Chapter 321: Chapter 226
Especially Chen Xixi, who used to be a stunning beauty, captivating with every smile and frown. Within just one year, she no longer exuded charm, and her once delicate face seemed to have been touched by dust, losing its radiance.
Yet this level of beauty, in an ordinary household, was still a rarity.
At this moment, Chen Xixi gazed unblinkingly at Xie Wanqing, at this face she thought she would never see again in this lifetime, and her eyes reddened.
She recalled their meeting over a year ago.
At the Capital Suburb Camp, she was about to be sent back to that hellhole of a Chen Family by that God of Killing. At the time, the Chen Family was on the verge of collapse. Once back, she would either become the daughter of a criminal official and be sent to the Imperial Music Bureau or into the military camp as a camp courtesan, or used in the family to entertain guests as a household courtesan.
Each path was a dead end.
She was destined to be manipulated, destined for a miserable life.
Chen Xixi still remembered the overwhelming despair of that time.
It was this cousin she had never met before who pleaded for her, allowing her to regain a new life.
For the past year, Chen Xixi never dared to forget that without this cousin, without the gold coins in the purse, she wouldn’t be living today.
Xie Wanqing was not accustomed to exchanging heartfelt sentiments with others. Seeing tears brimming in her eyes, she uncomfortably pressed her lips together and pointed to a low stool beside her, saying, "Sit down, let’s talk."
Chen Xixi looked around the room and then sat down.
This time, she didn’t start by asking questions but instead recounted her experiences over the past year.
That day, she escaped the camp and planned to live incognito in a village near the Capital Suburb.
The Capital was, after all, the foot of the Emperor, with impeccable security, where an orphan like her could find a place to settle.
But the Capital never lacked wealthy playboys, and eventually, her face attracted trouble once more.
To avoid being forcibly taken as a concubine, Chen Xixi fled overnight.
The North was embroiled in constant war, which she dared not approach. While the Southern regions were beset by bandits, the court had been vigorously suppressing them over the years, always offering a path to survival.
Having learned from her ordeal, this time Chen Xixi dared not reveal her face. She wandered through several cities, finally settling in Bianzhou.
The reason was simple: it was safe here.
The bandits had been quelled by Lu Ziyuan, and the new court-appointed officials were honest and upright. The city’s inhabitants were living well.
Chen Xixi said, "Half a year ago, I got married. My husband’s surname is Li, and he’s a scholar with the title of a Scholar."
Such a man, in the past, wouldn’t have appeared before Chen Xixi at all.
As the renowned beauty of Qingzhou City, she grew up surrounded by noble young masters, and even if her father gave her away, it would be to someone like Lu Ziyuan, a capable minister with aspirations of becoming Emperor.
Yet now, she was married to a Scholar.
But on her face was an uncontrollable expression of happiness.
At a glance, Xie Wanqing could see how content she was with her current state.
She smiled and congratulated her, saying, "I don’t have anything good on me right now, but tell me what you like, and I’ll buy it for you tomorrow as a wedding gift."
"Sister, please don’t go to any expense for me," Chen Xixi shook her head, "I don’t need those expensive ornaments now."
As she spoke, her expression paused, and she quietly asked, "Why are you here alone, Sister?"
In the end, she still asked.
Xie Wanqing sighed softly.
Chen Xixi hurriedly said, "If it’s inconvenient to say, I won’t ask."
There wasn’t anything particularly inconvenient.
Although Bianzhou was far from the Capital City, Lu Ziyuan was a well-known figure, and the incident of him forcefully taking the Heir of Duke Pei’s wife would eventually spread here.
