There are many bad men in this world. You can love recklessly, but you must first love yourself.
Girls like this nineteen-year-old, are too common in reality. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating. Feelings are beautiful, but ensure the person is worthy. Think carefully before giving yourself. When you meet someone who truly loves you, they will help you love yourself more.
Blessing to every girl: May your love be worth it, may your pain be worth it.
Chapter Twelve: Yan Or’s Injury
My big brother worked hard, but according to Anjin’s investigation, there are many experts in the competition, especially from the Western Liang Kingdom, who arranged a Mohist master skilled in mechanisms to compete. This greatly reduced my brother’s chances of winning.
I hesitated, considering asking Yan Or for mercy due to our past friendship. This was just a thought.
At this time, Sai Yue Zhai’s Chen Hua sent a message through someone, saying that due to the Three Kingdoms Competition, many business opportunities had emerged and asked if I was willing to return to my old profession.
Since the “Twilight Double Beauty” painting, I had been consumed by marital issues and conflicts, stopping my painting for a long time. My savings were gone, spent by my sister. If my brother won the competition, we needed to prepare a significant betrothal gift for Miaoyin from the queen’s family.
Anjin had offered to help, but I wanted to earn some silver myself, so I agreed to take on new commissions. Hua Ou was pleased and arranged a meeting to discuss details.
Our meeting was set for the day before my brother’s competition. Que’er seemed unhappy about this, unlike before when she eagerly anticipated such opportunities. Was she dissatisfied with the commission split?
I finally lost my temper. “Please tell him we don’t need to meet.” As I turned to leave, Hua Ou grabbed my arm and urged, “Madam, just meet with His Majesty. He still thinks of you fondly. Even if you no longer have feelings for him, you should clarify things to allow him to move on.”
I refused and tried to leave, but Hua Ou blocked me, looking pitiful. I resolved to ignore her.
What could I do? My husband was a jealous jar with many ears and supernatural abilities. If someone were to be drowned in vinegar, it wouldn’t be you, would it?
Just as we reached an impasse, Mo Qu approached, clasping his hands and saying, “Madam, I am under my master’s orders to ensure that my master sees you. If you insist on leaving, I’ll have no choice but to press your acupoints and carry you in.”
I glared at him. As he moved, I shouted, “Stop! I’ll walk in myself.”
Mo Qu gestured for me to enter. I glanced at him and pushed the door open.
Before the embroidered screen depicting Luo Shui Xian, Yan Huo knelt, pouring tea for himself. Seeing me burst in rudely, he simply smiled, his eyes like a clear mountain stream, reminiscent of our first meeting.
He wore a dark red Zhu Zi deep robe and an ink bamboo hairpin, unlike the gorgeous robe adorned with blue sapphires from before. I disliked this “just like back then” feeling, as if he were deliberately making me recall details from our first meeting. However, the Zheng Huo of the past, now Yan Huo, was not the gentle merchant’s son I once thought, but the Emperor of Xi Liang whom I had never truly understood.
I bore him no grudge nor regret; I just felt strange.
He maintained an expression as if reuniting with an old friend, softly saying, “Thirteen, I’ve finally seen you again.”
I kept a straight face and formally greeted him, “This concubine greets Your Majesty.”
“Thirteen…” Sadness filled his light brown eyes.
“Your Majesty, I am already married. It might be inappropriate to continue using the old form of address,” I replied irritably. His every move felt ambiguous—did he really want to rekindle old memories?
My heart became complicated. I didn’t expect that Xia Zhiqian’s stories about me had spread to Xiliang, and that I beating her up had circulated throughout the Three Kingdoms. No wonder even Princess Nan Rui was looking at me strangely.
Yan Huo pondered for a moment and softly asked, “I’ve heard that Lord An has a reputation for being dissolute. Xiao Yao, are you truly doing well?”
“Rumors say that Lady An is a salty and fierce wife,” I laughed. “You see, rumors are never reliable. An Jin and I grew up together; he’s not that kind of person.”
Yan Huo hesitated. “Xiao Yao, do you truly know An Jin inside and out?”
I nodded without hesitation.
“Many things are not as simple as they appear,” he said, furrowing his brow, his eyes deep like seaweed tangled at the bottom of a lake.
“Do you know that all the letters and gifts I sent you after returning to the country were intercepted?”
I was stunned.
He continued: “After becoming Crown Prince, I tried several times to travel to Yanfeng, but each time, some matters obstructed my journey. This is too coincidental and makes me suspect someone wants to prevent me from coming to find you.”
“You suspect… An Jin?” I laughed in disbelief. “Your Majesty, An Jin is just a small official in the Ministry of Personnel in Qi Kingdom. How could he have such capability?”
Yan Huo looked at me calmly. “Does Xiao Yao not know if An Jin is just an ordinary official?”
My heart sank, but I clapped and laughed: “Your Majesty’s imagination is remarkable.”
Author’s note: They’re all foxes… Poor little Yao Yao.
Chapter Thirty-Three: Princess Suspicions
I quickly turned my head, thinking that Second Princess Jiang Yunqiao had also arrived, but I saw no sign of her. General Shen tilted his head and patted its wing. Little Yellow lowered its sharp beak and preened
It probably learned its lesson, knowing this fellow could fly and could only resort to strategy, not brute force. As a result, the bird and dog formed a grudge.
I felt sorry for this sharp-tongued bird. Yuan Xiao was petty and believed in revenge, holding a lifetime grudge. If no opportunity presented itself, so be it, but once a chance arose, it would seek complete retribution.
General Shen turned to me and said, “Sorry. It probably mistook me for the princess.”
I was puzzled, as I thought I looked nothing like the Second Princess. Before I could react, General Shen walked away, with Little Yellow perched on him, its tiny eyes holding a hint of grievance.
Clues were like trees in a misty forest, appearing and disappearing. I stood still, trying to dispel the fog and grasp details.
Yuan Xiao, seeing me motionless, ran circles around my feet and whimpered, tugging at my skirt. When I bent down to stroke its head, our trusting eyes met, and suddenly a flash of insight illuminated the truth.
The princess General Shen spoke of was not the Second Princess Jiang Yunqiao but the parrot’s original owner, the Fifth Princess who married into Xiliang and then eloped. Now everything made sense. No wonder the parrot flew towards me the first time we met and clung to my clothes, refusing to leave.
Now I realize that its cry of “Princess, save Little Yellow” was actually mistaking me for the Fifth Princess. Its constant antagonism towards Yuan Xiao probably stemmed from the belief that Yuan Xiao had stolen the princess’s affection.
If that was the case, could the eloped Fifth Princess actually resemble me?
I recalled our only encounter at night when the princess was dressed as a palace maid. I hadn’t particularly noticed her appearance, but reflecting on it, her body shape and silhouette did seem somewhat similar to mine. Otherwise, the palace maids and matrons wouldn’t have mistaken me for the eloped princess and brought me back.
