Prince! The political conspiracy is not a play, the show is real

In the future that Tao Yao foresaw, she would marry Chu Huanjun and die in that heavy snow.

What if I didn't marry him? Could I have avoided all these tragedies?

While Taoyao was still lost in thought, Huailing had already cleaned the house with swift hands and feet. She was now anxious to help Taoyao change her burnt clothes, bringing a basin of water to wash them. Taoyao couldn't bear to watch, so she simply squatted beside her and washed with her.

"Second Miss, the water is cold this winter. Don't do it. Be careful of getting frostbite. I will wash it." Huai Ling said.

Tao Yao stroked the clothes in her hands and sighed.

After all, she is a lady of the Shi family. The only new dress the second lady has this year is made of such rough and coarse material, and the stitches are uneven, making it impossible to see it closely.

"It's okay, I enjoy it." Tao Yao said.

Huai Ling sighed, her expression melancholy as she whispered, "I know the Second Miss is reluctant to part with this dress. I finally managed to get the Master to find a tailor to make a dress tailored to the Second Miss's measurements. The Second Miss must be very happy..."

The Second Miss wears it half the time every month, and now it’s burned out, and I don’t know when she’ll get a new one…”

Tao Yao looked out the window at the falling snow, lost in thought, and asked, "How many days until the New Year? Maybe then my father will be merciful and give me new clothes."

Huai Ling's face showed an extremely surprised expression, as if she had heard something extraordinary. She asked hesitantly, "Second Miss, aren't you most afraid of the New Year?"

Huai Ling paused, then muttered softly, "Every New Year, the master always tries to find a way to marry off the second young lady. The year before last, it was the lame young master of Jiangzhou Prefecture, and last year it was the eighty-year-old county magistrate of Jiangling City. Every year it's getting more outrageous, and this year I'm afraid it's..."

Tao Yao slapped her head and said hurriedly, "Yes, yes, how could I forget! But Huai Ling, if I get married, will I not have to stay here anymore?"

Huai Ling was completely stunned: "Second Miss, what did you say?"

"Think about it, if I get married and take you with me, then we won't have to live in the Shi Mansion anymore and won't be bullied by Shi Lanxin anymore?"

Huai Ling nodded, then immediately shook her head like a rattle: "She has to marry a good man, otherwise her life might be even worse than it is now."

"Isn't that possible?" Tao Yao slapped her thigh. "If I get married, I might still have a good life. But if I stay, I'm 100% guaranteed to live a hard life!"

"Ah..." Huai Ling felt a little confused and actually thought Tao Yao was right.

Tao Yao leaned close to Huai Ling's ear and whispered, "Huai Ling, go and find out what kind of marriage my father has arranged for me this year."

Huai Ling frowned: "Second Miss, are you really going to get married? You cried, made a scene, and even threatened to hang yourself before you could stay."

Tao Yao said with a determined look, "People always have to change. It was because I was stupid before that I stayed in this broken mansion unchanged, which is why I have been so unlucky."

——Once I marry someone else, I will never marry Chu Huanjun again.

Tao Yao was calculating rapidly in her mind. Although she didn't know whether the future she saw would come true, it was always better to take precautions.

In that vision of the future, she clearly felt a heart-wrenching pain.

The subconscious of this body was reminding her that if she had the chance to do it again, she would never repeat the same mistake.

As the days passed, Tao Yao's life in the Shi Mansion became increasingly difficult. Not only was Shi Lanxin always bullying her, but even the servants in the mansion ostracized her, leaving her with a life worse than that of a guard dog.

I heard that Shi Lanxin and her servants were spreading rumors outside, saying that Tao Yao was a monster that ate snakes, rats, and poisonous insects.

Tao Yao has been hiding in the Shi Mansion for so many years and has not gone out because of her extremely ugly appearance. Anyone who sees her true face will be cursed and will die suddenly within three days.

When these rumors reached Tao Yao's ears, she was not angry, but burst into laughter, thinking that Shi Lanxin was very good at making up stories.

Huai Ling was furious, her face turning green and wrinkled like a bitter melon. "The Second Young Miss has lost all her reputation and dignity because of her lies. Doesn't she understand that when we prosper, we prosper, and when we suffer, we suffer together? What good can she possibly gain by slandering the Second Young Miss like this?"

Tao Yao hadn't really cared, but seeing Huai Ling so angry, she couldn't help but burst out laughing. "What's the point of reputation? It can't be eaten! I've been like a ball in the mansion at this time, kicked around by anyone who comes. But after she said that, and spread the word that I'm a terrifying monster, maybe no one will dare to bully me anymore."

Huai Ling thought about it and agreed.

It's strange to say, but in recent days the second young lady's temper doesn't seem to be as melancholy as before. She knows how to make herself happy and is like a completely different person.

To be honest, not everything in the mansion was so hateful at that time.

Shi Yiqian raised a guard dog. This dog was brought back by Shi Yiqian when he was fighting in the northwest. It was said that it was the offspring of a wolf and a dog, and was half wolf. Shi Yiqian loved the dog very much.

This dog is a picky eater. He won't eat leftovers or bones, but only skinned poultry cooked in water. So every day someone from the kitchen brings a pot of boiled chicken and puts it on the edge of the doorstep.

Tao Yao had recently become very close to the dog. The reason was simple: the dog ate better than she did, and if she cultivated a good relationship with the dog, she could even get a bite or two of its meat.

One day, Tao Yao found a ball of wool from somewhere, and bounced it in front of the watchdog. Suddenly, he threw the ball out of the goal.

The dog ran towards the ball like an arrow. Taking advantage of this gap, Tao Yao picked up the pot of boiled chicken and began to devour it.

When the dog came back with the ball of yarn, she threw the ball out again.

After a few trips back and forth, Taoyao secretly finished half a bowl of chicken.

The dog was big and had a big appetite, so the bowl the kitchen served him contained about the size of two chickens. Even if Taoyao ate half of it, it would be enough to fill his stomach for three days.

"Leave the remaining half for Brother Gou to eat." Tao Yao touched the dog's head gratefully.

The dog was not annoyed, but wagged its tail and stuck out its tongue happily at her.

Tao Yao smiled with relief: "What would the world do if there were no dogs?"

Suddenly, a faint, cold fragrance wafted through the wind. Tao Yao shuddered and jumped up from the ground.

"So it's you. I was wondering who was talking to himself."

Tao Yao looked over when she heard the voice, and a face as white as fresh snow came into view. He had a smile on his face, and he looked like he was enjoying the fun.

Tao Yao scratched his head pretentiously, pretending not to know him: "Ah, you are that...that..."

Rumor has it that anyone who has seen Chu Huanjun will never forget his ethereal appearance and beauty.

Tao Yao was the first person in history to be forgotten in the blink of an eye after having just met him.

Chu Huanjun was a little annoyed, but he still put on a kind and polite smile and said calmly, "Second Miss Shi, we met a few days ago. You can just call me Xiao Chu."

——It’s just a courtesy.

Tao Yao touched his head and said, "Oh, okay. Xiao Chu, just call me Tao Yao."

——This is slowness. Even if it’s just pretending.

Chu Huanjun was a little uncomfortable and embarrassed by her tone that lacked any sense of hierarchy and order.

He looked the girl in front of him up and down——

She was wearing clothes that were obviously ill-fitting and wrinkled all over. Her sleeves were stained with soup from fighting with the dog for food, making them look greasy.

Everything about her looked so messy, like a wild cat.

But she was very beautiful, and even though she was unkempt and her hair was very messy, it couldn't hide her amazingly bright eyes.

Taoyao, a nice name. Chu Huanjun silently memorized her name in his heart.

"What are you doing? Sharing food with a dog?" Chu Huanjun smiled. "Interesting."

Tao Yao was honest: "As you can see, I was starving, but I couldn't find any food to eat, so I had to steal the dog's food."

"No food to eat? How can there be no food to eat? Are you so poor at this age?"

Chu Huanjun was still smiling. He always had a smiling face, making it hard to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"Since you're pitiful, I'd like to invite you to Chunfeng Tower for a delicious meal. Do you want to go?"

Tao Yao was eager to try the delicious food, but since the man she was meeting was Chu Huanjun, the future killer, she firmly refused. "No, my dad told me I have to marry into a good family in the next few years. I can't be hanging out with random men."

Chu Huanjun's brows tightened, and his usually smiling face suddenly lost a bit of its smile. He said nonchalantly:

"I'm not some messy man."