Villain, be good! I'm here to give birth to a baby [Quick Wear]

Lin Qingyan looked at the plum blossom. She couldn't tell whether the color was light or not. She just felt that Yang Li was unusually peaceful at this moment, not as thorny as she had seen before.

What a strange crane.

However, he reminded himself to act quickly and not procrastinate any longer.

If she didn't take the initiative, Yang Li wouldn't even approach her, let alone touch her. He even avoided her.

Lin Qingyan was a little doubtful about her appearance. Was she really that ordinary? She looked like her biological mother, and she was a pretty face. Otherwise, her father would not have risked being kicked out of the house to force her mother to be his concubine.

Yang Li was not moved at all and was quite strict with himself.

Now that his words were not so harsh, Lin Qingyan wanted to ask a few more questions.

[Do you spend New Year's Eve in the palace every year? ]

It was obviously nonsense, but she wanted to use it to bring up other issues.

"Yeah, the palace is busy."

[But it snows in the palace every New Year's Eve, and most of the eunuchs have left.]

Every year there are palace maids and eunuchs who want to leave the palace and go home. They can go back as long as they get permission from their master. Among them, the eunuchs are the most likely to leave the palace, and basically only a few can stay.

Speaking of bustling... the Eunuch Palace should be the most deserted of all the palaces, and it has nothing to do with bustling.

"A lot of people have left, but it's not like there are no people at all. It's already quite lively."

【But the most lively place is still home. 】

"The Castration is my home."

【What about the Yang family? 】

"That's just where I was born."

[Are you unwelcome in the Yang family? ]

"Welcome?" Yang Li suddenly laughed, "I'm not welcome anywhere."

【In fact, I am also an unpopular person. 】

Yang Li looked at her with slight confusion.

[I was born in the Lin family, a poor family that the princess married into. My father was lucky enough to be favored by the princess and became her husband, which helped the family rise to a higher level.]

[But marrying the princess also meant that he could not marry another woman. Moreover, the princess was extremely favored and could not tolerate polygamy.]

[But my father still married my mother, a girl who played the zither in a teahouse. She was of humble status and had been suppressed by the princess since she entered the palace. After giving birth to me, she became weak and often fell ill and was bedridden. As a result, she lost her favor and finally died when I was fifteen years old.]

"What a stupid woman."

Yang Li has seen too many women like this in the palace. They rely on their good looks to win the emperor's favor, but after a long time they will be abandoned and bullied by other concubines, and finally end up with a miserable end.

Lin Qingyan did not refute his words and continued to narrate her own story.

[She was indeed not a smart woman, with a weak character. After her family fell into poverty, she made a living by playing the piano. She happened to meet the liar my father, and thought she had found hope, and was secretly happy in her heart, but she didn't know that he was the man who ruined her second half of her life.]

[If it weren't for him, my mother wouldn't have cried every day after giving birth to me, and would have to do all kinds of rough work like a servant in his house. Her hands that played the piano were full of calluses before she died. Later, she even lost her piano because it was smashed to pieces by the princess.]

[That zither was her only valuable possession, and it was also a family heirloom. Unfortunately, it was broken. In the end, all she could leave me was a hairpin.]

"It's all her own fault. She rushed to be someone's concubine. Do you really think that a wife is inferior to a concubine? Even if that person is not a princess of noble status, she won't get any benefit unless the other person is stupid and cowardly."

Yang Li sneered and made his comment. In the laws of the Xia Dynasty, wives were indeed superior to concubines. A wife was married through a formal matchmaker, while a concubine was not presentable. Those who were willing to be concubines were generally women of low status.

[She didn't know she was going to be a concubine. My father lied to her that he was going to marry her. My mother was not a smart woman, so she was tricked into becoming a concubine and couldn't get away. She could only live her life in pain like this.]

In fact, Lin Qingyan never understood why her mother was so weak. Anyone could step on her without her resisting and she endured it all silently.

Later she realized that this was for her own sake. In the Xia Dynasty, it was difficult for abandoned concubines to remarry and it was not easy for them to find work. Even if they found a job, their mother's health could not support them both, so they could only depend on their husband's family to live.

Outsiders don’t understand, so naturally they can’t empathize.

[So I was not welcomed at home along with her. Later, my father took several concubines, and he paid even less attention to me, a dumb and weak concubine.]

"I'm different from you. I'm a born bad guy. I don't care whether others like me or not. As long as I feel comfortable, that's all."

Because Yang Li's background was completely different from hers, the Yang family did not advocate polyandry. Every head of the Yang family had one wife and one husband, and there were no so-called concubines at all.

It can be said that the reason why Yang Li is hated so much is entirely due to his own actions since he was a child.

Otherwise, given the status of the Yang family in the eyes of the world, not to mention that he would be praised as a gentleman like Yang Li, he would never end up being hated by everyone.

[I know a little bit. It seems that your parents died very early, and your grandfather died because of his remonstrance. Your family is full of loyal officials and has a clean record. They are known as the "White Crane Family" by people.]

"You know a lot more."

[I have only heard of it a little bit, after all, the Yang family is well-known and everyone knows it.]

"Yes, it's a good reputation... but it's a pity that I have such a stain on it."

It’s not that Yang Li is completely unaware of how others describe him, but most of the time he chooses to ignore it.

[But I don't think you, Lord Yang Li, are a stain.]

"You are good at talking, and you even call me 'Lord Yang Li'. Don't you know that I am just a eunuch?"

Eunuchs were the most despised officials in the Xia Dynasty. No one even really regarded these people as official positions. The eunuchs who were successful in their careers were respectfully called "gonggong".

It is rare to find an eunuch like Yang Li who has become second only to the emperor and above everyone else. After he called himself the Nine Thousand Year Old, many people secretly laughed at him and he was not willing to call himself that.

"Mr. So-and-so" is a respectful title that only people like Yang Li would use.

[In my eyes, eunuchs are also officials. You deserve this title.]

"Hahaha...you're right. What can't I, Yang Li, take on? I, Yang Li, can take on anything."

Yang Li seemed to be in a better mood, but not much better. Lin Qingyan only saw gray in his gray eyes and could not distinguish any other emotions.

He looked at the plum tree, broke off a branch and handed it to her.

"This plum tree won't live long. You can take it home and put it in your room while there are still some plum blossoms. It still has some fragrance."

【Thanks. 】

Lin Qingyan took it, put away the umbrella, and the snow stopped.

[This plum tree may survive. I often take care of the trees in the backyard when I am at home, so I have some experience. If you trust me, I would like to give it a try.]

"Whatever. It doesn't matter if I die early or late."

Yang Li didn't care. As he and Lin Qingyan passed by, he said, "Also, your umbrella is dirty."

Lin Qingyan looked over and saw that there was indeed some stain on one corner. She didn't know when it was there, but it was quite conspicuous on the white umbrella.