Chapter Sixteen: “With me here, I will always stay by your side…”
Early summer sunlight spilled over the plaque at the entrance of the Grand Princess’s residence. Around the polo field inside the estate, brocade tents swayed gently in the breeze.
Palace maids carried golden bowls and placed chilled grape wine onto the banquet tables.
With the announcement of their arrival, Ling Zhenli stepped down from the carriage, holding onto Pei Xuanlin’s hand.
She wore an elaborate wisteria-colored gown, her head adorned with a fluttering moth-and-flower crown and a filigree hairpin inlaid with green turquoise. The Eastern pearls on her beaded necklace gleamed brilliantly. Her makeup was exquisite—clearly prepared with care. Today was her first time attending a noble gathering as Crown Princess; she had to be dazzling.
After entering the banquet grounds, Ling Zhenli looked around curiously. She had never seen such a grand scene before, and it was impossible not to be intrigued.
As she looked, her attention was drawn to Princess Jin’an, Pei Shang’er, seated on the other side.
Fine silks wrapped her graceful figure, golden hairpins and floral ornaments adorning her delicate, hibiscus-like face.
She was chatting and laughing with Yang Chengxiu, who had recently been enfeoffed as Prince of Huainan, raising her cup to drink with him. When she noticed Ling Zhenli’s gaze, she boldly arched an eyebrow at her, the corners of her lips curling upward.
The noble ladies who had come to watch and converse covered their mouths with round fans, their eyes constantly darting toward Ling Zhenli.
“So the Chancellor’s legitimate daughter really lives up to her reputation.”
“Someone’s title as the number-one beauty might not be safe anymore.”
“It seems Princess Jin’an didn’t even salute the Crown Princess…”
“She doesn’t even respect the Crown Prince, let alone the Crown Princess.”
These murmurs drifted faintly into Ling Zhenli’s ears. She seemed not to hear them at all.
Pei Xuanlin stood beside her and heard them as well, yet he showed no reaction.
“The Crown Princess has arrived.”
At that moment, a clear yet courteous voice rang out. Ling Zhenli turned her head and saw Princess Wuyang, Pei Shen’ai, approaching her.
Jade-like features, vermilion lips, phoenix eyes filled with authority—every smile and frown concealed calculation.
This was Pei Shen’ai, the mastermind behind the destruction of her entire family.
Ling Zhenli had to remember this face, one she dared not forget day or night.
As Pei Shen’ai drew near, Ling Zhenli suppressed the revulsion in her heart and forced a polite smile.
Pei Shen’ai took Ling Zhenli’s hand with fingers tipped in jade-green nail guards and turned slightly to introduce Xiao Yuzhen. “This is my daughter, County Princess Yongtai. You met her previously at the Chancellor’s residence.”
“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Crown Princess.”
Xiao Yuzhen smiled brightly at Ling Zhenli, seeming genuinely fond of her.
Pei Xuanlin nodded with a faint smile. Ling Zhenli looked at Xiao Yuzhen saluting her and felt an inexplicable shift within her heart.
The last time they met, she and Xiao Yuzhen were separated by rank; this time as well, they were separated by rank. The difference was that now, she stood on the side of authority.
Pei Shen’ai’s ambition was written all over her face, yet her daughter Xiao Yuzhen appeared rather innocent.
“Younger sister is just as lovely as ever,” Ling Zhenli offered a perfunctory compliment.
She could not sincerely praise the daughter of her enemy—especially when that girl’s brother bore such deep enmity toward her.
Just as they were exchanging pleasantries, crisp bells rang out from the edge of the field.
Xie Daojian rode in on a snow-white steed from the Western Regions. His indigo riding attire made him look tall and upright, like a slender bamboo.
After dismounting, a servant led the horse away, and Xie Daojian walked toward them.
At the sight of him, Ling Zhenli’s mood lifted unconsciously. Her heart beat faster, her breathing growing uneven.
Xie Daojian was her first love, the one who had stirred her heart when she was young, and he would always hold a place in it. She missed him deeply, and she had no wish to continue engaging with Pei Shen’ai or Xiao Yuzhen.
Pei Xuanlin noticed the subtle change in her, followed her gaze, and saw Xie Daojian.
Xie Daojian was accomplished in both civil and martial pursuits. As the only son of a general’s household, his prospects were bright, and many noble ladies in the capital longed to marry him.
Of course, the main reason was his handsome appearance.
Pei Xuanlin felt a trace of irritation. Was Xie Daojian really that good-looking? Could he be more handsome than him? Why did Xue Yingyue keep staring at him without end?
When Xiao Yuzhen saw Xie Daojian, she immediately lifted her skirts and ran toward him. The golden hair ornaments swaying as she ran seemed to transform into venomous needles, piercing Ling Zhenli’s heart.
Ling Zhenli’s gaze darkened, tinged with bitterness.
“Cousin,” Xiao Yuzhen’s voice was sweet to the point of cloying. “Can you teach me how to ride today? Mother finally agreed to let me ride.”
Seeing this, Ling Zhenli felt extremely displeased. She unconsciously tightened her grip on her round fan, her knuckles turning pale.
At that moment, a cup of grape wine was offered before her. Preoccupied with her anger, Ling Zhenli turned her head away, not wanting to look anymore. Unaware, she collided with the maid carrying the drink, splashing juice all over herself.
The maid panicked and immediately knelt. “This servant deserves death for disturbing the Crown Princess! Please forgive me, Your Highness, spare this servant!”
It was not a serious matter. Ling Zhenli waved her hand to dismiss her and excused herself, having a maid lead her away to change clothes.
Seeing that her mood was off, Pei Xuanlin’s gaze grew deeper as he watched her leave.
On the way, Tangqiu reminded Ling Zhenli that Xue Haoting had also attended today’s banquet.
Already irritated, Ling Zhenli grew even more disgusted. After changing, she dismissed all the attendants and went for a walk alone.
As she walked, she reached the rockery in the rear courtyard. It was secluded—perfect for clearing her head without disturbance.
But as she walked, she suddenly felt a strong pull and was dragged deep into the bamboo grove.
Her first instinct was that an assassin—or Princess Wuyang—was trying to harm her. She was about to cry out when she looked up and saw that it was Xie Daojian.
She did not make a sound and followed his steps.
His palm was slick with sweat, gripping her wrist so tightly that her bones ached.
Only when they reached a pavilion did he stop. Ling Zhenli hurriedly brushed bamboo leaves from his sleeve. “Have you lost your mind? Why did you follow me here? If someone saw us—”
“Don’t worry. I sent everyone away,” Xie Daojian said with a smile. He took her hand, about to grow intimate, but suddenly remembered the real reason he had come.
“Back then, your father uncovered evidence of the Chancellor’s embezzlement of military funds. Because those funds disappeared within territory under your father’s jurisdiction, he investigated the matter—and ended up taking the blame for the Chancellor.”
Ling Zhenli’s gaze went blank.
Just as she had suspected, the Chancellor had deceived her.
He, too, was one of the culprits behind her family’s ruin—not only destroying her home, but also exploiting her resemblance to Xue Run to use her, squeezing every last bit of value from the Ling family.
Xie Daojian spoke with suppressed restraint. “By the time your father realized something was wrong, it was already too late. Princess Wuyang had been enemies with the Chancellor for many years. She finally found a lead, only for the Chancellor to frame someone else. Naturally, the Grand Princess killed to vent her anger…”
Ling Zhenli staggered back, her spine striking the cold pavilion pillar.
She suddenly recalled the day her father died—the sky so dark, rain pouring without end. And Xiao Chongheng, who had personally killed her father, severed his head, yet still approached her, toyed with her mind, and in the end caused the death of her unborn daughter, nearly killing her as well.
Had she been even a little more fragile, less resilient, had she collapsed after Xiao Chongheng’s wedding, she would already be nothing but bones.
“It was all them… who turned me into this half-human, half-ghost…”
Her voice trembled beyond control.
Xie Daojian stepped forward and caught her. “A-Li, you must hold on. You must not let hatred blind you.”
Ling Zhenli completely broke down. She clutched his robe fiercely, buried her face in his chest, and began to sob.
The disgraceful tricks she had learned at Zui Xian Tower, the forced composure she had cultivated under cold stares and harsh treatment in the Chancellor’s residence, the constant caution and fear with which she acted before Crown Prince Pei Xuanlin in the Eastern Palace—all of it collapsed in that moment.
She cried so hard, as if to empty all the grievances of the past year. Her tears quickly soaked through Xie Daojian’s robe.
Xie Daojian awkwardly patted her back, like soothing a frightened kitten. “With me here, I will always stay by your side. I will never leave you again to face fear and hardship alone.”
Ling Zhenli slowly raised her head. Beneath tear-damp lashes, her gaze was sharp. “Even if the truth is uncovered, the dead cannot come back to life…”
Only revenge.
Only making them repay blood with blood.
Xie Daojian was taken aback and could not refute her. She was right.
“Yes, A-Li. Living well from now on is the most important thing. You must first ensure your own safety.”
As soon as his words fell, footsteps sounded outside the bamboo grove.
“Someone’s coming! Hide, quickly!” Ling Zhenli panicked when she heard them.
This was not a place to linger. Xie Daojian knew he could not be seen with the Crown Princess and needed to hide at once.
Before leaving, he hurriedly said, “A-Li, take care of yourself. If you want to see me, you can come to me anytime.”
With that, he slipped behind the rockery.
Ling Zhenli had just finished tidying her disheveled hair when Pei Xuanlin parted the bamboo branches and walked in.
Seeing it was Pei Xuanlin, Ling Zhenli felt an inexplicable sense of relief amid her panic.
He wore a coiled-gold crown that day, dazzling in the sunlight.
“Why did you come here? I’ve been looking for you.”
Up close, Pei Xuanlin saw the tear tracks on her face. He reached out to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing away the still-damp tears. His expression darkened with anger—clearly worry. “What happened? Why are you crying? Who upset you?”
In the urgency of the moment, Ling Zhenli quickly devised an excuse and began to sob convincingly. “I heard that my brother came today, and it reminded me of my days in the Chancellor’s residence before I married. If I didn’t perform the rites properly, I’d be beaten and scolded. Father disliked me, and my brother always bullied me…”
Pei Xuanlin’s eyes darkened. He gently pulled her into his embrace, comforting her.
“Did the Chancellor and the Minister of Revenue treat you poorly?” he asked.
In the past, he had always addressed Xue Wenmian as Father-in-law and Xue Haoting as Brother-in-law in front of her.
“Yes. If I did anything wrong, I was punished. I was afraid,” Ling Zhenli continued her act, curling into his arms.
“Don’t be sad anymore. From now on, you can do whatever you wish. If you don’t want to follow those rituals and rules, then don’t. My A-Li has suffered enough.”
Hearing the soft, aggrieved voice of the woman he loved, Pei Xuanlin felt his heart ache as if cut by a knife.
He used to resent that the wife he had to marry only needed to be suitable as Crown Princess, regardless of who she married. Now, he blamed only himself for failing to protect her, allowing her to be tossed about by the tides of dynastic change.
Ling Zhenli rested her cheek against his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat.
She almost wanted to laugh—only bitterly, inside.
Pei Xuanlin, do you really believe such a clumsy lie?
He truly did care deeply.
Taking the opportunity, she needed to find out how he knew she was here—and whether he had seen Xie Daojian drag her away earlier.
“How did you know I was here?” Ling Zhenli rubbed against him and asked coquettishly.
Pei Xuanlin explained, “Your maid was just outside this courtyard. No one was inside the rooms, so you had to be in the bamboo grove. It’s not big—I found you with a little searching.”
In truth, he had heard from his subordinates that Pei Shang’er was meeting Yang Chengxiu in a side hall. He needed to bring the Crown Princess along to catch them in the act so it wouldn’t seem too deliberate. That was why he had come looking for her.
But he did not mention this. Instead, he simply comforted her, gently patting her back.
Hearing his explanation, Ling Zhenli finally relaxed and leaned against him. “My makeup is ruined from crying.”
“You’re beautiful to begin with.”
Dissatisfied with his answer, Ling Zhenli lifted her head from his chest and looked at him with large, watery eyes.
“All right, all right—go fix your makeup,” Pei Xuanlin said with a smile and a sigh.
Hidden behind the rockery, Xie Daojian saw that Pei Xuanlin treated Ling Zhenli fairly well. Though jealousy stirred in his heart, he also felt a sense of relief.
As long as she was living well, that was enough.