She was the girl the entire brothel held high hopes for, and therefore held a rather high status.

The little girl sent Luo Xi away, and Luo Xi worried, “Where will you go then?”

She replied matter-of-factly, “Home.”

Luo Xi was puzzled, “How can that be considered home? Your family isn’t there.”

The little girl said blankly, “But I don’t have a family,” and Luo Xi’s heart was moved with compassion. She knew this was extremely risky, but she wanted to give this little girl who saved her a home, to be her family.

After all, their family had been demoted and relegated, their social standing was low, and they weren’t a wealthy, eye-catching family.

There are always some people and some things that don’t involve too much calculation of profit and loss.

It’s all about conscience.

Shengsheng always says they are her great benefactors.

Luo Xi found it interesting. Without Shengsheng, she would have long since killed herself in that brothel. Shengsheng is her true benefactor.

Initially, when bringing Luo Sheng home, Luo Xi concealed her identity. Her father and mother were upright and open-minded, treating her as their own daughter.

However, a family couldn’t suddenly have an extra teenage daughter. They simply said she was the daughter of her father’s former mistress, abandoned years ago.

Unfortunately, Luo Sheng fell ill soon after entering the house. The doctor’s diagnosis revealed that she had been taking secret medicine in the brothel for many years, resulting in a weak constitution, and this couldn’t be hidden. 

Her father and mother learned of Luo Sheng’s identity, were silent for a moment, and only said that the child’s treatment was the priority.

That year, Luo Sheng nearly died. Her mother went to a temple and received a character for Luo Sheng, naming her “Huai Xi.”

It was the most resilient type of herb that Luo Sheng had often taken.

After a year, her body finally fully recovered.

It was strange, but after that, in just five years, her father’s ten years of decline in his official career reversed. He rose from a demoted sixth-rank official, was promoted, returned to the capital, and now holds the position of a third-rank Tai Fu Qing.

Her acquaintance with the Crown Prince, and her current status as the Crown Princess, were things she wouldn’t have dared to dream of five years ago.

Her mother said Shengsheng was the family’s lucky star, a gift from heaven, regardless of her origins.

Luo Xi didn’t really believe in supernatural things; she only believed in Shengsheng.

After an unknown amount of time, a palace maid came to report, “Your Highness, Madam has woken up.”

The two sisters stood up together and entered the inner room.

Luo Sheng stepped forward and softly called, “Mother.”

Tao Shi lay quietly on the bed, staring blankly at the bed curtains above her head, before finally coming to her senses at Luo Sheng’s soft call.

She curled her fingers slightly, grasped Luo Sheng’s hand, and her gaze slowly focused.

Tao Shi looked at her two daughters, her expression blank as she asked, “What year is it now?”

Both sisters were stunned, exchanged glances, and Luo Xi said, “This is the twenty-third year of Jia Ying, Mother. Have you forgotten?”

Tao Shi’s eyelashes trembled as she repeated in a daze, “Twenty-three years…”

She then blushed, “So it’s the twenty-third year… twenty-three years is good… still in time.”

This reaction left everyone a little puzzled.

Luo Xi frowned, “What… in time?”

Tao Shi hesitated, her gaze falling on Luo Xi’s still-unseen belly, and she managed a weak smile, “Nothing.”

She sat up, “You’re pregnant now, you should rest more. Mother is fine now, you can go back and rest.”

Luo Xi found it strange, sat beside her for a while, and followed Tao Shi’s words to go back and rest.

After Luo Xi left, Tao Shi dismissed everyone else.

Only she and Luo Sheng remained in the room.

Tao Shi suddenly tried to pinch herself.

Luo Sheng stopped her, “Mother, what are you doing?”

The real pain made Tao Shi’s eyes redden.

Tao Shi looked at Luo Sheng, finally unable to hold back, she hugged her daughter, choking with affection, “My little Huai Xi suffered.”

Luo Sheng supported Tao Shi’s arm, “Mother, what’s wrong? I’m fine.”

Tao Shi hesitated for a long time with red eyes, before saying, “You just promise Mother, no matter what happens, don’t associate with that Fifth Prince.”

They didn’t really have much contact, but being suddenly warned like this by her mother made Luo Sheng very puzzled, “Did something happen?”

At first, Tao Shi didn’t say much, but eventually couldn’t help herself, “That Fifth Prince is a hypocrite, pretending to be aloof and noble, but he’s actually a cruel, violent, and lecherous villain! He will…”

Tao Shi sighed with difficulty.

“Ah?” Luo Sheng was even more confused. In her impression, the Fifth Prince was unpleasant to deal with, but he shouldn’t be…

Tao Shi also felt that saying this suddenly wouldn’t be very believable, “You probably won’t believe this, but Mother actually lived through it again today. If I hadn’t seen with my own eyes what he did to you, Mother wouldn’t dare say this.”

Tao Shi thought about it and felt scared. The Fifth Prince hid it well. He struck when Luo Xi was giving birth, replaced the Crown Prince, and destroyed the Luo family.

Poor little Huai Xi, for the safety of the Luo family, was coerced by the Fifth Prince and taken away, and she doesn’t know how she was abused and humiliated, only to buy a lifeline for the Luo family.

Their good home was destroyed like this; how could Tao Shi not hate Xiao Chuhuai?

Luo Sheng listened repeatedly, wondering in her heart. Seeing her mother so angry, she didn’t dare to question the authenticity of the so-called “rebirth,” “But Sister said that the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince have a good relationship.”

Although she couldn’t see it, her sister’s ability to marry into the Eastern Palace showed some wisdom.

“People are insatiable. Although they had a good relationship before, they might turn against each other for some reason.” Tao Shi, a woman from a secluded family, had little contact with the Eastern Palace. In her previous life, she only saw Luo Xi suffer during childbirth, leading to a series of changes in her family. “Don’t mention you two, even Mother used to respect the Fifth Prince. Who would have known…”

“Your sister’s pregnancy was already difficult, Mother didn’t dare to tell her.” Tao Shi sighed, “Moreover, Mother just woke up and knows very little, so she can’t be sure whether the Fifth Prince had malicious intentions from the beginning, or whether something happened later that made him change.”

Luo Sheng listened to Tao Shi’s words and inexplicably thought of the conversation she overheard while hiding in the bushes today, and suddenly covered her lips in surprise!

“Mother said that, and I remembered that when I went back to pick up my things today, I happened to overhear something…” Luo Sheng told Tao Shi everything she had heard.

“But at that time, Xiao Chuhuai told that person to leave.”

“Ah…” Tao Shi pondered deeply, “That should be the second guess, something must have happened later that made him change.”

“Then we can’t act rashly. If he doesn’t have that intention yet, and we provoke him into having bad intentions, it will be troublesome.”

“There’s a saying, forcibly breaking the cause and effect actually accelerates the cause and effect.” Tao Shi spoke earnestly, adding philosophically, “That’s what storybooks say.”

After a clever discussion, the mother and daughter reached a consensus.

To avoid alarming the snake, this matter, besides the two of them and their father, could not be known to a fourth person for the time being.

After all, the Fifth Prince following the Crown Prince for so many years couldn’t all be pretense, but he himself has the root of rebellion, whether he was instigated by villains, or something happened that caused his true nature to erupt.

Perhaps both, some people persuaded him to rebel too much, and Xiao Chuhuai was shaken.

That must be it, Luo Sheng thought, just like before, she didn’t like salty plums, but her mother always said they were delicious, and later she found them delicious too.

This pillow talk is so important…

No, pillow talk isn’t used like that.

“Mother didn’t want to tell you, but she was still worried about you. Mother only has one request for you, which is to stay away from him. Regardless of the cause and effect, his nature is to be power-hungry and lecherous, don’t let him get his eye on you, otherwise…”

Tao Shi stopped again halfway through, her face flushed red, she couldn’t help but angrily curse that lecher, “Don’t look at him usually being sanctimonious and well-dressed, his heart is dark and filthy!”

Seeing her mother’s expression, Luo Sheng had already gone through all the training manuals in the brothel in her head. The angrier Tao Shi was, the more bold and terrifying the content in her head became.

When she was being trained, she heard that some high-ranking officials had unspeakable fetishes in bed because of stress. As the top courtesan, she naturally had to learn.

Just being tied up in a humiliating way made her want to die. The training mammy also asked her to think about how to charm and seduce people. That was her most painful experience. During that time, she prayed day and night that the official she would serve in the future would not be a pervert.

The more Luo Sheng thought about it, the more afraid she became, she stammered, “Mo, Mo, Mother, don’t worry, we’re not familiar.”

Near dusk, Luo Sheng came out of Shuiyun Palace and prepared to pack up and go home.

Luo Sheng still didn’t understand. No matter how dark the Fifth Prince’s heart was, he was still a high and cold flower in the eyes of the women of the official families, with thunderous methods. There were many admirers, why would he force himself on her when he could marry anyone he wanted?

Luo Sheng walked absentmindedly on the road, when she suddenly heard a steady and powerful footstep coming from afar.

Luo Sheng looked up and bumped into Xiao Chuhuai who was passing by!

Luo Sheng was shocked and held her breath, turning to dodge, but when she turned around she almost bumped into a tree.

After instinctively taking two steps back, her back suddenly hit a man…

Xiao Chuhuai had to stop, lowering his eyes slightly.

Luo Sheng’s back stiffened, and the place where she was hit instantly felt like a fire, burning hot and making her whole body numb.

Han Shuang was shocked and quickly pulled her back.

Luo Sheng met the man’s deep, cold black eyes, and hastily looked away.