The Princess Smells So Good (GL) - Chapter 69

Several days had passed, and for the people of Haizhou City, life seemed no different than usual. However, with the fall of the Black Flag, it seemed to have given others a renewed sense of confidence. Even the maritime trade became a bit more prosperous.

Manager Jin, holding his ledger, smiled happily and relaxed, letting out a chuckle.

Wei Zhao glanced at him and quietly said, “Looks like you’ve made quite a bit of money.”

“It’s all for the country’s benefit! This old servant is humbled!” Manager Jin responded, kneeling without hesitation, speaking loudly. Recently, that red-haired slave was gone, and the black-haired one… well, she was no longer a slave. Anyway, neither of them was around anymore, and Wei Zhao seemed noticeably more restless. Manager Jin had thought he understood, assuming the Prince was fond of this kind of thing. So, when the moon was dark and the wind strong, he sent two obedient and charming foreign slaves to Wei Zhao.

But to his surprise, they were both sent back with broken legs. The next day, when Wei Zhao looked at Manager Jin, his eyes… Jin didn’t want to remember that moment, shrinking back for several days. When he saw Wei Zhao had finally let it go, he relaxed again.

With the arrival of Wang Weiren, many others had also arrived. Among them were people responsible for external affairs, some managing finances, and many others carrying maps and measuring tools, spending their days in meetings with Wang Weiren and Wang Youzhi, working tirelessly. Manager Jin didn’t know what they were discussing, but after several days, there was still no answer given to Wei Zhao.

The Princess wasn’t bad-tempered, but not particularly good-tempered either. However, she remained calm about this matter and wasn’t in a rush, even comforting Wei Zhao, “I don’t mind waiting for time; I only need a definite result.”

But from Manager Jin’s observations, the Princess’s temper seemed to worsen day by day. Just like now, if it were usual, she wouldn’t even care about him. But now, she seemed determined to find faults. Manager Jin sighed inwardly.

Recently, with the Princess’s status being revealed, Haizhou City was in an uproar. Ordinary merchants were full of gratitude, as smooth sea routes were their lifeblood. Now that the Princess was personally involved, it meant the matter would likely be resolved in no time, which was surely a cause for celebration. As for the upper-class people, they began to reflect on whether they had offended anyone in the past.

Those who thought they had been courteous and warm were now even more eager to please. Meanwhile, those who had been humiliated in the past were now fearful and uneasy.

But it didn’t matter, because there was still Manager Jin. The Princess stayed at Duobao Pavilion, and when others couldn’t invite her, they turned to invite Manager Jin. Seeing them try to please him, Manager Jin was very pleased. But within the merchant guild, it wasn’t quite the same. Duobao Pavilion had backing from the court; would they still need to do business with others? Naturally, many merchants openly and secretly took precautions against Duobao Pavilion.

At Wei Zhao’s gesture, Manager Jin had no choice but to give up some of his interests.

Now, in Manager Jin’s view, everything felt extremely peaceful, as if Haizhou City had returned to the way it was many years ago, though there was a little less money. But it didn’t matter—merchants were all about making money peacefully. What did fighting and killing matter? After reflecting for a while, Manager Jin thought he might have overreacted before. He was now considering when to send the slaves and guards he’d brought back.

And then, another major event shook Haizhou City.

A fully-armed warship arrived in Haizhou.

It was truly a spectacle, with crowds of people filling the docks to watch. Haizhou wasn’t without warships, but this one was towering, obviously a ship for long-distance travel, and its complete and advanced configuration was rare.

Among the crowd, some weren’t happy. Wang Youzhi was one of them. He was in charge of Haizhou’s navy and currently Wei Zhao’s top subordinate. Even though Wei Zhao had already given him a heads-up, when Wang Youzhi saw this fleet, he still felt a strong sense of crisis.

And when the elegant and graceful Lan Du walked into view, the young men and women first froze, then let out low murmurs of admiration. Plus, having seen the affection between him and the Princess earlier, Wang Youzhi’s jealousy flared.

Where did this pretty boy come from?! Don’t let him look at the Princess!!

Wei Zhao didn’t know what others were thinking, but she and Lan Du had known each other since childhood. He had also been one of her imperial brother’s companions in study. Originally, he should have risen smoothly, staying by the Saint’s side, but this time, Lan Du had volunteered for a position of moderate importance and followed Wei Zhao to Haizhou.

To Wei Zhao, Lan Du was one of her most trusted confidants. For confidants, she was always warm and respectful. Furthermore, the fleet Lan Du brought was a masterpiece from the Da Zhou shipyards, equipped with the latest firepower.

With such a mighty fleet in hand, Wei Zhao naturally treated him with affection.

After the feast, they went back to the study for a private conversation.

Although they still had a bit of alcohol in them, their minds were clear. When Lan Du saw Wei Zhao’s cheeks slightly flushed, her face glowing with a gentle radiance, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly turned his gaze away, stepping back two paces to bow respectfully.

Wei Zhao was in a good mood and waived away Lan Du’s formalities. They began talking about things that had happened since their last meeting, mostly reminiscing. Lan Du had come to Wei Zhao a little later, and he took out a secret letter from the Saint to hand to her. After reading it, Wei Zhao burned the letter into ashes. Lan Du, observing Wei Zhao’s calm expression, finally spoke, “Speaking of which, when I passed through Haizhou on the way here, I ran into an old acquaintance of yours.”

Wei Zhao looked up, her heart stirred.

It had been many days, yet there was still no news of A Zong or Fa Yilian. Wei Zhao became more anxious, but she couldn’t show it. She could only remain silent when alone in the dead of night.

In the past, there had always been someone by her side. Whether it was her maidservants or that ever-present slave, someone was always there, ready to follow her wishes. Even someone as rebellious as Fa Yilian would carefully dress her and put on her shoes. Many times, when Wei Zhao woke up in the middle of the night, she would remember everything from the forest.

Those tense days seemed so distant, yet they felt like they had never ended.

She recalled the way Fa Yilian had held her foot, her fingers lightly brushing over the top of her foot. The shame she felt at the time now seemed to have a secret sweetness attached to it.

Wei Zhao didn’t like to dwell on those memories, feeling like those foolish men and women who were left behind in the inner palace, clinging to memories of lost love. She had seen too much of that in her youth. Her mother, the Empress, was someone who treated her lovers with such casualness. When she loved, she cherished the other person like a treasure, moving both herself and the other person. But when she didn’t love, it was as though they were discarded like a rag, no longer even worth a glance.

“I once thought the love of an emperor could last forever. I once thought that your birth symbolized this. But in the end, I was wrong.”

Her mother, her other half, had once lovingly touched Wei Zhao’s small face.

At the time, young Wei Zhao hadn’t understood and instinctively comforted her mother, “Mother, you still have me.”

“Yes, I still have you, and this position. But I’ve lost myself. My ideals, my ambitions, everything I once dreamed of, is all gone.” Her mother had smiled at her.

That was the last smile Wei Zhao remembered from her mother. Later, her mother’s face was replaced by the pale, swaying corpse hanging from the beam. The memories of her mother were shattered by the terrifying, rolling eyes and the long, drooping tongue.

For a long time, Wei Zhao couldn’t even recall her mother’s face. Every time she tried, her mother’s terrifying corpse would appear before her eyes.

She hated her mother, hated the Empress, and hated herself.

Those were days Wei Zhao didn’t want to remember. But in one unresponded day after another, she couldn’t help but think back to those times. She feared she would become like her mother, clinging to memories to try to hold onto someone else. But she also feared becoming like the Empress, looking at the corpse of someone she had once loved with only disgust and fear.

“What about Fa Yilian? Did she die? Did she die at sea, and will her body become bloated and ugly, like my mother’s? And when that happens, how will I react? Will I feel the same disgust and fear like my mother did?”

Wei Zhao pressed her head in her hands. Her head hurt, and memories of the past, Fa Yilian’s smile, and all the uneasy thoughts swirled in her mind, like a mischievous child shoving everything into her thoughts.

“It’s really unbearable,” Wei Zhao thought.

But there was nothing she could do.

Now, Lan Du’s words seemed to bring her some sense of relief. However, she also felt a vague sense of dread. If it was indeed Fa Yilian, Lan Du would surely bring her back. No one in the capital knew Wei Zhao without knowing Fa Yilian. In some ways, Fa Yilian was like a stain that had stuck to Wei Zhao.

“Princess?”

Lan Du’s voice snapped Wei Zhao back from her chaotic thoughts. She forced a smile, pressing her aching head.

“Your face is very pale, should I bring the doctor?” Lan Du asked with concern.

“No need, just tell me what happened.” Wei Zhao replied.

Lan Du let out a long sigh and said, “I saw a foreign woman named A Zong. She said she was sent by you to search for the slave’s whereabouts.”

Wei Zhao said “Oh,” and looked at Lan Du, unable to stop herself from asking, “And… did she find anything?”

“No, they only found the remnants of the battle…” Lan Du told her everything in detail, then carefully observed Wei Zhao’s expression. Seeing her brows furrowed, he sighed again and said cautiously, “Your Highness, I’m not sure about your relationship with that slave now…”

Wei Zhao seemed a bit dazed. It wasn’t until Lan Du asked again that she looked up and met his eyes. “She’s not a slave anymore,” she said quietly.