Chapter 118

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Li Huairou followed Wei Qingxue and A-Li and walked out of the Huanyin Palace.

Looking back, it seemed like a lifetime.

When they arrived at Yongshou Palace, where Wei Qingxue lived, A-Li was taken to bathe and change clothes, while Li Huairou was taken to Wei Qingxue.

“You are quite good!” Wei Qingxue smiled and said, “Thank you for taking care of the fifteenth prince for so many years. Is there anything you want?”

Li Huairou hurriedly kowtowed. “Concubine Shu showed great kindness to this slave, so taking care of His Highness is what this slave should do. This slave made an oath in front of Concubine Shu to take care of His Highness for the rest of my life. I beg the lady not to despise this slave, and allow me to follow His Highness. This slave wants nothing else.”

“This is natural. This concubine feels uneasy letting other people take care of the fifteenth prince. It is very good that you are grateful, but the rewards and punishments are clear. If you have merit, you should be rewarded. This concubine will grant your wish; you may tell this concubine when you have thought about it,” Wei Qingxue said.

Li Huairou hesitated. Should she take this opportunity to send Jiang Man out of the palace to save her from doing stupid things in the future? Not to mention the damage to herself, but it would also affect her.

“Could this slave speak now?”

Wei Qingxue’s smile faded, but her voice was still warm. “Speak!”

“The slave has a sworn sister, named Jiang Man, who works in the imperial kitchen. In the past few years, everything was all thanks to her care. The slave wants to beg my lady to let her leave the palace and give her a good family to marry into,” Li Huairou said.

“Oh, you won’t ask for grace for yourself? Are you sure? You want to use this wish on her?” Wei Qingxue smiled.

“Yes, I beg my lady to fulfill it,” Li Huairou said sincerely. She didn’t want to leave the palace to get married; she was a servant, and she would rather serve the fifteenth prince. In the future, when he became an emperor, maybe she could serve as a master.

“Alright, this concubine promises you. I will let her out of the palace and find a good family for her. In addition, this concubine will give her a dowry,” Wei Qingxue readily agreed.

“Thank you, my lady!”

When Jiang Man was taken away from the Washing Bureau, she was stunned from head to toe. She’d made a mistake a few days ago and was demoted to the Washing Bureau. She was exhausted, being scolded and beaten, wanting to cry without tears. She was thinking about it all day long—what if someone could save her?

Who knew if they were really letting her out. She was scared again. Could it be that she’d made a mistake again and was going to be sent to the Department of Penalties?

Until she saw Li Huairou at the gate of the palace.

Jiang Man couldn’t believe her eyes. “Huairou, why are you here??”

“Good sister, you have suffered. It’s hard to explain in a few words, but, in short, I begged Concubine Ling to let you out of the palace and also find you a good family to marry into. Concubine Ling was benevolent and rewarded you with a dowry, so you can leave the palace now and live a good and peaceful life!” Li Huairou held Jiang Man’s hand, distressed.

Jiang Man was confused. “What the hell is going on?”

“Concubine Ling has no children, and she adopted the fifteenth prince as an adopted son. The fifteenth prince and I are now living in Yongshou Palace. She praised me for taking good care of the fifteenth prince. And since I have merit, she granted me a wish. You hadn’t come for so many days, so I guessed that something must have happened. So I told the lady that I hoped you could be released from the palace and find a good family to marry into. Concubine Ling agreed,” Li Huairou whispered.

Jiang Man’s eyes filled with tears. She’d just been thinking about how she could come out of the Washing Bureau. “Huairou, it’s all thanks to you? Otherwise, I’d probably die in the Washing Bureau!”

“Be quiet! How come you’re forgetting the taboos?!” Li Huairou hurriedly said, covering her mouth.

Jiang Man’s face was pale. The year they entered the palace, they’d seen a little palace maid have a slip of the tongue and say the word “death”. She was pulled over and slapped until her mouth was broken in front of their own eyes. They didn’t know what had happened to her later; they guessed that she was probably already dead?

Jiang Man had always dreamed of getting out of the palace. She was afraid! But once you entered the palace, unless you were twenty five years old, there was no chance of leaving it. She didn’t know if she could live to that time. Unexpectedly, Huairou had actually given her such a good opportunity.

“I heard from Xiao Guizi that you will be married to a distant cousin of Madam Wei, and the family is not bad. Although he has been married before, his original partner died in childbirth, and he has no children. The parents-in-law are not there, and there are no difficult sisters-in-law or brothers-in-law. Once you get married, you will become the master of the house. You must live a good life, ah!” Li Huairou told Jiang Man the news she’d inquired into, one after another. In this lifetime, Jiang Man hadn’t angered Concubine Ling, so Concubine Ling had truly found a decent family for her.

When Jiang Man heard this, her heart grew hot. “Huairou, thank you! You gave me the chance to leave the palace!”

Li Huairou shook her head. “I promised my master that I would take good care of my little master. I don’t want to go out of the palace, and I don’t want to get married, so I’ll follow the little master. You have to live a peaceful life in the future!”

Jiang Man had no doubt that Huairou was a stubborn person,

“I will! You also have to take care of yourself!”

When the time was up, it was time for Jiang Man to leave the palace.

Li Huairou watched with her own eyes that Jiang Man was taken out of the palace, and the palace gate slowly closed. Li Huairou breathed a sigh of relief—the biggest trouble had finally been solved. It should be easier in the future, right?

Li Huairou could not guarantee this. Although, the situation in this life was similar to the previous world—both were palace maids. But, in the previous world, her master was a noble consort with status, family background, and wealth. Although she was a palace maid, she could live better than an unloved princess. In this life, the fifteenth prince had nothing. With the love from serving him since he was a child, she believed that he would take good care of her in the future. But the female lead was also keeping an eye on her. In order to get revenge and focus solely on revenge, the female protagonist had even given up the chance to give birth—this was scheming!

What’s more, the female lead should be somewhat jealous of the original body owner. The female lead was dedicated to supporting her nephew, and, naturally, she didn’t want to see someone have more influence on her nephew than herself.

So, Li Huairou’s staying in the palace was actually quite risky. Jiang Man was also a smart person, and she was also very grateful to Li Huairou because of the fact that she’d thought of this.

Thinking of the unknown road ahead, Li Huairou sighed; although this was very risky, it was also fate, so let’s take it slowly!

Li Huairou slowly walked back to Yongshou Palace and wanted to speak to Concubine Ling, but she was stopped by someone who said that Concubine Ling had already fallen asleep. Li Huairou honestly kowtowed outside the door, turned around, and went back.

The people serving the fifteenth prince had been added, and each had their own division of labor. Although Li Huairou had assumed the name of a personal maid, she actually only had the title, and she was not responsible for any specific matters.

Li Huairou did not panic, nor was she impatient. She turned around and went back to her room, picked up her half-finished needlework, and continued to work on it.

After a while, she heard the footsteps—thud thud thud. Li Huairou raised her head, and the fifteenth prince rushed over and buried his head in her arms. “Sister Rou!”

Li Huairou hurriedly removed the needle and thread so as not to poke him, then got off the stool and half-kneeled on the ground to hold the fifteenth prince. “Your Highness is back from studying? Have you greeted your concubine mother? You must greet your concubine mother first, okay? If there is anything unpleasant, you can tell her. The lady is so smart; she can definitely solve Your Highness’s problem.”

Maybe it was Li Huairou’s calm, soothing voice, but the fifteenth prince slowly calmed down and raised his head. “Okay! I’ll go and greet Concubine Mother.”

Li Huairou took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat on the Fifteenth prince’s forehead. Holding his hand, she went to Concubine Ling’s place.

Li Huairou didn’t go in, but simply encouraged the fifteenth prince with gentle eyes.

Wei Qingxue had long known the particulars of this matter from the people who followed the fifteenth prince. It was nothing more than being excluded and a children’s trick. The fifteenth prince was still young and couldn’t stand it.

For the fifteenth prince, who had suffered, the first thing he did was seek that little palace maid instead of his aunt and adoptive mother. Wei Qingxue merely smiled slightly.

Wei Qingxue asked everyone who was serving to stand up and go out, but the doors and windows were left open, and then she called the fifteenth prince to her side.

“Are you upset?” Wei Qingxue gently stroked the fifteenth prince’s forehead.

The fifteenth prince nodded.

“Concubine mother told you last night, and you should know that when you come out of Huanyin Palace, all this is inevitable,” Wei Qingxue said softly.

The fifteenth prince didn’t speak, just standing there silently. Last night, Wei Qingxue had told him everything, including his background and the relationship between Wei Qingxue and his mother. His aunt had said that she wanted to avenge his mother and put him on the throne of the crown prince!

Wei Qingxue smiled slightly, knowing that it was normal for a four- or five-year-old child to be unable to accept it. She didn’t intend to pull the seedlings to help them grow, and that was why she kept Li Huairou by Fifteenth’s side.

[Ya miao zhu zhang (揠苗助长) This metaphor means violating the objective law of the development of things in an eagerness to get results, but messing things up]

“What you have to do is to make yourself stronger. When you are so powerful that you are beyond their reach and make them feel scared, they will surrender at your feet. Don’t be afraid, don’t worry, your concubine mother will accompany you. Today is your first day of school, and your father emperor will definitely come at night. Let Huairou wash you up, change your clothes, and review your homework during the day. Concubine Mother will ask the imperial kitchen to make something delicious for you,” Wei Qingxue said gently, holding the fifteenth prince in her arms.

The fifteenth prince nodded. “I can’t do some of the homework the teacher taught. Can Concubine Mother teach me?”

“Alright, go wash and get changed first, and then come to Concubine Mother with the book.” Wei Qingxue smiled.

The fifteenth prince came out, Li Huairou greeted him, and the fifteenth prince naturally took Li Huairou’s hand and went back to his own room.

The maids brought the hot water, and several maids gathered around, preparing to wash and change clothes for the fifteenth prince. The fifteenth prince frowned. “Sister Rou, come here.”

Li Huairou didn’t get angry when she was pushed to the back. She wasn’t that humble, and she didn’t want to catch up and serve others. She was just about to be lazy when the fifteenth prince called her name.

Li Huairou had no choice but to step forward under the jealous eyes of those palace maids and wash the fifteenth prince’s face and body.

“Your Highness is sweating a lot today; your clothes are all wet with sweat. You’re wearing these clothes and running around the palace—what if you catch a cold? What should I do? The sweat-absorbent towel I made for you has been washed and dried. I shall put it on when you go out tomorrow. If you sweat, ask Xiao Dengzi to remove the wet towel for you and put another one in it.” Perhaps it was a problem left over from Huanyin Palace. In the past, Huanyin Palace consisted of only Li Huairou and the fifteenth prince, and, if they didn’t speak, it would always feel creepy.

Therefore, when Li Huairou and the fifteenth prince were together, she always talked a lot.

The fifteenth prince liked to listen to Li Huairou’s talking.

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This translation is presented by Nocturne Translations.

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