Starting with Intercepting and Marrying the Eldest Princess - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: “This World Needs You to Be Emperor…”

Xie Ning was completely stunned.

She believed Pei Shujing wouldn’t lie to her about this.

So, Miss Wanjiang really didn’t die…

Then why didn’t Pei Shujing tell her when she angrily demanded an apology?

Looking at Pei Shujing’s mocking gaze, Xie Ning understood…

She was “Xie Jing” before. Pei Shujing wouldn’t tell her even if she were crazy.

“So… I not only exposed my martial arts skills that time, but I also got a beating. What was all that for?!” Xie Ning leaned back in her chair, her eyes glazed over.

Pei Shujing mocked her without reservation: “That counts as you being self-delusional, self-righteous, self-seeking misery, self-inflicted, self-…”

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Xie Ning took a deep breath, her bright eyes staring intently at Pei Shujing: “Your Highness, I apologize to you! A heartfelt apology!”

She had been very disappointed in the Grand Princess because of this matter, grouping the Grand Princess with the Xie family and the Emperor, and she had even prepared to deal with her.

Not to mention the recent events.

Although she had actively switched back to her female identity to see Pei Shujing and played the secret exchange game with her, there was always a slight resentment in her heart.

She had just been worried that if Pei Shujing knew she was from another world, it would be detrimental to her. But now, she could relax.

Yes, it was because Miss Wanjiang hadn’t died, this one small thing, that made Xie Ning establish trust in Pei Shujing.

Pei Shujing was thrown off balance by Xie Ning’s sudden apology. Seeing the sincerity in Xie Ning’s eyes, she felt a flicker of panic.

Perhaps this Xie Ning was truly completely different from Xie Jing…

Xie Ning could fight with her over someone insignificant to her, and upon learning that Wanjiang was alive, she could sincerely apologize.

Perhaps, she could truly try to trust Xie Ning this one time?

“So, where did Miss Wanjiang go?” Xie Ning asked.

Pei Shujing lowered her eyes, calming her inner state, and said: “Did someone forget we’re still playing a game?”

Xie Ning was dumbfounded.

“Your Highness, can I take back the secret I gifted you? Just pretend you didn’t hear it, and we can start over.”

Pei Shujing scoffed, her tone mocking: “What do you think? You spoke quite well using this Princess’s voice earlier, didn’t you?”

“Why stop now? I thought you had many secrets.”

“This Princess played a small trick. Did someone really think I was at a dead end?”

“Heh, foolish.”

Xie Ning appeared to be speechless from the ridicule, but her mind was spinning rapidly.

She needed to prepare at least two secrets, otherwise, she would be forced to reveal that she was a transmigrator.

Although she had started to trust Pei Shujing and was mentally prepared, she still needed to exchange it for Pei Shujing’s biggest secret. She absolutely couldn’t throw out this ace card impatiently when Pei Shujing only played a pair of threes.

But after thinking for a long time, she still couldn’t come up with anything.

Xie Ning sighed in frustration: “Alright, Your Highness, I am actually…”

“Never mind.”

Xie Ning was startled and looked at Pei Shujing in confusion.

Pei Shujing sneered: “It would be too boring to let you reveal your biggest secret now. Let’s save it for later. Come back to play this game when you’ve accumulated enough chips.”

She slowly walked behind Xie Ning, bent down slightly, and whispered in Xie Ning’s ear: “Next time, this Princess won’t let you off so easily, huff…”

Xie Ning shivered. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly grabbed Pei Shujing’s hand as she tried to turn away.

The small hand felt cool…

Pei Shujing stared at Xie Ning with a half-smile: “Let go, or do you believe this Princess will chop off your dog paw?”

Xie Ning gave an awkward smile and quickly withdrew her paw.

“Your Highness, I suddenly have a new secret!”

Pei Shujing frowned. Can a secret just appear out of nowhere?

This made her slightly curious.

“Alright, this Princess will give you one more chance. If you can satisfy this Princess, I don’t mind telling you Wanjiang’s whereabouts.”

“Your Highness, lean in. I’ll whisper it to you.”

Pei Shujing didn’t know what trick Xie Ning was up to, but curiosity still prompted her to bend down and listen.

“Your Highness, after you blew air into my ear just now, I… got tingly.”

Pei Shujing only felt the person’s very light breath near her ear, along with a slightly moist, warm air that made her ear tickle.

“Tingly… what does ‘tingly’ mean?”

“Like this, huff~”

Pei Shujing also shivered. She quickly pushed Xie Ning away, calming her inner turmoil.

Xie Ning laughed loudly: “Did you get tingly? I just asked if you got tingly!”

As she laughed, her laughter gradually died down.

She saw Pei Shujing staring at her with an extremely cold gaze.

“Uh, well…”

Xie Ning was speechless.

When Xiao Yu and Xiao Zhu came in under the guise of delivering food to secretly observe, they saw Xie Ning acting like a pufferfish, inhaling and exhaling air towards the empty space.

Her Highness was sitting on the side, quietly and peacefully reading a book.

Xiao Zhu glanced at Xiao Yu. What is she doing?

Xiao Yu was also confused. What new trick are these two playing?

Xiao Yu secretly poked Xie Ning, asking with her eyes what was going on.

Xie Ning ignored her and continued to imitate the pufferfish.

As the sound of a page turning rang out, Pei Shujing said faintly: “If anyone tries any more small tricks, they can join her.”

Xiao Yu and Xiao Zhu immediately stopped moving. They quickly arranged the food and slipped away.

Before leaving, they gave Xie Ning a gesture of encouragement.

Xie Ning rolled her eyes. The fragrance of the food drifted to her nose, and her stomach started to rumble.

“Your Highness, hungry, hungry…”

Pei Shujing didn’t lift her head: “This Princess is not hungry, thank you for your concern.”

“…Your Highness, I’m hungry.”

“Alright, this Princess is indeed a little hungry.”

With that, Pei Shujing closed the book, picked up her chopsticks, and slowly and methodically ate a slice of fish.

Xie Ning: ???

Looking at the table full of delicacies she couldn’t eat, Xie Ning, ungracefully, drooled at the corners of her mouth.

Pei Shujing’s lips curved slightly: “Alright, eat first. If there’s a next time, this Princess will make you blow for three days straight without stopping.”

“Your Highness, you’re so good!”

Xie Ning offered a perfunctory compliment to Pei Shujing, then eagerly sat down and started to devour the food.

Chewing with her cheeks puffed out, she said: “Why is it still so delicious even though there are so few seasonings here (chew chew chew)? This fish slice is truly fresh and delicious (chew chew chew). Who do you think invented this stuff (chew chew chew)?”

Pei Shujing didn’t catch the implied meaning of Xie Ning’s words. Instead, she asked with some doubt: “Few seasonings? Perhaps.”

“The cooks in the residence are imperial chefs this Princess brought from the palace. You can guess what would happen to them in the palace if the food they made wasn’t delicious.”

Xie Ning understood. It was Nine Clans Selection.

A scene instantly flashed in her mind: the imperial chefs all shouting in unison before cooking: Don’t underestimate the bond between me and the Nine Clans!

Then they would start frying enthusiastically.

“Your Highness (chew), don’t be so bloodthirsty after you become Emperor (chew chew chew).”

Pei Shujing slammed the table, unable to bear it any longer: “Can you please swallow the food in your mouth before speaking!”

“Don’t talk while eating, do you understand?!”

“Don’t you know that talking while eating will splash saliva onto the food!”

Xie Ning swallowed hard, pointing weakly at the food like a small quail: “Your Highness, you seem to have splashed more than me just now…”

“What?”

“Are you disgusted by this Princess?”

Xie Ning quickly picked up a piece of vegetable and stuffed it into her mouth: “Not disgusted, not disgusted.”

(Gulp)

“…It tastes even better.”

Pei Shujing’s forehead was covered in black lines. She tapped the table: “Eat properly!”

“Okay.”

The two ate in silence for a short while. Finally, Pei Shujing broke the silence.

“Why are you so sure this Princess will take that position? Even I lack confidence.”

Xie Ning happily took a sip of soup: “Your Highness, what are you worried about?”

“The Emperor is no longer a concern. I believe the court officials can’t stop Your Highness either. So what are you worried about?”

Pei Shujing put down her chopsticks and rubbed the space between her eyebrows.

“I’m worried that… the people of this world won’t agree.”

After all, throughout history, no woman has ever become Emperor. If she were to break this precedent, she feared the people of the world would be unable to accept it for a time.

But Xie Ning was completely unconcerned: “Your Highness, perhaps your worry is justified, but I believe this world needs a woman to be Emperor.”

“Throughout history, the status of women has been very low. If this continues, their environment will be increasingly compressed until they completely become tools dependent on men.”

“Your Highness, breaking this situation requires a woman to become Emperor. This would both set an example for the women of the world and allow for efforts to improve women’s status.”

“Since this world needs a woman to be Emperor, why can’t it be Your Highness?”

Like Wu Zetian from her hometown, perhaps her achievements are highly controversial, but undeniably, her historical significance rivals that of a great emperor throughout the ages.

To put it in the most easily understandable way: if there was no Wu Zetian, then when modern novelists wrote about a female emperor, people would question “How can a woman be emperor?” They would say, “In that era, a woman could never be emperor.”

But in Xie Ning’s view, Wu Zetian had one more point of failure: she ultimately returned the throne to the Li family.

Perhaps it was due to the old forces of the Li Tang dynasty leading to her political failure, or perhaps it was the pressure from Confucianism. In any case, after her, the status of women faced an even fiercer backlash.

The women of this world have been suppressed for thousands of years. To change this rule, at least three generations of female emperors are necessary.

Only at least three generations of female emperors, subtly influencing the world through a slow process like boiling a frog, can gradually raise the status of women to the same level as men.

One generation less is not enough; a break in the lineage is unacceptable.

In Xie Ning’s opinion, the pressure faced by Pei Shujing is much less than what Wu Zetian faced. Firstly, she is a member of the Pei family; the world fundamentally belongs to her family.

Secondly, Pei Shujing has military power. Although thirty thousand Southern-Pacifying Army soldiers may not be many, it is a foundation. She has moved from 0 to 1. Is the rest of the journey difficult?

Of course, Pei Shujing also has her own difficulties.

Xie Ning put down her chopsticks and looked seriously at Pei Shujing.

“Your Highness, you need to select a young girl from the royal family and keep her by your side as your successor.”

Pei Shujing quietly looked at Xie Ning for a moment, then suddenly smiled enchantingly.

“In that case, I shall look forward to the Imperial Son-in-Law’s guidance.”

Xie Ning was stunned. She pursed her lips and agreed.

“Good.”

Support Starting with Intercepting and Marrying the Eldest Princess