The Princess Who Divorced Her Husband - Chapter 2.1

After finally finishing the long wedding ceremony, Princess Yanmei was now sitting upright on the bed, holding her breath and waiting. Compared to the noisy sounds from the wedding hall earlier, the quiet bridal chamber felt strange to her. She wasn’t used to the silence.

Yanmei had heard so many voices earlier; she could imagine how many guests had come today just because of Prince Yongjun and the Governor. It must have been a big crowd!

The wedding rituals had taken a long time and were exhausting. Yanmei felt exhausted. She was also thirsty and hungry. She gently lifted a corner of her red bridal veil and waved to her nanny, who had stayed by her side the whole time.

“Nanny, I want some water… and something to eat!”

“Oh no, no! You mustn’t lift the bridal veil!” her nanny quickly pulled it down, then carefully poured a cup of water and helped Yanmei drink.

“Here, have a little water first. As for food, please wait a bit longer. Eat only after the groom arrives.”

Yanmei muttered quietly, “Hmph, like he’s going to come that soon…”

There were so many guests who came to give their blessings. She had seen that the banquet had dozens of tables. Yanmei could already guess that Zuo Shengxing wouldn’t be able to leave so easily.

“Sigh, so boring.” Feeling completely bored, Yanmei started thinking about something that happened five days ago.

That afternoon, while Prince Yongjun was visiting the Governor’s residence, Yanmei had sneaked out with her nanny to walk around the street and just by coincidence, she saw Zuo Shengxing.

She thought he probably hadn’t seen her, since she and the nanny were in the middle of the crowd. But she had gotten a very clear look at him from head to toe!

He still had thick eyebrows and big eyes and the same healthy bronze skin. Compared to the Zuo Shengxing she remembered from before, he hadn’t changed much—his facial features were still the same. But now, all the childishness from before was gone. He looked like a grown man, even more handsome than before.

With his charming face and strong body standing under the golden sunlight, Zuo Shengxing looked so dazzling and attractive. At that moment, no matter how much the nanny pushed or pulled her, Yanmei couldn’t take her eyes off him.

When Zuo Shengxing stepped in to protect an old man and beat up a local bully, everyone around cheered. Yanmei clapped along with the crowd too. The nanny, both annoyed and amused, couldn’t help but scold her a little.

“Princess, can’t you control yourself just a little? This is a public street!”

Ignoring her nanny’s nagging, Yanmei couldn’t hide her excitement and whispered, “Nanny, he saved that old man! He has such a strong sense of justice! He has a really kind heart, don’t you think?”

“Yes, yes, everything you say is true,” the nanny replied, though she wasn’t nearly as excited. Instead, her wrinkled face looked deeply worried.

“That boy really is a good one. He’s good-looking and has a good heart. It’s just a pity…”

Back in the present moment, Yanmei suddenly remembered that the nanny didn’t finish her sentence back then. It was strange. “Nanny, what were you going to say when you said, ‘It’s a pity?’” she asked, lifting a corner of the red wedding veil.

“Oh dear, why are you lifting it again?”

“It’s fine!” Yanmei brushed her nanny’s hand away. “It was when we went to the market that time! You said Zuo Shengxing is a good man with a kind heart; then you said, ‘It’s a pity,’ and stopped. Do you still remember?”

“I think… I think I remember something like that…” the nanny said, trying to recall.

“So what were you going to say after ‘it’s a pity’?”

“What was I going to say…? Oh, right.” The nanny frowned. “Princess, why are you asking about that now, of all times?”

“I don’t care! I want to know!” Yanmei hated it when people didn’t finish what they were saying.

“Oh, you’re so stubborn.” The nanny gave in. “I just meant that it’s a pity your husband is too handsome. A man that good-looking might not be a good thing.”

She sighed and spoke slowly. “Nanny has lived a long time, and I’ve seen all kinds of people. A man like your husband—handsome, with a powerful family—is the most dangerous kind. Men and women are different. A woman belongs to one man, but a man… he doesn’t always belong to just one woman.”

Yanmei was clever and immediately understood her nanny’s meaning. She knew it was true but still thought the nanny was overthinking it.

“Nanny, you don’t have to worry! Don’t you trust the girl you raised with your own hands?” Yanmei whispered into her nanny’s ear.

“Of course I trust you!” the nanny said it lovingly, looking at Yanmei’s beautiful face. “If someone as lovely and sweet as you can’t keep your husband’s heart, then he really doesn’t know how lucky he is.”

Just then, someone knocked on the door. A wedding attendant went to open it.

“Young Master Zuo, please come in.”

Yanmei’s heart skipped a beat. Why is he here so soon? The banquet just started!

“Please lift the bridal veil with the lucky scale. May your marriage be filled with happiness and harmony!”

The red veil covering Yanmei’s face was lifted. When her eyes met Zuo Shengxing’s dark gaze, she shyly lowered her head.

“Please drink the wedding wine.”

Yanmei took a small sip from the ceremonial cup, her heart full of joy, her eyes still downcast in embarrassment.

“We wish you a happy marriage and many children!” the attendants said, then quietly left.

After they were gone, the nanny walked over with a beaming smile and knelt in front of Zuo Shengxing.

“I bow to the young master!”

“Oh, please don’t! You must get up.” Zuo Shengxing quickly helped her up.

“If you don’t mind, please call me ‘Nanny,’ just like the princess does.”

“Yes, Nanny,” he replied.

Zuo Shengxing had lost his mother at an early age, and his father’s concubines, who had no children of their own, kept a respectful distance from him. So this warm and kind nanny made him feel truly comforted.

Nanny spoke sincerely, “From now on, the princess is yours. She’s still young and doesn’t understand many things. I hope you’ll be patient with her, cherish her, and love her deeply…”

“Nanny—!” Yanmei whined from the side. If the nanny didn’t stop talking soon, she would dig a hole and hide in it.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop,” the nanny laughed and left the room.