Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 384 Xiu Yang’s Experience (3)

Nanny Luo, after hearing this, instantly grew sober, her back soaked with sweat, uncertain if it was from fright or the heat.

"Princess, this old servant knows her wrongs, please spare me." Nanny Luo crawled forward a few steps and clung tightly to Feng Xuxu’s thighs, crying so hard she was gasping for breath, pleading with Feng Xuxu bitterly.

"Speak, what exactly is going on here? Where is the Imperial Concubine?" She said coldly, looking down upon the person below.

Mei Lenglei stepped forward, yanked Nanny Luo’s hands away, and pulled her back several steps to prevent her from harming his princess.

"The Imperial Concubine is locked in a small room in the back, along with her personal maid Xiaoxi," she said, head bowed and trembling.

Feng Xuxu began to move toward the small room she had mentioned, but after just one step, Nanny Luo, as if mad, struggled out of Mei Lenglei’s grasp, rushed forward, and seized Feng Xuxu’s thighs: "No, Princess, the Emperor has commanded that no one is allowed to visit the Imperial Concubine."

Feng Xuxu glanced at the person on the ground, pulled her leg free, and turned to stride quickly toward the room behind the hall.

"My lady, your servant is coming." Zhu Lengqing shook her head at the princess, stepped forward herself, and pushed open the door to the small room, a pungent odor assailing her senses. She slowly entered the small, dark space, gradually adjusting to the darkness within, and after searching briefly, found two figures curled up on the straw-covered ground in a small corner.

"Imperial Concubine? Imperial Concubine, wake up, my princess has come to see you." Zhu Lengqing approached and gently shook Xiu Yang, unable to believe that a royal consort of the first rank could be reduced to such a state.

Xiu Yang, who had just fallen asleep, opened her heavy eyelids, squinted to see who had come, and let out a ’pfft’ of cold laughter, "You all can go back, I am quite fine." After speaking, she closed her eyes again, ignoring Zhu Lengqing crouched on the ground.

Feng Xuxu waited outside for a moment but heard no sound from within, so she stepped inside, her body freezing instantly, eyes widening in disbelief. Although she had braced for the worst, what she saw was far worse than she could have imagined.

"Xiu Yang, how... how could this happen."

She looked at the person in front of her—skinny as kindling, cheekbones protruding sharply, deep hollows around the eyes, a lifeless gaze, tangled hair mixed with strands of straw, and a foul, fishy smell emanating from her lower body. This was not the radiant Xiu Yang as bright as spring or fair as the autumn moon, but worse than a street beggar.

"Hehe, how could this happen? You should ask my dear brother and father if it wasn’t for them, how could I have ended up like this?" She curled her lips, closed her eyes tightly, and wept heartrendingly, but her eyes remained dry, for she had cried herself out.

Seeing her like this, Feng Xuxu also felt terrible inside, stepped forward and yanked her up: "Come, come back with me to the Prince Residence."

"Get away, I’m not going anywhere; even if I die, I want to die here," she said fiercely, pushing Feng Xuxu away and glaring at her fiercely.

"How dare you! My princess kindly offers to take you with her, and you don’t show any gratitude, and you even dare to push the princess; you are utterly unreasonable," Zhu Lengqing said angrily, pointing at Xiu Yang on the ground.

"Hmph, all this is thanks to your princess; otherwise, I would not have fallen to this state," Xiu Yang said with a resentful gaze sweeping toward the silent Feng Xuxu.

"You...,"

"Lengqing, step back."

Angrily glancing at the person on the floor, Zhu Lengqing strode aside after a scornful look, "Yes, Princess."

Feng Xuxu slowly squatted down, leveled her gaze, and softly parted her lips, "All of this is the consequence of your own actions; if you hadn’t wanted to please the Emperor, why would you agree to let your elder brother kidnap mine? If you weren’t blinded by your ambition for a higher position, you wouldn’t have entered the palace. Do you know what happens to those who plot against my grandmother’s family?"