bookcurios Chapter 144 Utilization
Chapter 144 Utilization
Oh no, I accidentally let it slip.
Xiang An's heart skipped a beat, but her fingertips calmly turned a page and said lightly, "When something is beyond your control or exceeds your capacity to bear it, the only way to make yourself feel better is to treat yourself as an outsider."
Yan listened without understanding, but obeyed: "Yes."
Xiang An: "Have you explained the matter of Diao Xi to him?"
“It’s clear. Diao Xi understands what the princess wants to do, and he moved out of the princess’s residence half a month ago.”
“Alright, Xiao Ru will be moving out of the Princess’s residence soon. Tell Diao Xi to wait for her.” Xiang An put down the paper in his hand, looked up at the bright sky outside the window, and pointed to the letter that had been prepared on the coffee table. “Send it to Fu Qingbai and make sure he sees it with his own eyes before you come back.”
"Yes."
After Yan Qing left, Xiao Ru went forward to close the door and pulled down the bamboo curtain on the window. "Why did the princess say so much, but not mention the matter of marrying the prince?"
"How could I not say it?" Xiang An pressed his arms lightly on the paper and lay down comfortably.
Xiao Ru gently pressed her ten fingers on Xiang An's shoulder: "Then we should explain. The rumors that we managed to suppress earlier are now spreading again. Although General Fu took most of the blame on him after his words in the palace, the rumors still hurt the princess."
Xiang An buried her face in the pillow, and after a long while, mumbled, "Tired."
I'm physically and mentally exhausted.
After all that fuss, from a marriage alliance to marrying a princess, it's hard to say whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.
He mentally called out to the system, "I still have a few chances to restart."
My mind is quiet.
Her system was unusually tolerant; it never hindered her no matter what she did. It would appear every time she failed, say something that was neither encouragement nor sarcasm, and then disappear.
Giving up on calling the system, she remembered the instructions she wanted to keep in her heart: "Xiao Ru, after leaving the Princess's residence, do not have any ties with anyone there. I will also spread the word that I am at odds with you."
The hands massaging my shoulder paused for a moment, then resumed normal: "Why?"
“Because…” Xiang An pulled Xiao Ru’s hand and wrote two words in her palm.
Xiao Ru carefully tried to decipher the character by following the direction of the finger. Once she understood, she trembled and knelt down on the footstool by the bed. "This servant is utterly disobedient and misunderstood. Princess, please write it again."
"You've misunderstood, I'm going to do something utterly rebellious." Xiang An straightened up slightly, turned her head, and met Xiao Ru's kneeling gaze at her directly. "Are you afraid?"
Xiao Ru: "I'm not afraid."
Xiang An clearly noticed that the fear in Xiao Ru's eyes turned into determination, and her almond-shaped black eyes were as bright as the clearest gemstones in the world.
Xiao Ru: "It is my good fortune that the princess is willing to share her aspirations with me and Diao Xi. I am willing to go through fire and water for the princess."
"It seems Diao Xi has figured it out," Xiang An chuckled.
On the day Diao Xi returned home in triumph, when he came to her to express his gratitude, she said some ambiguous things intentionally or unintentionally. At that time, Diao Xi was confused and she did not say anything explicitly, giving him a way out to regret it.
Now that Xiaoru is saying this, it seems that he asked Xiaoru privately but didn't get a clear answer, and ultimately made the decision himself.
"Xiao Ru, move that box later." Xiang An pointed to the mahogany box in the corner.
"Princess, this servant doesn't want it, it's too precious." Xiao Ru was in charge of everything in Xiang An's room and knew very well what was in the mahogany box.
"One chest is considered valuable?" Xiang An buried her face in the pillow again. "What if you left the princess's residence and found that I had also given you fifty acres of fertile land and ten chests more valuable than the mahogany chests in this room? Wouldn't you faint?"
"This servant refuses! The princess has already secured such a bright future for Diao Xi..."
Xiang An interrupted, "Xiao Ru, do you know why I didn't send Yan Qing to the military camp, but instead sent Diao Xi?"
Xiao Ru bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, but still honestly said, "...It's because of me."
“Smart. Although I need trusted confidants in the camp, Diao Xi is not my only choice. His skills are not good enough for me to choose him. In fact, I met him through you, and it is you who made me give him important responsibilities.”
Xiang An buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled, "But, I was actually very scared when I did this. Diao Xi is a smart man. When he learned that I had entered the camp, he must have guessed that it was for this reason. You have also spent some time in the palace, so you should know how terrible people's hearts can be. Once they turn against you, the most terrifying thing is that they will turn their backs on you."
If he looks down on you for being of lower status than him or turns to someone else afterward, you will definitely be heartbroken, which will cause a rift in our master-servant relationship. I was worried for a long time, but I still did it.
Marriage is a woman's second life. If you later complain that I'm meddling or worrying unnecessarily, that's fine, but a woman's prime years shouldn't be wasted on a man; they should be passionate and vibrant. You've been with me for many years, and while we haven't lived a life of great wealth, we've at least been well-fed and clothed. I don't want to see you suffer misery later.
Xiao Ru's eyes were already red. She had never known that the princess's arrangement had so many intentions. "Princess, you don't need to consider this servant. You can use this servant. This servant is willing to be a pawn in the princess's hands."
"Why are you so silly and still not angry? I'm already using you," Xiang An said, leaning back on the pillow, gently pinching Xiao Ru's cheek. As she released the hand, she tapped Xiao Ru's palm with her fingertip. "Do you know that if I were to do this, it wouldn't be possible without Diao Xi?"
“Diao Xi is willing to do this too.” Xiao Ru also gently tapped the palm of her hand that had just been writing.
"Oh?"
Xiao Ru's cheeks flushed slightly: "When the princess asked me to ask him if he was willing to go to the military camp, he already had some idea of what was going on. We were both prepared, so the princess can just do it without worry. Our most valuable asset is our lives. If we leave the princess, our lives are worthless. It is our greatest honor to be an important pawn in the princess's game."
Her fingers, curled up in the thin blanket, trembled slightly. She wanted to say, "Don't do this. You should be angry, you should resist, you should scold me." Because she had figured out Diao Xi and Xiao Ru's personalities, she knew that the two of them would definitely follow her. That's why she had set up the situation step by step. Xiang An was so timid that she dared not meet Xiao Ru's burning eyes. All the words in her heart were stuck in her throat.
Xiao Ru: "Don't overthink it. No matter what the princess thinks or does, this servant is willing."
As Xiao Ru finished speaking, all of Xiang An's pent-up emotions vanished without a trace. Rather than blindly offering explanations, it was better to trust her and let the truth or falsehood be revealed.
“Princess,” Yan Qing suddenly returned, waiting outside the door and gently knocking on the door frame, “General Fu has arrived.”
Xiang An quickly put away his moved expression, pointed to the screen placed against the wall, and waved for Xiao Ru to bring it over.
It was too hot, and his injured buttocks were only covered with a thin layer of plain silk, which was really indecent and embarrassing. Seeing the screen standing in front of the bed, she spoke out to the outside: "He was beaten, but he can still walk?"