"Your Majesty's traitor has been found; it's Peach Blossom." The old woman said, pushing Peach Blossom to the ground.
"Your Majesty, I'm so sorry, it's Peach Blossom's fault, but I had no choice. My parents are in their hands..."
The Empress was extremely disappointed upon hearing this. "If I remember correctly, your parents never liked you. They even tried to sell you during the famine, but back then, who would be willing to buy a girl?"
Ultimately, I left you stranded in that cold winter, but I took pity on you and brought you back to the palace.
Hearing the Empress's disappointed tone, Peach Blossom could only keep saying sorry.
"I have kept you by my side, and the food, clothing and daily necessities you have are not what ordinary maids can have."
Moreover, when you reach a certain age, I promise to give you a sum of money and find you a good family to marry into.
That way you won't be looked down upon by your in-laws, and at least you can live a peaceful and happy life. How could you be so foolish?
As Peach Blossom listened to the Empress's detailed account, she felt she had done too many foolish things.
At that time, my parents used their connections to send me a letter, telling me not to blame them, as they had no other choice.
He apologized to himself again and again, saying that his family didn't need him to give them anything, they just wanted to see if he was doing well.
The letters gradually increased, and I don't know when I forgave them.
But now that I think about it, this was clearly a capital offense! Yet they still made me do it, didn't they? They never cared about my life. Why couldn't I have seen it sooner?
They never cared about their own lives. When they were young, there was a preference for boys over girls. They were always the ones who did the most work at home, but they never had enough to eat.
This ridiculous family affection was nothing but wishful thinking on my part.
Looking up at the disappointed Empress, she said, "Your Majesty, Peach Blossom knows she was wrong and has taken her own life. Your Majesty, please don't dirty your hands for a lowly servant like me. I hope Your Majesty will be healthy and happy in the future."
After saying that, he suddenly stood up and frantically rammed into the wall in the yard.
With a thud, Peach Blossom slumped against the wall, blood gushing from her forehead.
"Sigh, let's give the peach blossoms a proper burial."
After saying this, the Empress walked towards the inner room as if she had lost all her strength.
The princess's residence was bustling with activity, as several boys insisted on having Su Muyao tell the stories she hadn't finished telling before.
“Sister, I told those stories you told me to my classmates at the academy, and they all loved listening to them.”
"I will listen carefully and tell them when school starts."
Qin Meijuan originally wanted to call the children for dinner, but the way these boys chattered around gave her a headache.
Seeing Su Muyao sitting there quietly, I thought, "Daughters are the best!"
After muttering to himself, he yelled at the large group of children, "Why are you all bothering your sister? Come and eat!"
As soon as Su Muyao heard that the food was ready, she ignored the children's commotion and jumped off her stool, heading straight for the table.
Seeing their older brothers following behind looking listless, the younger brothers thought for a moment and said, "Let's eat first, and then I'll tell you a little more."
"Oh, great!" Su Mingxuan cheered first, followed by Su Ning.
The older children were happy too, but they didn't scream like their two younger brothers.
Dinner was quickly finished, and all the children in the house gathered around the fire in Su Muyao's room.
Su Muyao spoke earnestly, and her brothers listened with great interest, while Su Ning nodded his head back and forth.
He couldn't quite understand what his sister was saying. After a while, Qin Meijuan carried Su Ning back to his room.
Su Muyao looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late now, you should all rest."
"I can't sleep even if I go back to my room now, little sister, can you say a little more?"
"Staying up late is not a good habit," Su Muyao said with a serious expression.
"Sleep time is so precious; you can't make up for the sleep you miss at night by sleeping during the day."
She spoke these words without blushing or skipping a beat, completely oblivious to the fact that she had stayed up all night watching videos.
"Alright, everyone go back to your rooms and get some sleep. I'll continue telling you stories after breakfast tomorrow."
The boys left reluctantly, looking back every few steps.
The north wind howled, and the heavy snow had been falling all day without stopping, leaving a thick layer of snow outside.
The ground of the entire capital was covered with a thick layer of snow, but the merchants were diligent in sweeping the snow in front of their shops aside.
Su Muyao's factory business has always been very good, and even the two storefronts bestowed upon her by the Emperor are thriving.
In the summer, they sold shaved ice and popsicles and made a fortune. After the weather cooled down, they renovated their shop and started selling trinkets that weren't available in Beijing.
It looks like a mirror! All sorts of fake diamond jewelry, various animal fur shoes, bedding, and children's toys.
It was incredibly diverse; in ancient times, her shop would have been described as a magical general store.
I was woken up early the next morning by a lot of chattering outside.
"Xia, why is it so noisy outside?"
Xia was also helpless; the young masters in her family were running around outside like madmen.
"Young Princess, the Yongding River is frozen over and a few young masters want to go play there. They're pestering the old lady to let them go."
"What's so strange about the Yongding River freezing over?" I don't understand. Isn't it perfectly normal for the river to freeze over?
They were never this enthusiastic when the river froze over in the village before.
"Young princess, you don't know, the freezing of the Yongding River means that many people will die."
Upon hearing this, Su Muyao's eyes widened immediately. "What kind of statement is this?"
“In previous years, even when the ice was frozen solid, it was impossible for people to stand on it. But when it becomes so solid that people and carriages can pass through, then a lot of people will definitely freeze to death.”
Two years ago, when the river froze over, many people inside and outside the city froze to death.
Su Moyao finally understood; it meant that this year would be much colder than in previous years.
Xia Xia shuddered as she spoke.
Xia vividly remembers the first time the river froze over a few years ago, which was when she was sent to the palace.
At that time, my parents were helpless. My older sister's toes were frostbitten and she didn't survive. Only my younger brother was left in the family.
Coincidentally, at that time the palace was recruiting a batch of young maids, and the parents thought that if their children went to the palace to become maids, they could at least have enough to eat, so they sold themselves.
I clearly remember that the Yongding River, which was hundreds of feet wide, froze over overnight that year.
Most of the elderly and newborns in Beijing did not survive that winter.
The sky that day seemed to be tinged with blood.
Since then, everyone has started to store large quantities of various foods before winter arrives.
They were terrified that more people would starve to death.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com