Xiao Jin lowered her eyelashes, her expression devoid of emotion, thinking to herself, how unjust she felt.
Xiao Jin paused and continued, “However, in a few hours, it will start getting dark. While the lanterns are beautiful, there are often fierce birds and beasts on the grasslands. The Princess and the Fifth Prince Consort haven’t brought any guards, so it might not be entirely safe… Commander Ye, what do you think?”
“I think you’re right,” Ye Juege replied, feeling like she had been kidnapped and completely ignoring the fact that Xiao Jin had secretly sent Ye Suyu to protect Chu Shao since they entered the enclosure.
The absence of guards was a nonexistent issue.
As long as you’re happy, Your Highness.
With the affirmation from her subordinate, Xiao Jin’s mood improved slightly, and she smiled at the maid, “Do you understand my intention?”
The maid felt embarrassed, “I’m slow to understand, Your Highness.”
Xiao Jin thought to herself that she was indeed slow. After a long silence, she reluctantly expressed her original intention, “The idea is to maybe indirectly remind the Princess.”
“What should I remind her of?” the maid asked.
“Remind the Princess to return to the camp early.”
The maid didn’t quite understand why Prince Yan had to beat around the bush and set up such a long introduction for just one sentence. She smiled and said, “So you mean I should tell the Princess that there are often fierce birds on the grasslands and advise her to return to the camp earlier?”
“Yes,” Xiao Jin answered decisively. After a moment, she furrowed her brows and denied, “That’s not what I meant. I just feel…”
The maid waited for the continuation, but Xiao Jin’s voice abruptly stopped.
She couldn’t directly say it. Xiao Jin thought that perhaps Xiao Shuang wanted to lure her over and then secretly deal with Chu Shao?
It’s hard to cut the tangled mess.
In the end, Xiao Jin gave up on explaining and said to Ye Juege, “Go to her.”
“Yes.”
The two of them left, leaving the maid standing alone, pondering that Prince Yan didn’t seem as cold-blooded and ruthless as rumored. In fact, Prince Yan was quite easy to talk to.
And awkward, too.
….
Xiao Jin was unaware that she had established herself as someone who complains but speaks the truth in the maid’s mind, and she didn’t have time to think about it. Because sitting across from her was Xiao Shuang.
And Xiao Jin never expected that her aunt would call her over, claiming to have important matters to discuss. When she arrived, Xiao Shuang herself, using a lantern, delicately raised her slender, fair fingers and was dyeing her nails with nutmeg.
Perhaps because it had already become dark, Xiao Shuang had already taken off the hairpin from her updo. Her ink-black hair cascaded down her neck, diminishing some of her fierce and noble demeanor. However, the crane pattern embroidered with silver thread on her scarlet robe still shimmered with a faint golden light in the candle’s glow.
The nutmeg slowly spread on her fingernail, and Xiao Shuang looked down, her lowered eyelashes covering her indifferent and calm gaze. The candlelight fell softly on her, like a veil, but it couldn’t penetrate her.
Xiao Jin sat quietly beside her, just watching Xiao Shuang dyeing her nails. For the first time, she felt that the Princess Zhao Yang wasn’t as mysterious and unpredictable as she had imagined. Even looking at Xiao Shuang’s expression, she inexplicably felt that she seemed a bit lonely.
Perhaps it was because she stood too high, leaving no one who could understand or talk to her.
At the same time, as the princess who owned seven cities, Princess Zhao Yang seemed not to need people to know anything, as those were all superfluous things.
Those belonged to the weak, not her.
Xiao Jin hadn’t figured out why yet, but Xiao Shuang had already finished dyeing her nails. She extended her cold, fragrant hand with a smile and asked, “Is it pretty?”
“It’s beautiful.” Xiao Jin came back to her senses and nodded.
It was a sincere statement because no matter what was dyed, it would look good on a person who was naturally beautiful.
However, Xiao Shuang seemed to think that Xiao Jin was just appeasing her and smiled faintly, “Jin’er always likes to tell lies, but the lies she tells often make this palace very happy.”
Xiao Jin didn’t know where Xiao Shuang found happiness, but she couldn’t tell from her expression.
However, Xiao Shuang withdrew her hand casually and said, “If you think it’s beautiful, tell this palace what color you like, and another day, this palace can dye it for you.”
“…” Xiao Jin was glad she hadn’t been drinking tea at the moment; otherwise, she would have choked on it for sure.
After a long silence, she replied, “Auntie is joking.”
Perhaps only when there were no attendants in the tent, did Xiao Shuang dare to make such a “joke.” After all, if this conversation were overheard by someone with ill intentions, it would be a serious offense, at least a crime of deceiving the emperor.
Xiao Shuang didn’t talk much and didn’t say anything else to Xiao Jin. She just stood up and opened a cabinet, taking out a wooden box from inside.
Xiao Jin looked at the box, unable to determine its material, but she knew it must contain jewelry because it was slim and couldn’t hold many things.
Xiao Shuang sat back down on her chair and opened the box with her hand. Inside the box, there was a red silk cloth that resembled a flaming phoenix, a fiery color. On the silk cloth, there lay a silver hairpin carved into the shape of a pair of intertwined phoenixes.
Even though Xiao Jin wasn’t an expert, she could still tell that the hairpin was exquisitely carved, with lifelike phoenixes, almost like the real thing. If you looked closely, you could even see the delicately engraved magnolia flowers on the edge of the hairpin, displaying exquisite craftsmanship. It must have been quite valuable.
So Xiao Jin didn’t quite understand what Xiao Shuang intended by taking out a hairpin at this moment.
After a moment, Xiao Shuang picked up the hairpin, held it in her palm, and looked at it for a long time before saying to Xiao Jin, “Today is your mother’s birthday.”
Xiao Jin was slightly stunned.
She guessed that when Xiao Shuang mentioned “mother,” she probably wasn’t referring to the noble consort but rather the birth mother of the original owner, the deceased noble woman.
Xiao Shuang looked at Xiao Jin and said, “If it were in the past, this palace would have gone to Dali Temple to pay her a visit. But now that you’re here, this palace is a bit worried, so it’s better to forgo it.”
“Auntie doesn’t need to worry about Jin’er. Right now, there’s no danger, and Jin’er has already grown up. Auntie, you shouldn’t have to worry about everything.” Xiao Jin met Xiao Shuang’s gaze, paused for a moment, and said calmly.
Xiao Shuang smiled, “Indeed, you have grown up, and you’re different from before.”
After all, it’s a different person now.
Xiao Jin silently mocked in her heart, but politely replied, “Aunt is too kind with her praise.”
Xiao Shuang held the hairpin in her hand, her expression becoming indifferent again. “In the past, this palace did not believe in ghosts and deities, nor in retribution, so there was never any worship of gods or Buddhas.”
“Why do you believe now, Auntie?”
“It’s just that after your mother passed away, this palace worried that she would not live well on the other side if she didn’t have any money, so I reluctantly believed to some extent. But this palace still doesn’t truly believe.”
Xiao Jin was getting a bit dizzy from the conversation and asked, “Why is that?”
Xiao Shuang chuckled lightly, “If there were truly ghosts and deities in this world, then with all the sins this palace has committed, why hasn’t retribution befallen this palace? It’s evident that all of these things are nothing but fantasies, not worth considering. They are only meant to bring comfort to the living.”
“If you were to visit Dali Temple to see my mother, would it bring you comfort?” Xiao Jin asked.
Xiao Shuang answered straightforwardly, “No.”
Xiao Jin couldn’t understand and asked, “If it won’t bring you comfort, why would you go?”
Xiao Shuang moved her finger slightly and ran it over the delicate pattern on the hairpin, her expression unchanged, and replied, “It’s just a habit.”
This answer left Xiao Jin speechless.
Fortunately, Xiao Shuang didn’t continue and just raised her head to look at the jade crown on Xiao Jin’s head.
Then she stood up and walked to Xiao Jin’s side.
Princess Zhao Yang, who held immense power, was now so close to her.
Xiao Jin could even smell the faint fragrance on Xiao Shuang’s robe.
It was as cold as her usual demeanor.
But when Xiao Shuang took off the jade crown from Xiao Jin’s hair and started combing it with a wooden comb, her movements were surprisingly gentle, as if she were combing her own daughter’s hair.
Xiao Jin had this thought, but her feelings were somewhat complicated as she wasn’t the original owner.
No matter how good Xiao Shuang treated her, it ultimately didn’t matter—three words summed it up: it was misplaced.
While Xiao Shuang combed Xiao Jin’s hair, her voice came from behind her, “Jin’er, on the day of your coming-of-age ceremony, it was this palace who personally put the crown on your head. But you and this palace both know that you shouldn’t have worn such a heavy thing and held this ceremony.”
“This palace often thinks that if you were just a princess of Qi Country, on the day of your coming-of-age, this palace would have had the seamstress make the most beautiful clothes for you and the imperial craftsmen create a hairpin that couldn’t be replicated in this lifetime. After the ceremony, this palace would have promised you to the best man in the world, letting him hold power in the court, enjoy wealth, and protect you for a lifetime.”
These words were undoubtedly moving, but Xiao Jin still wanted to say, “Auntie, I don’t need that.”
Xiao Shuang paused her combing motion.
Xiao Jin calmly said, “I am the Prince Yan of Qi Country. There is no minister who can be richer or more powerful than me. Even if I don’t marry, I can live a worry-free life.”
“Since you can live a lifetime without marrying, then why did you marry Chu Shao?”
“Because I am fond of her.”
Xiao Shuang remained silent for a while, then sighed softly, “Forget it, perhaps this palace has committed too many sins in the previous life, and it owes you.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Xiao Jin thought, but if anyone should be owed, it should be the original owner who died.
Initially, Xiao Jin didn’t intend to confront Xiao Shuang, but she felt that the original owner’s personality would probably provoke a response.
After all, the original owner had everything she wanted before she died.
She didn’t need anyone to protect her.
Xiao Shuang held the hairpin in her hand and said lightly, “This palace only had such thoughts before you were born, so this hairpin was also made before your birth.”
Xiao Jin recalled the wooden hairpin that Xiao Shuang always wore on her hair bun and suddenly thought of a possibility. “Auntie, was this hairpin left by my mother?”
She subconsciously thought that since Xiao Shuang had always worn that wooden hairpin, according to the tropes of online novels, there must be something significant about it.
Maybe the hairpin was made by the deceased mother of the original owner.
If that were the case, then the original owner’s birth mother must have been skilled in making hairpins, and this hairpin must have been a precious gift left by the noble woman.
However, Xiao Shuang shook her head and said, “This hairpin was made by this palace.”
“…” Xiao Jin was speechless, feeling that this was going against the usual plotline.
How could Xiao Shuang have made it herself?
“Your mother wished for you to be a prince, so she never made a hairpin for you.”
Xiao Shuang held the wooden comb and lightly brushed it across Xiao Jin’s smooth black hair.
Although the words were somewhat hurtful, her tone was extremely calm.
Xiao Jin wasn’t hurt by it.
After all, she wasn’t the original owner.
She just found it ironic and asked with a smile, “Since Auntie also wished for me to be a prince, why did you make this hairpin?”
“No.”
Xiao Shuang combed Xiao Jin’s hair, her tone remaining unchanged. “This palace had a different idea from your birth mother. At that time, this palace hoped you would be a princess, so this hairpin was made before your birth. I had originally planned to personally put it on you during your coming-of-age ceremony. Unfortunately, later on, this palace could only crown you instead.”
Xiao Jin didn’t say anything because within her understanding, the original owner had been cross-dressing as a man for so many years, and it was indeed difficult to believe that it was not influenced by Xiao Shuang.
She couldn’t believe that the original owner, whose birth mother had already died, could be swayed by anyone’s will. The original owner couldn’t have possibly been born with the intention of seizing power and suggested disguising as a prince.
So the words Xiao Shuang spoke now seemed somewhat laughable to Xiao Jin.
Xiao Shuang apparently realized this as well and didn’t say much more. She simply asked while styling the hair bun, “Jin’er, what kind of hair bun do you like?”
Xiao Jin had no knowledge about hair buns. If she had to choose, she would prefer not to tie her hair up at all.
After all, Chu Shao rarely adorned her hair, but she still looked beautiful. But since Xiao Shuang had asked, Xiao Jin could only randomly pick an answer based on the novels she had read, “Suiyun bun.”
Surprisingly, after Xiao Shuang agreed, she actually started styling Xiao Jin’s hair into a Suiyun bun.
In the mirror, a figure dressed in crimson robes reflected brightly, with silver threads embroidered into crane feathers, resembling white frost on the ground.
The touch of vermilion in the crane’s eyes contrasted vividly against the nutmeg Xiao Shuang had applied to her fingernails.
Since the mirror was placed on the table, from Xiao Jin’s perspective, she could only see a few slender and graceful fingertips lifting her hair and styling it into a heavy bun. She wasn’t particularly concerned about the exact appearance of her hairstyle, as she couldn’t possibly leave the tent with a hair bun anyway.
It was evident that Xiao Shuang was also aware of this fact.
Nevertheless, she persistently styled Xiao Jin’s hair, securing a silver hairpin into her dark hair.
She then took out a colorful tassel from the box and gently wrapped it around the Suiyun bun, completing the process.
Xiao Jin looked at her reflection in the mirror and didn’t feel the intense impact she had seen in TV dramas when the female lead, disguised as a man, unexpectedly let her hair down, instantly stunning the male lead.
In her own case, aside from the slight relief of having her hair tied up and feeling a bit cooler, there was no other difference.
Xiao Jin felt no change, but to her surprise, Xiao Shuang walked in front of her and stood there silently, staring at her for a long time without saying a word.
The silence lasted so long that even Xiao Jin herself felt a tingling sensation on her scalp and couldn’t help but ask softly, “Auntie, do I resemble my birth mother?”
She suspected she was being mistaken for someone else’s substitute.
Xiao Shuang snapped out of her daze and shook her head. “You don’t resemble her.”
Xiao Jin nodded.
Fine, so she wasn’t even worthy of being a substitute.
Little did she know that the next moment, Xiao Shuang took a few steps closer and gently removed the hairpin from Xiao Jin’s hair bun. She let down her hair and placed the jade crown back on her head.
Xiao Shuang looked at the face reflected in the bronze mirror and smiled as she said to Xiao Jin, “You don’t resemble your birth mother, nor do you resemble your father, the emperor. You are a child raised by this palace, yet you don’t resemble this palace either. Sometimes, this palace wonders which mountain peak you jumped out from, little monster, to make things difficult for this palace.”
Xiao Jin was slightly taken aback, still not understanding how the original owner had made things difficult for Xiao Shuang.
However, after Xiao Shuang precisely placed the jade crown, her smile gradually faded away. It was replaced by her usual indifference, and there was even a hint of coldness. “Jin’er, after returning to the capital, accompany this palace to Dali Temple.”
It was a statement of certainty, indicating that she had no room for refusal.
Yet Xiao Jin looked up at Xiao Shuang’s face and still asked, “Why?”
“You’ll know when you get there,” Xiao Shuang’s tone was calm. “Also, tonight the nomads on the grassland will release sky lanterns. You can go and see them with your princess.”
This time, Xiao Jin was truly stunned. Why did Xiao Shuang want her to watch the sky lanterns with Chu Shao?
A few months ago, wasn’t Xiao Shuang still trying to kill Chu Shao?
Then, Xiao Shuang casually added, “As for the other things that may happen tonight, they are all trivial matters and unrelated to you. Just enjoy watching the sky lanterns and don’t worry about them.”
Xiao Jin didn’t understand the riddle Xiao Shuang was playing, but thinking back to what had happened before, she asked with a hidden meaning, “If there are assassins targeting me, should I not be concerned?”
Xiao Shuang stared into Xiao Jin’s eyes, held her gaze for a long time, and then smiled. “Yes, you don’t need to worry.”
“And if someone wants to kill you, before they can harm you, this palace will personally kill them.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translator’s note: Oh~. I really want to know who Xiao Shuang cp is.
TO BE CONTINUE…
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