MYUFPC CHAPTER 29
Princess, do you believe me
Jiashan's eyes twinkled mischievously. She smiled lightly and said, "Daren's question is rather broad. What I said to him, what does it have to do with you?"
"You opened my letter without my permission, and I haven't settled that with you yet."
Her tone was light and crisp. She turned her head, meeting his gaze fearlessly.
Zhan Yue's expression was as calm as still water, but a trace of heat flashed in his eyes. He said, "Your Highness, how would you like to settle this?"
Zhan Yue took a sip of tea and said slowly, "I'll let you decide, Your Highness."
He set down the teacup, spread his arms, and fearlessly awaited Jiashan's scrutiny.
Zhan Yue had a very good figure, tall and long-limbed, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Having removed his armor, his body appeared slender and tough, and one could faintly see the ripples of his chest muscles.
Jiashan blushed and averted her gaze.
Zhan Yue laughed and said, "Since Your Highness isn't going to settle it, then I must ask, what did Your Highness call me here for?"
"Or perhaps I've guessed wrong," Zhan Yue asked rhetorically, "Your Highness isn't here to give me an answer?"
He slowly stood up, the corners of his lips curved, and he suddenly walked to the desk in front of Jiashan. He propped himself up on the desk with one hand, leaned over slightly, and stared at Jiashan.
Zhan Yue's pupils were as black as ink, and his eyes were filled with tenderness. This tenderness soon spread throughout his eyes.
He narrowed his long phoenix eyes slightly and deliberately lowered his voice, saying this sentence.
Jiashan's brows furrowed slightly. She restrained herself from looking at Zhan Yue's face, which was too attractive. She lowered her head slightly and asked obediently, "Have you ever seen a snake?"
Zhan Yue replied, "I've eaten it."
"I've seen one," Jiashan said softly.
Her gaze was distant, as if she were recalling the past. "When I was young, my younger brother, Youcheng, always liked to keep strange things in the palace. Among them were snakes."
"Are you afraid of snakes, Your Highness?" Zhan Yue narrowed his eyes slightly and asked naturally.
"Yes," Jiashan admitted frankly. She used both hands to roughly gesture the length of the snake that Zhao Youcheng had kept, and she said, "I was five years old that year, and Youcheng was only four, but that snake looked so big and long. It looked thicker than both of our arms."
"Once, I was flying a kite in the imperial garden when I happened to meet him coming out to walk his snake." Jiashan's gaze was cold and hard. Her beautiful eyes curved slightly as she smiled, "The snake he kept was green, exactly the same color as the grass. Without paying attention, I stepped on the snake's tail. The snake turned around and bit me."
Even though Jiashan was talking about an old incident, Zhan Yue's expression tightened.
Noticing the listener's tension, Jiashan opened her mouth and smiled, "Don't worry, Your Excellency, it wasn't poisonous, but its teeth were very sharp."
"When the imperial physician was treating me, the numb feeling of being bitten still lingered in my mind. All these years later, I haven't forgotten it." Jiashan paused.
She looked up towards Zhan Yue and said, "Have you heard the saying, 'Once bitten, twice shy'?"
Jiashan enunciated each word clearly, driving them into Zhan Yue's heart one by one.
Zhan Yue looked at her and softly asked, "Do you think I'm a snake, Your Highness?"
Jiashan smiled, unable to say "yes" insincerely. She said, "You're more like a solitary eagle, soaring through the sky, flying thousands of miles."
"It's just," Jiashan lowered her eyes. She calmly said, "Having been bitten once, I naturally see snakes everywhere."
Jiashan lowered her voice. "Do you understand?"
She raised her eyes slightly and finally looked up at Zhan Yue.
He was still staring at her motionlessly, and in those long, beautiful phoenix eyes, there was a hint of stubbornness and danger.
Zhan Yue pursed his lips. After a moment of silence, he raised his chin slightly towards Jiashan and said solemnly, "If a snake had bitten me, I would have simply cooked it into a snake soup."
He lowered his eyes slightly and slowly uttered a sentence, "If I had been there at the time, I would never have let the snake that bit the princess go unpunished."
Jiashan raised an eyebrow. She smiled and said, "It didn't go unpunished. After Father found out, he spanked Zhao Youcheng and sternly ordered him never to keep such strange creatures again."
Zhan Yue nodded, saying as if it were nothing new, "His Majesty loves the princess dearly."
Jiashan was silent for a moment. She pursed her lips and said, "Yes. Father has always cherished me."
"He has even planned out all sorts of futures for me." Thinking of Zheng Yunchi, the son of Princess De ning, Jiashan smiled bitterly, "Thinking of all the effort Father has made for me, I've sometimes thought about resigning myself to my fate."
"Are you willing to marry Zheng Yunchi?" Zhan Yue was incredibly perceptive. Hearing Jiashan say she was resigning herself to her fate, a flash of bright light appeared in his eyes. He coldly said, "Your Highness is willing, but I'm not."
He silently walked closer to her and looked directly into Jiashan's eyes.
Jiashan's expression remained unchanged.
"Are you deliberately trying to provoke me, Your Highness? You've even considered him, but not me?" Zhan Yue's tone was cold. He raised an eyebrow at her expressionlessly.
Jiashan's cheeks turned red again, and she looked away. "I've thought about it. With Aunt De ning's face, he won't bully me. At least I can have a peaceful life."
"Princess De ning doesn't seem to get along with the Empress Yuan, and she's not particularly close to Your Highness either." Zhan Yue smiled. Remembering what happened in the afternoon, he said in a hoarse voice, "I ran into Princess De ning at the palace gate today, and she specifically hinted to me to pass a message to Zhan Shaoying, trying to arouse his desire to marry into the royal family."
Seeing that Jiashan's expression turned slightly cold, Zhan Yue continued, "However, I have no reason to pass on her message for her."
Jiashan's expression softened slightly, but her eyes still revealed a sense of seriousness.
"I'm different from Zheng Yunchi," Zhan Yue stood in front of the desk. He turned his head and looked deeply at Jiashan, "I protect you, not because of anyone else."
His voice was taut, "I just want you to never be alone for the rest of your life."
"I want to do everything in my power to make my wish for you come true," Zhan Yue said slowly.
Jiashan looked at him gently, and she bit her lip slightly.
Zhan Yue's fingers were ice-cold. He extended one finger and slightly lifted Jiashan's snow-white chin. His voice was slow and hoarse, each word seeming to be squeezed out of his throat.
He stared at Jiashan, his lips pressed tightly together before softening his demeanor. "Princess, do you believe me?"
Jiashan didn't answer immediately. She simply looked at Zhan Yue's face.
Under the illumination of the candlelight, Zhan Yue's entire face was so handsome it seemed unreal, just like the man himself. It was as if he were a thousand miles away, yet he could always find the crack in your heart at the most unexpected moment, easily defeating you.
Jiashan closed her eyes slightly, and the memories of the past lingered in her mind.
She thought of Zhan Yue in her previous life, of Zhan Yue saying "there's a girl in my heart" under the willow tree, and of that night with the full moon...
No one should understand Zhan Yue's abilities better than she did, having lived two lives. It seemed like he always got what he wanted.
This time, he said he would protect her and keep her from being alone.
Jiashan's back tensed. She slowly grasped Zhan Yue's hand that was cupping her chin. Zhan Yue's fingertips were cold, but the palm of Jiashan's hand was burning hot.
The intense heat, as if it were scorching, seemed to seep through Zhan Yue's skin and merge into his blood. Zhan Yue's body trembled, and he blinked his long eyelashes, looking at Jiashan as if seeking confirmation.
Jiashan said, "If I marry you, will you really protect me for the rest of my life?"
Zhan Yue said, "May I die a terrible death if I deceive you."
"Even if..." Jiashan looked at him with a complex expression.
"Even if I can't bear you a son or daughter in a short time," thinking of how she hadn't conceived with Zhan Shaoying in her previous life even after eight years of marriage, Jiashan lowered her voice, her apricot eyes glistening with tears, "Can you accept that?"
Zhan Yue was taken aback. He mistakenly thought that Jiashan's words meant she didn't want to consummate their marriage too soon.
He turned his head away and slowly clenched his fist at his side. He said softly, "I'll listen to you."
Jiashan's eyes flickered, and her gaze turned red.
Jiashan smiled at him and said, "Then, I'll be your wife."
At that moment, Zhan Yue's entire expression became incredibly gentle. He slowly tightened his grip, taking the initiative to rub his fingertip against the palm of Jiashan's hand.
His gaze also became cautious and unscruplous.
Before leaving, Zhan Yue hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't resist reaching out and pinching Jiashan's cheek before stepping out of Fengyang Pavilion.
Since talking to De ning about Jiashan and Zheng Yunchi, Emperor Zhanghe felt more and more satisfied with this marriage. He knew in his heart that Princess De ning and A Qiao had some old grievances, but the grievances of the previous generation shouldn't involve the younger generation.
Besides, Jiashan is not only the Empress's child but also his child.
De ning is my elder sister after all. In the future, she will surely take care of Jiashan and Zhao Youze for his sake.
Just as he was about to draft the marriage edict and choose a good day to have Eunuch Chen deliver it to the Duke of Zhengguo's manor, Eunuch Chen said, "Your Majesty, the Nun Xin'an requests an audience."
Emperor Zhanghe was startled before realizing who Nun Xin'an was. Princess Ruyang had truly become a nun at Changchun Temple. To show his respect, the late Emperor had specially granted her the title of "Xin'an."
Over the years, although she would send greetings during festivals, she would never come to the palace in person. Now, hearing that Ruyang had arrived, Emperor Zhanghe had to put aside the matter of the marriage and summoned Ruyang for an audience.
Ruyang was still dressed in plain clothes, and she had not specially dressed up to enter the palace. She bowed to Emperor Zhanghe.
Emperor Zhanghe allowed her to rise and offered her a seat. Then he said with a smile, "I have'nt seem imperial elder sister for many years."
''Yes.'' Ruyang smiled calmly. The eunuch from emperor side served her tea, Ruyang thanked him, which frightened the little eunuch so much that he repeatedly said, "I dare not."
Emperor Zhanghe took in this scene and smiled, "Imperial elder sister, you have been cultivating your mind and body for many years, and your temperament is even more peaceful. I am somewhat envious."
"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven," Ruyang humbly replied, "Why would you envy someone like me who has nothing?"
"It is I who should envy Your Majesty for having so many children," Ruyang said to Emperor Zhanghe with a faint smile.
Emperor Zhanghe was silent for a moment.
He also knew that one of the main reasons Ruyang had become a nun in the temple was that her husband, Fu Yi, had passed away too early. With the decline of the Yongding Marquise Mansion and her inability to leave behind any children, she had become disheartened and had thus entered the monastic life.
Having no children and the fall of the Yongding Marquise Mansion must have left two irreparable wounds in Ruyang's heart.
Seeing that Ruyang had some silver threads in her hair, he sighed and said, "Since Imperial Elder Sister has come, stay in the palace for a few more days. I will have someone clean up the palace where Zhen Taifei used to live."
Having said that, as if afraid that Ruyang would feel uncomfortable, Emperor Zhanghe added, "In half a month, it will be my birthday. Stay in the palace, Imperail Elder Sister, and join the younger generation for some fun."
Ruyang smiled calmly, "Since Your Majesty is so kind, I will not decline."
Emperor Zhanghe nodded, "Of course."
He turned his head and ordered Eunuch Chen, "Zhan Yanqing is on duty today, right? Call him over to meet his maternal aunt."
Eunuch Chen was about to obey, but Ruyang said, "Wait a moment, Your Majesty."
Emperor Zhanghe looked up.
Ruyang explained, "The last time he protected the Eldest Princess and the Fourth Prince when they came to Changchun Temple, I had a conversation with him at the temple."
She smiled at Emperor Zhanghe and said, "That child has grown up very well. Your Majesty has always been kind to him, and now that he has been promoted to the position of Commander, it is enough for him to be able to serve Your Majesty wholeheartedly."
Emperor Zhanghe sighed. In the past, the Marquis of Yongding had been a renowned figure, and he actually felt a bit sorry for Ruyang and the Marquis of Yongding. He had always taken special care of Zhan Yue, and there was undoubtedly a reason for this.
He smiled and said, "I'm not just sentimental. Yanqing impressed me during the autumn examinations that year, and he has never made a mistake in his duties all these years. He deserves the title of Commander."
Ruyang said, "It also depends on Your Majesty's discerning eye for talent."
"Imperial Elder Sister, don't flatter me," Emperor Zhanghe said with a smile, "You're making me think you have a request of me."
Whether he said this intentionally or unintentionally was unclear.
After hearing this, Ruyang slightly raised her eyes. She stood up and said sincerely, "To be honest with Your Majesty, I do have a request of you."
"Oh?" Emperor Zhanghe glanced at Ruyang. He suppressed his smile and said in a dignified tone, "Speak freely, Imperial Elder Sister."
Ruyang opened her lips and slowly said, "I heard that the Eldest Princess has reached marriageable age, and Your Majesty has been troubled by this matter recently."
"Yes," Emperor Zhanghe's eyebrows moved. He didn't expect Ruyang to mention this. He smiled and said, "I have already chosen a candidate. If Imperial Elder Sister is willing to stay in the palace for a few more days, you can also attend the ceremony."
Ruyang pursed her lips and said carefully, "I would like to recommend someone else to Your Majesty. What do you think?"
Emperor Zhanghe looked at her in surprise, "Who?"
"Zhan Yanqing," Ruyang's voice was soft, but her tone was firm and steady.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhanghe couldn't help but frown.
T/N: The next chapter of TPNCQ is bit long so it will take time for new update. Keep looking forward to it because it will give you a surprise.
Taifei - Title of a widow of a deceased emperor or a mother of an emperor.