Consort of a Thousand Faces

After Pei Qianhao left, Su Xi-er raised her sleeves and wiped her mouth fiercely. She was already repulsed by the idea of getting close to men, much less kissing.

 

However, no matter how she wiped, she was unable to erase that smell of his. His scent wrapped around her and reminded her of his overbearing arrogance.

 

In the end, Su Xi-er picked up the coarse rope on the ground and continued walking to the side of the well.

 

After she arrived, she began to bring the well water up and keep herself busy. Only by doing that would the scene of her kissing him vanish from her mind.

 

After she had collected five buckets of water in a row, she began to scrub the chamber pots diligently. The chamber pots are stinky, so they should erase his smell right?

 

Although it had taken her six hours to finish scrubbing the chamber pots in the past, she was almost done in approximately an hour today.

 

Regardless, she continued to scrub relentlessly in order to completely forget the scene that had just occurred.

 

Finally, she finished scrubbing the last chamber pot and collected the well water again, preparing to wash them one more time.

 

Before she could do so however, a large hand reached out from the side as its owner spoke in an emotionless ice-cold voice, “You’re going all out in scrubbing with no regard for your life tonight. Did you get provoked?”

 

She could tell that the voice belonged to the Third Imperial Prince.

 

Situ Li took the bucket from her hand, pulling up a few buckets of water before pouring them onto the chamber pots.

 

Afterwards, he tossed the bucket at the side of the well. “What kind of provocation did you receive? If you work so hard with all your might, your body won’t be able to take it.”

 

Su Xi-er raised her head to look at him. “Third Imperial Prince, when did you arrive? With how late it is, shouldn’t you be resting?”

 

“It wasn’t comfortable sleeping in the repose palace that I was given, so I came out for a walk. I just happened upon you scrubbing for your life when I passed by. What on earth is the matter?“

 

Su Xi-er released a breath of relief. Good thing he just arrived. If he had come when I was kissing Pei Qianhao, that would have spelt trouble.

 

She replied softly, “I’m fine. You don’t have to be worried, Third Imperial Prince.”

 

Situ Li clearly didn’t believe her. He raised his large hand and grabbed her wrist. Su Xi-er immediately exerted strength and prepared to struggle free of him.

 

“Don’t move. Do you want to dislocate it again? Look at how you have set your bones.” Situ Li’s voice was now more imposing as he increased his strength. She was unable to break free from him and could only watch on helplessly as he lifted her sleeves up.

 

In Nanzhao, women who have exposed their arms to others must promise themselves to the other party. Even Yun Ruofeng hasn’t seen my arm before.

 

When she thought of Yun Ruofeng, the expression in her eyes changed. He doesn’t love me at all, so why would he look at my arm? I’m really stupid. I should have been able to make out these minute details. 

 

“Your face is red?” Situ Li looked at her face and suddenly laughed. “Don’t worry. In Beimin,  as long as a man loses his interest, even carrying out the matter of a married couple wouldn’t make a man marry the woman, much less seeing an arm.”

 

Su Xi-er felt extremely displeased about that and raised her right leg to step on Situ Li ferociously. Right when he was finding it painful, she nimbly struggled her hand free from him.

 

“Third Imperial Prince, according to what you have said, what should this servant be worried about? And what’s your purpose in telling this servant this?” Her voice held an imposing demeanour that a palace maid should not have possessed.

 

Situ Li looked at her and observed the expression on her visage. She’s just a palace maid from the Palace Side Quarters? Why does she possess such an imposing aura? An unyielding loftiness and an inherent pride in her eyes.

Furthermore, what I said wasn’t wrong. Beimin is simply like that. If the man doesn’t want the woman, even if she uses the child to blackmail him, the man can still unreasonably abort the child.