Chapter 50: Luring Her Here in the Name of a Princess

Chapter 50: Luring Her Here in the Name of a Princess

"It does... have something to do with her. She's already taken so much from me. Please, even if we're breaking off the engagement, I beg you, don't let her take you away too."

Xie Peiyu looked at her in surprise, his face filled with disbelief.

"Why would you think that?"

Zheng Jinxiu was taken aback. "What?"

"The prince asks, why do you think Zheng Jinyu has taken something away from you?"

"Isn't that the case?" Zheng Jinxiu said sorrowfully, "If it weren't for her, my parents would still be my parents, my brothers would still be solely mine. I would be the sole legitimate daughter of the Zheng family, and even you... even our engagement wouldn't have ended up in this mess."

Xie Peiyu scoffed, looking at her as if she were a creature from another world.

After a moment, he stared at her with disdain, "Zheng Jinxiu, I originally thought you were just cunning, but now I realize I've overestimated you. As my mother said, some people are simply born with wickedness in their nature."

Zheng Jinxiu looked at him in surprise, "You're saying I was born with wickedness?"

"Isn't that the case? You were the one who usurped her identity, stealing the life of luxury she was entitled to for fourteen years. Instead of being grateful, you accuse her of taking what was yours?"

"I..." Zheng Jinxiu was left speechless.

Xie Peiyu sneered coldly, continuing, " Aren't Mister and Madam Zheng her parents? Her brothers were supposed to have only her as their sister. But because of you, she had to accept that they cared more about you than her. As for me..."

Xie Peiyu paused before he said, "If not for you, the marriage alliance between the Zheng and Xie families would have proceeded smoothly."

Zheng Jinxiu stumbled, leaning against the door frame with a thud.

"Haha..." She offered a pale, wry smile, addressing Xie Peiyu. "She's not willing to marry you, did you know? It was Zheng Jinyu's idea for me to come find you. It was always Zheng Jinyu who encouraged me, telling me not to lose heart. It doesn't matter if the Imperial Princess doesn't accept me, she said. As long as you do, that's all that counts."

Xie Peiyu's face darkened as images of Zheng Jinyu surfaced in his mind.

Zheng Jinxiu continued, "She also gave me a clever suggestion – to make things irreparable between you and me, like cooking uncooked rice into a meal. Once that happens, bloodlines won't matter anymore. It's fine if the Imperial Princess looks down on my background, but once we've crossed that line, she'll have to find ways to help cover it up. But I believed that you had genuine feelings for me, so I wasn't willing to go that far and even disclosed the plan to you. If I had known you were so indifferent towards me, I should have listened to her."

Initially, Xie Peiyu had believed her words, but as he listened on, something felt amiss.

What does it mean to say 'I should have listened to her from the start'? And what does it imply when someone says they regret telling me?

Aren't you telling me this now? Does that mean you were already aware of my heartlessness when we were in the room just now? Such hypocrisy, yet you pull it off so convincingly.

Xie Peiyu summoned his servants to drag the crazed woman out.

Zheng Jinxiu still had her pride. By the time they reached the main gate, she managed to break free from the servants and informed them that she would walk out on her own.

Leaving the princess's residence, she had wiped away her tears and donned a radiant smile.

To any outsiders who knew nothing, she appeared as if she had simply finished a visit to the princess's home.

...

The next day, Zheng Jinyu received an invitation from the princess's residence, inviting her to watch a play.

Why would the princess suddenly invite her to see a performance?

Zheng Jinyu was no fool; she sensed that there was more to this than met the eye.

She took the invitation to seek out Lady Zheng.

To her surprise, the usually astute Lady Zheng didn't overthink it and replied with a smile, "Since the Duchess has invited you to watch the play, just go along."

Zheng Jinyu commented, "But I don't have any particular friendship with the Duchess."

Lady Zheng said, "I've heard that at the Wang family's lotus viewing event, you painted a picture, and the Duchess wrote the calligraphy for it. That painting ended up winning first place."

Hmm...

"Yes."

"Well then, it must be because the Princess appreciates your painting skills."

Zheng Jinyu: "..." So that could work too?

Since Lady Zheng had put it that way, what else could she say?

"In that case, I'll attend the gathering tomorrow."

"Indeed, do go, and bring ample silver. Even though the Princess is treating you to the opera, you must insist on paying the bill yourself."

It was one thing whether she actually paid or not, but the attitude mattered – that was the essence of it.

Thus, Lady Zheng provided her with a pouch of silver as spending money. For the sake of that hefty bag of coins, Jinxiu would attend an opera, not only if a princess invited her, but even if the Imperial Princess herself did.

Why didn't Lady Zheng think too much about it?

Because the day before, Jinxiu had returned home without telling the truth.

She mentioned that she had asked Xie Peiyu to deliver a letter to Zheng Hongyan, but to her surprise, Xie Peiyu had personally invited her to the Princess's residence for a conversation about border affairs, during which they seemed to have enjoyed each other's company greatly.

Mrs. Zheng was overjoyed upon hearing this, believing that her previous speculation had been correct.

Xie Peiyu's silence on that day was out of consideration for the Imperial Princess's dignity. They had known each other for years and shared a bond.

In Mrs. Zheng's eyes, the marriage between the two was as good as settled and would not encounter any obstacles.

The following day, Zheng Jinyu went to the teahouse for their appointment, carrying a hairpin she had crafted herself, intending to gift it to the Duchess.

After all, it was only proper to return a favor since she had been invited to watch a performance.

To her surprise, upon entering the reserved private room, she didn't find the Duchess but Xie Peiyu sitting alone inside.

He was seated by the window, his gaze fixed on the stage below. Not wanting to be seen, Zheng Jinyu quickly retreated.

Assuming she had entered the wrong room, she stepped out and double-checked the room number, confirming that it was indeed the correct one.

So... the princess's invitation was a pretense, while it was actually Prince Xie Peiyu who wished to see her. She didn't wish to be entangled with Xie Peiyu; the less prominent roles often brought about more unexpected twists, which could affect her performance.

Zheng Jinyu turned to leave without hesitation.

However, before she could take two steps, two expressionless young men blocked her path.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zheng Jinyu said coldly, "In broad daylight, under the Emperor's domain, do you intend to abduct a noble lady from a prominent family by force?"

"Miss Zheng, I dare not. Please, do enter," the servant, Chunmei, who had been guarding the entrance, was nowhere to be seen now. It seemed she had no choice but to meet Xie Peiyu today.

Zheng Jinyu clenched her back teeth and turned around to re-enter the private room.

The window was already open, and Xie Peiyu sat by it, gazing intently at her.

Zheng Jinyu stood by the door. After three seconds, she gracefully curtsied.

"Jinyu has had the pleasure of meeting Prince Chen."

"Have a seat," Xie Peiyu said calmly.

Zheng Jinyu accepted the invitation without hesitation, taking a seat and offering a subtle smile.

"I wonder, Prince Chen, why you have summoned me here under the pretense of a meeting with a princess? Oh, pardon me, I should say invited me."

Xie Peiyu's lips curved into a faint smile as he spoke two words.

"Settling scores."

Settling scores?

Images of the black-clad kite messenger flashed through her mind.

"That, that kite…"

"It has nothing to do with the kite," Xie Peiyu interrupted her directly.

"Not a kite? Then what was the reason?"

Xie Peiyu looked up at her and said, "I heard that you advised Zheng Jinxiu not to give up, telling her that as long as I'm willing to marry her, my mother, considering my feelings, would have no choice but to accept her."