Zhang Lüzhu looked as if she had been terribly frightened. She took a sharp step back, waving her hands repeatedly while shaking her head in a panic. Her previously composed expression was now replaced by terror, and her lips trembled from tension. When she finally spoke, her voice shook, yet her tone was unusually firm:
"Yo—Your Highness, the only reason this servant was willing to follow you was the hope that you might grant me a meal and a place to stay. That would have been more than enough. If you were even willing to provide me with some guidance, it would be my greatest blessing. But such a lavish gift as this... Lüzhu simply cannot accept it!"
As she spoke, her beautiful eyes filled with apprehension, as helpless and uneasy as a startled deer. The fear in her gaze stirred pity in the observer, as if this so-called gift were not a reward, but a heavy, unbearable burden.
Chapter 970