Even the young male courtesans were led out of the garden.
Xiao Rong stood rooted to the spot, looking down from her high vantage at the thin, withered girl before her. She truly had not expected that a girl who looked as frail as a refugee could cause such a commotion.
And yet… the Xie Ning who had raised such a storm seemed somehow different.
Xiao Rong stood quietly, evaluating her without revealing any emotion, when she suddenly realized what it was: it was Xie Ning’s eyes.
When they first met, Xie Ning seemed like a timid young girl lacking her own opinions, constantly keeping her head lowered as she followed behind Madame Xie like a lifeless shadow. Later, when they shared the palanquin, she remained utterly ordinary. As for Xie Ning during dinner last night, her image was even further from proper grace.
Yet right at this moment…
Xie Ning looked at her with eyes burning with intensity.
That frail, withered body seemed to suddenly burst forth with boundless strength. Her beautiful almond eyes in particular carried a clear, pure light, filled with an unyielding stubbornness that no one could ignore. Like a scorching beam of light, it pierced straight through Xiao Rong’s ice-cold countenance and settled deep into her heart, scalding Xiao Rong into an unexpected tremor of emotion.
Xiao Rong finally looked at her properly. As their gazes met, Xiao Rong felt a throbbing sensation that seemed to come from the very depths of her soul. The nightmare involuntarily surfaced in her mind once more. In that bad dream, it should have been impossible to see Xie Ning’s eyes, yet Xiao Rong outside the dream felt as if she had seen them clearly. Within those beautiful eyes belonging to Xie Ning lay both agony and total release. Those eyes had cast one final, distant look at her a brief glance carrying ten thousand unuttered words before vanishing forever into nothingness.
For a single instant, the gaze in the dream and the Xie Ning in front of her seemed to merge into one, leaving Xiao Rong briefly entranced, unable to distinguish whether this moment was a dream or reality.
However, Xie Ning’s next words quickly forced Xiao Rong back to her senses and to a swift decision.
Xie Ning said, “Princess, I know that keeping male courtesans is merely a facade for you. In truth, you want to use them as a cover to cultivate your own power.”
The moment her words landed, Xiao Rong drew her long sword with a sharp shing, the point resting directly against Xie Ning’s throat. Her mouth, however, offered a calm cover: “Miss Xie, do not talk nonsense. This Princess merely keeps a few men for amusement. While worldly opinion might whisper slightly, it is hardly a matter of great consequence.”
Xie Ning glanced down at the tip of the blade resting at her neck. The cold, sharp edge instinctively forced her to swallow. With that slight movement, her throat pressed directly against the point of the sword. In a flash, Xie Ning felt as if the sharp blade had already drawn a tiny speck of blood upon her skin.
She calmed herself, realizing that her sudden recklessness had aroused Xiao Rong’s intent to kill. Yet she did not regret it. There were words she had wanted to say in her past life but lacked the opportunity to express; now that she had a second chance, she needed to state everything clearly early on. She merely needed to be slightly more tactful, lest she push the Eldest Princess too far and end up losing her small life to a single sword strike.
Xie Ning let out a soft breath. “Her Highness the Eldest Princess has always kept herself clean and possessed an outstanding reputation. Yet now you harbor male courtesans in secret. I venture to guess that if Your Highness is not doing this to cultivate power, then you are doing it to ruin your own reputation, making noble scions who match your status afraid to seek your hand in marriage.”
Hearing this, Xiao Rong narrowed her eyes. Pushing the long sword forward slightly, she pressed it firmly against Xie Ning’s throat, blood oozing from the tip. “Miss Xie’s words are even more absurd. Which woman under the heavens does not long for a good husband, so that husband and wife may live in perfect harmony?”
Xie Ning raised her hand and pinched Xiao Rong’s blade, stopping her from thrusting it any further forward, and said softly, “Women under the heavens may be so, but Her Highness the Eldest Princess is not necessarily the same. Besides, the world is vast; how many women has Your Highness actually met to conclude that everyone wishes to find a good husband? For instance, you do not want to, and neither do I.”
She raised her head, looking straight at Xiao Rong, uttering every word deliberately: “Your Highness said last night that the Crown Princess will live in luxury with fine food and rich clothes in the future I detest the imperial palace most in my life, and I have zero desire to become any Crown Princess.”
Xiao Rong’s gaze sharpened as she stared into Xie Ning’s eyes, yet from those beautiful eyes, she read only firm resolve and sincerity. The Eldest Princess was clearly not someone easily persuaded, but the blade indeed ceased moving forward. “Miss Xie is quite a remarkable person. Who doesn’t desire wealth, rank, and supreme power? You are someone favored by Imperial Father, and he intends to betroth you as the Crown Princess. This means that once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, you will be the Empress. That is the highest, ultimate glory in a woman’s life. How can Miss Xie speak so lightly of rejecting it?”
Reaching this point, Xiao Rong’s voice softened slightly. “Miss Xie’s words are somewhat treacherous. They not only disappoint Imperial Father’s heart but could easily implicate the Xie family as well. I hope Miss Xie speaks with caution.”
Xie Ning knew this meant Xiao Rong did not trust her. Naturally so if the Eldest Princess were so easily trusting of others, she would never have reached the high position to contend with the Crown Prince in the future. How should one put it? Fortunately, the Eldest Princess was only just beginning to show her sharp edges, and Xie Ning still had time.
Most importantly, Xie Ning understood Xiao Rong far better than Xiao Rong thought.
“I am naturally lazy, dislike scheming, and have always called a spade a spade,” Xie Ning said. “The Emperor intends for me to be the Crown Princess merely because he favors my father, extending his affection to solidify my father’s loyalty. What the Emperor does not know, however, is that bestowing a marriage upon me will not make my father any more loyal. I am merely the Xie family’s daughter in name; I am not the weakness Xie Yuanshan truly cares about.”
Xiao Rong’s eyes flickered, yet she did not pick up her words.
Xie Ning’s gaze fell upon the gleaming blade. “There is something Your Highness does not know. My father has an illegitimate son, merely four years younger than me. He is raised among ordinary wealthy households at Bianyang Pass and currently bears the surname Ma, living in the home of the wealthy merchant Ma Youcai, named Ma Xiaohu.”
“Ma Youcai built his fortune trading horses and is considered a comfortable, well-to-do household in Bianyang Pass.”
“My father treasures this son deeply. Furthermore, because Ma Xiaohu possesses natural Herculean strength just like me, he is prime material for the military. Fearing that the Emperor might force him into military service, my father concealed his existence, desiring only that he grow up in peace. Years of continuous warfare have long broken my father’s health; in all these years, Ma Xiaohu is his only son. He treats him like a precious gem, holding him dearer than his own eyes and unwilling to let him suffer the slightest hardship. If the Emperor were to bestow a marriage upon Ma Xiaohu, that would truly grasp Xie Yuanshan’s lifeblood. Bestowing a marriage upon me is merely scratching an itch through a boot, while ruining my entire life in the process.”
When Xie Ning finished, Xiao Rong fell silent for a moment. She knew in her heart that what Xie Ning said was mostly true if this were false, wouldn’t it be exposed the moment she sent someone to verify it? Only at this moment did Xiao Rong begin to somewhat believe Xie Ning.
She shifted her sword slightly. Understanding her gesture, Xie Ning released her grip, and Xiao Rong sheathed the long sword.
“Even if Miss Xie possesses such aspirations, the Emperor’s power is unpredictable. If you disobey, I fear it will bring about calamity,” Xiao Rong remarked, her tone softening as she picked up the conversation.
Xie Ning replied, “Your Highness can rest assured on this point; I have my own methods.” It was just that the path she intended to walk differed from Xiao Rong’s. She lacked the meticulous patience to plan step-by-step like the Eldest Princess, nor did she have that much time to scheme. After all, her fate was already hanging right before her doors; if she could not make a swift and decisive cut, she would soon repeat the same disastrous mistakes.
She had to make the Emperor abandon this thought completely before he issued the decree for her to enter the Academy of Etiquette.
As long as she did not enter the Academy of Etiquette, she would not become the Crown Princess, nor would she become entangled with Xiao Rong again due to circumstances beyond her control.
Xie Ning remembered that in her past life, the reason she met Xiao Rong in the Academy of Etiquette was that the Emperor had the Imperial Astronomer calculate Xiao Rong’s marital prospects, claiming that the Princess’s destined partner would appear during the Shangsi Festival. Though Xiao Rong held utter disdain in her heart, she feigned immense joy on the surface. Without another word, she dressed in male attire with great fanfare, leading people to roam across the capital on the day of the Shangsi Festival. Towards evening, exhausted, she returned to the palace and wandered near the Academy of Etiquette to steal a moment of peace, only to be misunderstood by Xie Ning.
Xiao Rong’s expression remained serene, making it impossible to discern her thoughts. “Why are you telling me all this?”
Xie Ning’s statements were far too out of line not only betraying her biological father, General Xie, but also handing over the secret regarding Ma Xiaohu, effectively surrendering Xie Yuanshan’s weakness directly into Xiao Rong’s hands. This filled Xiao Rong’s mind with doubts.
Xie Ning had no way to answer. She simply did not want Xiao Rong to scheme using affection as she had in her past life. Even though she had no intention of drawing close to Xiao Rong in this life, she still held a faint glimmer of hope, wishing that Xiao Rong would not be filled entirely with calculation when dealing with feelings. Furthermore, since she had already decided to stay far away from Xiao Rong, she wanted to say all the unsaid words from her past life at once.
Xie Ning even thought to herself: if Xiao Rong had controlled the Crown Prince by seizing Xie Yuanshan’s lifeblood right from the start back then, would things have ended up differently between them? Of course, this was merely a fantasy; in her past life, she had only learned about the existence of this younger brother very late. If she possessed no value to be utilized by Xiao Rong, perhaps Xiao Rong would never have drawn near her in the first place.
“I stumbled upon one of Your Highness’s secrets,” Xie Ning lowered her eyes, her tone bordering on cold detachment. “Naturally, I must return a secret of my own. An exchange of equal measure, with neither owing the other. I ask the Princess to spare my life.”
Xiao Rong narrowed her eyes, her thoughts surging unpredictably. She stared intently at Xie Ning, feeling only that Xie Ning’s disposition was exceptionally difficult to fathom.
It was far too different. Xie Ning’s calm, cold tone and her words begging for mercy formed two extreme opposites like ice and fire merging together. Though difficult to grasp, it allowed the sharp Eldest Princess to catch a subtle glimpse of the calm before a storm.
She sensed an indescribable, burning intensity from Xie Ning, like an extreme madness suppressed beneath an iceberg, capable of dragging everyone in to perish together!
Intuition told Xiao Rong that it was best to stay away from this person, otherwise she would likely prove to be immense trouble. Yet in truth, at this very moment, Xiao Rong could hardly tear her eyes away. The madness she smelled on Xie Ning carried a intense sense of losing control extremely dangerous, yet drawing Xiao Rong closer against her own will. It felt like cutting through a knot with a sharp knife, breaking through ten thousand obstacles with sheer force: no matter how the opponent moved, this side simply charged straight through!
It was foolish and awkward, yet undeniably exhilarating! If given the choice, who would willingly live a life bound by rules, weighed down by endless reservations? Planning meticulously and advancing step-by-step did not guarantee a win in the end; it merely yielded slightly better odds.
Xiao Rong held the hilt of her sword in silence. In the end, she differed from Xie Ning and could not charge around recklessly as Xie Ning did. She spoke only: “Do not tell this to anyone else. If you encounter difficulties in the future, you may come find me.”
This was a trade, as well as a promise.
Xie Ning knew clearly in her heart that Xiao Rong had not come to trust her completely because of this. Xiao Rong was simply adept at weighing trade-offs and was willing to offer tolerance and patience. Thus, even knowing that given Xie Ning’s current predicament, such a promise inevitably carried immense risks, she still gave it.
Xie Ning did not count on receiving her help. In fact, the moment she stepped out of the Princess Manor today, she and Xiao Rong would become strangers. Yet she did not refute it either, though her heart was filled with complex emotions. Across two lifetimes, this was the very first time Xiao Rong had offered her a promise so clearly and explicitly. Regrettably, this promise would never need to be fulfilled again.
“Alright,” Xie Ning agreed. Stepping around Xiao Rong to leave, she was stopped by Xiao Rong once more. Xiao Rong retrieved a silk handkerchief from her person; just as she stepped forward, Xie Ning instinctively took a step back. Xiao Rong halted her pace and handed over the handkerchief. “There is blood on your neck.”
Xie Ning took it, lightly wiping away the specks of blood on her throat. She then heard Xiao Rong speak again, “You seem somewhat afraid of me.”
Xie Ning’s movements paused, her tone cool: “Her Highness the Eldest Princess holds a noble status; it is only proper that this humble daughter treats you with awe and respect.”
Because of Xiao Rong’s unexpected question, Xie Ning’s thoughts were slightly disrupted. Finishing with the silk handkerchief and knowing that Xiao Rong never used a handkerchief twice, she instinctively slipped it into her sleeve.
Seeing this movement and hearing her words of “awe and respect,” Xiao Rong’s eyes carried a half-smile. “Ah Xiang, bring the wound medicine.”
Xiao Rong said nothing else besides this. She merely felt that Xie Ning was truly interesting: speaking of awe and respect on her lips as if she were truly terrified, yet taking her silk handkerchief with a familiarity that suggested she had performed the action thousands of times, slipping it straight into her sleeve which minister’s daughter who was truly in awe of the Princess, upon finishing with her handkerchief, would make no move to return it, but instead act as if she knew her habits completely and stowed it away herself?
This Xie Ning clearly harbored quite a few secrets on her body.
Xiao Rong was in no hurry either. Xie Ning had a peculiar disposition that could not be rushed; there would be plenty of time in the future to dig out her secrets.
The Eldest Princess thought to herself that she was naturally willing to respect everyone’s secrets provided that the secret was held in her own hands.
Su Hexiang did not know what the Eldest Princess and Xie Ning had discussed. Seeing the blood droplets on Xie Ning’s neck, she surmised that the conversation had not gone smoothly. She retrieved her fine wound ointment and was about to apply it to Xie Ning, only to be refused by Xie Ning. After applying it herself, Xie Ning did not return the ointment either.
Su Hexiang looked as if she wanted to speak but stopped. Watching Xie Ning’s practiced motion of slipping it into her sleeve, Xiao Rong nearly burst out laughing. Not wanting Su Hexiang to demand it back, she spoke up first: “Miss Xie, Manager Liu, the decree-announcing eunuch, has been waiting in the front hall for a long time. He will escort you back to the General’s Manor.”
Xie Ning took a step forward.
Watching her receding back, Xiao Rong felt a sudden stir in her heart for some unknown reason, abruptly calling out to her, “Xie Ning—”
Xie Ning turned back. “Hmm?”
“I keep my word. If you have a need in the future, feel free to seek me out.” Xiao Rong paid no mind to her lack of honorifics.
Hearing this, Xie Ning suddenly let out a smile, though she said nothing. She merely offered a slight bow as a farewell, turning away toward the front hall without looking back once.
In her past life, she had spent the New Year’s Eve banquet all alone in the General’s Manor. Early the next morning, she had met Manager Liu bringing a mountain of rewards, showering her with overwhelming praise. Back then, she had been thoroughly bewildered, unable to comprehend why the palace eunuchs liked her so much, her face flushing bright red from the compliments completely unaware that it marked the opening curtain of the second half of her life.
Now, she was going to tear this opening curtain apart with her own hands!