do you have any news about the princess? The crown prince wants to get rid of her. I don't know if the emperor of Dongqin is truly sincere towards her. I can only please the crown prince with my body and give the princess time to escape."
I touched my forehead with my hand. Li Zhaole had a servant named Xiren who was truly devoted to her. Even if Xiren had done some things to her along the way, she was still wholeheartedly devoted to her.
Wan'er opened her mouth but didn't speak: "How have you been spending these days?"
“I drifted downstream with the river and was rescued by a hunter, which allowed me to survive for a while. Later, I became worried about the princess and prepared to go to the city to see her, but unfortunately, I was too weak and fainted in the forest. Luckily, I met you.”
"Don't think too much. This baby is already two months along. If you don't want to keep it, there's nothing I can do. If you want to keep it, I'll prescribe some medication to help prevent miscarriage."
Wan'er helped Xiren lie down; Xiren's face was pale, so it was indeed not advisable for her to say too much.
I stood up and went out first. Anyone who is associated with the Crown Prince, no matter who they are, will suffer a miserable end. He really isn't afraid of retribution.
Moreover, the old emperor wanted to keep his position as crown prince, but he only stripped him of his power; the Eastern Palace remained the same.
Xie Yuancheng and Lin Chao were already outside. I followed Xie Yuancheng to another room before taking off my veil. I sat at the table, propping my hands up and staring blankly.
"What's wrong? Ying'er is thinking about things now?"
"I'm a girl, and I'm not that old, only in my early twenties, so it's inevitable that I'll think about it."
Xie Yuancheng held me in his arms and said, "Don't think too much. Women in the palace don't have it easy. We're not saints. We're too busy with our own affairs to have time to worry about others."
"That's true, but it's still heartbreaking to hear. I don't know how Xiren will cope in the future."
She's a young and beautiful girl who lost two children. I felt it wasn't easy being pregnant with Yu'er and twins, so how heartbroken she must be after losing her babies.
"There will always be a way; everyone's fate is different."
I held Xie Yuancheng's hand. It was rare for a marquis like him, who was both cunning and domineering, to give me advice. It was really kind of him.
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