The Double-Chapter 564 - 167 Encounter_2

"How could that be possible?" Princess Yongning also found it strange. She pondered for a moment, her eyebrows raised high, and said, "Perhaps they’re keeping a mistress there. Come on, let’s go in and take a look."

"If we rashly enter, won’t Eldest Young Master Li become angry? What if there are secrets inside..." Mei Xiang was still hesitating. Yongning glared at her, "What right does he have to be angry? I have married into their family, so naturally, I can look wherever I want. Besides, what does it matter if there are secrets? Does he think he can hide them from me? The more they want to hide, the more I want to see clearly what the Li Family is plotting behind my back!" She said this and, pushing Mei Xiang aside, pushed the door open and went inside herself.

Mei Xiang felt helpless. Before, when Princess Yongning found out she was pregnant, she had reined in her temper for a while. But now that she had married into the Li Family, and the wedding night had passed without issue, her temperament had revealed itself again, not knowing to bow her head, even more arrogant than before.

Mei Xiang followed her in and saw Princess Yongning standing at the door with a furrowed brow, not proceeding further. Mei Xiang looked inside and saw a room like a study, but there was also a bed in it. It was surprisingly spacious, comparable to the large courtyards they were used to. Here, one could live without any problem in regards to food and clothing.

But what was surprising was not this but the fact that there were many people inside. They were all young teenagers or children, dressed like well-off servants, all frail and delicate in appearance.

Princess Yongning frowned. The absence of any maid in the room was unexpected. She turned to the child standing closest to her. The child looked to be only eight or nine years old, staring blankly at Princess Yongning and Mei Xiang, as if he did not recognize them. He neither greeted them nor spoke, making her wonder if he was mute.

"Who are you?" Princess Yongning asked him.

Still gazing at her dumbfounded, the child remained silent. Just as Princess Yongning was about to get angry, another slightly older boy suddenly pulled the child aside, pointed to his own mouth, and shook his head.

"Your Highness, it seems they are mute," Mei Xiang realized.

"Mute?" Princess Yongning was taken aback, looking at the other people in the room. There were about ten young boys and children together, all staring blankly at them, not saying a word. Princess Yongning suddenly understood the odd feeling that had arisen upon entering the room—it was too quiet. With so many people, not a single sound was made. Wasn’t that strange? fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

"These people couldn’t all be mute, could they?" Princess Yongning asked with a frown.

The boy holding the child vigorously nodded.

"So they are," Mei Xiang said.

"What is Li Xian doing with so many mutes here?" Princess Yongning rubbed her arm, "It’s eerie."

"Perhaps these are all servants, look at their clothes. That’s right," Mei Xiang said: "I just remembered, I heard that Eldest Young Master Li is very kind and has taken in some orphans without parents to serve as servants in the residence. I didn’t think of it before, but now seeing these young servants, all of them not very old, it’s very likely they are the orphans adopted by Eldest Young Master Li."

Princess Yongning scoffed, "So, Li Xian is a great philanthropist now? But how come it’s such a coincidence that all the orphans he adopted are mute? Don’t tell me he made them mute himself."

Mei Xiang paused, then said softly, "Every family has its secrets, and since this is a study, there must be many important things hidden here. Maybe Eldest Young Master Li made these people mute so that these secrets wouldn’t be discovered by others."

Despite the cruelty of the situation discussed, the master and servant spoke of it as if it were common practice. Princess Yongning said, "Only dead men can keep secrets. If he truly wanted it undiscovered, he could have killed them, so why keep them? Or he shouldn’t have brought them back to the residence at all. I think this Li Xian is a fool."

Mei Xiang said nothing. As a maid, she could not speak ill of the master.

"Forget it, since there are no women here and it’s uncomfortable, let’s leave." Princess Yongning glanced at the young boys one more time and said, "If he wants to play the good man, let him be. It’s not me who’s the fool anyway."

Mei Xiang and Princess Yongning left the room. It remained eerily silent; as the door closed, it seemed as if there was nobody inside. But in reality, there was a whole room of people. Thinking of how these people would move and work in silence, Princess Yongning felt a chill run down her spine. Suddenly, she felt nauseous at heart, hurried to a tree in the courtyard, and, leaning on the trunk, began to throw up.