The Ninth Princess Reigns Supreme [Transmigration] - Chapter 12
Liu Li understood Ning Zisheng’s emotions perfectly.
She recalled the few love letters she had received back in elementary school.
In those days, the most popular boy and girl in school were always at the forefront of fashion, their online chat nicknames and signatures were the coolest and most trendy “Martian language” (a slang-filled, stylized form of writing), and they were very popular among their classmates.
Among a sea of “non-mainstream” teenagers, those few classmates had the discerning eye to come and confess to Liu Li, which moved her greatly and boosted her confidence ever since.
Ning Zisheng’s feelings at this moment were probably quite similar.
——So many princes and princesses in the palace, yet this genuine and unpretentious county princess has taken a liking to me alone. She took the initiative to exchange handkerchiefs with me and always carries my token close to her…
Thinking of her own actions, Liu Li found it difficult to explain herself. Her smile froze on her face as she looked at Ning Zisheng’s expectant gaze, unsure of how to reply.
She was also in a dilemma. If she lied and admitted it, she didn’t know what kind of trouble would follow. If she denied it, she was afraid of upsetting Ning Zisheng, especially since it was indeed Liu Li’s actions that had caused the misunderstanding.
She saw Ning Zisheng’s favorability fluctuating up and down, much like Liu Li’s own heart fluttering like a startled deer.
——Ning Zisheng was nervous because she thought Liu Li had feelings for her, while Liu Li was simply panicked.
Seeing her remain silent for a long time, Ning Zisheng misunderstood again and said softly, “…If you’re shy, then I won’t ask.”
…?
Liu Li, in her panic, nodded her head blankly, but then realized it was wrong and shook her head vigorously. No, that’s not it! Ning Zisheng, don’t jump to conclusions!
This reaction was so amusing that a faint smile appeared on Ning Zisheng’s lips, but it didn’t disappear as quickly as usual, lingering on her face for a long time.
By the time Liu Li, feeling embarrassed, finally looked up, Ning Zisheng was still smiling.
Although she wore no makeup, one could already see a glimpse of her future beauty. Combined with the shallow dimples on her cheeks and her slightly curved phoenix eyes, her expression was filled with delight.
The young girl’s youthful yet composed demeanor, coupled with that expression, was strangely captivating.
Liu Li had spent so much time with Ning Zisheng and had never seen her genuinely smile. Even when she occasionally smiled, it was fleeting.
Faced with the Ninth Princess looking so delighted, how could she bear to tell her the truth?
She could only remain silent, taking it as an unspoken agreement.
Soon, Liu Li saw the favorability increase by one point again.
[Ning Zisheng favorability towards you: +5. Current favorability: 65 (a gentleman’s friendship).]
This puzzled Liu Li greatly. Why did Ning Zisheng’s favorability increase even though she knew Liu Li “liked” her? Wasn’t there no yuri (lesbian) storyline in the original story? Huh?
Ning Zisheng was in a good mood and didn’t want to embarrass Liu Li further, so she quickly changed the subject. “Your half-sister tried to frame you. Are you not on good terms?”
Liu Li wasn’t the original owner of the body and didn’t know what had happened between the original owner and Liu Ruyun. But thinking that it was probably just the usual domestic power struggle, she honestly said, “Actually, I’m not too sure. But how can the legitimate and illegitimate children get along? Your Highness surely understands.”
Ning Zisheng hummed in agreement.
Since Ning Zisheng was also a low status illegitimate daughter, Liu Li didn’t want to touch her sore spot. She smiled slightly and gently advised, “But that doesn’t apply to Your Highness. Your Highness is noble. Whether legitimate or illegitimate, you are a true dragon daughter. Besides…”
“Besides what?”
“Besides, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate is just something imposed on oneself by others. They keep fighting because they are too attached to it. As long as you don’t care and just do what you should do, you won’t be constrained.”
Ning Zisheng seemed to be lost in thought upon hearing this, and after a while, she said, “Is that so?”
“Really”
••••
Spring passed, summer came, summer passed, autumn arrived, and in the blink of an eye, it was the clear and crisp September season.
In these few months, Liu Li had experienced a few things, neither too big nor too small.
First was Princess Bao’an’s illness. After she stopped taking the medicine, her condition naturally didn’t deteriorate as rapidly as before. But she was still ill, and if she didn’t take medicine, her health would still decline, albeit at a slower rate.
Fortunately, the emperor had great pity for her and sent gifts every few days. All kinds of rare tonics flowed into Penglai Palace like water.
With this nourishment, Princess Bao’an’s health would drop a little and then recover a little, barely maintaining a steady level. So, there was no need to worry too much about her suddenly falling ill in the near future.
But the person behind the scheme and their methods remained a mystery.
Although Princess Bao’an secretly stopped taking the medicine, the palace servants who served her daily would notice something. Liu Li suspected that the person behind the scenes already knew about the discontinuation of the medicine.
But that person remained still, without any other actions, showing great patience and a calm demeanor, indicating they were not easy to deal with.
Liu Li recently discovered a new feature of the system: as long as two people appeared in front of her at the same time, she could see their favorability towards each other.
She tried to use this to find the culprit, but in the vast Penglai Palace, everyone’s favorability towards Bao’an was normal, with no flaws for her to seize.
Liu Li’s sixth sense told her that this matter was not over, and the other party would definitely continue to target Bao’an. She could only be more vigilant.
Secondly, there was the quarterly examination at the Imperial Academy. All students had to write long essays based on the books they had read recently, fully demonstrating their learning and insights.
Liu Li was in the lowest level beginner class, so it was relatively easy. But for the others, the difficulty was comparable to the provincial civil service examination, which stumped many princes and princesses.
The questions were not difficult. Liu Li had studied diligently for a while and had Ning Zisheng’s guidance. The final essay she wrote was excellent. So, the Grand Tutor waved his hand and transferred her to another class suitable for her age.
The classmates were all familiar faces, such as the Fifth Princess, Sixth Prince, Seventh Princess, Eighth Princess… and of course, most importantly, the Ninth Princess, Ning Zisheng.
When Liu Li walked into the classroom, she saw these people sitting next to their companions, except for Ning Zisheng, who was alone.
Liu Li naturally sat down next to Ning Zisheng. Before she could put down her things, she heard a mocking voice: “The County Princess and Ninth Sister are really close. Anyone who doesn’t know would think the County Princess is Ninth Sister’s companion.”
The speaker was the Eighth Princess, Ning Zichun.
Since the last incident, she had become increasingly displeased with Liu Ruyun. Coincidentally, her maternal uncle was now working under Duke of Chu, and her mother, Concubine Li, reminded her daily not to offend the Chu family.
So, Liu Ruyun had to continue being her companion.
Ning Zichun became more and more annoyed, her resentment towards the two Liu women growing daily. And she remembered her mother’s constant urging to befriend Liu Li, but Liu Li only clung to the unfavored Ning Zisheng!
Now that Liu Li had appeared before her, Ning Zichun couldn’t help but say something sarcastic.