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  Understanding this point, Li Yuan actually felt like she was relieved from a burden. Her originally dropping corners of her mouth unexpectedly lifted up subtly: "So Niang Niang had come to inform me of my final punishment…… That is also good. With you telling me, I’ll be able to resign myself to it. Speak, am I getting death by a hundred cuts or am I getting beheaded. Either is fine, since death isn’t a scary idea to me anymore."

  "What death? Whose going to die?" Xia Yuqing looked confused, not understanding how the subject had suddenly changed into a you live I die sort of problem.

  Seeing Xia Yuqing’s reaction, Li Yuan felt her heart shudder: "Could it be…… You aren’t even willing to allow me to die quickly and would like to bestow every sort of torture until I am begging for death to relieve your anger?"

  "Ga……" Xia Yuqing’s eyes widened, her face stunned as looked at the resentful Li Yuan with eyes full of suspicion.

  "Cough cough……" Unable to endure anymore of this nonsense, Lu Rui firmly stepped forward, ignoring the staring contest between the two people who were facing each other as if they were cocks fighting.

  "Lady Yuan, there seems to be a misunderstanding. My Niang Niang is trying to say that since the Xue emperor has abandoned Gu Niang, Niang Niang in conformance with heaven’s virtue couldn’t bear to see Gu Niang be alone drifting or killed. Therefore, she had already spoken to His Majesty and hopes that Gu Niang will forget past enmities and from now on come to serve by Niang Niang’s side along with Nu Bi."

  That’s right. I was coming here to toss an olive branch, how did it suddenly became us screaming about killing? That’s irrational!

  Xia Yuqing turned around with a broken hearted face as if hurt from the misunderstanding.

  "Cough cough…… Niang Niang, your way of speaking can indeed be quite misleading."

  When Lu Rui said this, Xia Yuqing’s body froze. Turning her head around, she had a face as if she had been struck by lightning. So, it was the way she was conveying that wasn’t right?

  Seeing Xia Yuqing silently squatting in a corner drawing circles on the ground then from time to time turn her head to give a grievous look saying ’you don’t like me’ and a ’you help outsiders and not me’, Lu Rui’s lips twitched. Then she coughed light and reminded: "Niang Niang, Yuan Er Gu Niang……"

  At once, Xia Yuqing returned back to her original spot, her appearance back to being dignified and composed. Lu Rui who saw this all suddenly felt…… A stomachache!

  Fortunately, at present, Li Yuan was also soaking up all the words Lu Rui had just said and was in shock still, so she had not noticed any of Xia Yuqing’s strange behaviours. After a long while, she asked in disbelief: "You…… you want to keep me?"

  Xia Yuqing nodded her head. Yet, Li Yuan became more and more bewildered: Why? You clearly know that I’m…… or do you have some sort of goal, do you want something from me? If that is the case, I’ll tell you honestly the Xue emperor that old man had never acknowledged me, moreover he doesn’t trust me at all. I don’t know anything. If you were planning on fishing out some information from me, then let me warn you, don’t waste your time."

  Xia Yuqing looked at Li Yuan who looked like a bird that was frightened by the twang of an arrow. Staring blankly at her for a moment, she then let out a soft sigh and without any choice smiled: "You, yourself already said that you don’t know anything and don’t have anything. Then what other schemes would Ben Gong use you for?"

  That special medicine was just something casual and shouldn’t be included, Xia Yuqing silently thought in her mind.

  Li Yuan was stunned, then she dropped her head. Sucking in her lips, she looked a bit bitter. Yes, she has no authority or power, no name or money, what good is she?

  "The reason Ben Gong wants to take you in isn’t for trying to get anything from you, instead it’s because…… Ben Gong trusts you. Trusts that you aren’t some evil person."

  Li Yuan was startled, then she laughed as if she heard the funniest joke in the world: "Don’t forget that I had tried to assassinate you twice and nearly……"

  "However, you didn’t hurt Ben Gong, right?" Seeing Li Yuan’s face change colour, Xia Yuqing smiled: "The first time, the person you tried to assassinate was His Majesty, not Ben Gong. As for the second time…… It was Ben Gong who had invited you into the palace to talk. It was also Ben Gong who gave you a makeover and also revealed your frustration. You clearly had many opportunities to kill Ben Gong. Yet, you didn’t do anything. In fact, at that moment you had gotten rid of the Gorgeous Tutor you clearly could have made a move on Ben Gong who was closest to you, but you changed your mind and decided to advance towards my eldest royal brother. You actually didn’t want to hurt Ben Gong, right?"

  Li Yuan withdrew her gaze, not daring to look at Xia Yuqing’s crystal clear eyes. She felt her heart tremble. She had never thought that her every single move had actually been seen through by someone.

  In that instant, she felt that the outer layer protecting herself had been mercilessly peeled off revealing her secret frail ** in front of everyone. She also would have never expected that the person to peel it off to be the woman in front of her, who she had met only a handful of times.

  "Earlier, you said that everything was just a big scam. Yet, Ben Gong felt that when you had mentioned that it was true Ben Gong was the only person who had helped you groom yourself besides your mom……"

  If she had not revealed the truth, then how else did she carelessly expose herself?

  Hearing the word mother, Li Yuan shivered from head to toe. Her head hung low until……

  A dripping sound could be heard. However it wasn’t water gathering into a puddle from outside the jail cell, rather……

  Xia Yuqing was amazed as she looked at the continuous flow of tears running down Li Yuan’s face. Losing her calm: "Hey, why are you crying? Don’t cry!"

  It’s finished. She had gone overboard and had caused the cute girl to cry?

  "He said……" Xia Yuqing’s words did not stop Li Yuan’s tears at all. Li Yuan covered her mouth and choked: "as long as I succeed in this assassination or seize an opportunity to drive a wedge between other countries and Ye Country, then he would acknowledge my identity. He would acknowledge my mother’s status and allow my mother to be buried with the imperial concubines and allow her soul to pass on."

  The identity of "princess" was something she had never cared for. The thing she genuinely cared about was her mother. But it cannot be denied that this man had perfectly grasped onto her weak point to exploit her.

  Xia Yuqing choked and carefully asked: "If your mother isn’t buried with the imperial concubines, then……"

  Li Yuan wiped the tears on her face and smiled coldly: "My mother is originally just the lowest of palace maids, she doesn’t have any status at all. Once she passed away, there was basically nowhere to bury her. I could only temporarily bury her underneath her favourite pear tree hoping one day I could move her elsewhere to allow her to rest in peace. However, I am scared that I won’t be able to return there. Who knows if my mother below would blame me for being unfilial."

  "No."

  As Li Yuan was immersed in her past memories, she suddenly heard twitter of words. In a daze, she asked: "What?"

  "No, your mother wouldn’t blame you. Even if she did blame you, it would only be for acting on your own initiative and agreeing to that man’s deal and putting yourself in harms way. Yuan Er, there is no mother who wouldn’t love the child they carried for ten months inside of them. She won’t blame you for being unable to return to visit her. But she would blame you for putting yourself in danger for her already dead body and wouldn’t be able to rest in peace."

  Xia Yuqing caressed her somewhat bulging belly and smiled slightly. Perhaps this child was a bit unexpected, however with each day that passes and as it grows bigger, the beginning curiosity and uneasiness had gradually disappeared and to be followed with the hard to describe touching warmth.

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