<h4>CHAPTER 23 (2): ASTONISHMENT</h4>


    Su Xi-er nced at her and smiled. “Are you not going to marry? How can you forever be my person?”


    “I...it’s still early for me to marry. Besides, I would already be ted if I could walk out of the Pce Side Quarters. Su Xi-er, what is your goal? Tell me, and I will cooperate with you fully.” Hong Li’s eyes glimmered with hope. She didn’t dare to harbour extravagant hopes of leaving the imperial pce. As long as she could get out of the most deste part in the imperial pce, she would already be very jubnt.


    The expression in Su Xi-er’s eyes became distant. My goal...


    Due to Hong Li’s question, Su Xi-er’s thoughts eventually came to Nanzhao’s imperial pce.


    Those people probably think that I’m already dead. Was my body tossed into the unmarked mass grave?


    “Su Xi-er, what’s wrong?” A soft call pulled her back from her thoughts.


    She looked at Hong Li. “We will get out of the Pce Side Quarters. If you want to marry, you will have to leave the imperial pce. None of the men in the imperial pce is decent.”


    Hong Li could see the coldness in her eyes and was puzzled. “You sound like you have experienced it before.”


    Su Xi-er replied indifferently, “I’m in the Pce Side Quarters throughout the year. How would I have experienced something like that? Instead, it was easy enough to tell just from watching others like He Xiangyu.”


    “You’re right; when He Xiangyu was favoured by Prince Hao, her status was high and above. Now that she has been punished by the Empress Dowager, Prince Hao doesn’t pay any attention to her at all. The men in the imperial pce only want something novel.” Hong Li nodded as she reasoned. In a split second, she had understood many principles.


    No wonder Su Xi-er is unwilling to go to the Beauty Pce. That ce is a grandiose cage. All the women dress and groom themselves every day, looking forward to Prince Hao’s arrival.


    “Old Maidservant Zhao’s punishment is about to end soon,” Su Xi-er unhurriedly said as she looked at the window.


    Right at this moment, the door of the room was opened. The three pce maids who lived in the same room as Su Xi-er were standing outside.


    Although they stayed in the same room, it was the first time Su Xi-er had seen them clearly. In the past, she had only caught brief nces of their backs or simply not seen them around at all because their working and resting times were staggered differently.


    “Old Maidservant Zhao was beaten by the nk thirty times. With her old body, it doesn’t look like she will survive!” A pce maid made a big fuss as she shouted.


    “The Pce Side Quarters is going to have a change in the old-maidservant-in-charge, Su Xi-er,” another pce maid suddenly called her.


    Su Xi-er looked at her. This pce maid was very short and her face was round. She ran over with her short legs and pulled Su Xi-er’s hand intimately with a cheerful face.


    “You’re so amazing, borrowing Prince Hao’s hand to fix Old Maidservant Zhao. In the future, the new old-maidservant-in-charge probably has to fear you a little as well. Is it alright if I mingle and follow you?”


    Su Xi-er removed her hand impressively. “I’m the same as you; just a pce maid. You should follow your master instead. I’m not your master. Besides, I didn’t borrow Prince Hao’s hand to punish Old Maidservant Zhao.”


    The pce maid with a round face pouted. “You still don’t know who I am, right? I’m Lian Qiao. My bed is the fourth one, just beside yours.”


    Su Xi-er’s bed was the third one. She is cottoning up to me.


    However, I must keep away from this person. Although her words sound normal, they clearly hide a profound meaning.


    “Lian Qiao, do your things obediently. In the Pce Side Quarters, all the pce maids are the same.” Hong Li couldn’t stand watching her any longer and cut her off.


    Lian Qiao pretended to feel wronged. She lowered her head and didn’t look at them.


    Just as the atmosphere in the room became awkward, the sound of footsteps could be heard outside.


    “Pce maids of the Pce Side Quarters, assemble!” The person addressing them was an imperial bodyguard with a powerful voice.


    There were usually only women in the Pce Side Quarters. Imperial bodyguards would onlye when something major transpired.