"You can secretly send someone to the Ministry of War to check. After you have enough trust in me, then agree to cooperate with me." Xiao Bao'er stood up. Then, as if issuing a warning, she said, "But I advise you to keep it from General Xie. With the Crown Prince and my father around, even if your father goes to the emperor, he won't get a good result."
After saying that, braving the cold wind, Xiao Bao'er left the Wind - Rising Courtyard.
Xie Yumo watched silently as Xiao Bao'er walked away. When her figure was no longer visible, he called out, "Xie Yi, Xie Er."
The next moment, two men flipped down from the tree and knelt on one knee in front of Xie Yumo, waiting for orders.
"Go and erase all the traces of our visit today. Don't leave any evidence."
Xie Yi and Xie Er took the order and went their separate ways.
Xie Yumo sat there for a moment, then turned around and stepped into Mr. Qi's bedroom again...
After a long while, when he came out, his emotions were surging. He finally understood why Xiao Bao'er was the way she was. He took out the jade pendant from his bosom. By the moonlight, he finally confirmed the words on it. "Thank goodness... You're really not a daughter of the Xiao family."
After returning to her room, Xiao Bao'er reported her safety to Ling Chu and then fell into a drowsy sleep.
In her dream, she saw a young girl with a butterfly birthmark on the back of her neck throwing herself into the arms of Old Lady Xiao. Old Lady Xiao looked at the girl lovingly, her eyes filled with the joy of getting back what was lost. The girl looked at Old Lady Xiao with admiration and called sweetly, "Grandmother."
Lady Xiao and Prime Minister Xiao stood aside, looking tearfully at the affectionate conversation between the grandmother and granddaughter. The five young masters of the eldest branch of the Xiao Mansion also watched the scene with smiles on their faces.
Xiao Bao'er seemed to be separated by something and could only stand stupidly a dozen steps away, watching this warm scene.
When Lady Xiao saw her coming, she disgustedly told her to get out quickly. "It's all because you took our Zhen'er's place and made our Zhen'er suffer outside for more than a decade."
The elder brothers also looked at her with dissatisfaction. "We've always only had Zhen'er as our younger sister in our hearts. You're just an imposter. How dare you expect our love?"
Prime Minister Xiao didn't even give her a glance. He coldly ordered the servants to drag her away. "Lock up this imposter who pretended to be the prime minister's daughter in the wood - shed and let her fend for herself."
Outside the Xiao Mansion, an old couple with gray hair knocked on the door and cried, "Give our daughter back. She's our daughter!"
The guard at the gate was annoyed. He came out with a stick and dragged them to the back alley, hitting the couple one by one with the stick until their bodies were covered in blood and they slowly lost their breath.
After the couple died, Xiao Bao'er seemed to lose her vitality. The black bumps on her body spread in large patches, as if devouring her. Before she died, she saw Xiao Yuzhen wearing a phoenix coronet walking up to her triumphantly.
She looked down at Xiao Bao'er condescendingly and said sarcastically, "So what if you took my identity for more than a decade? Now the legitimate daughter of the Xiao Mansion is me, and the Crown Princess will also be me. And you should die like a dog without dignity, just like your low - born parents."
Xiao Bao'er opened her mouth to speak, but there was nothing in her mouth. Her tongue had already been cut off.
The moment the black bumps spread all over Xiao Bao'er's body, she finally gasped her last breath, leaving only blood - filled tears on her face...
When Xiao Bao'er woke up, she skillfully got out of bed, opened the window, and tried to relieve the pent - up emotions in her chest.
Since her rebirth, she often had such dreams, either about the past life or the future. In most of the dreams, the people she saw didn't end up well.
In this dream, she saw the girl who had exchanged fates with her. Presumably, in the past life, after her death, the Xiao family found their real eldest daughter and lived the life they had planned for a long time.
The real eldest daughter of the Xiao family...
Remembering the result that Guanyan had helped her find out, the eldest daughter of the Xiao family was now living in the Sheng family in Zhuying Alley in the west of the city. The Sheng family was very likely her real home. In this case, she must go to the Sheng family.
She just didn't know if Xie Yumo would agree to cooperate with her. If not, she would have to plan her scheme all over again...
Fortunately, Xiao Bao'er didn't have to wait long. Xie Yumo brought her the result she wanted.
It had been more than half a month since Xiao Bao'er returned from the Wind - Rising Courtyard. Every night, she would have the same dream repeatedly.
The girl with the butterfly birthmark on the back of her neck, the Sheng couple being beaten to death in the alley of the Xiao Mansion, and herself dying miserably all over black...
Just as Xiao Bao'er was indulging in the dream again this time, she suddenly felt a touch of warmth on her body. Her body, which originally felt restricted, relaxed. Slowly, she woke up from the dream smoothly.
After waking up, there was no uncomfortable feeling in her chest as before, and there was still a warm touch on her palm.
Xiao Bao'er frowned slightly and looked warily to the side. Sure enough, she saw a figure on the couch. She quickly felt for a sharp hairpin under the pillow and held it tightly in her hand. Before she could take any action, she heard a familiar soft laugh.
She reacted for a moment and tentatively said, "Xie Yumo?"
The man stood up and slowly approached, but stopped in front of the bed curtain. By the moonlight, through the thin curtain, Xiao Bao'er could also see the man's appearance clearly.
"It's me." Xie Yumo hooked his lips at Xiao Bao'er, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm here to talk about cooperation."
Xiao Bao'er put down the hand holding the hairpin and lifted the bed curtain. "You've been to the warehouse of the Ministry of War, right? You also know the secret about me. So you should know that our goals are the same."
Xie Yumo raised his eyebrows non - committally. "I don't trust you because you're still a member of the Xiao family. I trust you because so far, I can't prove that the evidence you've shown me is fake. So, I'll temporarily agree to cooperate with you, but..."
Halfway through, Xie Yumo deliberately paused. He bent down and got closer to Xiao Bao'er. His peach - blossom eyes were filled with a strong threat. "But if I find out that you're lying to me, I'll kill you without mercy."
The warm breath from Xie Yumo's words when he spoke made Xiao Bao'er's exposed skin break out in a large patch of goosebumps.
"Okay, a pledge sealed with a high - five!"
Xie Yumo straightened up, gently lowered his eyes, and his gaze fell on the slender fingers that Xiao Bao'er had stretched out. He also slowly stretched out his hand. His broad palm tightly pressed against the smaller one and then quickly separated.
Feeling the soft and warm touch on his palm, the peach - blossom eyes that Xie Yumo had lowered flashed with a flutter, as if filled with starlight.
His lips curled up slightly. This time, there was a bit of sincerity in his smile. He said in a low and gentle voice, "A pledge sealed with a high - five."