Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 556 - 556 557 Plan Ahead_1

Chapter 556: Chapter 557: Plan Ahead_1 Chapter 556: Chapter 557: Plan Ahead_1 Only after everyone had left did Lady Rong still stand there with a sullen face, the young maid mustered the courage to tentatively ask, “my Lady, do you want to…”

But she heard Lady Rong yell fiercely, “Get out!”

“Yes, yes, yes,” the maids were so frightened they shuddered and hurriedly scurried away in a panic.

Lady Rong staggered to seat herself on the Taishi Chair, her hand hidden in her sleeve clutching so tightly as if wringing Muniang’s neck, she murmured to herself, “Qiao Muniang, I truly underestimated you!”

This trip to Qinghua City was originally meant to be a fatal blow to Yu Ze and Qiao Muniang; otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken such a great risk to come here. She had always been confident, feeling no one could really deal with her, yet she had no idea that a series of setbacks would begin here.

Qiao Muniang had introduced He Fangfei, a woman skilled in deceit, snatching away her favor from the Emperor not enough, she had now made the Emperor disdain her. How could she tolerate this?

In the splendor of the past year, she had repeatedly tripped up badly at the hands of this woman.

Suddenly, the window was blown open by a strong gust, and Lady Rong tensed up. Right then, a man in plain clothes rolled into the room, ordinary in dress, ordinary in face, except for the tattoo of the character “Qin” on his hand, which remained vivid.

It was the man Yu Ze and Muniang had seen by chance before.

Lady Rong’s complexion turned sour at once, his presence at this time surely meant no good news, just as Qiao Muniang had said—if she messed up her mission, Nangong Qian would not spare her.

“Yuan Gong? What are you here for?” Lady Rong tried to sound somewhat confident.

This was clearly the plain-clothed man’s name.

Yuan Gong’s expression was stern as he coldly said, “You know why I am here, Huamei, you’re becoming more incompetent.”

Huamei’s pupils contracted, she couldn’t help but take a step back, her body trembling as she said, “Did he send you to kill me?”

Yuan Gong looked at her with cold eyes, “The master does not keep the useless, you should be well aware of this.”

A look of utter despair gradually extinguished the light in Huamei’s eyes.

But Yuan Gong continued, “But you worked so hard to get to this point, how much effort has the master put into you? It would be a waste if you died.”

A stone lifted from Huamei’s heart, she eagerly said, “If the master would give me another chance, I will surely meet his expectations!”

“You know what you should do next?”

With her head bowed, Huamei said, “I will reclaim the Emperor’s favor.”

“That’s not all, the original plan must be moved forward,” Yuan Gong said, his eyes imbued with a profound meaning.

Of course, Huamei understood, “I understand. Please tell the master to rest assured. I failed this time because I underestimated the enemy. Next time, it certainly won’t happen again.”

At this point, a chilling coldness emerged in Huamei’s sinister gaze, like a wild beast lying in wait in the wilderness.

“The master will not give a second chance, look out for yourself.”

Yuan Gong conveyed his message and naturally did not linger, turning around and swiftly departing.

Everyone knew that the winds had shifted; the morning’s events had already spread. The Emperor had lost his temper with Lady Rong, yet he protected 1st Attendant He instead. People heard this and had a myriad of thoughts.

Old Mr. Rong and Lady Rong were anxious. That demoness had killed their daughter, and now she had fallen out of favor—would they not suffer a loss for no gain? The Rong Family’s prestige had only built up over a year!

Even though Old Mr. Rong felt indignant, he dared not confront her. He understood just how ruthless and malevolent that woman could be, and what frightened him more was the mastermind behind her, whom he had never met but knew not to provoke. How could he dare make a move now?

He had no choice but to swallow his anger.

On He Fangfei’s side, however, there was a harmonious atmosphere. Long Yi looked at her pale face with a surge of tenderness in his heart, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have involved you in such perilous intrigues. With your innocent nature, you’re no match for those women and have unwarrantedly suffered grievances. If you ever feel wronged in the future, just tell me. Don’t bear it alone; it would pain me as well.”

He Fangfei’s eyes brimmed with tears, “To be able to accompany Your Majesty is already an immense honor. As for being in danger, I don’t care about that. As long as Your Majesty has me in his heart, that’s more than enough for me. The first time I saw Your Majesty, I already adored you. I never thought that Your Majesty would also fancy me. To me, it all feels like a dream.”

Long Yi believed in He Fangfei’s true love for him because during their last encounter in Mei Garden, she clearly was unaware of his identity. Yet her every move revealed her affections for him, and for that reason, Long Yi grew even more fond of her. Unlike the other women, she loved him not for power but for a simple maiden’s first bloom of affection.

“How could I not know your thoughts? To have won a beauty like you is truly fortunate.”

He Fangfei, with tears in her eyes, said, “Just having Your Majesty’s words makes me feel that all the grievances I’ve suffered are worth it.”

Long Yi embraced her, seemingly feeling her genuine love, his heart filled with boundless joy.

Noticing that she still seemed to be dressed so plainly, Long Yi frowned slightly, “Has no one sent you your reward? What are those people doing?”

Although outside the palace, standards may differ from those within, the matter of issuing rewards could be postponed until they returned to the palace. But Long Yi could not bear to see her slighted and had prepared a multitude of items as rewards for her, including countless gold and jewels.

He Fangfei hastily said, “It’s not that the servants are neglectful. The rewards arrived early this morning. It’s just that I don’t fancy overly flamboyant things, so I stored them away. Please punish me, Your Majesty.”

Long Yi, with tenderness in his voice, said, “But seeing you dress so modestly pains my heart.”

He Fangfei earnestly replied, “I don’t care about such things. All I care about is accompanying Your Majesty.”

Long Yi laughed heartily, “Then when we return to the palace, I personally will arrange for some modest clothes and jewelry for you. The Jade Brocade recently tributed by the minor state, with its simple and elegant color, suits you. I will gift it to you.”

Jade Brocade—that was an extremely precious fabric; it was a sign of immense favor.

He Fangfei repeatedly expressed her gratitude, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s gracious favor.”

Muniang watched this scene, a hint of a smile on her lips, and left with light steps.

With He Fangfei receiving the Emperor’s favor, having this piece positioned by the Emperor’s side naturally provided security for her and Yu Ze. What Nangong Qian could do, she could do as well!

Early the next day, outside Yutai House where Long Yi resided, a delicate figure knelt weakly at the top of the long steps, her skin as fair as cream and now devoid of any rosy hue. Her enchanting eyes were cloudy with tears, making her look all the more pitiful.

Who could it be if not Lady Rong?