25
Yu Shu pretended not to recognize Xiao Jingyao’s identity. While guarding her veil tightly, she sternly warned him not to act recklessly. No matter how unhinged he became, she couldn’t—mustn’t—let him lift her veil.
Was he kidding? Even if Yu Shu knew full well that Xiao Jingyao was the Emperor of Daxia, she absolutely couldn’t acknowledge it now—much less allow him to see her face. If he saw her true appearance, what then? Would she be forced to marry him? Or worse—would refusing him be taken as treason?
That was just one side of it.
The more terrifying possibility was this: if he truly recognized her… he might not just strangle her shoulder—he might strangle her to death.
And she didn’t want to die.
Especially not at the hands of Xiao Jingyao, again.
Yu Shu’s reaction was intense, almost desperate, and the force of her shouted warning jolted Xiao Jingyao back to his senses.
Marry her? That was impossible.
No matter who she was, he would never marry her.
But the phrase—“Any man who lifts a maiden’s veil must take her as his wife”—hit him hard. The moment it rang in his ears, the fury in his eyes faltered, and he let go of her without another word.
Yu Shu’s shoulder throbbed painfully where he had grabbed her, the sting sharp enough to bring tears to her eyes. Rage, panic, and a deep unease flooded her chest. The moment she was freed, she stumbled back several steps, putting as much distance as she could between them. She kept her eyes fixed on him, brimming with caution, wary of what he might do next—should he suddenly lose control again.
“I will never marry you,” Xiao Jingyao said flatly, as if stating something entirely irrelevant to him—his tone making it clear just how repulsed he was by the very idea.
“I don’t want to marry you either,” Yu Shu scoffed, curling her lips in mockery. As if she were desperate to marry him! Marrying him would be walking straight to her death—she wasn’t that tired of living. The heavens had granted her a second chance out of pity; all she wanted now was to live well and stay as far away from him as possible.
“Good,” Xiao Jingyao replied coolly.
“You—!” Yu Shu opened her mouth, grinding her teeth in frustration. His words were infuriating. That one sentence lodged like a stone in her chest. Refusing to be outdone, she shot back, “Good for me too!”
Hmph. What kind of man was this?
With a sharp flick of her sleeve, she turned on her heel. “If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”
Any longer in his presence, and she feared she might die of sheer frustration. So much for being an emperor—he didn’t act like one at all.
Yu Shu stormed off a few steps, but paused when she didn’t hear any movement behind her. Curious—and slightly unsettled—she glanced back.
Xiao Jingyao was still standing where she’d left him, making no move to stop her.
When he noticed her glance, he merely looked up at her briefly, then shifted his gaze away, as if her departure didn’t concern him in the slightest.
Now Yu Shu was finally sure—she could leave. A huge wave of relief swept over her. Just moments ago, she’d been worried that after only a few steps, two men would suddenly leap out with blades at her throat, stopping her from going anywhere. That would’ve been terrifying.
Thankfully, Xiao Jingyao had no such intentions, which meant she could leave without fear. Yu Shu had absolutely no desire to linger. She turned and hurried off in the direction of Qingli without looking back.
Qingli had been standing in the distance the entire time, eyes glued to the confrontation. The moment Xiao Jingyao grabbed Yu Shu’s shoulder, she had wanted to rush over and help—but after only a few steps, someone had stepped out to block her path, warning her not to make a move if she valued her life. Powerless to intervene, she could only watch helplessly as Yu Shu was bullied by Xiao Jingyao.
Now that she saw Yu Shu had finally escaped, Qingli didn’t hesitate any longer. She dashed toward her at full speed.
“Ninth Princess, are you all right?” Qingli asked, gripping Yu Shu by the arms, her face full of concern.
Yu Shu nodded. “I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
Other than her shoulder still aching, everything else had been a narrow but safe escape. It could’ve been worse.
“Let’s go,” she said. Getting away from here was top priority—before Xiao Jingyao had a change of heart and decided to stop them. She had no idea what he might do next, and she wasn’t about to stick around to find out.
Yu Shu grabbed Qingli’s hand and left without a backward glance.
What she didn’t see was Wei Zhuo stepping out from the shadows not long after.
“Your Majesty, should we send someone to follow them?” Wei Zhuo asked, waiting for Xiao Jingyao’s response.
Xiao Jingyao seemed to be deep in thought, and after a moment, he replied, “No need.”
Yu Shu, with Qingli in tow, successfully left the garden without any further issues.
“I wonder where Brother is?” Yu Shu said, puzzled. “Earlier, when I pushed Yang Jinhui into the water, it caused such a scene. The Grand Princess of Changping even brought people over, but Mu Liangzhe and Lian Sheng never showed up. It seems like something must have delayed them.”
“Let’s go find Brother,” Yu Shu suggested. “If nothing’s wrong, we’ll head back to the guesthouse.” She was in no mood to stay at the Grand Princess of Changping’s residence any longer. It felt like bad luck had followed her there—first, Yang Jinhui had tried to harm her, then the Grand Princess had shown her disdain, and now Xiao Jingyao had nearly crushed her arm in a fit of rage. It felt like today was just not her day.
Qingli shared her feelings. She too thought it was best for Yu Shu to leave the Grand Princess’s residence before anything else unexpected happened. If something went wrong, she would never be able to atone for it, even if it meant giving up her life.
“Xiao Jiu.”
Just as Yu Shu and Qingli were heading toward Mu Liangzhe and Lian Sheng, having just passed through the Moon Gate, they ran into them unexpectedly.
Mu Liangzhe took a few long strides, quickly reaching Yu Shu and examining her with a concerned look. “I heard you had a conflict with someone, almost being pushed into the water. The Grand Princess of Changping came, and even the Emperor of Daxia got involved. What happened exactly?”
When Yu Shu saw that Mu Liangzhe and Lian Sheng were safe, she felt a weight lift off her chest. As long as they were here, she didn’t need to worry about her own safety.
“I ran into the adopted sister of the Emperor of Daxia. She recognized who I was, knew I was here for a political marriage, and became envious of me. She likes the Emperor and tried to push me into the water to embarrass me and ruin my reputation. I saw through her plot and turned the tables, pushing her into the water instead. The situation escalated, and the Grand Princess of Changping and the Emperor of Daxia both found out about it.” Yu Shu briefly explained the incident with Yang Jinhui.
“You met the Emperor of Daxia?” Mu Liangzhe asked.
Yu Shu glanced at him. She knew exactly what Mu Liangzhe was after, but her intentions were different. She didn’t plan to tell him about meeting Xiao Jingyao, so she shook her head. “No, I didn’t meet him. I only saw the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guards. He spoke on my behalf, and that’s why the Grand Princess of Changping didn’t blame me.”
“You didn’t meet him?”
“Mm, he didn’t appear. The Emperor of Daxia wouldn’t just show up casually.”
“Ah, that’s true,” Mu Liangzhe sighed, disappointed that his hopes were dashed. He quickly tried to comfort himself, saying, “But it’s fine. We didn’t meet him this time, but the Emperor of Daxia definitely remembers you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guards to speak on your behalf. Maybe we’ll be called to the palace soon.”
Yu Shu pressed her lips together, not daring to tell Mu Liangzhe the truth. In her mind, she secretly doubted that the impression she left on Xiao Jingyao was a positive one. She wasn’t expecting him to summon them to the palace; that seemed unlikely.
“By the way, Brother, where did you two go just now? I haven’t seen you around,” Yu Shu asked, shifting the topic away from Xiao Jingyao.
Mu Liangzhe replied, “Liu Chengxiang and the Chancellor Liu pulled me and Lian Sheng aside to talk for a bit.” He added, “Chancellor Liu’s a decent man, someone worth getting to know.”
Yu Shu didn’t quite share his view. In the Daxia, a royal consort was merely the princess’s husband, a position devoid of real power. Even if he held some nominal court title, it was always a sinecure. All he needed to do was enjoy his life of idle luxury peacefully. So why would he need to befriend a foreign prince?
“Brother, we’re new here, and the Emperor of Daxia hasn’t agreed to meet us. People can be unpredictable, so it’s best to stay cautious,” Yu Shu advised, her tone gentle but firm.
Mu Liangzhe thought for a moment before replying with a brief “Mm,” indicating he understood.
“Brother, I think I’ll head back to the guesthouse now,” Yu Shu said, her brow furrowing slightly. She leaned against Qingli and rubbed her forehead. “I’m feeling a bit unwell and really tired today.”
After everything that had just happened, Mu Liangzhe understood how she felt and said, “I’ll go say goodbye to Princess Changping and her consort. Qingli, help Yu Shu to the carriage so she can rest. I’ll join you once I’m done.”
“Alright.”
“Lian Sheng will escort Yu Shu and the others out,” Mu Liangzhe added, giving instructions.
Lian Sheng nodded and followed, escorting Yu Shu and Qingli as they left first.
Mu Liangzhe went to bid his farewells, while Yu Shu and Qingli walked for a little over a quarter of an hour before finally leaving Princess Changping’s residence.
The moment they stepped outside, Yu Shu felt her breathing ease, and the uncomfortable pressure weighing on her lifted.
“Lian Sheng, come here for a moment…” Yu Shu motioned for Lian Sheng to step aside. Just as she was about to speak privately with him, she suddenly felt a sharp, intense gaze aimed at her. Startled, she instinctively turned toward the source of the gaze and locked eyes with a pair of dark, penetrating ones.
**