Happy reading~

Chapter 87: Tree Peony vs Cattail Weed

Yuan Dong pointed at Er Ya with a stern expression on her face. "How dare you not greet the Princess!?"

Embarra.s.sment appeared on Er Ya's dark and red face. For a few moments, she was too dumbstruck to get any words out. "Ai, ai…"

>Er Ya speaks with a dialect.

A trace of displeasure flashed across Duan Xinghui's face since the person he liked was being troubled. He pursed his lips unhappily before cupping his fist and speaking to Ning Shu with a salute. "Princess, Er Ya is from the countryside and doesn't really understand etiquette. Honourable Princess is magnanimous, so please be tolerant of her shortcomings."

>Da ren strikes again! I can't very well translate it as -sama in this setting so I shall be translating it as 'Honourable' - used as a t.i.tle indicating eminence or distinction, given especially to judges and certain high officials.

f.u.c.k! So if she didn't tolerate this, then that meant that she wasn't tolerant and magnanimous? This was completely coercing her with ethics. Ning Shu's expression turned cold and the imposing aura around her thickened.

Ning Shu spoke mildly, "General should quickly head to the palace to report to His Majesty."

"Many thanks for Princess's concern." Duan Xinghui cupped his fist. With that motion, he encircled Er Ya with his arms.

Duan Xinghui had handsome and sharp looks. Moreover, his expression was usually indifferent, so overall he appeared to have a very earnest personality and gave off a reliable feeling. If the person in his arms had been a beauty, this would have been a perfect scene of a hero and beauty. However, Er Ya was sadly a bit far from being a beauty. When she was placed next to Duan Xinghui, it made for a discordant image.

"Princess, how can you put up with that lowly woman being so rude?" Yuan Dong complained to Ning Shu angrily.

Ning Shu stroked the little gray ball's furry body as she looked towards Yuan Dong. Yuan Dong was very stirred up and her face was filled with jealousy.

"Yuan Dong, mind your status," said Ning Shu mildly.

Yuan Dong's heart skipped a beat as she instantly became overcome with embarra.s.sment. She glared at Er Ya out of the corner of her eye.

"Princess, what's that in your arms?" When Er Ya saw the little gray ball in Ning Shu's hands, she asked this with a surprised tone.

Ning Shu suddenly smiled. She understood what Er Ya's personality was like now. She had the unsophisticated simplicity and pureness of country folk along with a bit of inferiority that low cla.s.s people felt.

So this was the type of girl Duan Xinghui liked. The original host's personality was the complete opposite of Er Ya's. Jiahui, who had the honor of being a princess, was as arrogant as the phoenix that soared through the Ninth Heaven. Something like inferiority simply did not exist in her personality.

It could only be said that Princess Jiahui wasn't Duan Xinghui's cup of tea at all. She just hoped that Er Ya would be able to maintain her simple personality and continue to be the unstained bright moonlight in Duan Xinghui's heart after she experienced life in the flouris.h.i.+ng capital.

Embarra.s.sment appeared on Er Ya's face again and she didn't speak anymore. The princess had only smiled, but as Er Ya looked at Ning Shu's smile, her inferiority complex made her feel as if the princess was laughing at her.

After she saved Duan Xinghui from life-threatening danger, before she knew it she had fallen in love with this handsome and cold man. He gave off a n.o.ble aura, so she knew from the start that he wasn't a simple character.

However, her expectations were still shattered when she found out who Duan Xinghui was. She never imagined that he was actually a general of Great Yong.

Er Ya had, from the small courtyard of her home, watched silently as the army marched neatly into the village with their flags bellowing in the wind in order to get Duan Xinghui. As she watched, her emotions had surged. She had stared dumbly at Duan Xinghui. At that time, she felt as if he was getting taller and larger, while she in contrast was becoming increasingly petty and short.

Unexpectedly, Duan Xinghui had actually been willing to take her with him. Er Ya loved Duan Xinghui deeply and for his sake, parted with her family, with her hometown, to step foot into the unknown capital.

However, before she even entered the capital she had run into the princess. If the princess was a tree peony, then Er Ya felt that she was a cattail weed. It was the difference between the clouds in the sky and the mud on earth.

#comment: In Chinese~ cattails are known as 'dog' 'tails'!

Happy reading~

Chapter 88: Li Wen's Opinion of Duan Xinghui

Er Ya looked at the gorgeous, colored gla.s.s carriage with its ornamented jade hood. Silk curtains were draped around the carriage and delicate golden bells dangled from the four corners, making clear tinkling sounds as the wind swept past. The carriage had an soft elegant scent that made people feel as if they were walking in the fragrant world of the celestials.

Upon seeing this ostentatious display of luxury, longing and a trace of envy emerged in Er Ya's heart.

The two processions didn't speak to each other and the atmosphere became very heavy. There was only the sound of the flags fluttering in the wind and the tinkling of the bells.

"Princess, this general will take his leave," said Duan Xinghui as he pulled on the reins. Ning Shu just said 'en' without even lifting her head, continuing to stroke the little gray ball in her hand.

Duan Xinghui was slightly embarra.s.sed from being ignored and left without further words.

From start to finish, Ning Shu didn't glance at Duan Xinghui even once. At her side, Yuan Dong's facial color was very poor, but she didn't dare to speak. When Duan Xinghui's troops entered the city, Yuan Dong finally couldn't endure it anymore and asked, "Princess, who is the woman in General Duan's arms?"

"How could General Duan treat you this way?" Yuan Dong seemed to be fighting for justice for Ning Shu. "How could General Duan let a woman join the army's march?"

Ning Shu didn't speak as she was currently thinking things through. Now that the main actors have come back, what should she do next? How should she get revenge on Duan Xinghui and Er Ya, and force them apart? Well, forget it. All people tended to feel reverse psychology. The more you tried to prevent someone from doing something, the more the person would feel like doing it.

Ning Shu knitted her brows, a bit annoyed. When she first saw Duan Xinghui earlier, all sorts of complicated emotions had arose in her heart. There was resentment and hatred, yet it was still mixed with love. When she saw Er Ya, envy and enmity flooded her heart. It was to the point she itched to just rip off Er Ya's face.

It was seriously too much. The original host's emotions were too strong, to the point she had to struggle to suppress it.

Forget it. The most important thing was to curry favor with the big boss, Li Wen. She felt like the most important part of this task was to not be married off.

Not long after Ning Shu returned to the Princess Residence, she got a imperial decree from Li Wen that asked her to hurry and enter the palace.

Ning Shu tidied herself up and headed to the palace. Every time she had to see Li Wen, she would have to give herself a silent prep-talk. She seriously felt way too uneasy every time she faced Li Wen's expressionless face.

After walking into the Imperial Study, Ning Shu curtsied towards Li Wen. "This subject-sister respectfully greets Imperial Older Brother."

Li Wen put down his cinnabar brush and glanced at Ning Shu. After a pause, he said, "Duan Xinghui has returned."

"En. This subject-sister saw him at the city gates," replied Ning Shu mildly.

Li Wen inspected Ning Shu's expression with his sharp gaze before saying, "We found out that Duan Xinghui was still alive a few days ago and sent people to get him. Originally we wanted to inform you, but you weren't in the Princess Residence."

Ning Shu lifted her brows and walked over to pat Li Wen's shoulder as she said, "Bro, I'm not criticizing you, but this Duan Xinghui is nothing but a defeated general. Why'd you even take the trouble to send people to retrieve him and allow him to return so grandly?"

Li Wen glanced lightly at the claw on his shoulder and Ning Shu immediately retrieved her hand. She lowered her head and said, "This subject-sister overstepped."

"If you still wish to continue the earlier engagement with Duan Xinghui," - Li Wen looked at Ning Shu expressionlessly - "we can give an imperial decree."

"No need, there's no need at all." Ning Shu waved her hand as she said, "Imperial Older Brother, no matter what please don't make this subject-sister get involved with Duan Xinghui. Moreover, Duan Xinghui already has a woman by his side."

A trace of brightness flashed through Li Wen's eyes and a smile actually appeared on his lips as he said, "You are our Imperial Younger Sister, the n.o.ble princess of the Great Yong dynasty. What need is there for you to cling onto Duan Xinghui? Moreover, he's even a general that got defeated the first time he went into battle."

Ning Shu: Pfff…

So this was what Li Wen thought of Duan Xinghui. Then in the storyline, the fact that Princess Jiahui was trying to s.n.a.t.c.h Duan Xinghui, a person Li Wen viewed as a useless general, from a village girl, was practically an act tantamount to throwing Li Wen's face on the ground and stomping on it.