Is it truly a habit of hers to eat persimmons in the middle of the night – particularly seeking the soft ones to squeeze?
"And this is..."
Su Pan’er raised an eyebrow, asking Jun Ruoxue.
Jun Ruoxue wore an expression of belated realization as though she had just awoken.
"Oh, my apologies! I forgot to introduce her. This here is none other than Princess Anping, the Huang family’s delicate young lady. Sister Pan’er, her presence outshines others by far. You could feel her aura from five hundred miles away, even in the wind."
A princess?
Why is there another princess here!
Corner of Su Pan’er’s mouth turned up slightly in a smirk. Wasn’t it said that the Huang family was one of the eight great families of officials in the capital? How did a princess erge from that!
As she considered this in her heart, her face betrayed nothing but sincere reverence. She hastily stood up to pay her respects.
"So this is Princess Anping. I am a blind man who wouldn’t recognize gold in its raw form. I have offended the princess. Please, your grace, forgive !"
"What the hell are you! Who gave you the audacity to ask for forgiveness?"
Words as sharp as a chilli filled the heart of Princess Anping with fury, "Stomach filled with resentnt yet feigning politeness, you’re just as bad as all the won who put on a good act. You really are no better!"
"Oh? So Princess Anping is of high standing, huh! How remiss of , for I overlooked the obvious. I earnestly appeal for your forgiveness." Su Pan’er said with a look of utter sincerity.
"How dare you! You, a woman who doesn’t know her place, have the audacity to insult !"
Princess Anping was filled with rage, she turned to the several maidservants next to her and yelled, "What are you all standing around for? Can’t you see your mistress being bullied? Go!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the maidservants standing on the outside rushed in.
The two maidservants assigned by Ye Han to protect Su Pan’er imdiately stepped forward.
"The Great General’s Authority Token is present here, who dares to act recklessly!"
These two maidservants are well-trained and swiftly positioned themselves inside the pavilion, giving a hostile stare to the other maidservants. The inferior maidservants were intimidated by their skilled opponents, who were protected by the renowned General Zhen Guo - they dared not move an inch.
"My, my! Quite the blowhard, Princess Anping, threatening a pregnant woman indeed!"
Jun Ruoxue sneered, her hands folded, "If news of this gets out, the brothel and entertainnt hall would have quite the tale to tell. You may not be ashad, but we still have our reputation to uphold!"
At these words, Princess Anping’s face flushed red then turned to white, her cheeks puffed in indignation.
"I couldn’t care to converse with such ill-mannered people. I wouldn’t want to tarnish my reputation. Let’s go!"
With that, she turned swiftly away, leading her maidservants in a hurried departure.
"Oh, dear! Trouble does indeed rain from the skies when you’re sitting in a pavilion."
Jun Ruoxue pouted, "I should’ve consulted an almanac before leaving today. Why does she seem to pop up everywhere we go?"
"Aren’t you all princesses? You are Princess Anran, and she is Princess Anping. Why do you two seem to be at odds with each other?" Su Pan’er asked out of curiosity.
"As for her? It’s rely a case of unfortunate lineage."
As soon as the topic ca up, Jun Ruoxue suddenly started speaking.
"That Princess Anping was actually the legitimate daughter of Lord Marquis Shenwu of the Wang family and Princess Qilang. From a young age, she was adored and pampered, and she was a dominant figure even as a little girl. However, as she grew older, Princess Qilang confined her to the boudoir for fear that she would cause troubles. It is said that she has beco much more composed now."
"Not only is she beautiful, but she also learned excellent martial arts from a martial arts teacher since she was young. She once declared that if the Great Zhou dynasty offered an instance of won testing for the top scholar, then becoming martial arts champion would be as easy as pie for her."
"Um..."
Su Pan’er’s eyes widened, "Is she really so formidable?"
She should find an opportunity to learn from her soday.
"Formidable? How could she not be?"
Jun Ruoxue laughed, clearly amused after seeing the surprised expression on Su Pan’er’s face, "Not only is she beautiful and good at martial arts, but she also has a tough life. She was previously engaged thrice, but not long after, all three of her fiance’s died. Now, despite being a princess, no family in the capital dares to marry their sons to her in case sothing incurs their child’s death."
As she finished, the smile slowly disappeared from Jun Ruoxue’s face. Her words carried a touch of regret and lancholy.
"How did all three of them die?" Su Pan’er was confused.
"It’s really strange! Her first fiance was a match made when they were children from equally matched families; he died at the age of three. The second one was fixed when she was ten, he was the third legitimate son of Zhang family, one of the eight aristocratic families. This one was always sickly and passed away when she was fourteen. The Wang family didn’t buy it, so when she was fifteen they arranged a fourth son of a civil official for her. While his status was low, he was quite handso."
Jun Ruoxue looked perplexed: "Surprisingly, the day after the engagent was set, the son fell off a horse. The horse stomped directly on his leg, he lad instantly, and this marriage naturally fell through too. Now she is infamous in the capital for her husband-killing destiny. The young masters have learned to steer clear of her, afraid to be entangled with her."
Listening to Jun Ruoxue, Su Pan’er couldn’t help curling her lips. Feudal superstitions could really kill.
With the level of dical expertise at that ti, a higher probability of child death was normal. The so-called "husband-killing destiny" that Princess Anping was accused of was purely bad luck. Wouldn’t it have been better to wait a few more years until everyone had grown up and settle the marriage then!
"Princess Anping is not so peaceful. If she accepted her fate, it would be different, but she tends to cause trouble."
Jun Ruoxue’s eyes lit up with contempt: "She deliberately dresses in red and loves to be where the excitent is. She and I had a few conflicts when I was young and naive - she’s held a grudge ever since. Later, she found out that I have a fiance from a childhood betrothal agreent and she began to seek out trouble with every other day..."
As she spoke, a trace of sadness appeared in her eyes. She seed to lose herself in her mories.
Seeing Jun Ruoxue’s expression, Su Pan’er quickly changed the subject.
"Enough about her. Why bother dealing with such a person? Right, did you co by yourself today?"
"No, not at all! My mother is also here. She’s chatting in the warm room, and I was bored, so I ca out. I didn’t expect to run into you, Sister Pan’er."
The look on Jun Ruochen’s face softened a little.
Rembering what Jun Ruoxue had said earlier about the two daughters of concubines that accompanied Mrs. Jun, Su Pan’er’s eyes flashed with understanding.
Reviews
All reviews (0)