Starting with Intercepting and Marrying the Eldest Princess - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: “Kneel Down!”

If Pei Shujing were to divide her life into two parts, the turning point would certainly be the day her Imperial Father, in his old age, decreed that the Xie family was worthy of marrying the princess.

Originally, she would never have agreed to this marriage, simply because she harbored a secret she could not disclose: she did not like men.

If the Great Xia’s Eldest Princess’s dislike for men were to be known to the world, even her Imperial Father and Mother’s love would not withstand public opinion, and she would inevitably face a life of becoming a nun, spending her days with the oil lamp and the ancient Buddha.

But she truly did not want to commit herself to a man, so she decided to confront her Imperial Father.

When her father lovingly promised to grant her any request, she noticed the grey hairs on his temples.

Imperial Father was old…

She couldn’t bear to let him worry about her anymore…

Looking on the bright side, the status of the Fuma (Princess’s Consort) in Great Xia had been quite low since the founding of the dynasty.

In terms of official position, once a man became a Fuma, he was confined to the “Commandant of the Imperial Son-in-Law” virtual title for life.

Privately, the Fuma not only had to pay his respects to the Princess four times a day, but his daily activities were also constantly regulated by the Princess.

To put it nicely, he was the Fuma; to put it harshly, he was the Princess’s personal servant.

After much deliberation, the Eldest Princess finally chose to agree to the marriage.

Later, before her Imperial Father had time to carefully select a Fuma for her, he passed away, and the Crown Prince smoothly ascended the throne as the Emperor.

Once the three-year period of national mourning was over, the Emperor announced that he had chosen a good husband for her: Xie Jing of the Xie family.

She didn’t care who it was; it was simply to fulfill her promise to her Imperial Father.

After the marriage, although she did not treat Xie Jing like a servant, she treated him no differently than a stranger. She never allowed Xie Jing to share a table with her for meals, let alone touch her. If he ever harbored indecent intentions, she would surely send Xie Jing to the castration room to make him a true eunuch slave.

Xie Jing’s behavior satisfied her greatly; he never overstepped, and he respected her both publicly and privately.

She thought her life would pass this way, uneventfully, but things took a drastic turn.

After the Emperor secured his throne, he seemed to have become a completely different person—cruel, murderous, pleasure-seeking, plunging the state and its people into misery. Furthermore, Great Xia never won an external war, forcing countless desperate commoners to become bandits.

Until one day, the Emperor approached her, saying there was a rebellion in Great Xia but he had run out of troops. He wanted to borrow the thirty thousand soldiers her Imperial Father had left her.

No matter how disappointed she was in him, he was still her younger brother. If she didn’t help the Emperor, would she just stand by and watch Great Xia perish?

After she mistakenly trusted her brother and handed over the military power, the Emperor suddenly turned against her. He fabricated evidence to frame her for colluding with the rebels, and with Xie Jing stepping forward to testify, she was inexplicably stripped of her title and reduced to a commoner.

It was then that Xie Jing revealed his true colors.

Xie Jing stopped at nothing to possess her. Fortunately, she still had some private soldiers left, which made Xie Jing hesitant to act.

But she was no longer the Eldest Princess of Great Xia. Under the combined efforts of Xie Jing and the Emperor, she was quickly thrown into the imperial prison.

As a result, before she died, she suffered inhumane torture: the tendons in both her legs were completely severed, and her body was covered in whip marks.

During this ordeal, she also learned that Xie Jing and the Crown Prince had long been in collusion, and Xie Jing becoming the Fuma was part of their plan.

Her first half of life was self-explanatory; the second half needed no explanation, for it was merely her own doing.

Fortunately, heaven had eyes. Not only did she not die completely, but she was sent back to the day of her wedding.

The only drawback was that her injuries had also returned, but it didn’t matter. As long as there was a shred of an opportunity, she would surely return all the suffering she endured to them!

Xie Jing, the Xie family, the Emperor, and those accomplices who had not yet surfaced—only by being cut into a thousand pieces could her heart’s hatred be appeased!

The vermillion-lacquered gates of the Princess’s Residence were as majestic as a city’s. Stone lions stood proudly in front, guarding the house. Stepping inside, one could see the residence extended deep through multiple courtyards. The front hall was spacious enough to hold a hundred people, and the back garden featured stacked stones forming mountains and springs creating lakes. Pavilions and towers were scattered along the terrain, every detail exuding an atmosphere of imposing grandeur and dignity.

This was the impression Xie Ning had as she walked through. Despite the multitude of thoughts in her heart, her expression remained composed. The maid led Xie Ning to a back courtyard: “Fuma, I can only accompany you this far.”

The maid interrupted Xie Ning’s musings. She smiled, curtsied very gently and politely, and said, “Thank you.”

When she reached the door of a house, Xie Ning turned her head and saw that the courtyard was empty. Are these people all so carefree?

Are they not afraid that she, the Fuma, would harbor bad intentions toward the Princess?

But then again, considering it was the wedding night, it was somewhat understandable.

Just as Xie Ning was about to knock, she found the door was not fully closed. She carefully peered through the gap and saw a scene that left her somewhat stunned.

The Eldest Princess was crawling on the ground with her hands, struggling. Her head was covered in large beads of sweat, her teeth were clenched, and faint blue veins were visible on her forehead. She seemed to want to climb onto the bed, but her legs were useless. How long could she persevere relying only on her hands?

Finally, she seemed to have exhausted her last bit of strength and collapsed unwillingly beneath the bed.

Xie Ning was a little dumbfounded.

Seriously? No one told her the Eldest Princess was disabled!

Kind-hearted Xie Ning was immediately overwhelmed with sympathy. She quickly pushed open the door and rushed to the Princess’s side in three steps. However, her expression froze, for the Princess’s white clothing was soaked in blood—both fresh, bright red blood and old, dark stains.

Why did this Princess look more like someone who had been kidnapped?

But now was not the time to ponder this anomaly. Just as Xie Ning was about to help the Princess up, she was met with an extremely cold stare. Then, the Princess’s pale, cracked lips parted slightly: “Get out.”

The Princess’s voice was mellow yet carried the chilling severity of a superior. That single, brief word easily seized Xie Ning’s attention. Xie Ning secretly sighed, thinking it was a pity this voice wasn’t in voice acting with her. But this wasn’t the time to think about such things.

“Your Highness, it’s me, Xie Jing, the Fuma!”

Xie Ning thought the Princess hadn’t recognized who she was, after all, in ancient times, there were many couples who had never seen each other before marriage.

But to her surprise, after she announced her name, the hatred in the Princess’s eyes intensified instead of easing up and allowing her to help.

Big Sis, that look in your eyes easily makes me think I inflicted your injuries…

Wait, no.

I haven’t done it, but Xie Jing might have!

No way…

Xie Ning hesitated. Xie Jing shouldn’t be that bold, and besides, the servants in this Princess’s Residence weren’t fools. If their mistress had been tortured by Xie Jing for a long time, it was impossible that they wouldn’t have reacted.

Pei Shujing stared intensely at Xie Ning for a moment, then sneered: “Kneel down.”

Xie Ning: ???

“I command you to kneel down!”

Xie Ning took a deep breath. Kneel down it is. I’ll treat it as praying for good fortune!

She closed her eyes and dropped onto the floor with a thud. But Pei Shujing was not satisfied. She patted the spot beside her: “Crawl over here.”

Fine, fine, you’re the boss. Xie Ning was just about to get up when she heard the Princess ask faintly, “Did this Princess tell you to stand up?”

Seriously, what exactly did Xie Jing do to make you treat him like this!

At this moment, Xie Ning genuinely wanted to go back and drag Xie Jing out of someone else’s grave and hit him a couple of times.

But now she was helpless; she could only follow the Princess’s orders. Otherwise, she was afraid that with a single command, countless executioners would rush in and chop her down…

Looking at that gaze that seemed eager to devour her, Xie Ning could hardly doubt the possibility.

So, Xie Ning knelt and crawled on her knees toward the place the Princess pointed to.

Pei Shujing watched Xie Jing crawl on the ground with his head bowed, and a sense of relief inevitably washed over her heart.

She knew that the current Xie Jing dared not turn against her. No matter what she did, Xie Jing could only endure it. Since you, Xie Jing, have seen me in such a miserable state, you must also kneel heavily before me.

Aren’t you someone who values your dignity above everything else?

Then you must hate me to the extreme for humiliating you like this, right?

The physical pain constantly reminded her that her humiliation of Xie Jing was still not enough.

“Lower.”

“Lower still.”

It wasn’t until Xie Ning’s upper body was completely prostrate on the ground that Pei Shujing slowly crawled over Xie Ning’s body. In the process, her hand inevitably pressed down on Xie Ning’s head, bumping Xie Ning’s forehead onto the floor again and again.

Even though her forehead began to bleed, Xie Ning still did not utter a sound, gritting her teeth and enduring, allowing the Princess to deliberately vent her emotions.

She finally realized that the Princess’s injuries absolutely had something to do with Xie Jing; otherwise, the Princess was just insane.

But either way, her safety could not be guaranteed. It seemed she had to change her plan and escape earlier.

I’m not serving you anymore, Sis!

While Xie Ning was pondering, Pei Shujing climbed from her body onto the bed. Xie Ning finally let out a sigh of relief, but still dared not raise her head. Who knew what new way this woman would come up with to humiliate her.

Meanwhile, Pei Shujing felt a momentary emptiness. She had underestimated Xie Jing; she thought this humiliation would be unbearable for him, but Xie Jing was more enduring than she had imagined.

Well, without such a skill, how could he have fooled the previous me?

Forget it, there’s plenty of time. I will torture him slowly.

“Get lost.”

Pei Shujing waved her hand listlessly. She was now wondering how her body could leave the house and face people.

Tomorrow, she had to go to the palace to pay respects to her Imperial Mother, and she must bring Xie Jing with her—it was the rule and could not be changed.

Even on the third day, she had to return to the Xie family with Xie Jing.

If these people saw her body in this state, it would surely arouse suspicion, and Xie Jing would probably spread the news of her being disabled. How could she deceive them all?

Pei Shujing thought for a while but couldn’t come up with an answer. She looked up and saw Xie Jing still kneeling motionless on the ground.

Her eyes narrowed slightly: “I told you to get lost!”

Xie Ning coughed twice: “Your Highness, you and I are married today. When shall we consummate the marriage?”

That’s right, she was deliberately provoking Pei Shujing, otherwise, her heart felt utterly aggrieved.

Sure enough, Pei Shujing’s face turned cold. Just as she was about to lash out, her expression suddenly changed.

“Very well. Tonight, you shall sleep on the floor.”

Xie Ning was stunned, not expecting the Princess to actually agree. Then she tentatively said, “Your Highness, the floor is cold.”

Pei Shujing surprisingly did not get angry but instead beckoned with a finger. Xie Ning had a bad feeling and quickly chuckled sheepishly: “Never mind, never mind. Sleeping on the floor is perfectly fine.”

Just as she turned her head, the back of her head suddenly hurt. Xie Ning slowly turned around, looked at the Princess holding a jade pillow, then touched the blood on the back of her own head, and uttered one sentence: “Big Sis, how much do you hate Xie Jing?”

And then she fainted.

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