Before returning to the house, Song Jinyin paused in the courtyard.
Seeing that Pei Yanzhou hadn't come back yet, she went straight back to her house.
She and Xueyu originally lived in this side room, but because it was convenient for her to get up and serve the prince at any time, Xueyu was moved to another place by Butler Wang not long after staying there.
But Xueyu knew that she was busy and would still come over to help her clean up when she had time.
Now she pushed the door open and walked in. On the table, all the embroidered handkerchiefs she had thrown out during this period had been put away and placed aside.
Song Jinyin carefully packed her things in a cloth bag, turned around and walked out again.
The shopkeeper who collects the embroidery work is kind-hearted, and each piece here can be sold for ten to dozens of yuan. At first glance, the money is not much, but after saving for a long time, it can be regarded as a considerable income.
In the future, money will be needed to cancel the slave status and return to Anyang County.
If possible, she would also like to buy back the small house where her family once lived, and then build a new tomb for her father so that he could have a place to stay.
And her current body...
Thinking of the money, Song Jinyin walked out a little faster, but as soon as she successfully delivered the things, she turned around and was stopped by the lotus pond.
The eldest girl Pei Wenshu stopped in front of her and looked at her in an imposing manner.
"Song Jinyin? I haven't gone to find you yet, but you walked to the door yourself."
"I wonder what the eldest lady has to do with finding a slave?"
Song Jinyin bent her knees and blessed her body. Although her head was lowered, her voice was neither humble nor arrogant.
Pei Wenshu is the legitimate daughter of the second wife and Pei Jinzhi's biological sister.
Although she is not as valued as Pei Jinzhi, she is the first legitimate daughter in the Duke's palace. She was raised pampered, has a good temper, and is extremely arrogant.
Because the second wife, Mrs. Qi, couldn't stand her and her mother, even the eldest girl would seek out her to vent their anger from time to time.
"I heard that you provoked my mother today."
Pei Wenshu looked at her with disdain and disgust, "You don't think that just by crawling into my eldest brother's bed, you can really become half the master of the Pei Mansion, do you?"
"I don't dare, slave."
"Don't you dare? You and your mother are so good at making up your own mind, one big and one small, staring at the big room, why don't you dare?"
Song Jinyin's fingers hidden in her sleeves curled up slightly, and her smooth nails traced across her palms.
Mrs. Liu didn't want her, but she still couldn't do without Mrs. Liu.
"Girl, be careful what you say."
Song Jinyin had not yet risen to salute, her eyes fell on the ground not far ahead, her tone was respectful yet calm.
Pei Wenshu's face darkened and her anger gradually grew.
Mrs. Liu said she was a side wife, but in reality she was just a plaything in the backyard.
With such a status, my grandmother was actually fooled and handed over nearly half of the housekeepers in the house, forcing a concubine to overpower her mother.
And Song Jinyin, who was a slave, actually dared to show off in front of her.
"Who do you think you are, here to teach my master how to speak?"
Raising her hand, the maid behind Pei Wenshu took two steps forward, holding a wooden stick half a palm wide in her hand. There were several looming sharp objects on the upper end of the wooden stick.
"I'm not the kind of master who waits for no mercy, Mingtao, give me thirty slaps and teach you a lesson."
"Yes, big girl."
Occasionally there were maids and slaves passing by in the courtyard, but no one had the intention to call for her.
A flash of exhaustion flashed through Song Jinyin's heart.
Even if someone dared to call someone to save her, there would be no one in the entire Duke's mansion willing to stand up for her.
Song Jinyin was forced to kneel down, and her eyes glanced at the sharp point protruding from the bottom of the wooden bar.
Pei Wenshu came prepared. If he had received these thirty blows, his hand would have been completely destroyed.
...
Under the long corridor in the distance, Pei Yanzhou's eyes fell coldly on Song Jinyin who was kneeling.
The bluestone road there was hard and cold, and even though she didn't hear the sound, she could tell that her kneeling caused a lot of pain.
Butler Wang frowned subconsciously and couldn't bear to look any further.
While dodging, he found that the prince raised his eyes and glanced over, his eyes dark and sinister to the extreme.
"Is this how you work as an errand in our courtyard?"
Butler Wang was startled and asked tentatively: "Master, Miss Jin Yin is not in good health. The younger one should go over first and bring Miss Jin Yin over?"
Pei Yanzhou's eyes were dark and cruel, and then he looked cold-blooded again.
"Who is she to you that makes you care about her like this?"
Butler Wang's heart skipped a beat and he was speechless for a moment.
Isn’t that what the prince said just now?
Seeing that the movement over there was getting louder and louder, and the board seemed to have been twitched, Butler Wang endured the coldness overflowing from the people next to him, and suddenly reacted: "It's my subordinates who have neglected their duties. How can the people in the Prince's courtyard let others know?" The truth of hazing.”
Realizing that the coolness had dissipated a little, Butler Wang raised his hand to wipe his sweat.
Just as he was about to step over to rescue the person, he saw the second young master Pei Jinzhi walking slowly towards him from another path.
Song Jinyin stopped in front of her as she called out "Second Young Master".
Butler Wang froze as he stepped out.
"My slave, please pay your respects to the second young master."
Song Jinyin's palms were already streaked with blood due to the sharp edges on the wooden board. The delicate blood drops soaked into the bluestone, which was extremely dazzling.
But Song Jinyin seemed to feel no pain and raised her eyes to look at the man who was about to leave.
Mingtao hit people without any rules, and the sharp point under the wooden board had not scratched the meridians of her palm, but if it was a little more deflected, even if her hand was healed, she would not be able to do work or pick up needle and thread.
As a useless person, unable to save money or leave the house, he really can only wait for death in despair.
So she can only gamble.
Pei Jinzhi was too lazy to care about the backyard.
But this turn of his head allowed him to see a rare and stunning sight.
A woman who was forced into a desperate situation raised her head and stood firm. She was clearly suffering, but there was an inexplicable determination in her eyes.
Confirmed...
What happened last night suddenly flashed through Pei Jinzhi's mind, and his eyes narrowed.
After a while, he stepped forward and asked the boy to stop Ming Tao.
"What did sister Jinyin do?"
"My servant blew some wind last night and annoyed the eldest daughter today when I was sleepy. It's my fault. The second young master is kind-hearted. Please say a good word for your servant."
"The wind last night... was really strong."
Before Pei Wenshu could lose her temper, she saw her brother personally helping the kneeling maid, and her eyes suddenly lit up with flames.
...
When she returned to the Prince's courtyard, the scratches on Song Jinyin's hands had stopped bleeding. However, before she could go back to the house to clean up the wounds, she was taken to Pei Yanzhou by Butler Wang who was waiting in the courtyard.
There was warmth in the room, but the man standing in front of the window with his hands behind his back was feeling cold all over.
She stopped aside and bowed properly after all.
"This slave has met the Crown Prince."
"Change for me."
Pei Yanzhou turned around and entered the back room without looking at her.
Song Jinyin followed, and with a slight movement of her palm, she touched the wound on her palm, which made her frown.
There was a faint smell of rust in the room, and Song Jinyin's wound that no longer oozed blood opened again. Due to redness and swelling, her speed of changing clothes was obviously much slower than usual.
But Pei Yanzhou turned a blind eye to all this. When he saw her stop, he looked at the tea set on the table.
"Go make tea."
Song Jinyin lowered her head and suppressed the pain with stubbornness, but unexpectedly, this scene irritated Pei Yanzhou even more.
His voice was low, and he grabbed the man who was really about to make tea.
"You are not even afraid of death in front of me, but in front of Pei Jinzhi, you have to show weakness even after receiving a few palms?"
His chin was clamped fiercely, and Song Jinyin was forced to raise her head and look into his eyes with mixed emotions.
"So, Your Majesty, have you seen everything?"
"How would I know if I didn't see it? Your show of weakness is so worthless."
Not valuable?
Song Jinyin slowly raised her bloody hand, her eyes looking tired and empty.
"What about this? Can't you ask for help with such an injury?"
