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Chapter 71: Seventy-One Treasures ?

Most servants were war-displaced; some with homes were sent back. Hearing this, Xu Zhen felt inexplicably happy.

Noticing her smile, one of them called out, "New girl, what are you laughing at?"

Xu Zhen, lacking energy, only managed a silly grin.

"You must be an idiot," they scoffed.

Xu Zhen remained silent. Seeing no response, they turned away, resuming their conversation about using their beauty to attract the Northern Frontier King.

Xu Zhen listened, thinking privately, "You likely won't get that chance."

As the herbal remedy took effect, Xu Zhen drifted off to sleep. Upon waking, her fever persisted. She wrapped herself in fur armor and ventured out to shovel snow.

Days passed in a haze, yet Xu Zhen hadn't forgotten her primary goal. Whenever possible, she lingered near the little beggar's military tent, hoping to catch a glimpse, but the little beggar never appeared.

Exhausted and disheartened, Xu Zhen persisted. Others, observing her behavior, assumed she was trying to seduce the Northern Frontier King. Their initial cordiality turned to open hostility.

Xu Zhen occasionally inquired about the little beggar's rise to power.

"How did she rise to power? If we knew the master's secret, would we still be here as servants?" they replied coldly.

Xu Zhen nodded, "Makes sense."

Her words struck a nerve. The others, originally tasked with washing their own clothes, dumped them all into Xu Zhen's bin.

Xu Zhen couldn't be bothered to wash the clothes. The others bullied her, sometimes spilling her food or splashing water on her bedding. Xu Zhen didn't hold grudges against them. In the end, the only one who continued to talk to her was the woman with the scarred face.

The heavy snow had stopped, and the wind howled outside. Xu Zhen hid behind the tent, sneaking some rest, and asked the scarred woman in a tired, hoarse voice, "Do you know the Northern Frontier King? How is she doing? Why hasn't she come to the camp yet?"

The servant, shoveling away the snow, replied, "It's not for us to gossip about the master's affairs."

Xu Zhen said, "Tell me secretly; I won't spread it around."

The servant glanced at Xu Zhen.

Xu Zhen added, "With so many things happening in the world, I only care about a few. Why not satisfy my curiosity?"

Seeing Xu Zhen's earnestness and ensuring no one else was around, the servant whispered, "Two years ago, the master single-handedly massacred the Black Water region of Yongzhou. Many cursed her, but others admired her."

Xu Zhen was surprised, "Why did she massacre the city?"

The servant replied, "I heard she was searching for something."

"Searching?" Xu Zhen quickly understood; the little beggar must have been looking for her. Touched, she asked, "And then? Did she find it? Is she still looking? I haven't heard anything about this."

"No, she didn't find it and stopped searching," the servant said.

Puzzled, Xu Zhen asked, "Why did she stop?"

The servant shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe her status now allows her to have anything new she wants."

Xu Zhen smiled, "That's impossible; she wouldn't change her heart so easily."

Setting her shovel aside, the servant crouched beside Xu Zhen and asked, "Why do you think that?"

After a pause, Xu Zhen said, "I actually know her. She's not as brutal as people say, nor some lecherous rogue. She's just an ordinary girl."