Chai Yue continued to move her hands. She tied up her narrow-sleeved shirt, closed her skirt, and used an apricot-yellow belt to bind her slender waist so that it could be held in one hand.
There were also regulations for makeup and hairdressing in the palace. While combing her hair, Chai Yue asked about Xue Zhiyi's age as if in a casual chat.
Xue Zhiyi simply replied, "I don't know the exact date of my birth. I only know that I was born seventeen years ago, in the thirty-second year of the late emperor's reign."
In the bronze mirror, she saw Chai Yue with her brows lowered and her expression unclear. She moved with great skill, and in just three or five strokes she had tied her long black hair into a neat bun.
Xue Zhiyi also asked her, "Sister Chai Yue, how about you?"
Chai Yue said: "I am six years older than you, but I entered the palace when I was eight years old. If you count carefully, it has been fifteen years."
Eight years old? That's too young.
"Why would Sister Chai Yue's family send her to the palace when she was so young?"
Chai Yue just sighed silently: "I am just an official from a small family. I was selected by the palace and I couldn't refuse. I was the least favored in my family, so they sent me here. After so many years, I have lost contact with them. I don't know how they are doing now."
Xue Zhiyi remained silent.
She could feel Chai Yue's kindness, but she was also curious why a person who grew up in the palace and was used to seeing the viciousness of people would talk about his past in front of her so easily.
While she was thinking, Chai Yue suddenly asked her, "Zhiyi, have you ever thought about looking for your relatives?"
Xue Zhiyi was slightly stunned and said, "They abandoned me after I was born. Don't look for them anymore. Just like you, Sister Chai Yue, didn't you cut off contact with your family a long time ago?"
If she had not been abandoned by her biological parents, she might not have come to the Xue family and would not have to experience the suffering of her previous life.
No matter what, it's just a hypothesis after all. There's no point in thinking about it now.
After finishing dressing up, Xue Zhiyi looked around Jiangxuexuan. She had already thought about what to take away.
She used Xue Runing's share of the profits from Fulufang to buy a house and enshrine Xue Runing's tablet in it.
Her share was all converted into banknotes.
The capital of these profits came from the Xue family, and the Xue family could not escape the fate of being confiscated anyway. She was not a person of high moral character to begin with, and there would be places in the palace where she would need money in the future, so of course she had to take it with her.
As for the jewelry, most of it had been pawned by her long ago. She had spent most of it during her revenge, and the remaining ones were not worth much.
She was looking through the dressing table, but her hand suddenly stopped.
The red hairband lay quietly in the dressing box. After hesitating for a moment, Xue Zhiyi took it out.
"Are you ready?" Chai Yue suddenly asked her.
For no reason, Xue Zhiyi felt guilty and quickly hid the hairband in his sleeve before Chai Yue found out.
"...Okay, let's go."
Xue Zhiyi understood that this would probably be the last time he would set foot here in his life.
She had lived two lives in this place.
The maple tree in front of the window was full of birds in spring, disturbing her sweet dreams in childhood. In autumn, it turned golden again, and the maple leaves fluttered and fell into the pond, creating ripples in her two lives.
At that time, although Fu Ling was unfamiliar with her, she always had the most natural dependence on Fu Ling. She always felt that after all, she was her mother, and no matter how unfamiliar she was, she still loved her.
At that time, in the dead of winter, she would ignore Mother Qiao's objections and pull Qiuyun and Suyue to sleep on the same bed with them, chatting warmly until they fell asleep.
But in the end, no matter how beautiful the memories of this place are, they are ultimately shrouded in lies.
No matter how beautiful the dream is, it is useless and people will eventually wake up.
She, Xue Zhiyi, is about to embark on a new journey.
…
The carriage to the palace was parked outside Xue's house. Huo Wuyou seemed to have something to say to her, so he specially arranged an extra carriage so that she didn't have to ride with Chai Yue.
The dress of a female official is different from that of a lady. It is neat and capable, but not as cramped as that of an ordinary maid.
After all, she represents the face of the royal family. This short shirt with narrow sleeves makes her look even more wealthy and noble than that of ordinary women from official families.
She sat upright in the carriage. Outside, Huo Wuyou was still sitting alone on horseback, just like he was that day during Chunji, looking at her through the window curtains.
However, Xue Zhiyi did not seem sad at all because of leaving the home where he had lived for seventeen years. Instead, there was a little more hope in his dark eyes.
This temporarily alleviated Huo Wuyou's worries.
The weather was fine that day, with a clear blue sky.
Somehow, Huo Wuyou raised his lips and smiled.
He thought for no reason: At this moment, in this situation, it really felt like he was marrying Xue Zhiyi.
However, it seems that Xue Zhiyi no longer has the surname Xue, and the Xue family has fallen on hard times. Perhaps her so-called engagement with Gu Shichong can really be called off.
If that were the case... then he would really have to marry Xue Zhiyi one day.
Glancing at Huo Wuyou, who was riding on horseback with a cheerful face, Xue Zhiyi didn't know what he was thinking at the moment. He just frowned and thought to himself: Why is a good person suddenly smiling like a fool?
She looked away and tucked the hairband deeper into her sleeve.
In any case, her entry into the palace this time was certainly due to Huo Wuyou's help. She felt guilty for taking advantage of Huo Wuyou's feelings, so she was even more grateful for him.
"Marquis Lin'an, thank you for running around for me," she said.
Huo Wuyou came back to his senses. This time, Xue Zhiyi's expression was not as deliberate as usual. It seemed that this time, he was really grateful to him.
He raised his lips: "Are you touched?"
"I'm deeply grateful." Xue Zhiyi agreed with him.
"You have a conscience." Huo Wuyou, sitting on horseback, looked smug.
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