The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

The letter of apology from Marquis of Jing County was delivered at full speed, and he himself was still on the way, so Xu's mother was still allowed by the Queen to stay in the palace to accompany her daughter.

When Xie Ruizhen arrived, the mother and daughter were sitting under the eaves embroidering.

Xu Xiaoyi welcomed Xie Yuzhen in. Xu's mother was less reserved than the first time she met her, but she was still a little embarrassed. She unconsciously twisted the thimble on her finger.

Xie Yuzhen pretended that she didn't notice Xu's mother's uneasiness, and instead regained her appearance as the gentle girl who used to live in the common alleys. She was very friendly and familiar, and pulled the two of them to sit down. She praised a lifelike butterfly on the embroidery frame without any hesitation.

"No wonder Sister Yuan has such a good skill. It turns out that she learned it from her aunt. It has a long family tradition!" Xie Yuzhen looked like he loved the butterfly very much. He said with envy in his eyes, acting like a child. "When I was a child, I didn't like to learn this. I ran around with the girl next door every day. My mother couldn't control me... Alas, now I want to do some needlework, but people still think I'm too ugly."

"No, no, madam... You are praising me too much..." Although Xu's mother had an old face and looked weathered, one could tell from the contours of her eyebrows and eyes that she was a beauty when she was young. Her facial features were about 60% similar to Xu Xiaoyi's, both of them looked weak, pure, and pitiful.

But the scar on her forehead was too deep to be ignored.

Xie Wei was so gentle and amiable that it made Xu's mother feel much more relaxed.

Xu Xiaoyi silently kept Xie Ruizhen's kindness in her heart and took out an embroidered shoe upper from the needle and thread basket. The shoe was made of azure blue satin and on it were two white-haired kittens in different poses. They looked vivid, cute and adorable, as if they would pounce out at the next second.

"My mother and I embroidered a shoe upper for you..." Xu Xiaoyi's cheeks were red, making her look even more beautiful and charming. "I don't know if you like it."

The mother and daughter are both great embroidery experts, and these furry little animals have always been the most laborious to embroider, not to mention that they can be embroidered so delicately and vividly, and it's obvious that a lot of effort has been put into them.

Xie Yuzhen didn't go to take the uppers, but grabbed Xu Xiaoyi's hands: "Your injury hasn't healed yet, why don't you take a good rest? Why waste all this energy? The Shanggong Bureau manages so many embroiderers, can I still do without a pair of uppers from you?"

Her tone was anxious and angry. Although it was a rebuke, both the mother and daughter could hear her earnest concern. Xu Xiaoyi's eyes were filled with tears: "Sister..."

Xie Yuzhen interrupted her immediately: "Since you call me sister, I won't tell you those empty words. Right now, you have to heal your wounds first. Your recovery is more important than anything else. Only then can you help me more in the future..."

She glanced at Xu's mother who lowered her head and seemed to be wiping away tears, knowing that she was really standing on the softest spot in their hearts, so she continued, "I just went to the Lizheng Palace, and the Jingjun Marquis's letter of apology has been delivered to Your Majesty's desk. He meant that he was willing to atone for this crime with his fiefdom and Liu Hong's life."

Xu Xiaoyi raised her head suddenly, her lips trembling slightly: "... the ancestral fiefdom... the life of the Marquis' wife... it is indeed a heavy bargaining chip."

She knew very well that the emperor had no affection for her, and that the emperor's wrath was not due to the crimes she and her mother had suffered, but to the fact that the Marquis of Jing County had deceived his way to power and offended the dignity of the royal family.

But on the surface, all of this was done by Liu Hongshi alone; the Marquis of Jingjun was far away in Jingjun, and he could have put all the blame on his wife, and he immediately offered his fiefdom to beg for his life... He only needed to kneel down to appease the emperor's anger, and Xu Xiaoyi was just the most insignificant link in it.

"The Marquis of Jingjun wrote to you in a letter saying that he is willing to apologize to you personally and compensate you. Perhaps he still wants you, his daughter, to recognize him." Xie Yuzhen didn't even need to give any further guidance, as he already knew the answer from Xu Xiaoyi's expression.

As expected, Xu Xiaoyi bit her lower lip hard: "I am the daughter of the Xu family. What is my relationship with the Liu family?"

She looked into Xie Yuzhen's eyes and said, "I am a humble person with few words. I would like to ask you to help me one more time. Please tell His Majesty that I am just a woman in the deep palace. How can I ask the great marquis to apologize in person?"

She described herself as humble, but in fact she was decisive in making it clear that she wanted to cut ties with the Jingjun Marquisate.

This was an answer the Emperor would have liked.

Xie Yuzhen patted her hand gently: "Don't worry, Yuan, he can't embarrass you."

"Sister, could it be..." Xu Xiaoyi took a deep breath. In her eyes, Xie Yuzhen seemed to have turned into the most compassionate Bodhisattva on the lotus platform at that moment.

She was just a minor concubine of little importance.

She knew very well that if she said that, she would definitely offend the Marquis of Jingjun Mansion. If Liu Shuyi came out from house arrest and knew that her mother died because of Xu Xiaoyi, she would definitely try every means to avenge her mother.

There will be countless murderous intentions in the former dynasty and the harem.

It is even possible that his behavior of refusing to acknowledge his biological father would displease the emperor, and he would completely lose his temporary protection.

But Xu Xiaoyi still refused to admit it.

She originally wanted to shamelessly beg Xie Yuzhen once again, asking her to protect her mother. After that, no matter what Xie Yuzhen asked her to do, she would do it at the risk of her life.

But Xu Xiaoyi never could have imagined that Xie Yuzhen had actually guessed her thoughts long ago. Before she could respond to the letter of apology from Marquis Jingjun, she took action to block all the crisis and embarrassment for her.

Xu Xiaoyi's whole body began to tremble. She couldn't tell whether the emotion that surged in her heart was gratitude or panic... She felt mixed emotions in her heart, but she didn't want to cry in front of her mother, for fear that her mother would worry.

So she bit her tongue hard and tried to remain calm: "I will never forget your kindness, sister!"

Xu Xiaoyi immediately showed her mother a cheerful smile: "It's time to take the medicine. Please go and see if they have prepared the medicine."

Looking at her daughter's smiling face, Xu's mother felt even more bitter. She nodded as if she was not worried and said, "I'll go right away. You guys can chat."

She was just an ordinary woman with little knowledge, and all she could do was to try her best not to cause trouble to her daughter.

Seeing this, Xie Yuzhen really wanted to help the mother and daughter, so she raised her hand and gently wiped Xu Xiaoyi's wet eyes with a handkerchief: "Ayuan, don't be too happy yet. Sister has prepared a big gift for you."

Asking the Marquis of Jingjun to give up his fiefdom and return to Kyoto is only the first step.

Under the influence of Xie Yuzhen's strong pillow talk, the emperor also prepared a big "surprise" for the Marquis of Jing County - not only would his fiefdom be confiscated, but his title would also be stripped, and his hereditary marquisate passed down from the founding of the country would be demoted to a county earl, which could only be passed down for two generations and had to be reduced in sequence.

Based on Xie Yuzhen's understanding of those noble families, this kind of treatment would be more painful than killing them.

The chaos and suffering in the Marquis of Jing County’s Mansion are still to come.