Seeing Yun Xi silently shedding tears with a look of unspeakable suffering, the Empress Dowager's heart skipped a beat. She immediately showed her concern and ordered the granny beside her:
"Why haven't you served tea to the princess yet? Go and prepare the Yuqian Longjing tea that I like the most!"
Since Yun Xi sat down, the Empress Dowager had only told her to be seated and hadn't ordered the palace servants to prepare tea. Now being scolded by the Empress Dowager, the grannies naturally didn't dare to defend themselves.
They just bowed their heads respectfully and said yes. Soon they served a cup of tea to Yun Xi. The Empress Dowager sighed and said:
"The ancients always taught women to obey their fathers before marriage and their husbands after marriage, and to strictly follow the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. Women are always bound by so many rules. If they meet a kind and caring husband, it would be okay. They can respect and love each other. But if they marry the wrong person, they won't be so lucky. Especially when they get old and lose their beauty, they will only end up in a miserable situation. Their whole life will be wasted in vain..."
Receiving the Empress Dowager's look, Concubine Yu immediately echoed:
"What the Empress Dowager said is just the treatment of a legal wife. It's okay if she's not cherished by her husband. At least she has the status of a legal wife and retains a shred of dignity in the mansion."
Then Concubine Yu paused. Her gaze fell on Yun Xi, who was silently sobbing, and she sighed:
"If she's just a concubine, without power or influence and not favored by her husband, her status in the mansion might not even be as good as a servant! She can't stop those snobbish slaves from bullying her secretly. That's really a tragic situation!"
"Concubine Yu, stop talking! Don't say such things in front of the princess."
The Empress Dowager deliberately scolded her, but Concubine Yu said helplessly, yet facing Yun Xi:
"Princess, I'm just speaking my mind. What I said is all the truth. You're the legitimate eldest daughter of Prime Minister Yun and a princess personally bestowed by the emperor. Are you really willing to live your whole life being laughed at by others?"
Watching the Empress Dowager and Concubine Yu act in tandem, Yun Xi suppressed the sneer in her heart, but put on a sad expression on her face.
"Things have come to this. Even if I'm not willing, what can I do? The prince has such a temper. Even though my father has visited him several times to talk to him, he was humiliated by the prince every time and returned in anger. I've already given up trying to fight for myself..."
Yun Xi said with a helpless look, but the Empress Dowager seemed to have found an opportunity. A kind smile appeared on her lips:
"Silly girl, have you forgotten? Even if Prince Xian is stubborn, there's still me, an elder."
Hearing the Empress Dowager's words, Yun Xi's eyes lit up. She looked up at the Empress Dowager with hopeful eyes:
"Empress Dowager, are you willing to help me?!"
Yun Xi's excited and cautious tone made the Empress Dowager's smile even softer. She slowly nodded.
"Seeing you so aggrieved, I really can't bear it. I'll find an opportunity to talk to Prince Xian later."
As long as Yun Xi asked for her help, it would be easy for her to control the other person!
The Empress Dowager was secretly calculating in her heart, while Yun Xi looked extremely grateful. She quickly left her seat and solemnly bowed to the Empress Dowager. She said obsequiously:
"Yun Xi thanks the Empress Dowager for your kindness! If the Empress Dowager needs my help in the future, I'll surely follow your lead and never hesitate to sacrifice my life!"
Taking this as an opportunity to gradually relax the Empress Dowager's vigilance against her would be more beneficial for her to obtain information in the future!
The Empress Dowager naturally didn't know what Yun Xi was thinking. She nodded in satisfaction and ordered the granny beside her to help Yun Xi up. She also invited Yun Xi to stay in the Kunning Palace for lunch, and Yun Xi didn't refuse.
The Empress Dowager had the habit of praying to Buddha every noon. Taking advantage of this time, Yun Xi walked out under the pretext of admiring the scenery of the Kunning Palace.
Glancing at the maid following far behind, Yuzhu walked up to Yun Xi and whispered:
"Miss, why do I feel that the Empress Dowager and Concubine Yu are unusually friendly to you today?"
Yuzhu controlled her voice carefully and frowned slightly:
"It's not that they weren't amiable before. It just feels a bit strange..."
Looking at Yuzhu's strange expression, Yun Xi couldn't help but smile and teased in a low voice:
"Yuzhu, I didn't expect you to become so smart. When did this happen?"
If even Yuzhu could notice their abnormality, it could only mean one thing: Qi Rong's existence had seriously threatened the Empress Dowager's interests!
So the other side couldn't wait to use all the people or things they could benefit from to deal with Qi Rong!
Hearing the teasing in Yun Xi's words, Yuzhu couldn't help but roll her eyes at Yun Xi:
"Miss, that 'I didn't expect' of yours is redundant. I've always been smart. You just didn't notice."
Yuzhu's proud look made Yun Xi burst out laughing. She reached out and tapped Yuzhu's forehead, using a bit more force than usual.
"Miss, why do you always like to flick people's foreheads?"
Yuzhu winced in pain, covering her forehead tightly. She stared at Yun Xi with tears in her eyes and complained.
"Yes, yes, yes. Your head is really smart! I tapped your head to see if you've really become smart. Fortunately, there's no sound of water."
Yun Xi showed her teeth and smiled at Yuzhu.
Although Yun Xi was unaware of this habit, it was actually influenced by Qi Rong.
"Miss, you're teasing me again!"
Yuzhu looked dissatisfied, but Yun Xi's smile suddenly froze on her face. Because she saw a maid dodging around, holding a stick in her hand. There seemed to be scarlet blood on one end of the stick.
And that maid was the senior maid who complained about being scratched by a madman when she entered the Kunning Palace.
Suddenly thinking of something, Yun Xi felt a chill in her heart. She immediately said to Yuzhu, who was still chattering beside her:
"Yuzhu, I want to go to the toilet. You stay here and wait for me to come back. Don't go anywhere, okay?"
Seeing Yun Xi's solemn expression, Yuzhu was worried and whispered:
"Does your stomach hurt, Miss? Is it your menstrual period?"
Yun Xi had started menstruating after her coming - of - age ceremony, so Yuzhu calculated and knew that it was almost that time for Yun Xi.
"No."
Yun Xi shook her head and said firmly. But then she thought for a while and said to Yuzhu:
"But I do feel a bit uncomfortable in my stomach. I might take a longer time to come back. You just wait for me quietly."
Saying that, Yun Xi quickly walked towards the maid following behind. She declined the maid's offer to follow and just asked for the general direction before leaving in a hurry.
Yuzhu wanted to say something else. Looking at Yun Xi's eager back, she opened her mouth but finally swallowed her words.
She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, thinking that her miss had really grown up and was no longer the little girl who would always ask her to accompany her to the toilet.
Noticing that the maid's attention had shifted elsewhere, Yun Xi paused. She deliberately avoided the maid's sight and walked in the opposite direction.
After several twists and turns, Yun Xi finally came to a remote courtyard.
It was called a courtyard, but in fact, it was in ruins, still retaining the traces of the fire.
Looking at the burnt wooden door of the courtyard, Yun Xi hesitated for a moment. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Looking at the overgrown weeds in the courtyard, it was hard to believe that there was a living person inside. However, when she saw the little bit of un - dried scarlet on the ground, her heart trembled violently.
She was absolutely sure that this was the place she was looking for.