Accidentally Married the Princess [Time Travel] - Chapter 6

The Fourth Prince’s eyes flickered with panic before he calmly said, “No matter. That old stickler, the Grand Tutor, loves to submit baseless memorials against me.”

“Enough. If Miss Dai has matters to attend to, we can arrange another day.”

A typical hypocrite. Watching the hulking figure slowly move away, Gong Yu sighed in relief and said, “Ah Yan, you can marry anyone but this Fourth Brother.”

Suddenly, her ear was pinched again, and Dai Ru Yan’s voice chimed in, “Disrespecting your elders. If you call me Ah-Yan again, I’ll have the Grand Tutor make you copy the rites a hundred times every day.”

“Uh…”

Gong Yu pleaded, “Don’t! That Grand Tutor has such a long beard, and when he gets angry, his eyes bulge like bells. It’s terrifying.”

Dai Ru Yan stifled a laugh and released her grip, shaking her head helplessly. “If those words reach the Grand Tutor’s ears, you’ll surely get a beating.”

“Then you mustn’t leak a word.”

“Why did you say I shouldn’t marry your Fourth Brother earlier?” Dai Ru Yan asked as she strolled along.

Gong Yu walked beside her and replied, “He’s so huge, he must eat a ton. Even if your Dai family is wealthy, you couldn’t afford to feed such a glutton.”

“A glutton?” Dai Ru Yan’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she shook her head. “You’d better behave. If you’d said that earlier, you might have ended up worse off than that servant just now.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Gong Yu chuckled, tilting her head to look at Dai Ru Yan’s relaxed expression. “Besides, I’m not stupid enough to invite trouble.”

Dai Ru Yan smiled without responding. Her fair cheeks, perhaps due to the cold wind, had a slight redness at the tip of her nose. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and said playfully,

“Speaking of gluttons, if your Fourth Brother is a big glutton, then you must be a little glutton yourself.”

“Uh…”

“I usually just sample a few new dishes. I don’t actually eat much,” Gong Yu hurriedly defended.

Dai Ru Yan smiled faintly, choosing not to expose her. Instead, she placed the hand warmer into Gong Yu’s palm and said softly, “Eating more is fine. You look too frail right now.”

“But you just called me a little glutton?” Gong Yu looked up at her helplessly.

Dai Ru Yan untied her cloak and draped it over Gong Yu, who stood stiffly, not daring to move. The cloak was warm, but Dai Ru Yan herself looked too thin.

“If you give me your cloak, what about you?”

“I’m heading to the Empress Dowager’s quarters, it’s not far. Your hands are too cold. If you catch a chill, it’ll take ages to recover.”

Dai Ru Yan didn’t linger long. With a retinue of maids trailing behind her, she departed. Gong Yu, clutching the hand warmer and slightly lifting the oversized cloak, turned and headed back to her room.

After nearly three days at the temple, snow had begun to fall by the time they descended the mountain, making the roads treacherous, especially for carriages.

The distant mist echoed with the tolling of bells. Arriving with their chime and departing with them. Gong Yu huddled in the carriage, reciting the poetry assigned by the Grand Tutor.

By the time they returned to the capital, dusk had fallen. The streets were packed with people. Gong Yu trailed at the very end of the procession, while Dai Ru Yan accompanied the Empress Dowager. Separated by the long procession, there was no chance to exchange even a word.

Finally back at the estate, Gong Yu lounged lazily in her room, unwilling to move an inch.

But the daily lessons still had to be prepared, and the required exercises couldn’t be neglected. Accustomed to the modern habit of staying up late and waking late, Gong Yu’s greatest challenge was rising early especially in the dead of winter.

It was truly a struggle.

Fortunately, apart from the rigid Grand Tutor, there was also Dai Ru Yan in the classroom, though she rarely spoke from behind the screen.

To avoid being reported by the Grand Tutor every time, Gong Yu spent a long period studying the books that princes were required to read.

The Grand Tutor forbade placing braziers in the room for warmth, claiming it was to make the princes experience the hardships of the common people.

Gong Yu devised a way to have a hot water bag made. It was extremely warm, but the only drawback was that it was hard to conceal.

For most of the day, Gong Yu didn’t leave her seat cushion as the Grand Tutor flipped through books, explaining texts and allusions.

“The essence of governance lies in the people. Does anyone understand the meaning of this?” the Grand Tutor asked, closing his book.

The Third Prince was the first to respond: “If the people are obedient, the realm will be stable, and the nation will prosper.”

The Grand Tutor stroked his beard and continued, “And if the people are disobedient, what then?”

“Naturally, they should be punished according to the law. Rebels must be executed to prevent them from undermining the nation’s stability,” the Third Prince declared proudly.

The Grand Tutor remained silent, only asking, “Does anyone else have a different approach?”

“Why bother investigating? Just send troops to suppress them,” the Fourth Prince answered casually.

The Grand Tutor didn’t respond and instead turned his gaze to Crown Prince Gong Quan, who replied, “If the people are disobedient, the officials are surely complicit. To restore order, one must uproot the problem entirely.”

“The Crown Prince speaks wisely,” the Fifth and Sixth Princes chimed in.

“Ninth Prince, what are your thoughts?” the Grand Tutor asked, glancing at Gong Yu, who was hugging her homemade hot water bag.

Playing the diligent student, Gong Yu replied, “My elder brothers all make valid points. I know little, but I understand that the people’s obedience or disobedience must have reasons. If the people are well-fed, clothed, and living happily, they will be obedient. But if they are starving, cold, and struggling in misery, they will naturally rebel.”

“And what should be done in such a case?” the Grand Tutor pressed, leaning slightly closer.

Gong Yu grew inexplicably nervous and answered honestly, “Perhaps we should identify the cause of their discontent and address it properly. If the people are content, there would be no need for military intervention.”

“Isn’t that just stating the obvious?” the Fourth Prince frowned.

The Grand Tutor nodded approvingly, leaving Gong Yu bewildered. He turned and walked away, holding his book as he said, “The Ninth Prince’s understanding of governance may indeed be shallow, but at such a young age, she grasps the suffering of the people. Something none of the other princes have considered.”

“The relationship between the state and its people is like that between water and a boat. Is it better to sail through turbulent waves or calm waters? Do the princes understand the gravity of this?”

“Miss Dai, do you have any unique insights?”

From behind the screen, Dai Ru Yan replied softly, “You flatter me, Grand Tutor. I have a thought or two, but nothing particularly profound.”

“You are too modest, Miss Dai,” the Grand Tutor chuckled, stroking his beard.

“The people and the state embody the saying, ‘Water can both carry and capsize a boat.’ If the people cannot make a living, the state is in peril. If the people are prosperous, the nation thrives.”

“If the people are disobedient, we must investigate the root cause of their discontent before we can restore order. As for whether to use force or appeasement, a balance of firmness and gentleness is needed to earn the people’s trust and punish lawbreakers.”

The Grand Tutor nodded in satisfaction.

After about an hour, there was a short break. Gong Yu picked up her tea and took a sip.

After the Grand Tutor left, the winter ink dried slowly, so Gong Yu patiently waited for it to dry before packing up her things.

Most of the restless young princes had already gone outside. The Third Prince approached, holding a hand warmer passed to him by his attendant, and said, “I’ve heard that ice fishing in winter is quite an elegant pastime, especially with the famed snowy scenery of Deer Mountain. Might Lady Dai grace us with her presence?”

“Recently, I’ve been feeling unwell and must regretfully decline Your Highness’s kind invitation,” Dai Ru Yan replied lightly, sipping her hot tea.

Gong Yu couldn’t help but think that the Third Prince was putting on quite the act, what a scheming man.

The Third Prince froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Dai Ru Yan to reject him so directly. He laughed awkwardly and said, “What unfortunate timing. Perhaps another time, then.”

Once the Third Prince had walked away, Gong Yu secretly hugged her homemade hand warmer, slipped past the screen, and sat down uninvited.

Dai Ru Yan didn’t seem surprised. She simply poured herself another cup of tea and drank in silence for a while. Unable to bear the quiet, Gong Yu finally spoke up, “Hey, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“What should I say?” Dai Ru Yan’s lips curved slightly as she finally turned her gaze to Gong Yu.

The saying “beauty like jade” was undoubtedly fitting for Dai Ru Yan. Every lift of her eyes was enough to captivate anyone who looked.

Gong Yu collected herself, snapping out of her daze, and asked, “Earlier, you said you weren’t feeling well. Are you sick?”

Dai Ru Yan’s expression shifted slightly. She tilted her head and replied, “Not sick, just unwell.”

Noticing her hand resting lightly on her abdomen, Gong Yu quickly understood the reason for her discomfort.

Seeing that no one else was around, she discreetly placed her hand warmer into Dai Ru Yan’s palm and whispered, “This thing is really warm. If you’re feeling unwell, keep it close. The Grand Tutor won’t notice.”

Dai Ru Yan hesitated, touching the hand warmer. “You smuggled this in?”

“If the Grand Tutor finds out, the punishment will be severe.”

Gong Yu sat cross-legged nearby, watching the incense burner flicker, and grinned mischievously. “If you don’t tell, and I don’t tell, who’s going to know?”

“You little rascal,” Dai Ru Yan said with an amused sigh.

When the day’s lessons finally ended, it was a rare moment of leisure. The Grand Tutor, busy with official matters, had temporarily suspended classes. The New Year’s Eve celebrations were also approaching.

Seeing that it was already late outside and the palace corridors were long, Gong Yu hugged her hand warmer and lifted the curtain, only to find snowflakes drifting in the air.

Her exhaled breath turned into white mist in the cold. She quickly dropped the curtain, relieved that she wouldn’t have to wake up early the next day.

Yet, to her surprise, early the next morning, the steward announced outside her quarters, “Young Highness, Lady Dai has sent an invitation.”

Still half-asleep, Gong Yu mumbled a response before sighing and emerging from her blankets, bundling herself in thick winter robes.

After a bumpy ride in the sedan chair, she finally shook off her drowsiness.

Stepping out, Gong Yu took a moment to compose herself before being led by a servant into a courtyard blanketed in white.

“Ninth Highness, please come inside. My lady is waiting for you,” an elderly woman said with a smile.

Gong Yu thought she was late and felt rather embarrassed. But when she pushed open the door, she saw a little girl sitting primly inside, tilting her head to scrutinize her before asking, “Granny, who is this big brother?”

Dai Ru Yan’s voice came from behind. “She is the Ninth Highness.”

The little girl immediately ran over, grabbing Gong Yu’s hand with a bright smile. “Sister Yan, I like this big brother!”

Gong Yu: “…”

Gong Yu turned her head to Dai Ru Yan for help, but Dai Ru Yan merely smiled faintly and said, “Alright, perhaps the little brother would also like Yue’er.”

“She’s called Yue’er. She’s been sickly since childhood and rarely had playmates. The two of you would make good companions,” Dai Ru Yan added, turning to look at Gong Yu.

Was this a sympathy ploy?

So, waking up early in the morning was just to play with a child?

And who on earth is suited to be a playmate for a kid anyway!