"Thank you, Yao Ling Gu Niang," Tao Gu Gu wholeheartedly thanked Yao Ling after getting her promise to protect them. "How... how is Lin Jian?" Tao Gu Gu heard a lot about the little boy and somehow it formed a kins.h.i.+p in her mind. She thought of him a lot after the Ce Fei was gone and she was feeling curious about his life.

"He"s fine. After he"s here, I will let you meet with him," Yao Ling promised. Yao Ling knew that they probably had a lot of things to catch up with each other. Yao Ling was able to see the softened look on the old woman"s face when she talked about Lin Jian.

"En..." Tao Gu Gu agreed. Then she finally decided to ask Yao Ling, "You come to find me... because of the Ce Fei and the princess" matter, right?"

"Yes..." Yao Ling answered honestly.

"What do you want to know?" Tao Gu Gu asked. After meeting Lin Jian, she would have nothing to regret and it was fine even if she died. She could be together with the Ce Fei and served her in the afterlife.

"Was the Ce Fei living a good life at the Han Kingdom?" Yao Ling asked curiously.

Tao Gu Gu was quite surprised by the woman"s thoughtfulness. She had thought that Yao Ling would ask straight away about the Ce Fei"s matter that she wanted to know, but instead, she asked about her wellbeing. It made her like this Yao Ling Gu Niang more and more.

Tao Gu Gu sighed but she answered Yao Ling"s question honestly, "Even if she led a good life and treated very well by the prince... but what kind of happiness that she could feel? If you say about the material or the physical part, she had a good life. But if you talk about her heart matter, it"s the opposite..."

Yao Ling felt a pang in her heart, knowing that she lived a lonely life despite the grandeur environment that she lived. Who didn"t want to live as the prince"s woman? So many people were fighting for it, but the Ce Fei was simply thrown there by the Shu Emperor. That hateful person! She already had a childhood sweetheart that she loved dearly, for G.o.d"s sake!

"Did she miss... General Lin and Lin Jian?" Yao Ling knew that it was a silly question but she decided to ask anyway.

Tao Gu Gu nodded. "There was not once she didn"t miss them..."

Yao Ling sighed, knowing that the Ce Fei was actually living the hardest and loneliest life there. "So... I know that she was kidnapped and brought to the Han Kingdom. How... how did you meet her?" Yao Ling asked curiously.

Tao Gu Gu smiled, remembering about the past. "Before serving her, I met her a long time ago and the Ce Fei didn"t even remember it at first. After all, at that time, she was only a little girl. My conditaion wasn"t that good too --- very dirty so the Ce Fei probably wouldn"t be able to see my face clearly."

Yao Ling listened to Tao Gu Gu story patiently and full of interest. Tao Gu Gu explained about their meeting. She used to be a daughter of a low-rank official back at the Shu Kingdom. They met some troubles because his father offended an important person and they were going to be beheaded. Her father was able to save her and tell her to run away --- along with her sister-in-law and her niece.

They were almost caught by the soldier and it was the little Ce Fei that saved them. She hid them inside their carriage and no soldiers dared to question her --- after all, she was the daughter of a first rank officer. It was only by accident that the little Ce Fei pa.s.sed through that street --- it seemed like it was fate.

That debt had been plaguing heavily in Tao Gu Gu"s mind. However, she could do nothing because, after a little while, they were kidnapped and sold as slaves to the Han Kingdom. She could only survive by becoming a maidservant for a wealthy family. Her life there wasn"t that bad and she could stay together with her sister-in-law and her niece --- which was actually a very rare occurrence for slaves to be able to stay and work together at the same household.

Tao Gu Gu finally met her benefactor again when the prince was looking for a lot of Shu slaves. Their master gave them to the prince as tributes and by luck, she was chosen to become the Ce Fei first-rank maidservant. Around those times, they already had enough money to redeem her sister-in-law and her niece. She almost wanted to run away with them... until she saw the Ce Fei.

Even though the woman was slightly older, she knew perfectly clear in her heart that this woman was her benefactor. That changed her plan and because she didn"t want to redeem herself, she gave the money that she had saved up and given it to her sister-in-law so they would be able to buy a small house. She had promised them that she would send them money from time to time.

Yao Ling didn"t know that Tao Gu Gu had such background and she admired her persistence and loyal self. It was only a debt that the Ce Fei herself didn"t remember, however, she went to such length just to pay the Ce Fei back even though she was supposed to already gain her freedom.

Yao Ling patted Tao Gu Gu"s hands once again, trying to comfort her and also give her the strength to continue talking about her past. However, before Yao Ling was able to ask a question, Tao Gu Gu asked, "Yao Ling Gu Niang, may this one ask something?"

"Yes?" Yao Ling asked curiously.

"Why is your hand not as soft as other n.o.ble women?" Tao Gu Gu asked curiously. She had wanted to ask from the start but she didn"t want to hurt the woman"s feeling. However, she started to feel a bit suspicious. If Yao Ling wasn"t a n.o.blewoman, how could she become friend with Lin Jian?

Yao Ling, "..."

She was a bit speechless and didn"t know whether to laugh or cry. Yao Ling bluntly admitted, "Because I used to be a peasant and these hands... had been working hard so there"s no way it would become as smooth as other women." Yao Ling didn"t feel embarra.s.sed for one bit.

"Used to be?" Tao Gu Gu asked. "Then... you are now...?"

Yao Ling came clean with Tao Gu Gu and told her everything about her life. Tao Gu Gu was dumbfounded. Even in her wildest dream, she would never think that a peasant could suddenly become the daughter of a merchant. She had heard about w.a.n.g Luo Hai"s name from her Ce Fei"s story and she knew that w.a.n.g Luo Hai indeed had a good relations.h.i.+p with General Lin.

It cleared the doubt in Tao Gu Gu"s mind. At first, she only wanted to test the water by telling the woman about her background and didn"t tell her about Ce Fei"s life. By knowing Yao Ling Gu Niang"s ident.i.ty, she started to relax and know that she was able to tell her the Ce Fei"s life story and what she had entrusted to her.

Yao Ling didn"t miss Tao Gu Gu"s movement and she sighed in relief, knowing that Tao Gu Gu believed her. She knew that she didn"t have to use force to make her talk. After talking with Tao Gu Gu, she didn"t have the heart to do that.

"So... can you tell me now?" Yao Ling asked hesitantly.

Tao Gu Gu nodded. "I can, but some things... I can only say it to Lin Jian."

"That"s fine..." Yao Ling nodded in agreement. After all, she had no direct connection with the Ce Fei, so it was understandable.