7 – Little Highness, He’s Got a Screw Loose – At Worst, We Die Together
Shi Sui looked at his smile and breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. Regardless of whether this little black flower believed her or not, she had at least made her stance clear.
First, there was truly nothing between her and Mu He at the moment. Even if he wanted to investigate, he wouldn’t find anything. Moreover, she had already said she only saw Mu He as an older brother. Shi Sui didn’t believe Wen Nian could force a “domineering older brother falls in love with me” storyline onto her.
Second, jade pendants of this material were a dime a dozen. If Wen Nian couldn’t find the original pendant, no matter how suspicious he was, he would likely start wondering whether he had misremembered it back then. So, the key issue was whether Shi Sui could keep that hot potato—the original jade pendant—safe.
The little black flower had a strange sense of humor and didn’t seem quite normal. Shi Sui slowly yawned, then tugged at the youth’s sleeve. Shi Sui had always been skilled at pleasing others, naturally choosing words they wanted to hear. So, she pitifully said, “Um, Dong… Zhi? I’m sleepy.”
For some reason, Shi Sui genuinely didn’t seem to fear Wen Nian much, nor did she think he would harm her or do anything to her. Although Wen Nian often talked about fighting and killing, Shi Sui didn’t believe he would actually hurt her. She couldn’t help but wonder—was this her self-awareness as the female lead who knew the script?
Moreover, Wen Nian responded better to softness than to force. As long as Shi Sui acted spoiled, he would indulge her in almost anything.
Wen Nian slightly curved his lips, teasing her on purpose: “What did you call me?”
Shi Sui endured the humiliation: “Dong Zhi.”
A flicker of surprise appeared in Wen Nian’s eyes, but he didn’t dwell on the topic. He simply replied, “Sleep.”
Shi Sui: You’re not planning to watch me sleep, are you? That’s creepy, you know?
Shi Sui wore an expression that said, “You unreasonable lunatic,” feeling somewhat at a loss because of his unpredictable behavior. Since he didn’t play by the rules, Shi Sui was also troubled. She simply picked up her chopsticks to grab the last piece of sweet and sour pork from the plate, but she failed to hold it, and the last piece fell onto the table.
Shi Sui’s heart ached—she genuinely felt sorry for wasting food. After an internal struggle, she decided to pick it up, blow on it, and continue eating. But before she could move her chopsticks, the youth sitting across from her spoke:
“What, you still want to pick it up and eat it?”
Shi Sui: “…”
The youth glanced at the table full of food that had been completely cleared and asked, “Still hungry?”
Shi Sui felt his words sounded more like, “You sure can eat.”
So, Shi Sui held her chopsticks, fell silent for a moment, and subconsciously stared at her own hands in a daze. Her nails were neatly trimmed, her fingers were slender with distinct joints, and her skin was pale and cool. She admired her hands for quite a while, truly composed, as if she could wait until dawn if Wen Nian didn’t speak.
The youth watched her for a while and, seeing she had no intention of speaking, slowly stood up and said casually, “I won’t disturb you anymore. Sleep first.”
Quite polite.
Adhering to the principle of speaking less and avoiding trouble, Shi Sui naturally knew that to survive here, one couldn’t be too curious. So, she didn’t ask further and immediately agreed with Wen Nian’s words. Perhaps this little black flower had something to attend to. After all, they hadn’t performed the wedding ceremony, and all unnecessary rituals had been skipped. Maybe they didn’t even have a wedding night tradition here.
So, after seeing Wen Nian off, Shi Sui quickly burrowed under the covers. Exhausted from the day, she was extremely sleepy and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Shi Sui felt like she had just fallen asleep, not even starting to dream, when someone gently squeezed her wrist. It didn’t hurt, but the person was quite patient, squeezing it again. Shi Sui gave in and slowly opened her eyes to see Wen Nian standing beside her.
Shi Sui: “…” Why are you back?
The Youth stood right next to her. Shi Sui had a habit of keeping a lamp lit while sleeping, as she was somewhat afraid of the dark. The flickering candlelight illuminated a corner of the room, casting a soft, fuzzy halo around the Youth’s slender and frail figure. He lowered his gaze, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and his dark, moist eyes stared directly at her.
Shi Sui: Hmm, even a beauty trap wouldn’t work on me, okay?
So, with great awareness, she threw off the covers and sat up. Before she could even gather her thoughts, the Youth pointed to the table nearby and said, “Weren’t you still hungry?”
Shi Sui instinctively let out an “Ah?” without quite grasping the situation.
It wasn’t until she saw what was on the table that Shi Sui understood everything.
Uh… it was a steaming plate of sweet and sour pork.
This little black flower really went to great lengths, having the kitchen prepare another portion for her late at night.
But Shi Sui thought that even if she was full, she should eat it—she couldn’t let down the little black flower’s kindness, right? So, she graciously walked over to the table and treated it as a late-night snack.
However, whether the chef was slacking off at night or something else, the taste this time was far worse than the first. As a food enthusiast, Shi Sui immediately voiced her opinion: “It’s not as good as the first time. It’s a bit too salty.”
“Hmm?” the Youth said good-naturedly. “Then I’ll use less salt next time.”
Shi Sui: Holy crap.
Is it too late to take that back?
After that, Wen Nian didn’t say much more before leaving. Shi Sui looked at the plate of sweet and sour pork on the table. It actually looked quite appealing—it was just a bit too salty. She genuinely disliked wasting food.
So, Shi Sui silently picked up her chopsticks and slowly finished the entire plate of sweet and sour pork, which looked good but was deceptively salty. After eating, she drank a whole pot of water, feeling parched.
At first, Yuan Youdao, the guard, genuinely disliked Shi Sui. Having grown up with Wen Nian, he understood the Young Master’s temperament and thought he was just indulging in a whim or deliberately provoking the Emperor by insisting on marrying a woman with no power, no background, and nothing but a pretty face as his official wife.
Later, however, he heard that a fortune-teller had calculated their Four Pillars of Destiny, and it turned out that the Little Princess was truly a husband-killer. Yuan Youdao was almost furious—what kind of cursed star was she? Wasn’t she just a disaster? She wasn’t even as good as Consort Li!
Moreover, this woman seemed quite cunning, always managing to make the Young Master laugh. She even insisted on having him accompany her for every meal out of jealousy—wasn’t that just nonsense?
Now, rumors were spreading throughout the capital that the Crown Prince was bewitched by a woman, loving beauty over his kingdom! Yuan Youdao was so angry he felt like having a heart attack and repeatedly tried to subtly remind the Young Master.
That night, under the bright moonlight, Wen Nian lowered his gaze, his fingers gently rubbing the jade pendant he had obtained from Shi Sui. He stared at the patterns on the pendant, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. The pendant looked familiar, yet as Shi Sui had said, it wasn’t particularly rare. Besides, if Shi Sui truly liked Mu He, he had given her the chance—why hadn’t she left with him that day?
Could it be that he had misjudged her?
Wen Nian sat for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Yuan Youdao, seeing the Young Master so earnestly pondering a matter for the first time, felt somewhat gratified and didn’t have the heart to interrupt his thoughts. After standing by for quite a while, Wen Nian suddenly blurted out:
“She actually ate all the sweet and sour pork I made?”
Hearing this, Yuan Youdao almost thought he’d gone deaf. He leaned in closer, wanting to confirm whether his ears were still functional, only to hear Young Master Wen repeat:
“She actually finished it all?”
His tone was both astonished and pleased.
Yuan Youdao: “…”
Yuan Youdao reckoned this couldn’t go on, so he mustered his courage and said, “Your Highness, rumors are spreading in the capital that Little Princess Shi might know some sorcery, to have captured your attention so thoroughly. I think—”
Wen Nian didn’t care in the slightest. “Let them think what they want.”
Yuan Youdao choked back his words and changed tack. “Your Highness, I made some inquiries in Guyu County. The Crown Princess’s reputation… isn’t exactly favorable.”
Wen Nian lowered his gaze to the jade pendant, responding indifferently, “Oh? Is that so?”
Yuan Youdao: “I’ve heard that the Crown Princess was already betrothed to a man long ago. They grew up together, childhood sweethearts, two peas in a—”
Before Yuan Youdao could finish, the Youth interrupted with a laugh, “Yuan Youdao, after all this time by my side, have you only learned to gossip behind people’s backs?”
His tone was unhurried, almost teasing, but Yuan Youdao knew Wen Nian was already a little angry.
Yuan Youdao said, “This subordinate knows his mistake.”
“If you’re truly idle, you can go chop down the trees in the courtyard.”
Knowing he’d spoken out of turn, Yuan Youdao immediately fell silent.
Wen Nian shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. He had never liked learning about someone through others’ words, especially since Shi Sui was right beside him. There was plenty of time to get to know her himself—why bother with hearsay?
Yuan Youdao sighed inwardly. The Young Master usually seemed to act without rhyme or reason, but he was stubborn and not easily swayed. This matter truly couldn’t be rushed.
Wen Nian asked, “What about that Mu He? Any progress?”
Yuan Youdao replied, “After fleeing from the forced marriage that day, he turned back halfway and returned to the capital. He’s now a retainer at General Wang’s residence.”
“Oh?” Wen Nian chuckled. “He dares to come to the capital? It seems his feelings run deep indeed.”
Yuan Youdao was loyal, brave, and resourceful, and Wen Nian trusted him deeply, sharing almost everything with him. Yuan Youdao quickly grasped the implication in Wen Nian’s words and asked, “Your Highness, should I find an opportunity to eliminate him? To cut off any future troubles.”
The Youth gave a slight curl of his lips and said only, “What’s the hurry?”
Not long after, a maidservant arrived carrying a bowl of medicinal soup. She was clearly afraid of Wen Nian, trembling slightly as she bowed and said haltingly, “Y-Your Highness… this is the medicinal soup His Majesty sent for you…”
Wen Nian merely glanced at the bowl, acting particularly willful. “Don’t want to drink it. Pour it out.”
The maidservant fell to her knees with a thud. “Y-Your Highness…”
Yuan Youdao frowned, thinking it was useless. He’d tried to persuade him many times, using various methods, but Wen Nian simply refused to take medicine. No matter how effective the remedy, he wouldn’t drink it, and begging was futile.
Wen Nian said leisurely, “The imperial physician said that if I don’t take medicine, this frail body of mine will last at most until I’m twenty-five or twenty-six?”
The maidservant was too terrified to even breathe, prostrating herself on the ground and trembling uncontrollably.
“That’s enough.” Wen Nian said with a smile, “But before I die, if I’m not going to have it easy, I won’t let them have it easy either. At worst, we’ll all die together.”
Wen Nian smiled, revealing two small canine teeth, looking both cute and cunning. He tossed the jade pendant in his hand and laughed, “Right, doesn’t Li Yue always say she likes me? When the time comes, I’ll have her die with me. On the road to the underworld, I’ll need some company.”
Yuan Youdao: “…”
The maid: “…”
Yuan Youdao didn’t know what to say for a moment. After thinking for a long while, he suddenly remembered that meddlesome Crown Princess and had an idea. He asked, “Then… what about the Crown Princess?”
Hearing this, the Youth’s smile slowly faded. He lowered his gaze to the jade pendant in his hand, lost in thought. From Yuan Youdao’s perspective, half of his face was immersed in darkness, obscure and unclear.
For a long time, the Youth said nothing.