Chapter 5 Everyone knows that Princess Heng is delicate.
Xie Shang was dressed in a purple brocade robe today, with a matching gold-threaded cloud-patterned brocade belt around his waist. His black hair was tied up and he wore a crown inlaid with green and gold. His slender body was straight, and he looked handsome and exuded an innate nobility.
Jiang Fenghua wore a light purple tuxedo over a misty pleated strapless dress. Her shoulders were slender and her waist was graceful. She had a long neck, fair and smooth skin, and a delicate fragrance. Each outfit she wore highlighted her unique charm. Today, her flowing cloud-like hairstyle made her look even more dignified and elegant, appearing both proper and imposing. With her makeup applied, her face was radiant, and she walked slowly towards him with a graceful gait.
"This concubine greets Your Highness." Her voice was gentle, completely unlike her casual and charming demeanor from the previous night; she exuded the air of a princess.
Xie Shang was somewhat taken aback, then turned his head and said coldly, "According to etiquette, today I will take you to the palace to pay your respects and express your gratitude. If you are ready, let's go!"
"Okay." Jiang Fenghua replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Xie Shang originally wanted to give her a few words of advice, but seeing that she was dressed appropriately and had a graceful demeanor, he decided not to say anything more, assuming that Granny Wang had already taught her everything.
The two rode in the same carriage into the palace. The carriage stopped as soon as it reached Chengtian Gate. Even if it was a prince's carriage, he had to transfer to a palace carriage at Chengtian Gate before he could enter the inner palace. Xie Shang was the first to emerge and get out of the carriage with a flourish.
Jiang Fenghua followed closely behind, but she suddenly stopped. Her watery eyes stared awkwardly at Xie Shang, and her voice was soft and delicate, "Your Highness, could you please help me? My maid is not with me, and the carriages in the Prince's mansion are much taller than mine."
When Xie Shang saw her standing delicately on the high carriage, her eyes showing fear, he frowned. How could the daughter of the Jiang family be so frail? Couldn't she get down by herself?
Not wanting to wait any longer, he stepped forward and extended his arm to her, gesturing for her to help him down. Jiang Fenghua gently placed her jade-like fingers on his palm and gracefully stepped down from the carriage, smiling sweetly, "Thank you, Your Highness."
The squeaky wheel gets the grease, the coquettish woman gets pampered, and the sensible woman evokes sympathy. She learned the lessons she had never learned in her entire life at Yichunlou.
The warm, smooth touch reminded Xie Shang of some springtime scene, and he nodded without saying anything more.
As he boarded the carriage, he said coldly, "Hold onto your arm."
She looked up and, as instructed, took Xie Shang's arm to avoid physical contact? She even minded that? How ridiculous.
Jiang Fenghua enjoyed herself, while Xie Shang, though unwilling, had no choice but to take care of her in every way. The two looked like a loving newlywed couple, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, becoming a beautiful sight in the palace.
In the distance, a girl dressed in a scarlet outfit stared blankly at the scene in the long corridor, feeling an indescribable sadness in her heart.
The maid, Yinxing, complained, "His Highness Prince Heng made vows of eternal love to Miss, saying that he would marry no one but Miss in this life. Now, not only has he married someone else as his princess, but he is also taking good care of another woman. I really feel sorry for Miss."
“Ah Shang explained that marrying her was not his wish, but he couldn’t disobey the emperor’s decree. He also promised me that he would never fall in love with another woman in his life.” Yesterday, when Ah Shang married his new bride, she was also hiding in the crowd. She clearly saw how amazed Ah Shang looked at Jiang Fenghua. She felt very sad and waited for him at Wangyue Tower all night. She thought he would come, but in the end, he did not come.
They consummated their marriage last night, didn't they? The more she thought about it, the more heartbroken she became. If it weren't for her love for him, she would have left. But as her aunt had said, how could she be willing to give up her lover?
Su Tingwan clenched her fists, thinking to herself, "I will never let go, A Shang is mine."
At this moment, the Ninth Princess suddenly jumped out, "So it turns out that Sister Wan secretly ran out to see Fifth Brother's new princess consort!"
"I'm not looking at her, I want to go horseback riding." Su Tingwan was full of confidence. She believed that A Shang would not fall in love with anyone else, and that A Shang was not a man who would be blinded by lust.
Yesterday, because she was too far away and hidden in the crowd, she hadn't been able to see Jiang Fenghua's face clearly. Actually, she also wanted to see what Jiang Fenghua looked like. Just now, standing on the imperial city wall, she could only see a tall and graceful figure in the distance, but she couldn't make out her face clearly.
"I want to see what kind of woman dares to steal Sister Wan's beloved," Xie Ling'er said again. "Sister Wan, don't be sad. Watch me, I'll make sure she suffers."
"Ling'er..." Su Tingwan tried to stop her, but Xie Ling'er had already led her people and walked over there aggressively.
Just as the carriage stopped at the entrance of Kunning Palace, Jiang Fenghua gracefully stepped out of the carriage. This time, without her having to call out, Xie Shang proactively extended his arm to signal her to help him down.
Jiang Fenghua smiled, but he was aloof and kept his distance. As soon as she touched him, she was pushed away by a fierce aura.
"Your Highness..." she exclaimed, losing her footing and tumbling down from the carriage.
Xie Shang swiftly swept her up in his arms. Jiang Fenghua was still in shock, her face pale and her body trembling. She wrapped her arms around Xie Shang's neck, her voice sweet and seductive, "Your Highness has saved my life again. I have no way to repay this life-saving grace..."
Xie Shang put her down on the ground, stared at Xie Ling'er, and said in a deep voice, "Ninth Sister, how can you be so reckless?"
Xie Ling'er didn't intend to push her off the carriage; she just wanted to pry their clasped hands apart, as it was an eyesore. She never expected that it would cause her to fall off the carriage and even give her the opportunity to be rescued by Fifth Brother.
Xie Ling'er was only thirteen years old. She pouted her pink lips. What had just happened was not what she wanted to see, nor was it what Sister Wan wanted to see. Instead of apologizing, she deliberately said, "Fifth Brother, have you forgotten that Sister Wan is still waiting for you? How sad she would be if she saw you being affectionate with someone else!"
Mentioning Su Tingwan, Xie Shang felt anxious, "Where is Wanwan?"
"Knowing that you brought your new princess to the palace, she went to the horse farm to ride horses," Xie Ling'er said loudly.
Upon hearing this, Xie Shang turned and left without a second thought.
Jiang Fenghua reacted quickly, twisting her ankle and grabbing his arm to pull him back. She lowered her head and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Your Highness, if you want to marry Miss Wan into the manor, you cannot leave now. Her Majesty the Empress is still waiting in Kunning Palace. If Miss Wan wants to enter the manor, Her Majesty the Empress must give her permission. Otherwise, she will be accused of having an affair without a matchmaker."
Xie Shang was startled. His eyes were as cold as ice, as if he wanted to stare a hole through Jiang Fenghua. His words were even more hurtful: "If it weren't for you, Wanwan would be my principal wife."
Jiang Fenghua said nonchalantly, "Your Highness, think about it calmly. Even if it weren't for me, there would be other women who would marry you. I guess Miss Wan could never become Your Highness's Princess Heng, so Your Highness must have reluctantly married me!"
"You..." Xie Shang's eyes were full of surprise and doubt. The Jiang Fenghua in front of him was not at all like the delicate woman he had imagined.
"Your Highness, please bear with it for now. I will definitely marry Miss Wan into your family." Jiang Fenghua was completely innocent, blinking her big eyes with an innocent look. She continued, "I will accompany you to find Miss Wan later. I will explain to her that nothing happened between us last night, and I will not compete with her for anything in the future. You two are in love, and I will definitely not interfere. Your Highness only needs to give the Jiang family some face so that I will not be gossiped about."
Her eyes were clear and bright, pure as water, and her face was full of sincerity. Xie Shang never expected that Jiang Fenghua would be so considerate of him and Wanwan.
She was clearly the Princess Consort of Heng, yet she was wronged like this. A trace of guilt flashed in Xie Shang's eyes. It was clearly a feud between the Empress Dowager and Consort Su, and she shouldn't have taken it out on them. Jiang Fenghua married someone she didn't like, so she was also a victim.
Xie Shang understood all this and said to Xie Ling'er, "Ninth Sister, go and tell Wanwan to wait for me at the usual place."
Xie Ling'er had no idea what the two were whispering about. She thought that Fifth Brother would abandon Jiang Fenghua for Sister Wan.
Jiang Fenghua stood gracefully and nodded to Xie Ling'er. "Would the Ninth Princess like to come with us to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager?"
Xie Ling'er pouted and glared at Jiang Fenghua, "This princess is going to find Sister Wan. In my heart, only Sister Wan is my fifth sister-in-law. No one else can even think about it."
After saying that, she walked away with her head held high in arrogance.
Jiang Fenghua sneered inwardly. If you really let Xie Shang take him away today, it will be a disgrace to this princess.
If it were her previous life, she would have cried herself to death, but now...
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