The little princess was torn, and the demon emperor patched her up

Chapter 3 I heard that scholars in ancient times could easily starve to death

When Xiao Baojing woke up, the peddler went out to sell goods again.

She knelt in front of her dressing table, looking at herself in the bronze mirror, and touched the red silk thread that sewed her thighs and waist together.

The body of this puppet is so weak that it will fall apart even if it climbs a mountain. How can she go to Yejing to find the national teacher Goubi?
When Xiao Baojing noticed the bookshelf in the room out of the corner of his eye, an idea suddenly occurred to him.

Since the peddler is a scholar, he will definitely go to Beijing to take the imperial examination. Then she can hide in his basket and go to Yejing with him!

With the solution in mind, Xiao Baojing's mood brightened and he picked up a silk palace flower and held it above his head.

The peddler bought her a whole box of beautiful palace tweeds.

She changed the colors, gesturing one flower after another, and did not notice that the little maid puppet in a goose yellow skirt was lying outside the window and peeking at her.

The little maid held a broom in one hand and a withered hibiscus flower in the other, curiously imitating her dressing up.

Just then there was a sudden noise outside, as if a stranger had broken into the town.

The goose yellow maid immediately dropped her broom and fell to the ground, like a lifeless, stiff puppet, except for the hibiscus flower still crookedly pinned on the side of her bun.

Xiao Baojing also put down his mirror in fear and hurriedly hid it in a box.

The people who broke in were seven young boys and girls.

The leading girl was dressed in gorgeous clothes and looked arrogant: "Didn't you say you were going to live here? Where are you?"

The little attendant said respectfully, "Miss, don't worry. The man is probably out on business. We can just wait for a while. You want to go into the Julu Mountains to pick the Ice Spirit Jade Flower and present it to the Fourth Princess. You will inevitably come into conflict with the fierce beasts in the mountains. If you can buy the Mountain Ghost Bracelet from him, those beasts will not dare to hurt you."

"Wait? Who is he? He is just a lowly person walking the streets. How can I wait for him?! My father is the governor of Julu County and an important official in the north. I am a noble lady among noble ladies. I have never waited for anyone in my life!"

Seeing that Qiu Yue was getting angry, she raised her hand and overturned the table.

The coarse earthenware tea set rolled to the ground, and the cold tea that had been drying in the morning dripped onto the floor.

The little attendant said: "Ice Soul Jade Spirit Flower is a rare spiritual flower, which has the miraculous effect of preserving youth and fragrance, and is exclusively used by the royal family. But there is an ancient fierce beast guarding nearby. In previous years, when the court collected it, our county had to sacrifice more than a hundred villagers to feed the fierce beast, and we could barely pick one or two flowers. If the young lady can buy the Mountain Ghost Bracelet this year, she can pick a few more flowers and make a contribution."

Qiu Yuejian was impatient: "I don't have the mood to wait for a lowly person. Just search, whoever finds the mountain ghost bracelet will be rewarded with ten taels of gold!"

The group of people suddenly became excited and started searching everywhere.

A round-faced maid opened the box and saw Xiao Baojing hidden inside, and suddenly screamed.

"What's all the fuss about?!"

Qiu Yuejian cursed.

Xiao Baojing was so panicked that he had to rely on his extraordinary acting skills to pretend to be an unconscious puppet with painted clothes in front of the crowd.

"Miss, she looks like——"

The round-faced maid almost said that taboo and pitiful name, and quickly shut her mouth with a pale face.

Qiu Yuejian bravely flipped over the red silk thread at Xiao Baojing's joints, then pulled out the hairpin and poked her stiff body. The tip of the hairpin pierced into the flesh, but there was not even a trace of blood inside.

She said disdainfully: "It's just a fake doll. I saw with my own eyes that she was skinned and chopped into pieces. She has been dead for so long, her body should have rotted in the mountains long ago. How can a lowly creature born of a palace maid be worthy of marrying my brother, who is the pride of heaven? Killing her is too easy for her. She should be used as blood food and fed to the ferocious beasts in the mountains!"

The group searched through all the boxes and cabinets but found nothing, so they had to leave temporarily.

Qiu Yue was in a bad mood, and before leaving, she kicked the little maid in a goose yellow skirt lying dead in the corridor.

In the room, Xiao Baojing made sure that everyone had left before he dared to climb out of the cage.

She walked out of the house and noticed the little maid who was kicked far away.

We are both puppets, and we cherish each other.

She carried the maid to the eaves of the corridor and wiped the dirt off her cheek with a handkerchief. Perhaps because she rolled into the flowers, there was a crooked withered hibiscus on her bun.

Xiao Baojing plucked the ugly hibiscus flower and picked a few fresh ones to pin on her bun.

Seeing a dirty footprint on the little maid's beautiful skirt, she fetched another basin of water to wash it for her.

Xiao Baojing moved her into the house and became worried when he saw the mess.

The peddler combed her hair, prepared sachets for her, and even saved money from his meals to buy her a bag.

Now that his house had been messed up, she planned to return the favor a little.

Xiao Baojing found a broom and cleaned the yard carefully.

But the body was so stiff that when she tried to clean the floor she ended up smashing the tea set to pieces.

I tried to organize boxes and goods, but ended up spreading scraps of cloth and colored threads all over the place.

She looked at the mess in the house.

This is not repaying a favor, this is clearly revenge.

Forget it, she should stop cleaning.

She hid in the box and closed the lid silently.

The little maid in the goose yellow skirt in the corner opened her eyes.

She touched the hibiscus flower on her hair and happily picked up the broom to clean the house.

When night fell, the peddler came back slowly with the sound of bells.

He opened the wooden box, with his back to the candlelight, his eyebrows and eyes were beautiful, and his lips were red and his teeth were white when he smiled, "When I was away, did you have guests at home? You must have been scared to face them all by yourself. I'm really sorry."

He loved it like a treasure and took Xiao Baojing out of the wooden box.

When he noticed the skin on the back of Xiao Baojing's hand that was pierced by the hairpin, a hint of sinister hostility flashed across the young man's fox eyes.

But his tone was more casual and calm: "I heard that she is the daughter of the Julu County Magistrate, and her status is very delicate. Maybe we should invite her to stay in the town, so that we can show our hospitality. Little princess, don't you think so?"

Xiao Baojing noticed that his basket was still full and he hadn't sold anything.

It seems that he didn't make any money today again.

Hearing that scholars in ancient times could easily starve to death, Xiao Baojing sighed worriedly in his heart and decided to go to the town to find some food tomorrow. At least he wouldn't starve to death before going to Beijing for the exam.

The next day, before Xiao Baojing left the house, the seven people who had come yesterday came again.

Qiu Yuejian looked listless, as if he hadn't slept all night.

She desperately pinched her neck, but her mouth opened and closed involuntarily: "Didn't you say you were going to live here? Where are you?"

"Miss, don't worry. That person must have gone out to do some business..."

Her followers said the same things as yesterday, and horror appeared on everyone's face.

The group repeated yesterday's conversation before leaving in horror.

The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day...

For several days in a row, Qiu Yuejian would visit the courtyard on time and repeat the same behavior in fear.

The seven people became haggard and collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Many dead branches and leaves were stuck in their hair, and even their gorgeous clothes gradually became dull and old.

(End of this chapter)