13 – I love this kind of suicidal thing the most.
Yuan Youdao had never been so infuriated in his life. After all, he was a first-rank guard who had grown up alongside the Young Master, usually stern-faced and with combat skills maxed out. Anyone who saw him would tremble three times. Except for the Young Master, no one had ever dared speak to him like this.
Moreover, the Crown Princess truly knew how to provoke with her words—sharp-tongued and piercing straight to the heart. He needed her help, yet he couldn’t do anything about her.
Shi Sui, having read the novel, knew exactly what kind of person Yuan Youdao was. Such people were easy to handle—you simply couldn’t indulge them. Shi Sui lightly tapped her fingers on the dried fruit plate, tracing the patterns of the white jade dish for a while. Since sitting down, she hadn’t stopped eating, and the plate of dried fruit was nearly empty. She lowered her eyelashes, occasionally glancing at Yuan Youdao’s expression, sometimes zoning out as she looked out the window. She wasn’t in a hurry anyway, just waiting for Yuan Youdao to think it over himself.
Sang Yun was guileless and, perhaps seeing Yuan Youdao’s face darken like this for the first time, couldn’t help but chuckle softly. The low, giggling laughter echoed throughout the room. Yuan Youdao shot Sang Yun an annoyed sidelong glance, but Sang Yun didn’t back down, sticking out her tongue at him in response.
After some thought, Yuan Youdao finally looked up and asked, “Then, Crown Princess… how do you plan to persuade the Young Master to attend court?”
Shi Sui replied nonchalantly, “By telling him directly, of course.”
“Directly?!” Yuan Youdao’s pupils trembled in shock. He knew Wen Nian’s temperament all too well. Once Wen Nian made a decision, anyone who kept pestering him about it was practically asking for trouble. Yuan Youdao said angrily, “Isn’t that just asking for death?”
Shi Sui perked up. “I love things that are asking for death.”
Yuan Youdao: “…”
For a moment, Yuan Youdao felt that the Crown Princess and the Young Master were truly a match made in heaven.
Shi Sui was amused by Yuan Youdao’s expression, thinking to herself that after dealing with one little white lotus, this cold-faced guard was also a source of joy for her. Hahahahaha, help her up—she could laugh a little longer!!
Yuan Youdao thought to himself that he should never have come—there wasn’t a single normal person here!
But just as he was about to stand up and leave, Shi Sui suddenly called out to him, saying, “Alright, let’s be sincere. Since we’re going to cooperate now.”
Yuan Youdao: “…” And you have the nerve to say that?
Shi Sui asked, “This Young Master… what are his usual hobbies?”
At this question, Yuan Youdao actually calmed down and thought about it… What hobbies did the Young Master have?
After thinking for a long time, did accompanying the Crown Princess for meals count?
Did asking about what novels the Crown Princess was reading every day count?
Did skipping court and idling around the residence all day count?
Uh… wait, novels?
Yuan Youdao said, “The Young Master likes to read novels.”
Hearing this, Shi Sui almost choked on her dried fruit.
Novels?
“You just accused me of sending you to spy on Wen Nian, but in the end…” Shi Sui sized up Yuan Youdao from head to toe and said angrily, “Didn’t he also send you to spy on me?”
Yuan Youdao asked curiously, “How did you know…”
“Do I look stupid to you?” Shi Sui said. “Last time, I just mentioned novels to Consort Li, and Wen Nian started reading novels right after. It doesn’t take much imagination to figure it out.”
Since Shi Sui was stating facts, Yuan Youdao didn’t feel like arguing.
Shi Sui asked, “What does he read?”
Yuan Youdao replied honestly, “Probably things like The Domineering Prince and the Charming Princess, My Innocent Maidservant—”
“Stop.” Shi Sui leaned back in her chair, laughing uncontrollably. She simply couldn’t picture Wen Nian sitting alone in his bedroom, holding those storybooks. Between giggles, she asked, “Are they illustrated?”
“Do they have those really exciting scenes? Hahaha!”
Shi Sui was practically floating with laughter. What she really wanted to ask was if there were any erotic illustrations, but she was afraid that if she said it outright, Yuan Youdao might swing his sword at her.
Besides, this little Wen Nian wasn’t that old yet. Shi Sui genuinely believed Wen Nian didn’t understand such matters between men and women. Otherwise, how could he possibly restrain himself with such a beautiful female lead at home?
So, to sum it up in one sentence, Shi Sui thought Wen Nian was too young to understand these things.
Yuan Youdao flushed red with anger and snapped, “…How would I know that!”
The original book mentioned that Yuan Youdao, the young guard by Wen Nian’s side, particularly loved jasmine flowers. This was a little secret of his, one that no one else knew. In the end, during the palace coup, Yuan Youdao fought to the death for Wen Nian and died in a jasmine garden. When Shi Sui read that part, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness, leaving a deep impression on her.
Most importantly… the image of a tough guy admiring jasmine flowers was just too impactful, wasn’t it!
“Alright, I’ll stop laughing.” Having laughed her fill, Shi Sui beckoned toward the door, calling someone in. She smiled and said, “I’ll take care of Wen Nian’s matter. But Guard Yuan, don’t forget what you promised me. To be safe, from now on, just speak directly to Sang Yun.”
Yuan Youdao: “…”
Shi Sui added, “Guard Yuan.”
Yuan Youdao stiffened, sensing nothing good was coming.
“Don’t just water your jasmine flowers, you know.” Shi Sui pointed outside and said with a smile, “Since I’ve agreed to help you, you should come take care of my little tomatoes occasionally too.”
Yuan Youdao was fuming. Even the Young Master had never ordered him around like this.
Seeing his silence, Shi Sui chuckled, “No reply?”
“Fine.” Shi Sui tapped her fingers on the table. “If anything happens to my little tomatoes, the first thing I’ll do is pull out all your jasmine plants. If we go down, we go down together.”
Hearing this, Yuan Youdao gritted his teeth and had no choice but to agree, “…This subordinate will take care of them.”
These past few days, Shi Sui focused on solving the issue of Wen Nian attending court, while also being intensely curious about what storybooks Wen Nian read every day. So, she spent several days immersed in the library.
Her original intention was to find a storybook to pass the time, but she was surprised to discover that the library was almost entirely filled with serious books—everything on statecraft, self-cultivation, and historical records was there. When she first arrived, Shi Sui was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Wen Nian, who usually seemed carefree and willful, to have some familiarity with such books.
Look at that, our little dark flower is quite the cultured one.
Before her book transmigration, Shi Sui was a top student majoring in history. She had studied diligently for ten years, only to choke to death on a steamed bun. Well, enough said—it’s all tears.
In short, Shi Sui finally found something to pass the time. She became engrossed in reading history books and found it quite interesting.
With books for company these past few days, Shi Sui hadn’t spoken much to Sang Yun or Zhuye. Worried that Shi Sui, being new here and fearless like a newborn calf, might offend Wen Nian and end up dead without knowing how, Zhuye seized the moment when Shi Sui was resting her eyes during a boring reading session to cautiously say, “Crown Princess…”
Shi Sui slowly opened her eyes, shifted into a more comfortable position as she lay on her stomach, lifted her head and blinked, her voice still a bit hoarse. “What is it?”
“Crown Princess, actually, His Highness is not as gentle as you think…” Zhuye’s voice was very soft, just loud enough for Shi Sui to hear.
In truth, Shi Sui understood Wen Nian’s character all too well, and Zhuye likely only meant to remind her not to court death. It was well-intentioned, after all, so Shi Sui responded with a smile, “Mm, I know.”
Zhuye thought to herself, What do you know? With the way you court death every day, I’m holding my breath for you.
“That’s not it.” Zhuye sighed. “Crown Princess, you may not know this, but before, there was a maid who was killed just for stealing a glance at the Young Master.”
Shi Sui perked up, propping her head up with a smile as she asked, echoing Zhuye’s words, “Mm, and then?”
“And then the Young Master…” Zhuye drew a sharp breath. “He drew his sword and killed her on the spot. That maid died instantly, and it was a gruesome death.”
Though Shi Sui had mentally prepared herself for such things, she still faintly felt that Wen Nian wasn’t the type to kill without reason—at least, based on her interactions with him over the past few days, she didn’t think he was.
So this statement required further scrutiny. Shi Sui quietly pondered this but didn’t forget to reply to Zhuye. She asked, “Just for stealing a glance at the Young Master?”
Zhuye nodded and sighed again, seemingly worried about her own future as well.
Shi Sui, however, remained carefree. She lifted her hand to prop her head on a few books, lying flat on her back as she gazed at the ceiling. Her almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright, glistening with moisture. She smiled and said, “Well, that’s fine too.”
Zhuye: “Huh?”
“Then you should start planning your escape routes early,” Shi Sui said leisurely. “Maybe one day I’ll be gone too.”
“…”
That day, Shi Sui was once again immersed in reading in the library. She preferred to read while lying on her stomach, with no regard for proper posture. Because her ruqun was too thick, she often liked to pull the hem up, exposing her slender, jade-like calves as she lay there reading.
Wen Nian had been searching for her for quite some time and finally found her in the library. When Zhuye saw Wen Nian enter, she nearly fainted from fright and hurriedly reminded Shi Sui, “Crown Princess! Crown Princess! Mind your posture! And your clothes!”
Sang Yun, however, didn’t see anything wrong with it. She quite liked Shi Sui’s carefree, unrestrained, and unpretentious nature—it was as if no rules could bind her.
Sometimes, Sang Yun even felt that the Crown Princess resembled a little princess from the grasslands, free-spirited and yearning for freedom.
Shi Sui shifted her position as she lay on her stomach, glancing in Wen Nian’s direction. She lazily reached out to pull her skirt down, but before she could even touch it, she heard Wen Nian say to Zhuye:
“You may leave. This doesn’t concern you.”
Zhuye: “?”
Shi Sui: “…”
Wen Nian sat down beside her with a smile, looking at Shi Sui as he couldn’t help but chuckle. “The food must be good. You’ve gained quite a bit of weight.”
Shi Sui: “…” How embarrassing. The food is too good, and any weight gain shows on my face immediately.
“Actually, it feels nice too,” Shi Sui said naturally, placing his hand on her cheek with pride. “Here, don’t be shy.”
Wen Nian chuckled softly, gently poking the dimple on Shi Sui’s cheek as he smiled and said, “You do look much better than before. I think you should stay plump.”
Shi Sui sighed, lamenting, “What’s the use of a chubby face when the places that should gain weight don’t.”
As she spoke, Shi Sui lowered her head to glance at her own chest. Perhaps her movement was too obvious, as Wen Nian instinctively followed her gaze downward.
Wen Nian: “…” Couldn’t understand what she was thinking about all day.