“Fine, then she counts as my elder sister.” Cheng Nianying was puzzled. “What? Do you speak to my sister this way too?”
Caidie was once again rendered speechless, and even more sweat seeped down her back.
Of course not!
If she had spoken to the legitimate young lady of the Wuning Marquis’s Residence like that, Madam would have slapped her twice already.
But do you count? You haven’t even been acknowledged yet.
That’s right—she hadn’t properly been acknowledged yet!
Caidie straightened her back and stubbornly insisted, “This servant doesn’t know what was improper. This servant was only acting according to Marchioness’s instructions.”
Cheng Nianying only felt that talking to her was pointless.
She therefore turned over and got out of bed, shoving her aside in one motion.
She had not used much force, but it landed heavily on Caidie.
With a bang, Caidie crashed into the stand beside the bed. The stand toppled over, and she herself landed hard on her bottom.
Pain made her see stars. She let out a cry and could not recover for quite some time.
“What happened? What’s going on?”
“Commandery Princess?”
Nanny Shi pushed open the door with several others and hurried to Cheng Nianying’s side.
Only after seeing that she was standing there unharmed did Nanny Shi sigh with relief. “You gave this old woman quite a fright.”
A hereditary servant of the Wuning Marquis’s Residence quickly went to help Caidie up and asked her, “What happened?”
Caidie’s tears fell. What could she say? That the Commandery Princess had pushed her?
What would the others think after hearing that?—If your mistress had pushed you herself, that would mean you had been terribly insolent!
“I—I…” Caidie could not form a coherent sentence, her heart full of grievance.
Cheng Nianying answered for her. “She knocked something over.”
Nanny Shi frowned. “The maids from the Wuning Marquis’s Residence…” They were rather clumsy!
Unfortunately, she could not say that in front of the Commandery Princess.
“Clean it up quickly.” Nanny Shi turned with a stern expression and began directing the others.
The remaining servants hurried forward to attend to Cheng Nianying’s washing and grooming.
Although Cheng Nianying disliked Caidie, she did indeed still have matters to discuss carefully with the people from the Wuning Marquis’s Residence.
After breakfast, she took the initiative to ask Nanny Shi, “Is there somewhere in the residence with pleasant scenery and quiet surroundings?”
“Naturally. This servant will take you there.”
Strictly speaking, after marrying in as a bride, she ought to have immediately taken on responsibility for managing the household. But since the commandery prince had yet to mention the matter, Nanny Shi did not feel it appropriate to say anything.
This young lady looked immature, and she truly might not be able to shoulder such responsibilities. It would be fine to let her live as a wealthy idler for now, admiring the scenery each day.
*
There was an artificially excavated lake in the Commandery Prince’s Residence. Cheng Nianying was led to its bank, where she spotted a pavilion in the middle of the lake at a glance.
The pavilion was exquisite, but there was no other way to reach it; they could only row there.
It was exactly the kind of place with beautiful scenery and peaceful surroundings.
“I want to go there. Nanny, you don’t need to come with me.” Cheng Nianying pointed toward the pavilion, showing no unease at the prospect of discussing anything in secret without witnesses.
She looked toward the hereditary servants brought from the Wuning Marquis’s Residence. “You come with me. I have something to say to you.”
The household women from the Wuning Marquis’s Residence exchanged glances, utterly astonished.
What?
Could she really be this straightforward?
Nanny Shi, however, was not surprised. She nodded and said, “Very well. I’ll have someone row the boat over.”
The servants from the Wuning Marquis’s Residence had been clumsy and careless. The Commandery Princess was clearly planning to reprimand them in private.
Before long, they reached the pavilion, and the boatman promptly and knowingly rowed away.
The older Nanny Zou could not hold back and spoke first. “Did you have some sort of clash with Caidie today, Miss?”
“She made people uncomfortable when she spoke. I don’t like that.” Cheng Nianying first made her likes and dislikes clear to them.
Everyone fell silent, secretly exchanging glances.
Cheng Nianying continued, “Your Marchioness has acknowledged me and said that I am also her daughter…”
Nanny Zou picked up the conversation. “Yes, it was not easy for you to return to Madam’s side. Madam must be thinking of you at this very moment.”
Cheng Nianying went on with what she wanted to say. “I never had a mother, so I don’t know what it feels like to have one. But I know that people speak of filial piety. Only beasts are unfilial.”
“Ah, exactly!” Nanny Zou declared loudly.
Cheng Nianying paused. “I hope she is well. But as for anyone else, I don’t care.”
“What?” The turn in her words was so abrupt, and the curve so sharp, that Nanny Zou nearly strained her waist.
“Miss, what do you mean…”
Cheng Nianying slowly knit her brows. “You didn’t understand? The Marchioness is my mother. You are not. Therefore, if you say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing, I won’t care whether you live or die.”
Everyone was completely stunned.
They had thought she would be easy to handle! Yet from the sound of this, she was actually so cold-blooded…
“Do you understand now?” Cheng Nianying asked.
“Yes, yes. This old servant understands. That little minx Caidie must have overstepped in front of you! When we return, this old servant will teach her a proper lesson!” Nanny Zou was the first to declare her position.
Only then did Cheng Nianying show the beginnings of a smile. “Good. Now you can tell me what the Marchioness instructed you to say.”
“Yes, yes…”
They exchanged another glance, and this time their manner was much more respectful.
“First, you need to remember these things. Our young lady has a good temperament and has made many friends in the capital. There are Third Miss Zhou, Seventh Miss Song…”
“Our young lady once studied calligraphy under Master Weng of Jimo Studio and learned excellent qin-playing from the Immortal Liyun of the Daoist temple…”
“…”
They told her many things.
Cheng Nianying listened for a long time.
The legitimate daughter of the Wuning Marquis’s Residence was exceptionally accomplished.
She was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
She had many friends, as well as elders and siblings who loved her.
Cheng Nianying silently lowered her head and looked at her own hands. Her fingers were slender and her skin delicate, without a single scar or callus. That smoothness had come from repeatedly soaking them in medicinal water, so that she would not reveal her identity as an assassin in the outside world.
At first glance, she too looked like the daughter of a wealthy and influential household.
But she herself knew that she was not.
She only knew how to kill. She had no friends.
Many people feared her, but no one had ever liked her.
“Have you… remembered it?” After talking until their mouths were dry, the group asked in lowered voices.
Cheng Nianying answered with an “Mm,” then continued, “It will be difficult for me to completely pretend to be her. She is too good. I can’t do it.”
Only then did the servants from the Wuning Marquis’s Residence reveal another trace of smugness. “Naturally, few people could reach the level of our young lady. As long as you speak less in your daily life, you won’t give yourself away. It shouldn’t be long before you can switch back.”
Cheng Nianying felt relieved when she heard the last sentence.
Mm. Let them switch back sooner.
Her life now was very good, but it did not belong to her.
Cheng Nianying stood up. “Let’s go back.”
“Yes.”
A boatman soon rowed over to take them back to the shore.
There were four boatmen in total, two at the bow and two at the stern.
One of them came forward and handed Cheng Nianying a hand warmer, his face full of concern. “The Commandery Princess has been sitting in the pavilion at the center of the lake for so long. You must be cold.”
Cheng Nianying reached out to take it, but the hand warmer was not warm at all. She looked up in surprise, but the boatman had already turned away to pick up an oar.
The hand warmer was heavy. As it rested in her palm, she gradually felt something at its bottom.
A faint change passed through Cheng Nianying’s eyes, but she said nothing. She waited until they returned to the room, dismissed everyone around them, and then turned the hand warmer over to examine it.
Embedded in the bottom was a wax pellet.
She took it out and crushed it, revealing a tiny rolled-up strip of paper.
Cheng Nianying was utterly baffled. She did not understand why the boatman had handed this to her. Had the organization discovered that she was in the Commandery Prince’s Residence?
She hurriedly unfolded the strip, only to see a line of tiny writing:
“I know the torment and suffering in your heart. How could I not be tossing and turning in anguish, thinking of you every moment? The days ahead are long; endure, endure. We need only wait until the realm is peaceful, then I shall formally take you as my bride.
—Shu.”
Cheng Nianying stared at the character in the signature.
Shu?
Who was that? She did not recognize him.
What an absurd letter!
“Formally take you as my bride”? How could that boatman marry her? With his life as the bride-price?
Cheng Nianying moved the strip of paper into the candle flame and burned it, while wariness rose within her.
Although she had not grown up in a powerful household, she had heard of some truly vicious methods used in inner residences. For instance, falsely accusing a woman of having an affair with a man could easily destroy the rest of her life.
This person… was probably trying to frame her!
Cheng Nianying’s spirits immediately lifted.
Her “sister” was outstanding, but she might not be able to deal with such a petty villain. It did not matter. She would kill him in her sister’s place!
*
Within high walls, beneath the flickering candlelight.
The man wearing a purple-gold crown slowly closed the document in his hands.
Only then did the person standing at his side speak in a low voice. “The letter you ordered someone to deliver has already been passed inside.”
“Fu Yi seems quite satisfied with this wife. On the very day of the wedding, he could not wait to consummate the marriage. The next day, he even dragged his sick body along to have dinner with the Commandery Princess.”
As he spoke, hesitation appeared on his face. “Your Highness, women have always regarded their husbands as Heaven. Fu Yi dotes on her so deeply that I fear her heart may waver, and that she may refuse to continue acting on Your Highness’s behalf.”
“Fu Yi is gravely injured and may be incapable of consummating a marriage. What is there to fear from a wavering heart?” The man’s brows and eyes shone with amusement. “Everyone says Fu Yi is unmatched beneath Heaven. There is only one person who could put a green hat on him, you know. The matter alone is exceedingly amusing!”
His subordinate slowly relaxed and laughed. “Yes. The more he dotes on the Commandery Princess, the more ridiculous it makes him look. She is nothing more than a plaything you have grown tired of sleeping with.”
The man lowered his head and opened a new document. “What an idiot…”
“When she returns to her parents’ home, I’ll play with her again. That will be even more interesting.”