The Transmigrated Princess - Chapter 42

The truth had to be told to Xiao Lan; Xiao Mei’s death was a reality that could no longer be hidden.

Gu Qing brought Xie Zhizhen back to the manor. Seeing the Consort finally return with the Princess, Su Juan hurried forward to help Zhizhen down. Su Juan had always been meticulously careful, knowing the Princess disliked touch, so she usually supported her only through the thick fabric of her wide sleeves.

Perhaps because she hadn’t ridden a horse in so long, Zhizhen’s footing faltered as she dismounted. Su Juan reacted quickly, grabbing her hand to steady her. But the moment Zhizhen found her balance, she leaned against the horse and began to dry heave.

It was already past lunchtime. Between the emotional exhaustion and the jarring journey from the manor to the outskirts, her breakfast had long since digested. She could only heave up bitter bile, her eyes reddening as physiological tears dampened her long lashes. She looked utterly pitiable.

Su Juan looked at the Princess’s pale face, feeling worried and helpless. She didn’t understand why the Princess was suddenly heaving. Gu Qing dismounted and glanced at Su Juan’s hand—the one that had just touched Zhizhen. A sense of dread filled her.

Has Zhenzhen’s condition become this severe?

However, Gu Qing knew the most important thing was to untie the knot in Zhizhen’s heart. She had to leave for the battlefield in three days—a journey that would last months. This matter had to be settled within these three days.

Gu Qing had Su Juan prepare sour snacks and soup to ease the nausea, but Zhizhen shook her head, insisting on seeing Xiao Lan first to resolve the matter of Xiao Mei. Su Juan, unaware of the hidden truth, felt growing resentment toward Xiao Lan for taxing the Princess’s health, but she remained silent as the Consort supported the Princess’s decision.

When Xiao Lan learned of her sister’s death, she didn’t cry or cause a scene. She was silent for a long time before asking in a hoarse voice, “May I… go see my sister?”

Naturally, they had no reason to refuse. Since Xiao Lan knew how to ride, they set out again—Xiao Lan on one horse, and Gu Qing and Zhizhen sharing another.

Following Zhizhen’s direction, Xiao Lan walked to the nameless grave. She knelt and, using the silver hairpin her sister had once given her, began to carve the name “Xiao Mei” into the stone. Her strokes were stiff; as a slave, she knew few characters beyond her own name and her sister’s.

Watching her, Zhizhen felt a pang of sorrow. “If you wish,” she said, her voice raspy, “you may take your sister with you.”

Gu Qing wanted to pull Zhizhen into a comforting embrace, but remembering how Su Juan’s touch had triggered such a violent reaction, she settled for patting Zhizhen’s shoulder gently through her clothing.

Xiao Lan shook her head. Looking at the flowers and the care put into this place, she knew the Princess had truly honored her sister. She tucked the silver hairpin back into her hair and knelt before Zhizhen. “Slave thanks the Princess for ensuring my sister did not become a lonely ghost in the afterlife.”

Zhizhen was stunned. She knew how close the sisters were; she had expected Xiao Lan to hate her, perhaps even try to assassinate her with that hairpin. She never expected gratitude. “Do you… not hate me?” Zhizhen asked in disbelief. “After all, I am the reason your sister died.”

Xiao Lan didn’t answer directly. Instead, she asked, “Does the Princess remember why I appeared before you and the Consort?”

“The Sixth Prince gave you to Gu Qing,” Zhizhen recalled.

Xiao Lan smiled bitterly. “An orphan girl with some looks in the Sixth Prince’s manor is either a plaything for masters or a gift to be sent away. My future was always at the mercy of others. Coming to the General’s manor or being used by the Preceptor—it is all the same fate of serving others. I was simply lucky to meet the Consort and have a chance to escape.”

She looked at Zhizhen with clear eyes. “Moreover, it was the National Preceptor who lacked humanity. He used those methods to torture my sister, but he was torturing the Princess as well, wasn’t he?” Xiao Lan understood that Zhizhen was also a victim. The only difference was that the Princess suffered mental scars, while her sister, a mere maid, paid with her life.

Just then, a sound came from the thatched hut. An elderly woman with a scarred but kind face emerged, carrying a wooden basin of water. Seeing three beautiful young women at the gravesite, she froze. “Who might you be?” she asked.

As the old woman approached and saw the newly carved name on the tombstone, her hands trembled. “Are you… a relative of this one?”

Gu Qing stepped forward to take the heavy basin before the woman could drop it. Xiao Lan nodded, “Yes. And you are…?”

“I was entrusted by a noble benefactor to watch over these graves, water the flowers, and bring offerings,” the old woman said, tears welling in her eyes. “It’s been over a year, and I never knew their names. Sometimes I wondered if anyone would ever come for them.”

The woman continued, “That benefactor is truly a kind soul. She pays me a bar of gold every month to stay here. I can’t even finish all the food offerings I’m told to bring for the eighteen girls, so she told me to give the extra to the nearby villages. To the noble, it might be just food, but to the poor, it is a rare feast.”

Xiao Lan glanced at the embarrassed Zhizhen and smiled. “Indeed, a very kind benefactor.”

After a simple, hearty meal prepared by the old woman, the three prepared to leave. Gu Qing addressed Xiao Lan’s future. “You are no longer of the slave class. What are your plans?”

Xiao Lan shook her head. For years, her only goal was to find her sister. Now that her sister was found and she was free, she had no idea where to go. When Gu Qing suggested finding her family, Xiao Lan knelt. “I have been an orphan for as long as I can remember. I have no one. If it is possible, I wish to remain at the Princess’s Manor.”

Gu Qing hesitated. Xiao Lan’s presence would be a constant reminder of Zhizhen’s trauma. She wanted to send her away to start a small business. However, Zhizhen spoke first. “You may stay.”

Gu Qing sighed, knowing Zhizhen’s guilt was driving her decisions. On the ride back, a messenger pigeon arrived. Gu Qing scanned the note, her pupils shrinking. She told Xiao Lan to head back to the manor first.

Zhizhen looked back at Gu Qing’s sharp, cold jawline. “What is it?”

Gu Qing looked down, her gaze instantly softening as she met Zhizhen’s eyes. “We have news of Lin Chenzhi.”

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