Seeing her personal maid about to be dragged away and strangled, Wen Xueling was filled with anger but had nowhere to vent it, and dared not say anything disrespectful to Gan Qiongying.
She stared at Gan Qiongying, who was breathing heavily. When had this pampered and spoiled girl ever suffered such humiliation?
All the harsh words in his mouth were gathered in his throat, and he could utter a string of "You will die a horrible death!" as soon as he opened his mouth!
Unfortunately, she gritted her teeth so hard she almost broke them, but didn't dare utter a single word.
In terms of status, Gan Qiongying was, after all, a princess. Even if she was just a lonely princess caught in the power struggle, with no power to rely on in the court and no elders to support her, everyone could understand how precarious her situation was.
No matter how much the emperor indulges, what good is it? The emperor himself is just a puppet!
Gan Qiongying was a bit taller than Wen Xueling. Looking at her small face, which was initially pale and then flushed red, eventually turning bluish, you could tell from her angry eyes that she was definitely cursing her mother in her heart.
However, with her eyebrows slightly raised and her phoenix eyes curving with a smile, she was both alluring and wickedly cunning.
His wickedness was superficial; it was more than just a genuinely upright person committing evil deeds—it carried an air of roguishness.
They practically had "What can you do to me?" written all over their faces.
Gan Qiongying was well aware of her situation.
But as long as the Nanzhao edifice remains standing, in this capital city of Yin, even a princess made of crispy skin is far more precious than the beloved princess of the Jingxi local emperor, the Jingxi King.
Wen Xueling's maid continued to scream like a pig being slaughtered, tears streaming down her face. She went from begging Wen Xueling to save her life to begging Princess Duanrong to spare her life.
The sound was so shrill that it startled the birds in the forest, causing them to break through the bushes and take flight.
Finally, during the brief standoff, Wen Xueling couldn't hold on any longer. Liuli had really served her for too long and knew all her preferences. If someone else took over, she would definitely feel uncomfortable.
Wen Xueling gritted her teeth, stepped forward, and, dragging her injured limp leg, bowed respectfully to Gan Qiongying, suppressing her anger as she quickly said, "It was my improper words and actions that offended the princess. Your Highness is magnanimous and will not hold it against me."
"Please, Your Highness, spare my life. She has served me since childhood; she was my mother's personal maid..."
Liuli was already silent. Wen Xueling was stiff and dared not turn around to look. It wasn't that she had never seen life and death before, but she had never seen someone so close to her die so tragically.
She thought that Liuli had been strangled to death by Gan Qiongying's maid while she hesitated, because her voice was getting softer and softer, and less and less confident...
She had clashed with Princess Duanrong several times before, and the latter was always extremely ruthless. Her glass was definitely going to be destroyed here today.
Wen Xueling stood in front of Gan Qiongying with her head down, seemingly docile and submissive, but in reality, she secretly vowed to make Princess Duanrong pay for this in the future!
However, she had no idea that Gan Qiongying was waiting for her right there.
Seeing Wen Xueling lower her head, she immediately climbed down the bamboo pole.
"That's right. If you had spoken like this earlier, none of these unpleasant things would have happened."
Gan Qiongying stepped forward and personally helped Wen Xueling up. The arrogance on her face vanished instantly, and her expression changed as quickly as turning the page. She patted Wen Xueling's small hand and said, "I'm a reasonable person. Since that maid was a personal servant given to you by your mother, how could I kill her at will?"
"Full moon, quick, release them."
Wen Xueling looked up at Gan Qiongying, who smiled at her and held her hand tightly. The two sisters turned around and saw her personal maid, Liuli, being carried out of the woods by Manyue and another person.
He appeared unharmed, but his eyes were vacant and his limbs were limp as noodles as he was carried out.
She was just a young girl, having grown up beside a pampered young lady, and hadn't seen much of the world. She thought she had really walked through the gates of hell and was so frightened that she collapsed.
When Wen Xueling saw that Liuli was still alive, she was initially overjoyed, but her face quickly turned bright red because Liuli had been brought back to her side. She was limp on the ground and couldn't get up at all, her eyes were glazed over, as if she had been scared out of her wits.
This made Wen Xueling, who already felt humiliated in front of Gan Qiongying, feel as if she had been slapped several times.
She struggled for a moment, her face contorted, trying to lead her group of shameful servants away as quickly as possible, but Gan Qiongying did not let go.
She looked at Wen Xueling, then changed the subject again, her expression shifting from thunder to gloom, and then back to sunshine.
Like a caring older sister, she looked at Wen Xueling with concern and said, "You're injured, your carriage is wrecked, and the horse's hooves are injured. You can't walk, can you?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Xueling nearly spat blood onto Gan Qiongying's face.
I was so angry that my mind went blank.
But what Gan Qiongying said soon made her feel like she was about to choke on her own blood.
Gan Qiongying said, "Look, today is the birthday banquet of the Grand Princess of Hui'an. The banquet is scheduled for the evening, so this is the perfect time to go. But if we don't arrive by noon, it would be really inappropriate."
"What if the First Princess thinks you're being negligent and deliberately late? Wouldn't you feel incredibly frustrated?"
"This place is more than ten miles outside the city and more than twenty miles from Haoyue Manor in Xishan. There's no village or shop in sight. Are you planning to hop around on your limping legs with a bunch of servants?"
Wen Xueling stared at her, completely clueless about what she meant.
Although her entourage could no longer travel by carriage, her guards were able to ride horses. How did she end up having to hop around on the ground?
Gan Qiongying, as if knowing what she meant, added, "Tsk, look at your outfit, is it appropriate for riding a horse? This is a dance dress, isn't it? The wind will blow it away..."
Gan Qiongying glanced at the hem of Wen Xueling's skirt, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Upon hearing this, Wen Xueling's face turned pale. She was indeed wearing a dance dress today, which was specially made. In order to highlight the flowing tulle of the skirt and her supple figure, her trousers were specially altered to a more fitted size.
While dancing, one might occasionally peek out during a somersault, but riding a horse is definitely not an option.
Seeing that she was biting her lip, Gan Qiongying patted her hand and said, "See, I was right. It's too late for you to go back and find a carriage now. How about this, I'll forgive and forget... and give you a ride? Anyway, my carriage is quite big."
Wen Xueling was truly shocked this time, her eyes wide open. She couldn't believe that Gan Qiongying had such good intentions!
Sure enough, before she could even express her gratitude, Gan Qiongying said, "But the things in my princess's residence are all top-quality, and not just anyone can sit on them."
“This carriage is just right for two people. It would definitely be difficult for three people to ride in it. My lead horse is an old horse that I raised since it was a puppy. I can’t bear to make it carry an extra person. I will give it more hay and beans when we get home.”
"How about this, considering we know each other, I won't ask you for the money for the car's wear and tear. Just give me ten thousand taels of silver to buy hay and beans for the horse, and I'll take you to Haoyue Manor, how about that?"
Wen Xueling almost thought she was hallucinating.
She opened her mouth slightly, looking at Gan Qiongying with a smile that resembled that of a close sister. As soon as she opened her mouth, she not only mocked her personal maid Liuli as being worse than an animal, but also made an outrageous demand for ten thousand taels of silver for the carriage fare.
"What did you say?" Wen Xueling couldn't help but repeat herself.
Gan Qiongying then said, "Give me ten thousand taels, and I'll take you to Haoyue Manor. There'll definitely be enough time. I've also brought ice and food in my carriage, as well as some liniment and powder for you to rest and recover."
“My personal maid, Manyue, is a master of needlework. Her embroidery looks like the real thing from afar and up close. She can restore your dancing skirt to its original state in just a few stitches!”
"How about it? Ten thousand taels, no cheating, absolutely to serve you, Princess Xue'e. My guards will also protect you and escort you safely and in style to Haoyue Manor."
Wen Xueling was so angry at Gan Qiongying's comment that it sounded like a bandit coming down from the mountain that she laughed.
She gritted her teeth and said, "I am truly grateful for Princess Duanrong's generosity. However, my mother has taught me since childhood that a woman should behave properly, and be gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest."
"Jingxi has suffered from snow disasters for many years, and the Jingxi Prince's Mansion has always stood with the people through thick and thin. Unlike Princess Duanrong, who is protected by His Majesty and can throw away mountains of gold and silver with a wave of her hand, I only have some savings from my parents and cannot afford ten thousand taels for a carriage ride!"
She was furious; her chest heaved rapidly.
Gan Qiongying ignored her nonsense. The King of Jingxi was indeed not corrupt, but in the story he had a gold mine that the court was unaware of!
If it weren't for the ambition of having mountains of gold and silver, how could someone so old secretly covet the throne?
Therefore, Gan Qiongying looked at Wen Xueling and said, "I understand, I understand. I don't carry that much money with me when I go out, so you don't need to give it to me now. After attending the Grand Princess's birthday banquet, I can send someone to the Princess's residence to get it."
Wen Xueling simply didn't want to say another word to Gan Qiongying. She was feeling hot and irritated, her head was spinning, and her ankles were still aching slightly.
She limped away from Gan Qiongying and tried to leave.
Considering that her leg was already lame, Gan Qiongying relented and said, "Is ten thousand taels too much? How about nine thousand taels?"
"Look where you've run off to. By now, most of the people attending the birthday banquet have already arrived. Today, the dignitaries are out on the streets, and the main road has been blocked off by the guards. The common people are all taking another side road. You won't meet anyone else but me."
"Eight thousand taels? Oh, Princess Xue'e, don't go!"
"Seven thousand taels, seven thousand taels should be enough, your leg looks very bad."
"Six thousand taels, no less than that, six is auspicious!"
Gan Qiongying stood still and called out to Princess Xue'e, who was limping away, like a peddler selling his wares, convinced that she had no choice but to do so.
"You can't possibly not even come up with six thousand taels?" Gan Qiongying began to provoke her when she saw that she was about to run away.
Wen Xueling was helped by her maid to walk a few steps, and sure enough, her feet hurt more and more. She was angry and aggrieved, and her eyes were red.
Hearing Princess Duanrong's relentless extortion, he trembled all over.
The sun is getting stronger; are we really going to linger in these mountains and forests?
Just as Wen Xueling gritted her teeth and was about to compromise, a series of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from behind.
Wen Xueling turned her head to look, and her face lit up with joy after she saw it clearly.
Gan Qiongying recognized the person who had come, and her expression darkened.
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