Taking the Princess as My Wife - Chapter 12

Liu Ruheng could even feel Jiang Shaojia’s breath. Her words were extremely soft, like the whispers of lovers.

It was still early, and the Emperor was still handling official business. The head eunuch led Liu Ruhang to a nearby garden and specifically assigned a young eunuch to look after her.

Though it was called “looking after” her, it was, in reality, surveillance.

Liu Ruheng made no suspicious moves, but she had no intention of making herself uncomfortable either. Since she was being “looked after,” she felt perfectly entitled to ask the young eunuch for a pot of tea and a plate of pastries, along with a leisure book to read.

She didn’t know what kind of influence this young eunuch possessed, but he fulfilled every single one of her requests without exception.

Sipping her tea and eating some snacks, Liu Ruheng lazily flipped through the book. Just as she was concentrating on turning the next page, a familiar voice drifted over, causing her hand to freeze.

Looking back carefully, she saw the Fifth Prince—the very man who had heartlessly thrown her into the Court of Judicial Review.

The Fifth Prince had not noticed her yet; he was currently arguing with a senior maid behind him. Although they were some distance away, Liu Ruheng could vaguely overhear them. He seemed to be arguing with the Empress’s head maid about whether he was now capable of standing on his own and assisting his Second Brother.

The current Emperor had fewer children than his predecessors. Aside from the eldest prince who had passed away young from illness, there was only the Second Prince, who had been appointed Crown Prince; the Third Prince, who was born with a disability and could not walk; the profligate Fourth Prince; and the Fifth Prince, who shared the same mother as the Crown Prince.

As for princesses, there were only two. The elder was Princess Huaqing, and the younger was Princess Wuning. They were only a year apart in age and did not share the same mother.

As the two figures drew closer, Liu Ruheng could no longer pretend she hadn’t seen them, especially since the young eunuch beside her had stepped forward respectfully to salute.

Given the Fifth Prince’s status, Liu Ruheng also performed a salute. The inexplicable hostility the Fifth Prince had shown her last time made her much more cautious. Finding no fault in her etiquette, the Fifth Prince didn’t bother to maintain a pleasant face; he gave her a cold snort and walked past without looking back.

The maid behind him was more polite. She bowed to Liu Ruheng and intended to exchange a few pleasantries, but seeing the Fifth Prince walking away, she hurried to follow his pace.

Liu Ruheng found it strange. The last time they met, the Fifth Prince was like a vainglorious fighting cock. Why had his temperament shifted so much today?

However, the Fifth Prince’s affairs had nothing to do with her. She decided not to dwell on such distractions and thought it better to pass the time with her book.

But she had barely turned a few more pages when another eunuch arrived to find her, stating only that she was invited to dine. Seeing that the time was right, Liu Ruheng set down her book and followed the eunuch’s lead.

Looking up along the way, she noted the red walls and golden tiles of the palace were exceptionally opulent, but one could only see a square patch of sky from within.

Before long, she arrived at the dining hall.

The Emperor had not yet arrived, but Liu Ruheng saw two familiar faces. The Fifth Prince and the Crown Prince were sitting in their seats, talking. The Crown Prince possessed a gentle aura; seeing Liu Ruheng arrive, he gave a small smile.

Out of respect for their status, Liu Ruheng stepped forward to salute. The Crown Prince rose to stop her, a smile playing on his lips as he said, “Lord Liu, there is no need for such ceremony. You are the future consort of my Imperial Sister; there is no need to be so formal.”

Liu Ruheng, however, insisted on completing the salute, pretending to be an old-fashioned stickler for rules. She replied, “Your Highness, rites and decorum cannot be abandoned.”

Seeing her persistence, the Crown Prince did not stop her further and calmly accepted the salute. Whether the Crown Prince was sincere or hypocritical, Liu Ruheng wasn’t sure, but she could not allow anyone to hold a grievance against her.

Beside them, the Fifth Prince could eventually hold his tongue no longer. He spoke sarcastically, “You certainly know how to read a situation, knowing to bow to the Crown Prince.”

Liu Ruheng ignored his mockery and responded only with a smile.

The Crown Prince’s brow furrowed slightly as he spoke to restrain him: “Little Five!”

Once the Fifth Prince went silent, the Crown Prince turned back to Liu Ruheng with an apologetic bow. “The Fifth Prince is still young; I ask Lord Liu to be forgiving.”

Liu Ruheng felt her skin crawl. The Crown Prince was of noble status; what was his intention in bowing to a low-ranking seventh-grade official like her? She immediately returned the gesture and offered a few polite platitudes to finally move past the topic. However, from that moment on, the Crown Prince gave her a lingering sense of dissonance.

After much waiting, the Emperor finally arrived. He was not alone; two princesses followed behind him.

Seeing Jiang Shaojia, Liu Ruheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, there was someone familiar.

Jiang Shaojia and Princess Wuning accompanied the Emperor on either side. The Emperor was chatting happily with Jiang Shaojia, while Princess Wuning appeared gentle and quiet.

As the three entered the main hall, Liu Ruheng rose to salute the Emperor and the two princesses. In front of Jiang Shaojia, the Emperor appeared even more amiable. He slowly took his seat at the head of the table.

The seating had been strictly arranged from the Emperor down to Liu Ruheng, but the Crown Prince took the initiative to yield his spot, allowing Jiang Shaojia to sit in the first position below the Emperor.

The Fifth Prince looked indignant, but because they were in front of the Emperor, he only muttered quietly under his breath. Liu Ruheng could not hear what he said.

Once the Emperor arrived, laughter and conversation were constant. Jiang Shaojia didn’t interact much with the others, but the Emperor’s attitude toward her was extremely intriguing, which made Liu Ruheng’s heart skip a beat.

The palace chefs’ skills were excellent, but this meal was truly an agonizing experience. Even with delicacies before her, Liu Ruheng felt the food tasted like dry wax.

After the luncheon ended and the Emperor went to rest, the group dispersed.

Jiang Shaojia was right in front of her. Liu Ruheng watched her back with a worried gaze, unable to find the words to speak several times.

As they passed the square sky and the vermilion palace walls again, Liu Ruhang could no longer contain herself and spoke first: “Princess, today…”

Jiang Shaojia stopped in her tracks. Liu Ruhang couldn’t stop in time and bumped right into her.

With their bodies so close, Liu Ruheng realized for the first time that Jiang Shaojia had to look up to see her. She took half a step back and said apologetically, “Princess, are you alright?”

Jiang Shaojia looked up and pressed closer to Liu Ruheng. Liu Ruheng felt as though Jiang Shaojia’s eyes were like deep pools of water, clearly reflecting her own image.

Liu Ruheng instinctively tilted her head away. She could almost hear her own heartbeat in her ears. “Princess… please conduct yourself with dignity.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Liu Ruheng regretted them. She opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing.

The corners of Jiang Shaojia’s lips curled upward. She lightly grasped Liu Ruheng’s collar and pulled her a bit closer. Her blood-red lips were extremely close to Liu Ruheng’s earlobe.

Liu Rueng could even feel Jiang Shaojia’s shallow breath. Her words were extremely soft, like the whispers of lovers: “My consort, the walls have ears.”

As the words fell, she imprinted a kiss on Liu Ruhang’s earlobe. Jiang Shaojia’s voice trailed off with a slight upward lilt, like a soft feather landing on the surface of water, creating ripples.

Liu Ruheng instinctively closed her eyes; the sound of her heartbeat in her ears became even more pronounced. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was clear, but her still-reddened earlobe betrayed her emotions.

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum. “Princess, I understand.”

Jiang Shaojia smoothed the wrinkles in Liu Ruheng’s collar, her fox-like eyes narrowing slightly. She cast an inconspicuous glance toward a maid who was bowing her head nearby. Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the maid to hear: “Go back and tell your master that this Princess and her consort are on excellent terms; there is no need for her to worry.”

Upon leaving the palace gates, Liu Ruheng and Jiang Shaojia boarded a carriage—the same one as last time. As the horse’s hooves galloped further away, the golden wind chimes rang out clearly.

Liu Ruheng lifted the curtain, watching the vermilion palace walls recede into the distance. She turned her head and saw Jiang Shaojia looking at her with a smile.

“Princess.”

Liu Ruheng spoke but didn’t know where to start. Should she say it? Jiang Shaojia, who had always had a poor reputation, was pampered by her father. If she were to tear away that veil of hypocrisy now, would it be a blessing or a curse for Jiang Shaojia? She was very familiar with the look the Emperor had given Jiang Shaojia.

Jiang Shaojia asked, “What is it?”

The words were at the tip of her tongue, but Liu Ruheng simply couldn’t say them. She shook her head. Seeing Jiang Shaojia’s appearance, her heart softened a little. “I just wanted to ask if the Princess is happy?”

Liu Ruheng’s voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the wind chimes and hoofbeats. Jiang Shaojia heard her clearly. She instinctively started to flash a smile, but upon seeing Liu Ruhang’s shimmering peach-blossom eyes, she hesitated for a moment.

Liu Ruheng’s eyes seemed naturally full of affection.

Jiang Shaojia pushed aside that hesitation, her smile widening, though a trace of loneliness remained deep in her eyes. “With my consort by my side, this Princess is naturally happy.”

Lies.

Liu Ruheng lowered her head and did not see the look in Jiang Shaojia’s eyes. She felt relieved; as long as Jiang Shaojia hadn’t noticed, it was fine.

The affection in the Emperor’s eyes was real, but compared to the Crown Prince—the child who could inherit his throne—it was not even worth mentioning. She was very familiar with that kind of gaze.

Liu Ruheng quickly changed the subject. She looked up and said solemnly, “Princess, I have a matter to report.”

Having received Jiang Shaojia’s nod, Liu Ruheng continued, “The matter of the Left Prime Minister… there is a lead.”

“I didn’t tell the Princess earlier because the files hadn’t been fully investigated. In the Court of Judicial Review’s records concerning the Left Prime Minister, there is a case from years ago where a friend of Minister Pang was involved in a corruption case investigated by the Left Prime Minister. Now that Minister Pang has committed suicide, the number of people involved is vast. If we can use this opportunity to follow the clues, we might find information on the person behind the scenes.”

The corruption case Liu Ruheng mentioned was the very case that had made the Left Prime Minister famous throughout the land. At that time, Liu Ruheng had just reached the age of thirteen. Back then, the Left Prime Minister had taken on the heavy responsibility single-handedly, executing corrupt officials and saving countless commoners from misery.

Because of this, the local people had spontaneously built temples in his honor to thank him for his kindness. There were even theatrical troupes that turned the Left Prime Minister’s deeds into plays that were widely circulated. For a time among the common people, they only knew of the Left Prime Minister and not the Emperor.

Hearing this, Jiang Shaojia remained silent for a long time. Finally, she asked, “How certain are you?”

Liu Ruheng shook her head and answered honestly, “I am not certain, and…” She hesitated for a moment before continuing, “This matter might even involve the Crown Prince. I fear it will simply be dropped.”

In Liu Ruheng’s view, the Crown Prince in the Emperor’s eyes was like a snow lotus on a high mountain, without a single flaw. But if the one who inherited the national legacy was such a person, the people would likely suffer.

Jiang Shaojia pondered for a moment, then gave a light laugh to break the stiff atmosphere. “If it can’t be investigated, then so be it. Protecting yourself is most important. Don’t forget, you are my person.”

Clang!

Jiang Shaojia was instantly alerted. Disregarding etiquette or cleanliness, she quickly pulled Liu Ruheng down with her to crouch low.

A sharp arrow shot through the gap in the window, embedding itself half an inch into the interior wall. Simultaneously, the sound of clashing metal rang out.

The carriage driver shouted loudly, “The Princess is being assassinated! Come and protect her!”

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