The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

But Yuli knew that her master really didn't intend to keep her.

Now, because of our relationship as master and servant, I am thinking about paving the way for her future.

If she doesn't appreciate it, she will probably be completely abandoned by her master.

She cried, firstly because she felt wronged, and secondly because she couldn't bear to leave Xie Run and the wealth and splendor of the palace.

I have only been following Xie Run in the mansion for more than three months, and the food, clothing and other necessities I have seen are already the best I have ever seen in my life.

I'm afraid that once I leave the house, it will be a completely different world.

She cried until evening, and suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Yuli paused, then quickly wiped her face, "Who is it?"

Xiaoci's voice rang out from outside the door, "Sister Yuli, it's me."

Yuli slowly stood up and went to open the door.

During the days when she couldn't serve Xie Run closely, she often hid in her room feeling aggrieved.

Dan Tao, Xiao Shu and Xiao Ci would come to comfort her and occasionally bring her dinner.

Therefore, Yuli was not surprised at all when she heard Xiaoci's voice.

When Xiaoci came in with dinner, he looked at Yuli and seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

Yuli pretended not to see.

She was very proud and of course couldn't let Xiaoci see her crying, so she urged Xiaoci to leave quickly.

Xiao Ci pursed her lips and suddenly asked, "Has Sister Yuli suffered any injustice?"

Yuli glared at Xiaoci angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? Who in Linxuan Pavilion can let me suffer injustice?!"

Even though Yu Li knew that she could not serve Xie Run, she still felt that she was an elder by Xie Run's side, different from Xiao Shu and Xiao Ci who came later.

Similarly, he didn't think much of these two people, so he wasn't so polite when speaking to them.

Xiaoci was choked by Yuli's words.

Given her timid and taciturn nature, she should have slipped away quietly by now.

But Xiaoci was uncharacteristically calm and sat down on the chair, "I heard everything the master said to Sister Yuli today."

Yuli stood up immediately, staring at her, "What do you mean by that?!"

When the soap recipe was leaked last time, Yuli and Dantao both knew that there was a traitor hiding around their master.

It’s a pity that I still have no clue after searching for a long time.

Hearing Xiaoci's words, Yuli immediately became suspicious.

Xiaoci raised her hand to lift the hair hanging by her ear, revealing the imperial green bracelet on her wrist.

Yuli was shocked and asked, "Where did you get your bracelet?!"

Such a good quality bracelet would be hard to come by even if Xie Run became a concubine.

How could Xiaoci, a second-class maid, be of any use?

Xiao Ci smiled shyly: "This is a reward from the master for my good work."

Yu Li snorted coldly, "Your master is quite generous! But she dares to use something so ungrateful and treacherous?!"

Xiao Ci said calmly, "As long as things are done well, such good things will be of endless use to you in the future. This is the benefit of being with a generous master."

Yuli snorted lightly, disagreeing.

Xiao Ci continued, "You'll be leaving the house soon. At least you can touch it now. I'm afraid you won't be able to see it in the future."

Yuli's face darkened.

Xiaoci shook his wrist, clicked his tongue lightly, and showed off blatantly.

"But I can not only touch it, I can also wear it on my hand. I have several such fine things in my room. My master also said that when I get married in the future, I must prepare a rich dowry for me and will never bring disgrace to the dignity of the palace."

"I forgot, how much makeup can Master Xie give you?" Xiao Ci looked at Yu Li as if she was watching a show.

After staying in Linxuan Pavilion for a few months, Xiaoci had already secretly figured out Yuli's character.

He is arrogant but narrow-minded, and he cares about reputation but is greedy for wealth.

With Yu Li's personality, she can only be stimulated by showing off in person.

Sure enough, Yuli's eyes were fixed on the imperial green bracelet on Xiaoci's hand, and the jealousy and envy in her heart could not be suppressed and showed on her face.

She knew clearly that Xiaoci was trying to sow discord between them and wanted her to betray her master.

But now the wealth and splendor before her are so dazzling, and she is facing the possibility of being sent out of the palace... All of this is silently challenging her loyalty.

The candlelight flickered, the orange light half-hidden.

Yuli's voice was a little hoarse from crying for a long time. "Your master sent you here. What does he want to do?"

Xiaoci whispered softly, "Sister Yuli. In terms of appearance, you may not be as good as Master Xie, but you are more than enough to compare with Master An. Master An was only favored by the prince for one night, and she was lucky enough to get pregnant with the prince's child. All the good things were sent to her courtyard..."

Xiaoci has been observing Yuli for so long that she naturally knows that Yuli dislikes Concubine An and Concubine Fang.

There was shock and intention in Yuli's eyes, "You want me to..."

"Master Xie is pregnant now, so it's only right that she arranges for someone around her to serve the prince." Xiao Ci's voice was filled with temptation. "Sister Yuli is also loyal to Master Xie, so why can't it be you? If Sister Ruo Dantao serves the prince in the future, will Sister Yuli really be willing to do so?"

Xiao Ci stopped there and left contentedly after seeing Yu Li's shocked expression turn into contemplation and struggle.

That night, Xie Run helped King Jing change his clothes, and the two were about to go to bed.

There was suddenly a noise outside.

King Jing couldn't help but frown, "What are you arguing about?! Don't you know your master is pregnant?!"

Xie Run also looked confused.

Dan Tao came in hurriedly, not knowing how to start.

Xie Run asked gently, "What happened?"

Dan Tao sighed, "Master, please go and see it yourself."

With the prince here, she didn't know how to start.

Xie Run had no choice but to change his clothes again.

King Jing followed her with a frown on his face.

As soon as he arrived at the main room, Xie Run saw Yuli grabbing Xiaoci's hair with one hand and kicking Xiaoci to the ground with one foot, looking very fierce.

Xie Run: “…”

She turned around blankly and looked at King Jing beside her.

King Jing watched the scene expressionlessly, and took Xie Run by the hand, protecting him behind him.

Then came Yu Li's crazy outburst, "You ungrateful little bitch!"

"You're restless, yet you're pushing me to get into the prince's bed! Don't you even know what you're made of?"

"Even if the master doesn't value me, what does it have to do with you? Why would you stir up trouble behind my back? Your master is always doing sneaky things, does he really think others are the same?!"

Yuli said as she kicked Xiaoci.

Xiao Ci looked embarrassed and hid aside with his hands covering his face.

Yuli continued to curse, "No matter how stupid I am, I will never betray my master! A beast like you, who is in Cao's camp but has his heart in Han, will be struck by lightning!"

"Your master is even less of a good person. He schemes against my master all day long and does all kinds of immoral things. Isn't he afraid that his descendants will suffer retribution for generations to come?"

Xie Run couldn't help but cough twice: "Yuli!"

Even a fool could understand this scene.

Xiao Ci's master is probably someone from King Jing's backyard.

If Yu Li continues to curse, the curses will eventually reach King Jing.

Hearing Xie Run's voice, Yu Li was stunned, her eyes suddenly turned red, and she knelt on the ground.

Before Yuli could speak, Xiaoci beside her seemed to have just reacted and immediately shouted, "Master, please give me justice!"

"Tonight, Sister Yuli suddenly broke into my room, grabbed me and beat me without saying a word, and even searched everywhere in my room..."

Xiao Ci cried heartbrokenly, revealing her scarred face. "She insisted that I was betraying her master, and even dragged me here to disturb the master and the prince in the middle of the night."

When Yuli heard the word "Prince", her expression froze, as if she was blank for a moment.

Since she stopped serving closely, she was not aware of the circumstances surrounding King Jing's visit to Linxuan Pavilion.

I had an attack tonight because I really couldn't hold back the anger in my chest. I also wanted to deal with Xiao Ci, the troublemaker, before leaving the palace. I didn't expect that King Jing would rest here.

Although she was so arrogant when she criticized Xiao Ci, her aura disappeared instantly when she met King Jing's dark eyes.

Yuli: "This servant greets the prince and the master."

Xie Run saw that she was timid and sighed, "Yuli, what are you doing so late at night? Did something happen?"

After hearing Xie Run's words, Yu Li came to her senses and immediately took out three things from her arms.

An imperial green bracelet, a necklace of plump pearls, and a pair of two-finger-wide cloisonné bracelets inlaid with gemstones.

These three things are extremely rare even in the royal palace.

Yuli suppressed her fear of King Jing and said, "Xiao Ci eavesdropped on the conversation between the master and me today. When she brought me dinner, she deliberately showed off her new bracelet, saying that it was a reward from the master for her good work.

Later, he instigated me to betray my master and climb into the prince's bed... I don't want to be that beast who betrays my master. I beg you to uphold justice for me!"

"These three things were all found by this servant from Xiaoci's makeup box!"

Xiao Ci was able to hide it so well, so she must have been very cautious and would naturally not put these precious things in a makeup box.

These things were actually caught by Yuli when she was following Xiaoci all the way.

Yuli took the opportunity to beat Xiaoci up and forced Xiaoci to come to Xie Run to complain.

She wanted to sue, and the bracelet on Xiaoci's wrist was natural evidence of her guilt.

Now that there were witnesses and evidence, Xiaoci knew it was difficult to refute it, so she just knelt on the ground and cried out that she was innocent.

Xie Run got a headache after listening to this.

King Jing caught a glimpse of her rubbing her temple and felt displeased.

There are many ways to compete for favor in the backyard, and it is not uncommon to plant spies everywhere.

But everyone is doing things quietly.

Even if the servant serving two masters was really caught, he would be quietly sent away. How could he cause such a commotion as here in Linxuan Pavilion?

King Jing looked down on Xiaoci, but he also had a bad impression of Yuli.

Can such an impetuous and impulsive person really serve Xie Run well?

After the incident, Xie Run wanted to punish Xiao Ci, but with Prince Jing beside her, she couldn't speak casually, so she asked softly, "Prince...what should we do about this?"

King Jing was not a patient man, so he would not show mercy to a servant like Xiao Ci who betrayed his master. "Since this servant named Xiao Ci is not serving you well, then let the princess send him back to the manor."

He glanced at Yuli meaningfully and said, "You may be loyal, but you're too impulsive. I'm afraid I can't serve you well."

In King Jing's eyes, no matter how big the matter is, he shouldn't bother his master at this time.

Xie Run is still pregnant now.

If something unexpected happens, the heads of these two people will not be enough to pay for it.

Xie Run sighed, "Your Highness, it's easy to send someone away, but if this matter gets out, I'm afraid it will damage Yuli's reputation."

She heard it clearly just now. Xiaoci actually encouraged Yuli to climb into King Jing's bed!

If Xiaoci was dealt with like this, rumors would spread tomorrow that Yuli was caught by Xiaoci climbing into bed, and Xie Run sent Xiaoci away to protect his own people.

King Jing frowned, "What do you want to do?"

Xie Run glanced at Xiaoci, and immediately came up with an idea. He slowly bowed to King Jing.

"I have failed to discipline my subordinates, and theft has occurred in the mansion. I beg Your Highness to punish me."

Xiao Ci, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly looked up and said, "I didn't steal! I didn't!"

King Jing just glanced at her casually, and people sent by Eunuch Shi'an came forward and covered Xiao Ci's mouth.

This is what Xie Run meant by classifying what happened that night as theft.

Xie Run said, "Yuli, it's late now. Let's talk tomorrow if we have anything to say."

Yu Li received Xie Run's eye signal and retreated very obediently and neatly.

Only after Xie Run and King Jing returned to their bedroom and she was the only one left in the room did she dare to speak.

"I sincerely ask Your Majesty to punish me..."

As he spoke, Xie Run's fox eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak, revealing a silent temptation.

Fingers as delicate as mutton-fat jade hooked onto King Jing's belt.

King Jing: "You are so presumptuous..."

There was no dignity in the words, but Xie Run was not afraid at all. He even smiled faintly, his fox eyes curved like the moon.

King Jing couldn't help but raised his hand and rubbed her red lips, with a smile on his face: "In ancient times, there were Mei Xi and Bao Si, and now there is Sui Sui. This king is really blessed."

Xie Run gritted his teeth and said, "I'll just take it as a compliment from the prince."

From these words, we can tell that King Jing is an ambitious person.

Mei Xi and Bao Si were the women of the kings of fallen countries. If she was like Mei Xi and Bao Si, would King Jing be the king?

King Jing half leaned on the bed and said lazily, "What did you mean by that just now?"

Xie Run confessed, "Ever since I became pregnant, I've been very careful and cautious every day, but I never expected that I would be schemed against without even realizing it."

King Jing had a faint smile on his face, as if he would get angry at any moment, and as if he didn't care about anything.

Xie Run knew his bad temper and said calmly, "Yuli is impatient and not suitable for staying in the palace. I have already chosen a good marriage for her, and her family arranged a grand wedding for her. It can be said that we have fulfilled the relationship between master and servant, but I didn't expect that someone would almost take advantage of it..."

"Your maid is loyal to her master, why should I punish you?" King Jing smiled nonchalantly.

Xie Run tugged at his hand again and said seriously, "I ask Your Majesty to punish me, but I also ask Your Majesty to protect me."

King Jing raised his eyebrows and finally became interested.

Xie Run: "After what happened tonight got out, there has to be an explanation."

"I think it would be better if Your Highness could just go along with it. If you get angry with me, I won't come back tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, Your Highness will be leaving for Mizhou, and I'm afraid he won't be back for half a month..."

When King Jing heard this, he was so angry that he laughed.

"What do you think of me?" King Jing was really angry and felt that Xie Run was a little presumptuous.

She even wanted him to act with her.

King Jing: "Are you really not afraid that I will never come to Linxuan Pavilion again because of this irritation?"

Xie Run opened his fox eyes and said frankly, "Your Highness, do you want to hear the truth?"

King Jing knew that what Xie Run said might make him unhappy, but he still waved his sleeves and said, "Speak!"

"I have a hostage now, so I don't have to worry about the prince not coming in the future." Xie Run smiled and touched her belly, revealing a bit of mischief. "As long as the prince comes to see me, I will always find a way to keep him here."