After Xie Xing spoke, Princess Ming Zhao felt as if the wind on the mountain top had frozen mid-air.
She looked at him in confusion, her expression like someone who had just heard, “Wang Heng suddenly turned into a virtuous gentleman,” blinking once.
She blinked again, as if doing so could erase the words she had just heard.
“Are you alright?”
[Fine, just eat more of those plum candies.]
“Minister Xie, it’s broad daylight. Why are you talking nonsense? This isn’t funny.”
Xie Xing’s expression remained unchanged—gentle and serious as ever. “Princess, I am earnest. Every word I say is without jest.”
Princess Ming Zhao frowned and instinctively stepped back half a pace, putting some distance between them.
She appraised Xie Xing from head to toe, eyes sharp and puzzled. “Why me?”
Before Xie Xing could respond, she spoke first.
“Zheng Yingying likes you. You should see how beneficial marrying her would be to your Xie family and to yourself—no need for me to explain, right?”
“The Zheng family’s status, their connections in and out of court, and the tangible advantages they bring—surely that doesn’t need my explanation either.”
“Marry me?”
She let out a self-mocking laugh. “Marry me—the Princess known for madness, who’s made enemies with the Zheng Family, whose maternal line is gone, and who might be casually handed off by Imperial Father as a chess piece someday?”
“What could I possibly offer you? Minister Xie, you are clever. No matter how you calculate this, it’s not a profitable deal, is it?”
She stared into Xie Xing’s eyes, searching for any trace of calculation or deceit on his calm, gentle face.
Xie Xing listened to her rapid-fire reasoning and analysis without offense or irritation. Instead, he shook his head slightly.
“Second Miss Zheng is not the match I seek,” he said, his gaze fixed on Princess Ming Zhao. “She is too foolish, easily angered, impulsive, and sees only the immediate.
Moreover, the Zheng family has acted recklessly in recent years, leaving no room for long-term alliances.”
He leaned slightly forward, lowering his voice. “Princess, you are different.”
“Perhaps your reputation is poor, and your behavior unconventional, but Princess is clear-headed and decisive. You understand how to read the times, exploit situations, and even protect yourself in danger while achieving your goals.”
His tone shifted sharply. “I wish to ask, Princess—since your return to Ye City, your persistence toward Yi Ze, even to the point of setting schemes publicly to be his disciple, what exactly are you aiming for?”
Their eyes met silently.
Both were intelligent; some things needed no explicit explanation.
Xie Xing answered his own question before she could respond.
“In terms of family and status, the Chen Jun Xie family is not necessarily inferior to the Cui clan of Qinghe. In terms of current power and position, Yi Ze is the Chancellor. I am admittedly a step behind.”
His voice was firm, imbued with unshakable confidence. “But time is long. I am confident that, given the chance, I may stand beside Yi Ze or even surpass him.”
“Yi Ze can give Princess a family’s protection and support. I can provide the same, even more, in a way that suits you.”
“Stop.”
Princess Ming Zhao raised a hand, palm outward, cutting him off mid-sentence.
There was no hint of being touched on her face, only clarity.
“Minister Xie, spare me the promises of a distant future.”
“I’ve recently cut carbs. I don’t eat cakes, especially imaginary ones.”
She stepped closer, unusually lucid. “I want now, not later!”
“You say you can provide. Let me ask you: who really speaks for the Xie family today? You, Minister Xie, or your father, Lord Xie?”
Xie Xing did not immediately deny it, but his silence answered her question.
Princess Ming Zhao understood and smiled knowingly. “Then it’s Lord Xie.”
“When you truly take control of the Xie family, able to speak without watching anyone’s face…”
Before finishing, she moved with precision—grabbing the reins, placing her foot in the stirrup, and vaulting onto her horse in one smooth motion.
Seated on the horse, she looked down at Xie Xing still standing there, tossing out her final words.
“Then you can talk to me about more and better-suited plans later.”
She no longer looked at him. She pulled the reins and gave a sharp command. “Giddy-up!”
The chestnut horse neighed and trotted down the mountain path.
Princess Ming Zhao’s crimson figure soon disappeared among the jagged rocks and bare branches.
The descent was faster than the climb. The mountain wind rushed past her ears, biting cold, sharpening her mind.
She controlled the horse at a steady pace, but her thoughts raced.
Xie Xing’s sudden declaration and proposal today had indeed surprised her, but only slightly.
[Panic? Not at all.]
Instead, it made her even more aware of the urgency before her.
[These sons of noble families may appear refined and gentle, but their bones are full of calculation.]
Xie Xing’s actions today were not impulsive love at first sight. They were carefully weighed, strategic.
He recognized that she was unlike the noble girls raised in the inner quarters. He saw her value—and, more importantly, Cui Weijin’s subtle, special attitude toward her.
He claimed he could offer her everything Cui Weijin could, and even more. Tempting words, indeed.
But right now, what she lacked most was time. She could not wait for his distant future.
An heir who had not fully mastered his own family—what was the difference between his promise and an empty tower in the sky?
The only one who could truly protect Imperial Father and her younger brother for now seemed to be Cui Weijin.
The cunning man, yet wielding real power, at the very center of authority, and not entirely indifferent toward her.
Princess Ming Zhao recalled that morning at Chengxin Hall, when he had whispered “Choose Princess,” the subtle glimmer in his dark eyes, the erratic quick heartbeat…
She instinctively pressed her lips together, tightening her grip on the reins.
[No more tentative teasing.]
[Imperial Father’s health declines day by day. Who knows how long he will last.]
[The Zheng Family watches eagerly. The Wang and Xie families each have their schemes. The others are observing. I must act quickly—before anything changes, I must make Cui Weijin stand firmly on my side.]