Si Yi scolded her, “Ning Wan’wan, how despicable you are!”
“I don’t know what I’ve done to make Your Highness so angry,” Ning Wan’wan replied coldly.
Si Yi, glaring at her, said, “You’re still pretending to be innocent. Didn’t you bring the Empress to the rear garden, making her catch me with Tong’er?”
It wasn’t intentional; the Empress had simply pulled her along for a walk. She hadn’t expected Si Yi to blame her, showing just how much he disliked her.
Seeing her silence, Si Yi’s gaze grew increasingly disgusted, convinced that if not for Ning Wan’wan, Tong’er wouldn’t have been slapped by the Empress’s order, forbidden from entering the palace forever, and he wouldn’t have been confined to the Eastern Palace for seven days.
“Don’t think I don’t know. The Empress told me you were present at the time.”
She was present, so she must have done it intentionally? What kind of logic was that?
Chapter 14: Needle’s Edge
“Yes, I did it intentionally,” Ning Wan’wan nodded, suppressing her urge to roll her eyes. Since Si Yi believed she did it on purpose, she decided to play along to further his dislike for her, hoping he would request to cancel the engagement to the Emperor and Empress.
“Hah, you finally admitted it.” Si Yi looked satisfied, like a magistrate solving a case.
Ning Wan’wan said impatiently, “If Your Highness has nothing else, I’ll go to class now.” She made to leave, but Si Yi stopped her.
“Stop right there!” he commanded.
“What else does Your Highness want?” Ning Wan’wan said helplessly.
Si Yi scrutinized her before stating, “The Empress said you’re coming to the Zishangtang for morning classes to assist me. I didn’t believe it before, but now I do.”
Ning Wan’wan’s heart skipped a beat. Please, she wasn’t here for Si Yi.
Si Yi paused and then spoke harshly, “Ning Wan’wan, I’ll be direct.”
I won’t marry a vicious woman like you, so give up.”
Upon hearing this, Ning Wan’wan’s cold face broke into a bright smile. “That would be perfect.”
“What?” Si Yi asked, his eyes widening in amazement.
Ning Wan’wan became serious and “threatened,” “Please keep your word, Your Highness. Never marry me, otherwise, I won’t let any of the women in your harem off.”
Si Yi was shocked, pointing at her in horror. “You! Vicious woman!”
Ning Wan’wan smiled. “Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness.”
Si Yi looked at her like she were a venomous snake. “You are truly shameless to the extreme. Hmph!”
Watching Si Yi storm away, Fu Yi, trembling, finally found her voice. “Miss, do you know what you just said?”
Ning Wan’wan replied, “I haven’t lost my memory.”
“But…”
“Alright, don’t worry. I have my reasons for doing this. Stay outside and keep watch; I’m going in now.” With that, she turned and entered.
As Fu Yi was about to protest, she noticed King Yi Si Zhan around the corner and immediately stood obediently outside the door.
Si Zhan walked toward Fu Yi with a subtle smile, accompanied by a cold-faced man in blue martial attire carrying a sword at his waist.
As he approached, Fu Yi curtsied nervously. Si Zhan responded with a smile and entered the room.
Yuan Bi remained outside the main door, staring ahead. Fu Yi glanced at him, noting the sword at his waist and wondering about his position in the palace. Although Zishangtang was part of the Purple Gold Palace and separated from the inner court, it still permitted private guards to carry swords, though it was uncommon.
Yuan Bi noticed her gaze and turned to meet it. Fu Yi quickly lowered her eyes, aware of the need for discretion in the presence of men.
To avoid suspicion during morning classes, Ning Wanwan was strategically seated in the first row, left side of the hall, separated by two silk screens depicting butterflies, which obstructed the view of her full face from the other attendees.
Zishangtang classes generally began at the fifth hour and ended before noon.
Ning Wanwan arrived early today; besides the crown prince who had just entered, she was the only one in the hall.
Shortly after she sat down, she sensed movement behind her and turned to see Si Zhan elegantly lifting his robe and sitting cross-legged.
“Your Highness,” Ning Wanwan greeted softly, her eyes sparkling.
Si Zhan looked up and met her lively gaze, his heart skipping a beat. He smiled warmly and nodded.
Just as Ning Wanwan was about to chat with Si Zhan, other princes and dukes entered, stretching and yawning. To avoid gossip, she turned back to sit properly.
The princes and dukes took their seats, and Ning Wanwan noticed that around Si Zhan, only her seat in the front was occupied; in contrast, the seats around Crown Prince Si Yizhou were fully filled.
Soon, the princes began to notice the additional person in front of Si Zhan, hidden behind a screen.
They started whispering.
“Who is sitting in front of His Highness?”
The Fourth Prince craned his neck for a closer look. “Looks like a woman from the silhouette.”
“A woman?”
The Sixth Prince exclaimed, noting that throughout Zishangtang’s hundred-year history, only the late Princess Yu Yao had ever been seen in the hall.
His reaction prompted others to stretch their necks to glimpse the source, but Si Zhan’s figure effectively blocked their view, causing frustration.
A cough signaled Master Sun’s entrance with a “Policy Treatise.” Everyone straightened and greeted, “Good morning, Master.” He acknowledged with a “Hmm” and cast a complex glance at Ning Wanwan before sitting down to begin the lesson.
Behind her screen, Ning Wanwan tore a section of paper from her desk, smoothed it out, and began writing carefully. Si Zhan, distracted, found his gaze drawn forward but struggled to focus on his scroll as the characters appeared to dance before him.
Ning Wanwan set down her pen, blew softly on the paper, glanced at Master Sun, and then secretively passed a note between her fingers. Sun Taifu appeared embarrassed, surprised that Si Zhan not only repeated his words but added his own perspective.
He couldn’t help but admire Si Zhan’s extraordinary talent but felt sorry for him.
“Sit down,” Sun Taifu said, raising his hand and continuing his lesson.
When the noon bell rang, all students stood to respectfully see Sun Taifu off, including Ning Wanwan. As she stood, her exquisite figure was revealed.
The princes and royal lords, who had been craning their necks, could now see Ning Wanwan clearly—the Yunxiang Junzhu.
After Sun Taifu left, Ning Wanwan turned to face everyone directly. The princes and lords, who had only seen her from a distance during palace banquets, were struck by her unparalleled beauty, her complexion rivaling lotus flowers.
Ning Wanwan glanced at Si Zhan, who sat with his head down and hand clenched on the desk, his expression unreadable. She then lowered her eyes and left without looking back.
Once she left, the princes erupted in excitement, teasing Si Yi, “Congratulations, Crown Prince! What a celestial sister-in-law you’re about to marry!”
“The Crown Prince is truly blessed to marry such a beauty; he’ll be smiling even in his dreams.”
“Indeed, we envy the Crown Prince.”
Sure! Here is the revised text with unnecessary and repetitive parts removed while maintaining coherence:
Si Yi’s face was cold as he glanced at everyone, snorting, “What do you know? Ning Wanwan is nothing more than a beautiful shell, a complete vicious woman inside. I will never marry her.”
The atmosphere froze, and everyone was stunned.
Si Zhan’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked deeply at Si Yi, then lowered his eyes in thought.
The Third Prince was the first to react, approaching Si Yi with a mischievous smile, “If you don’t want such a beautiful sister-in-law, I’ll snatch her. I don’t care how vicious her heart is; I only care about how she is under the red silk canopy.”
