Let's leave quickly

Rong Ying's soft sobs spilled as she spoke with a small stutter, ''My Lord... Why would that little girl bring any harm? Even if the world comes to know about it, they would praise your benevolence...''

''My benevolence? My?!" Master Xiao snarled, ''My benevolence of being tricked into marrying a counterfeit? Or my benevolence of being tricked by you into picking some street rat into my manor? In both cases, am I not the one who seems to have been fooled?

Even if the world knows about my benevolence, except for His Majesty, who will think that I am kind? How many of those court officials would jeer at me behind my back because of my affinity with the street rats? Even if I gain His Majesty's praise for being kind and gracious, how many of those court officials would plot behind my back and hatch schemes out of jealousy?

After all, not everyone's wife is gracious like you. They won't bring poor and pitiful kids to their mansions just to compete with 'our' kindness but they would do anything to hamper my reputation. This reputation... that I have worked so hard for.

Forget the officials. What about your daughters? Would Xiao Liying and Xiao Liyan get along with some random girl you picked up from the streets because you could not control your pity? Or would they despise her?

Rong Ying, did you even find it necessary to discuss this with me before making such a decision?!"

Master Xiao's breathing turned heavy towards the end just as Rong Ying's sobs got louder. But it seemed like she was muffling her mouth to keep the noise down.

The small hand that was about to knock on the door fell back.

Xiao Luo stepped back under the scrutinizing and disgusted gazes of the guards who were guarding the door.

The guard who had accompanied her here from her own courtyard could not bear to look at her expression. He had seen her fixing her appearance and being nervous along the way like a sweet child who wanted to please her elders.

But who knew things could turn out like this? Most of them had thought that Xiao Luo would be an illegitimate daughter if not a legitimate one. But as it turned out, Xiao Luo was completely unrelated to the Xiao Family. She was just an adopted daughter whom the Madam brought in out of pity.

After bracing himself, the guard finally looked up at the little girl's face, expecting her to be crying or holding her sobs but to his shock, the girl looked at the closed door nonchalantly.

Probably feeling his concerned gaze on her, she raised her head and looked at him before smiling brightly, her whole face seemed to be more beautiful with that smile.

Her smile was so endearing that the guard felt his heart melting and aching for the little girl. Was she so sad that she could not bring herself to cry? Poor girl. It would be better if she let those tears out...

The guard was drowning in an endless well of pity when Xiao Luo dragged him up from his sorrow by opening her mouth to speak, ''Why are you standing there like that?" her voice was hushed as if she was in the midst of committing a theft, ''We should not disturb them. Let's leave quickly. If they hear us and discover us eavesdropping on them, then I will shove you towards the forefront and tell them that you dragged me here.''

The guard was already stunned by her nonchalance, but when he heard her words further, he fell speechless.

Clearing his throat, he turned towards the two guards who were guarding the bedroom door, ''Brothers, our presence here was unimportant. The Master and Madam should not know about it,'' As he spoke, he slipped out two silver ingots from his sleeves and handed each to one guard.

The guards hesitated a bit.

But then they looked at each other and realized that they had similar thoughts. This matter was really unimportant and there was no need to report such a thing to the master. They could feel his disregard towards this new daughter of his so her presence or absence should not matter to him,

If that was the case, they were not going against their Master and they were also gaining some profits.

The guards sleekly accepted the silver ingots and smiled, ''Sure brother. How could we not be kind enough to help you? We are the same here...''

''Let's go,'' Xiao Luo interrupted those words of flattery as she urged the guard who had accompanied her.

The guard followed Xiao Luo, trying to catch up with her fast footsteps while also wondering what had gotten into her. Not only she did not greet the Master and Madam, but she also signaled him to keep their visit a secret. And now, she was urging him to leave.

But regardless of anything, whether she was a legitimate daughter or an adopted one or what her motives were behind this strange series of actions, the guard knew that as long as he served her, she was his Young Miss so it was only right if he followed all her orders, no matter how strange or unreasonable they seemed to be.

Little did he know what fate he dodged by that single decision of his.