Chapter 121 Prayer
Xie Wuyou's life was not easy, and Xie Wulu's was not much better.
He had indeed found his goal: to become the Second Princess's man, to advise her, and to make her his weapon, a weapon to avenge Xie Sangning.
Inside the princess's residence, the once magnificent buildings and the lively atmosphere of singing and dancing are long gone.
The flowers and plants in the courtyard were neglected and looked somewhat desolate and dilapidated.
A faint musty smell permeated the air, much like the owner of this mansion.
Princess Pei Mingyue, stripped of all glory and freedom, was left only with resentment.
The hall was dimly lit.
Pei Mingyue reclined on the chaise lounge, her hair casually tied up, with a few loose strands falling beside her pale cheeks.
She stared blankly at the gray sky outside the window, her eyes filled with resentment and anxiety.
Xie Sangning... Xie Sangning!
This name gnawed at her like a leech, day and night, making her lose her appetite and sleep!
She, a princess of the imperial family, was driven to such a state by a mere subject!
Grounded! Salary deduction! Expenses halved!
All of this is thanks to Sang Ning!
"Your Highness..."
A trusted palace maid approached cautiously, her voice extremely low, "That... Xie Wulu... is here again."
Pei Mingyue's empty eyes instantly focused: "What? That good-for-nothing dares to come again? Didn't I say I wouldn't see him? Tell him to get lost!"
"Your Highness, please calm down..." The palace maid trembled with fear and quickly knelt down. "He said... he said there was an extremely urgent matter concerning Your Highness's revenge!"
"Revenge?" Pei Mingyue laughed as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. "Him? A stray dog who has been stripped of his official rank and is despised even by his own parents? What can he do to help me get revenge?"
She waved her hand irritably: "Get him out of here! Seeing him reminds me of that bitch Xie Sangning! What bad luck!"
The palace maid nodded in response and was about to leave.
"Wait!" Pei Mingyue suddenly called out to her again, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes. "Let him... get in here! I want to see what else this defeated dog of Xie Sangning can spit out!"
Xie Wulu practically rolled in on his hands and feet.
He was wearing a faded, obviously ill-fitting coarse cloth servant's outfit, his face was covered in dust, and his hair was somewhat disheveled.
Upon entering the hall, he knelt heavily on the ground with a thud, his posture so humble it was almost groveling.
"Xie Wulu... greets Your Highness! May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"
Pei Mingyue looked down at the figure on the ground, her heart filled with pleasure.
Look, Xie Sangning's cousin, once a newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and a renowned talent in Jinling, is now crawling at his feet like a dog!
This feels... great!
"Heh," Pei Mingyue tapped the edge of the couch with the jade ruyi in her hand, "Xie Wulu, I remember you. What? Didn't you suffer enough at the hands of that bitch Xie Sangning? You lost your honors, your reputation was ruined, and even your own parents kicked you out... Now, you're coming to this wretched place of mine to wag your tail?"
Her words were scathing: "Are you trying to die too soon? Or do you think I need a watchdog?"
Xie Wulu's body, which was lying on the ground, stiffened almost imperceptibly, and his fist, hidden in his sleeve, clenched tightly!
Fame and fortune…reputation…abandoned by the family…
The root of all this is Xie Sangning! That bitch who ruined everything for him!
An immense hatred burned through his internal organs!
He wanted nothing more than to rush out immediately and tear Xie Sangning to pieces with his own hands! To skin him alive! To grind his bones to dust!
But right now... he can't!
He suppressed his violence, raised his head, and forced a humble, almost ingratiating smile onto his face:
"Your Highness! Your Highness, please understand! I am now... truly like a stray dog! All of this is thanks to that wicked woman, Sang Ning!"
"But precisely because of this, I understand that wicked woman's treachery and cunning even more! I understand her fatal weakness even more! And I yearn even more... to tear her to pieces!"
He suddenly crawled forward on his knees a few steps, his posture becoming even more humble: "Your Highness! You are of noble birth, yet you are now merely... a dragon trapped in shallow waters! If you would give me a chance! A chance to stay by your side and serve you faithfully! I will do everything in my power to help Your Highness escape this predicament! To drag Xie Sangning down from her pedestal! To let her taste... the bitterness of disgrace and a fate worse than death!"
"Help me escape this predicament? Or deal with Xie Sangning?"
Pei Mingyue laughed as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world, her body shaking with laughter, tears welling up in her eyes. "You? A piece of trash who was completely manipulated by her and lost everything? Xie Wulu, you can't even protect yourself, how can you help me?"
Her gaze turned cold as she looked at Xie Wulu. "I see you as nothing more than a desperate man who wants to find a new master to fawn over and eat! Get out! I have no interest in keeping a useless dog!"
"Your Highness!" Xie Wulu's heart sank to the bottom! Pei Mingyue's harshness and clarity far exceeded his expectations!
As the last glimmer of hope was about to be extinguished, a surge of immense fear and resentment welled up within them!
No! He can't be kicked out like this! This is his only chance to turn things around! His only way to get revenge on Xie Sangning!
He suddenly bent down, no longer crawling on his knees, but instead... using both hands and feet, like a real dog, crawling towards Pei Mingyue's chaise lounge!
"Your Highness! Your Highness, please have mercy!"
He crawled along, pleading desperately, his posture utterly subservient. "I truly have nothing now! But I still have a loyal heart! And an overwhelming hatred for Xie Sangning! I beg Your Highness... give me a chance! Even... even if it means being a slave, a watchdog! I'd be willing! As long as I can stay by Your Highness's side! As long as I can watch Xie Sangning die!!"
He climbed to Pei Mingyue's bedside in just a few steps! His forehead almost touched Pei Mingyue's embroidered shoes hanging by the bedside!
This distance is too close!
Pei Mingyue was so close that she could clearly see his handsome face, covered in dust but still impossible to hide, beneath his messy hair!
Up close, I could see the corners of his eyes, slightly reddened with excitement, his tightly pursed thin lips, his high, straight nose, and his sharply defined jawline…
Pei Mingyue was stunned.
She had been frowning in disgust, preparing to kick this ignorant commoner away.
But when her gaze fell upon that handsome face so close to hers, she involuntarily stopped moving.
Pei Mingyue... has always been attracted to men, ever since she was a child.
The emperor had countless male concubines in his household, but this year, he punished them and banished them as well.
Her attraction to men was ingrained in her very nature.
Even now, in his impoverished and confined state, he still can't help but be captivated by such striking good looks.
The word "get lost" that she was about to say lingered on her tongue, but she swallowed it back.
His gaze subtly changed, taking on a hint of amusement and...inquiry.
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