Chapter 168: The Princess’s Transformation

Jian Shu saw her determined stance, wanting to say something, but ultimately held his tongue.

As soon as Jiang Xuening left the Xie residence, Jian Shu went straight to the Youhuang Pavilion.

Xie Wei was playing chess with Lu Xian.

He was calm and composed, as though nothing could disturb him, while his opponent, Lu Xian, looked utterly dejected, as though he wanted to rip his hair out in frustration. 

When he lifted his eyes and saw Jian Shu enter, he practically sighed with relief, as though he had just seen a savior.

Xie Ju’an seemed to be acting out of character lately—visiting every day to play chess with him!

His head was about to explode from all the games.

Looking at the chessboard in front of him, Xie Wei asked directly, “What did she say?”

Jianshu, feeling a surge of nervous sweat, replied, “Second Miss Ning is determined to take the risk. It seems she’s absolutely set on rescuing the person. What’s more, she appears to have an old grudge against someone in the palace. Not only does she refuse to back down, but she’s even planning to use this opportunity to harm them in return.”

Xie Wei placed a piece on the board and finally lifted his head.

Lu Xian, while sneaking glances at the master and servant pair, took advantage of Xie Wei’s moment of distraction to quickly swipe two black pieces from the corner of the board and hide them under the table.

Xie Wei said, “That’s exactly something she would do.”

Jian Shu, of course, noticed Lu Xian’s sly move. 

His gaze flickered briefly before he continued to Xie Wei, “So we stick to the original plan, but move the substitution step forward?”

Xie Wei replied, “This is a rare opportunity. Second Miss Ning has already spent a great deal of money stirring up public sentiment about the marriage alliance, and we’ve been helping push it along from behind the scenes. Although Xiao Shu’s elevation to consort thwarted our plan to have Shen Zhiyi sent off instead, it has raised doubts among the common people about the alliance itself.

“Moreover, the Cult Leader has been eyeing this matter keenly. While he can’t interfere in the capital’s affairs directly, he certainly won’t sit idle if the marriage alliance falls through. With just a spark and a push, public anger could be ignited, creating a situation where the court faces both internal and external pressure. At that point, even if Shen Lang doesn’t want to recall the Yan clan, he might have no choice. If we miss this chance, who knows when the next one will come?”

Lu Xian picked up a white piece, raised an eyebrow, and said, “So, you’re not planning to back down either. You really don’t waste any opportunity.”

Xie Wei turned to look at him.

Feigning nonchalance, Lu Xian placed his white piece on the board and continued, “On the surface, it’s your Second Miss Ning charging ahead, but behind her is your deeper, more sinister calculation. Tsk, after the Jade Ruyi case, most of your spies in the palace were cleaned out, but Second Miss Ning seems much more capable. She even managed to bribe an eunuch who serves the emperor directly. If you ask me, why bother with all this trouble? Skip Jiang Xuening and cut a deal with that Zheng Bao—just have him poison the emperor directly. Wouldn’t that solve everything?”

Poisoning the emperor? That wasn’t so simple.

Anything the emperor consumed had to be served in silverware and tested by an eunuch first. Without meticulous planning, it was more likely the poisoner would die before the emperor did.

Lu Xian was only joking.

However, the Jade Ruyi case had indeed been orchestrated in secret by the vengeful ghost Gongyi Cheng after arriving in the capital. Without Xie Wei’s approval, he used Xie Wei’s palace spies, triggering a purge led by Empress Dowager Xiao and the Emperor. As a result, Xie Wei was left with few usable operatives in the palace.

Lu Xian’s remark was clearly meant to mock him.

But Xie Wei didn’t rise to the bait. Calmly, he said, “If Zheng Bao were someone who could easily be bought, it wouldn’t have been so hard for Second Miss Ning to win him over, nor would he have agreed to secretly assist her by opening doors for her in the palace.”

Seeing Xie Wei’s attention drift away from the chessboard, Lu Xian quietly exhaled in relief. 

He placed his piece and urged, “Come on, it’s your move. I don’t believe I can’t beat you today.”

Xie Wei turned back to the chessboard and placed a piece.

He didn’t notice!

Lu Xian was secretly delighted, practically wagging his tail in triumph. 

Pretending to be casual, he teased, “You’ve practically made yourself at home here. You don’t even pay for tea anymore. When others ask me to play chess, I charge a hefty fee. Meanwhile, that sweet young lady comes to your residence every morning, and you avoid her like the plague. Xie Ju’an, oh Xie Ju’an, could it be you’ve had a spat and are sulking?”

Beside them, Jian Shu’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

Xie Wei slowly lifted his gaze, his expression unwavering, and said, “Lu Zhaoyin, if there’s a next time you hide pieces, I’ll make you eat as many as you take.”

Lu Xian froze instantly. “…”

What the hell? Do you have eyes in the back of your head?!

---

The next morning, at Mingfeng Palace.

The palace servants stood in orderly silence, each holding trays of gowns, hairpins, and perfumes.

Nanny Su, the senior palace attendant, personally held a box of ink and carefully painted Shen Zhiyi’s eyebrows.

Halfway through, tears began streaming uncontrollably down her face.

In contrast, Shen Zhiyi remained calm, as if nothing were happening. 

She even helped Nanny Su wipe her tears and smiled, saying, “Nanny Su watched Zhiyi grow up. Now that Zhiyi is getting married, you should be happy for me. Why are you crying instead?”

Her words only made Nanny Su’s hands tremble so much that she couldn’t hold the eyebrow brush steadily.

Shen Zhiyi took the brush from her and, facing the bronze mirror, lightly and steadily continued painting her eyebrows herself. 

She said, “A young woman in her prime is destined to marry. Some marry close by, others far away. Regardless, Nanny Su can’t accompany me for the rest of my life. The outside world is something I must see for myself, and its storms are challenges I must face on my own. At this moment, tears will only invite pity. Why not smile and show some courage instead?”

Her brows, thin and long like willow leaves, took shape. However, the faint scar at the corner of her eye remained visible.

Putting down the eyebrow ink, Shen Zhiyi picked up a fine brush from her makeup box, dipped it in pink pigment, and carefully traced over the scar, shaping it into the delicate outline of a fallen cherry blossom petal.

After finishing, she glanced at her reflection and couldn’t help but laugh softly.

She had thought of Jiang Xuening. 

Smiling, she said, “This makeup would look much more realistic if Ning Ning were here to do it. She has mastered the art. But I’m about to leave for the marriage alliance, heading far beyond the Yanmen Pass to Tatar lands. There will be no one there to paint my makeup anymore. It’s good to practice and get used to doing it myself.”

Nanny Su wiped her tears and said, “After you bid farewell to the emperor and empress dowager today, the former study companions from the palace will come to see you off. You could still ask Second Miss Jiang to paint it for you.”

Shen Zhiyi laughed, “She’ll probably cry herself into a mess, unable to even hold the brush. How could she paint for me?”

The scar on Shen Zhiyi’s face dated back to when she was an infant, during the rebellion of the Prince of Pingnan and the Heavenly Sect. 

A blade had grazed her cheek, leaving a wound. It was only thanks to her wet nurse, who shielded her with her dying body, that she survived.

To those in the palace who had lived through those harrowing times, that scar was a constant reminder of the royal family’s past tribulations and humiliation.

When she was young, she didn’t dare to look in the mirror.

As she grew older, the people around her kept telling her that she was the noble princess. No matter how she looked, she could have whatever she desired because the royal blood flowing in her veins would not be diminished by a mere scar.

Over time, she came to believe them.

After all, they weren’t wrong. There was almost nothing in the world she couldn’t obtain. When bored in the palace, she would summon the children of nobles to play. Everyone flattered her, surrounded her. She could sit on her father’s lap, fiddling with the memorials on his desk, or hide behind her elder brother, pulling his hair. If she caused trouble while visiting the Marquis of Yongyi’s estate, Yan Lin would take the blame for her…

But now, she didn’t want to agree to the marriage alliance.

The people who had once pampered her, indulged her, and cared about her had suddenly changed. Their faces had become unrecognizable, cold, and cruel. They were difficult, detached, and even repulsive, making her unable to recognize or acknowledge them.

Only then did she understand: like the scar that could never be erased, her fate, despite her status as a princess, was not always under her control. In fact, because she was a princess, her fate was even more unpredictable and challenging to resist.

Twenty years ago, it was the rebel’s blades that were aimed at her;

Twenty years later, it was the abandonment of her blood relatives that hurt her.

The entire Mingfeng Palace was now adorned in splendor.

As she stared at her reflection, her unusually calm face seemed thinner, almost unfamiliar, but she didn’t feel much attachment to her old self.

When she lowered her gaze and stood up, a voice came from outside.

It was elegant yet cold: “Your Highness, you’ve already delayed for over a quarter of an hour. His Majesty and the Empress Dowager have waited long enough.”

Shen Zhiyi walked out.

Outside the palace gates, there were two rows of guards standing at attention, far stricter than the usual security at Mingfeng Palace. Palace servants and eunuchs stood silently under the vermilion palace walls, their heads bowed. 

At the forefront was Xiao Shu, who had been made a concubine only a month ago.

Once, they had been classmates and companions, good cousins. 

Now, Xiao Shu had become her sister-in-law.

Shen Zhiyi glanced around. “With all these guards, does the noble concubine fear I might escape?”

Xiao Shu’s makeup was exquisite and stunning. She smiled faintly, her tone half-mocking: “Your Highness may not escape, but who knows if someone might come to save you?”

“Hah.”

Shen Zhiyi suddenly laughed, her gaze shifting back to Xiao Shu.

“Mother always admired you. She often told me to get along with you. After all, we are cousins. Naturally, I was close to you. But now, you’ve transformed into my sister-in-law and changed so much that Mother fell ill from anger. Truly, you’ve lived up to her cultivation. There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time. Do you know what it is?”

Xiao Shu stood at the bottom of the steps, looking up at her.

Shen Zhiyi descended a step, standing a level above Xiao Shu, and, without warning, slapped her across the face.

Slap!

Xiao Shu was caught completely off guard. The gold hairpin in her bun clattered to the ground, her pupils contracting sharply.

There was a trace of cold fury simmering in her eyes.

But she did not retaliate. Instead, she maintained an impassive expression and stared back at Shen Zhiyi.

Shen Zhiyi said indifferently, “You’re truly despicable.”

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