Winning His Heart
The vermilion-lacquered carriage left the bustling streets behind, and pedestrians gradually grew scarce. Tall, slender bamboo along the roadside occasionally swept past the carriage windows, their green shadows swaying.
Without warning, the carriage wheels came to an abrupt halt.
“Who dares block the road? This is the Princess Consort of Prince Su’s carriage. Make way at once!” a personal guard shouted from outside.
Xia Ruochu was engrossed in her book and paid no attention to the commotion outside.
On the second day after her wedding, the new bride was going alone to pay her respects to Old Madam Xiao. Xiao Chengyi’s grandmother, who was also the Emperor’s maternal aunt, lived in an imperial-bestowed residence on the outskirts of Lin’an City.
Naturally, the groom would not accompany her. The servants said that Prince Su had urgent matters to attend to and had departed in such haste that he had already left the city before dawn.
Xia Ruochu had expected him not to come anyway, so she was actually quite pleased to have some freedom.
Every personal guard from the Prince’s residence wore a saber at his waist, and the entire entourage naturally commanded an imposing presence. Ordinarily, pedestrians and passing carriages would all take the initiative to give way.
However, even after some time had passed, the road ahead remained blocked.
A personal guard reported from outside the curtain, “Your Highness, someone refuses to give way. It’s County Princess Changle.”
Xia Ruochu raised her head.
She had lost her patience so quickly?
Someone had calculated that Xia Ruochu would be alone and could hardly wait to come looking for trouble.
She lifted the carriage curtain half an inch and saw the embroidered, pearl-adorned tips of a pair of shoes descend from the carriage opposite. A figure dressed in pale yellow stepped gracefully down, the pearl hair ornament swaying gently, lending her an especially noble air.
“Whoever is in that carriage, come out,” the woman demanded arrogantly. “Who in the capital doesn’t know that His Highness Prince Su never performed the wedding rites? You’re merely the daughter of a third-rank marquis. Why haven’t you gotten out of the carriage to pay your respects to this County Princess?”
Xia Ruochu remembered that face.
No wonder the personal guards had not dared act on their own.
Zhao Shu, the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Rong.
The Duke of Rong was a descendant of one of the founding meritorious officials, and the imperial family had always treated his household with exceptional courtesy. Naturally, Zhao Shu had been pampered and indulged in every possible way, leaving her so spoiled that she looked down on everyone.
The decline of the Shen family had much to do with the Duke of Rong’s residence.
Back then, the precious medicinal herbs the Shen family had procured for the imperial palace were declared inferior goods by the Imperial Household Department. Not only were all the herbs confiscated, but every business under the Shen family was also seized and turned over to the state.
Later, all those medicinal herbs and businesses ended up in the hands of the Duke of Rong’s residence. Some of them subsequently changed hands several times before becoming Madam Liu’s private property.
Xia Ruochu had been far too straightforward. At a family banquet, she had openly accused Madam Liu of colluding with the Duke’s residence, only to be beaten under the family rules until her skin split and her flesh was torn.
Ever since then, she had become a thorn in the side of the Duke of Rong’s residence.
To make matters worse, Zhao Shu was infatuated with Xiao Chengyi.
Madam Liu had once casually mentioned that, to curry favor with Old Madam Xiao, Zhao Shu had paid her respects every morning and evening without fail for three consecutive years. The Duke of Rong’s household had pulled strings at every level to secure the position of Princess Consort of Prince Su, and even the Xia residence had been forced to contribute a considerable sum of silver.
In the past, Xia Ruochu had paid little attention to this. Thinking about it now, she realized that, through an unexpected turn of events, she had actually snatched away the man this young lady of the Duke’s residence held dear.
Outside the carriage, Zhao Shu had waited a long time without receiving a response and had completely lost her patience.
“Have you spent so long in the mountains that you’ve forgotten all sense of propriety and shame? Or has exposure to the wind and sun made you so ugly that you don’t dare let anyone see your face?”
Before Zhao Shu could finish speaking, the carriage curtain was lifted.
Supporting herself on Bihan’s hand, Xia Ruochu stepped gracefully down from the carriage. She came to a stop with a smile, standing directly beneath the gentle autumn sunlight.
Her snow-white skin was so delicate that even the faint pink flush beneath its surface was clearly visible. Her lips were a tender red, like freshly blossomed peach petals.
She possessed the dignified bearing of a Princess Consort, while her light makeup gave her an air of fresh, refined elegance.
“Have you looked enough?” Xia Ruochu asked, neither angry nor irritated. “According to the rules of etiquette, my rank is equal to that of a prince. Yet you blocked my carriage and spoke so rudely. County Princess, you truly have excellent manners. As expected of a descendant of the Duke of Rong.”
Since she was going to offend Zhao Shu anyway, she might as well insult both father and daughter together.
Zhao Shu’s expression darkened. “You’re still as sharp-tongued as ever. No wonder His Highness Prince Su dislikes someone as cold and dull as you.”
“County Princess, you’re certainly warm and interesting. But has your beloved His Highness Prince Su ever promised to marry you?” Xia Ruochu chuckled softly. “Then, as your elder sister, I advise you to study proper etiquette carefully. Being a concubine isn’t easy.”
“Xia Ruochu! How dare you humiliate me and insult the Duke’s residence?”
“Mm, I dare.” Xia Ruochu nodded earnestly. “Why else would I have gotten out of the carriage if not to humiliate you?”
Zhao Shu froze.
Something seemed wrong.
In the past, Xia Ruochu had always tried to maintain the dignity and propriety expected of the legitimate daughter of a marquis’s household. Even when others slandered her and branded her a wicked woman, she would only clumsily argue her case, looking foolish and ridiculous.
Xia Ruochu must have thought that entering Prince Su’s residence gave her the right to behave arrogantly. Most hateful of all was that beautiful face of hers. Zhao Shu would not be satisfied until she saw Xia Ruochu suffering so terribly that she wished she were dead.
“Your mouth has grown even more defiant.” Jealousy and hatred surged in Zhao Shu’s eyes. “It seems those whippings didn’t teach you to behave, and even your mother’s death failed to teach you fear.”
At those words, a shadow fell over Xia Ruochu’s eyes.
The memories belonging to this body suddenly surged into her mind, and her fingertips dug forcefully into her palms.
How many nights had she endured at Qiyun Temple, when the whip lashed mercilessly against her body, leaving her staggering through the day, barely able to function?
Before her old wounds could heal, new ones were inflicted. The pain intertwined with boundless loneliness. Had it not been for a kindhearted Daoist nun who protected her, she would have died in those mountains long ago.
Just as Xia Ruochu was momentarily distracted, Zhao Shu suddenly snatched the horsewhip from the coachman’s hand and lashed it straight at her face!
The people from the Prince’s residence cried out in alarm.
Before the personal guards could intervene, Xia Ruochu turned sideways to dodge the blow. She then caught Zhao Shu’s wrist with her other hand and twisted it. Amid a cry of pain, the horsewhip had already fallen into Xia Ruochu’s hand.
She scoffed softly. “My father is a military general, and my eldest brother went to the battlefield at twelve. And you want to play with a horsewhip against me?”
Zhao Shu’s eyes widened in astonishment. “How dare you! You…”
Before she could finish speaking, a fierce lash struck her shoulder. The fabric tore, revealing a distinct, bloodied welt.
“Xia Ruochu, how dare you hurt me?” Zhao Shu clutched her bleeding shoulder as tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m going to tell His Highness Prince Su! He won’t let you off!”
“Go ahead and tell him.”
From beginning to end, Xia Ruochu’s voice remained steady, and her bright eyes were calm.
“One day, I’ll make the Duke of Rong’s residence return every last bit of what it swallowed up from the Shen family, down to the last coin.”
Zhao Shu glared fiercely at her. Suddenly, her gaze swept past Xia Ruochu’s shoulder, and a smile of surprise and triumph spread across her face.
A chill ran down Xia Ruochu’s spine.
Something was wrong.
Hoofbeats!
They approached from afar, rushing closer with the sound of wind and a rumble like muffled thunder.
In the blink of an eye, a figure dressed in black had galloped to her side. The powerful horse reared and neighed, and the sunlight above her head suddenly dimmed.
More than twenty Imperial Guards clad in black armor surrounded the official road, their sabers gleaming with a fierce, cold light. Everyone present dropped to their knees in unison.
“Greetings, Your Highness Prince Su!”
“We kowtow before Your Highness! May Your Highness live a thousand years!”
Still clutching the whip, Xia Ruochu stood rigidly in the middle of the road.
The horse’s heavy breathing was close enough to hear.
She turned her head slightly and caught sight of the hem of a black robe embroidered with subtle gold-thread patterns. The hand gripping the reins had bulging veins across its back and sharply defined knuckles.
That hand could easily snap her neck.
“Your Highness!” Zhao Shu cried as she knelt beneath the horse. “You must uphold justice for this official’s daughter!”
“This official’s daughter was returning after paying her respects to Old Madam Xiao when I encountered the Princess Consort’s carriage. I originally intended to step forward and greet her, but I don’t know which of my words offended the Princess Consort. She actually… actually whipped this official’s daughter in public!”
Zhao Shu covered her face and wept, casting Xia Ruochu a vicious glare.
“By doing this, hasn’t the Princess Consort trampled the dignity of the Duke of Rong’s residence underfoot? I’ve heard before that the Princess Consort has a violent temper, but I always thought those were merely false rumors. I never expected… Sob…”
Xia Ruochu looked around. Zhao Shu was twisting the truth and reversing right and wrong, yet not a single person dared speak up to refute her.
She slowly lowered her head.
The slender patch of creamy-white skin exposed at the back of her neck looked so delicate that it seemed it could easily be broken.
“Xia Ruochu, did you strike someone?”
The man’s low, husky voice descended upon her from above, as cold and imposing as a mountain.
She neither turned around nor spoke. Her slender shoulders trembled faintly.
“Xia Ruochu, raise your head,” Xiao Chengyi said indifferently. “Look at this prince.”
Slowly, Xia Ruochu turned around and raised her breathtakingly beautiful face.
The instant her tear-filled eyes met Xiao Chengyi’s, the tears spilled over, large, crystal-clear drops rolling down her cheeks.
“Your Highness, this consort hit someone. This consort… is so frightened.”
A gentle breeze stirred.
The woman’s pale green gauze dress fluttered in the wind, making her resemble a fairy who had materialized from the bamboo forest, untouched by the slightest speck of dust.
She moved closer to his leg and sobbed softly, her cries faint and quiet. She seemed utterly dependent on him, yet afraid to disturb him.
The wind lifted her dark hair, carrying a delicate jasmine fragrance toward the man.
The fine horse shifted its front hooves uneasily.
Xiao Chengyi loosened his overly tight grip on the reins and looked away. “Why did you strike her?”
“This consort was wrong.” Xia Ruochu wiped her tears helplessly. “The County Princess meant well. She came especially to remind me that I shouldn’t presume to call myself the Princess Consort and that I ought to pay my respects to her according to the rules of etiquette.”
“But this consort thought that an imperial marriage decree is sacred. How could anyone be permitted to question it? Old Madam Xiao was personally granted the title of Grand Madam Rong’an by His Majesty. Since she chose this consort to serve at her side, wouldn’t anyone who made such reckless remarks be implying that Old Madam Xiao lacked wisdom?”
She lowered her eyes toward Zhao Shu beside her, who was staring at her as though she had seen a ghost.
Xia Ruochu suppressed the cold smile threatening to curl her lips.
Yes, this was exactly how they had bullied her in the past.
She and her mother had always acted openly and honorably, knowing nothing of false courtesy or underhanded dealings. So those people had spread lies until they were accepted as truth, pushing mother and daughter step by step into hell.
At the thought, the corners of her eyes reddened. She looked at Xiao Chengyi with dark eyes shimmering as though submerged in water.
“This consort didn’t want my own weakness to tarnish Your Highness’s reputation. Therefore, when the County Princess raised her whip to discipline me on Your Highness’s behalf, this consort had no choice but to fight back.”
“This consort doesn’t know what came over me either. Perhaps… I didn’t sleep well last night…”
A string of tears fell, with one teardrop clinging to her cheek, trembling on the verge of falling.
“You wretch! You’re making vicious false accusations!” That last, suggestive remark completely shattered Zhao Shu’s composure, and she abruptly sprang to her feet.
“Your Highness saw it with your own eyes! I’m the one who was injured! Xia Ruochu doesn’t have a single scratch on her, and the whip is still in her hand. She’s twisting the facts with such unreasonable arguments. She deserves to be punished!”
Xiao Chengyi remained silent, his gaze devoid of the slightest warmth.
That gaze gradually extinguished the little hope Xia Ruochu had left, and a fine, persistent ache spread through her heart.
She had done nothing wrong.
If given the chance, she wished she could lash Zhao Shu a hundred times, a thousand times, repaying every humiliation she had suffered a hundredfold.
But how could Xiao Chengyi possibly take her side?
How could he know how she had endured those long nights filled with fear?
How could he understand the heart-wrenching agony she had felt when she learned of her mother’s death, only to remain imprisoned in the mountains, unable to see her mother one last time?
She was merely the bride he had been forced to accept, an obstacle standing in the way of his marriage to the woman he truly desired. He could hardly despise her enough.
Now that things had come to this, her only choice was to stake everything on one last gamble.
Her voice was faint. “This consort… is willing to accept whatever punishment Your Highness sees fit.”
“The Princess Consort does deserve punishment.”
Xiao Chengyi leaned down from his horse, his tall figure completely enveloping her.
He took the horsewhip from her hand.
Her heart abruptly sank into an icy abyss. She raised her head and looked into those unfathomably deep black eyes.
No! If he struck her with the whip, she would never endure such humiliation.
Zhao Shu smugly added fuel to the fire. “Your Highness is wise. Xia Ruochu deserves to be taught a proper lesson. She was already arrogant and domineering when she lived in the Marquis’s residence. She’s a notorious wicked woman throughout the capital…”
Whoosh!
The shadow of the whip sliced through the air.
Xia Ruochu abruptly closed her eyes as the sharp gust from the whip swept past her ear.
A shrill scream of pain rang out.
She opened her eyes in bewilderment, only to see Zhao Shu collapsed on the ground, clutching her bloodied, mangled shoulder. Zhao Shu was in so much pain that she could no longer even cry out.
Xiao Chengyi viciously threw the horsewhip down in front of Zhao Shu.
“You’re courting death.”
“Even your father must give way when he encounters the ceremonial procession of my residence. Who do you think you are to dare obstruct the Princess Consort of Prince Su’s carriage? How many heads do you have that you dare address the Princess Consort of Prince Su directly by name?”
“Pass down my orders. County Princess Changle is forbidden from setting foot inside Old Madam Xiao’s residence. Otherwise, this prince will hold the entire Duke of Rong’s household accountable.”
He commanded sternly, “Clear the road.”
“Yes!” The black-armored soldiers responded with a thunderous roar.
Xia Ruochu stood in a daze, only coming to her senses after a moment.
She raised her head to look at him, her watery eyes filled with tenderness.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The young prince sat high upon his horse, his back as straight as a pine tree, looking down at her with an unquestionable air of authority.
“Whether my Princess Consort is punished or not is for me, and me alone, to decide.”
The autumn sunlight bathed him in a dazzling halo. His gaze seemed to sweep heavily across Xia Ruochu’s heart, causing her breath to catch.
Before climbing back into the carriage, Xia Ruochu cast a provocative smile at Zhao Shu’s pale face.
Wasn’t it just a matter of pretending to be a pure, innocent white lotus? Who didn’t know how to do that?
With the Imperial Guards clearing the way ahead, the remainder of the journey passed without incident.
“Young Lady, His Highness was protecting you just now! That Zhao Shu looked as though someone had stabbed her a thousand times over. It was so satisfying!” Bihan clapped her hands happily.
A faint, bitter smile appeared on Xia Ruochu’s face. She could not help feeling a lingering sense of fear.
She had indeed acted impulsively today. She had originally intended to prepare an explanation afterward, but she had never expected Xiao Chengyi to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Fortunately, she had won her gamble.
A proud and haughty person would naturally be fiercely protective of his own people. He could deal with those who belonged to him however he pleased, but if an outsider dared interfere, they would be courting death.
She would face even more trouble in the future. The Duke of Rong’s residence would not let the matter rest, and Madam Liu would become even more wary of her.
But after this incident, Xia Ruochu was certain that no personal token could command as much authority as Prince Su himself.
As long as Xiao Chengyi stood on her side, she would be able to seek justice for herself and her mother.
She didn’t want his body, but she wanted his heart.