The Princess Smells So Good (GL) - Chapter 41
As soon as they entered the Duobao Pavilion, Manager Jin’s expression became even more cautious and serious. He immediately bowed deeply, apologizing. Wei Zhao waved his hand in boredom, signaling for him to stop, and only then did Manager Jin nervously say, “The Inspector and Provincial Governor have been waiting for you, Your Highness. Would you like to meet them?” Seeing Wei Zhao’s thoughtful expression, he added, “To avoid being seen, they have changed their clothes and entered through the back door.”
Wei Zhao nodded and yawned. Fa Yilian stepped forward with a smile. “Your Highness must be tired from the journey. Please allow the gentlemen to wait a little longer. Is that alright?”
“Of course, of course,” Manager Jin said, although he didn’t like taking orders from Fa Yilian, an exotic slave. But since everyone knew that the Grand Princess only had one slave and this person had accompanied her the entire way, it was clear they were no ordinary slave. Manager Jin, being a businessman, was also skilled in dealing with people, so he quickly smiled and said, “I’ve prepared rooms and clothes for Your Highness. Please follow me.”
Wei Zhao didn’t respond, but after entering the courtyard and closing the door, he said, “I thought you were only good at handling other matters, but it seems you’re also quite skilled at using your position to intimidate others.”
Fa Yilian smiled with lowered eyes. “I’ve learned to watch.”
Wei Zhao shook his head. “The way you say that, it sounds like I only have fools around me.”
“I’ll go get your clothes,” Fa Yilian replied. She knew that the earlier show of authority over Manager Jin was just to display confidence, not to make a big deal out of the Provincial Governor. Dressing up in formal attire was another part of the plan, so they didn’t have much time to waste. After just a few words, Fa Yilian turned to prepare.
Wei Zhao turned back just in time to catch a glimpse of A Zong’s blank expression.
She looked a bit silly. How did that sharp-minded Miss Song Sisi end up liking her?
Wei Zhao asked, “What are you thinking?”
A Zong seemed startled and quickly stood up, taking a step back. “Y-you, you’re a princess, a member of the royal family?”
Wei Zhao responded with a hum. “Yes, now you know. So what?”
A Zong was momentarily silent. After a long pause, she finally said, “Well, I’m just here to protect you for now.”
Hearing this, Wei Zhao smiled. “I’ll give you a free identity.”
A Zong snapped back to reality. She suddenly remembered how Wei Zhao had confidently made that promise before and became excited, almost stuttering as she spoke. Her face showed the innocent joy of a young girl. “Really? What about my tattoo?”
“It can be washed off. There’s evidence, so you won’t have to keep pretending anymore.” Wei Zhao’s tone softened as she looked at A Zong. “How old are you?”
“Ten… eighteen.”
Eighteen… just a child. Wei Zhao thought about her own age and felt a strange, unexplainable feeling. At that moment, Fa Yilian returned with clothes in her arms, and Wei Zhao stood up. Fa Yilian began to assist Wei Zhao with dressing. A Zong, seeing Wei Zhao stretch out her arms and remain still as the clothes slipped off her shoulder, quickly turned her head and ran out.
Wei Zhao glanced at A Zong’s fleeing figure and snorted with a smirk. “She’s so inexperienced.” Then, she turned to see Fa Yilian looking at her with eyes as intense as if a small sun were hiding inside them.
Wei Zhao said, “What are you looking at? Be careful, or I’ll have your eyeballs removed.”
Fa Yilian stifled a laugh, “Then I won’t be able to help A Xian get dressed. But these clothes—A Xian couldn’t wear them alone.”
Wei Zhao glared at her, “Shut up.” She opened her mouth, but then quickly pulled her clothes together and turned her back. “I’ll put on the undergarments myself. Turn around, and don’t say anything until I speak.”
Fa Yilian sighed regretfully, then turned around and said in a muted tone, “Hurry up then. We don’t have much time.”
She glanced up and saw a small mirror on the wall. The reflection showed a flustered Wei Zhao trying to dress, her pale skin flushed with a hint of pink, which made her look irresistibly alluring.
Fa Yilian couldn’t help but swallow.
Wei Zhao growled, “Shut up,” and the sound of clothing rustling filled the air. Fa Yilian smiled helplessly, crossed her arms, and looked at the door, her gaze lowering to her own hands.
How long would it take?
“Almost can’t hold it in anymore.”
Fa Yilian whispered to herself.
“What did you say?” Wei Zhao’s voice came, laced with confusion.
Fa Yilian shook her head and looked up again. “Nothing. Just thinking, we’re running out of time.”
The rustling noise immediately sped up.
A Zong gathered her breath, leaped over the high wall, and sat on the top, lost in thought. She hadn’t expected to learn of Wei Zhao’s identity, and still felt a little stunned. But recalling Wei Zhao’s promise, she felt a sense of relief. Thinking about Wei Zhao’s status, though, made her a little worried. After all, she had few things to rely on. She felt an urgent need to prove her worth. Just then, her ears twitched slightly as she heard Manager Jin’s low voice from afar.
A Zong blinked. In the next moment, she disappeared from the wall like a ghost.
“Manager Jin, today the house is brightly decorated. Is there something going on?”
“Not to hide anything from you, a distinguished guest has arrived. Please stay here for the night. Tomorrow morning, I’ll send someone to escort you out.” This was Manager Jin’s voice.
A Zong peeked out and saw two people standing in the distance. The short, chubby one was none other than Manager Jin. He was smiling but speaking with a tone of impatience, quite different from how he had spoken to Wei Zhao. A Zong, used to seeing people wear different faces in public and private, didn’t find it strange. However, her attention was caught by the woman standing across from him.
The woman wasn’t from Central Plains; she had red hair, skin the color of wheat, and was quite tall, resembling a lean man. She had her arms crossed, watching Manager Jin with a look of elegance, dressed in a long coat with a wide collar, black high boots, and a curved sword at her waist. There was a bold, unique kind of charm to her.
“It doesn’t matter, as long as Manager Jin doesn’t forget about our payment,” the woman said. Her accent was strange, somewhat like Fa Yilian’s, but harsher, clearly indicating she wasn’t from the Central Plains.
“Don’t worry about the money for the goods. I won’t forget,” Manager Jin said with a hearty laugh. Then, in a lowered voice, he added, “The seas are getting turbulent, I’m afraid.”
The woman gave a small “oh” and squinted her eyes. She didn’t press further but cupped her hands and said, “Thank you for the reminder, Manager Jin.”
“Your merchants are capable, so there’s no need to worry,” Manager Jin also returned the gesture with a bow.
After a few more casual words, they parted ways. A Zong stayed hidden, not moving. She waited until the sounds of conversation faded, leaving only faint breathing. She then stepped out, but as soon as she did, a dark figure appeared before her.
She wasn’t surprised, but she looked up at the woman and asked, “How did you find me?”
The woman’s gaze swept over A Zong, then paused at her neck. A Zong immediately covered her neck and took a step back. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.” The woman withdrew her gaze and asked in a low voice, “Who are you?”
A Zong blinked and looked back at the woman. She noticed the woman’s eyes were green.
Just like Fa Yilian’s.
A Zong thought to herself, then turned and ran off in a hurry.
The woman stood there, frowning as she watched A Zong’s retreating figure. “A slave, at this time?”
Is she the guest’s servant? But if she’s a guest, why would a slave behave so carelessly?
“You little thing,” Wei Zhao said, her face flushed with anger as she pointed at Fa Yilian in the mirror. “You were spying on me.”
Fa Yilian coughed awkwardly and, with a flick of her wrist, added a hairpin to Wei Zhao’s hair. “You said for me to turn around, so I did. But I didn’t move at all.”
“Why are you so obedient now?” Wei Zhao gave up on maintaining her royal composure and rolled her eyes.
Fa Yilian whispered a laugh, gently pinching Wei Zhao’s ear, making it softer before attaching a pearl earring. “This place is different. Whatever A Xian says, goes.”
Wei Zhao glanced at her ear and hair, then snorted. “You’re quite skilled with your hands.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Fa Yilian sighed in relief and stepped back, reaching to help Wei Zhao stand up.
Wei Zhao took Fa Yilian’s arm, turned, and as her long robe swirled, it settled softly. She looked into Fa Yilian’s eyes and suddenly flashed a sly smile. “You know how to dress, pick outfits, and do my hair. Have you been planning something for a while, that’s why you’re so attentive to me?”
Fa Yilian looked at the woman in front of her. She was well past the age when ordinary girls in the capital would be married off. Even in the capital, at her age, many had several children, yet here she was, still unmarried. But now, the woman in front of her was smiling faintly, her smile showing a youthful cunning.
As if time had never passed, and that moment of heart-flutter had lasted all the way to now.
“You are my slave, and that makes you my property. Anyone who wants to touch you has to get my permission first. Remember that,” Wei Zhao said sharply, her voice carrying an edge of authority. She looked at the slave she had always disliked with a fierce, burning gaze. “You need to remember—you don’t have to listen to anyone else.”
“What are you thinking?” Wei Zhao asked, noticing Fa Yilian staring at her, her eyes seemingly drifting through her and looking elsewhere.
Wei Zhao subconsciously disliked the look, and her tone became tight.
Fa Yilian blinked, her memory of the young girl overlapping with the woman before her. She smiled, her eyes curving beautifully. “I was thinking of you.”
Before Wei Zhao could respond, Fa Yilian added, “You’re right. I’ve had improper thoughts about you for a long time.”
“So, my princess, A Xian, what will you do now?”