The Transmigrated Princess - Chapter 13

Xie Zhizhen had just returned to the princess’s residence when Sujuan approached her and whispered, “Your Highness, Miss Lin is requesting an audience.”

Lin Daidai.

Though Xie Zhizhen knew Lin Daidai was likely here to plead for Lin Chenzhi’s sake, she still chose to see her. After all, Lin Daidai had been the only one to show her kindness during those three months.

“Let’s go.”

Truthfully, Sujuan didn’t quite understand why her princess was so indifferent to Lin Chenzhi yet treated Lin Daidai differently. But as the princess’s maid, it wasn’t her place to ask too many questions. Whatever the princess did surely had her reasons.

In the main hall, a woman dressed in plain robes stood waiting. She had removed all extravagant hair ornaments, wearing only a slender hairpin to tie up her long tresses. At a glance, she looked nothing like the daughter of the State Preceptor’s household.

Hearing faint footsteps, she turned around. Instead of the expected frown or melancholy, she curled her lips into a faint smile, as if the troubles concerning her elder brother had nothing to do with her.

“Your servant greets the princess.” Her demeanor was measured, neither arrogant nor impatient.

Xie Zhizhen waved for Sujuan to serve her tea and slowly took her seat. “Rise.”

Then she waited quietly for Lin Daidai to speak. However.

A long while passed, and Lin Daidai merely sipped her tea leisurely, occasionally sampling some pastries. This behavior left not only Sujuan but even Xie Zhizhen puzzled.

“Miss Lin, is there a reason for your visit to the princess’s residence?”

Lin Daidai picked up a peach blossom cake and took a small bite. “After all these years, the peach blossom cakes here still surpass anything outside.”

Meeting Xie Zhizhen’s questioning gaze, Lin Daidai set down the pastry and sighed. “Surely the princess knows why I’ve come?”

After all, in all these years, she had never visited Xie Zhizhen alone. As the saying goes, one does not visit the temple without a cause and the recent events at the State Preceptor’s residence were known throughout the capital.

Xie Zhizhen took a sip of tea. Precisely because she knew, she was curious why Lin Daidai hadn’t broached the subject, instead idly drinking tea and eating cakes.

Lin Daidai gave her a deep look and smiled. “After all this time, it’s kind of the princess to still remember my small act of kindness and be willing to hear me out.”

Then, her tone shifted. “But, even if I pleaded for my brother, the princess wouldn’t help, would she?”

Setting aside Xie Zhizhen’s personal grievances with Lin Chenzhi, even without them, given Xie Zhizhen’s character, she would never intercede for someone who sold official positions for profit.

Xie Zhizhen was taken aback, not expecting Lin Daidai to be so perceptive.

“Moreover, if my brother had truly done nothing wrong, I trust that General Gu’s integrity would never allow him to falsely accuse another for personal gain.” With that, Lin Daidai rose and curtsied. “I came at my mother’s behest to trouble the princess. Now that I’ve fulfilled my duty to the family, I shall take my leave.”

Xie Zhizhen exhaled in relief. Had Lin Daidai truly pleaded with her, she wouldn’t have known how to refuse.

At the same time, she couldn’t help but marvel. While the State Preceptor’s household had produced a hypocrite like Lin Chenzhi, it had also raised a woman as clear-sighted as Lin Daidai.

Sujuan escorted Lin Daidai out. Just as they stepped beyond the threshold, Lin Daidai paused and turned back, her brow furrowing slightly as if wrestling with something. “Before I came, my brother wished to see the princess. He has something he wants to say to you.”

Lin Daidai hesitated for a long time before coming, unsure whether to tell Xie Zhizhen. After all, he was still her elder brother. Lin Chenzhi had indeed hurt Xie Zhizhen, but he had always been good to her, his younger sister.

“If nothing unexpected happens, this will likely be the last time the princess sees my brother.”

Xie Zhizhen froze, never expecting that the nightmare that had haunted her for a year would culminate in a final meeting at this moment.

But then again, it made sense. Selling official positions and titles was a capital offense. Her father, the emperor, had already thrown him into prison. The only reason the punishment hadn’t been carried out yet was because the court was still deliberating on how to handle the State Preceptor’s household.

If nothing unexpected happened, this would indeed be the last time she saw Lin Chenzhi.

As for whether Xie Zhizhen would actually go to see Lin Chenzhi, Lin Daidai had no certainty. “Your Highness need not feel pressured. Follow your heart.”

After Sujuan escorted Lin Daidai out, she returned to Xie Zhizhen’s side and muttered under her breath, “That Miss Lin really has some nerve. Her brother committed such a grave crime, how could she have the gall to ask Your Highness to visit him in prison?”

At first, Sujuan had held a very favorable impression of Lin Chenzhi. After all, the State Preceptor’s household was known for its upright family values no concubines, no mistresses. The State Preceptor had only one wife, and he had only one son and one daughter.

Lin Chenzhi had always presented himself as a gentleman in public. Who in the capital wouldn’t praise the State Preceptor’s fine upbringing upon seeing the young master Lin?

But now, everything had changed. That once-admired Young Master Lin had committed such treasonous acts truly despicable.

Recalling his usual behavior, Sujuan now saw him as nothing but a hypocrite, a terrifying man. All her goodwill toward him had vanished, and she naturally didn’t want her princess to meet such a person.

After some thought, Xie Zhizhen was still curious about what Lin Chenzhi wanted to say to her, so she instructed Sujuan to prepare a carriage for a visit to the prison.

Sujuan was reluctant, but having served the princess for so many years, she knew that once the princess made up her mind, it was hard to dissuade her.

When they arrived at the prison, the jailers didn’t dare say much and quickly led them to Lin Chenzhi’s cell.

If one were to ask who the emperor’s most favored child was, everyone in the capital knew it was none other than Princess Rongjia. Even the Third Prince and the Ninth Prince couldn’t compare to her.

After all, ever since the princess’s mother Noble Consort Xian had entered the palace, the emperor’s overwhelming favor toward her had forced even the empress to step back.

It was a pity that Noble Consort Xian’s health had been frail. She passed away shortly after giving birth to Princess Rongjia. Yet, even so, Noble Consort Xian’s twin sister bearing an identical face had entered the palace and immediately received the same lavish favor.

Out of pity for the princess, who had lost her mother at a young age, the emperor had entrusted her to Consort Shu to raise. And Consort Shu had truly treated her as her own, caring for her even more than her own biological son.

As the only son of the State Preceptor, even after committing a grave crime, Lin Chenzhi hadn’t suffered much in prison before the emperor’s final decree. His cell was cleaner and tidier than the others.

The dim prison had never been a place of vibrant colors, so the moment Xie Zhizhen appeared in her rosy dress, Lin Chenzhi noticed her immediately. His eyes lit up as he stood and gripped the cold iron bars.

“Zhizhen! You actually came!”

The jailer, having escorted her, said, “This lowly one will be nearby. Your Highness may call if you need anything.”

Prisons are never short of death row inmates, and there have been instances where visitors were injured by the prisoners. However, the palace officials often had matters they didn’t want the jailers to overhear, so they had to stand far away, ready to rush to the imperial hospital if anything went wrong.

Xie Zhizhen nodded. “Sujuan, you may leave as well.”

Though she didn’t know what Lin Chenzhi wanted to say to her, she sensed it was something not meant for outsiders.

Sujuan was uneasy, but the princess had given an order. Besides, the two were separated by thick iron bars. She shot Lin Chenzhi a glare. After all, the princess was still the princess if she were harmed, the emperor would not let the State Preceptor’s household off lightly. Surely, he wouldn’t dare do anything reckless.

Lin Chenzhi, suddenly on the receiving end of a glare, was taken aback. As the son of the State Preceptor, he had always lived a privileged life. This was the first time someone had glared at him and a mere palace maid at that.

He wasn’t angry, though. Instead, he laughed. “Zhizhen, look at me now fallen so low that even a little maid dares to glare at me.”

Xie Zhizhen didn’t reprimand Sujuan. Instead, she countered coolly, “Isn’t that because of the heinous deeds you’ve committed?”

Selling official titles had buried countless talented individuals while elevating incompetent ones to positions of power. In the end, it was the common people who suffered.

“And what of it?” Lin Chenzhi showed no remorse at Xie Zhizhen’s accusation. “I merely provided an outlet for those with money to burn. The world is far from fair. Those who are rich have their means, and the poor being penniless isn’t my fault.”

Hearing this, Xie Zhizhen knew the man was rotten to the core. Reasoning with someone like him was futile. But Lin Chenzhi hadn’t come to debate the matter. He shifted the topic. “Though the emperor has annulled our betrothal, I hear his decree only went that far. He hasn’t betrothed you to Gu Qing.”

“What business is it of yours?”

Lin Chenzhi smirked. “Gu Qing won’t let go so easily, will she? But you, as the emperor’s daughter, know his heart. He would never allow you to be with Gu Qing.”

His gaze lingered on Xie Zhizhen, who was clearly dressed with care. Ever since Gu Qing left the capital, she had rarely adorned herself except for formal occasions, her natural beauty like a lotus emerging from clear water. The sight fueled his resentment. “This time, it’s me. But what about next time? Or the time after? If someone truly upright comes along, would Gu Qing resort to framing them?”

At Lin Chenzhi’s slander against Gu Qing, Xie Zhizhen frowned, her bright eyes widening in displeasure. “Our affairs are none of your concern! Besides, Gu Qing would never do such a thing!”

A beauty remained a beauty, even in anger.

The initial excitement of seeing Xie Zhizhen had faded. Lin Chenzhi released the bars and leaned back against the rough prison wall. “No matter what I say, you’re always so cold. But mention Gu Qing, and you come alive.”

“I treated you well enough. It’s just that I met her before you. And besides, I’m a man. Being with me would spare you so much suffering and scorn. Why can’t you see that?” This was something he could never understand.

Why would Xie Zhizhen reject a refined gentleman like him in favor of a woman?

Xie Zhizhen sighed, realizing she had come to the wrong place today. “At the very least, she would never do what you’ve done, nor would she torment me just because I love someone else.”

With those words, Xie Zhizhen turned and left without waiting for Lin Chenzhi’s reaction.

“Xie Zhizhen!”

A voice called out from behind her.

“Do you really think being with Gu Qing will bring you happiness? Can you truly overcome the barriers in your heart? Don’t you find her touch repulsive? How long can she last with someone she can’t even touch?”

Xie Zhizhen paused for a moment, then continued walking as if nothing had happened.

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