Offered as a Lucky Bride to the Mad Princess to Ward Off Misfortune - Chapter 13

13: “Your Highness Must Teach Me Well…”

The intricate hairpins swayed violently. Before losing consciousness, Yu Nanqing seemed to see Xiao Qiling’s face. Her cold, peach-blossom eyes stared straight at her, as if she wouldn’t rest until she devoured her whole.

So fierce.

By the time she woke again, the sun was already setting. The gorgeous sunset spilled into the room, dispelling the chill of spring.

Yu Nanqing’s vacant gaze gradually focused. Scanning the familiar furnishings, it took her a long moment to recognize that this was her own Bilan Pavilion in the Duke’s residence.

“Awake?” Xiao Qiling sat not far away, a cup of tea steaming faintly by her hand.

Yu Nanqing sat up halfway, murmuring groggily, “…Your Highness?”

“Hmm, at least you still recognize people. Seems you’re not stupid.”

Xiao Qiling set down her teacup and walked over, scrutinizing Yu Nanqing before praising, “The Princess Consort truly lives up to her reputation as a virtuous lady of noble birth. Worried that the fish in the lake might go hungry in winter, she even volunteered to throw herself in to feed them. Such a moving act of sacrifice.”

Yu Nanqing: “……”

Memories before her faint returned, and Yu Nanqing finally recalled the current predicament.

She turned her head, meeting Xiao Qiling’s familiar, sharp gaze, and instinctively shrank her shoulders. Tentatively, she asked, “Did Your Highness bring me back?”

Xiao Qiling gave a noncommittal hum, her tone laced with mock apology. “At the time, I saw the Princess Consort so concerned by the lakeside that I pulled you back without waiting for your permission. Thinking back now, it seems I was rather presumptuous. I hope the Princess Consort won’t hold it against me.”

The smile on Yu Nanqing’s face stiffened. She lowered her fluffy head and shook it. “No, Your Highness did the right thing.”

Xiao Qiling lifted her thin lips, her peach-blossom eyes shedding their sharpness as they glimmered with mischief. Her voice carried a hint of temptation. “But I feel the Princess Consort seemed quite eager to jump into the lake.”

Yu Nanqing wasn’t sure whether she was supposed to want to jump or not. Carefully, she followed Xiao Qiling’s lead about the “fish” and replied, “There’s a multicolored koi in the lake. I thought it was a good omen and wanted to catch it to bring Your Highness good fortune.”

“Is that so?” Xiao Qiling glanced at her, her expression unreadable—whether she believed it or not was unclear. “Next time, leave such tasks to the servants. With your physique, you’re more likely to be dragged away by the fish than to catch one.”

Yu Nanqing cursed inwardly.

Xiao Qiling seemed oblivious to her frustration. She stood and walked to the table, picking up a hairpin lying there and twirling it in her fingers. “Your sister sent someone to deliver this. It doesn’t look particularly special.”

At first glance, Yu Nanqing didn’t recognize it either. It was Chenxiang, who entered with a bowl of medicine, who exclaimed, “This is the hairpin Miss lost when she fell into the water that day! The Fourth Miss actually had someone fish it out?”

Xiao Qiling’s gaze deepened as she studied the hairpin, not bothering to correct Chenxiang’s form of address for Yu Nanqing. “Fell into the water? Ah, I remember now. On the day the imperial decree arrived at the Duke’s residence, the Third Miss Yu, unwilling to enter the deposed Crown Prince’s household, threw herself into the river to make her stance clear?”

Yu Nanqing coughed violently, shooting a horrified look at Chenxiang. “There’s such a rumor?”

Chenxiang set the medicine bowl on the bedside table and knelt. “Your Highness, please don’t believe such baseless gossip.”

“True. After all, there were later rumors that the Princess Consort was pushed in deliberately. My memory is failing me—I nearly forgot.” Xiao Qiling smiled and instructed Chenxiang, “You may rise and leave now.”

Chenxiang cast a reluctant glance at Yu Nanqing before closing the door behind her.

The jade on the hairpin remained translucent despite days submerged in water, and the gold filigree still gleamed brilliantly. Xiao Qiling tucked the hairpin into Yu Nanqing’s hair, admiring it for a moment before leisurely remarking, “You fell into the water over half a month ago. Your sister suddenly became very proactive today. The moment she heard you’d twisted your ankle by the lake, she urgently sent someone to retrieve the hairpin, afraid you’d drag her into it again.”

Yu Nanqing, rarely one to borrow authority, eagerly credited Xiao Qiling. “She wasn’t being proactive—she was just afraid Your Highness would blame her. If Your Highness hadn’t come today, how could they have treated me with such respect?”

Xiao Qiling laughed. “Quite spineless, indeed. Allow me to mock them for a moment.”

“Your Highness, aren’t your legs tired from standing? Would you like to sit and rest?” If Xiao Qiling kept talking, Yu Nanqing feared she wouldn’t die from jumping into the river but from being laughed to death by her.

Did she really think Yu Nanqing couldn’t hear the mockery in her words?

Such a fine young lady—why couldn’t she speak like a normal person?

Xiao Qiling stopped teasing her. Glancing at the sky outside, she asked, “Would you like to stay at the Duke’s residence a few more days to see someone?”

Yu Nanqing sensed that Xiao Qiling wasn’t referring to her family. “Your Highness means…?”

“Earlier, about the rumors of your fall into the water—there’s another version.” Xiao Qiling said casually, “They say the Princess Consort refused to accept the decree because of Prince Chen. Judging by how familiar the Fourth Prince acted toward you earlier, what does the Princess Consort think?”

Yu Nanqing hadn’t expected such rumors. She felt wronged enough to make snow fall in June. In her past life, she’d never harbored even a shred of affection for Xiao Qijun. To her, Xiao Qijun was the Prince Chen she served, but it made no difference who Prince Chen actually was.

“I—”

“Come here.” Xiao Qiling beckoned her as Yu Nanqing uttered the first word.

Yu Nanqing clutched her collar, hesitating.

Did Xiao Qiling want to check if she was still a virgin?

She glanced out the window. In broad daylight… Her cheeks flushed scarlet. “Th-That wouldn’t be appropriate, would it?”

Xiao Qiling ignored her expression and repeated, “Come here.”

Yu Nanqing bit her lip and reluctantly shuffled closer.

Xiao Qiling suddenly leaned in. Caught off guard, Yu Nanqing lost her balance and flailed her arms, knocking Xiao Qiling onto the bed.

Xiao Qiling’s outer robe loosened, revealing a faint scent of agarwood. As she loomed over Yu Nanqing, her peach-blossom eyes looked exceptionally sharp.

Yu Nanqing nibbled her lower lip. “Y-Your Highness…”

Xiao Qiling’s gaze roamed between Yu Nanqing’s eyes. After a moment, she chuckled softly. “The Princess Consort’s looks are exquisite. If you truly had feelings for Prince Chen, you likely wouldn’t have ended up in the Prince Ning’s household.”

Yu Nanqing tilted her head, bewildered.

Xiao Qiling reached out and tapped her forehead lightly. “If you don’t understand, forget it. You’re still young, after all.”

But the moment she called her “young,” Yu Nanqing protested. “I’ve been of marriageable age for two years.”

Xiao Qiling humored her, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Mm, two whole years. If you’d been betrothed early, you could’ve had children by now.”

Yu Nanqing caught the mockery and retorted, “Isn’t it because Your Highness is incapable? Otherwise, I’d definitely have given the Prince Ning’s household eight or ten heirs.”

Xiao Qiling stared at her for two seconds before her lips curved into a smile. “I hadn’t realized the Princess Consort was so… capable?”

Yu Nanqing, sensing the mood lightening, replied carelessly, “Your Highness flatters me.”

Xiao Qiling stood, her disheveled robes now neatly arranged without a single crease. In an instant, she reverted to the aloof, cold Prince Ning known to outsiders.

Yu Nanqing picked up the half-cooled bowl of medicine, pushed aside the spoon, and downed the bitter liquid in one go. As she set the bowl back, she noticed Xiao Qiling tucking the memorial she’d shown Xiao Qijun earlier back into her sleeve.

After a moment’s hesitation, she glanced at Xiao Qiling’s impassive face. “How does Your Highness plan to handle the assassination attempt that night?”

Xiao Qiling looked over, her smile faint. “What, do you also want to try guessing my thoughts?”

This time, she didn’t use the royal “We,” but her tone grew colder.

The last few who’d tried to guess Xiao Qiling’s thoughts had learned their lesson during the homecoming banquet. Yu Nanqing lowered her eyes. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Is it you asking, or our esteemed Duke?” Xiao Qiling’s tone softened slightly, noncommittal. “If it’s the Princess Consort asking, it’s not entirely off-limits.”

Yu Nanqing could tell from her tone that this wasn’t good news. She promptly shook her head. “No, I suddenly don’t want to know anymore. Your Highness may handle it as you see fit.”

Xiao Qiling’s lips curved. “If you don’t want to hear me say it, why don’t you say it instead?”

Xiao Qiling’s thoughts were inscrutable. Her smile didn’t necessarily mean she was happy or angry. Perhaps she had the patience to listen to Yu Nanqing now, but the next moment, she might not.

Yu Nanqing hesitated, only for Xiao Qiling to remark airily, “I’m quite curious about that multicolored koi. If you’re wrong, I’ll punish the Princess Consort by making her jump into the lake to catch it.”

Yu Nanqing: “……”

So Xiao Qiling hadn’t believed her story about the fish and had been waiting for her here all along.

After a long silence, under Xiao Qiling’s increasingly piercing gaze, Yu Nanqing spoke slowly. “Your Highness used the matter of my dowry to warn the Duke’s residence. For now, the Duke’s residence has fallen into Your Highness’s trap, but one day, they’ll realize Your Highness has no solid evidence to accuse them.”

Xiao Qiling remained impassive. “How does the Princess Consort know I lack evidence?”

“With Your Highness’s capabilities, keeping a prisoner alive wouldn’t be difficult. But that night, Your Highness acted swiftly, with no intention of preserving evidence.” Yu Nanqing said calmly, “Regardless of who sent the assassins, ultimately, they were people who wanted Your Highness gone. Rather than expending effort to investigate who it was, it’s better to let the suspects investigate for you.”

“You could interpret it that way.” Xiao Qiling smiled faintly. “But the real reason I left no survivors…”

She paused. Yu Nanqing looked up, holding her breath.

“…was because it was too much trouble.”

Yu Nanqing hadn’t expected this answer. “Trouble?”

Xiao Qiling smiled without explaining.

Unsure of Xiao Qiling’s thoughts but with no order to stop, Yu Nanqing continued, “Your Highness accompanying me home didn’t require mentioning the assassination to reclaim the rest of my dowry. Yet Your Highness deliberately linked the two… Thus, I boldly speculate—was it for my father’s upcoming appointment as Minister of Rites?”

Xiao Qiling’s smile faded.

Even Xiao Qijun hadn’t considered this layer, still fixated on the Dali Temple’s investigation to find the real culprit for her. But Yu Nanqing had already deduced her plan.

That night, she’d left no survivors precisely because it was troublesome.

Whether the mastermind behind the assassination was Emperor Wenjing, one of his beloved sons, or a lackey like Yu Bingru mattered little to her.

Emperor Wenjing wouldn’t give her justice, and the Dali Temple’s investigation would yield no results. But Emperor Wenjing didn’t know whether she had evidence.

Her aim was to test Emperor Wenjing’s patience.

Yu Bingru, who’d even skimped on his late wife’s dowry for her daughter, had no right to become Minister of Rites.

Today’s events would undoubtedly be reported to Emperor Wenjing by Xiao Qijun immediately. It remained to be seen whether His Majesty on the throne would dare appoint a new minister now.

The room fell silent.

Xiao Qiling gazed coolly at Yu Nanqing on the bed, circling it slowly. “Yu Nanqing, I like clever people.”

Yu Nanqing pressed her lips together.

Xiao Qiling stopped beside her and added, “But I dislike overly clever people—especially when they’re from the Duke’s residence.”

“But Your Highness hasn’t killed me.” Yu Nanqing lifted her head slowly, a gentle smile curving her lips. “I may be from the Duke’s residence, but must I side with them forever?”

The one who’d reclaimed her mother’s dowry was Xiao Qiling. The one who’d pulled her back from the lake was also Xiao Qiling.

If her father was so certain her life would be miserable after Xiao Qiling’s passing, then before Xiao Qiling left, she’d make the Duke’s residence’s life even more difficult.

A Duke’s residence stripped of power would have no right to dictate terms to a Prince’s official consort.

Xiao Qiling coldly rejected her. “I don’t employ people with wavering loyalties.”

“But I’m not just anyone.”

Yu Nanqing took Xiao Qiling’s hand and pressed it to her cheek. The quilt she’d been holding up slid to her waist, her loosely tied inner robe parting slightly to reveal a fragile, alluring figure.

“I’m Your Highness’s Princess Consort. Doesn’t Your Highness have the patience to teach me well?”