Starting with Intercepting and Marrying the Eldest Princess - Chapter 22.2

Chapter 22.2

The Grand Princess’s Residence, main hall.

The atmosphere was somewhat strange.

Since her return, Xie Ning noticed that both Xiao Zhu and Xiao Yu were looking at her with very meaningful gazes.

As for Pei Shujing, she had long since tossed Xie Ning aside and gone to her study.

Xie Ning was a bit puzzled. She had done so well this time, shouldn’t Pei Shujing be very happy?

Why didn’t she even have time to say a single word of praise…

Xiao Yu walked past her, occasionally “tsk-tsk-ing” and shaking her head without speaking.

Xie Ning reluctantly put down her teacup: “My head is spinning. Xiao Yu, what exactly do you want to say?”

Xiao Yu hummed a tune as if she hadn’t heard.

“Xiao Zhu?”

Xie Ning then looked at Xiao Zhu, who was staring fixedly at her.

Xiao Zhu retracted her somewhat disillusioned gaze. Just as she was about to say she didn’t know, Xie Ning tapped the table, interrupting her: “Xiao Zhu, I treat you as my best friend. You decide what to do.”

Xiao Zhu choked up and quietly asked: “First, answer me one question: where did you get your martial arts skills?”

Xie Ning smiled and teased: “What, did my victory make you jealous too? Alright, I’ll tell the truth. I started practicing martial arts since I was little, probably for fourteen or fifteen years.”

“But… Xie Jing’s family was poor, so how could his sister learn martial arts?”

Xie Ning’s pupils contracted. She abruptly stood up, staring intensely at Xiao Zhu.

She opened her mouth, wanting to try and defend herself, but didn’t know how to speak.

Xiao Zhu wouldn’t be exposing her if she hadn’t found solid evidence.

Xiao Yu sipped her tea on the side, leisurely saying: “We found Xie Jing’s corpse.”

Xie Ning sighed in frustration: “You could still recognize him after he was smashed like that?”

Xiao Yu nodded earnestly: “We sure did!”

“The body was already decomposed, but Her Highness recognized him instantly. That’s probably what they mean by being recognizable even if turned to ashes.”

Xie Ning’s mind was in turmoil. She stammered: “Her Highness… what did Her Highness say?”

Xiao Zhu sighed.

“Her Highness is waiting for you.”

The matter of the Dengwen Drum, like a crashing wave, instantly swept across the entire capital.

Everyone was shocked by it!

In the eyes of the common people, the Imperial Son-in-Law, as a helpless victim, issued a powerful denunciation and accusation against the Emperor!

After all, everyone knew, and those who didn’t would soon know, that the Imperial Guards were the Emperor’s guard dogs, only obeying his commands.

Yet, the Imperial Son-in-Law was ambushed by the Imperial Guards while on a mission to suppress bandits. What was the Emperor’s intention?

Some people couldn’t help but wonder if the Emperor had been secretly protecting Li Dabalai all along.

This theory gained immense popularity among the common people.

Some scholars mocked them, saying how could the Son of Heaven of Daxia protect a bandit leader? But the common people immediately challenged the scholars to explain why the Imperial Guards had failed three times before, and why the Emperor sent the Imperial Guards to ambush the Imperial Son-in-Law when he led troops?

The scholar was speechless.

Should he say it was because the Emperor held a grudge and did it deliberately?

Moreover, the common people saw the Imperial Son-in-Law throw Wan Yue’s head at the Emperor, and the Emperor was so frightened he collapsed in his seat.

They were greatly disappointed.

How could the Great Daxia Dynasty have such a weak Emperor?

This is outrageous!

Especially after the Emperor returned to the palace and ordered Wan Yue’s family property to be confiscated, public resentment reached its peak.

This Emperor is so scared by a dead head that he can’t stand straight, yet he shows his ferocious power to the person who did his bidding?

Outside, public resentment boiled, but the Emperor ignored it.

Since the common people couldn’t see the Emperor, they waited for the Imperial Guards to leave the office and blocked the roads, throwing rotten vegetables and rotten eggs at them.

“Look at these parasitic scoundrels, they still dream of holding onto their positions!”

“Get out! We don’t need the protection of parasites! We want the Southern-Pacifying Army!”

The implicated Imperial Guards were utterly frustrated, but no one cared about their feelings, just as they hadn’t cared about the common people’s feelings before.

“Thankfully, the capital still has the Imperial Son-in-Law’s Vermillion Bird Camp.”

“Yes, yes. Don’t let the Imperial Son-in-Law’s usual recklessness fool you; when it matters, he really steps up.”

“You don’t understand. The key is the Grand Princess backing him up.”

“That makes sense. I think we should just let the Grand Princess take that position.”

“Are you crazy? Aren’t you afraid the Imperial Guards will arrest you!”

“Afraid? Who has Li Lao’er ever been afraid of?!”

“You old man, why did you drag my name into this!”

Outside, waves were surging, but the surface of the Grand Princess’s Residence was completely peaceful.

On the surface, of course.

Xie Ning returned to her room. She stood in front of the bronze mirror, her hands slightly trembling as she untied her hair. Her long, waterfall-like hair instantly cascaded down, scattering onto her shoulders.

After taking a deep breath, she slowly raised her hands and began to unbind the male attire that constricted her female form.

As the layers of clothing were shed, her original figure gradually emerged: a slender waist, soft curves, all proclaiming her female identity.

When the last piece of male clothing slipped away, she was completely restored to her original appearance. She tilted her head slightly, looking at herself in the mirror, the corners of her mouth subconsciously turning up.

“Long time no see, Xie Ning.”

When she changed into a palace dress and walked out of the room, Xiao Zhu and Xiao Yu, who were waiting at the door, brightened up.

Xie Ning asked somewhat awkwardly: “H-how is it?”

Xiao Yu clapped her hands: “Beautiful!”

On her way to see the Grand Princess, Xie Ning had suddenly stopped. Since her identity had been exposed, there was no need to hide her appearance as Xie Jing anymore.

She wanted to meet Pei Shujing as Xie Ning, but she didn’t seem to have any female clothes.

When Xiao Yu heard her idea, she immediately raised her hand, saying she had some. Their figures were quite similar, and both practiced martial arts. The clothes Xiao Yu usually wore fit Xie Ning perfectly.

So, Xiao Yu was responsible for finding the clothes, and Xiao Zhu was responsible for clearing the area. This led to the current scene.

Xie Ning had always disguised herself as Xie Jing. Switching back to female attire suddenly made her feel a little shy.

“Hurry up, hurry up! Her Highness must be getting impatient.”

Xiao Yu pushed Xie Ning, who was constantly looking back, to the study door and knocked.

Pei Shujing’s voice came from inside the study: “Enter.”

Xiao Yu immediately pushed Xie Ning in and thoughtfully closed the study door for her.

Pei Shujing was busy looking down and didn’t notice the movement, which made Xie Ning breathe a sigh of relief.

She shuffled to the seat opposite the desk and sat down. She waited for a while, but Pei Shujing still hadn’t looked up.

“Ahem.”

“Your… Your Highness.”

Pei Shujing was startled. She had thought it was Xiao Yu or Xiao Zhu knocking. The voice didn’t sound like them.

She slowly raised her head and gazed at the somewhat restless Xie Ning. The surroundings seemed to quiet down, with only the sounds of their breathing and heartbeats.

“Your Highness…”

Xie Ning finally broke the atmosphere. She used her original voice and hesitantly asked: “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Pei Shujing lowered her eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

Even though she had prepared herself mentally, she was still shocked by the huge contrast. An inexplicable complex emotion surged in her heart: surprise, admiration, and a hint of loss.

The enemy she had always wanted to carve into a thousand pieces had suddenly become a strange yet extremely attractive woman, which both delighted her and made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

Pei Shujing nodded as if in admiration: “You look quite good… and your voice is also pleasant. So, should I call you Xie Ning now?”

Xie Ning tilted her head. For some reason, she was now a bit afraid to look directly into Pei Shujing’s eyes.

“Whatever Your Highness decides.”

The two fell into silence once more.

Xie Ning took a deep breath and smiled at Pei Shujing: “Why don’t I tell Your Highness how I killed Xie Jing and turned the tables?”

Pei Shujing was slightly distracted by her smile: “That would be fine.”

“What do you think is happening inside now?”

Xiao Yu sat by the door and asked Xiao Zhu next to her.

Xiao Zhu shook her head: “I only know that she is really bold. To actually disguise herself as Xie Jing and openly wander around in front of Her Highness… If I were Her Highness and found out I’d been deceived for so long, I would be very angry.”

Xiao Yu shook her head: “Impossible. Her Highness won’t be angry.”

“Although we don’t know why Her Highness has such a deep hatred for Xie Jing, Xie Ning helped Her Highness kill Xie Jing.”

“You didn’t see the complex emotions in Her Highness’s eyes when she saw Xie Jing’s corpse. There was hatred, relief, a sense of fortune, and… delight.”

“Delight?”

“Yes, delight!”

“Actually, this Princess is quite angry.”

Pei Shujing looked at Xie Ning coldly after hearing her narrative.

Xie Ning agreed: “I understand, I understand.”

After all, no matter how she explained it, she couldn’t negate the fact that the entire matter was a deception.

“No, you don’t understand.”

Pei Shujing stood up and walked to Xie Ning’s seat, her finger picking at Xie Ning’s chin: “This Princess is angry at myself. You clearly showed so many flaws, yet this Princess only figured everything out now.”

Xie Ning smiled awkwardly. She didn’t know how to respond to that.

Pei Shujing’s fingertip tapped Xie Ning’s nose for a moment, then poked her cheek.

“This is much more pleasing to the eye. You must never dress like that again in front of this Princess. It irritates me.”

Xie Ning was stunned: “But there are so many people in the back courtyard…”

“Just like before.”

Well, Xie Ning understood. The back courtyard was becoming a restricted area again.

Poor Xiao Zhu and Xiao Yu hadn’t even had a few days of rest and would have to get busy again.

Xie Ning let Pei Shujing’s finger fiddle with her face and asked hesitantly: “Your Highness, may I ask why you have such a deep hatred for Xie Jing? Is it related to your legs?”

“But I can’t figure out what harm Xie Jing could have caused Your Highness before.”

Pei Shujing gently fiddled with Xie Ning’s lower lip. Xie Ning was slightly annoyed: “Your Highness!”

Pei Shujing smiled softly: “You want to know?”

“Say you really want to know.”

There was no way around it. Xie Ning had to satisfy Pei Shujing’s dark humor.

“Your Highness, I really want to know.”

Pei Shujing lightly coughed twice and answered in a gentle, amused tone.

“It’s a secret.”

Xie Ning: “…”

“If you don’t want to say it, fine. Everyone has secrets.”

Pei Shujing was taken aback.

Xie Ning’s eyes held a hint of eager provocation: “For example, how I know martial arts.”

“Interesting.”

Pei Shujing withdrew the finger she was using to fiddle with Xie Ning’s face. She slightly curled her lips: “My secret is very big.”

This concerns her rebirth.

Xie Ning pouted: “My secret isn’t small either.”

You understand transmigrator?!

If I told you, you’d doubt life itself.

Pei Shujing looked at Xie Ning. Their eyes were locked onto each other.

“Although I don’t think your secret is as important as mine, perhaps we can try to exchange our secrets. What do you think?”

Exchange… secrets?

Xie Ning didn’t agree. Instead, she asked: “Your Highness, I am very curious, why do you want to do this?”

“Because your actions have shown this Princess that you are worthy of exchanging secrets with this Princess. This is an exchange of equal value. Most importantly, don’t you think it would be exhausting for the two of us to continue playing this guessing game?”

“It is exhausting.”

“Instead of continuing to guess and analyze, why don’t we be frank with our secrets?”

Xie Ning bit her lip.

“You’re hesitating so much, hehe.” Pei Shujing smiled. “Are you worried about losing out?”

Xie Ning nodded without hesitation: “Of course.”

“Then how about this: we categorize our respective secrets, divide them into stages, cut them up, and treat them as chips on a gambling table. We can only continue playing if the stakes are equal. What do you think?”

“Okay, I agree.”

“Then who goes first?”

“I’ve always been calling you ‘Your Highness’.”

“Alright.” Pei Shujing sat back down. “You still have time to regret it now. Once I start betting, you can only match the bet.”

“The purpose of a secret’s existence is to eventually be known.”

“Indeed.” Pei Shujing nodded seriously. “I can’t believe such a flighty person like you would say something so profound.”

“Oh, by the way, this Princess likes women.”

Xie Ning’s eyes widened. She looked at Pei Shujing in disbelief, until Pei Shujing nodded with an amused look: “Very surprised?”

Xie Ning took a deep breath: “No, I just didn’t expect it.”

Pei Shujing pursed her lips noncommittally: “Your turn.”

Xie Ning made herself relax: “Actually… I also like women.”

Pei Shujing paused.

“Are you… serious?”

This time, it was Xie Ning who smiled and asked her: “What, are you very surprised?”

Pei Shujing looked deeply at Xie Ning.

“This Princess wants to be Empress.”

Xie Ning wasn’t surprised this time; she had already guessed this internally.

She looked at Pei Shujing with a half-smile: “Your Highness, you are cheating a bit. This is just an intention hidden in your heart, not something that has already happened.”

Pei Shujing chuckled: “Alright, then I’ll answer your previous question. My legs becoming disabled is indeed related to Xie Jing.”

Xie Ning was slightly puzzled: “So what exactly happened?”

“That’s a different chip.” Pei Shujing lightly tapped the table, saying lazily, “If you want to know, place a bet.”

Xie Ning bit her lip: “I am not Xie Ning, yet I am Xie Ning.”

She could have been clearer, such as I am not Xie Jing’s sister, but I am Xie Ning.

But if she said that, she was afraid Pei Shujing might guess something, so she spoke vaguely to hide her ace card.

Sure enough, Pei Shujing narrowed her eyes: “What do you mean?”

Xie Ning’s tone was light, mimicking Pei Shujing’s way of speaking: “That’s another chip. If you want to know, bet.”

Pei Shujing remained silent for a long time this time.

If she continues, she will have to talk about the rebirth. Is the current Xie Ning worth her trust?

But it was impossible for her to concede now.

She was the one who proposed the game. She set the rules. How could she concede after only two rounds?

Pei Shujing’s breathing became slightly heavier.

The corner of Xie Ning’s mouth curved up. She hummed a tune, looking utterly pleased.

This was an act.

In truth, Xie Ning was also very nervous. If Pei Shujing truly revealed a big secret, she would have to expose the fact that she came from another world.

How would Pei Shujing treat her then?

Would she capture her and force her to reveal the knowledge of that world?

But poverty shouldn’t stop one from being ambitious. She had to keep up the act.

“Your Highness, why aren’t you speaking? Are you worried about losing out?”

“I’ll give you one more secret as a bonus: I can mimic anyone’s voice.”

If that were all, it would be fine, but Xie Ning deliberately used Pei Shujing’s own voice to say the next words.

“I, Pei Shujing, will never lose out!”

Pei Shujing, sitting in the chair, closed her eyes. Her breathing became more rapid than before. Her hands were placed in front of her, sometimes spread open, sometimes tightly clenched.

Finally, Pei Shujing opened her eyes and sneered.

“Your Miss Wanjiang isn’t dead.”

Xie Ning: “…”