Chapter 6 Shen Xian × Duan Yunting is no longer a boy

Even in autumn, Yuezhou is still like springtime, with lush green mountains and forests, and the wind carries a dampness mixed with the smell of earth.

This place is mountainous, and there is very little land suitable for growing crops. There is insufficient rainfall in the spring, and in the summer there are flash floods that have destroyed many people's houses. Now, there are many homeless people gathered near the city gate.

It was morning, and outside the wide-open city gates, Marquis Weiyuan's personal guards were about to enter Yuezhou City.

The young marquis, riding on horseback, had skin roughened by the battlefield. His ponytail, tied high behind his head, had lost some of its elegance. The ruthlessness and ferocity he had possessed in his youth had been somewhat subdued, leaving only a coldness between his brows as he stared ahead.

As he rode his horse into the city gate, his gaze swept over the makeshift soup kitchen inside.

Amidst the swirling smoke, a woman dressed in coarse cloth was bending over, stirring the thin porridge in a pot. Her movements were practiced, and she was sweating from the steam. She lifted her dusty sleeve to wipe the sweat from her face; the cuffs of the sleeve were frayed. Her hair was casually tied up, without even a wooden hairpin.

At first glance, she was just an ordinary woman.

He looked away, then abruptly turned back.

She used to be someone who wore gold and silver, frequented banquets of the powerful and wealthy, and always had the upper hand in conversation. Now, she's distributing porridge to people in this smoky, fiery place? Her clothes are so shabby; has she fallen to such a state of destitution?

Duan Yunting tightened his grip on the reins, then slowly loosened it.

A strange feeling welled up inside him, like something was stuck in his throat, but he quickly turned his face away and urged his horse to continue forward.

Who cares? It's none of his business anyway.

With her terrible temper, he didn't want to mess with her.

Inside the porridge stall, Shen Xian straightened up to stretch her body while wiping away sweat. She paused, holding a long ladle, after noticing something.

"Miss, what are you looking at?" Xiao Que came closer and followed her gaze, then suddenly realized, "I heard from the prefect's maid that Marquis Weiyuan is coming from the southwest and will be stationed here from now on."

Shen Xian watched the receding figure.

"Miss?" Xiao Que called out again.

Shen Xian snapped back to reality, shook her head, and banished those old memories. She picked up her spoon again and ladled a full bowl of porridge for the elderly people in line.

The old man thanked her repeatedly, but she just smiled faintly.

After a long day, Shen Xian finally dragged her tired body home at dusk.

Xiao Que went to buy groceries. She twisted her sore shoulders and turned into the alley alone. In the distance, she saw a familiar figure standing at her door. It was the clerk from the Yuezhou government office.

Shen Xian felt a surge of annoyance.

A year ago, this man competed with Chen Lanze for the position of Tongpan (assistant magistrate). He lost because of his lack of talent. For some reason, he blamed his wife for not being able to help him because she was not a princess. After learning that Chen Lanze had been promoted and divorced, he divorced his wife and then started to harass her.

“Princess Shen!” The clerk, who was in his early thirties, rushed forward when he saw her return. “You’re finally back! I… I can’t wait any longer. Please give me a definite answer, Princess.”

Shen Xian had tacitly allowed him to show goodwill for some time, simply to take advantage of his position at the government office to open a soup kitchen and get some money from him for business purposes.

In the year or so after the divorce, she recklessly tried to do business, but ended up losing all the two shops Chen Lanzhe had left her to rely on. Now she can only live on her salary and often struggles to make ends meet, with very little savings left.

But at this moment, looking at his greasy and anxious appearance, Shen Xian felt a churning in her stomach.

"Please have some self-respect, sir." She avoided his outstretched hand.

"Princess, I even divorced my first wife for you, how much longer do you want me to wait?" The advisor persisted, grabbing her wrist. "I've given you quite a bit of money these past few days, you can't turn your back on me..."

Shen Xian's expression changed, and she abruptly pulled her hand back, slapping him across the face.

"You gave it to me willingly, did I force you?" she said coldly. "Don't you know how old you are? An old cow eating young grass, getting the better deal and then acting innocent?"

The advisor covered his face, furious and embarrassed: "Do you still think you're a high and mighty princess? You've lost all your houses and shops, you have no skills whatsoever, and you're still a woman abandoned by your husband's family! You have a bad temper, apart from those poor disaster victims who can't afford to eat, who takes you seriously?"

These words pierced Shen Xian's heart like needles. She trembled with anger and suddenly pulled out the rattan cane she always carried for self-defense from her waist, slapping it against the clerk's leg with a "smack".

"A toad trying to eat swan meat! Doesn't it know its own worth? Even fishing requires bait. It thinks it can climb up to a princess with such a small amount of silver? How dreamy!"

"You divorced your first wife for my sake? It was clearly for your own. You envy Chen Lanze, go ask him for advice. What kind of skill is it to come here and covet his ex-wife? Be careful, or I'll go to the yamen and expose all your shameful thoughts. Let's see if you still have the face to stay in Yuezhou City!"

The advisor cried out in pain and dodged, but dared not retaliate because of her status as a princess.

Shen Xian showed no mercy, slapping him several times in a row, chasing him all the way out of the alley like a chicken chasing a duck.

"If you dare come again, I, the princess, will break your legs!"

Watching the advisor's disheveled retreating figure, Shen Xian put away the rattan cane, panting heavily to calm herself down, and turned to walk home.

As I returned to my front door, I caught a glimpse of someone leaning against a locust tree not far from the door.

The young man in the round-necked red robe leaned against the tree trunk with his arms crossed, a faint smile on his lips, whether he was laughing at the farce that had just happened or mocking her current predicament was unclear.

Shen Xian's heart tightened, but she pretended not to see it and pushed open the courtyard gate to go in.

A hand suddenly squeezed through the crack in the door, forcefully stopping her from closing it.

"Is this how Princess Shen treats her old friends?" The teasing tone was as annoying as it had been years ago.

Shen Xian sneered: "What kind of friends are we? We're rivals, enemies!"

Duan Yunting wasn't annoyed. He simply said, "When I came into town today, I saw you distributing porridge and asked around about your place. Seeing that you lived in such a humble place and having witnessed that good show just now, I thought you had learned your lesson and changed your ways. But I didn't expect that when you opened your mouth, you were still as bad-tempered as ever."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian bit her lip tightly.

In the remote Yuezhou, no matter how noble a princess was, she could not compare to the local officials or the soldiers guarding the border. She also lost her former exquisite attire. After breaking off her relationship with Chen Lanzhe, she never attended the banquets of the powerful and wealthy again.

She became a nobody, the only difference between her and other commoners being the annual salary and the title of princess that guaranteed her survival and prevented her from dying unexpectedly.

There's nothing wrong with not being noticed. In the past, I enjoyed being the center of attention in Yanjing and the capital. Now that I'm down on my luck, returning to a quiet life is the only way forward.

This person suddenly appeared and reopened her wounds.

Six years of hardship, more than half a year after the divorce, she gritted her teeth and persevered. Even in the most difficult times, she never thought of returning to Yanjing to ask her mother and brother for help, because she didn't want people to look down on her.

She had lived such a hard life, feeling she had atoned for her past immaturity and malice, yet now he mocked her so casually.

"Do you know what I've been through? What gives you the right to say that!" Shen Xian suddenly looked up, her eyes involuntarily reddening. "Now you're a marquis, enjoying immense prestige, while I'm so destitute I have to rent a house. Do you know how miserable I am? You came here specifically to laugh at me? Go ahead and watch, I've been the laughingstock of my life for years anyway."

In despair, she let go of his hand, stopped closing the door, ignored him, and stubbornly wiped away her tears as she walked into the house.

Watching her slightly trembling back, Duan Yunting unconsciously frowned: He may be a bit sharp-tongued, but isn't she the most unforgiving of all? How come she lost so quickly today and even cried...?

He felt he might have done something wrong, so he quickly followed and explained, "Princess, I wasn't laughing at you."

Shen Xian ignored him and continued walking into the house.

"I really didn't come here to laugh at you." He blocked her way, spreading his arms to shut out the door to the main house. He became unusually serious. "I just felt it was fate that we could meet again here after so many years, so I came to visit you."

"To show my sincerity, I also brought a gift." As he spoke, he took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and carefully opened it.

It was a golden peacock the size of a palm, exquisitely crafted, with the peacock's tail feathers spread out in a lifelike manner, shimmering with tiny lights in the twilight.

As Shen Xian wiped away her tears, her peripheral vision was drawn to the glittering gold. She secretly glanced at the little peacock and muttered, "This thing is so annoying. It's so shiny and arrogant. It doesn't match my coarse clothes at all."

Duan Yunting smiled: "I saw it in the shop that day and thought it looked just like you, so I bought it."

Shen Xian paused, then looked up at him. The afterglow of the setting sun fell on his face, and his eyes, which had once been full of arrogance and provocation, now held a hint of genuine smile.

Only then did she believe that he hadn't come to see her make a fool of herself.

Temporarily lowering my guard, I took the golden peacock and gently stroked its outstretched tail feathers with my fingertips.

It's been a long time since I've touched something so precious; it just feels different... But considering it's gold...

"Come in and have a cup of tea." She turned and went into the house, sniffed, and her voice quickly returned to its energetic tone. "We only have coarse tea at home, please don't mind, my lord."

Duan Yunting followed her into the simple main room. The dim sunset shone in through the window, and Shen Xian was busy boiling water and making tea. Her movements were skillful and tense, as if she cared a lot about his presence.

The once arrogant and domineering peacock has stopped pecking people and its flamboyant nature has subsided, making it quite pleasing to the eye.

He took a sip of coarse tea, smacked his lips, and didn't complain: it was about the same as what he drank in the army.

Duan Yunting rolled up his sleeves, showing Shen Xian the hideous scar on his arm, and started the conversation: "See that? Last year when we were suppressing bandits in the southwest, those bastards were hiding in the woods shooting arrows at us, and I..."

Shen Xian held the old teacup, frowned, and glanced at him.

Duan Yunting coughed lightly and changed his words: "I led my men straight in, took this hit on the arm, and then turned around and chopped off the bandit leader's head."

After saying that, he pointed to his chest, "And here, I was hit by two arrows, one in front and one behind, and bled a lot. I almost died."

Although not ugly, it's not exactly good-looking either!

"Finished showing off?" she asked casually, shifting her gaze with undisguised disdain.

Duan Yunting wasn't annoyed. He chuckled and straightened his clothes. "I've been so busy talking about myself. What about you? You've been away from the capital for six years. How have you managed to live like this?"

The oil lamp crackled and popped.

As Shen Xian gazed at the flickering flames, he recalled those ignorant years of her youth, when he had seen her at her most naive, self-righteous, and down-on-her-luck.

Over the years, apart from Xiao Que who stayed by his side, no one cared about what had happened, and no one listened. Recently, his mother, who was far away in the north, seemed to be very concerned that the Prince of Wuning, who was about to be transferred there, would affect his younger brother's future. After Xia Tian sent a letter, she never asked about his affairs again.

She knew that her actions were truly disappointing and that she was too ashamed to ask her family for understanding.

No one will listen to her suffering or feel sorry for her, because she brought it upon herself. But if Duan Yunting wants to hear it, she can say a few words.

"After the Chen family's property was confiscated, I followed Chen Lanze to Yuezhou. I suffered from acclimatization problems the whole way, and I vomited so much that I almost died on the way." Shen Xian's tone was calm, and her gaze gradually faded into the distance.

"When I arrived in that small county town, the miasma was thick and mosquitoes were everywhere. I don't know what kind of insect bit me, but I fell seriously ill and became delirious with fever. He was busy with official business outside and didn't come to see me even once."

She knew Chen Lanze liked delicate and submissive women, but she had known since childhood that if you don't fight or compete, all the good things will go to others. Asking her to pretend to be weak was like asking her to die.

“After I recovered from my illness, I stopped relying on him,” she said. “He was capable of becoming a county magistrate and getting promoted, and he devoted himself to his official duties. Why should I focus my attention on him? I also want to do something.”

But reality dealt her a heavy blow.

"In the past six months, I have discovered that I am not good at anything. I can't do needlework, embroidery, cook, boil water, grow flowers and vegetables... I can't do any of them. Even the music, chess, calligraphy and painting that I learned when I was a child were just for show. I didn't take them to heart at all, and I have forgotten them all in the past few years."

Repeated attempts and failures, the deteriorating circumstances and the realization of her own incompetence gradually wore away her competitive spirit.

"Later, Chen Lanze rose through the ranks, while I was confined to the inner quarters, like a useless person." She gave a bitter smile. "Until one day on the street, a little beggar snatched my money bag."

She sent men to chase after them, and they discovered a group of refugees hiding in a dilapidated temple.

The little beggar knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying that he stole her money because his sister was starving to death.

"I was too soft-hearted for a moment and didn't ask for the money back. The little beggar kept kowtowing and saying that I was a very good person." A glimmer of light appeared in Shen Xian's eyes. "That was the first time I was called a good person."

From that day on, she began to do good deeds within her power, such as distributing porridge, delivering medicine, and helping disaster victims build shelters.

"Anyway, I don't have any special skills. If I can save another life, that's one of my abilities."

Duan Yunting listened intently, and after a long while, he said, "You are indeed very capable."

Shen Xian rolled her eyes at him.

“However,” he changed the subject, “doing good deeds to the point of becoming destitute is really a bit tragic.”

"What do you know?" Shen Xian scoffed. "Buying rice, hiring people—all of that costs money. Do you think distributing porridge is child's play?"

Duan Yunting didn't argue, but simply said, "Two years ago, during the western expedition, military funds were tight. Her Majesty the Empress took the lead in frugality and donated most of her jewelry. Once she set an example, the powerful and wealthy in the capital also contributed, and the amount of money... was enormous, beyond your imagination."

Shen Xian's heart skipped a beat.

In her youth, she was delusional and always secretly competed with Yuezhi. Now, she probably doesn't even remember her anymore.

"Did you bring up the Empress on purpose?" She puffed out her cheeks, her tone somewhat unnatural.

Duan Yunting looked at her with surprise: "I mean, if you want to do good deeds, you shouldn't do it all by yourself. You need to learn to leverage others' strengths, otherwise, with you so poor now, how long can the soup kitchen last?"

He told her that the government also set up soup kitchens, but only once every five or seven days, just to ensure that the disaster victims would not starve to death.

Shen Xian remained silent: It's not that she doesn't understand this principle, it's just that she can't bring herself to ask for help.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Tonight the prefect is hosting a welcome banquet for me, and tomorrow I will host a return banquet at my home, inviting all the officials and wealthy merchants of Yuezhou." Duan Yunting looked at her and smiled slyly. "You should come too, and I'll find a way to help you raise the money."

After hesitating for a moment, Shen Xian finally nodded: "Okay."

As night fell outside the window, Duan Yunting got up to say goodbye.

As he reached the door, he glanced back at her and suddenly realized that her appearance—wearing coarse clothes and without makeup—wasn't so ugly; in fact, she possessed a certain simple beauty.

Suppressing the laughter rising in her throat, she said, "Wash your hair and body tonight, and I'll pick you up tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian subconsciously touched her somewhat dirty and messy long hair, glared at him with shame and indignation, and shooed him away: "I know, hurry up and leave."

Duan Yunting smiled, but this time he didn't reply. He turned and left.

*

The following evening, Duan Yunting personally came to pick up Shen Xian.

She rummaged through her belongings and finally found a decent silk dress. She also pinned the golden peacock in her hair. Duan Yunting looked at her, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes.

Shen Xian pursed her lips nervously. She hadn't attended such a formal occasion in a long time. Her face was dark, her hands were rough, and the only bronze mirror in the house was cracked. Seeing that he didn't speak, she hurriedly wiped her face, "Am I ugly?"

Duan Yunting quickly replied, "No, not at all ugly."

Shen Xian pouted and muttered in a huff, "I don't have money to buy cosmetics, so I can't even cover up my ugly appearance."

Duan Yunting smiled and said, "If you say you're ugly, then I'm not much better looking either. We're both dark-skinned now."

She relaxed her expression and chuckled.

Duan Yunting helped her into the carriage. "No one said you were ugly. Girls shouldn't always talk about being ugly. If you keep saying that, even if you're pretty, people won't feel comfortable praising you."

"Didn't you say that year that I was ugly and that my beauty was all thanks to makeup?"

Did I say that?

"Don't try to deny it, I remember it clearly."

"How many years ago was this? Does the princess still remember it?"

"You're the one with a sharp tongue who's annoying, and you're blaming me for having a good memory?"

"Not at all, I become stronger when faced with a strong opponent, and I am more courteous than anyone else when I encounter a reasonable person."

"Duan Yunting, what do you mean by this!"

The two people inside the carriage bickered and argued the whole way, half laughing and half annoyed.

The coachman outside was initially alarmed, but then realized that while the two were verbally abusive, they didn't lose their temper; all he could hear was the princess hitting someone. The marquis, as if showing off, answered every question, but when he was being hit and twisted, he fell silent…

The banquet was held at the Marquis of Weiyuan's residence, and almost all the prominent officials and wealthy merchants of Yuezhou were present.

Duan Yunting took Shen Xian with him and introduced her to everyone as Princess Shen, who was distributing porridge to the people in this area.

Throughout the night, Shen Xian felt as if she had returned to those lavish banquets in the capital, surrounded by people praising her kindness and appreciating her contributions. The long-lost flattery and attention made her feel a little dizzy, and the nostalgia and joy of being the center of attention in her youth resurfaced in her heart.

Under Duan Yunting's guidance, the wealthy merchants generously donated money and expressed their gratitude to the two for giving them the opportunity to do good deeds.

The guests had all left, and the noise had subsided.

On the table in the side hall, banknotes were neatly stacked, and next to them was a large pile of gold and silver jewelry, which gleamed alluringly in the candlelight.

Shen Xian's eyes sparkled, and she couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke the silver notes. She brought her face closer and took a deep breath, as if the scent of ink and paper was the most pleasant aroma in the world.

She hadn't seen so much money in a long time; she really wanted to lie down on it and take a nap.

"Tsk." Duan Yunting leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, a teasing smile on his lips. "You're not putting on that princess act anymore? You don't seem so annoying anymore."

Shen Xian immediately straightened up, gave him a snort of annoyance, but her cheeks were burning.

She hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice the question that had been bothering her all night: "Why are you helping me like this? Back in the capital, you were always against me and never gave me any face."

Duan Yunting stroked his chin, seemingly reminiscing about those days, "Back then..."

He said in a lazy tone, "I really can't stand your bad temper. You look down on everyone, like a fighting cock, always arguing with others. It's even ruined your appearance... Of course, there are also some reasons why I have to do this because I have imperial orders."

He changed the subject, his gaze falling on her face with a mixture of scrutiny and curiosity.

"But now, you don't seem so annoying anymore. After all this trouble, you still have such a bad temper, I actually think... our tempers are quite compatible."

"Who would get along with you!" Shen Xian retorted immediately, as if her tail had been stepped on, a strange warmth welling up in her heart. "Even if you helped me, I still wouldn't get along with you!"

Unlike before, Duan Yunting didn't confront him directly. He raised an eyebrow, looked out at the deep night outside the window, and his tone suddenly became distant and calm.

“Back then, when I heard that you and Chen Lanzhe had been exiled to this godforsaken place, I thought that you two, being so pampered, wouldn’t last long…” He paused, not saying the word “death”.

"Unexpectedly, one rose through the ranks, while the other settled down here and started doing real work."

He turned back, his gaze returning to her slightly flushed face, a hint of admiration in his eyes, his voice deepening, "Life's encounters are so unpredictable. Maybe we'll actually get along very well in the future?"

Under his gaze, Shen Xian felt her cheeks burning even hotter. She hurriedly looked away, but couldn't utter a word of rebuttal.

He stared down at the treasures on the table, but his mind wandered elsewhere.

Many years later, Duan Yunting became the invincible war god and pillar of stability in Yuezhou, while Shen Xian remained an ordinary, nameless princess who spent her money to buy peace of mind.

As time went by, their sharp edges gradually dulled, and they truly became friends, but nothing more.

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Author's Note: Those of you who have read this far should be able to sense that I once wanted to match Shen Xian and Duan Yunting, and Pei Yao and Su Jingyun, but the characters are not entirely under my control. Although I used the author's hand to give them many opportunities to interact, one pair never met again, and the other pair, once prickly in their youth, met again in maturity, without the initial impulse or the burgeoning emotions of the past.

Although it's regrettable, the characters have things they want to do. Because true feelings are rare and life is complicated, the unwavering choices made by the male and female leads are all the more precious.

The ending for this couple is OE, and I'll focus on writing side stories for the male and female leads from now on.