I sold grilled fish in the 70s!

Chapter 176 Loyal Servants Are Hard to Find

Miss, your life has been so hard! No one knows that every winter night you hide under the covers and cry alone. Whenever you take a kitten out for a walk, passersby give you strange looks. Some gossipy people even say hurtful things behind your back to humiliate you.

Even though you ignore them, I know that every word they say is like a sharp knife stabbing into your heart.

Haha! I didn't expect you, little girl, to understand me so well! Actually, I'm not as incredibly strong as you all see, nor as kind and compassionate as you all perceive me to be! Do you know how much I want to pull out a knife and stab them to death whenever those people point fingers at me behind my back?

When Taozi heard Xia Rong say those words, she stared wide-eyed at Xia Rong, feeling that the woman sitting in front of her was a complete stranger.

Hahaha! My dear Peach Sister, what kind of expression do you have now? Were you scared by what I just said?

No, no, no! My daughter is the best girl in the world! How could she possibly have the thought of stabbing someone to death! It must be that you're drunk and talking nonsense, young lady.

Hahaha! Peach, in your heart, am I a fairy descended from heaven? Do I possess a heart of compassion and never harbor any thoughts of harming others?

Mm! So, although I, Peach, am not favored by my mother and father, I have such a beautiful young lady by my side.

You say this is a blessing I've accumulated over several lifetimes? So I'm determined to stay by our little lady's side for the rest of my life.

Upon hearing what Taozi said to her, Xia Rong couldn't help but poke Taozi's cheek hard with one finger.

Ouch! Miss, I've noticed you've been poking my cheek with your finger a lot lately. Do you know that doing that hurts my cheek a lot?

Of course I know! But whenever I see your chubby little face, I can't help but want to poke it with my finger, what should I do?

Hmph! Miss, I've noticed you're getting naughtier and naughtier! Oh, I know! You must have been spending too much time with your future son-in-law! That's why you've become so mischievous.

Xia Rong had been all smiles, but her face instantly fell when Taozi mentioned Mu Long. She recalled how Mu Long always appeared before her the moment she felt down.

Every time that lovestruck guy came to visit her at her little house, he would bring some of his favorite treats. Candied hawthorn berries were a must-have!

Meow! Meow! Meow!

The black cat lying on Xia Rong's back suddenly raised its little head and barked at Xia Rong a few times. Xia Rong lifted the black cat above her head and then rubbed her forehead against the black cat's little face.

Meow! Meow! Blackie meowed loudly at Xia Rong a few times, then waved her limbs incessantly in the air.

Seeing that Hei Niu was very uneasy, Xia Rong hugged Hei Niu into her arms and kept patting Hei Niu's body with her hands.

Oh, oh, oh! My sweet little girl, are you okay? Don't be afraid, your big sister will always protect you! Why are you so afraid that I'll lift you up high?

Meow! Meow! Meow!

Suddenly, Hei Niu became wild and stretched out her little paws from her chubby palms, scratching hard at Xia Rong's face. Seeing this, Tao Zi was terrified and immediately hugged Xia Rong's head tightly in her arms.

Instead of the expected pain, Xia Rong and Tao Zi heard a very cruel cat meow.

Only after hearing this voice did Peach feel relieved enough to let go of Xia Rong's little head.

Father, why are you here? Haven't you been disguised as Steward Yi and staying by Mu Long's side lately?

Is Rong'er starting to dislike Father a little? Why do I feel that your tone was a bit cold when you spoke to me this time?

Heh! Father, I am just a weak woman! How could I dare to be cold to the powerful Emperor Xia?

Rong'er, don't you know that you are the little princess I, the Xia Emperor, have cherished and raised in the palm of my hand since you were a child? Of course you have the audacity to be cold and indifferent to your father!

Hahaha! I never knew I, Xia Rong, would be so lucky! To have the renowned Emperor Xia dote on me!

Emperor Xia frowned upon hearing his daughter's words, feeling that Xia Rong's words tonight were a little strange.

Before Emperor Xia could even think about what was going on, he heard Xia Rong pouting and saying something in his ear.

It's so itchy! So itchy! It's really so itchy! Can anyone tell me why my back is so itchy?

After Xia Rong finished speaking, she kept scratching her back with her little hands. When Emperor Xia saw this, he immediately picked Xia Rong up and hugged her in his arms without thinking.

Just as he was about to carry Xia Rong away using his light-footed skills, Taozi, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly spoke up. "Master, before you arrived, the young lady drank a lot of peach blossom wine, which is why she has these little rashes all over her body."

Xia Di glared at Taozi, who was standing next to him. "Since you know that the young lady can't drink even a drop of alcohol, why didn't you stop her the moment she wanted to drink?"

And why are you and Rong'er here at the Xia residence tonight? Don't you know that there's a group of people in the Xia residence who are always looking for opportunities to frame your young lady?

After Emperor Xia finished speaking to Peach, he became very excited and raised his hand, slapping Peach's face hard.

No! No! No! Father, I drank because I was too sad. What does this have to do with Taozi? Xia Rong saw her father trying to hit Taozi's face, so she used her hands to hold Xia Di's arms tightly in her arms.

Waaah! Father, if you hit Peach hard, aren't you afraid that one day Peach will take advantage of you when you're not around? You know that Peach is the only one who cares about me wholeheartedly.

What do you mean by that? Does that mean she can't be punished for making a mistake? If we don't punish every servant who makes a mistake, not only will they repeat the same mistake next time, but we will also gradually lose our authority in their eyes.