Starting with Intercepting and Marrying the Eldest Princess - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: “Apologize to this Princess!”…

After Xie Mao left with Xie Yunhao, Xie Ning pondered for a long time before putting down her teacup and tapping the table: “Someone come.”

As soon as her voice fell, Xiao Zhu appeared at the doorway.

Xie Ning was stunned, looking puzzled: “I often see you in the back garden because there are only you and Xiao Yu. Why is it that when I come to the front reception hall, I still see you?”

Xiao Zhu naturally didn’t want to talk much with her, and said coldly: “What is it?”

Xie Ning could roughly guess that the Grand Princess didn’t trust her and sent Xiao Zhu to follow her, so Xie Ning didn’t dwell on it and said directly: “Spread the news about Xie Mao kneeling to me today, specifically highlighting that Her Highness did not appear, and everything was decided by me.”

Spreading the news would both make the Xie family a laughing stock and let people know that Xie Jing had alienated himself from the Xie family.

After all, there is no principle in this world where a father kneels to his son.

Even Xiao Zhu’s usually cold face showed a surprised expression: “Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”

Xie Ning gave a self-mocking smile. Did she have a choice?

Compared to the Emperor and the Grand Princess, the Xie family at least couldn’t determine her life or death in a single word.

So, for now, she could only first find the weakest one on the surface to deal with.

Even with this decision, she had hesitated for a long time, especially after discovering that the Grand Princess was also cruel and murderous. The thought of Miss Wanjiang’s death cast a persistent shadow over Xie Ning’s heart.

Wanjiang died because of her, and all she could do was make the wolf apologize verbally.

Xie Ning did not answer Xiao Zhu’s question. She walked out of the room on her own. The wide, boundless sky greeted her, like a blue scroll. Occasionally, cranes played in groups, sometimes letting out clear cries, sometimes soaring through the clouds, leaving a few strokes of vivid color on the scroll.

Having transmigrated here for only a few days, every decision she made felt as perilous as walking a tightrope on a cliff.

But one day, she, too, would be able to soar among the clouds like a crane, and severing ties with the Xie family was only the first step.

Regardless of the Emperor, the Xie family, or the Grand Princess—bring on your wealth, bring on your imperial power, let the challenges come!

“Oh? Xie Jing really said that?”

Pei Shujing was somewhat surprised. One reason she didn’t personally meet Xie Mao was that her legs were currently inconvenient to show in public. She could put the blame on Xie Jing once or twice, but over time, even an idiot would notice something was wrong.

Fortunately, something very pleasing happened: she suddenly found that the whip marks on her body were slowly disappearing. Earlier this morning, when she practiced walking, she found she could walk over twenty more steps than before.

It must be related to her rebirth after death. She wasn’t sure of the exact reason, and this kind of thing couldn’t be explained, but it was a good thing in the end.

The second reason was, of course, that she wanted Xie Jing and the Xie family to fight like dogs. Xie Jing constantly claimed he was her person, so she gave Xie Jing a chance to prove it to her.

She hadn’t expected Xie Jing to be so ruthless, not only making Xie Mao kneel to him but also proactively spreading the news. Although she would have helped Xie Jing do this even if he hadn’t, Xie Jing’s action ultimately severed his ties with the Xie family.

So, why?

Pei Shujing suddenly realized something was wrong. This Xie Jing was vastly different from the Xie Jing she knew. If her own disabled legs weren’t a constant reminder, she would have thought the events of the previous life were just a nightmare.

“Xiao Yu, why do you think a person would suddenly change their nature?”

Xiao Yu pondered for a moment: “It must be because they experienced a major event to have such a change.”

A major event?

Could Xie Jing have been reborn like her?

And reborn earlier than her, even having time to learn martial arts?

Pei Shujing fell into deep vexation.

The more she thought about Xie Jing, the less she understood him. Instead, as time went by, the mystery surrounding Xie Jing only deepened.

The thought of killing Xie Jing immediately and getting it over with crossed her mind again, but she once again forced the idea down.

Xie Jing could be killed at any time, but would the Emperor and the Xie family allow her to do as she pleased?

She must not only use Xie Jing as a way to temper herself but also solve the mystery surrounding him one by one.

“Xiao Yu, go investigate! I want you to thoroughly investigate Xie Jing’s entire ancestry and every experience.”

After her rebirth, she hadn’t taken Xie Jing seriously, thinking he was just a puppet found by the Emperor and the Xie family from somewhere. But she realized now that she was wrong. Never underestimate anyone.

She needed to understand Xie Jing’s life from birth to the present. Whether it was learning martial arts or the sudden change in personality, there must be traces in his past.

“Where is Xie Jing now? Did he forget to come and pay his respects to this Princess today?”

Xie Jing had given her so many headaches. She wouldn’t feel right if she didn’t torment him a little.

And then she remembered how Xie Jing had addressed her by her full name yesterday and called her unreasonable…

Pei Shujing genuinely wanted to chop Xie Jing into mincemeat and feed him to the dogs!

Xiao Zhu pursed her lips: “Your Highness, Xie Jing is currently picking flowers in the garden. He said he wants to find the most beautiful flower to offer to the most beautiful you.”

Xiao Yu glanced at the Grand Princess oddly.

Pei Shujing sneered. Just as she was about to say something, she heard that disgusting voice from the doorway.

“Your Highness, open the door, it’s Xie Jing!”

Pei Shujing didn’t notice the strangeness of the statement: “Tell him to roll in!”

Xie Ning ran in happily, one hand hidden behind her back.

“Your Highness, I…”

Pei Shujing interrupted Xie Ning: “Bring out this Princess’s sock. I need to inspect it.”

Xie Ning hadn’t expected her to actually check, and a surprise inspection at that!

Luckily, she had kept it safe today.

She pulled the neatly folded sock from her clothes and presented it to Pei Shujing.

“It’s intact,” Xie Ning said.

“It hasn’t been used,” Pei Shujing’s smile gradually turned cold. “I shall punish you.”

“Wait! Why would I use it?!”

Xie Ning felt like a million alpacas were running through her mind. No, is this Pei Shujing a pervert?!

Pei Shujing, completely oblivious, propped her chin up with her hand and lightly tapped her cheek: “What should I punish you with?”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Xie Ning came back to her senses.

“Your Highness, you are an unreachable existence in my heart. How could a mere mortal like me harbor such inappropriate thoughts!”

Pei Shujing frowned slightly in thought: “That’s true. If you truly dared to do something disgusting with this Princess’s sock, I would chop you into pieces finer than mincemeat.”

However, she was unwilling to let Xie Ning pass so easily: “You stepped over the threshold with your left foot first. Left is the side of honor. Are you hinting at something to this Princess? Xiao Yu, beat him!”

Xie Ning was astonished. She never thought she would one day be subjected to a beating because she entered a door with her left foot first…

“No, no, no! If you really start fighting, wouldn’t you ruin the most beautiful flower I picked in the garden?”

Pei Shujing’s eyes shimmered: “You mean the most beautiful flower?”

“Of course, my eyesight is unparalleled!” Xie Ning said confidently.

However, she was afraid the Grand Princess would be stubborn and refuse to admit it was the most beautiful flower, so she preemptively blocked the path: “Of course, this flower can only resonate with the most beautiful person. Ordinary people simply wouldn’t understand it. Like Xiao Zhu, who only knows how to fight all day long. Can a person like that appreciate it? Definitely not.”

Xiao Zhu’s eyes radiated a dangerous light.

Pei Shujing smiled sweetly and sighed: “You’ve truly become too arrogant. But even if you speak great truths, how dare you pick a flower without this Princess’s permission? And the most beautiful one at that!”

“Xiao Yu, Xiao Zhu, both of you beat him.”

Looking at the two women eager to move, Xie Ning really wanted to curse, but the constant reminder of her life forbade it.

Still somewhat unwilling, she asked: “Your Highness, won’t you take a look?”

Pei Shujing curled her lips: “Forget it. Considering your actions this morning were to my liking, I’ll give you a chance.”

Xie Ning was delighted, not expecting a chance for things to turn around. She quickly offered the flower she had picked to her sister-in-law.

Pei Shujing took it and froze, her expression instantly turning grim.

Xie Ning’s heart dropped. What had she done to offend Pei Shujing this time?

She cautiously probed: “Your Highness, don’t you like this lily?”

Pei Shujing furiously smashed the lily onto Xie Ning’s face: “Lily! You know it’s a lily!”

“A lily has seven or eight petals of death and life—count how many petals it has yourself!”

“Are you eager for this Princess to die in front of you again?!”

Xie Ning was stunned into silence, not even noticing the slip of the tongue in the Grand Princess’s anger.

Who knew there was such a superstition here…

Normally, Pei Shujing wouldn’t care about such details, but when she saw Xie Jing smilingly present this ominous flower, she remembered Xie Jing’s identical smiling face just before her death in the previous life.

Xie Ning slowly knelt on the ground: “Your Highness, I truly did not know. Please forgive my offense.”

Pei Shujing stared at Xie Ning, who was prostrated before her, her face alternating between dark and bright.

The atmosphere in the room once again fell into dead silence.

The standoff lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn halfway. Xie Ning still didn’t look up.

“Apologize.”

Xie Ning took a deep breath and cleared her throat: “Your Highness, I apologize. It was reckless of me.”

After she spoke, the two fell silent again.

Pei Shujing stared at Xie Ning and asked: “Are you unhappy in your heart?”

Xie Ning pursed her lips: “No, happy.” (The subtle meaning of the Chinese characters can be interpreted as “unhappy” and “happy” when spoken together, but Xie Ning intended to convey that she was unhappy, then quickly covered up with “happy”.)

Pei Shujing chuckled. She could naturally hear that the three characters, when put together, conveyed Xie Ning’s true intention.

“Why is it so difficult for this Princess to say ‘I’m sorry,’ yet you, Xie Jing, must apologize because of a flower?”

“I’ll tell you why. It’s because I am the Grand Princess of Daxia, and you, Xie Jing, are politely called the Imperial Son-in-Law, but in reality, you are my personal slave, do you understand?”

Xie Ning lowered her eyes: “Yes. I, Xie Jing, am your slave for life and dare not harbor any thoughts of transgression.”

Pei Shujing smiled: “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure.”

“That’s strange. I thought you would be unable to accept what this Princess said.”

“Jing admires Your Highness. It is Jing’s honor that Your Highness speaks thus.”

“Admires this Princess?” Pei Shujing repeated thoughtfully.

Xie Ning said very affirmatively: “Of course. Your Highness is beautiful and powerful. Who wouldn’t admire you?”

“Continue.”

Xie Ning paused for a second, suddenly remembering Pei Shujing’s strange fetish, and coughed: “Your feet are also very beautiful.”

Pei Shujing was stunned, her expression somewhat odd. Why did this person specifically add that point…

Could it be that Xiao Zhu was right?

At this moment, both of them tacitly labeled the other as a pervert in their minds.

Pei Shujing felt defiled…

“Fine, I will give you a chance to prove your admiration for me.”

“There is a talent night banquet in the capital tomorrow night. You only need to express your love for this Princess publicly, and I will believe you.”

Pei Shujing wanted to laugh just thinking about the scene. She looked at the silent Xie Ning: “Of course, this Princess will also have an additional reward.”

“Hmm… I will reward you with my other sock.”

Xie Ning: ???

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