The Princess Who Divorced Her Husband - Chapter 2.3

The next day:

When Yan Mei was woken by the chirping of birds outside the window, she realized she had cried herself to sleep in her bridal gown.

It was already daylight! She rubbed her sore eyelids and looked at herself in the mirror.

“Oh God, I look terrible!” she screamed softly.

And it was true—her eyes were swollen like walnuts, her nose was red, and her makeup was smeared, making her look haggard and miserable.

“What kind of bridal gown is this?!” she shouted angrily, ripping off the top, the skirt, and all the beads and jewelry she was wearing, leaving only a thin undergarment.

Knock, knock, knock! Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Realizing she wasn’t properly dressed, Yan Mei quickly dove under the covers.

“Come in!”

A young maid of about fifteen or sixteen entered the room. She was petite and had a delicate appearance.

“Princess, I’m Haitang. Starting today, I’ll be serving you!”

As Haitang spoke, her eyes flicked toward the mess of the discarded bridal clothes and jewelry strewn across the floor. She seemed a bit shocked by the chaos.

“I don’t need anyone to serve me. Leave!” Yan Mei said coldly and irritably.

“Princess…” Haitang didn’t understand the princess’s mood. She became flustered, tears welling up in her eyes.

Yan Mei felt that maybe she’d gone too far. The girl hadn’t done anything to offend her—she shouldn’t take her frustration out on innocent Haitang.

“Come help me get dressed and do my hair,” Yan Mei sighed.

“Yes, Princess.” Haitang quickly wrung out a towel and gently began to wash Yan Mei’s face.

“Once I’m ready, I want you to take me to see someone.”

Haitang paused. “Who would you like to see, Princess?”

“I want to see Xiao Xue,” Yan Mei said clearly.

*****

Inside Zuo Shengxing’s bedroom in the Haoyan Pavilion, there were two young women. One was sitting, the other standing.

So this is Xiao Xue? Yan Mei looked at the girl across from her in surprise.

So, Xiao Xue was this skinny, this plain-looking? Yan Mei didn’t mean to belittle her, but Xiao Xue’s appearance and figure could only be described as ordinary. The only thing notable about her was her eyes.

Xiao Xue had large, round eyes with long lashes. When she blinked, it was like two little fans fluttering—very beautiful. Yan Mei thought maybe it was those eyes that had captured Zuo Shengxing’s heart.

Yan Mei silently observed Xiao Xue, and she also looked at her. If Yan Mei was surprised by Xiao Xue, she also was absolutely stunned by Yan Mei.

My God! How can someone be so beautiful? How could I possibly compete with her? Even I, a woman, am moved by her beauty—how could the young master not be? No! I must find a way. No matter the cost, I must destroy them. The young master is mine! I will never give him to anyone else! Xiao Xue screamed silently in her heart.

No one knew how long the silence lasted until Yan Mei finally broke it.

“You can sit down too.” Xiao Xue’s pitiful expression made Yan Mei feel like a villain.

Xiao Xue looked at her timidly, then suddenly dropped to her knees.

“You… why are you kneeling to me?” Yan Mei stood up in shock.

Tears filled Xiao Xue’s eyes. Aside from being impressed by how quickly Xiao Xue could cry, Yan Mei was even more surprised by the natural, pitiable aura that her tear-filled eyes gave off—making her look momentarily beautiful.

“Princess, I’m sorry…” Xiao Xue said tearfully. “Please don’t blame the young master. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have fallen in love with him or let him fall in love with me. Please forgive me!”

Yan Mei hadn’t come here today to confront Xiao Xue. She just wanted to see what kind of person she was, to verify what Zuo Shengxing had told her and to understand their relationship better.

But Xiao Xue knelt before her, blaming herself over and over. Looking at her, Yan Mei felt completely at a loss.

“Xiao Xue, get up. Let’s talk.” Although Yan Mei was a princess, she wasn’t in the habit of making people kneel while talking.

Xiao Xue clung to Yan Mei’s skirt, shaking her head while crying. “Princess, please forgive me! Please don’t drive me away! I love the young master so much; I really don’t want to leave him!”

Yan Mei asked coldly, “So you want me to leave him so you two can be together?”

“No!” Xiao Xue exclaimed. “How could I ask that? You and the young master are a perfect match, admired by everyone. I’m just a servant—I have no status, no right, and no reason to take him from you!”

Yan Mei looked at her sorrowfully. “Then what do you want me to do?”

Still kneeling, Xiao Xue respectfully said, “I don’t dare to ask anything from you, Princess. I just hope you can tolerate my existence. I don’t want a title or anything else. I just want to serve you and the young master for the rest of my life.”

She clutched Yan Mei’s skirt again, pleading, “Princess, can you agree to that?”

Yan Mei looked into Xiao Xue’s sincere face for a long time, then sighed, “I can’t answer that right now. I need to think about it.”

“Princess…”

“I’m leaving.” Yan Mei couldn’t stay in the Haoyan Pavilion any longer. If she did, she’d start to hate herself. She stood and left.

“Let me see the Princess out,” Xiao Xue said as she watched Yan Mei’s figure disappear into the distance. A strange, sly smile appeared on her tear-stained face.

Zuo Shengxing arrived at Haoyan Pavilion at dawn. His bedroom had already been given to Xiao Xue. This was Zuo Wende’s idea—his father’s. He even assigned a maid to take care of Xiao Xue to please his son.

“Young master, you’re here!” Xiao Xue greeted him happily the moment she saw him.

Zuo Shengxing hadn’t slept at all the night before, so he looked a bit worn out.

“Young master, you don’t look well,” Xiao Xue said with concern, even though she already knew he had slept in his study last night.

“Is that so?” Zuo Shengxing wasn’t concerned about himself—what he noticed was Xiao Xue’s large, watery eyes filled with red veins.

“Why are your eyes so red? Have you been crying?” he asked urgently.

“No… no!” Xiao Xue hurried to rub her eyes, which only made him more suspicious.

“Xiao Xue, why are you covering for that person?” At this moment, Lingxiang—Xiao Xue’s longtime friend and now her personal maid—grumbled to Zuo Shengxing, full of indignation.

“Young master, you don’t know. That princess came here early this morning and scolded Xiao Xue badly…”

“What?” Zuo Shengxing asked in shock. “You said Yan Mei came to Haoyan Pavilion?”

“Yes, and she said some really nasty things! She called Xiao Xue a vixen and shameless, saying she was trying to steal her husband!” Lingxiang ranted.

“Yan Mei really said that?” Zuo Shengxing’s handsome face darkened.

“Yes, yes!” Lingxiang insisted. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask Granny Zhu and Meixi! The three of us were eavesdropping at the window…”

“Outrageous!” Before Lingxiang could finish, Zuo Shengxing stormed out in fury.