Princess Promotion

A few days ago, Xu Mei slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first, but as time went by, she gradually saw everything around her clearly.

The sunlight shone through the window onto her face, warm and soft, a feeling she had not felt for a long time.

Xu Mei tried to move her body, but found that her limbs were weak, as if all her strength had been drained.

Her memory still lingered in that dark, damp dungeon, where the air was filled with the smell of decay and despair.

At this moment, a familiar figure appeared in her sight. It was her brother Xu Biao. His face was full of worry and concern, and tears were flashing in his eyes.

Xu Mei's eyes instantly moistened. Was she dead? Or was she trapped in another inescapable dream?

"Brother..." Xu Mei's voice was weak and trembling. Her lips were cracked and she could hardly even hear the sound she made.

When Xu Biao heard her call, he immediately put down the medicine in his hand excitedly: "You are finally awake."

Xu Mei finally couldn't hold back her tears and Xu Biao hurriedly helped to wipe Xu Mei's tears.

While wiping, he said: "It's okay, it's okay, brother is back! Everything will be over."

Since escaping death, Xu Mei's body has gradually recovered, but she is still worried.

During the day she tried hard to pretend nothing happened and put on a cheerful face, but at night those horrible memories would haunt her dreams like a shadow.

Night became the time that Xu Mei feared the most.

Xu Mei lay on the bed, trying to close her eyes and force herself to fall asleep, but every time she woke up from a nightmare, covered in cold sweat.

After waking up, Xu Mei couldn't help crying. Her crying was suppressed and painful, as if she was releasing the endless fear and sadness deep in her heart.

Xu Biao would wait outside her door every night, listening to his sister's crying, his heart broken.

Xu Biao tried various methods but to no avail.

Finally, it was discovered that only Xu Mei was awakened by a nightmare. She knocked gently on the door again and again and said, "Don't be afraid, brother is here."

Only then did Xu Mei's emotions slowly calm down.

Despite this, Xu Mei smiled less and less, and became more and more taciturn.

Xu Biao saw it and felt pain in his heart, but he could do nothing about it.

Xu Biao decided to take Xu Mei out for a walk to relax. If Lao Meng stayed at home all the time, any normal person would get bored and have problems.

They came to the most famous teahouse in the city, where storytellers often told stories and each story was different, attracting many people to stop and listen.

Xu Mei sat in a corner of the teahouse, trying her best to relax and enjoy this rare quiet time.

However, as the storyteller's narration became more and more interesting, Xu Mei's face suddenly turned pale.

The place described by the storyteller was exactly the Meng Mansion where she had been trapped.

What shocked her even more was that the benefactor An Tian who bravely saved her was portrayed as a bandit who killed innocent people, and the one who slandered him was the son of the executioner Meng.

Although Xu Mei was unconscious when she was rescued, she asked Xu Biao how he found her after she woke up.

Xu Biao concealed the fact that he had followed An Tian all the way from the border to the imperial capital for business, and just said that he had returned with the general.

I happened to go to the Meng Mansion and found her.

Xu Biao didn't say many things that he shouldn't have said, but he didn't hide the fact that he saved her because of An Tian.

But An Tian's methods are too cruel after all, so it's better not to let too many people know about it.

Yao Chuguang confirmed that Xu Mei's wound was just slightly infected, and that her life would be fine after treatment and medication, so he let Xu Biao and the others leave the palace to recuperate on their own.

Xu Biao was also very busy these days taking care of Xu Mei, and Li Yi never came to see him again.

He had no idea that An Tian had been reported and arrested by Mengchangjun's son.

Xu Biao said to Xu Mei, "You go home first. I have some things to take care of."

Xu Mei suddenly grabbed Xu Biao's hand, her face pale and her eyes red as she asked, "Is it her?"

Xu Biao remained silent or chose to tell the truth: "Yes!"

Xu Mei said, "I'll go with you."

Xu Mei clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turned white from the force, and her body trembled involuntarily.

Xu Biao thought about it and now he was worried about letting Xu Mei go back alone. What would he do if something happened again?

After that incident, it was not only Xu Mei who was heartbroken, but Xu Biao as well.

Xu Biao took Xu Mei to Li Yi's house, but unexpectedly Li Yi was not at home.

Xu Biao thought about it and decided to take Xu Mei to the inn where An Tian was staying to try his luck.

He couldn't go to General Fu rashly. Although he didn't know what the general and Miss An were planning, he knew one thing clearly.

Miss An didn't want outsiders to know that she knew General Fu.

Miss An is imprisoned, and the only ones who can save her now may be General Fu and the noble lady in the palace.

As soon as Xu Biao arrived at the inn, he saw his compatriot Liu Sandao, who had helped him to protect Miss An from returning to the capital.

Xu Biao saw Liu Sandao looking at him and then at the chopsticks on the table.

The brothers who had lived in the same tent had some tacit understanding, and they knew that Liu Sandao was asking him to walk towards the chopsticks.

Xu Biao took the opportunity to ask the shopkeeper some irrelevant questions, and then walked out of the inn naturally with Xu Mei.

Walking in the direction Liu Sandao pointed, he saw Zhang Tiedan squatting on the roadside selling candy figures.

Xu Biao pretended to take out three coins and handed them over, saying, "Give me a sugar man."

Zhang Tiedan casually picked up a sugar man and handed it over while giving an address.

Xu Biao had no choice but to take Xu Mei around and find his way to the small courtyard that Zhang Tiedan mentioned.

After knocking on the door, the person who opened it was Xu Biao's compatriot Zhou Pojun.

Ever since she was rescued, Xu Mei has been afraid of meeting strangers. At this moment, she hid behind Xu Biao and dared not make a sound.

Seeing this, Zhou Pojun asked: "What's going on with your sister..."

Xu Biao patted Xu Mei's shoulder soothingly and said helplessly, "You got scared and became ill."

Zhou Pojun didn't have anything to say to comfort her. He wanted to pat Xu Biao on the shoulder, but seeing that Xu Mei was afraid of him getting close, he gave up.

Xu Biao asked, "You're so cautious. Is it because someone has been watching the inn since Boss An was arrested?"

Zhou Pojun said: "I don't know!"

Xu Biao was puzzled. Why did you do all these fancy things?

Zhou Pojun said helplessly: "This is what Boss An arranged for us to do before he was arrested. He said that if General Fu and the others come looking for him, we should lure them away and bring them here!"

Xu Biao then asked: "How is it?"

Zhou Pojun: "I don't know. Boss An only arranged this much and didn't say anything else."

Xu Biao: "You guys just squat there and watch every day?"

Zhou Pojun: "That's not the case. I'm also responsible for buying some food and taking care of the girls rescued from the Meng Mansion."

Xu Mei had no expression on her face at all about what Zhou Pojun said, as if she was completely uninterested, but she only showed some reaction when she heard this sentence.

Xu Mei tugged at Xu Biao's sleeve and said in a whisper as soft as a mosquito: "Where is it?"

Xu Biao didn't react at first, so Xu Mei had to repeat it again.

Xu Biao suddenly realized and said to Zhou Pojun, "Can you take us to see those women?"

Zhou Pojun nodded without objection and walked inside with Xu Biao and the others.

At this time, Xu Mei tightly grasped Xu Biao's sleeve, as if desperately gathering courage, and whispered: "When are you going to let those girls go?"

Zhou Pojun knew Xu Mei had misunderstood when he heard this, and explained, "We didn't lock up those girls. You know a thing or two about where most of them came from."

"They are all poor people who are alone and have nowhere else to go, so Boss An put them here."

"Now that Boss An has been captured and his fate is uncertain, if those people knew about your existence, they would probably do something bad to you. That's why Boss An paid us to protect these girls."

Xu Mei understood instantly that if those people wanted to convict An Tian, they would definitely make sure that no one would testify for An Tian. As long as they could not prove that Mengchangjun was a heinous criminal, An Tian would not be able to escape death.

Xu Mei's heart was filled with anger and injustice. She wanted to stand up and refute loudly to reveal the truth.

However, her steps seemed to be bound by invisible chains, and she could not move.

One concern after another came to her mind: If she made her experience public, would people look at her differently?

Will her past innocence be questioned by the world?

She was afraid of the cruel rumors and afraid of becoming the topic of conversation among others.

Just as Xu Mei was beginning to sink into endless pain again, she suddenly heard Zhou Pojun say, "Boss An said he's only keeping them temporarily. Once the storm is over, it's up to them to leave or stay."

Xu Mei murmured to herself, "Will it ever pass?"

Zhou Pojun replied naturally, "That's for sure."

Xu Biao suddenly asked, "How much does Boss An pay you per month?"

Zhou Pojun naturally knew what Xu Biao wanted to ask: "Fifteen taels of silver, why do you want to come over and work with me? Boss An said that if you want to come back and work, you can, but if you miss a few days, your wages will be deducted."

Xu Biao laughed and said, "You didn't tell me about this good news earlier. You have no sense of loyalty."

Zhou Pojun took Xu Biao and the others as they walked, introducing that their group of brothers lived on the outskirts, and the women lived in the backyard.

Passing through the outer hall to the main hall, there were looms placed in the hall. Zhou Pojun said that these women had been idle since they were rescued and it was easy for them to think too much.

Boss An arranged for a female master to teach them how to weave cloth, and the money from selling the cloth would be theirs, so that they could have money to support themselves.

He Yuzhen's hands deftly shuttled back and forth on the loom, and the fine threads were interwoven into an exquisite pattern with her movements.

Zhou Pojun walked into the lobby with steady steps, followed closely by two figures - one was the burly Xu Biao, and the other was the slightly thin Xu Mei, hiding behind his broad shoulders.

Zhou Po briefly introduced the brother and sister to He Yuzhen. He Yuzhen stopped what she was doing, looked up, and her eyes fell on Xu Mei.

A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, then turned into a gentle smile.

Mengchangjun's subordinates would send a group of girls for training every once in a while.

The so-called training is nothing more than using all kinds of means to force women into prostitution.

Some girls were so frightened by the tortures that they immediately submitted.

There were some tough girls, but they barely lasted more than a few days.

Among the same group of girls, Xu Mei was the only one who refused to bow her head no matter how much she was whipped and tortured. Her stubbornness impressed He Yuzhen.

After being rescued here, He Yuzhen did not see Xu Mei. She thought that the strong girl could not survive after all, and she couldn't help feeling regretful.

Now that they meet again, He Yuzhen feels relieved to know that Xu Mei is not only alive but has also found her brother.

She stood up, walked to Xu Mei, reached out and stroked her shoulder, as if silently conveying warmth and support.

He Yuzhen turned to Zhou Pojun and said, "Don't worry, I will take good care of her."

After Xu Mei came here, perhaps because of the company of He Yuzhen, who was also a woman, she felt much better.

But as the time for An Tian's trial drew closer, waves of anxiety began to surge in her heart again.

Xu Mei's spirit became worse and worse. She couldn't sleep all night and was often in a daze.

When Xu Mei woke up from her dream again, He Yuzhen came over and asked softly, "Xu Mei, what's wrong with you?"

Xu Mei told He Yuzhen everything.

Xu Mei could no longer pretend that she knew nothing. She was disappointed with her own escape and herself.

If she testified for An Tian, she would be the one facing the strange looks of the world in the future. She was cowardly and incompetent and just wanted to hide, but now she was really suffocated.

However, He Yuzhen did not blame her as Xu Mei expected. Instead, she said to her in a gentle but firm tone: "In fact, we all know these things, everyone knows them, but I am also running away like you, everyone is running away, you are not the only one running away."

"But now, I've figured it out. I'm going to go and beat the drum to testify for An Tian. So one more or one less doesn't matter. Everyone has their own choice."

It was only then that Xu Mei discovered that He Yuzhen was dressed neatly and was not wearing pajamas.

Xu Mei wanted to say something more, but He Yuzhen interrupted her, saying, "Go to sleep! Everything will be settled after today."

After saying that, He Yuzhen walked out of the room with a lantern. In the darkness, He Yuzhen saw several faint lights.

She walked closer and saw that they were all her companions who had once woven together.

They looked at each other, and they understood each other's feelings without words.

In the past, He Yuzhen felt that being alive was good. No matter how she lived, it didn’t matter. At least she could eat and drink delicious food.

But these days, she lived an ordinary life, working from sunrise to sunset, no longer having to worry about anything, and she made money honestly with her own hands.

At this moment, He Yuzhen suddenly felt that being able to live such an ordinary and stable life was the real happiness.

They are all people who have escaped death. If they can use their strength to bring peace to more people, then it will all be worth it.

When He Yuzhen and the others walked through the lobby, they saw Zhou Pojun, Liu Sandao, Zhang Tiedan and other people who had taken care of and protected them these days standing quietly on both sides.

Zhou Pojun stepped forward and said, "We'll take you there."

He Yuzhen nodded, and just as she was about to step out the door, she heard an anxious voice behind her.

"Wait for me!" Xu Mei ran breathlessly, grabbing her messy hair, looking as miserable as she could be.

But no one present would laugh at her.

Xu Mei ran up to He Yuzhen and was a little at a loss when she saw Xu Biao.

Xu Biao went up and clumsily combed his sister's hair, then took Xu Mei's hand and walked forward without saying anything.

"Don't be afraid, brother is here."

"Ok!"

Before dawn, the earth was pitch black, in every corner of the imperial capital.

Lanterns are lit at the door as people walk out of their homes and onto the streets.

If you look down from the sky, it looks like tiny sparks beginning to converge into a river, which then flows towards the main gate of the palace.