Chapter 758 - 404: Besieged City
"Ah, ah, ah ah ah——!"
Pei Yuhuan screamed miserably, waking up from the forty square meter bed. Hearing the commotion inside the room, shadows instantly flickered as a large group of maids rushed in,
"Miss, miss, are you okay!"
"Miss is awake, bring the person in."
"Huff huff huff..."
Pei Yuhuan panted heavily, sweating coldly all over, her eyes trembling chaotically, fearfully staring at the people around her, wrapping herself in the golden silk quilt like a startled cat, silent.
But the maids didn’t care whether she wanted it or not, capturing her like a cat from the quilt, surrounding her to groom, dress, and style her hair, lighting the incense burner, setting up the screen, pulling open the curtains to reveal the bright courtyard outside, the sunny sunshine. Then they served all sorts of porridge, tea, rice dishes, sweets and preserved fruits, medicinal meals, and ginseng soup, filling a table.
Having been kidnapped before, wandering in peril, suddenly surrounded by familiar daily life, smelling the calming agarwood filling the room, Pei Yuhuan stood there dumbfounded for a moment, the frantic beating in her chest slowly subsiding.
Then, in the distance, the gate opened, and samurais in golden armor holding staffs chanted a salute at the end of a hundred-meter corridor, reverently bowing with an elderly servant from behind,
"Miss, this old servant is Pei Zhong, thanks to Duke Wuchang’s righteous assistance, finally rescuing you perfectly and unharmed from the Demon Path. Congratulations, congratulations indeed!"
Duke Wuchang...
Pei Yuhuan was momentarily in a daze, vaguely recalling something, but then her head throbbed violently, unable to remember anything.
A maid beside her smiled,
"Miss Pei, is this servant from your family?"
So far away and through so many curtains, who could see clearly, Pei Yuhuan shook her head,
"I don’t know."
"No, no, no! Miss, look again! It’s the old servant, it’s the old servant!"
The samurais around swept their tiger eyes over, Pei Zhong felt the pressure on his back like a waterfall of sweat!
"Ow ow ow! Haha haha haha..."
Then from the bushes came the barking of dogs, a dog head poking out from under the wall corner.
Pei Yuhuan,
"Oh, I remember. You received the letter and came to rescue me!"
Pei Zhong, "..."
Thus, the maids also smiled joyously,
"Miss is awake, quickly invite the Eldest Princess!"
So the meritorious dog was let into the yard to enjoy minced meat, while Pei Zhong, who didn’t know whose servant he was, was pulled out by the samurais.
And as Pei Yuhuan drank a bowl of Hundred Flowers Jade Dew Ginseng Lingzhi Soup Honey Enhanced Version to soothe her throat, she heard twittering voices, a blooming group of palace maids arriving in tandem. Suddenly, the fragrance was overwhelming, the room filled with orchids and musk, the scented breeze brushed her sleeves, soon revealing a group of brightly dressed, beautiful maids attending to a graceful woman who approached elegantly.
Undeniably, the women and maids kept by the aristocratic family each had their own beauty and charm, yet when compared with the true mistress of the family, they were mere earthly maidens, as far from celestial immortals as heaven and earth.
The lady of the house came to see Jade Dew as a little girl, naturally not needing any grand attire or palace makeup, just wearing a casual outfit for an afternoon nap, a strapless silk scarf, a cooling gauze skirt trailing on the ground.
From afar, her cloud-like hair piled into a raven’s nest, green silk high twisted, a phoenix comb diagonally pinned, her snow-white skin gleaming amidst jade peaks undulating. Up close, her arched brows like a painting, red lips dip in cherry, creamy skin moisturized like jade, clear eyes conveying radiance. Her simple gestures displayed an ample physique, an enchanting demeanor, her footsteps could not hide her boundless beauty and innate nobility.
Such mature womanly charm, the grace of an imperial mistress, even Pei Yuhuan couldn’t help but stare, feeling parched, exclaiming "Oh wow,"
"So big and beautiful..."
"Hehe, what a sweet mouth this little girl has."
The Eldest Princess came over, bumping into Pei Yuhuan, hugged her in her arms, pinched her bun-like round face,
"Such a blessed appearance, truly born as noble, I’m so fond of her, no wonder those evil Heterodox, demons, pursue you.
At first glance, I liked you, why not become my family’s daughter-in-law, a third-grade county lady wouldn’t disgrace your family name."
Third-grade county lady? Duke Wuchang... Eldest Princess... Imperial Princess! Duchess of Wuyang! General of the Southern Expedition! Wang Family!
Though previously muddled, her eyes flickered upon hearing the keywords, immediately igniting her fervent palace intrigue spirit! She flashed a smile and said,
"To earn the favor of the Eldest Princess, I’m thrilled and could never refuse. But as my parents’ mandate, through the marriage broker, it must be reported to my father.
Just that I mustn’t hide, my family is but mountain villagers, miscellaneous branches, probably unable to even gather a dowry, truly unworthy of the State Duke Mansion’s Young General..."
The Duchess of Wuyang pinched her round face,
"This little girl is so clever, back then the Eight Pei and Eight Kings were renowned together, if it weren’t for the Qianzhou incident, your family would be as famed as the Wang Family, there’s nothing unworthy.
Alas, truth be told, it’s really my family’s unworthy grandchildren, a bunch of playboy heirs, none worthy of you, what a pity for such a fate..."
Pei Yuhuan sensed the drift, her eyes rolled, reversing the roles, leapt into the embrace, transforming into tear-filled eyes, a pitiful face,
"Eldest Princess, please do not say that! Since childhood, I’ve had no mother, no maternal love!
Meeting you today, like a Heavenly Immortal, somehow stirs admiration, feeling closer the more I look, how could there be no fate!
Even if I can’t become your daughter-in-law, today is my lucky day, why not let you be my mother!"
"Uh, this, this child is truly..."
The Duchess of Wuyang never expected this girl to address her as mother directly, feeling somewhat flustered and blushing suddenly. Who is she? She’s the sister of the former Emperor, the aunt of the Immortal Emperor, the State Lady of Wuchang County Duke Mansion, usually nobody in the mansion dared speak to her like this? Not to mention the generational disparity, meeting face to face asking for a mother, how does this make her father...