The Great General and the Eldest Princess - Chapter 6

“The hairpin granted by the Empress Dowager, I’ll put it on for you,” Xiao Yinxue said to Di Shengyue, taking the jade hairpin from her hand.

“Princess, this hairpin isn’t suitable for me,” Di Shengyue replied. She had been campaigning for years and was used to tying her hair up high, unlike ordinary women who styled elaborate chignons.

Xiao Yinxue, however, was intrigued. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at Di Shengyue.

She inserted the jade hairpin into Di Shengyue’s already-tied hair.

The heroic, swift ponytail, paired with the exquisite hairpin, looked somewhat incongruous.

Xiao Yinxue burst out laughing.

A flicker of helplessness crossed Di Shengyue’s eyes. She reached out to take the hairpin off, but Xiao Yinxue stopped her.

“No taking it off! I like it,” Xiao Yinxue insisted.

A trace of indulgence surfaced in Di Shengyue’s eyes, and she let Xiao Yinxue have her way.

Xiao Yinxue carefully examined Di Shengyue. Di Shengyue was actually very beautiful, with refined features and a heroic spirit that ordinary women lacked. If she were dressed as a woman, she would undoubtedly be extraordinarily bright and charming.

“When we get back to the manor, how about I style a beautiful chignon for you?” Xiao Yinxue suggested. “It will definitely look good.”

“Princess…”

Knowing Di Shengyue would refuse, Xiao Yinxue immediately interrupted her: “You are now my consort, and you must obey everything I say.”

Xiao Yinxue snorted and quickly left, not giving Di Shengyue a chance to speak: “It’s getting late; we should leave the palace.”

Di Shengyue touched the hairpin on her head, shook her head with a faint smile in her eyes, and followed Xiao Yinxue.

As the two left the palace, the Empress Dowager had people send several pots of precious black chrysanthemums to Xiao Yinxue.

“The Empress Dowager truly understands the Princess’s preferences,” Youtao said, smiling. “The Princess loves black chrysanthemums the most.”

Di Shengyue looked at Xiao Yinxue, whose eyes were filled with smiles, and realized she had seemingly never known what Xiao Yinxue liked.

“Besides black chrysanthemums, what else do you like?” Di Shengyue asked.

“Why should I tell you?” Xiao Yinxue gave Di Shengyue a playful wink.

Xiao Yinxue handed the black chrysanthemums to Youtao and got into the carriage, leaving Di Shengyue with a lively silhouette.

Di Shengyue glanced at Youtao .

“General, don’t look at me,” Youtao laughed. “Without the Princess’s order, I wouldn’t dare say.”

“Since the Princess refuses to tell me, I can only find a way myself,” a hint of slyness appeared in Di Shengyue’s eyes as she followed Xiao Yinxue into the carriage.

Once inside the carriage, Di Shengyue had Youtao and Luoxiang sit outside.

She reached out, wrapped her arms around Xiao Yinxue, lowered her head, and leaned close to her ear: “Princess, tell me quickly, what do you like?”

They were extremely close, and the faint warm breath on Xiao Yinxue’s ear made her cheeks flush.

The carriage suddenly bumped, and their bodies collided.

Feeling the softness against her back, Xiao Yinxue’s face turned so red it was practically dripping blood.

Xiao Yinxue tried to move, but found Di Shengyue was hugging her even tighter. The soft, warm body pressed closely against hers. Feeling the heat radiating from Di Shengyue, Xiao Yinxue’s cheeks began to burn. “Quickly, let go! This is improper!”

“I’m hugging my own wife; what’s improper about it?” Di Shengyue smiled shamelessly. “If the Princess doesn’t tell me, I’ll have to keep holding you like this.”

“How can you be so shameless?” Xiao Yinxue pouted.

“The Princess is seeing it now,” Di Shengyue laughed.

As the carriage approached the Princess’s Manor, Xiao Yinxue finally whispered, “Lotus paste cakes.”

She then immediately pushed Di Shengyue away, covered her deeply flushed face, and ran toward her courtyard.

Di Shengyue watched Xiao Yinxue’s retreating figure with eyes full of affection.

Just as Di Shengyue was about to enter the manor, another person blocked her way.

“Oh, what are the rules of this Princess’s Manor?” The woman, wearing extremely exquisite clothing, eyed her disdainfully with narrowed eyes and began lecturing the guards at the gate, “A mere consort, with such a low status, how is she fit to use the main entrance?”

The guards looked at Bijian with a flash of impatience in their eyes.

Bijian was originally the Empress’s head maid. After Xiao Yinxue married and had her own manor, the Empress granted her to Xiao Yinxue.

This Bijian had no other skills but habitually put on airs, relying on her status as an old palace retainer.

She didn’t dare be disrespectful in front of the Princess, but she had no such scruples when dealing with the consort.

A fierce glint faintly flashed in Di Shengyue’s eyes. It seemed just anyone dared to bully her now.

She immediately delivered a kick, sending Bijian sprawling to the ground.

Bijian’s words, still unsaid, were cut off as she felt a sharp pain in her chest and was thrown backward. Her forehead struck the stone pillar at the entrance, and blood immediately flowed profusely.

“A mere consort, how dare you strike me!” Bijian clutched the wound on her forehead, her eyes filled with terror.

“What are you! How dare you speak to me like that?” Di Shengyue narrowed her eyes, a cold murderous intent flashing within them.

“I… I, I used to be an old retainer in the Empress’s palace! How dare you treat me this way!” Bijian cried out.

“What’s going on?”

Xiao Yinxue’s figure appeared at the door.

She had waited a long time for Di Shengyue inside the manor and came out to check.

Unexpectedly, she witnessed this scene.

Upon seeing Xiao Yinxue, Bijian cried out immediately as if she had found a savior: “Grand Princess, how can you tolerate the consort being so unreasonable?”

Upon hearing these two sentences, Xiao Yinxue immediately knew what had happened at the gate.

She immediately shouted angrily: “Silence! What are you! Is my husband someone an attendant can insult?”

“Pri… Princess…” Bijian, seeing the anger in Xiao Yinxue’s eyes, knew she had messed up. She immediately knelt on the ground and said, “Princess, please calm your anger. This servant was just following the manor’s rules.”

“Rules?” Xiao Yinxue raised an eyebrow and sneered, “I didn’t realize the rules of this Princess’s Manor were set by you.”

“Th-this… this servant…” Bijian knelt, trembling uncontrollably.

Xiao Yinxue had arranged a separate courtyard for Di Shengyue and had not yet assigned her any servants. Naturally, Bijian assumed Xiao Yinxue disliked Di Shengyue and thus dared to insult her.

Moreover, a dignified General was willing to marry into the Princess’s household as a consort. Bijian naturally thought of Di Shengyue as someone incompetent and cowardly, who only achieved her position by relying on her family’s military merits.

Such a person, after becoming a consort, was usually expected to be subservient in the manor.

That was why she was so daring.

Normally, whatever she did, people would show her some respect for the Empress’s sake and wouldn’t say much. Yet, she hadn’t expected to provoke the Princess’s wrath.

“Youtao , go summon all the servants in the manor to the ‘Bamboo Court’ for me,” Xiao Yinxue commanded.

Di Shengyue raised an eyebrow; the “Bamboo Court” was her courtyard.

There were not many servants in the Princess’s Manor, numbering just over twenty people.

Seeing this, Di Shengyue’s eyes slightly darkened.

A dignified Grand Princess only had so few servants in her manor.

She knew Xiao Yinxue was not favored, but she hadn’t expected it to be to this extent.

It made sense; if she were favored, how could the Emperor have agreed to the absurd request of her marrying a consort?

By making a meritorious official marry into her family, Xiao Yinxue had surely borne countless insults from the public.

The Emperor, however, only bore the title of a doting father to his Princess.

Outsiders only believed the Emperor and the former Empress had a devoted relationship, yet they did not know how much the Emperor had manipulated this mother and daughter pair in secret.

Thinking this, a surge of distress rose in Di Shengyue’s heart.

Although she was the only one left in her General’s Manor, her father and brother had been extremely loving toward her when they were alive.

Xiao Yinxue was different.

The former Empress died young, and the former Empress’s father, Grand Councilor Gao, fell ill from excessive sorrow and retired from office early.

Once Grand Councilor Gao fell from power, everyone who had supported Xiao Yinxue immediately sought other patrons.

The former Empress’s biological elder brother, Grand Academician Gao Xuecheng, married the current Empress’s sister and naturally devoted himself to the Third Prince.

Xiao Yinxue was merely a Grand Princess in name. With no Empress to protect her, no Emperor’s favor, and no support from her maternal family, she even had to guard against the schemes of others in the deep palace.

Di Shengyue suddenly understood why Xiao Yinxue had fallen for her after the hunting incident.

Because she, Di Shengyue, was the only one who had ever offered her warmth.

This warmth was worth her dying for.

Thinking this, Di Shengyue felt even more distressed.

In her previous life, Xiao Yinxue had held so many expectations for her. How had she treated Xiao Yinxue?

Xiao Yinxue walked up to the kneeling Bijian and asked, “Bijian, do you know your mistake?”

“Th-this… this servant knows her mistake…” Bijian stammered.

Upon seeing the natural interaction between the two, Bijian knew she was in trouble.

“Di Shengyue is my husband and the mistress of the Princess’s Manor. Yet you dared to insult her,” a sharp look flashed in Xiao Yinxue’s eyes. “You tell me, how should I punish you?”

Bijian pleaded profusely, “Princess, spare my life! This servant knows her mistake. Please forgive this servant just this once!”

“Forgive?” Xiao Yinxue sneered. “If I forgive you this time, and everyone in the manor follows suit, won’t my Princess’s Manor be thrown into chaos?”

“Men, drag Bijian away and give her twenty heavy blows with the rod!” Xiao Yinxue ordered sternly.

Bijian immediately broke out in a cold sweat and continuously kowtowed on the ground: “Princess, spare my life! Princess, spare my life!”

She was used to a life of comfort.

Twenty blows with the rod would likely take half her life.

Seeing that Xiao Yinxue was determined, Bijian steeled herself and said, “Grand Princess, you should think carefully. This servant came from the palace and was assigned by the Empress. If you treat me like this, aren’t you afraid the Empress will find out and think you bear resentment toward her?”

“How audacious of you! How dare you damage Mother Empress’s reputation!” Xiao Yinxue shouted angrily. “Disrespect toward the Empress, add another twenty blows!”

Since it was Xiao Yinxue’s command, the two guards did not dare to be slack, and every blow with the rod was solid.

Only Bijian’s miserable screams echoed throughout the courtyard. The surrounding servants exchanged glances and lowered their heads even further.

The last trace of disrespect they held toward the consort vanished from their hearts.

Xiao Yinxue turned to look at the other servants in the mansion and said from a commanding position: “Listen up, all of you. Di Shengyue is now my husband, and furthermore, the mistress of this Princess’s Manor! From now on, anyone who shows disrespect toward her will meet the same fate as Bijian!”

“Yes, Princess,” the servants replied respectfully and uniformly.

Looking at the servants in the courtyard, whose heads were bowed, not daring to breathe, Di Shengyue smiled faintly.

Xiao Yinxue was establishing her authority.

Di Shengyue looked at the assertive Xiao Yinxue, and the smile on her face refused to fade.

If there weren’t servants present, she would truly want to embrace her tightly.

She had spent many years in the military, always in the role of protecting others.

Seeing Xiao Yinxue stand in front of her, guarding her, filled her heart with warmth.

How could this Xiao Yinxue be so endearing?

After dozens of blows, Bijian completely fainted.

Seeing this, Xiao Yinxue said to the guards, “That’s enough. Take her away. The rest of you may disperse.”

Hearing this, everyone dispersed quickly, as if granted a great pardon, taking the already unconscious Bijian with them.

“Princess, although Bijian’s words were nonsense just now, they weren’t entirely baseless,” a hint of worry clouded Youtao ‘s brow.

She had disliked Bijian for a long time but dared not act because of the Empress’s position.

“I already have a plan for this matter,” Xiao Yinxue said.

Di Shengyue leaned down and whispered into Xiao Yinxue’s ear: “I wonder what good idea the Princess has?”

Xiao Yinxue’s cheeks were tinged with a slight blush. She said, “Just ask, why are you leaning so close?”

“I just wanted to listen closely to what the Princess was saying,” Di Shengyue laughed.

Xiao Yinxue snorted and said, “I am the Grand Princess of the current dynasty, after all. Mother Empress would not fall out with me over a mere maid. Besides, once this Bijian entered the Princess’s Manor, she became a person of the Princess’s Manor.”

Di Shengyue had not expected Xiao Yinxue to be so clever. A trace of tenderness flashed in her eyes, and she lightly kissed Xiao Yinxue’s cheek: “Then if I marry into your Princess’s Manor, am I also your person?”

Being suddenly kissed on the cheek by Di Shengyue, the moist lips lightly brushed her cheek like a dragonfly skimming the water.

“Hey, you!” Xiao Yinxue covered the cheek that had just been kissed, her eyes wide with embarrassment.

Di Shengyue smiled at her and pointed to her own cheek, “Does the Princess want to kiss me back to return the favor?”

“You! You are shameless!” Xiao Yinxue’s cheeks were burning hot. Afraid Di Shengyue would mock her further, she turned and ran away.

Even when shy, she was so cute! What a treasure she had found!

Di Shengyue shook her head with a chuckle and followed after her.