Children of Loulan

Xilin slowly put the book in her hand aside, picked up the teacup gracefully, took a sip and said, "You naturally can't see the clues. I think Hanguli still has doubts about the nanny, so she didn't make a clear statement, neither agreeing nor refusing."

The maid looked puzzled, "Why is that? The queen is the one who leads the harem. If you can establish a relationship with her, it will be like rising to the top of the harem. Is she... really that stupid?"

The corners of Xilin's mouth slightly raised, revealing a sly and charming smile.

"Hanguli is not stupid. If she readily agrees to the offer as soon as the nanny arrives, wouldn't that reveal her eagerness to get the queen's protection? In this way, wouldn't her own value be greatly discounted? However, if she is half-hearted and pretends to be noble in accepting the queen's offer, it will show that she has some ability."

The maid couldn't help but frown when she heard this and said, "This trick doesn't seem to be very clever."

Xilin chuckled: "It's not brilliant, but it's enough to deal with Aunt Taji."

The maid had an idea and asked, "Since this is the person the queen wants to win over, does the young lady also want to..."

Xilin stood up and said lightly: "Let's go meet her." After that, she walked out the door gracefully.

The master and servant left the room and went straight to Hanguli's room.

After Hanguli sent the nanny away, she originally planned to read a book to relax, but when she just picked up the book and turned a few pages, she heard Bayer say that a beautiful girl named "Xilin" came to visit her.

Hanguli tried hard to recall her memories, but she couldn't remember any information about this beautiful lady named Xilin. Maybe they had met before but didn't know each other's name, she thought to herself.

With full of doubts, Hanguli looked towards the door. With just a quick glance, she immediately recognized the person - it turned out that Xilin also lived in this yard, and had always been unknown and had a very low sense of presence. However, it was precisely because of that accident that Hanguli remembered it deeply: on the first day she arrived, she was tripped and fell to the ground, and then all kinds of rumors about her stupidity and clumsiness spread.

Since then, several concubines have even often spoken coldly and mocked her in person or behind her back. However, it is worth mentioning that although Xilin did not communicate with her much, she never spoke ill of her like others did.

Hanguli still clearly remembers the first time they met. Xilin was wearing a bright red dress, which made her stand out in the crowd. In addition, she also had a charming teardrop mole at the corner of her eye...

It's just that her teardrop mole is on her left eye, while hers is on her right eye, which is why Hanguli was more impressed by Xilin.

Xilin and Hanguli greeted each other as they entered the room

Xilin said softly, "I wonder if my coming here at this time will cause any inconvenience to the young lady?"

Hanguli responded with a fake smile on her face, "Miss, you are too kind. We live in the same courtyard, how can I say I am disturbing you?"

Xilin waved her hand quickly and said with a smile: "No need to be so polite, just call me Xilin."

Hanguli also gave her name: "My name is Hanguli. I wonder why Sister Xilin came to see me today?"

Xilin sighed slightly and said slowly: "I don't have anything important to do. I'm just alone in this yard, feeling lonely and helpless. I can't even find someone to confide in." While speaking, she picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped the non-existent tear marks beside her beautiful eyes.

Looking at Xilin's slightly sad expression, Hanguli felt very embarrassed, but was too embarrassed to refuse, so she had to bite the bullet and asked politely:

"I wonder what's bothering Sister Xilin, could you tell me about it?"

Hearing Hanguli's question, Xilin felt like she had found a life-saving straw and answered eagerly, "Sister, are you really willing to listen to my troubles?"

Hanguli thought: I don't want to, can you leave now? But looking at the appearance of this uninvited guest, Hanguli also wanted to see what her purpose was, so she nodded slightly to show her agreement. Then, Xilin showed a melancholy look again...

"Alas! I should have been the beloved youngest daughter in the family, with a gentle and kind elder sister. Normally, my elder sister should have participated in this selection, but because the king ordered not to select a concubine five years ago, my parents mistakenly thought that there was no need to send a girl to the palace this year. So, they betrothed my elder sister to someone else early, hoping that she could live an ordinary and happy life.

However, fate is always full of drama. Just when the whole family was immersed in joy, the palace suddenly sent eunuchs to announce the imperial decree. Faced with this sudden change, my parents were caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, there was the marriage that had already been decided, and on the other hand, there was the imperial decree that could not be disobeyed. In the end, in order not to break the promise to the man's family, they could only decide to let me participate in the selection instead of my sister. "

Hanguli listened to the girl telling her story silently, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy. Although she was not sure whether what she said was true, and she would not sympathize with her because of her two words, she still felt an inexplicable pain as a substitute. Her eyes gradually became dim and revealed a hint of sadness.

Xilin, who was standing by, had been paying close attention to Hanguli's every move. When she noticed a little sadness on her face, Xilin couldn't help but sneer in her heart. She had originally had some expectations for this woman who was favored by Aunt Taji, thinking that she might have something extraordinary. Unexpectedly, just a few words made Hanguli reveal her weak nature. It seemed that this person was just so-so, and there was nothing special about her.

Although she was full of disdain for Hanguli, Xilin knew that this play had to go on..."

Xilin: "Sister, what's wrong with you?" she asked with pretended concern.

Hanguli: "I just feel that we all entered the palace alone, without any relatives, and I don't know what to do in the future. Before I even entered the palace, someone tried to poison me. I was lucky to escape this time, but what about the future? What about the future? I'm afraid that by then I won't even know how I died."

After saying this, Hanguli lowered her head again, her face becoming more miserable and sad.

Xilin responded with a smile and comforted him:

"Don't be afraid, sister. If you encounter difficulties in the future, you can ask my cousin for help. She is a very kind person."

Hanguli was full of doubts:

"Cousin? My sister's cousin is..."

"The virtuous concubine."

Xilin answered without hesitation.

Hanguli opened her mouth wide, looking surprised: "The Concubine Xian... is... is my sister's cousin?"

Xilin smiled slightly: "Yes, Concubine Xian is my cousin's elder sister. Twenty years ago, she just turned sixteen and happened to run into the first talent show of the current king."

After hearing this, Hanguli's face changed slightly, revealing a trace of embarrassment, and she said softly: "I see, so that's the case. Then you don't have to worry about your future. It's me who is ignorant and made a mistake in my words just now. I hope you can forgive me!"

Xilin said sympathetically, "We will be in the palace together in the future, and we will all be sisters. There is no need to be too fussy about the details. If you can enter the palace to serve the emperor in the future, you may as well go with me to pay a visit to my cousin. I think she will be very happy."

Hanguli was overjoyed when she heard this, and immediately bowed and thanked her: "Thank you for your advice, sister. I am very grateful!"

After the two chatted for a while, Xilin got up and said goodbye. After she left, Dar approached Hanguli and lowered his voice:

"Miss, I never expected that Miss Xilin is actually the one who has the support of the harem behind Gu Lixian."

Hanguli nodded slightly to show her agreement, and sighed: "Yes, people who look ordinary and low-key on weekdays are often the real masters who are hidden."

Dahl reminded worriedly: "Then Miss, you must be extra cautious in the future. What happened between Bulli and Dora might have been secretly instigated by Miss Xilin." Hanguli frowned and fell into deep thought...

Hanguli frowned and said, "Even if she didn't do anything big, she was able to make Buli willingly commit the crime of poisoning others for her, which shows that this woman is definitely not a simple person!"

Dar nodded thoughtfully, expressing his agreement: "Well, it seems that her purpose of coming here to inform Concubine Xian is not simple."

Hanguli seemed to have known this for a long time and responded nonchalantly: "That's right, she didn't come earlier or later, but chose to show up after Mammy met me. This obviously shows that she has no intention of really winning me over. She just wants to take the opportunity to disrupt Mammy Taji's plan to win me over. In my opinion, in her eyes, there is no difference between me, Bulli and Dora."

Dahl held a different view and analyzed: "That being said, if she really regarded the young lady as that kind of person, she probably wouldn't have come to visit her in person. She could have just gone directly to Gu Lixian."

However, Hanguli did not buy into this view and sneered, "Humph, she just wanted to come and see for herself what kind of person Auntie Taji liked. It's just that I made her feel a little disappointed!"

Dar frowned and said, "Miss, what are your plans next? Whether it is the Queen or the Concubine, we cannot afford to offend them! If there was no Concubine, you could have chosen to associate with the Queen without telling anyone, and it would not have attracted the attention of the Concubine. But now... no matter which side you choose to stand on, you will anger the other party, and they will definitely hold a grudge against you."

Hanguli sighed helplessly: "Yes, from this incident we can see that the relationship between the Queen and the Concubine has reached the point where they are incompatible and will fight to the death. They keep fighting like this, and in the end it is us little people who have no power and influence who suffer." At this point, she shook her head with a wry smile, which was mixed with a hint of self-mockery.

Dahl continued worriedly, "Miss, before you enter the palace, perhaps we can find a way to delay it temporarily so as not to offend either side. But once you enter the palace, I'm afraid..."

Hanguli sighed deeply: "Yes, there are only two months left before I enter the palace, and I can only take one step at a time." Her eyes revealed a sense of confusion and helplessness, as if she was full of worries about the future.