Chapter 118: It Bullies Me

The head of the Xuanyuan family was plagued by a persistent headache. His clan was a family of scholars, so how did he end up with such an unruly granddaughter?

The Xuanyuan line had been passed down through only children for generations, but with Xuanyuan Yuan and Xuanyuan Ran, they were blessed with twin girls. The old family head was deeply concerned and exercised extreme caution in selecting the next heir. He made the three young girls—Yuan, Ran, and their companion Mei—practice swordsmanship together, wielding his whip at every opportunity to discipline them and mold the future head of the house.

Of the three, Yuan bore the brunt of the lashes, and Mei suffered many as well; conversely, Ran always remained unscathed. Despite Yuan’s wild and unmanageable nature, the old head was secretly quite pleased with her, intending to groom her for the leadership. Just as it happened that day, when the old man lashed out, Yuan instinctively shielded her sister, taking the blow. Yet, Ran always looked out only for herself, seemingly accepting her sister’s sacrifice as if it were a matter of course.

The old head sighed. The ancient prophecy, "A celestial maiden born in the century of Weisheng; the Xuanyuan twins shall seize the world," weighed heavily on him. Could it be that these two sisters were the beginning of it? He shook his head; the centenary of Weisheng was only a decade or two away.

As the old head covered Yuan’s mouth, the matriarch arrived. Yuan immediately threw herself into the older woman’s arms, weeping, which only added to the old man’s headache. Soon, Yuan was led back to her quarters, followed by Ran and Mei. The old head called out to Ran, "Ran, why did you not protect your sister? She still bears the lash marks from last time."

Ran bit her lip, keeping silent, though she seethed with resentment. Every time trouble arose, it was Yuan who caused it, yet she was the one who took the blame! Ran felt it was only fair that Yuan be punished, as she was the one who had slacked off first. She remained mute, silently enduring the lecture. Whenever Yuan shielded her, it was only because she wanted to drag her into the punishment. She didn't care if Yuan got beaten; only that brainless Mei would occasionally join her in the suffering. *How typical of a servant’s daughter to be so foolish.*

Mei-ji’s thoughts drifted. Time passed in a blur, and soon the two young mistresses reached their coming-of-age ceremony. The old head announced that at eighteen, a successor would be chosen between the two sisters. Yuan felt indifferent; every day spent forced into sword practice was merely to inherit a position she never wanted. Ran, however, was exceptionally excited, announcing to everyone that she had mastered the Pupil-Capturing Technique. Instantly, many viewed her as the future head of the Xuanyuan family.

As they grew older, Mei grew to dislike Ran more and more, retorting, "The eldest young mistress has also mastered the Shadow-Craft!" Yuan glared at her to stop. Someone immediately scoffed, "Shadow-Craft is different; with the head's permission, anyone can learn it, but the Pupil-Capturing Technique is a secret passed down only through the Xuanyuan bloodline!"

The ceremony turned into a commotion, and it was proposed that the two sisters spar. Mei smirked, "Eldest Miss, shall we exchange a few moves?" Forced into a corner, Yuan accepted the challenge. Ran’s swordsmanship appeared far more refined, and she quickly defeated her sister. Feeling an indescribable ache in her heart, Yuan turned and left, with Mei following closely behind.

"Eldest Miss, why must you be so yielding!" Mei grew increasingly frustrated with Ran’s behavior.

"It doesn't matter, I don't want to be the family head anyway..." Yuan said nonchalantly, suddenly remembering something fun. "Mei, I heard there’s a royal hunt on Mount Yunyang today. Shall we go and take a look?"

Mei sighed, knowing she couldn't stop her. "Go on, Miss. I’ll keep watch for you!"

Yuan laughed and patted Mei’s shoulder. "Wait for me. Who knows, by tomorrow I might even bring back a brother-in-law for you, that..." Yuan paused. Mei knew that Yuan had already mastered both the left and right-handed sword techniques of the Xuanyuan style; she had clearly lost today’s match on purpose.

Yuan slipped out. She had no idea that the Emperor, along with the Crown Prince and Prince Yuan, was hunting on Mount Yunyang that day with the intention of arranging a marriage alliance with the Xuanyuan family. Yuan snuck into the hunting grounds, dreaming of riding freely across the world. She had only recently learned to ride, yet she had the misfortune of choosing Prince Yuan’s personal mount.

As soon as she climbed onto the horse, she was exposed. Her screams echoed through the grounds: "Grandfather, save me! Mei, save me! I don’t want to fall to my death!"

Prince Yuan and the Crown Prince emerged from their tent to find the scene in utter chaos. The Prince watched the girl on his horse, shouting at the top of her lungs, and furrowed his brow. With a sharp whistle, the horse returned to the Prince’s side and came to a halt. Yuan, eyes squeezed shut, assumed her grandfather had come to her rescue. She leapt from the horse and threw herself at the man, locking her arms and legs around him. "Grandfather, it bullied me!" she cried.

The Prince chuckled, assessing the girl clinging to him. "Am I your grandfather?"

Hearing a crisp, clear voice, Yuan slowly opened her eyes. Looking up at the man’s handsome, refined features, she gasped. *Wow, what a beautiful man!* Ignoring his question, she immediately asked, "Sir, are you married?"

The Prince was struck by her beauty and instinctively shook his head.

"That’s wonderful!" Yuan exclaimed.

The Prince laughed; he had never met such an interesting woman. Yuan continued, "Come home with me. Would you like to be my sister’s husband and my grandparents’ grandson-in-law?"

The Prince roared with laughter. "How many sisters do you have?"

"Two," she replied without thinking.

"And how many sisters do you want me to be a husband to?" he teased.

"Both of them!" she answered instantly.

The Prince nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Are you from the Xuanyuan family?"

"Yes, I am Xuanyuan Yuan. Who are you?"

"Didn't you just call me your grandfather, Miss Xuanyuan?"

The Prince looked at the girl still clinging to him. Surprisingly, he felt no revulsion, but rather a sense of amusement. If the Emperor’s proposed marriage alliance was with her, it might be quite interesting.

Realizing she was still holding onto him, Yuan blushed and scrambled down. She noticed his royal address and asked, "You are a Prince?"

The Prince nodded. In the Liyue Kingdom, there was only one Prince; she should know who he was. Yuan sighed in disappointment, glancing at him one more time—a truly handsome man, but unfortunately, a Prince.

The Prince asked, "So, a Prince cannot be your grandparents’ grandson-in-law?"

"I apologize, Your Highness. Please forgive my rudeness. Just pretend I was drunk and talking nonsense!" Yuan turned to leave.

The Prince frowned. Rumor had it that the Xuanyuan family’s future head would take a husband into the family. Could she be the future head? He grabbed her wrist. "Miss Xuanyuan, are you feeling guilty?"

"I... I just wanted to borrow a horse for a ride!" she explained.

Hearing this, the Prince hoisted her onto the horse and climbed up behind her. "Then I shall take you for a ride!"

Guided by a sudden impulse, he steered the horse into the woods. On the horse’s back, Yuan forgot all her troubles and laughed heartily. "This is so fun! How often do you hunt on Mount Yunyang? Can I come play with you again?"

Having been raised on the mountain, she had never left its borders and longed for freedom.

"My fief is in Guanlin City. It is wider and freer than Mount Yunyang. Would you like to come and see it with me?" the Prince asked.

Yuan nodded without hesitation. "I would, but I can't leave yet. I have to wait until my sister becomes the family head."

In the Pavilion of Shadows, Mei-ji slowly opened her eyes. "My name is Xuanyuan Mei," she said softly. "I am the daughter of a servant in the Xuanyuan family, and I grew up with the two young mistresses."

Weisheng Qianyu and Feng Jinye had suspected as much; there was deep history between the three.

Mei-ji paused before adding, "The Xuanyuan family resides on Mount Yunyang."

Both Feng Jinye and Weisheng Qianyu were stunned. Feng Jinye was particularly shocked; Mount Yunyang was a place he had never been able to gather information about, even when Yunming was sent there, he had never reported anything unusual.

"I suspect that Mount Yunyang is a royal site, one that has been controlled by the Empress Dowager all these years," Feng Jinye concluded.