Сhaptеr 18: Меn Аrе Like Leeks
Тhе Emprеss Dowagеr sighеd hеlрlеsslу and gеntlу tаpрed hеr forehеаd.
“Stoр talking nоnsеnsе. In a mаrriаge, hаrmоnу, rеsресt, and tоlerаnсe are what mаtter. Нow саn уоu resort tо violenсе аt еverу turn?”
Thе Emprеss Dоwаgеr сontinuеd, “I actuallу think thаt Хuе Wаn is quite skilled and соmрosеd in the fаce оf dаngеr, trulу bearing thе dеmeanоr of a gеnеrаl’s dаughter.”
“Моreover, Yao’er, yоu should bе thаnking hеr fоr sаving yоu. How cаn yоu spеak ill оf your savior behind her back?”
Seeing that the Empress Dowager not only didn’t take her side but even spoke up for Ning Heng, Helian Qingyao immediately grew displeased. “Mother! What I mean is, that snake appeared suspiciously. There were so many guards and maids around me at the time, yet none of them saw it. How is it that only she noticed it?”
“She must have brought it herself to deliberately scare me!”
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager frowned slightly, disapproving. “Chaoyang, how can you speculate about others’ ill intentions without any evidence?”
“She saved you, yet instead of feeling grateful, you harbor resentment… This is not how I’ve taught you all these years.”
Helian Qingyao was left speechless.
Her mother had risen from a palace maid to become the Empress Dowager, yet she seemed to possess none of the cunning and vigilance of a victor in palace intrigues. Instead, she remained as naive as a blank sheet of paper.
It was a wonder she and her brother hadn’t been harmed.
Just as she was about to argue further, Defu entered, bowing respectfully.
“This servant greets the Empress Dowager and Her Highness the Princess.”
Seeing it was Defu, the Empress Dowager raised her hand slightly. “Rise. Has His Majesty sent you with a message?”
Defu replied respectfully, “His Majesty’s oral decree: Chang’le, Chaoyang, and Qingning, the three princesses, are to report to the Wenyuan Pavilion at the hour of Mao tomorrow to assist Grand Tutor Liu in collating ancient texts and rare books. They are not to leave the palace without imperial permission. So decreed.”
Grand Tutor Liu was the imperial tutor for two generations of emperors, a man of profound knowledge but also rigidly old-fashioned, showing no mercy when reprimanding others.
Even the most favored princes and princesses were treated equally in his presence, and those who performed poorly in their studies would even have their palms struck!
During her time as his student, Helian Qingyao had suffered greatly. Grand Tutor Liu would strike her companions first, then her, causing her companions to be replaced one after another, all too afraid to stay.
Xue Wan had lasted the longest and had endured the most beatings alongside her.
Thus, Helian Qingyao harbored a certain sense of guilt toward Xue Wan, after all, theirs was a friendship forged through shared punishment.
She had secretly vowed never to see that stern, rigid old face or that shiny, polished ruler again!
Now, this news struck Helian Qingyao like a bolt from the blue.
“—What?!”
She leaped to her feet, her voice cracking. “Go to the Wenyuan Pavilion with Grand Tutor Liu? And collate ancient texts… Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”
“My brother would never send me to such a place!”
Defu said, “Your Highness, it truly is His Majesty’s oral decree. Even with ten times the courage, this servant would never dare to forge an imperial decree.”
Helian Qingyao panicked, grabbing the Empress Dowager’s sleeve and pleading tearfully, “Mother, I don’t want to go to the Wenyuan Pavilion! I don’t want to see Grand Tutor Liu!”
“Grand Tutor is too terrifying. Please speak to my brother for me, beg him to reconsider, Mother!”
The Empress Dowager frowned slightly but could do nothing. Her daughter had indeed been spoiled and grown too willful. Perhaps spending some time in the Wenyuan Pavilion with the Grand Tutor would help calm her mind.
At least it would keep her from idling all day and stirring up trouble.She sighed, her expression full of helplessness. “Chaoyang, you know your brother’s temperament. Even if I go to speak to him, it likely won’t change anything… Just go and stay for a few days, study diligently with the Grand Tutor. It will be beneficial for you in the long run.”
Helian Qingyao felt utterly hopeless, as if she could already see the dark, sunless days ahead.
No! She didn’t want to see Grand Tutor Liu’s coffin-like face! She didn’t want to touch those old, tattered ancient books! And she definitely didn’t want to be struck on the palm with a ruler!
At the hour of Mao—so early that even the pheasants in the palace hadn’t woken up yet—she simply couldn’t get out of bed!
Who could come and save her?
If she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have gotten involved in Xue Wan’s family affairs. Cousin Lu could marry whomever he wanted, round or flat, what did it have to do with her…
Helian Qingyao wept until her tears flowed like a river.
…
By the time Ning Heng returned to the mansion, Xue Xing’an had long since packed his bags and scurried back to the Yulan Academy.
In the past, on the days he had to leave home, he would linger reluctantly, sighing and groaning, wishing he could take the entire marquis’s estate with him.
This time, however, he couldn’t wait to leave, as if afraid of being entangled by some unseen force again.
Ning Heng didn’t mind either way. After all, her relationship with this nominal second brother was as fragile as plastic. Whether he was at the estate or not made no difference to her.
On the other hand, her eldest brother, Xue Xingyi, didn’t speak much but was genuinely sincere.
Many times when he bought things for his wife, he would also remember to get something for her—whether it was pastries or the fabrics and jewelry popular among the young ladies of Sheng Jing.
The gifts weren’t particularly extravagant, but the thought behind them was rare.
Ning Heng wasn’t the kind of person with a heart of stone that could never be warmed. When others showed kindness, she remembered it.
Gradually, whenever she ran into her brother and sister-in-law in the estate, she would force out a smile that could at least be considered… well, human.
During this time, Xue Wan had “recovered from her illness” and returned to her delicate, white-flower persona.
Though Ning Heng didn’t seek her out, Xue Wan would occasionally visit the Li Tang Courtyard, bringing soup or water, her words still dripping with subtle provocation.
Ning Heng was a bit tired of seeing Xue Wan’s eyes redden at the slightest provocation, as if the whole world had wronged her, so she had A Chan block her at the door every time.
After being turned away repeatedly, Xue Wan probably found it pointless and stopped coming as often.
In the blink of an eye, it was already mid-April, and the warmth of spring grew stronger.
With the wedding date approaching, her mother, Ning Jiao, finally settled her “fleeting romances” in Ru County and hurriedly made her way to Sheng Jing, stumbling along the dusty road.
Ordinary men couldn’t catch Ning Jiao’s eye, so the ones she took to bed were always the cream of the crop—outstanding in looks, talent, or stamina, or sometimes all three.
They looked good and served their purpose well, but the only downside was that they could be a bit clingy afterward.
Ning Heng had once witnessed it firsthand: on the night of the Qixi Festival, before one handsome physician could be escorted out the back door, the next dashing escort had already eagerly arrived at the front gate with gifts in hand.
…That scene was nothing short of a battlefield.
This time, for the sake of her precious daughter’s lifelong happiness, Ning Jiao reluctantly broke up with all her boyfriends.
She felt a slight pang of reluctance, but not much.
After all, men were like leeks—cut one batch, and there would always be fresher ones.