Chapter 211

Xiao Wei also did not know why he would make such an unbelievable decision; he had never felt pity for anyone else, but only felt a little sympathy for the woman before him.

According to reason, the person from Fu Yu Guo who least deserves to live is Princess Yalan; she is the legitimate bloodline of Fu Yu Guo.

Even his doting uncle, who had always spoiled him, flew into a rage when he secretly released Princess Yalan, ordering him to be given twenty military strokes.

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, he endured torn flesh and piercing pain, personally riding his horse with the guard troops to chase after her fleeing direction.

He knew he had injured her badly; he was not the type to pity fragrance and jade, and after that night she could not stand, her steps trembling.

But Xiao Wei did not expect that the woman had not fled at all; she had lain flat under the bed in his tent for three days and three nights.

Princess Yalan finally guessed correctly once.

Even if Xiao Wei later realized that Princess Yalan might not have left the Southern Qi White Tiger Camp, he searched the entire camp thoroughly, yet never thought to look first under the bedboards of his own tent.

Later Emperor Longqing summoned the Third Prince to return to court; Xiao Wei did not dare defy his father's will and had to strike camp and leave.

As a deputy commander in the army, he naturally would not personally dismantle the camp; he led his men away first, and the task of tearing down the camp was given to nearby Fu Yu Guo civilians who had not yet been killed.

The shuffling old man discovered the unconscious little princess hiding under the bed, risked hiding her in a tub full of garbage and slop, and brought her out of the ruined capital of Fu Yu Guo.

After Xiao Wei returned to Shang Jing, he never gave up searching for that woman; his private release of the Fu Yu Guo legitimate princess was covered up by his uncle, Duke Duan, otherwise Emperor Longqing would surely have blamed him.

The Duan family had finally managed to overthrow Ninth Imperial Uncle Xiao Yin; now, taking advantage of Xiao Yin's downfall, they strove to expand their influence in the military, absolutely cannot allow any blemish on Xiao Wei's person—not even a speck.

Yet Xiao Wei could not forget his first woman from youth, his true first woman in the real sense.

He gripped Princess Yalan's throat, grinding his back teeth, and spat out each word.

"Six years have passed, you're quite good at escaping."

"Where did you go? My little princess? I really had a hard time finding you."

Princess Yalan's vision went dark in waves, a feeling of suffocation surged; her voice was hoarse, yet her gaze toward Xiao Wei remained calm.

Even her face bore a faint smile as she softly said, "Your Highness… you have mistaken me; I am no noble princess, I am merely a courtesan! A lowly courtesan at that!"

Xiao Wei did not know why he suddenly flew into a rage; his fingers locked tight, Princess Yalan could not utter her last words, yet the corner of her mouth still curled in a smile.

Seeing that Princess Yalan was about to faint, Xiao Wei finally released her.

Princess Yalan slid down the cold wall to sit weakly on the ground, both hands covering her throat as she gasped heavily.

She suddenly let out a soft laugh, tears falling with her laughter; Xiao Wei saw it, and his brows knotted tightly.

Princess Yalan lifted her head to look at the towering, mountain-like man before her, and gave a light laugh.

"Your Highness, do you not like me like this?"

"Do I look bad now? Why are you angry? I truly…"

Xiao Wei bent over, seized her slender waist with one hand, lifted her whole body, and flung her onto a nearby camp bed.

He leaned down and fiercely kissed her lips, even biting them to vent his anger, releasing a bloody taste.

He raised his hand to undo her sash, but Princess Yalan gripped his hand tightly.

"Heh! You just want to play hard to get to please me, don't you?" Xiao Wei's eyes held a hint of cruelty and mockery.

Blood seeped from the corner of Princess Yalan's lips as she stared at him: "Your Highness, truly sorry, I have my monthly courses, my body is indisposed and I cannot attend to Your Highness!"

Xiao Wei frowned, raised his hand and probed her skirt hem, then hesitated slightly.

A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes and brows as he rose from her, feeling somewhat stifled.

"How many days until your courses end?"

A shy blush crossed Princess Yalan's face: "Maybe three more days!"

"I'll come find you in three days!"

Princess Yalan's lips curled slightly, then she rose, clinging to his neck, tiptoeing to gaze at him: "In three days, aren't you, Prince, supposed to take a concubine?"

Xiao Yin turned his face to stare dead‑eyed at the woman with seductive eyes before him; after six years apart, she had indeed learned how to entice.

He lifted his hand to pinch her chin, coldly smiling: "You investigated me?"

Princess Yalan's heart turned cold at once; no wonder the maid beside Prince Rui had just taken the dagger she had hidden under the blanket and conveyed his words—she must not strike when she first reunites with Xiao Wei.

At their first reunion, Xiao Wei still feared her; the time was not right.

She suppressed her panic, released Xiao Wei's neck, stepped back a few feet and said indifferently: "Your Highness' marriage to Wan Lady of the Rui Wangfu needs no inquiry from me; the whole of Shang Jing has already spread the news."

"The sisters in Yunciang Lou all envy Wan Lady to an extent you can't imagine; a country girl, pampered by the Rui Wangfu into a treasure of the household, now she marries—and marries you, the Third Prince."

"Hah!" Princess Yalan lowered her head; a flicker of loss crossed her eyes, the corners reddened, enhancing her pretty face and evoking a bit of pity.

"What am I like? Like duckweed drifting overnight, going with the current, landing wherever it lands!"

Xiao Wei frowned; that she, a princess of a state, had fallen to being a courtesan in a brothel was indeed his grand scheme.

His voice, unusually, gained a touch of tenderness: "You need not belittle yourself; how could she compare to you?"

"When did you come to Shang Jing?"

Princess Yalan's hand clenched slightly into a fist: "Hmph! Your Highness, are you going to interrogate me?"

"Forget it; I never intended to come to Shang Jing either. Alas, in this world a woman's life is cheaper than grass; I was sold by traffickers to wherever they took me, and if I die on the road one day, so be it."

Xiao Wei's brows knotted tighter; he paused, then lifted his gaze to her: "Princess Yalan, do you hate me?"

Princess Yalan startled, a bitter trace appearing at the corner of her lips: "Your Highness, I only wish to live."

"Besides, I am not Princess Yalan; Your Highness has mistaken me—I am merely a smiling woman of the dust."

Xiao Wei fell silent; for a moment the fragrant warm pavilion was permeated with threads of cold.

"In three days I will send someone to fetch you."

Princess Yalan startled, then coquettishly grabbed his wide sleeve embroidered with chi patterns and laughed: "Your Highness, are you going to take me into the prince's residence?"

Xiao Wei's brows furrowed; he would be mad to bring this woman into the Third Prince's residence—if Xiao Yin's people noticed, he could not get away with it.

"Hiding an enemy state's princess in a prince's mansion?" Although he adored this little enchantress before him, he still retained some reason.

"Phoenix Tower!" Xiao Wei spat out the word, yet regretted it, wondering whether he ought to explain it to her.

Yet he felt a somewhat special concern for the woman before him.

Xiao Wei sat for a while, then rose to leave. Just before leaving, he grasped her neck and kissed her, then turned and walked out.

Princess Yalan watched his tall, straight figure disappear around the corner, the smile on her lips gradually fading.

The madam of Fragrant Herb Tower clapped her hands, excited to the point of going crazy; this time she really struck it rich—she never expected that a woman she had bought on the way would actually bring her such great fortune.

"Congratulations, Miss Qiu Shui, congratulations Miss Qiu Shui—she has truly climbed a high branch!"

Princess Yalan let out a light laugh: "Yes! She has climbed such a high branch—high—branch—right!"