Chapter 16: CH 15

Upon arriving at Duke Zhao’s residence, Xiao Jingduo took advantage of a moment when the servants were not paying attention and quickly turned in another direction.

He needed to find Princess Pingwei as soon as possible.

However, the servants who accompanied their masters to such gatherings were exceptionally astute. It didn’t take long for someone to notice Xiao Jingduo sneaking away. They called out to him twice, and when they saw that he continued walking forward without any intention of stopping, a realization struck them: Xiao Jingduo had a different agenda.

The servants from the Marquis’s residence didn’t dare be negligent and immediately sent several agile people to chase after Xiao Jingduo. Being young, Xiao Jingduo was quickly caught up to.

The footsteps behind him grew closer and closer, and several times Xiao Jingduo was nearly caught. He was anxious, knowing that he hadn’t even glimpsed the princess. If he was captured now, he might never have another chance to leave the house. Determined, he gritted his teeth, made a sharp turn, and dashed down another path.

At this point, his only option was to shake off his pursuers first.

As luck would have it, just as he turned the corner, a group of people emerged from the other side. Charging too fast to stop, he collided directly with them.

The palace maids screamed in fright. When they realized what had happened, their faces turned pale. They were attending to the most important person in the palace, and now she had been involved in an incident right under their noses! Terrified, the maids quickly helped their mistress up, creating chaos.

Seizing the opportunity, the marquis’s guards grabbed Xiao Jingduo, gritting their teeth, and said, “You thought you could escape? Come on, let’s take the young master back to the residence!”

Xiao Jingduo didn’t expect someone to be in front of him, which caused him to fail to avoid the collision. As he charged forward, he realized it was a young girl. Thinking that the girl was innocently caught up in this and if he knocked her to the ground, it would be even worse, he reached out to protect her head and tried to take the impact himself. He fell hard to the ground, and the little girl landed on top of him. Already in pain from the initial fall, Xiao Jingduo was further hurt by this collision and was immediately grabbed by the guards. Feeling dejected, he thought today’s attempt had failed.

The guards held Xiao Jingduo and were about to escort him back when a sharp voice stopped them: “Bold! You collided with a noble and still want to leave?”

A young voice followed, “Enough, Eunuch Miao. I am not injured, so there is no need to pursue this matter.”

Hearing the sharp voice, the guards of the Marquis’s residence realized they were in trouble. Fortunately, the noble did not intend to press charges, and they breathed a sigh of relief. However, they noticed Xiao Jingduo struggling fiercely.

Xiao Jingduo had initially thought he would have to leave empty-handed today, but his luck turned. He unexpectedly encountered someone from the palace. A girl accompanied by a eunuch must have a high status, and this young girl could be a favored member of the palace, perhaps even connected to the princess. Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Jingduo struggled desperately and shouted, “Let me go, I have something to say to the noble!”

The palace maids all showed disapproving expressions and were about to persuade their little mistress to leave, but the young girl seemed very interested and, ignoring the maids’ attempts to stop her, asked, “Who are you, and why are you being chased?”

Since a noble from the palace was asking questions, the people from the Dingyong Marquis’s residence didn’t dare to ignore it, no matter how bold they were. They reluctantly released Xiao Jingduo, casting threatening looks at him.

Xiao Jingduo stood up and looked at the young girl. In the earlier chaos, he hadn’t seen clearly, but now he was astonished to find that the little girl was as exquisite and translucent as if carved from ice and snow, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He hesitated for a moment before remembering what he needed to say: “I am Xiao Jingduo, the son of Marquis Dingyong Xiao Ying. I need to see Princess Pingwei.”

“She should be addressed as Grand Princess now,” the girl replied lightly.

Xiao Jingduo hadn’t expected the girl’s attention to be so peculiar. He could only reiterate, “That was my oversight. I have urgent matters to report to Grand Princess Pingwei. May I ask if you could…” Xiao Jingduo hesitated, unsure how to address her. The little girl was incredibly beautiful, looking no older than four or five, but he didn’t dare call her sister. He could only vaguely say, “Please help convey my request.”

The young girl remained silent, and Eunuch Miao quickly seized the opportunity to coax her back: “Little ancestor, please come back with your servant! The princess must be getting anxious!”As he spoke, Eunuch Miao and the palace maids made way, guiding the young girl back. Surprisingly compliant, the young girl turned and started walking away.

Xiao Jingduo’s heart sank. It seemed this noble girl didn’t want to help him.

The guards from the Xiao residence looked pleased and were about to grab Xiao Jingduo when the palace noble, who had taken a few steps, turned around and asked, “Why aren’t you following?”

Xiao Jingduo was overjoyed and quickly followed her.

Once they were out of sight of the Xiao residence guards, the young girl leisurely asked, “Now tell me, why were they chasing you?”

Although Xiao Jingduo was eager to find someone, he was not foolish. He knew what could and couldn’t be shared with outsiders. He replied vaguely, “I have something very important to discuss with Grand Princess Pingwei. Please help me get an introduction.”

“You are a stranger. How could I possibly let you meet my grandaunt? Since you won’t tell me, forget it,” the girl sighed softly, ready to call the maids to take Xiao Jingduo away.

Grandaunt？ Noticing how the girl referred to Princess Pingwei, Xiao Jingduo suspiciously asked her, “Who are you?”

“Bold!” Immediately, Eunuch Miao, following her closely, blew his beard and glared. The young girl gently raised her hand, and Miao Gonggong fell silent, reverently calling out, “Princess!”

“I am Rong Ke; they also call me the Princess of Yangxin.”

“Princess of Yangxin…” Only the daughter of the Crown Prince could be given the title of Princess. Xiao Jingduo looked at the little girl in front of him with shock, “You are the Princess?”

The eldest daughter of the Crown Prince, most beloved by the Emperor, even brought along to court discussions, the eldest granddaughter Rong Ke?

“Yes,” Rong Ke nodded, her face showing impatience. “Are you going to tell me or not? If not, I’m leaving.”

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Xiao Jingduo hadn’t expected the little girl in front of him to have such a significant background. He furrowed his brow in hesitation, “Princess, it’s not that I don’t want to say, but this matter is of great importance and concerns my mother. I can’t easily tell outsiders.”

“Your mother?” Rong Ke’s eyebrow twitched slightly. Only the legal wife could be called “mother” by her children. She distinctly remembered that the Wu family’s daughter had entered the Duke of Dingyong’s mansion this August. The person in front of her clearly couldn’t be Wu’s child. The Duke of Dingyong had even refused her grandaunt for the sake of marrying into the Wu family. How could he have an older son without making a sound?

Rong Ke paused, then suddenly asked out of the blue, “Are you the son of the Duke of Dingyong’s first wife?”

Xiao Jingduo was startled. “How do you know?”

Rong Ke confirmed her suspicions and found the matter even more interesting. She smiled and said, “Tell me about your situation. If your reasoning is sound, I’ll take you to see my grandaunt.”

Xiao Jingduo carefully stared at the little girl in front of him, who was more than a head shorter than he was. However, her composed demeanor and confident gaze made him give in. He began to explain, “My mother is Xiao Ying’s first wife. Xiao Ying forced my mother to divorce so that he could marry the daughter of the Wu family. My mother is still ill…”

Xiao Jingduo recounted everything that had happened recently. Rong Ke listened intently. At the end, she smiled meaningfully and said, “Your stepmother, Wu Ba, is from the Qinghe Wu family, a subsidiary family of the Cui family, correct?”

“Yes,” Xiao Jingduo nodded, unsure of her intentions.

“Do you know why your Wu family married into the Duke of Dingyong’s household?” Rong Ke turned her head, smiling nonchalantly. “You should be aware that in terms of status, the Duke of Dingyong’s household is far inferior to the Qinghe Wu family.”

Xiao Jingduo had never considered this question before. He only knew that Xiao Ying was fickle and wanted to raise the status of the household by marrying a noblewoman from a prominent family. But why would the Wu family agree to let Wu Junru marry into the household? Even if the Wu family wanted Xiao Ying’s military power, would the Qinghe Cui family really allow the Wu family to lower their status in this way? Xiao Jingduo looked at Rong Ke and tentatively asked, “Are you saying…”

“Qinghe Cui family has far-reaching plans. But you don’t need to worry about that. As long as your stepmother is from the Wu family, that’s enough.” Rong Ke, who had been strolling leisurely, suddenly changed direction and walked briskly forward. Xiao Jingduo instinctively followed. Rong Ke gestured for Xiao Jingduo to lean in closer and whispered, “When you meet my aunt, just say this…”

…

“So the Wu family knew Xiao Ying’s first wife was still alive, yet they eagerly married her off?” Princess Pingwei looked at the child before her and slowly asked.

“Yes.” Xiao Jingduo replied with his head lowered. Ever since he met Rong Ke, his life had been full of surprises. He never imagined that one day he would be speaking in front of a princess.

Rong Ke added from the side, “The Wu family also refuses to acknowledge Xiao Jingduo’s status as the legitimate eldest son, probably even planning to demote his mother to a concubine.”

“Heh,” Princess Pingwei scoffed, “Xiao Ying, Xiao Ying, you play your cards exceptionally well! I always thought the so-called noble families had some integrity. In the end, they resort to taking over others’ nests and forcing wives to divorce.”

Pingwei had followed the army since childhood, fighting alongside her father and brothers once they started to mobilize, considering herself equal to any man. After her husband died shortly after their wedding, she had no intention of remarrying. However, during a hurried march, she caught sight of Xiao Ying and was struck by his appearance. Instantly captivated, Pingwei wanted to take Xiao Ying as her husband. Unexpectedly, not only did Xiao Ying refuse to become her consort, but he also turned around and married the daughter of the Wu family, a woman who had been previously rejected. This was a blatant insult to Pingwei. With her high self-regard, she couldn’t accept being seen as inferior to a noblewoman, especially one who had been previously jilted. Pingwei didn’t think Xiao Ying’s act of divorcing his wife was excessive; she simply couldn’t swallow the humiliation of being rejected. Thus, she was determined to meddle in this matter out of spite.

Pingwei asked more about Xiao Jingduo’s hometown, his arrival in the capital, and what had happened since he entered the mansion. Following Rong Ke’s advice, Xiao Jingduo recounted everything in the most pitiable manner.

“Truly pitiful,” Pingwei sighed. Then she stood up with a determined smile and said, “Come, follow me outside. Today, I am going to thoroughly embarrass the Wu family.”

Xiao Jingduo hesitated for a moment as he followed Princess Pingwei out the door.

Xiao Jingduo knew that once he stepped through that door, regardless of whether he could retain his status as the legitimate eldest son, he would thoroughly offend Wu Junru and Xiao Ying. From then on, no one in the Xiao family would treat him kindly, and life for him and his mother would become even more difficult. All of this hinged on the whims of the two royal guests before him.

Rong Ke took a few steps ahead, noticed he hadn’t followed and stopped to look back at him.

“Are you regretting it?” Rong Ke’s slow voice rang out.

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Author’s Note:

Mini Theater:

Congratulations on unlocking the character “Rong Ke,” identity: Daughter of the Crown Prince, Princess Yangxin.

Congratulations to Xiao Jingduo for unlocking a hidden level and starting the “Hundred-Year Entanglement with the Royal Family” side quest.

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