kvmb Chapter 821 She had many fears
Chapter 821 She had many fears
Lu Yangyang was slightly surprised.
If she remembered correctly, Xue Wanyue should be one of the Third Prince's people.
This is also why Lu Yangyang has always been wary and on guard against her.
However, while the case of the Tenth Prince was indeed a mutually beneficial arrangement, it did not mean that Lu Yangyang truly trusted her.
However, Xue Wanyue's words did not seem to have any connection with the Third Prince.
Just as Lu Yangyang was pondering, a palace servant reported from outside, "Your Highness, the Third Prince requests an audience."
Xue Wanyue glanced at Lu Yangyang and replied calmly, "Go tell the Third Prince that His Majesty will be coming over for dinner later, and it is inconvenient for me to see him."
The palace maids responded and withdrew.
Xue Wanyue turned to look at Lu Yangyang's calm expression, sighed softly, walked to the antique shelf in the inner room, and gently turned it. The wall behind the antique shelf parted, revealing a door.
Lu Yangyang then realized that the wall, carved with openwork patterns, was actually a mechanism.
Xue Wanyue said to Lu Yangyang, "Come with me."
Lu Yangyang followed her inside. Xue Wanyue closed the door, and the wall immediately shut, returning to its original state.
Lu Yangyang turned around and looked around. She originally thought that there would be a secret room behind the mechanism, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a flower room.
It was surrounded by glass flower houses made of glass.
At this time of year, most of the flowers in the greenhouse are in full bloom, filling the air with fragrance. In the dim candlelight, there is a strange sense of being in a secluded paradise.
Seeing her surprised look, Xue Wanyue smiled and asked, "Isn't she beautiful?"
Lu Yangyang nodded. "It is indeed beautiful."
Xue Wanyue led her through the flower stand to a round table in the middle. There was a small stove on the table, and two baskets next to it. One basket contained various snacks, and the other was filled with flowers.
On the table was a glass teapot with a matching set of cups, and next to it was a cup of floral tea.
They looked very relaxed.
She looked at Xue Wanyue with some confusion.
Xue Wanyue picked up the teapot and brewed her a cup of flower tea. Then, she used small tweezers to place the food to be grilled on the small stove before slowly speaking, "I know you suspect that I am one of the Third Prince's people."
It seemed she was prepared to be frank with her. Lu Yangyang remained silent, simply watching her quietly and waiting for her to continue.
Seeing her reaction, Xue Wanyue smiled and said, "You're still the same as before, calm and collected, as if you're not afraid no matter what happens."
Lu Yangyang thought to herself that this was a bit too much of a compliment; she had many things she was afraid of.
But she didn't interrupt Xue Wanyue.
Xue Wanyue continued, "My father was a very philanderer with many wives and concubines. My aunt was somewhat beautiful, but she wasn't favored. When I was little, like other unfavored concubine's daughters, I lived off my aunt's meager monthly allowance. The inner quarters were always opportunistic, favoring the rich and belittling the poor. Either the food sent from the main kitchen was spoiled and cold, or we lacked clothes and charcoal in the winter. My aunt altered her old clothes again and again, and that's how we made do. Anyone with eyes could see how harsh my stepmother was, but my father turned a blind eye. But what could he do? My father had many children, and whoever was favored had a better life. I had a fourth sister. Her aunt died in childbirth, and my stepmother was too lazy to raise her, so she arranged for a wet nurse to take care of her. Her life was even worse than mine. Fortunately, my aunt was still alive. My father would occasionally come to her room, and my aunt could squeeze some money out of him, which would allow us to live a better life for a while."
Xue Wanyue laughed: "That period was actually the happiest time of my childhood, because I had my aunt with me. She didn't have much experience, but she would protect me."
"I was probably six or seven years old when my features started to become clearer. Suddenly, I suddenly received a lot of attention. My father called me over and looked me up and down as if I were an object he had bought. Every glance was a measure of how much I was worth. At that time, I didn't understand. I was thinking that every time my aunt saw my father, our lives would be a little better. If I saw my father, would our lives be a little better too?"
"But after that, I was separated from my aunt and sent to a separate courtyard. There were people to take care of me there. I was well-fed every day, had new clothes to wear, and someone taught me to read. At first, I was happy, but soon I realized that I was trapped there. I could no longer go out and run around, and I couldn't even meet my aunt and the sisters in the mansion. Even if we met occasionally, I had to cover my face so that no outsiders could see me. I heard them mocking me, saying that I must have had chickenpox scars and become pockmarked, which is why I had to cover it up. They said I could never see anyone again and would never be able to marry into a good family."
“My name was also changed. When I was little, I was called Lingling. Later, I became Xue Wanyue, the seventh daughter of the Marquis of Guangping. As I grew up, my father’s gaze became more and more intense. Then came my eldest sister, my legitimate sister Xue Wanning. She was more ambitious and daring than my father. My father at most thought that one day he would select me to enter the palace to secure a future, but my legitimate sister wanted to use me to manipulate power and participate in the struggle for the throne.”
"Actually, she doesn't know how much I envy her. She comes from a noble family, and even though her mother died early and her father remarried, it couldn't shake her position as the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife. When I was young, I saw her, so dignified and noble. I even had a hope that someone as good as my eldest sister would help me and save me from my predicament. I met her fiancé, who was also an extremely good person. Such a perfect couple would surely have a wonderful future. But as you know, after the Crown Prince became disabled, the heir of the Duke of Sheng's family, who was the Crown Prince's study companion, would inevitably be implicated in the future, and she didn't want to get married anymore."
"The person she cared about was her cousin, but what she wanted was not something her cousin could give her. So after weighing the pros and cons, she gave me to the Third Prince, hoping to get closer to him. At that time, I was only thirteen years old, and the Third Prince's eyes were practically glowing with lust when he looked at me. In fact, when he was drunk, he would lose control and hug me, leaving all sorts of marks on my body. If he hadn't been keeping me to give to His Majesty, he would have already slept with me by then, calling out the name of the late Empress."
Lu Yangyang's hand trembled, and the cup in her hand almost fell to the ground.
Xue Wanyue's lips curled into a mocking smile: "You didn't expect that, did you? The Third Prince, who appears so dignified, gentle, and virtuous in public, actually dreams of replacing his father deep down. He's incredibly cowardly and can only satisfy his shameless desires through fantasies. He covets his cousin's wife, Miss Cheng, and while secretly currying favor with her behind his cousin's back, he doesn't have the guts to take her away. Fearing that Miss Cheng will have a child for his cousin, he secretly poisons his cousin to prevent him from having children. Miss Cheng plays with those two cousins like dogs."