Zhong Muyu said, "It's amazing that you came up with such a method, but this will teach her a lesson."
Lu Ziyuan said seriously, "She was given to you by the Empress Dowager, but since she did such a thing behind your back, who knows what she will do behind your back in the future? This person cannot be kept."
“I understand. Didn’t I ask Zhiyu to find suitable candidates before? I originally wanted to marry them off to good families, but since some of them don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do.”
"Don't be afraid to touch them just because they were given to you by the Empress Dowager. If they're not good, just send them away. I'll take care of all these small things."
Lu Ziyuan held Zhong Muyu in his arms and said seriously, "Those messy women are not even a tenth as good as my Yu'er!"
Zhong Muyu gently nuzzled his face: "I am your princess, you don't need to worry about everything. Don't worry, I will handle it well."
...
After one night.
The guards who were watching over Lianhua as she picked up the leaves had been replaced four or five times. The fallen leaves in Xiuyu Pavilion had been almost all picked up. Lianhua rubbed her frozen fingers, feeling as if her whole body was frozen to the bone.
Although the temperature has risen a bit in the last two days, it's still cold at night. Wearing only thin clothes and spending the night outdoors will inevitably make you sick.
Lianhua did indeed feel a little dizzy.
After finally picking up the last leaf she could find, a northwest wind blew in, rustling the leaves and causing more yellowed leaves to fall.
Looking at the fallen leaves all over the ground, Lianhua finally couldn't take it anymore and collapsed to the ground.
The guards watching over her showed no mercy, but instead became very unhappy about the extra work: "Get up quickly, you can go back after you finish picking it up, and I can go back too!"
Lianhua shrank back, her voice weak: "I feel unwell, can I rest for a while..."
"Do you want me to stay in the cold with you after you take a break?"
The guard wanted to say something more, but upon seeing the newcomer, he stepped aside.
Lianhua knelt on the ground and suddenly felt the sunlight above her head being blocked. Then, a delicate embroidered shoe appeared in her sight.
Upon seeing the person who arrived, she immediately knelt down and repeatedly begged for forgiveness: "Your Highness, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me! I will never dare to do it again!"
She kowtowed several times and now deeply regrets it.
Of course, more than regret, she was afraid of dying. She was freezing cold and burning up. If Zhong Muyu didn't treat her, she would only have one way out: death.
Zhong Muyu looked down at her and said, "You're quite bold to do this behind my back. You deserve what you've got now."
Lianhua cried until her eyes were blurry with tears, repeatedly saying that she knew she was wrong.
"No need to pick them up, take them back to Xinxiang Courtyard."
Upon hearing this, Lianhua thought that Zhong Muyu had let her go and was overjoyed. Despite being seriously ill and swaying, she tried her best to keep up with her.
Upon arriving at Xinxiang Courtyard, Zaochun was talking to a beautiful woman. Upon seeing Zhong Muyu, she immediately bowed and said, "Your Highness, this is Mama Qian."
When Lianhua saw the beautifully dressed woman, she was horrified and grabbed Zhong Muyu's leg desperately: "Your Highness, no! Don't sell me! I don't want to go to a brothel, I don't want to go to those places!"
Zhong Muyu tried to break free, but failed, so she signaled to the maids beside her to pull her away.
“I once wanted to find you a good family, and I even found out who would marry you off, but unfortunately, you are no longer fortunate enough to do so.”
To prevent her from lunging at them again, two rough maids held her tightly.
The beautiful woman looked Lianhua up and down and said, "She is indeed a beauty, but she has caught a cold and her health is not very good."
"I will cover her medical expenses; you don't need to worry about anything else."
Upon hearing Zhong Muyu's words, the beautiful woman immediately grinned and said, "Your Highness is a straightforward person."
Zhong Muyu gestured for Zaochun to discuss the specifics with Qian Mama, then turned to Lianhua: "I won't sell you to be some ordinary maid. A place like a brothel is perfect for you. If you take a fancy to some high-ranking official, you can go ahead and seduce him. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part. If I were to arrange a marriage for you with an ordinary family, you wouldn't even look at it."
"Your Highness, this servant... this servant..."
Lianhua wanted to explain, but Zhong Muyu was telling the truth, and it would be useless to explain at this point.
Since arguing was useless, Lianhua slumped to the ground, her confused mind already starting to think about what to do next.
Meanwhile, Zaochun had also taken care of things, and then Qian Mama had someone drag Lianhua away from the Prince's Mansion.
Lianqin saw all of this.
She had no idea that Lianhua was doing this, and she wondered why Lianhua hadn't returned home all night until she found out in the morning.
Seeing Lianhua's tearful and snotty appearance, she was extremely glad that she hadn't acted impulsively.
However, she was unwilling to stay by Zhong Muyu's side and marry a servant in a royal palace.
Just as she was struggling with her decision, Zhong Muyu suddenly spoke up: "You've been hiding there watching for so long, aren't you going to come out and say something?"
Lianqin was startled. She wasn't sure if Zhong Muyu was calling her, but there was no one else eavesdropping here.
So she shrank out, keeping her head down and not daring to breathe too loudly.
Zhong Muyu looked at her calmly: "You are more cautious than her, otherwise I would have sold you all off."
Lianqin was so frightened that she knelt down and said, "Your Highness, please understand, this servant knew nothing about this matter. It was Lianhua who acted on her own!"
“I know, otherwise you wouldn’t still be here.”
As she spoke, Zhong Muyu leaned down and gently lifted her chin: "But I also know what you're thinking. You won't be content to be an ordinary person. You're actually just like her."
His sharp gaze revealed the wavering in Lianqin's eyes.
"This servant will never again harbor any improper thoughts towards Your Highness!"
“Having ambition is not a bad thing, but if the methods are too clichéd, it will be annoying. I am not some kind-hearted saint, and you have not said that you have made a mistake, so I will send you to Yunshang Pavilion. Let Zhang Mama take care of you, make a living with your own abilities, and think carefully about your future path.”
"Yunshang Pavilion?"
Seeing her blank expression, Zaochun explained, "It's a clothing workshop managed by the Princess. You're good at needlework, so the Princess sent you there. If you're ambitious and have a bright future, you can naturally choose your future path."
Although Lianqin didn't quite understand the specifics, she could tell that Zhong Muyu was giving her a chance.
She immediately kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!"
Zhong Muyu ignored her and simply asked someone to help her pack her things so she could move to Yunshang Pavilion the next day.
After those two left, the world was indeed much quieter.
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