Starting with Intercepting and Marrying the Eldest Princess - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: “If There Is a Next Life”…

Zhenxue City, Prince Xia’s Residence.

Inside the bedroom.

Facing Xiaoyu’s resentful gaze, Pei Shujing couldn’t help but feel a little awkward.

There was no helping it. She had forgotten her promise due to a momentary indulgence in pleasure. Could she have the potential to become a decadent ruler?

After some thought, Pei Shujing decided that she herself was fine. So, who was the problem?

Naturally, it was the treacherous courtier who seduced the monarch—Xie Ning!

“It’s all your fault! If not for you, how could this Prince have forgotten such an important matter?!”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Xie Ning agreed, nodding.

Xiaoyu sighed, asking somewhat dejectedly: “What should we do now…”

Last night, she dragged Xiaozhu along, saying they had to wait for Her Highness. They waited and waited until they both looked like snow people, but Her Highness never arrived.

She originally wanted to gather her courage and just lay all her cards on the table, but the moment the words reached her lips, Xiaozhu left.

Her courage vanished with Xiaozhu, and she had no choice but to follow Xiaozhu back to the residence.

Once back, she heard the servants say that Her Highness and the Imperial Son-in-Law had long since returned to rest. Xiaoyu, with dark circles under her eyes, endured Xiaozhu’s puzzled looks and waited outside the door until there was movement from the room.

Which led to the scene before them now.

Xie Ning thought for a moment. She suddenly found inspiration from a sitcom from her hometown.

“How about we hold another bonfire party!”

“Ah???” x 2

“Absolutely not! It’s a waste of resources, and the people will resent it!” Pei Shujing rejected the idea without a second thought.

“Who said we’re paying for it? We held the Snowy Plains Assembly so successfully, shouldn’t the various tribes hold a thank-you party in return?”

Pei Shujing stared at Xie Ning with a strange look: “Why are you so cunning?”

“Just tell me if it works or not!”

“…Hahaha, Silver Wing, you guys are truly Silver Wing!”

In the evening.

At the bonfire party.

Xie Ning laughed heartily while patting the tribal leaders on the shoulder.

The leaders laughed along, looking excited, telling boldfaced lies: “Imperial Son-in-Law, you may not know, we were all planning to leave today, but a sudden inspiration, as if granted by heaven, struck us: since Her Highness values us so much, shouldn’t we also express our gratitude!”

“To receive such praise from the Imperial Son-in-Law now…” The man wiped away a tear. “I can die without regret.”

“Hahaha, enough of that. Come, let us drain this cup!”

Everyone gathered around the bonfire and drank a cup of wine. Only then did Xie Ning take Pei Shujing’s cold little hand and leave the area.

The two walked through the party. People around cast various glances at Xie Ning: admiration, worship, and also malice.

But the tempered Xie Ning no longer cared about these stares. She even felt like laughing a little.

“Your Highness,” she leaned close to Pei Shujing’s ear, “I heard that at a bonfire party, the two people who dance the final dance will end up together and never be separated for life. Is that true?”

“What do you think?” Pei Shujing didn’t express her opinion, but asked her with a smile instead.

“That’s too unrealistic!” Xiaozhu, who was following them, muttered quietly.

Xiaoyu was somewhat moved, so she couldn’t help but argue: “Although it’s unrealistic, you’re being a buzzkill.”

Xie Ning nodded: “Exactly, exactly.”

“This Prince actually thinks it’s plausible.” Pei Shujing joined the fray: “As long as the two die together on that day, won’t they be together forever?”

This one is even more dramatic.

Not only that, Pei Shujing looked at Xie Ning: “What do you say?”

“…Exactly, exactly. It’s too childish!”

Xiaoyu glared at him fiercely. Traitor!

“However, this Prince agrees to dance with you.” Pei Shujing declared her victory.

The three people froze.

Xiaoyu’s eyes held a touch of emotion. She thought Her Highness made this decision for her and Xiaozhu’s sake.

Xie Ning was also quite touched.

Because she knew Pei Shujing was someone whose words didn’t match her heart. Even knowing it was a hoax, she was willing to humor her.

But Pei Shujing said: “Don’t misunderstand. This Prince just felt like dancing.”

“Exactly, exactly, exactly!” x 3

Pei Shujing: “…”

Why doesn’t anyone believe her when she speaks the truth?

She genuinely felt like dancing. As for the ridiculous rumor, Pei Shujing believed whether people could stay together for life depended on ability and strategy!

“Brother Xie Jing~”

All four were momentarily stunned, looking towards the source of the voice.

A lively, cheerful girl with cute braided pigtails and a charming round face.

Her eyes were large, curved like crescent moons.

“You are?” Xie Ning didn’t recognize her.

“Aiya, why ask someone’s name right off the bat?” The girl covered her mouth cutely. “But since it’s Brother Jing, of course it’s fine. Just call me Miaomiao.”

“Please guide me, Brother Jing~”

Xie Ning sensed the deadly glare coming from behind her and immediately pointed fiercely, accusing: “Where did you come from, little girl? Can’t you see I’m having a romantic moment with the person I like!”

The girl pointed at Xiaoyu and Xiaozhu: “Then what about them?”

Xiaoyu cleared her throat, quickly answering: “We are also having a romantic moment.”

After speaking, as if afraid the girl wouldn’t believe her, she quickly grabbed Xiaozhu’s hand. Xiaozhu hesitated but ultimately didn’t struggle.

“Is that so?” Miaomiao looked slightly disappointed. After glancing at Xie Ning, her eyes brightened again. “Brother Jing, can I invite you to dance?”

“…I apologize. I only dance with the person I like.”

Miaomiao quickly said: “I don’t mind.”

“This King minds.”

Pei Shujing narrowed her eyes at the girl.

“Dare to say one more word, and this King will have your entire nine generations come here to dance.”

The girl’s face turned pale. She quickly bowed and left without another word.

Xie Ning also wanted to run, but she felt like she couldn’t escape now.

Pei Shujing sneered: “Brother Jing?”

Xie Ning stood up straight obediently: “Your Highness, you know that her calling out Xie Jing has nothing to do with me, Xie Ning.”

“Dancing?”

“Your Highness heard it too. I refused without hesitation.”

Pei Shujing smiled, reaching out a cold finger to lift Xie Ning’s chin.

“Refusing without hesitation is correct. Otherwise, don’t assume this Prince’s fondness for you means I will tolerate everything.”

Xie Ning leaned into her hand and pulled Pei Shujing into her arms.

Pei Shujing leaned lazily into her embrace: “This Prince knows your initial impression of me wasn’t good, and you’ve been tolerating my dominance and moodiness, but having reached where we are today, this Prince still hopes we can like each other more.”

“What are you talking about, Your Highness? I love it when Your Highness treats me like this.”

“Hmph.” Pei Shujing snorted with a cold laugh. “You passed. If you had truly admitted it, this Prince would throw you into the bonfire and roast you alive right now.”

Xie Ning directed her gaze toward Xiaozhu, who was pretending to be invisible, and Xiaoyu, whose expression read ‘I’ve learned something.’

“How about we play a game?”

Xiaoyu sighed in relief. Thank goodness, they finally got to the point.

Pei Shujing naturally knew her thoughts, so she asked with interest: “What game?”

“We’ll divide into two pairs, riding one horse each. One person is blindfolded and steers the horse, and the other person guides them. The first pair to reach the finish line wins.”

“Quite the variety.” Pei Shujing smiled. “Then this Prince will reluctantly pair with you.”

The ignored Xiaoyu: Thank you!

The option-less Xiaozhu: “…”

Everyone led their horses over, marked the finish line, and prepared to start.

On Xie Ning’s side, Xie Ning was blindfolded, and Pei Shujing guided the direction.

On the other side, Xiaoyu was blindfolded, and Xiaozhu guided the direction.

Initially, Xiaoyu’s pair took the lead ahead of Pei Shujing’s.

After the two pairs had gone far, Xie Ning secretly lifted her blindfold to peek.

Pei Shujing smacked her hand: “Who told you to lift your blindfold!”

“No, wasn’t the purpose of us playing this game for them?” Xie Ning felt a little innocent.

Pei Shujing helped adjust the blindfold on her face: “This Prince suddenly felt like playing too.”

“…Alright then! Watch me surpass them and win!”

Pei Shujing smiled noncommittally. At first, their cooperation was quite tacit.

But once they entered the woods, they kept bumping into things.

Whether they could endure it was one thing; the horse certainly couldn’t.

It abruptly bucked them off, sending both tumbling to the ground, and then galloped away in a flash.

Xie Ning fell, rolling several times in the snow before immediately getting up and turning to look at Pei Shujing lying in the snow.

She panicked.

“Pei Shujing!”

Xie Ning rushed to Pei Shujing and knelt on one knee in the snow.

The face lying in the snow was beaming with a faint smile.

It was a simple, happy smile, free of superiority or mocking disdain.

“You…” Xie Ning was stunned.

“This Prince did it on purpose,” Pei Shujing blinked.

Her eyes, due to the faint smile, sparkled like the Milky Way.

“Are your legs not injured?” Xie Ning asked anxiously.

“No.” Pei Shujing glared at her. “Do you really want my legs to be injured?”

“That’s good…” Xie Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s so cold, and you’re sweating in your panic. Do you care about this Prince that much?” Pei Shujing asked with a smile.

“…You know the answer, why ask!”

The smile on Pei Shujing’s face deepened.

“Why?”

With the sudden topic, Xie Ning couldn’t guess her thoughts for a moment. She also didn’t know what kind of emotion she held when she asked that question.

“Because you are Pei Shujing.”

“If there were a knife, who would you let hold the handle, and who would hold the blade? Just between this Prince and you.”

“Why ask such a question?”

“Asking is a momentary shame for this Prince, but not asking would leave me eternally unwilling. Alright, it’s your turn to answer.”

“Naturally, Your Highness would hold the handle.”

“Aren’t you afraid this Prince will kill you with the handle?”

“How could you?”

“Lies! You’ve almost died by this Prince’s hand many times. Can your heart truly hold no resentment?”

“…Your Highness, if you had to make this choice, what would you do?”

The two looked at each other for a while before Pei Shujing’s soft voice finally drifted over:

“This Prince doesn’t know.”

“But if everyone must have a knife, this Prince will always keep it in my hand.”

Xie Ning smiled.

She sat down heavily in the snow as if exhausted, lying beside Pei Shujing and looking up at the same night sky.

A silent night, snow-covered mountains, and frost-laden trees.

“If there is a next life, let us meet earlier.”

At least…

Find me before I get hurt.

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