Li You quickly pulled her away and reprimanded, âEven if youâre upset, you shouldnât take it out on things. If you dislike it so much, why did you fight with the Princess Consort earlier?â
âI just wanted to fight!â Princess Lingâanâs eyes reddened, she jerked her hand from Li Youâs grasp, choking on her words, âWhy does everything go well for her, why is she stronger than me in every aspect?â
She had secretly loved Prince of Yu for so many years, but her position as Princess Consort of Yu was snatched away by a suddenly emerged cripple.
How could she accept this?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
She was not young anymore; the maidens of her age were marrying one after another, and even the Prince of Yu she admired had become the Crown Prince and already had two children.
She was still alone.
She had nothing.
Li You tried to soothe her with soft words, but she kept interrupting him.
âCousin, you donât need to play the good guy here. I know youâre about to marry the concubine-born daughter of the Jiang family to become the Princess Consort, naturally, youâll favor the Jiang family.â She wiped her tears and huffed, âI just donât understand; there are so many noblewomen in the Capital, why do you particularly fancy that concubine-born daughter from the Jiang Family? She is not beautiful and lacks talent. Donât you find it embarrassing?â
Li You laughed, âWhen I marry, I only need mutual affection, I donât value family background or appearance. Physical appearance is just a shell, I advise my dear cousin not to fixate on this.â
Watching the unending arguments between the siblings, Wenren Zong stepped forward and said, âPrince Zhao, please take your time with the Princess. The Dean of the Lin family and I will head in that direction.â
âOh, alright, take care.â
It turns out they didnât plan to go out together initially, they just met on the way.
Wenren Zong and Lin Shimo walked onto a small bridge. Looking at the string of lanterns under the bridge stretching into the distance, they felt exceptionally relaxed and let out a soft sigh.
âThirteen, whatâre you sighing for?â Lin Shimo slowly spoke while looking at the lanterns.
âThere was a time when I thought Iâd never be able to return here.â Wenren Zong was emotional, âNow, being able to stand on this bridge and watch the lanterns shining like stars; my life is fulfilled.â
Lin Shimo smiled slightly, âI noticed your gaze at the Princess Consort was quite exceptional. Do you admire her?â
Wenren Zong gave a bitter laugh, âDean, you overstate. When I was young and ignorant, I indeed had some inappropriate thoughts about her. But now sheâs the Princess Consort, how dare I indulge in such fantasies.â
âYet you still watch her in such a way.â
âDean, you know it. The Princess Consort has been of great help to me, to the Wenren family. Without her help back then, my mother and sisters would have already become prostitutes or slaves.â Wenren Zong laughed as he spoke, âWhen I returned home a few days ago, my mother was discussing with me whether we should enshrine the Princess Consortâs wooden tablet in our home and revere her as a life-saving benefactor.â
Chief Lin couldnât help but laugh.
âThese past two years when I was not in Changâan, my mother, sisters, and their children had a hard life. It was because of the timely donations from the Princess Consort that they managed to survive. Alas.â Guilt etched on Wenren Zongâs face, âDean, my gratitude towards the Princess Consort canât simply be explained by mere feelings between a man and a woman.â
âWhy has she been so good to your Wenren Family?â
âI thinkâ¦â Wenren Zong trailed off, âprobably because she is a person of sentiment and righteousness.â
Lin Shimo smiled, âEven though I belong to the Lin family and donât participate in the Imperial Court, Iâve heard of several deeds of this Princess Consort. Judging by her actions, she isnât a woman of weak character.â
âBeing weak and merciful to your enemies, thatâs foolish.â
âYes, clearly the Princess Consort is not a fool.â Lin Shimo gazed into the distance and asked slowly, âIf one day you and her become enemies, what will you do?â