Chapter 132
Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse
Looking at Yu Linglong’s indifferent face, Lord Xu sighed: “It’s really nothing . It’s just a heavy snowfall in the south . The people are affected by the disaster . I took the lead in donating some silver and let the court officials donate money for disaster relief . ”
Yu Linglong was taken aback for a moment, and couldn’t help asking, “How much did you donate?”
Lord Xu said lightly: “Only one hundred thousand taels . ”
Yu Linglong was silent . One hundred thousand taels . Perhaps it was nothing in the eyes of the royal children, but for the victims, it could save thousands of families .
Lord Xu, who always had the name of the spoiled prince, should have greatly changed his image in the hearts of the people . The emperor was so happy that he agreed to Lord Xu’s request and decreed to marry him and Yu Linglong .
She was always suspicious of what exactly Lord Xu did to get the emperor to agree to this marriage . It stands to reason that as an illegitimate daughter, she was not worthy of Lord Xu anyway . From the perspective of the royal family who valued their birth and status, she might not be worthy even as a concubine for Lord Xu .
For her, he really took great pains…
Seeing her not speaking, Lord Xu seemed a little panicked .
“Linglong, are you blaming me for not seeing you in those days? Because there were too many silver pieces for disaster relief, so I volunteered for service and went to the south for disaster relief in person, that’s why—”
Yu Linglong lowered her eyes and interrupted him: “Stop talking . ”
Lord Xu stopped talking and looked at her apologetically .
In the cold sunlight, her eyes drooped . Her expression could not be seen clearly, and her wing-like eyelashes flapped lightly as if about to fly away from her white jade face .
After a pause, Yu Linglong said softly, “I know . ”
He had done so much for her, paid so much, but she didn’t even know it .
It was only at this moment that she realized how indifferent she had been to him, with his half-truth and half-fake att.i.tude and his behind-the-scenes efforts . She never knew, or even thought about it, she just subconsciously resisted and rejected him .
He had paid so much for her and done so many things . If it were an ordinary woman, would he be compelled to do that? But she didn’t even give him a smile .
The two had their own concerns, and they walked out of the palace one after another .
After returning to the palace, the butler greeted him as soon as he entered the gate .
“Dear Prince, I have done everything you ordered, but…” The butler quickly raised his eyes, took a look at Yu Linglong, and then lowered his head again, “…The girl Xing Yun refused to leave, crying that as long as she could serve the prince, she would rather hand over the housekeeper’s key and be an ordinary maid . ”
Yu Linglong couldn’t help being stunned when she heard this . She only told Lord Xu about it yesterday, and he had already driven her away? This guy was really fast .
Lord Xu frowned slightly, and his voice was a little impatient: “If she doesn’t leave, just drag her out . Wouldn’t you know how to do such a small thing?”
He didn’t expect Lord Xu to speak so sternly . The butler was taken aback and only agreed .
Yu Linglong looked on with cold eyes . She couldn’t help but smile faintly, and suddenly asked, “What’s your last name?”
The butler lowered his head deeply and said: “To answer the princess, my surname is Zhao . ”
Yu Linglong nodded and said, “Butler Zhao, go and tell Xing Yun to hand over the housekeeper’s key, and she can stay . ”
Lord Xu was startled: “Linglong—”
Yu Linglong ignored him and said to Butler Zhao: “Go . ”
Butler Zhao took a peek at Lord Xu’s expression and saw that he had no objection, and then stepped back to spread the word .
Lord Xu frowned and said: “Don’t you dislike that girl? You can just throw her out, why keep her?”
Yu Linglong walked straight forward, showing a faint coldness on her pretty face: “Didn’t she want to serve you? Then give her a chance . ”
She would give you a way to survive, and run her into the ground!
Now Yu Linglong was completely certain that this Xing Yun was problematic . Yesterday she treated Xing Yun so harshly . This girl was not afraid, and she still lived in the palace and refused to leave . What was the reason?
She didn’t believe in Xing Yun’s loyal performance . If Xing Yun was just to be able to cling to Lord Xu, then the price she paid would be too great .
What’s more, she had already seen Yu Linglong’s methods, and everyone knew of Lord Xu’s infatuation with Yu Linglong . She was a little girl who insisted on getting a kick when Lord Xu and the princess were newly married . Was it possible for Lord Xu to see it? Even if she takes ten thousand steps, she can become Lord Xu’s person, but with such a fierce wife Yu Linglong, could she have a good life?
Xing Yun didn’t look like an idiot . If she didn’t seduce Lord Xu, then what was the purpose of her staying in Lord Xu’s Mansion? What made her willing to risk being tortured by Yu Linglong and stay in the Xu Palace?
After sending Yu Linglong back to the room, Lord Xu went to the study .
Only after removing her clothing, someone outside said: “Dear princess, the gift you received yesterday has been counted, please look at it . ”
For silver, Yu Linglong welcomed everyone, the more the better . The gift she received from the palace today was already put away by Xuan Cao, and when she heard that they were still outside, she said: “Come in . ”
A person who looked like a maid in charge came in and bowed respectfully, saying: “I’m servant Wu Maocai, paying respects to the princess . ”
Yu Linglong grunted and said, “Get up . ”
Wu Maocai stood up and presented a booklet: “Here, princess, this is the account of the gift . Everything is stored in the two halls to the west of the warehouse . Please look at it, princess . ”
Yu Linglong took a look at the book and saw it in tiny letters . She remembered it very clearly . It was nothing more than gold and silver, jewelry, ornaments, antiques, and so on . She turned it over, but there was nothing surprising .
She raised her eyes, but saw Wu Maocai hesitating, as if very embarra.s.sed, Yu Linglong asked, “What else is there?”
She did not expect that Yu Linglong was so shrewd . Wu Maocai’s face showed a look of sincerity and fear, and she respectfully said: “Yes…It is Prince Gan who sent the gift and said that he must ask the princess to see it in person . ”
Gan Lin?
Yu Linglong paused and said, “What is it?”
Wu Maocai said: “I did not dare to look . ” She offered a phoenix-carved jade box .
Yu Linglong opened the box . There was a layer of moon-white silk and satin inside . It opened gently to reveal the contents .
Two pearls slightly larger than chicken eggs lay quietly in the box, surrounded by delicate and soft silk, exuding a radiant brilliance . What was rare was that the two pearls were about the same size, and they were exactly the same in color and texture, making them a pair .
There was a folded paper note next to the pearls . Yu Linglong picked up the paper note, and without looking at it, she threw it into the tangled peony and green leaf fire beside his hand .
A small flame emerged from the dark red charcoal, and soon the paper was reduced to ashes .
Wu Maocai, who was on the side, looked at her eyes, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief .
The princess had just married into the mansion . If she read this letter, she would be accused of having an affair, but if she didn’t accept this gift, how could she dare to offend Prince Gan .
Moreover, no one could figure out the temperament of the new princess, so who would dare to figure out the mistress’s mind privately .
Now that the princess has handled it like this, she finally relaxed .
Yu Linglong fastened the lid of the box and handed it back to Wu Maocai, saying, “The gift from Gan’s Mansion should be registered as it is . ”
Wu Maocai responded with a “yes” and left the room .
Calm was restored in the room . Yu Linglong looked at the fire with the light smoke rising up, and there was no expression on her face .
Although she hadn’t read many ancient poems, Yu Linglong had guessed the meaning of Gan Lin’s gift of pearls the moment she saw the pair of pearls .
If your lover had a husband, you would give your lover a pair of pearls .
She didn’t need to read the paper, nor did she want to read it . His devotion had nothing to do with her .
A faint fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose . Yu Linglong retracted her thoughts and called out in a low voice, “Ling’er . ”
Ling’er came in in response: “What is the order of the princess?”
Yu Linglong’s gaze fell on the red gold sewing box sent by Lady Shi in front of the dressing table, and a cold smile appeared on her delicate face .
“Watch that Xing Yun . If anything goes wrong, arrest her immediately!”
…
Xing Yun didn’t let her wait long . The next night, she was tied up and sent to Yulinglong’s room .
Lord Xu went out and did not return . Yu Linglong was dressed in a crimson peony-patterned brocade dress . She was sitting upright on the chair, her face looking at Xing Yun was full of coldness .
Xing Yun suffered a great loss under Yu Linglong’s hand . Seeing this situation, she hurriedly threw herself on her knees and cried: “Princess, please spare me, I know I was wrong—”
“You knew it was wrong?” Yu Linglong sneered, “I’m tired of hearing these words . ”
Didn’t Xing Yun keep saying that she knew she was wrong last time? After only two days of work, didn’t she offend her again?
Ling’er on the side kicked Xing Yun to the ground . She turned back and said to Yu Linglong, “Princess, someone saw her peeping outside the king’s study . She must be unruly! Don’t let her go easily!”
When Xing Yun heard this, she immediately cried out that she was wronged: “Princess, I was wronged, I just want to see if the prince had any orders, this is—”
Yu Linglong snorted coldly, and said in a low voice, “If the prince has an order, he will naturally call someone in . You are not a new maid . Don’t you even understand this little rule?”
Did she want to fool her with this nonsense? Xing Yun underestimated her too much!
Xing Yun slumped on the ground . The makeup on her face was messy from crying, but her hands were tied again, and she couldn’t even take them off . She could only cry for mercy and say, “I was really wronged! Forgive me, princess—”
Yu Linglong had already dismissed all the people outside, and she was not afraid of crying and screaming . When she cried a little lower, she opened her mouth leisurely .
“Come on, who sent you to monitor the prince?”
These words sounded like thunder, and Xing Yun almost stopped breathing in fright .
It was impossible . The princess had only been married for two days, how can she know her ident.i.ty? She obviously didn’t reveal anything, but how could the princess know her intentions?
The princess must be lying to her!
Xing Yun thought about this, and the crying became more and more miserable: “Princess, I…I don’t understand what you mean! I really just serve the prince and the princess with all my heart, I’m not working for anyone else!”
Seeing Xing Yun desperately showing loyalty, Yu Linglong sneered .
She wanted to cover it up!
At first, she only doubted Xing Yun’s ident.i.ty . If she was just an ordinary servant, she would not dare to provoke her, the new princess, but Xing Yun not only provoked her but also dared to contradict her, which aroused her suspicion .
If it weren’t for someone to support her, how could a little maid have such courage?
Apart from Yu Linglong, the master of this mansion was Lord Xu . With Lord Xu’s temperament, he would never let a servant girl come to test her, and he had no reason to do so .
So, who was the mastermind behind Xing Yun?
Lord Xu asked Butler Zhao to drive away some suspicious people, but Xing Yun refused to leave . She would rather give up the key of the housekeeper and stay in Xu Palace . What was her purpose?
She was a small servant girl who did not want the grace of the master and the power of a housekeeper but was willing to stay as an ordinary servant girl . There was only one possibility left: there was another person behind Xing Yun .
Today, Xing Yun was caught outside of Lord Xu’s study, confirming Yu Linglong’s guess that Xing Yun stayed in the palace in order to be able to monitor Lord Xu’s whereabouts .
Thinking of this, Yu Linglong really felt that Lord Xu was sad enough . There were a group of people behind him every day, and there were many pairs of eyes staring at his every move .
Perhaps this was why he had to pretend to be himself .
Glancing at Xing Yun with an aggrieved face, Yu Linglong gently sipped her tea, and said faintly: “You don’t want to tell me? Do you want me to help you?”
Hearing Yu Linglong’s words, Xing Yun couldn’t help but shiver, and the arm that was stabbed that day suddenly felt pain .
Xing Yun gritted her teeth, struggling to arch up from the ground, and knelt in the direction of Yu Linglong . Her forehead touched the ground heavily, making a m.u.f.fled sound .
She was crying, and with a tone of shame, she whispered: “The princess is forgiving, but I…I really admire the prince and want to be with the prince forever, that’s all…”
She was hesitant to talk, this girl who was still eager to talk was ashamed, but Xuan Cao and Ling’er on the side curled their lips in disdain .
It was nothing new for a maid to seduce the master, but she still had to put on such a shy look to the wife, which made them feel it was contemptuous .
Shameless!
Yu Linglong looked at Xing Yun’s shy and infinite appearance with cold eyes and even laughed out loud .
Xing Yun raised her head in amazement, with all kinds of words in her stomach, but she couldn’t say them all at once .
Her kerchief gently covered her mouth and Yu Linglong smiled with her eyes curled up as if watching a clown singing on the stage .
Looking at those insightful eyes, there was a chill on Xing Yun’s back .
Yu Linglong’s smile gradually disappeared, and the gaze that looked at Xing Yun became cold again, only a little more contemptuous than before .
“Do you think I will believe it?”