Chapter Nineteen: I Am at Odds with Him
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Tianhe Tower was half an Eastern Capital away from the Qin Prince’s Mansion, but the carriage sped swiftly, and before long, they arrived. Unlike the sparks flying when they boarded, the two were unusually silent when they disembarked.
Yin Jiaojiao hung her head and followed behind Xiao Yuanchi without speaking or smiling. Qiu Ming anxiously trailed behind them, only breathing a sigh of relief after they parted ways.
“Princess, have you and the Prince reconciled?”
Yin Jiaojiao leaned on the table and was silent for a long moment before bitterly declaring, “Never in this life, nor the next. He and I are sworn enemies!”
...
“Your Highness, the Qin Prince’s carriage has departed for the mansion.”
Xiao Yuanxi responded with a hum, picking up a piece of Kung Pao shrimp with his chopsticks and placing it in his mouth. Though the dish was visually appealing, it was too sweet. He furrowed his brows, chewed a couple of times, then swallowed quickly.
“Indeed, something a young lady would favor.”
Xiao Yuanxi slightly raised his hand, and immediately someone stepped forward with a handkerchief.
“Where is Brother Three?”
“Prince Lu hasn’t returned to the mansion. He detoured halfway to Pingkang Lane, where he keeps a concubine. Today, after being threatened by the Qin Prince and scolded by you, he had to soothe himself in the arms of a tender woman.”
“No wonder Brother Seven looks down on him. To dare to cast his eyes on Gu Xuezhi, such a sharp-tongued woman, he’s utterly unworthy.”
Xiao Yuanxi casually tossed the used handkerchief aside and stood up.
“Everyone has a heart that loves beauty. The county lady is beautiful, and even the valiant Qin Prince cannot surpass this hurdle, let alone Prince Lu.” The one replying smiled. “After this incident, the grudge between those two is sealed.”
“To Brother Seven, Brother Three is no cause for concern.”
“But the Qin Princess Consort may not be so to the Qin Prince.” The man paused. “Your Highness, there is something I do not understand.”
“Speak.”
“There are many ways to summon the Qin Princess Consort to observe. Why must you do it personally? Previously, you and she had little interaction—wouldn’t that only arouse her suspicion?”
Xiao Yuanxi paced two steps with his hands behind his back, smiling faintly.
“A few days ago, I noticed this Miss Yin has changed a great deal. Before, her heart and eyes were full of Brother Seven. Now, it seems she is utterly heartbroken and has her own plans.”
The man was stunned. “Is that so? How did I fail to notice?”
Xiao Yuanxi glanced at him. “You, it’s time you found a wife.”
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The man awkwardly cleared his throat. “Your Highness, I... I believe that even if the Qin Princess Consort has her own plans, she would not betray the Qin Prince. At most, she would be more desperate to eliminate the county lady.”
“Food must be eaten bite by bite; it cannot be rushed.”
Xiao Yuanxi stroked his fan slowly and said, “Whether she wants to eliminate Gu Xuezhi or not, the Qin Prince’s mansion has been too quiet for too long. It’s time for some excitement.”
...
That night, the Qin Prince’s mansion grew lively.
Su Zhengqing once again sent away a beauty who came to deliver tea and snacks, complaining helplessly to Mr. Zhang, “How strange! These people are too proactive. Just now, one even came under the Princess Consort’s banner, claiming she was sent by the Princess Consort to deliver a midnight snack. Does she take me for a fool?”
Mr. Zhang stroked his beard. “What kind of midnight snack did she bring?”
“Millet congee and two plates of light side dishes, plus a pot of osmanthus brew from Jingyun Studio.” Su Zhengqing clapped his hands. “Wow, she really knows the Prince well; these are his usual favorites.”
“Not only his favorites but also delivered at the right time.”
“There’s a mastermind behind this!” Su Zhengqing’s eyes suddenly brightened. “Could it really be on the Princess Consort’s orders?”
Mr. Zhang smiled but said nothing.
“The Princess Consort is so sensible, it scares me a little. Six months ago, under the pretense of the King of Nanyue coming to the capital, His Majesty wanted to gift a Nanyue dancer to the Prince. The Princess Consort flatly refused without giving face, almost embarrassing the King of Nanyue. Now, Madame Shufei has gifted four at once, and not only has she accepted them, but she happily helps these girls get close to the Prince. It’s terrifying.”
“Perhaps...” Mr. Zhang said slowly, “the Princess Consort has studied military strategy.”
“You mean the Princess Consort isn’t genuinely trying to add beauties to the Prince’s side?”
Mr. Zhang remained silent. Su Zhengqing grew anxious.
“Mr. Zhang, please give me a hint. You don’t know, ever since last time when through my negligence the Princess Consort was kidnapped by mountain bandits, the Prince has been cold toward me, refusing to teach me anything. These days, I’ve been following him around, but everything is so confusing. Today, seeing them quarrel, I didn’t even know how to mediate.”
“It’s not that I mean to withhold, there’s simply nothing to reveal. The Prince was the first to notice the Princess Consort’s change. Even he cannot say whether this change is good or bad, let alone this old man.”
“Oh, and if it’s good?”
“Of course, all will be happily resolved.”
Su Zhengqing was puzzled. “And if it’s bad?”
Mr. Zhang’s smile faded, and his eyes turned cold. “That day will never come.”
...
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News of the failed midnight snack delivery reached the East Wing, but Yin Jiaojiao was not surprised. Xiao Yuanchi was alert; everyone in the mansion was his man, always watchful. As someone new, she would naturally be guarded against. More attempts would be needed.
She was very confident in this.
After all, her original philosophy was to surround Xiao Yuanchi all over the Eastern Capital. Fearless of failure, repeated attempts would eventually succeed. Indeed, for whatever reason, she had ultimately succeeded in marrying into the Prince’s mansion. This proved her philosophy correct.
Thus, she had Qiu Ming pass the word to encourage the beauties to persevere and keep trying.
Two more days passed, and the Bamboo Shadow Garden grew increasingly gloomy. Despite all four beauties exhausting every effort, none could get close to Xiao Yuanchi.
“Princess, we’ve tried all the methods you suggested, but it really isn’t working.”
One beauty lamented, “This morning, when the Prince returned from court, my sisters and I went to greet him. Following Sister Qiu Ming’s advice, we rushed at him first, acting before speaking. But the Prince clearly saw both of us and coldly dodged without hesitation. I fell, and my sister had it worse—she was slower and was sent flying by Deputy General Su.”
The beauty pointed to a sister nearby, who was applying ointment to her ankle with a wounded temple.
The sister’s tears fell. “Princess, please spare us. Without your plans, maybe we’d still have a few more days.”
“This...” Yin Jiaojiao apologized, “Did the doctor examine you?”
“Yes, only external injuries.” Another beauty interjected, sighing, “Princess, I think we might have been too eager these past few days and scared the Prince. Maybe we should slow down.”
How could Xiao Yuanchi be scared? He was a ruthless man who had fought through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Back then, she had been far more eager than these girls. When greeting him after court was common for her. At that time, she had just entered the mansion, full of passion with nowhere to vent. She would wait daily at the gate, shouting and rushing toward him as soon as she saw him from afar.
Though Xiao Yuanchi was impatient, he never dodged to avoid her.
More so, when she once climbed a treetop to catch his attention, Xiao Yuanchi didn’t even know who she was. She was so excited she lost her footing and fell, but he caught her steadily.
This showed that despite his flaws, he had some sense of decency and would not be so cold toward a helpless woman.
Yet the reality was, he was even colder than before.
Yin Jiaojiao wrung her handkerchief, wanting to explain but unsure how. Slowing down was unacceptable.
With less than half a year until her death, each passing day was one day lost. They could afford no delay; what was being drained was her lifespan!
“Are you sure you’ve tried everything? Not even once did it work?”