Xiao Rong raised her eyes to look at her, a flicker of surprise flashing deep in her gaze before she let out a soft laugh a moment later. “Alright.”
In any case, she had no desire to look at Noble Consort Yan; rather than staying here with someone she detested where both parties only grew more disgusted with one another, it was better to take the opportunity to leave. Xiao Rong thought to herself that this Xie Ning was quite interesting. If she were unfamiliar with the imperial palace, Noble Consort Yan would naturally arrange suitable personnel to escort her out. Yet, she had issued her request directly to Xiao Rong instead. For a moment, Xiao Rong even felt as if Xie Ning were deliberately helping her out of an awkward situation.
However, the Eldest Princess had always possessed an exquisitely sharp mind. She had not forgotten the faint repulsion revealed in Xie Ning’s demeanor earlier. Given that they were complete strangers, why was Xie Ning’s attitude so peculiar? Xiao Rong had already made up her mind: since she didn’t know why Xie Ning was acting this way, she might as well grant Xie Ning an opportunity to express herself.
She truly wanted to see what kind of game Xie Ning was trying to play.
Xiao Rong stood up without even bowing to offer her leave to Noble Consort Yan. She walked straight to Xie Ning’s side and stood with her hands behind her back. “After you.”
To the side, Li Wan looked as if she wanted to say something, but bit it back. In the presence of the Eldest Princess and the Noble Consort, it was hardly proper for Li Wan to say much, so she could only glare fiercely at Xie Ning. For this New Year’s Eve feast, because of Xie Ning’s well-known frail health and her status as a junior, it would not matter if she were absent. Li Wan, however, as the General’s wife, could on no account be missing.
Xie Ning simply acted as if she hadn’t seen it, bowing respectfully toward Xiao Rong. “Many thanks for your trouble, Princess!” She then curtsied to Noble Consort Yan. “This humble daughter shall take her leave.”
The palanquin was already waiting outside the hall. Xiao Rong took large strides forward, boarding the palanquin first, with Xie Ning following closely behind.
The Hall of Grand Celebration was some distance from the palace gates. Within the high palace walls, eyes and ears were numerous; after entering the palanquin, both tacitly maintained their silence.
It was not until they passed through the Yongde Gate having officially departed the precincts of the imperial palace that Xie Ning felt as if she had fulfilled an old dream. To finally be able to leave these soaring palace walls together with Xiao Rong left her slightly dazed for a moment. A short while later, however, she felt absurdly amused by her own delusion, thinking to herself: It is nothing more than self-deception.
Having already decided to leave on her own, she took the initiative to break the silence. “I have troubled Her Highness the Eldest Princess to go to such lengths.”
“It is no trouble at all.” Xiao Rong’s eyes were naturally shimmering with a liquid shine, making her appear as though she looked at anyone with tender affection. At this moment, however, a sharp glint flashed across her eyes. She suddenly leaned her body forward, closing in right before Xie Ning’s face and forcing Xie Ning to turn aside subconsciously. Xiao Rong’s eyes flickered slightly, having confirmed the answer she sought. She lightly brushed aside a strand of hair on Xie Ning’s forehead. “My mistake; I thought there was an insect.” With eyes full of smiles, she sat back down in her seat and asked with a layered meaning, “Miss Xie, do you happen to know me?”
Hearing these words so abruptly, Xie Ning felt her heart skip a beat. Fortunately, she was no longer that stubborn, naive fool from her past life. Knowing that Xiao Rong had always been meticulous and had likely sensed something amiss to ask such a question, she responded in a natural tone, “I know you now.”
Xiao Rong, however, was clearly not that easy to brush off. She pressed further, “Looking at Miss Xie, I feel as though we have met before.”
Xie Ning’s expression remained unchanged, pretending not to hear the underlying guidance in Xiao Rong’s words. “Perhaps Her Highness the Eldest Princess and I share a natural affinity, feeling like old friends at first sight.”
“Since we did not know each other in the past, how could we seem like old friends upon our first meeting today?” Xiao Rong’s tone was gentle and unhurried, yet her words bore a dense, inescapable quality. “Does Miss Xie feel that I resemble a certain old friend of yours?”
Xie Ning lowered her eyes slightly, feeling a sense of weariness toward Xiao Rong’s seamless probing. She knew she must not answer in line with Xiao Rong’s lead; the moment she said even a little too much, Xiao Rong would pursue it relentlessly. Xie Ning found it absurd in her heart in her past life, she hadn’t noticed Xiao Rong’s repeated probing in the slightest. She had simply been foolishly entranced by Xiao Rong’s unhurried timbre and cadence. Whenever Xiao Rong assumed a gentle and approachable posture, Xie Ning would plunge headlong into that orchid fragrance.
Presently, however, it was no longer her past life, nor was Xie Ning any longer that girl whose heart and eyes were entirely filled with the Eldest Princess. Stepping outside the scope of Xiao Rong’s questions, she replied instead, “Though I have never met Her Highness the Eldest Princess before, your grand reputation is widely known. Even at Bianyang Pass, Xie Ning has heard of it.”
“Oh? What kind of grand reputation is it?”
“Nothing more than admiring words praising Your Highness’s striking beauty and extraordinary demeanor.”
Xiao Rong offered a faint smile. “Does Miss Xie admire me as well?”
Xie Ning fell silent, not the least bit surprised that Xiao Rong could press the matter to this point. Xiao Rong was like a spider skilled at weaving webs, every strand coated with a sticky secretion that declared she would not rest until her goal was achieved, insisting on having her prey completely within her control before pulling back.
Fortunately, Xie Ning’s stomach sounded at this precise moment, taking the initiative to free Xie Ning from this spider thread with a series of loud rumbles.
Unprepared to hear such a string of sounds, Xiao Rong froze on the spot. Among the people she had encountered in her life, no one had ever been hungry to such an extent! Especially for a young lady, making such a noise from her stomach was truly unseemly!
Xie Ning, however, paid it no mind. Pressing down the emotions in her eyes, she raised her gaze to bid Xiao Rong farewell. “This humble daughter is famished; please grant me permission to take my leave first.”
Xiao Rong: “…”
Seeing Xie Ning step off the carriage and turn to leave, Xiao Rong felt her heart violently leap as if a lingering symptom of that nightmare had returned. She suddenly felt an inexplicable tension, making an invitation on an impulse: “It is already the end of the year, and few shops on the street remain open. I fear the General’s Manor has not had time to make preparations either. How about I treat you?”
Xie Ning paused. Without turning back, just as she was about to decline, she heard Xiao Rong add, “It’s just that I must attend the palace banquet later, which will leave you by yourself.”
These words left Xie Ning no room for refusal. Halting for a brief moment and worrying that overly obvious resistance might arouse Xiao Rong’s suspicions further, she turned back and said, “In that case, my gratitude to Your Highness!”
Xiao Rong’s eyes filled with smiles. Once Xie Ning entered the carriage again, Xiao Rong became exceptionally easy to talk to. “I wonder what Miss Xie would like to eat?”
“I am unfamiliar with the capital; I shall defer to your arrangements.”
Xiao Rong fell silent once more. From Xie Ning’s responses, she keenly perceived a faint sliver of resistance it felt like an illusion, but the Eldest Princess trusted her own judgment. She subconsciously began stroking her left wrist, staring straight at Xie Ning. “Does Miss Xie prefer meat or vegetarian dishes?”
A person had to speak more for more information to be revealed. Catching a glimpse of Xiao Rong’s thumb resting on her left wrist from the corner of her eye, Xie Ning knew this was a sign of the Eldest Princess feeling uneasy. Thinking that Xiao Rong found her too taciturn, she deliberately spoke a lengthy paragraph: “I have heard that the Eldest Princess is the person who loves beauty most under the heavens. Be it food, drink, or entertainment, Your Highness spares no effort to collect anything beautiful. This humble daughter believes that under your arrangements, whether meat or vegetarian, it will be delicious!”
Xiao Rong’s gaze deepened. After stroking her left wrist for a long while, her face suddenly lit up with a smile. “How rare that upon your first arrival in the capital, you specifically inquired about so much.” Her fingertips paused, stopping the movement on her left wrist as she spoke directly to the attendant outside, “Return to the manor!”
Before reaching adulthood, the Eldest Princess had already been bestowed a grand residence the Imperial-Built Eldest Princess Manor on Fudong Street, located right beside the imperial palace, barely a quarter-hour’s distance from the Yongde Gate.
Su Hexiang was already waiting at the manor gate. Seeing the palanquin land, she immediately stepped forward to lift the curtain. “Princess!” Spotting Xie Ning on the other side, she was momentarily taken aback. “Miss… Miss Xie?”
Xiao Rong gave her a cool glance. Su Hexiang hurriedly stowed her unusual expression, first assisting the Eldest Princess down from the palanquin before extending her hand toward Xie Ning. Xie Ning smiled, “Thank you!” She rested her hand lightly over Su Hexiang’s forearm without actually touching it.
Walking ahead, Xiao Rong caught this from the corner of her eye, her gaze darkening even further.
Su Hexiang briskly followed behind Xiao Rong, while Xie Ning followed behind Su Hexiang. As the trio stepped into the Princess Manor, Xiao Rong spoke, “Ah Xiang, instruct the kitchen to prepare a evening feast.”
Xie Ning did not want to cause such trouble. “Your Highness, I am truly famished. I wonder if there are any prepared snacks in the manor? I can use them to pad my stomach first.”
Hearing this, Xiao Rong immediately ordered pastry refreshers to be served.
Xie Ning was indeed terribly hungry. Showing no restraint, she feasted heartily, devouring half a table’s worth of pastries.
Xiao Rong watched quietly from the side without uttering a word. Su Hexiang, however, could not help but frown. “Miss Xie, the back kitchen is still preparing the meal, you—”
“It matters not,” Xie Ning replied merrily. Having been jostled all the way to the capital after her rebirth, she hadn’t even managed to drink a cup of hot tea before being rushed into the palace in a panic. She was indeed starving and thirsty. Now that she could finally eat to her heart’s content, she was unwilling to let her stomach suffer in any way, saying straightforwardly, “Rest assured, I can eat it all. It has been many years since I ate with such satisfaction!”
Su Hexiang fell silent for a moment, looking silently toward Xiao Rong. Xiao Rong looked at Xie Ning inquiringly, slowly nodding at Su Hexiang.
Su Hexiang left to carry out the order.
Only Xie Ning and Xiao Rong remained in the hall.
Taking advantage of the brief pause while Xie Ning drank tea, Xiao Rong smiled, “Miss Xie truly has a good appetite.”
“To not hide it from the Princess, I have possessed a massive appetite since childhood,” Xie Ning felt the joy of surviving a near-death experience only after eating her fill. Knowing that saying too little would cause the Eldest Princess to probe endlessly, she took the initiative to speak, “Unfortunately, supplies at Bianyang Pass were extremely scarce. Furthermore, my parents felt that for a girl to eat so much was unseemly. Thus, for as long as I can remember, I have never eaten my fill.”
“It is because of constant starvation that I have remained frail; it is not that I am born with a weak constitution.”
She thought to herself: Mother often said they never lacked in feeding or clothing me, but that statement was not accurate. Clothing was indeed not lacking, but where food was concerned, I was deprived of far too much since childhood.
Xiao Rong toyed with her teacup. “Speaking of which, does Miss Xie also possess natural Herculean strength, just like General Xie?”
“That was indeed the case in my childhood. I remember when I was seven or eight, I never lost an arm-wrestling match against the male servants in the manor,” Xie Ning pursed her lips. “Regrettably, I haven’t eaten my fill for too many years. I fear my stomach has long shrunk from hunger, so whether my strength is truly great or not, I dare not say.”
The two chatted idly. Because Xie Ning spoke at length, Xiao Rong was content to play the role of a listener. Time flew by rapidly; seeing that the palace banquet was imminent, Xiao Rong instructed Su Hexiang to provide food for Xie Ning unconditionally while she herself departed to attend the palace banquet.
During the New Year’s Eve banquet, laughter and conversation filled the imperial palace as guests were treated to a lavish feast.
In the Princess Manor, dishes flowed like a running stream. Xie Ning did not stand on courtesy; given the opportunity to eat her fill and eat well, she was unwilling to waste it for nothing. Thus, by the time Xiao Rong returned from the palace, plates, bowls, and teacups had already piled high in the Eldest Princess’s kitchen, where servants gathered together in a crowd to wash them.
No matter how composed Xiao Rong usually was, she could hardly conceal her shock at this moment. “She ate this much all by herself?”
Su Hexiang replied, “Responding to the Princess, yes.”
Xiao Rong fell silent. A moment later, she asked again, “Where is she?”
Su Hexiang’s tone was complicated beyond words. “She is… she is vomiting.”
Xiao Rong knitted her brows, looking at Su Hexiang with suspicion.
Su Hexiang took a deep breath. “It is true, Your Highness. Miss Xie has been eating continuously from the time she returned to the manor until now. It’s just that later she began to vomit, and after vomiting, she wanted to eat again…”
Xiao Rong recalled what Xie Ning had said earlier. After pondering for a moment, she walked briskly toward the hall.
Xie Ning had just finished another round of vomiting. Feeling that her stomach had space once more, she was about to eat again when her wrist was suddenly caught.
Without turning around, Xie Ning recognized the visitor’s identity from that unique orchid fragrance under the heavens. Raising her head, she asked, “Your Highness?”
“One must learn restraint.” Xiao Rong pulled her wrist, instructing the servants, “Clear the food away!”
Xie Ning had not expected that after seventeen years of starvation, once her body was allowed to eat recklessly, it would be so uncontrollable. She watched blankly as the food was cleared away, her eyes filled with longing looking quite like a vivid young girl at this moment!
Xiao Rong found it amusing, thinking to herself: This Xie Ning appears composed, yet why does she act like a child when it comes to ‘food’?
Watching the dishes cleared away one by one, Xie Ning could not help but recall her past life. It had been the same back then; the only times she ever ate her fill were the days spent with Xiao Rong. Before and after that, whether at Bianyang Pass, in the Academy of Etiquette, or even after becoming the Crown Princess, she had been tortured by hunger every single moment. Even on that day when she leaped from Anding Gate, she had been starving how tragic!
Seeing that the longing in her eyes was genuine, Xiao Rong felt deeply moved. “General Xie has only you as a daughter; how could he bear to mistreat you so severely?”
Xie Ning froze for a moment, as if struck by a bolt out of the blue! After a brief moment of trance, a strange smile appeared on her face. “Indeed, if I were the only daughter, how could he bear to mistreat me so severely… why didn’t I think of that back then…”
Xiao Rong’s expression shifted slightly. “Back then?”
Xie Ning paused. “Back then when I was at Bianyang Pass.”
She was unwilling to say more. Looking at her, a strange feeling welled up in Xiao Rong’s heart, making her increasingly intrigued by Xie Ning. She really wanted to see how Xie Ning would react if she found out she was the Crown Princess personally designated by her Imperial Father. Thus, pretending to speak casually, she said, “You are someone set to become the Crown Princess” Xiao Rong looked at her with a smile. “Rest assured, as the dignified Crown Princess, living in luxury with fine food and rich clothes will be a given in the future!”