Early the following day, Man Tianyun was awakened by noises outside the princess's residence. She sat up with her hands on her hips, the dark circles under her eyes getting darker. She could tell just by looking at her that she hadn't slept well last night. Man Tianyun wondered. What was going on to make the servants make such a fuss? Had they forgotten that the head princess forbade noise?
She sat in front of the mirror and looked at her face. In fact, even she herself couldn't see her current form. His bloodshot eyes were bloodshot, and the dark circles under his eyes were clear to every inch. She sighed. She pulled out the small wooden cabinet on her makeup shelf, using rose powder to cover the dark circles under her eyes. Outside, the noises became more and more obvious. Man Tianyun originally had no intention of paying attention to the servants in the princess's residence. But such a loud noise made her really uncomfortable. Man Tianyun pulled out the rabbit fur coat, opened the door and stepped out. The moment she stepped outside, the space suddenly became silent again.
The servants in the princess's residence, no one told anyone, all obediently lined up in a row. Early this morning, guard Shen specially instructed them to let Man Tianyun rest more than usual. They also know the meaning, so they don't wake her up early like usual. It's just that they didn't expect the head princess to wake up because of the sounds they made. Therefore, everyone was so scared that their faces turned pale.
"What's the matter with you making such a fuss about the princess's residence early in the morning?"
Two guards brought a wooden chair and placed it in front of Man Tianyun's shrine, letting her sit down. The servants heard her question, but no one dared speak. They would be dragged out and beaten with sticks as long as they irritated her with their carelessness. So, no one said anything to anyone, and all knelt down, trembling.
This made Man Tianyun even more uncomfortable. She raised her eyebrows and sat down on the soft padded chair. Her gaze swept over them one by one until it landed on the body of a maidservant.
"You, stand up. Tell the princess what happened. "
That maidservant, being called by name, stood up in fear. Two small hands clasped together, constantly shaking. Man Tianyun has never felt so calm. She propped her chin up and leaned back. If they didn't want to talk, she would wait until they did. After a long time, the maidservant could not stand it, fell to her knees and fainted. Man Tianyun was also momentarily startled by the maidservant. Man Tianyun hadn't done anything yet. Why was she so scared that she fainted?
"Lian Xin, what's wrong?"
Man Tianyun rubbed her aching temples and looked at her close servant girl standing next to her. Lian Xin waved her hand to let the servants disperse to work, then leaned close to Man Tianyun's ear to talk. It turned out this morning. Guard Shen, along with the guards in the princess's residence, brought a lot of corpses back to the mansion. That's why the servants were whispering about this. Man Tianyun raised her eyebrows slightly. Is Shen Tianfeng back? She nodded her head as if she knew, then asked Lian Xin to call Shen Tianfeng into her palace on her behalf.
In less than fifteen minutes, Shen Tianfeng was standing in the palace of Man Tianyun. She stretched out on the couch, trying to sleep a little longer. Shen Tianfeng also did not wake her up. He added coal to the fireplace, conveniently burning her favourite sedative incense. It's just that Man Tianyun didn't sleep deeply. The scent of incense mixed under her nose woke her up. In a room with only two people, Man Tianyun revealed her own weakness. She looked at the man standing in front of her and then back to the chair next to her. She wanted Shen Tianfeng to sit down. He did not refuse and sat down on the chair next to her.
"Did you find Xiao Tao?"
Man Tianyun took a flower waffle in front of her and took a bite. Shen Tianfeng nodded slightly. Yesterday, he found Xiao Tao in a straw house deep in the forest. It must also be said that the girl was lucky. She only had a few wounds on her body that had scabbed over, was hungry, thirsty, and cold, so she needed to rest. After hearing that, Man Tianyun nodded, "That's fine."
"Those assassins, find out who sent them."
In fact, Man Tianyun had thought of a person who was able to stand behind the other like the day before. The only thing is, she has no evidence, so she can't wake a sleeping dog. It's just a temporary investigation.
When Shen Tianfeng left, only Man Tianyun remained in the room. She originally wanted to continue reading the books on the South's relief treasury, but after reading them over and over again, she felt that there was no point in looking at it anymore. Man Tianyun adjusted her clothes and slowly walked into the princess's residence. It had been a long time since she walked like that. From the day the father and mother died, Man Hengen ascended the throne when he was still underage. Everything big and small was handled by her one hand. She has been friends with letters and brushes for a long time.
The cold wind blew, making Man Tianyun feel cold. She stood under the magnolia tree in front of the shrine, looking up at the bare branches immersed in the thick white snow. Man Tianyun stood like that for a long time until Mo Xuanqing appeared beside her. He had just returned from outside, holding a bag of steamed sticky rice cakes from the old man yesterday. Originally, he wanted to use this to please Man Tianyun. The plan that the emperor entrusts to him, the faster he can get close to the head princess, the easier it will be to gain her trust. When he went to Man Tianyun's shrine, seeing her standing under the magnolia tree for so long, he felt really strange. It seems, for a moment, Mo Xuanqing saw in Man Tianyun's eyes filled with sorrow.
"Your Majesty."
He approached her and respectfully saluted. Man Tianyun looked at him and slowly nodded. She saw the paper bag in his hand, smelled the faint aroma of fresh rice, and the corner of her lips lifted slightly from before.
"Did you buy the old man's steamed sticky rice cakes yesterday?"
"I bought this for the princess. After all, you love to eat steamed sticky rice cakes so much, and it's not bad to pamper yourself once in a while."
Man Tianyun "ah" raised a voice. Mo Xuanqing took a steamed cake and wanted to put it in her hand. Unexpectedly, Man Tianyun grabbed his wrist and took a bite of the cake. Her actions were so natural that, like Man Tianyun had done this many times before, Mo Xuanqing's cheeks warmed up a bit, but quickly, he adjusted his emotions. It's just a small act. What's to make his heart flutter? Moreover, standing in front of him was Man Tianyun, not the Zhou Sha he once loved.
"Very good, but not as good as the snack you made for the princess the other day. Then do a little more."
She let go of his hand and then used her finger to wipe the dough from her lips gently. The atmosphere sank into silence. Man Tianyun did not speak, and Mo Xuanqing did not know how to begin a word with her. In fact, being next to Man Tianyun was a challenge for him. Being with someone like the head princess every day only makes him feel that she really makes others nauseous.
"Mo Xuanqing, you have saved the princess. You should be rewarded. I don't know what to reward you with, so I can only ask you by myself. If you want money and beauty, I can give them to you."
Man Tianyun reached out to catch a snowflake, then arrogantly talked to Mo Xuanqing. He looked at her appearance and realised that the woman standing in front of him had turned back into the arrogant eldest princess. He was silent for a long time, not knowing what he wanted. Could it be that he simply wanted Man Tianyun to bring the books to the relief treasury for him to see? too rude! It's easy to make her suspicious.
"I do not need anything. The princess is safe. I feel it's the best favour."
His words made Man Tianyun laugh. She looked at him, contempt in her eyes hard to see. She had heard many of these words before, but they were all lies. Their best gift was her life. Everyone wants her dead. No one wants her to live well.
"Mo Xuanqing, if you don't want anything, then from tomorrow you will become my close bodyguard."
She turned to go inside, never looking back.