Chapter Twenty: The Little Princess of the Jiang Dynasty

When she awoke, dawn had broken.

Red Candle dressed Jiang Jiu’s hair into twin buns, the two small tufts swaying as she walked, adding a touch of girlish innocence and charm.

At thirteen or fourteen, her features hadn’t fully matured; she still carried a trace of baby fat, a beauty mark graced the tip of her nose, and her obsidian eyes gleamed with a hint of cleverness.

“Our little princess is truly lovely. I wonder which young master will be lucky enough to win her favor in days to come. There, do you like it?” Red Candle asked.

Jiang Jiu offered a shy smile. “Thank you, Auntie Red Candle.” Gazing at the reflection in the bronze mirror, she saw rosy lips, snow-white teeth, and a slender grace rare for her age. “I like it very much!”

“Once you’re washed up, Your Highness, you can go out for some fresh air. You were cooped up all day yesterday—anyone would feel stifled.”

Jiang Jiu nodded.

Red Candle spoke gently and looked gentle too, considerate as an elder sister, quick of mind and deft of hand. Even Lian, who was over two hundred years old, found herself enchanted by Red Candle’s soft voice and manner.

Clad in the outfit Red Candle had carefully chosen, and with a string of beads at her wrist, Jiang Jiu looked like a porcelain doll—so delicate one feared she might break from a careless touch.

Jiang Jiu and Red Candle stepped out of the room, a group of guards naturally following in their wake.

After the recent incident at the pond, King Jiang was anxious. Jiang Jiu was neither trained in body nor spirit; if one mishap had occurred, a second was possible. The palace no longer felt secure.

If open threats failed, there would certainly be covert ones. So long as someone was always at Jiang Jiu’s side—even if it meant sending half of his most trusted men to Zhuohua Hall—it must be done.

As a father, Jiang Jiu was his daughter, and he would fulfill his duty to her. Besides, sharing a bed with Queen Jiang, who was at least a spirit cultivator, meant that unless the enemy was overwhelming, their chances of success were slim.

In the current Jiang Kingdom, spirit cultivators were few and far between—two resided in the palace, the rest either living in seclusion or anchored to their own families, abstaining from worldly affairs.

[Task One: Bring down the Shen family.]

[Master, the system has issued a task!]

Bring down the Shen family?

The Shen family’s foundations ran deep. To see it crumble, one needed a pawn with her own ideas, clever enough to act on them—a role that only Shen Yue Ru could fill.

“Little Princess!”

Her voice preceded her arrival.

Dressed in plain white, with delicate features and a fairy-like grace, this must be Shen Yue Ru.

“I heard the news of your mishap at the pond, Little Princess. As soon as I learned, I asked my father for the palace pass. Are you feeling better today? I’ve brought some tonics for you.”

The palace pass—no doubt a token the Emperor had bestowed upon the Shen family in gratitude for Old Ancestor Shen’s loyalty.

Jiang Jiu lowered her voice, sounding a bit frail. “Thank you for your concern, sister. I’m much better today.”

Jiang Jiu, who had always dismissed her before, actually called her sister today. Was the sun rising in the west?

Shen Yue Ru’s original intent had only been to pay her respects—her true reasons for coming to the palace lay with the two princes; Jiang Jiu was an afterthought.

The incident at the pond, and Jiang Jiu’s rescue, still seemed incredible.

Red Candle explained, “Miss Shen, since the princess awoke, she’s forgotten many people and things.”

“So that’s it. The poor princess, truly she has suffered.”

That day, after seeing Jiang Jiu fall into the water and stop breathing, Shen Yue Ru had felt both guilty and uneasy. She hadn’t expected Jiang Jiu’s luck to be so terrible.

After fleeing the scene, Shen Yue Ru had shed a few tears herself. She truly desired the position of empress, but had never intended to take a life.

Amnesia? Wasn’t that ideal?

She feared Jiang Jiu would remember the face that pushed her into the water, yet she also wished to make amends for her lapse. Why not use these days of her amnesia to both care for Jiang Jiu and win the princes’ hearts?

“This elder sister looks just like a fairy—so beautiful.”

Flattery made Shen Yue Ru’s heart bloom. So the little witch’s tongue had grown sweet after losing her memory. If she didn’t have to maintain her fairy-like image, she’d have pinched the softness of Jiang Jiu’s cheeks.

Jiang Jiu understood Shen Yue Ru’s thoughts perfectly, and so she played along.

“Sister Shen, would you like to stroll through the palace with us? I was just about to ask Auntie Red Candle to take me to find my brothers.”

The words of refusal died on Shen Yue Ru’s lips. “Of course! Cui’er, take the tonics to the kitchens and tell my father I’ll be staying in the palace with the princess today—no need to set a place for me at lunch.”

“Yes, Miss!”

She turned back to Jiang Jiu.

“Princess, ‘Miss Shen’ sounds too formal. Just call me Yue Ru.”

“Alright, Sister Yue Ru! And you don’t have to call me ‘Princess’—just call me Little Jiu! That’s what my father and brothers do.”

Shen Yue Ru smiled sweetly. “Alright, Little Jiu!”

Jiang Jiu took both Shen Yue Ru and Red Candle by the hand, placing herself between them.

“Lalalala, shall we go find Big Brother first, or Second Brother?”

“It’s entirely up to you!”

“Your Highness, at this hour, the Crown Prince and Second Prince should be having breakfast at Qixia Palace. They usually come to Tangli Hall to eat with you, but perhaps today they didn’t want to disturb you.”

Jiang Jiu twisted the flower in her fingers.

“My brothers worry too much. I wouldn’t be disturbed at all. Come, Auntie Red Candle, let’s go join them for breakfast!”

As Jiang Jiu and Shen Yue Ru walked by, from a distance, one might have thought them lifelong friends, arms entwined as they strolled, their intimacy evident.

...

“Big Brother, with Little Jiu not here, even the rice tastes hard. The kitchen must be slacking!” Jiang Ling poked at a clump of rice, but instead of putting it in his mouth, he set it back in his bowl, grumbling incessantly.

The table was laden with both meat and vegetable dishes, yet everything remained untouched, just as it had been served.

Jiang Che silently picked up a piece of potato, ate it, took three more bites of rice, and set down his bowl. “I’m full.”

Jiang Ling glared at the half-bowl of rice left in Jiang Che’s bowl, shoveled down a few mouthfuls, and prepared to go practice martial arts.

“Big Brother, Second Brother!”

Jiang Ling didn’t even look up.

“I must be hallucinating. Why do I think Little Jiu’s here?”

Jiang Che rolled his eyes, stood, and walked toward Jiang Jiu.

“Little Jiu, didn’t I tell you to rest? Why are you running about?”

Jiang Jiu pouted. “Fine, if Big Brother doesn’t welcome me, I thought I’d come steal some breakfast. Auntie Red Candle, let’s go!”

Jiang Ling finally snapped out of it, strode over in two big steps, and scooped Jiang Jiu into a chair.

“Who said that? We haven’t eaten yet! Perfect timing, fetch two more sets of dishes!”

Jiang Jiu squinted her eyes and grinned. “Sister Yue Ru, come join us! You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?”

Shen Yue Ru offered a formal bow to Jiang Che and Jiang Ling.

“Your Highnesses.”

“Since you’re here, join us,” Jiang Che said.

With their permission, she made no further protest and sat down.

Jiang Che and Jiang Ling kept piling food into Jiang Jiu’s bowl as they spoke. “Don’t mind the food, Little Jiu—our kitchen’s not as good as yours, but eat up!”

Jiang Jiu kept stuffing her mouth, her bowl so full she barely knew where to start.

Now and then, she picked a bit of food for Shen Yue Ru, who simply ate quietly, offering neither flattery nor empty pleasantries.

Jiang Jiu rather liked Shen Yue Ru’s temperament; at least she wasn’t as fake as some other girls.

By the end of the meal, everyone had eaten well. Most of the food ended up in Jiang Ling and Jiang Che’s bellies—after all, girls always had tiny appetites.