20
Standing in the corridor outside the flower hall, Qingli overheard their conversation. She turned to glance at her princess and scoffed to herself—if they said her princess looked like a monster with her face covered, then they were the real monsters. Not only were their hearts ugly, but their eyes must be blind too.
Qingli immediately rolled up her sleeves, ready to march in and argue with the women inside. Who dared say her princess was ugly? They ought to open their dog eyes and take a good look—her princess wasn’t ugly at all. On the contrary, she was stunning—like a fairy descended from heaven!
Just as Qingli started to move, Yu Shu reached out and grabbed her. “Hold on. Don’t rush in yet. Let’s hear what else they have to say.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a voice floated out from the flower hall.
“That Ninth Princess from Xijiang wants to marry the emperor—do you really think His Majesty would let her into the palace?”
A sharp, mocking laugh followed immediately, the sound as cutting as a knife.
“How could that even be possible? If His Majesty really wanted her in the palace, would he have left the Xijiang delegation sitting in the guest residence all this time without even granting them an audience?”
“So you’re saying the emperor doesn’t favor them?”
“Not just that—he might even despise them!” The woman spoke with an air of knowing superiority, clearly pleased with herself. “Think about it—even Yang Jinhui couldn’t get into the palace. What makes the Ninth Princess of Xijiang think she has a chance?”
The others around her all let out sounds of sudden realization.
Someone spoke up boldly, “Yang Jinhui’s marriage still hasn’t been settled, and she’s been dead set on becoming the empress!”
“As if! She’s just dreaming,” another woman sneered.
“Is she coming to Princess Changping’s birthday banquet today?”
“She probably will.”
“Then let’s stop talking about her. If she shows up and hears us, she’ll go crazy again!”
The women in the flower hall quickly changed the subject, moving on to chat about flowers, jewelry, and the latest fashion.
Standing just outside, Yu Shu couldn’t help but recall a memory when she heard them say Yang Jinhui was still dreaming of becoming empress. In her past life, when she had been confined to the palace by Xiao Jingyao, Yang Jinhui had come to provoke her—and Yu Shu had ended up giving her a good beating.
Back then, Yang Jinhui had arrogantly declared that Xiao Jingyao had already decided to make her empress. She had been so full of herself, practically acting like she owned the palace. And now, after all that, she still hadn’t made it?
Yu Shu curled her lips in disdain. She felt not a shred of sympathy for Yang Jinhui. If she never became empress, it was nothing less than what she deserved. And if Xiao Jingyao really had made her empress, then Yu Shu could only say one thing: not only was he blind, but he must’ve slammed his head in a door too.
“What are you two doing here? Up to something shady?”
A sharp, grating voice suddenly rang out behind them.
Yu Shu found the voice oddly familiar, as if she’d heard it somewhere before. She turned around to look.
Standing behind her was a woman dressed in a flamboyant rose-red gown, her appearance loud and showy. It was none other than Yang Jinhui—the very same woman who had just been the subject of ridicule inside the hall. She’d been scheming for years to marry Xiao Jingyao but had never succeeded.
Yang Jinhui raised an eyebrow as she looked Yu Shu up and down. From her attire and bearing, she quickly identified her. “You’re the Ninth Princess of Xijiang?”
Her eyes were filled with disdain, and her tone was cold and condescending—everything about her screamed contempt.
A princess from some backwater little kingdom, thinking she can come to Daxia and marry the emperor?
She should take a good look in the mirror and remind herself of what she is. What makes her think she’s worthy of marrying my imperial cousin? Ha! In her dreams.
Though she didn’t say all that out loud, the scorn in Yang Jinhui’s heart was clearly written all over her face.
Yu Shu had no intention of paying Yang Jinhui any mind. She gave her a slight nod and turned to leave.
“Hey! You’re not going anywhere!” Yang Jinhui snapped, grabbing Yu Shu’s arm and stepping in her way.
Yu Shu glanced coolly at the hand gripping her, then said coldly, “Let go.”
She might have looked quiet and delicate—someone easy to push around—but those two words, let go, carried a commanding force that brooked no defiance. The air around her seemed to shift, her presence pressing down like a mountain. In an instant, Yang Jinhui felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
What a powerful aura!
Aside from Xiao Jingyao, Yang Jinhui had never felt such suffocating pressure from anyone else. But this Ninth Princess of Xijiang… she was clearly an exception.
“I—I just wanted to have a little chat with you…” Yang Jinhui muttered begrudgingly as she let go of Yu Shu’s arm. Her words came out clumsy, the carefully rehearsed lines in her mind vanishing into thin air.
“We’re not close. I don’t see what we have to talk about,” Yu Shu replied flatly, casting her a disinterested glance before turning to leave again.
“You will talk to me!” Yang Jinhui’s eyes darted as a thought struck her. She quickly called after Yu Shu’s retreating figure, “You want to enter the palace, don’t you? I know a way to get you in!”
Yu Shu didn’t even pause, continuing forward without so much as a glance.
Behind her, Yang Jinhui grew anxious. “Your delegation has been staying at the guest residence for so long, and the emperor still hasn’t summoned you. Do you know why? Your Third Prince brother must be exhausted from constantly running around asking for help, right?”
“Don’t you want to put an end to all this quickly?”
“I happen to know that Nanze is eyeing Xijiang again!”
Yu Shu stopped in her tracks, her brows furrowing slightly. She slowly turned around, her gaze dark and unreadable as it settled on Yang Jinhui.
She had to admit—Yang Jinhui knew quite a bit. Not only was she aware of Mu Liangzhe’s efforts to seek support, but she also knew about Xijiang’s current predicament.
Yu Shu couldn’t ignore the weight of those words—she was someone who had once lived through the fall of her homeland.
“What exactly do you want to say to me?”
“This isn’t the place. Come with me,” Yang Jinhui glanced around cautiously, wary of eavesdroppers, then turned and headed in another direction, motioning for Yu Shu to follow.
The most scenic spot in Princess Changping’s residence was the lotus pond. Willow trees lined the winding path around the water, their green branches hanging low and swaying gently in the breeze.
The lotus flowers were in full bloom, their vibrant petals dotting the water’s surface. Amid the clusters of blossoms, one stood out at the very center—a rare twin lotus blooming on a single stem. The sight was striking and beautiful.
A soft wind rippled across the pond, setting the emerald-green lotus leaves and flowers into graceful motion, like elegant fairies dancing across the surface and leaving behind trails of shimmering ripples.
A winding covered corridor stretched over the pond, leading to a pavilion at its center. The three-story lakeside pavilion offered the best view of the lotus pond—standing on the top floor, one could take in the entire scene at a single glance.
At that moment, Xiao Jingyao was standing in the lakeside pavilion. Surrounded by water on all sides, the location was ideal for security and defense—perfect for private discussions without fear of eavesdropping.
Once the important matters were concluded, the messenger took his leave. Xiao Jingyao remained by the window, quietly mulling over the information he had just received.
As he happened to glance outside, his eyes fell on two figures walking along the path across the pond. Yang Jinhui, dressed in a striking rose-colored gown, was leading the way. Behind her followed the Ninth Princess of Xijiang, still wearing her veil.
Xiao Jingyao hesitated for a moment. “Since when did those two know each other?”
Seeing Yang Jinhui walking alongside the Ninth Princess of Xijiang, his first instinct was suspicion. Could they be conspiring about something? The princess always seemed to know his whereabouts with uncanny accuracy—was Yang Jinhui the one leaking the information?
Standing nearby, Wei Zhuo followed Xiao Jingyao’s gaze. When he spotted the two women together, he also frowned. There was something unsettling about the sight of them walking side by side… something that didn’t bode well.
**