After traveling through time, I became the aunt of the loyal dog emperor

Hearing Miss Du being mentioned again, the thought of going to see her came to her mind again. This time, she did not dodge and asked Liu Qingquan, "Is the guard strict?"

"There are two people guarding the main gate and the side gate. Wait," Liu Qingquan looked at the princess with difficulty and asked, "Princess, you don't want to..."

"That's right," Wan Ning interrupted him, turned around, held his outstretched index finger, and said firmly, "Since we're here now, let's go find out. Besides, if you can't figure out what's inside, who knows how your third sister will punish you! Is there a way to the other side here?"

When his third sister was mentioned, Liu Qingquan no longer hesitated. As expected by Wan Ning, Liu Qingquan was very clever and had already figured out the surrounding situation clearly. Under his leadership, the three of them quickly reached the other side. At this time, the door of the house in the forest was closed, and two young and strong men with muscular bodies, dressed like farmers, stood at the door.

One can tell at a glance that they are not ordinary farmers. It is obviously impossible to get in from here, but fortunately the wall of the yard is not built high.

"How about you guys just stay here and keep watch while I quickly climb in to take a look. How do you think?" Wan Ning deliberately lowered her voice as she spoke about her plans, but before she could finish her words, Wan Tao hugged her arms tightly, with a firm look in her eyes that brooked no objection.

"Princess, I can't let you go alone!"

Liu Qingquan nodded in agreement, then gently patted Wan Tao and Wan Ning on the shoulders, indicating that he had a solution. So the two followed him into the courtyard. As soon as they entered, they patted the dirt off their bodies, and their eyes were busy observing the situation in the courtyard. They were still expressing their appreciation for Liu Qingquan's solution: "So the solution you are talking about is to drill a dog hole! Have you been in here before?"

"Yes, yes, but we were in such a hurry that we didn't see anything. Time is limited, so why don't we split up?"

So the three of them dispersed in different directions, but they searched almost every room but found nothing, and they never saw Miss Du. Just when Wan Ning was confused and found nothing, she suddenly heard the sound of gurgling water, so she followed the sound through a narrow path and a huge house appeared in front of her.

This room is connected from front to back, the front door is half open, and the back has no doors or windows, and is next to a water source, where the sound of water just now came from. Looking carefully, there is a row of wooden railings between the room and the water source, and a charming and weak figure in light green clothes is leaning on the railing with her head down, letting the things in her hands fall into the water. I think the sound of water just now came from here.

Seeing that there was no one else around, Wan Ning walked in boldly, and her footsteps startled the woman inside. Her hair was loose and hung down to her waist, and she casually fiddled with it behind her. At this time, she turned around coldly and looked at the person who came in, with an expression that was always indifferent without a trace of ripples. She simply turned around and leaned against the old wooden railings, and sat on the ground. The wide sleeves slowly slid down to the elbows, revealing the snow-white skin underneath.

Wan Ning was shocked. Only then did she see clearly that she was holding a pen in one hand, and the other hand naturally fell to her hips, holding dark ink. The ink scattered around her was all her works. This decadent look was really hard to associate with the good girl she used to be.

It was early winter, but Miss Du was wearing thin clothes or even no clothes at all, and was barefoot. One leg was slightly curled up, lifting her skirt, while the other leg was pressed against the ground, revealing her fair and delicate skin. She sat on the ground, leaning against the railing, indifferently and lifelessly.

"What did my father ask you to do?"

"Miss Du, you..." Wan Ning just opened her mouth to call Miss Du, but she didn't know how to continue. Hearing this strange voice, Du Ruo looked up blankly and carefully looked at the person standing in front of her. The light in her eyes flashed and then dimmed.

"Princess Le Yan? You are a rare guest. It has been a long time since we parted hastily in the Queen Mother's Palace. I didn't expect to see you here now. How come you are here?"

Wan Ning walked straight towards Miss Du, sat down next to the railing, and said with a wry smile: "I'm tired of being a princess and just want to change my lifestyle. What about you, Miss Du?"

"Then Princess, you must be careful. Don't get caught and locked up here." Du Ruo understood the meaning behind Wan Ning's words, "Also be careful of men. Don't get cheated by them."

"Thank you for your advice, Miss Du. But do you regret not being a young lady of the Du family and giving up the chance to enter the palace and become the queen?"

Du Ruo shook her head with despair: "Regret? I only regret that I followed the wrong person. How could I fall in love with such a timid person. If you have the chance to meet my father, remember to tell him that I will still leave if I get the chance, and let him give up the idea of ​​sending me to the palace. Now that I'm in this state, even if I don't leave, the palace will never choose me, so let him give up this idea!", and then she smiled foolishly.

This is completely different from how she looked when Wan Ning first met her. She was always gentle and bright in the hunting ground, but now she has become so broken.

"Is it worth it for a man like this?" Wan Ning couldn't help but ask the question in her heart.

Perhaps because he touched her sore spot, Miss Du Ruo stubbornly turned her face away and said to herself: "Wenlang must have been forced into it. He was found by my father's people and he must have been unable to bear the inhuman torture, so he told me my whereabouts. I have to listen to his explanation." Miss Du lowered her head in silence, staring at the floor in a daze. There was no sign of life on her delicate and fragile face.

The Wenlang that Du Ruo mentioned was originally a zither player hired by Prime Minister Du for his daughter. However, he "tricked" Miss Du into elopement with him less than ten days after teaching her. Now that he has fallen into Prime Minister Du's hands, his fate is bound to be sad.

"But Miss Du Ruo, what if the truth is different from what you think?"

Hearing this, Du Ruo sneered without warning, then slowly stood up and looked at Wan Ning with red eyes: "Whether you are the Miss Du family or the concubines in the palace, I can only be a puppet and live a life manipulated by others. Why do you think the Empress Dowager chose me? It's just so that I can be manipulated. I saw the Empress Dowager drugged you with my own eyes. Who can guarantee that one day I will be drugged and abandoned when I am worthless.

I can't be willful, I can't have my own thoughts. From childhood to adulthood, once I go beyond the established route, I will be tamed. My father went to great lengths to find me this time, just to make his efforts go to waste, and he didn't want to give up the idea of ​​sending his daughter to the palace to consolidate his power.

Even though I have fallen to this point, even though I have brought shame to the family, he still did not give up. He said that as long as the emperor is still on his side, even if everyone opposes, even if the emperor doesn't like me, none of this matters. Princess, even if the emperor can't do anything about his marriage, princess, then what do you think I should do?"

Although there was no sound of sobbing, pearl-like tears rolled down her face. When she was moved, Du Ruo propped herself up on the pillar with one hand to prevent herself from falling.

She was so weak and fragile, as if she would never be able to stand up again if a gust of wind blew past her, but her eyes were like the roots of the trumpet creeper, tightly grasping Wan Ning's heart and absorbing the nutrients and energy from it.

The moment they looked at each other, she remembered that Ziheng had once said something similar to her, mentioning that he was just a puppet. She wondered if his pain was also so concrete when no one was around?

Wan Ning felt that she couldn't make decisions for other people's lives. No matter how many weak words she said, it would seem like she was just a bystander. So she searched through her pockets, took out all the money and put it in Du Ruo's hand: "You should bring more money when you go out, and be more careful to protect yourself. If you regret it, I can also help you get eliminated in the talent show."

Du Ruo looked at the money in his hand in surprise, clenched his fists and shook his head firmly: "Thank you for your kindness, Princess, but I was rejected? It's useless. My father will think of other ways."

Without saying anything more, Liu Qingquan and Wan Ning also found the courtyard. Wan Ning walked a few steps away and turned back, putting the dagger she was carrying in Du Ruo's hand.

"Take this. If it can be solved with money, then use money. If it can't, I hope this knife can keep you safe."