Chapter 91: with translation of chapter title

I, your subject Shen Shuangning, pay respects to Her Majesty the Empress!

The place where everyone was located was near a turn in the palace path.

Shen Shuangning had just knelt when footsteps suddenly sounded from the left side of the palace path.

Consort Li's entourage came out from behind the turn and collided squarely with the Empress's retinue, both coming to a halt.

One was the Empress who oversaw the inner palace, the other a favored consort recently basking in the emperor's favor; the two groups met on a narrow path, and the surrounding air seemed to thicken slightly.

Because Consort Li appeared, the Empress's attention shifted away from Shen Shuangning, and for unknown reasons—whether intentional or not—she did not call her to rise.

Consort Li also failed to notice the slender figure kneeling nearby at first, and even if she had, she would not have recognized it as Shen Shuangning.

Shen Shuangning could only endure the soreness, kneeling on the cold, hard tiles, hoping the two important figures would finish their confrontation and leave quickly.

Upon seeing the Empress, Consort Li had no intention of disembarking to pay respects; she remained seated steadily in her palanquin, offering a slight apologetic smile: 'Your servant greets Her Majesty the Empress; my leg has caught a chill, and the Emperor has specially exempted me from all palace rites, so I hope Elder Sister will not blame me.'

Though her words were apologetic, her bearing was clearly arrogant and overbearing.

Shen Shuangning thought, that indeed matched Consort Li's style.

However, Consort Li dared to disregard even the Empress—did she believe that after the Virtuous Noble Consort's death, she would become the next Noble Consort?

Even now, Shen Shuangning had never lifted her eyes to look at Empress Wang's appearance.

Because she had long recognized that face; while kneeling, the Empress's image had already appeared in her mind.

Empress Wang's striking features left a deep impression; her noble, icy elegance was like a lone plum blossom blooming in the snow, beautiful in solitude, not contending with a hundred flowers.

She favored elaborate dark-purple robes and often wore an intricate, ornate hair bun—neat without being fussy, thus appearing dignified and majestic.

In contrast, Consort Li appeared before the Empress like a wanton trinket; no matter how she provoked or mocked, she could not stir the Empress's emotions in the slightest.

Consort Li's provocation was like a punch landing on cotton—intended to anger the Empress, but instead she ended up stewing in her own fury, finally letting out a heavy huff and striding away.

Kang Shouyi stared gloomily at Consort Li's retreating figure and snapped angrily: 'A lowly footmaid who isn't fit for the table dares to flaunt her might before Your Majesty—why must Your Majesty tolerate her?'

Empress Wang maintained her lofty composure and replied slowly: 'What good is winning a momentary war of words?'

Upon hearing this, Kang Shouyi subdued his anger and said: 'You are right, Your Majesty. No matter how favored Consort Li becomes, she cannot surpass you, and lacking any offspring to rely on, she is ultimately a paper tiger—there's no need for Your Majesty to worry; she will eventually bring about her own downfall.'

Shen Shuangning: '......'

Please, could you avoid speaking such things within earshot? She didn't want to hear any of it.

Only then did the Empress recall the kneeling Shen Shuangning and bid her to rise.

'Thank you, Her Majesty the Empress.' Shen Shuangning pushed herself up from the ground, her body swaying slightly—evidently strained from kneeling so long.

The Empress gazed at her, then after a moment asked: 'You've been accompanying the princess as her reader in the palace for several days; are you still accustomed to living here?'

Shen Shuangning lowered her eyes and replied: 'I am accustomed; thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern.'

The Empress said: 'Princess Jingyu is not close to me; I hear she rather likes you, so during this time you must wholeheartedly keep her company and offer her more comfort.'

Shen Shuangning answered with an affirmative.

After that, the Empress said nothing more and departed.

Kang Shouyi turned his head to glance at that slender figure; his former resentment vanished, replaced by a gloomy indifference.

'Your Majesty, do you think that girl can understand your advice?'

'Whether she understands or not is up to her fortune.' The Empress replied indifferently.

Kang Shouyi raised his eyebrows, thinking fearlessly: 'If she doesn't understand, she might as well wait for death.'

On her way back, Shen Shuangning pondered the meaning of the Empress's words while lowering her gaze, especially since Kang Shouyi had deliberately criticized Consort Li in her presence.

After dealing with so many foxes, Shen Shuangning inevitably found herself overthinking.

As a result, a moment's inattention led her to bump into someone at the corner.

The other person apparently also hadn't expected someone to suddenly appear at the turn, and was holding a surge of anger.

He glanced at the woman's attire, mistakenly took her for an clueless palace maid, felt no restraint, and without a word lifted his foot to kick her!

He also shouted: 'Blind fool!'

Behind him followed two men—Xiao Jingyuan and Xie Lin.

At first neither reacted, until the woman on the ground clutched her abdomen and lifted her pale, familiar face.

Xie Lin's face changed drastically: 'Ningning!'

Xiao Jingyuan's pupils also contracted.

Xie Lin stepped forward first to help Shen Shuangning up, his face full of anxious concern: 'Ningning, how are you? Are you hurt? Does it pain?'

Shen Shuangning leaned half her weight on Xie Lin, shaking her head despite the pain, but could not speak from the ache.

Xiao Jingyuan instinctively moved to step forward, but suddenly recalled something, forced himself to stop, and gazed at Prince Chen with a grim, cold expression.

Upon seeing the scene, Prince Chen realized he had kicked the wrong person, opened his mouth, but for a moment didn't know what to say.

He genuinely did not recognize Shen Shuangning.

The next instant, with a 'swish,' Xie Lin drew the saber at his waist, pointing its tip straight at Prince Chen!

'You dare hurt her—I won't let this rest!'

Prince Chen is the younger half-brother of Emperor Xuánwén, in his late twenties, much younger than the emperor, taller and broader, slender yet sturdy, with honey-colored skin, bearing no resemblance to Emperor Xuánwén inside or out.

His fief lies in the northwest of Great Liang, a region perpetually plagued by wind and sand and constant warfare; having long honed himself there, his brows and eyes are etched with the aura of swords and blades.

Even so, he never expected this youngster Xie Lin to dare point a blade at him; he startled, then took two steps back.

By seniority, Xie Lin should address Prince Chen as 'uncle'; no matter how great the reason, he ought not to point a sword at him.

Seeing Xie Lin actually draw his sword against Prince Chen, Xiao Jingyuan's eyelid twitched; he rushed forward, pressed his finger on Xie Lin's blade to push it down, and shouted: 'Xie Mingyuan, what are you doing? Put the sword away at once!'

Xie Lin stood motionless, glaring at Prince Chen, his lips a straight line, his fury blazing as if he would lunge forward to fight to the death at any moment.

He looked like a little wolf whose fur had been blown apart.

Xiao Jingyuan helplessly glanced at Shen Shuangning.

Although Shen Shuangning did not know Prince Chen, she could see from Xiao Jingyuan's demeanor that he was likely not someone to provoke lightly—even Xiao Jingyuan had to be wary of him.

Xie Lin had just secured a post in the Jinwu Guard and hadn't even steadied his position; he absolutely could not let her cause any trouble.

Shen Shuangning reacted swiftly, tugging at Xie Lin's lapel and whispering, "Xie Lin, I'm fine—quickly put your knife down."

Only then did Xie Lin reluctantly sheath his knife.

Shen Shuangning quickly steadied herself, no longer leaning on him, head bowed as she stood to one side, still suppressing the pain.

Prince Chen could no longer miss that their relationship was anything but ordinary; even Xiao Jingyuan couldn't sway him, yet the moment this woman spoke, Xie Lin instantly fell into line.

Prince Chen raised an eyebrow, his curious gaze falling on the slender woman; he felt a twinge of regret but held his tongue.

He still cared about saving face.

Xie Lin, however, fixed his gaze on Prince Chen and said, "Uncle, the one you just hurt is no stranger—she's the girl I hold dear in my heart, whom I will surely marry. That's why I momentarily lost my composure, drew my blade, and offended you; I beg you not to blame me. Only——"

He flicked another glance at Shen Shuangning, who was stubbornly enduring her discomfort, then turned to Prince Chen, his tone turning serious: "Please, Uncle, first apologize to Ningning."

Prince Chen furrowed his brows; as a true imperial kinsman, second only to the emperor and above ten thousand, how could he be expected to apologize to some unknown maid?

Has this little nephew taken the wrong medicine?

Prince Chen snorted.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

As soon as Xie Lin called him "uncle," Shen Shuangning already guessed his identity.

Xie Lin now has only two uncles: Emperor Xuwen and Prince Chen.

The person before him was clearly Prince Chen.

Yet the first thought that flashed through Shen Shuangning's mind was that, in his past life, this man had married Song Xizhi……

She couldn't help but glance at Xiao Jingyuan.

Prince Chen's appearance startled Shen Shuangning so much that she missed what Xie Lin had said in between; all she caught was that Xie Lin actually demanded that Prince Chen apologize to her.

Shen Shuangning hurriedly said, "Young Marquis, I'm fine. I also wasn't watching where I was going earlier and accidentally bumped into Your Highness; please forgive me."

Prince Chen was momentarily surprised.

He had thought this lass would rely on Xie Lin's favor to act spoiled and arrogant, but she turned out to be quite sensible.

Since Shen Shuangning had given him an out, Prince Chen naturally took it; otherwise it would make a grown man look petty for quarreling with a woman, losing his dignity.

"Young lady, you overstate it; I also didn't see clearly who you were just now—did my kick not hurt you?"

Shen Shuangning's eye twitched slightly; that kick was indeed not light, and she simply said, "It really does hurt."

That answer was again beyond Prince Chen's expectations.

Xiao Jingyuan beside him said, "Your Highness, this is the daughter of the Duke of Rong, Shen Shuangning."

The daughter of the Duke of Rong?

Prince Chen stared, stunned.

Speaking of which, Shen Lang had once taught the young Prince Chen archery and horsemanship!

Immediately after, Prince Chen's handsome face grew a bit embarrassed, and he muttered, "…Turns out she's the duke's daughter; today it's indeed my fault, but the timing isn't right—how about this: I'll prepare a banquet at the Zichen Pavilion another day and apologize to you then."

It was merely polite talk; Shen Shuangning didn't take it seriously.

Xie Lin's complexion improved a bit, though he was still somewhat displeased; but they knew Prince Chen's status and rank were such that no one could touch him.

Prince Chen still had business, so he left first.

After Prince Chen left, Shen Shuangning finally had the chance to properly look at Xie Lin, and Xie Lin was also gazing at her.

Their eyes met; neither had expected to meet again under such circumstances.

Also because of Prince Chen's appearance, Shen Shuangning no longer felt as delighted when seeing Xie Lin again, let alone with that hard-to-ignore figure standing nearby……

Xiao Jingyuan watched the two exchange loving glances, feeling stifled; he wanted to flick his sleeves and leave, yet he was unwilling to just walk away like that.

Thus he stood rooted there like a wooden post, his gaze fixed on Shen Shuangning and Xie Lin.

Xie Lin didn't react much, but his stare gave Shen Shuangning goosebumps on her back, making her hairs stand on end.

It felt as if…… she were committing adultery right before his eyes?!

Shen Shuangning really wanted to glare back.

But seeing Xie Lin's reaction, he probably still doesn't know Xiao Jingyuan's wolfish ambitions.

And she also didn't know how to handle this, so before the situation blew up, Shen Shuangning still wanted to maintain surface peace.

Shen Shuangning suppressed the nameless fire in her heart, not giving Xiao Jingyuan even a glance, treating him as if he didn't exist.

Xie Lin, meanwhile, was pleased, because Ningning's gaze was all on him—Ningning really did like him.

Here people come and go; this isn't the place for catching up, and Xie Lin said concerned, "I'll see you home."

Shen Shuangning shook her head, gently refusing: "You're an outsider; coming and going in the palace is inconvenient, I'll go back myself—don't worry."

Xie Lin was still a bit worried, but didn't insist. He suddenly felt annoyed—there are truly too many rules in the palace.

If he were outside, why bother with all this damn etiquette? He'd just scoop Ningning up and carry her home—who on the street would dare say otherwise?

Fortunately, Ah Heng noticed Shen Shuangning hadn't returned to Chang Le Gong for a long time and came out to look for her.

Before bidding farewell, Shen Shuangning still felt uneasy, so she turned to Xie Lin and said: "Prince Chen is ultimately your elder; although he didn't say anything just now, it's hard to guarantee that later, upon reflection, he won't feel even more displeased. You should still go and properly make amends with him afterward."

"Whatever you say." Xie Lin looked at her, his tone full of compliance.

That manner— it was as if, even if Shen Shuangning dug a pit before him, he'd jump in without blinking.

Shen Shuangning couldn't help but laugh, then bade him farewell.

Not having gone far, Ah Heng teased, "Look, the young marquis obeys the miss's every word— to those who don't know, they'd think you're newlyweds!"

Shen Shuangning blushed and snapped, "Ah Heng! If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll smack your mouth."

Those who practice martial arts have keen hearing, so Xiao Jingyuan and Xie Lin naturally heard Ah Heng's joking remark.

Xie Lin was naturally pleased as spring breeze, pondering when would be a good time to propose marriage.

Xiao Jingyuan remained silent the whole way.

That night, Xiao Jingyuan arrived at the Yongning Marquis's residence.

Xie Lin changed into his regular clothes, then took out that Same-boat Sword to wipe it clean, his brows and eyes full of sweetness.

Xiao Jingyuan suddenly said, "Can you return this sword to me?"