Chapter 3
Following a winding road, with a group of cavalrymen carrying torches following behind, Shen Yao was led safely back to the Jing Prince's residence, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
She bowed deeply in thanks from afar, while the onlookers all wore cracked expressions, seemingly understanding something, or looking at Lan Yunyi, who was in the lead, with complicated looks.
Only the adjutant beside Lan Yunyi was still unaware of what was going on. He pulled on the reins and approached Lan Yunyi, his brows furrowed with righteous indignation: "General, is it too late for us to arrest the princess and her lover now?"
Lan Yunyi glanced at him, then turned and left without saying a word.
*
Prince Jing is the current Emperor's cousin, and even more distantly related to Shen Yao, but since they are all members of the royal family, Shen Yao still calls him Uncle.
Since Shen Yao was demoted and the princess's residence in Xiliang City was still undergoing urgent renovations, Emperor Sheng decreed that Shen Yao should stay at Prince Jing's residence. Although Prince Jing was extremely unwilling, he still made room for Shen Yao in a separate courtyard.
The original novel says that the original owner of this body seemed to have no sense of being living in someone else's home. Not only did she never greet the Princess Consort of Jing, but she was also very indifferent to the servants in the Prince Jing's residence. She only had a close relationship with a certain adjutant surnamed Zhao under the Prince Jing, so no one liked her.
Judging from the surface and the interpretations of those men, the original owner did seem to be a bit impolite. But Shen Yao knew very well that the reason the original owner was disliked was not because she "did not know manners," but because she "held a high position and wielded great power."
Just like when a CEO suddenly moves into the staff dormitory, it's normal to be ostracized by everyone.
However, the original owner could not understand this point. In addition, she herself was a bit socially anxious. After hearing those whispers, she became more cautious and craved Zhao Chong's approval even more, so she became more dependent on Zhao Chong in terms of personality.
Shen Yao was very open-minded about this.
When she returned, many servants had already gotten up and washed, since it was the princess's wedding day and everyone in the Jingwang Mansion was helping with the preparations.
When the servants in the manor saw her return wearing another man's fine robes, their expressions changed, and the whispers among them were even louder than before.
After returning to the courtyard, Shen Yao took off his outer robe and casually placed it on a chair. Without thinking of anything else, he instructed several maids to help him change and wash up. Then he crawled into the luxurious ancient bed and went to sleep soundly.
She always slept exceptionally well, falling into a deep sleep the moment her head hit the pillow. After a while, drowsiness enveloped her entire body, and just as she began to relax, she suddenly saw through the fog and open her eyes to the red walls and green tiles of the imperial city.
Dark clouds loomed over the magnificent and imposing imperial palace.
Shen Yao could hear herself screaming helplessly, her heart aching, tears streaming down her face, self-pity filling her entire being, making her feel utterly hopeless.
Before me stood a middle-aged man with a peaceful face and well-maintained appearance.
She called him "Father Emperor".
She clutched her father's sleeve, saying she had done nothing wrong and why she was being implicated. She refused to go to the Northwest and begged her father for mercy.
The Emperor calmly patted the back of her hand and said out of the blue, "Xiliang is not a bitter and cold place. After Lan Yunyi took over as the commander of the garrison, Xiliang City has become a transportation hub and is very prosperous... It's just too far from the capital."
"...Consort Lan has given birth to the first prince of this dynasty. Lan Yunyi is ambitious, but cautious in his actions and difficult for ordinary people to approach. Now I have betrothed you to him. After he drinks the nuptial wine, you will be his bedmate."
"I will not let you and your mother down."
"Yao'er, you understand what your father means."
She was crying so loudly that she couldn't hear many of the words clearly. Shen Yao only managed to catch a few fragments of what was being said, along with her father's cold expression.
To be honest, she didn't quite understand what the emperor meant. The emperor didn't explain further either, his hawk-like eyes coldly watching her until she cried herself to sleep and began to sob softly. Only then did he turn around, take a bottle of fine wine from the eunuch, and hand it to Shen Yao with a helpless yet solemn air.
Shen Yao felt she was about to wake up, but she was still confused and couldn't understand why she remembered this.
She came up with a reason for herself: perhaps it was because the original owner rarely saw her father, and was also influenced by her mother, so she was very persistent in caring about her father.
This farewell ceremony was the closest she had ever been to her father, the emperor.
Shen Yao slowly opened her eyes, yawned, and found herself sitting in front of the dressing table.
The mirror showed a face exactly like hers in her previous life. The face shape was not round enough, the eyebrows and eyes were very sharp, and the corners of the mouth were not upturned enough. These were all unpleasant features, but Shen Yao never thought of changing them and always accepted everything about herself.
The maidservant beside her had a sweet tongue, and while combing her hair, she praised her hair for being black and shiny, etc. This reminded Shen Yao of the black horse she had seen last night.
So Shen Yao asked, "Where in Xiliang City can I buy a horse?"
The maid hummed in agreement and said, "This servant doesn't know either. Perhaps we can ask the Prince Consort later? The army needs many horses, so I'm sure the Prince Consort can buy good horses for the princess."
Shen Yao said "Oh," and thinking of the thrilling scene last night, she lost interest in asking any more questions.
Moreover, what she said last night, "there is already a woman in the general's backyard," was not just empty talk. There is indeed a beautiful and refined woman in the backyard of the Lan family, but Lan Yunyi has not given her any official status. Even in the original novel, he only wrote this sentence casually.
At the time, Shen Yao was a little confused, feeling that the character was out of character because Lan Yunyi in the original work was very suspicious and had very few servants in her household. However, it seemed that this was indeed the case, and there was indeed such a "person as gentle as a breeze and bright as the moon" in the Lan family.
Shen Yao couldn't help but sigh, "Men all over the world, regardless of age, are all the same."
After being helped into her wedding attire, Shen Yao's head maid, Xia Guo, who had been brought from the palace, suddenly returned in a hurry. She cupped her hands and said to Shen Yao, "Princess, Princess Jing and Miss have come to pay their respects, as well as Commandant Zhou from the General's Mansion."
Princess Jing has treated her well during this time. Shen Yao has already sent many gifts to Princess Jing through Xia Guo. Presumably, Princess Jing has brought her daughter to express her gratitude.
Prince Jing and the Emperor were already cousins, so by the time it came to Shen Yao and Prince Jing's daughter, Shen Zan, there was basically no deep blood relation. In addition, she didn't live in Prince Jing's residence for long, so she had very little contact with this cousin.
But Shen Yao couldn't help but become curious about her.
In the original novel, this only daughter of Prince Jing, who was doted on by the whole family, later married Zhao Chong, a womanizer.
Shen Yao suddenly stopped her thoughts, afraid that she might develop some inexplicable feelings of redemption, and quickly had the screen drawn up before inviting the guests in.
Xia Guo then went out to call for help. She sat on the bed, slightly tilting her head to let her gaze bypass the maids who were adorning her with jewelry, and looked towards the screen. After the three entered, the one in the lead was tall and burly, with a clumsy gait that reminded Shen Yao of the adjutant from the previous night.
After the adjutant knelt down, he said to Shen Yao, "Zhou Sui, Cavalry Captain, greets the Princess."
After he finished speaking, the two women bowed in turn. When the young woman uttered the name "Chen Zan," Shen Yao's heart couldn't help but stir a little.
Princess Jing seemed afraid her daughter would lose her composure in front of the princess, so she helped the princess straighten her dress when the girl knelt down. This made Shen Yao feel somewhat conflicted, after all, she had always believed she wasn't some kind of devil.
"Get up, all of you." Shen Yao waved her hand. "I am not in a position to see anyone right now, so I apologize that you can only speak to me like this for the time being."
Princess Jing hurriedly replied, "I'm not wronged at all; it's entirely up to the princess's wishes."
Shen Yao smiled and was about to continue speaking when she suddenly heard a discordant sound.
That cavalry captain actually let out a snort from his nostrils... "Hmph?"
Shen Yao raised an eyebrow.
When she first became CEO, many people were dissatisfied with her, thinking that she had risen to the position because of her father's connections.
Faced with doubts and denials, Shen Yao was never in a hurry to refute them on the spot, and given that today was her joyous day, she decided not to bother with this minor official.
Shen Yao ignored him and said, "Thank you for taking care of me these past few days, Princess Jing. Xia Guo, give my golden octagonal box to Princess Jing. The gold and silver jewelry inside will be my dowry for Zan'er in the future."
Princess Jing suddenly sat up straight: "Princess, how can this be..."
Xia Guo picked up the heavy jewelry box from the dressing table and stuffed it into Princess Jing's arms without saying a word.
Princess Jing accepted the box with both hands. When Xia Guo let go, the box felt heavy in her hand, and she almost dropped it on the ground.
The sheer weight in her hand startled her.
When she first met the princess, the princess greeted her politely and then retreated into her own courtyard, so at first she thought the princess was introverted and quiet.
But later, she overheard a servant saying that a minor official surnamed Zhao under Prince Jing had been visiting the princess's residence for several days and had been having pleasant conversations with her.
The princess already had a fiancé, yet she was also having close relationships with other men, which she found unacceptable, and she began to have opinions about the princess.
It wasn't until she held up the golden octagonal box that she suddenly realized that all her previous scrutiny of the princess had been utterly meaningless.
A princess is a princess. So what if she doesn't uphold traditional wifely virtues? She can still give away a golden octagonal box at will, living a life of wealth and luxury, and even finding two husbands at once.
"Achoo!" Shen Yao sneezed unexpectedly, startling the maid applying powder beside her, who immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness. Shen Yao waved her hand to comfort her, then continued, "I'll also trouble you, Captain, to make this trip. Please deliver my string of South Sea pearls to Captain Zhou..."
"Thank you, Princess, but I don't need it," Zhou Sui interrupted. "I'm just here to look after the princess for the general and make sure our general's wedding goes on as scheduled."
Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, feeling the atmosphere in the room suddenly drop to freezing point.
This Zhou Sui clearly came with ill intentions; he was sent by Lan Yunyi specifically to cause trouble.
Her husband was such a boring person?
Shen Yao: "...You dare not accept what I give you?"
"The general did not allow me to accept gifts."
Shen Yao was even more surprised.
It's unbelievable that Lan Yunyi, who is so shrewd and cunning, has such a straightforward subordinate.
Xia Guo, who was outside the screen, could not contain herself and shouted, "Our princess is a thousand times more noble than your general. How dare you refuse the gift from the princess? I think you don't want to live!"
Zhou Sui sneered: "In Xiliang City, whether a person's life is spared or not is decided only by the garrison general personally appointed by Emperor Sheng."
A blatant provocation.
Shen Yao's expression darkened. She had been lounging around like Ge You, but after hearing this, she slowly sat up straight.
If it were just someone who came to cause trouble, that would be one thing, but this person specifically wanted to challenge her authority.
Shen Yao smiled. In order not to be misunderstood by everyone as a willful and arrogant bad person, she decided to hold back for now.
"Take it, or I'll report you to your general."
Zhou Sui retorted, "My general never listens to the gossip of women."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Guo slapped him hard without hesitation: "You madman, how dare you speak disrespectfully to the princess!"
Shen Yao didn't speak.
I was furious.
She knew that she simply lacked confidence.
Zhou Sui was right. In Xiliang City, everyone knew Lan Yunyi, the garrison general personally appointed by Emperor Sheng, but no one recognized her, Princess Yao, also personally appointed by Emperor Sheng.
Even if they recognize them, it's only because of some inexplicable gossip.
Lan Yunyi let her go last night, but he could also have just killed her, like in the original story, and given her some random cause of death. No one would remember.
Because nobody remembers, her title of princess was merely a facade.
It was because Lan Yunyi recognized the emperor that Lan Yunyi recognized her.
It was because Lan Yunyi recognized her that the people of Xiliang City recognized her.
Not because she is herself.
Shen Yao closed her eyes.
Xia Guo was timid by nature, but she had to be so fierce because the princess was too weak and easy to bully. She had never seen a tall and strong man like Zhou Sui from the borderlands before, and she must be terrified right now.
If Zhou Sui retaliates against Xia Guo because of this slap, it will be entirely Shen Yao's responsibility for not doing anything.
"Stop." Shen Yao endured it again and again.
She suddenly remembered a line from the male protagonist, Zhao Chong.
The humiliation suffered today will be repaid a hundredfold in the future...?
Xia Guo had already helped her pay it off, but she still decided to do something to ensure that no one would ever have the opportunity to violate her boundaries again.
Xia Guo was somewhat unwilling: "Princess..."
Shen Yao put the matter aside and said in a lighthearted tone, "Today is my big day, everyone should be happy. Since Captain Zhou doesn't want it, let's take the necklace apart and each person here can have one."
After saying that, Shen Yao instructed someone to call Xia Guo in.
Xia Guo still looked reluctant, and when she came in, she turned around and glared fiercely at the guy outside.
Shen Yao didn't take it to heart, pulled her close and whispered, "That surname... um... is there?" She raised an eyebrow.
Xia Guo immediately understood her meaning, and when she heard the princess suddenly mention this person again, her body tensed up: "Does the princess mean...?"
Shen Yao quickly replied, "He doesn't get any."
Xia Guo breathed a sigh of relief: "Mm!"
After saying that, Shen Yao caught a glimpse of a large robe by the bed and said loudly, "Oh right, Xia Guo, please put this robe into the trunk for me and bring it into the General's Mansion."
Xia Guo looked in the direction she pointed and saw a dark men's outer robe. Her expression changed several times.
But she never disobeyed Shen Yao's orders. Her face paled slightly, but she still did as she was told.
Shen Yao smiled slightly and then leaned back on the bed, half-lying down.
Xia Guo felt desperate. She thought the princess had come to her senses and was ready to settle down with the prince consort, but she found that the princess hadn't thought things through at all and still had feelings for the man.
Although she knew she was holding a very luxurious dress, she had already silently found a suitable owner for it in her mind.
She was very sad, but even more so, she felt powerless.
As a servant, no matter how wrong she felt it was, she could only follow her master's orders.
Xia Guo walked out of the screen carrying the black outer robe. Because Zhou Sui was a person close to the prince consort, Xia Guo couldn't help but glance at him again.
But this time he wasn't as arrogant as before. He glanced at the other person and quickly looked away, appearing guilty.
Suddenly, the dazed adjutant stiffened and knelt down abruptly.
With a "bang".
Hearing this, Shen Yao felt a surge of relief.
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