The Cold-Hearted Princess Who Transmigrated Here

the next day.

At 6:15 AM, Wang Xiyue woke up on time.

She had just woken up when she found Chunjing kneeling in front of her bed.

Startled, she quickly got up.

Wang Xiyue stepped forward to help her up, but Chun Jing stubbornly remained kneeling on the ground, refusing to get up, and just kept wiping away her tears.

Chun Jing and Xia Yi were both her personal maids.

Xia Yi has a more composed personality, so she chose to have her follow her to the temple to practice Buddhism.

Chun Jing was only three years older than him, and had a carefree and somewhat careless personality, so he kept her in the mansion.

Upon returning home, Wang Xiyue noticed that Chun Jing was always absent-minded and often hesitated to speak when facing her.

Because she was busy preparing for her coming-of-age ceremony with her parents, she never had a chance to ask clearly.

But Wang Xiyue knew her own maid well. She knew that Chun Jing was very generous and rarely saw her so sad and upset.

Seeing that she kept crying, Wang Xiyue pressed her temples helplessly. Crying wouldn't solve anything, so she sternly stopped her: "Stop crying."

Chun Jing was startled by the powerful aura suddenly emanating from her mistress, and her crying stopped abruptly.

Wang Xiyue softened her tone, "Get up and speak properly. Why are you doing this?"

Chun Jing stood up, her movements still abruptly interrupted. She could only answer haltingly, sobbing, "Miss, please...please...please, please, save Sister Xia Yi. She...she's living a life no human being can live."

Since it concerned Xia Yi, Wang Xiyue couldn't help but ask, "What happened to Xia Yi?"

Chun Jing took a deep breath to calm herself down and hurriedly told the truth.

A year ago, Xia Yi turned twenty, which is indeed much older than the average age for a young woman to get married.

Wang Xiyue felt that she could not delay any longer, so she made her leave the mansion with the indenture and marry someone else.

Wang Xiyue originally thought that after leaving the Prime Minister's mansion and no longer being a servant, she would be able to build an ordinary but happy family with her own savings.

She just didn't expect that, only a year and a half later, the result would be completely different from what she had imagined.

When Wang Xiyue was six years old, she met Xia Yi, who was twelve years old at the time. At that time, Xia Yi and her brother were selling themselves to bury their mother.

Wang Xiyue rarely felt close to a stranger upon first meeting, so she begged her mother to buy her. Later, her mother saw that Xia Yi was kind-hearted and made her her personal maid.

Xia Yi only had one older brother, who was four years older than her. They did not enter the manor together. With the help of her monthly allowance, her brother was able to make a meager living. Four years after she entered the manor, she managed to raise enough money to help her brother marry his sister-in-law.

According to Chun Jing's account, she learned how miserable Xia Yi had been during the year or so since she left.

Xia Yi was twenty years old. Less than a month after returning home, her sister-in-law betrothed her to a small business owner. Although the man was ten years older than Xia Yi, it was said that his family was well-off and he would not mistreat her.

At the beginning of her marriage, she did get along well with her husband for a while, but the good times didn't last long. After Xia Yizao gave birth to a daughter, her husband and mother-in-law began to despise and humiliate her in various ways.

At first, it was just verbal abuse. Later, when Xia Yi became pregnant again, her mother-in-law found several doctors to examine her pulse and said that this pregnancy would also result in a daughter.

So her mother-in-law and husband began to strongly urge Xia Yi to abort the fetus, on the grounds that they disliked her for being too old. They said that if this pregnancy was also a girl, it would be much harder to conceive next time, and even if she did, it might not be a son. If they delayed for another two years, she would be even older and might not be able to give birth to a son.

Xia Yining refused to have an abortion, and as a result, she was treated like a maid by the mother and son, and was constantly abused. Now she is three months pregnant, and she has to take care of her five-month-old daughter while being forced to do a lot of dirty and tiring work every day, and also serve her in-laws food and drink.

What's worse, sometimes her husband, when in a bad mood, would beat or verbally abuse her.

After holding her breath and finishing her sentence, Chun Jing began to kowtow forcefully. "Miss, I know that Sister Xia is no longer a member of the Prime Minister's Mansion after she left, but for the sake of Sister Xia's service to you over the years, please save her, okay?"

“I secretly went to see her many times, but she never told me the truth. If I hadn’t accidentally stumbled upon her being beaten and scolded by those two beasts, I wouldn’t have believed that she was living such a terrible life.”

"Miss, I beg you! If you agree, I'm willing to give my life in return."

In recent years, Wang Xiyue has been cultivating her mind and body in the temple, and she rarely encounters things that can cause her to have significant emotional fluctuations. In most cases, she is still very rational.

But what happened today really crossed her bottom line.

Xia Yi was her maid, but she also took care of her like an older sister for many years.

Even a dog has feelings, let alone a living, breathing person.

She had never experienced love, but she knew that true love should be like that of parents, who would never abandon each other and support one another.

If there's no love, it's better to part amicably. Why is this man so cruel to waste his wife and to humiliate a pregnant and vulnerable woman like that?

Does a man like that deserve to be a husband?

Does he deserve to be a father?

Wang Xiyue suppressed a trace of anger in her heart and calmly said, "Alright, wipe your tears. Do you think I'm the kind of person who would stand by and watch someone die?"

"Go and inform Brother Chen Tian to have Wang Yi bring a group of guards and a carriage, and have them wait for me at the gate in a quarter of an hour."

Chun Jing stopped crying and smiled. After kowtowing again to express her gratitude, she hurriedly ran out to call for help.

She knew that although the young lady appeared cold and ruthless on the outside, she was actually softer than anyone else on the inside.

Wang Xiyue changed her clothes as quickly as possible. After she finished washing up, she could only pay her respects to her mother, since her father had already arrived at the palace to attend the morning court session by this time.

She also needed to inform her mother about the things she needed to handle later.

Qiu Ye, Li Lingling's personal maid, saw her mistress rushing over and quickly curtsied, "Miss!"

Wang Xiyue stopped at the door and asked softly, "Aunt Qiuye, has Mother gotten up?"

"Miss......"

Before Qiu Ye could answer, Li Lingling's gentle voice came from the inner room, "Yue'er, come in!"

When Wang Xiyue entered the house, she found that her mother had already finished washing up and was having morning tea.

Seeing her daughter dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with her hair simply tied up on top of her head, Li Lingling asked, "Yue'er, what brings you here?"

Wang Xiyue briefly explained what she needed to do later, and at the end, she made sure to assure her, "Mother, I will be careful, don't worry!"

"I'll also have Brother Chen Tian inform my brother later and ask him to come with me. I'll definitely handle Xia Yi's matter well!"

Li Lingling sighed softly. Her daughter had grown up and needed to learn to handle some everyday family matters.

But in her mother's eyes, her children, no matter how old they are, will always be children. She couldn't help but worry, "Yue'er, I know you are kind-hearted, but if Xia Yi is unwilling, please don't force her, okay?"

"Everyone has things they insist on. You may think something is bad, but others may not think so."

"What you consider suffering may be commonplace to others, or something they can endure."

"Yue'er, do you understand?"

After hearing these words, Wang Xiyue's impulsive thoughts gradually cooled down: "Mother, I don't understand. Why do some people insist on making things wrong even when they are clearly bad?"

Li Lingling couldn't help but sigh: "Life is like drinking water; only the person drinking knows whether it's hot or cold, and one has to experience all the flavors for oneself."

"Everyone experiences both joy and sorrow on their own."

"In life, we all experience the ups and downs. Some people crave sour things while others crave sweet things. We can only control ourselves, but we can't change what others think, you know?"

Wang Xiyue received her first lesson in life from her mother, which was like a sudden awakening.

Yes!

Since it's the path Xia Yi chose, if she insists on going all the way to the end, then that's her life.

She wants to help Xia Yi escape her misery, but that depends on whether Xia Yi accepts it or not.

Whether she accepts it or not, it's her life. Even if she's the daughter of a prime minister or an emperor, she has no right to make decisions about someone else's life.

But she still had to go, after all, this was the last effort she could make for Xia Yi, and she had promised Chun Jing's request, so she had to keep her word.

Although Wang Xiyue cannot be a bodhisattva who saves all sentient beings, she has a duty to deal with scumbags and degenerates.

This trip is imperative!

Li Lingling gently tucked a stray hair behind her daughter's ear and asked softly, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Wang Xiyue shook her head. Actually, she wasn't hungry yet and didn't have an appetite for food. Of course, this was also because breakfast at Guozhao Temple wasn't served at this time.

Li Lingling had become very familiar with her daughter's daily routine over the past three months and knew that she might not necessarily be unable to eat, but that didn't stop her from reminding her, "You child, have you forgotten again?"

"You must eat a full breakfast, otherwise it's bad for your health, you know?"

Wang Xiyue was also helpless. A habit that had been cultivated for six years couldn't be changed so easily. Seeing that it was almost time, she got up, curtsied, and said goodbye, "Mother, I understand. I'll go to the kitchen to get some buns to eat on the way."

As Li Lingling watched her daughter get up and leave, she didn't forget to remind her again, "Yue'er, you must be careful!"

Even after walking away, Wang Xiyue could still faintly hear her mother's concern, which instantly dispelled her earlier low spirits.

She is luckier than many people in the world; she has loving parents and a brother, and she has no worries about food or clothing.

Life is not always as one wishes. She can't change too many things or too many people right now, but she can't refrain from doing things just because they are small. She should help as many people as she can.

By the time Wang Xiyue arrived at the main gate, everyone else had already arrived.

Chun Jing stood beside a carriage, while behind Wang Yi stood ten guards, each leading their horse. Upon seeing Wang Xiyue arrive, they bowed in unison, "Miss."

Wang Xiyue nodded in acknowledgment, entered the carriage, and instructed, "Chun Jing, give the directions, let's go!"

It took half an hour to finally arrive at Xia Yi's house.

Chun Jing said anxiously, "Miss, the carriage can no longer enter that alley; we can only get off and walk."

Wang Xiyue nodded and readily got off the carriage.

She was used to being self-reliant. She wasn't a sheltered young lady from the capital who never left her home; she was just a nun practicing in the countryside. So walking was naturally something she was used to.

Wang Yi instructed two guards to stay behind to watch over the horses and carriage, while he, along with the other guards, led two horses and followed behind the young lady.

Just in case, he has ordered everyone to remain vigilant at all times and be prepared to protect the young lady at any moment.

As Wang Xiyue walked with Chun Jing, she carefully observed the surrounding environment. She discovered that this place was a "slum" at the foot of the capital city.

Even though it's a "slum," compared to the genuine farmers in the outskirts of Beijing, the people gathered here are still considered to be of relatively good middle class.

At least the houses here are fairly spacious, and some households can afford to hire one or two maids to serve them. Most families have enough to eat and drink, and as long as they are hardworking and don't cheat or slack off, they generally won't have a hard life.

Logically speaking, Xia Yi's sister-in-law must have put in a lot of effort to choose this place.

As the moment drew near, Chunjing realized she had been too reckless and began to feel afraid.

Miss, you have such a noble status. What if you get hurt because of Xia Yi?

If her own parents found out, they would beat her to death.

She was having second thoughts. "Miss, how about I go in with Brother Wang and the others? Why don't you go back to the carriage and rest for a bit?"

"If you go in and see something unpleasant, I'm afraid it will offend your eyes."

Now that everyone's here, how could Wang Xiyue possibly turn back halfway? "Alright, stop dawdling and go knock on the door."

Chun Jing nervously stepped forward and knocked on the two rings on the door, calling out, "Sister Xia, are you there?"

After knocking three times with no response, Chun Jing anxiously looked at her young mistress, wondering what to do.

Wang Xiyue gestured to Wang Yi towards the wall.

Wang Yi understood immediately and leaped over the courtyard wall, which was as tall as a person.

After he climbed over the wall and went inside, he found that the family's courtyard house was not very big. The front yard was a bit messy, with some tables, chairs and benches for doing business and a cart. This small vendor must be selling food.

However, seeing that all the utensils were covered in dust, it was clear that they had been abandoned for a long time.

He immediately went into the backyard to check if it was uninhabited.

There was a well in the courtyard, and next to the well was a small mountain of dirty clothes that needed washing. A woman dressed in somewhat tattered and thin clothes was standing with her back to him.

She was carrying a small baby on her back, and she was bending over with difficulty, cranking the wooden handle of the bucket above the well to lift the water bucket.

She didn't open the door just now; the sound of the doorknob turning must have masked the knocking.

She looked weak and listless, as if she might collapse at any moment. Wang Yi couldn't help but want to go forward and help her, but there was a difference between men and women.

He had no choice but to politely approach and ask, "Excuse me, is this Xia Yi's home?"

The woman was so startled by the sudden appearance of the man's voice that she panicked and the full bucket of water that had just reached the well tip fell back down with a loud crash.

She ignored the fallen bucket and turned around abruptly to see who had broken into her home.

When Wang Yi and the other person turned around and saw their face clearly, he was also startled. He had thought that Chun Jing had given him the wrong directions and was just about to ask her for directions.

Unexpectedly, the old, sickly-looking woman in front of him was Xia Yi.

If it weren't for the striking resemblance in their facial features, he wouldn't have believed that this girl, who was about his age, now looked as weathered as his elder. He asked incredulously, "Are you Xia Yi?"

Xia Yi never expected that someone she hadn't seen for seven years would suddenly appear before her. "Brother Wang?"

Wang Yi and Xia Yi were about the same age and started working at the Prime Minister's residence together, so they were more familiar with each other than the others.

Looking at the scene before him, Wang Yi was filled with uncontrollable anger. Fearing that it would delay things, he hurriedly explained his purpose: "Xia Yi, Miss Xiyue has come to see you!"

Xia Yi was so shocked by the news that she couldn't react for a long time. She couldn't quite believe that her young lady would come to such a dilapidated and filthy place.

Thinking of the carefree days she spent with her mistress in the Prime Minister's mansion, and then of her current unbearable suffering, tears silently streamed down her face. "Why did you know I was here, Miss?"

Wang Yi revealed the truth: "Chun Jing brought us here!"

"I'll go and invite the young lady in. You tidy up!"

Xia Yi had no interest in tidying up anything. She turned around slowly like a puppet, staring unblinkingly at the courtyard gate, trying to confirm if she was dreaming.

She forgot what she was supposed to do, what she was supposed to do, and what she was capable of doing.

She has nothing now and nothing to offer the hostess.

It wasn't until she saw Wang Yi return that Xia Yi realized with shock that this wasn't a dream.

She kept her eyes glued to the young lady who followed Wang Yi.

The young lady was even more beautiful than when she was in Qingzhu Courtyard. Her clothes were no longer the coarse cloth garments from the temple, but rather more luxurious brocade.

The young lady stood there, as pure and holy as the moon goddess, seemingly out of place in this place.

Now I'm like a lump of mud, and anyone who gets close to me will get tainted.

This is probably the real difference between heaven and earth.

She was afraid that taking even one step forward would shatter that purity and beauty.