"None of you are allowed to touch my mother's body."
As soon as Xiao Yu ran in, she shouted a warning at the several burly men who were about to wrap her mother's corpse in a mat.
When Xiao Yu's grandmother saw her granddaughter suddenly appear before her, she was so enraged that her hair stood on end.
"How did you, you little slut, get out?"
"Grandmother, are you truly my grandmother? How can there be such a venomous grandmother in this world? As soon as your daughter-in-law breathed her last, you sold your own granddaughter to a brothel." Xiao Yu's eyes reddened as she glared at the old woman and roared.
As soon as she finished speaking, the onlookers at the doorway immediately began to point and whisper about the old woman, feeling indignant on Xiao Yu's behalf.
"Nonsense, you little slut. I clearly sold you to a wealthy family as a maid. How could I bear to sell you to a brothel? That place is a woman's hell." The old woman retorted uncomfortably, and her demeanor betrayed a lack of conviction in her words.
"Then Grandmother, tell everyone, which wealthy family did you sell me to as a maid? Or which brothel in the east of the city did you sell me to?" Xiao Yu asked deliberately.
The old woman stammered and could not answer.
She had indeed considered selling Xiao Yu to those wealthy families, but none of them were willing to pay a high price for Xiao Yu. Thus, she had no choice but to sell Xiao Yu to a brothel that was willing to pay a high price.
"Grandmother, you can't say, can you?" Xiao Yu pressed again.
Unexpectedly, as the old woman raised her hand to slap Xiao Yu, Leng Ruo Li, who had just walked in, casually flicked a silver needle that struck her wrist.
The old woman immediately let out a piercing scream.
"Who are you to dare prick me with a needle?" The old woman glared at Leng Ruo Li, her voice laced with impudence.
"Who I am is none of your concern. You should clarify in front of everyone whether you sold Xiao Yu to a brothel or to a wealthy family as a maid. If you don't say anything, it doesn't matter. I think those people will soon come to settle the score with you."
Leng Ruo Li swept her icy gaze over the old woman with a hint of disdain, concealed within an undercurrent of disgust.
At this moment, a middle-aged woman dressed impeccably stepped forward and pointed at the old woman, saying, "I know which brothel Xiao Yu's grandmother sold Xiao Yu to."
This woman was Aunt Li, who often sold steamed buns for Xiao Yu to earn money.
"Get out, you black widow! Don't interfere in our family's affairs." The old woman gnashed her teeth and snarled at Aunt Li.
"Grandmother Xiao Yu, I don't need you to tell me to leave. I'll leave on my own after I've said what I need to say. The reason you're afraid to say where you sold Xiao Yu is because you're afraid of the neighbors' condemnation. But I can tell everyone that this old woman actually sold her own granddaughter to the Mandarin Duck Tower in the east of the city." Aunt Li said loudly, pointing at the old woman.
As soon as Aunt Li finished speaking, the neighbors gathered at the doorway began to discuss heatedly, their words continuously condemning the old woman as too vicious.
One of her rivals, who had always disliked the old woman, directly accused her: "Old Madam Xing, your eldest son has only been dead for half a year, and yet you treat your eldest daughter-in-law and your eldest granddaughter like this, selling your own granddaughter to a den of iniquity like the Mandarin Duck Tower. Does anyone present here know what kind of place the Mandarin Duck Tower is? It's a brothel that specializes in young prostitutes, where girls like Xiao Yu are forced to serve men with peculiar tastes."
Hearing the woman's earth-shattering words, everyone was stunned.
Even Leng Ruo Li was astonished.
Good heavens! Fortunately, she had intervened to save Xiao Yu, or else her entire life would have been ruined at such a young age by those people.
"Grandmother Xiao Yu, do you have anything else to say? Xiao Yu is, after all, the only blood relation your eldest son left in this world, and yet you heartlessly sent her to such a place to become a young prostitute." Aunt Li said indignantly.
"This is my family matter, and none of you have the right to interfere." The old woman (Old Madam Xing) argued evasively.
However, the onlookers were not swayed. Their accusations against her intensified until she could no longer bear it and slunk away shamefacedly, followed closely by the burly men she had hired.
Later, Leng Ruo Li gave a few taels of silver to the kind Aunt Li to help Xiao Yu give her mother a proper burial.
After Xiao Yu's mother's funeral was concluded, Leng Ruo Li, to prevent the people from the Mandarin Duck Tower from finding Xiao Yu, discussed with Jun Mo Han and decided to bring Xiao Yu to the residence of Prince Ji.
Princess Ji, upon hearing about Xiao Yu's plight, felt immense sympathy for the young girl. Without a second thought, she took Xiao Yu in and even adopted her as her goddaughter. From then on, Xiao Yu finally had a place to live.
Meanwhile.
After Prince Leng and his wife departed, Prince Ji informed Princess Ji and immediately proceeded to the palace to visit the residence of Consort Rou.
At that moment, Consort Rou was in a furious rage because a palace maid had lost her favorite white fox, causing everyone in the Yue Rou Palace to be on tenterhooks and in utter chaos.
When Prince Ji entered the Yue Rou Palace, Consort Rou was momentarily stunned by his sudden arrival. However, after a brief pause, she quickly shifted to a joyous expression.
"Brother Yunxiao, you're here! Come, come, come in and sit down!"
Consort Rou approached Prince Ji with a smile plastered across her face, throwing an arm around his, her eager gaze filled with threads of affection.
To her surprise, Prince Ji abruptly slapped her hand away.
"Your Highness Consort, please have some self-respect!" Prince Ji sternly reminded her.
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry, Brother Yunxiao! It's all my fault; I was just too excited to see you. But, Brother Yunxiao, you haven't set foot in my Yue Rou Palace for so many years. Why don't you sit down, and Rou'er will brew you some tea?" Consort Rou said with a cheerful laugh.
The strong fragrance emanating from her instantly invaded Prince Ji's nostrils.
The mixed floral scent she exuded could easily induce hallucinations if one inhaled it for too long. Prince Ji had discovered Consort Rou's secret long ago and had even had an imperial physician help him create a refreshing herbal sachet that he kept in his sleeve to guard against her scent. However, he hadn't realized that Wen Yue Rou's scent was not only meant to beguile men but also to conceal the smell of blood on her person.
Prince Ji ignored her. If he hadn't come to the Yue Rou Palace with a purpose today, he, Ling Yunxiao, would never have wanted to enter it.
Subsequently, Prince Ji walked directly to the tea table and sat down. Consort Rou's heart fluttered with joy, and she quickly followed him and sat opposite him.
"Brother Yunxiao, would you prefer flower tea or green tea today?" Consort Rou asked solicitously.
"Whatever!" Prince Ji replied casually.
After all, no matter what tea Consort Rou brewed, he wouldn't drink it. He feared that he might inadvertently fall victim to this woman's schemes.