Chapter 205 Complete Awakening, Wedding Night
The leader among these people.
It was the same man from Xijin who had mistaken the clinic for a restaurant and wandered in by mistake last time.
Those silver-gray eyes with a bluish tinge had an empty and pure look that was unforgettable at first sight.
Ji Qingwu went downstairs first.
The man opened the window, stared at her back for a long time, and then led the people behind him out.
We arrived at the entrance of Anletang once again.
After the young eunuch knocked on the door, he handed Granny Cao a larger package of silver than the one from the day before. This time, Granny Cao didn't say much and simply opened the door to let Ji Qingwu in.
She changed back into her drab gray clothes and quickly passed by the palace maids who were washing clothes.
Once you've done it once, you'll get used to it. Ji Qingwu didn't need Granny Cao to lead the way and went into the room by herself.
After pushing the door open, I saw Tao Wanyin still in her old spot, leaning against the cabinet behind her, making a knot in her hand.
My skin still looks dry, but my complexion has improved somewhat.
After Ji Qingwu approached, Tao Wanyin raised her head, her eyes lighting up as she said, "I was wondering why there was a fragrant breeze earlier; it turns out it was you."
"What is Your Highness doing?"
Ji Qingwu stared at the dark green silk threads wrapped around her fingers.
Tao Wanyin said, "The jade pendant my mother left me has come loose, so I'll tighten it again."
She tied a new knot with both hands and said, "Perhaps it is my mother's spirit in heaven who knows that he is going to hell and feels comforted and wants to ease my mind."
Ji Qingwu sat down beside her and said, "Lord Tao has been ordered to be executed, and the execution will take place at noon tomorrow."
Tao Wanyin burst into laughter, and as she laughed, tears welled in her eyes, but she was no longer as manic as she had been the day before.
She held the net in her palm, looked up outside, and said, "The afternoon sun is shining brightly, but it's a pity that this room faces east, so such good sunlight can't shine in."
Ji Qingwu handed over the handkerchief in his arms, but Tao Wanyin did not take it. Instead, she casually wiped the tears that had flowed down her chin with her sleeve.
“I appreciate your kindness, but I am here in Anle Hall. Using such a fine handkerchief will only remind people of the past.”
Ji Qingwu said, "The princess won't stay here forever. Now there's an opportunity; it remains to be seen whether the princess can seize it."
Tao Wanyin threaded the jade pendant onto the tassel in her hand and placed it under her pillow.
He said to her, "Qingwu, I know your good intentions, you don't need to try to persuade me."
“Others see me as suffering here, but I know in my heart that only here have I had a few days of peace. The Tao family has never come to see me. You have no idea how relaxed I am.”
Ji Qingwu said, "Your Highness can go out for a walk. Although you are being confined to Anle Hall, it is not said that you will be confined to this room."
Tao Wanyin looked out the window at the sunlight shining on the low, withered tree in the courtyard.
Ji Qingwu knew she wanted to go out, so he said, "I'll accompany the princess out to get some sun; it'll be good for the baby in her womb."
Before they even went outside, they heard a heated argument. Standing by the window, they could see that it was several palace maids and Yinxiang arguing in the laundry area.
Taking advantage of their numbers, these people poured dirty water from washing clothes onto Yinxiang and threw unwashed dirty clothes at her.
Seeing this, Tao Wanyin went out and said, "What are you doing? Stop!"
The palace maid said, "Oh dear, isn't this the Princess Consort of Yong? Shouldn't we kneel to greet her?"
The taller one next to her said sarcastically, "Yes, what have we done to deserve eating and living with the noble Princess Consort? Even this little maid is so arrogant."
Tao Wanyin said, "What did she do wrong that you treat her like this?"
The palace maid said, "We were just teaching her manners, but she dared to throw excrement at our feet. Her heart is too dirty. We'll help her clean it up."
Yinxiang dared not yell at the palace maids, but she dared to shout at Tao Wanyin.
"What are you doing out here! Doesn't Your Highness know why they bully me? It's because I'm your maid that they take out their anger on me."
Ji Qingwu stood at the doorway, watching them.
Tao Wanyin said calmly, "Yinxiang, I did nothing wrong, why are you taking your anger out on me?"
"It's because you do nothing!"
Yinxiang was soaked through, her hair still dripping wet. She said angrily, "You watched me being ostracized and bullied by them, and you always stood by and watched. It was the same when we were in the Prince's mansion. You watched one concubine after another being brought in, but you never gave me a chance."
Tao Wanyin: "You..."
Yinxiang said, "What kind of princess do you think you are! The prince has long been disgusted with you, which is why you have become the laughing stock of the whole city."
She became increasingly audacious: "So what if you're the eldest daughter of the Tao family? The Tao family was raided, and you're still just a worthless life like me!"
She was reprimanded in this way by her maid, with whom she had grown up and who was like a sister.
Looking at Tao Wanyin's expression, Ji Qingwu was afraid that she might faint from anger or be overcome with rage.
Tao Wanyin stared at Yinxiang for a long time before saying, "I never knew you had always seen me this way. It's amazing that you've been pretending for so long."
She took a step forward and said, "So, is it easy to climb into the master's bed? Has the prince said he'd give you a title?"
She heard everything clearly at the door: how Yinxiang cried and begged Prince Yong, and how bitter and difficult her days inside were.
Yinxiang had wanted to leave him for a long time, but it was Prince Yong who made her stay, so she was willing to continue to accompany this useless master.
Tao Wanyin's breathing was unsteady, but her voice was clear and resonant.
“You say I have a worthless life, but even if I die now, I will still be the Princess Consort of Yong and will be buried in the royal mausoleum.”
"And you, you'll just toil away here until you die, and all you'll do is wrap yourself in a straw mat and throw yourself into a mass grave."
Yinxiang picked up the unwashed chamber pot from beside her feet, held it in her hand, and wanted to throw it at her.
Tao Wanyin gently stroked her belly and said fearlessly, "Go ahead and splash it if you dare. Do you know how much the Prince values the child in my womb? If something happens to the child, guess what the Prince will do?"
Yinxiang's body trembled, whether from the cold from being soaked in sweat or from being frightened by her words.
A smile appeared on Ji Qingwu's lips. How could there be true peace in Anle Hall?
Princess Yong needs to be slapped by the person who was once closest to her before she will wake up.
In this situation, if she doesn't save herself, no one can truly save her.
Tao Wanyin turned around and saw Ji Qingwu standing in the light, his face as if it were plated with a layer of gold, and the smile on his lips was the warmth she had always longed for.
They went back inside.
Tao Wanyin took the initiative to speak, "Qingwu, what was the opportunity you mentioned before to leave this place?"
"Until then, I hope the princess can be completely open with me."
Tao Wanyin nodded.
Ji Qingwu asked directly, "Who are they?"
Tao Wanyin suddenly shivered, and her eyes trembled uncontrollably.
Ji Qingwu said, "I am already aware of Grand Secretary Tao's peculiar hobby."
"You knew everything?" Tao Wanyin clenched her fists tightly, trying to calm herself down as quickly as possible.
"Your Highness, did he force you to do anything? Was it him...?"
Tao Wanyin bit her lip and shook her head: "He's not that beastly; he wouldn't lay a hand on his own daughter."
Then, in a trembling voice, she said, "But he was worse than an animal; he sent me to someone else."
She was only ten years old at the time.
Because she lost her mother at a very young age, and her stepmother did not take good care of her, she didn't understand anything.
Until the night of her marriage to Prince Yong...
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