Chapter 83: Jealousy 

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too. 

After Su Zian finished speaking, before the Princess could respond, she had already properly returned to her original position. 

It was lucky she withdrew quickly, otherwise, the Young Master, who was standing nearby with a dark expression, might have been unable to resist moving her aside. 

When Li Qiubai noticed the Young Master's expression, she couldn't help but smile. 

She hadn't expected Su Zian to be so direct, openly voicing such thoughts, which caused the Princess to develop a bit of admiration.

After the surprise, the Princess did not hold back, immediately asking with satisfaction, "Speak, what do you want?"

Li Qiubai would not naively think that this person had come just to deliver information out of kindness. Some things were simply exchanges of interests.

It was rare to encounter such a cooperative person in the "business world," and Su Zian was quite pleased.

She had no self-awareness, not at all considering that she was merely a stranger to the Princess at that moment, and actually had no relationship with her. Instead, she unapologetically made her request.

"Although my father is guilty and deserves it, the Su family, including the old and young, is innocent. What I wish is simply that the entire family does not get implicated."

Simply...

That is quite easy to say.

As for Su Sheng’s crime, if you were to speak of it in a larger context, it would not go as far as implicating the nine generations of his family. But it could not be said to be small either, for it was the crime of unjustly killing an entire family. Moreover, the deceased was a renowned chivalrous hero in the martial world. Simply punishing Su Sheng alone would certainly not appease the people's anger. If they were to convict him and send him back to the capital, implicating the entire Su family would be inevitable. At the very least, the family members of the household would be exiled.

What Su Zian wanted was indeed not so easy to obtain.

The Princess did not agree to her request immediately, nor did she directly refuse. She only calmly said, "This matter will be decided by me. After the truth is uncovered, it will be handled impartially. If the entire Su family is innocent, I will not pursue them to the end."

Not receiving the Princess' confirmation, Su Zian did not become discouraged, nor did she show any sign of turning hostile. She still proceeded as originally planned, taking out a letter from her sleeve and handing it to the Princess.

"There are many people here with loose tongues, some things are not suitable to say openly. I will not trouble Your Highness any further today. Please read the letter and respond when you have finished."

Having said that, Su Zian did not wait for the Princess' response. After giving a slight bow, she gracefully left.

Thus, after observing the two for a while, Young Master Meng finally noticed the occasional glances being cast from around them.

The people accompanying them also felt those subtle, hidden looks.

However, only the Princess remained indifferent, even openly opening the letter, glancing at the contents for a moment, and then folding it up and keeping it close to herself.

The letter contained only a few brief words, and while those far away could not see the contents, those standing close to the Princess could.

The letter, which looked like a secretive note, simply read: ‘Tomorrow at the hour of Shen*, meet at the Taohua Pavilion in the east of the city.’

*hour/time of the monkey - 3-5 PM, ancient China time system.

Shu Yao frowned upon seeing it.  

If she remembered correctly, this Taohua Pavilion should be Ye Wuyou's territory, right?  

What was this person planning by arranging a meeting with Imperial Sister there?  

For a moment, Shu Yao could not figure it out, so she simply took it as a coincidence and stopped dwelling on it. She only stepped forward, lightly nudged Li Qiubai’s arm, and glanced at those who kept sneaking looks in their direction, reminding her, "Did you see that? They are plotting against you."  

Now, in this Yecheng, the Princess was practically a "target." Many forces were constantly watching her movements. In a bustling place like Linyuan Tower, spies were bound to be present.  

Moreover, this place was now still the property of the Prince of Yu’s Manor.

Su Zian actually handed the letter to the Princess so openly in the bustling corridor of the tavern. Was she not blatantly telling the spies lurking in the shadows that she had dealings with the Princess?  

A simple sentence that could have been spoken outright, yet she deliberately made a show of handing over a letter, stirring speculation. If this was not scheming against the Princess, then what was it?  

"I know."  

The Princess seemed utterly unconcerned about Su Zian’s schemes and merely said to Shu Yao with deep meaning, "If she can live to see me tomorrow, why not just let her scheme?"

After all, Shu Yao had also grown up in the deep palace. How could she possibly be foolish?  

With just a slight hint from the Princess, Shu Yao immediately understood. She smiled knowingly and playfully teased Li Qiubai, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, you are truly bad."  

The girl's soft and sweet voice, filled with laughter, sounded almost like she was acting coquettishly to those listening.  

Not only did Shen Lingyun feel somewhat uncomfortable upon hearing it, but even Young Master Meng found it hard to bear.  

Unfortunately, the Princess did not notice that her little vinegar jar had already been tipped over. She merely chuckled, whispered a few words to Yuechu, then took Young Master Meng’s hand and continued walking outside.  

At the same time, outside Linyuan Tower, Su Zian had already found the person who had been waiting for her for a long time.

A beauty carried a silver whip at her waist, with a heavy sword held in her arms. Her expression was dark, exuding a faint aura of hostility that warned strangers to stay away.  

Only when she saw Su Zian approaching did her expression eases slightly.  

"How did it go?"  

"It went smoother than expected."  

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too. 

Hearing this, the other person did not feel relieved. Instead, she furrowed her brows. "Being too smooth may not necessarily be a good thing."  

How could Su Zian not understand the deeper meaning in Ying Siling’s words?  

Yet, she did not mind at all and merely smiled indifferently. "I know."

Su Zian always disliked seeing the beauty furrow her brows. Seeing her frown so deeply, she immediately stepped closer, raised her hand to smooth her brows, and responded with a smile, "Do you think a criminal's daughter like me has any right to inquire about her whereabouts? The moment I started gathering information, I heard news about her and that so-called 'Imperial Envoy’s' movements. And the meeting place is suspiciously peculiar. Is that not proof enough that she is waiting for me to come to her? Since that is the case, if I do not show some sincerity, would that not waste Her Highness' painstaking efforts?"  

"But…"  

That hand tickled Ying Siling’s heart, making it itch slightly. So she simply grabbed Su Zian’s mischievous hand, holding it in her own palm before continuing, "The Prince of Yu and his people are not ones to be underestimated. Back then, if he had not used the lives of your entire Su family as leverage, your father might not have been so willing to take all the blame. Now that you have met with Her Highness today, the news will soon reach their ears. By then… it may be unfavorable to you."

Unlike Ying Siling, who was full of worry, Su Zian remained completely at ease. Despite being the one directly involved, she was the one comforting the other instead.  

"Do not worry. No matter what, our family's matriarch is still the distant cousin of the current Empress. The Prince of Yu can use my incompetent father as a pawn to trip up the imperial family, but he would not truly lay a hand on our matriarch. If he did, that would mean openly tearing apart relations with the Prime Minister and the Empress. Unless absolutely necessary, I doubt he would be that reckless."  

The current head mistress of the Su family was none other than Yuchi Qin, the distant cousin of the reigning Empress, Shen Ruyu.  

Although the Yuchi family was not a prestigious noble clan in the capital, they had still produced their fair share of civil officials and military officers. The members who entered the court did not hold particularly high ranks, but they were still legitimate court officials.  

Moreover, Yuchi Qin’s mother happened to be the cousin of the Prime Minister’s wife. Because of this connection, the Yuchi family had maintained a decent status in the capital in the past. This was also why Yuchi Qin had been able to marry Su Sheng, a man of great literary talent and outstanding appearance, who had once ranked third in the imperial examination.  

Later, when Su Sheng was assigned to serve in Yuzhou, Yuchi Qin gradually lost touch with the capital. However, the family’s connections and influence remained intact.  

It was precisely because of this connection that the Fourth Prince, upon receiving intelligence from Yuzhou regarding Su Sheng, had chosen to secretly suppress the information.

After all, in the eyes of most people, the Su family could be considered the eyes and ears specially placed in Yuzhou by the Prime Minister's faction. Moreover, over the years, Su Sheng had indeed sent a lot of information to the capital, which made the Fourth Prince take the risky step of turning a blind eye, fearing that Su Sheng's affair would implicate himself and the Prime Minister. However, this matter ended up leaking into the capital due to Li Qiubai's wedding, which led to him being punished as a result.

Otherwise, if the matter had gone as he wished and not reached the Emperor's ears, no one would have been able to secretly handle Su Sheng, a court official, and this matter could have passed by without issue.

Unfortunately, the order to temporarily imprison Su Sheng came directly from the Emperor, who, in a fit of anger, personally gave the order, which was then passed down by the Ministry of Justice. Furthermore, the case was taken over by the Princess' husband, leaving the Fourth Prince and others unable to intervene or do anything about it.

Ying Siling can be counted as someone from an official family, and this point of reasoning is also understandable. She did not rebut what Su Zian said, but instead, changed her angle and seriously said, "He may not do anything to the matriarch of the Su family, but you? To the Prince of Yu, you are just a mere illegitimate daughter. If he wants to crush you, it would be an easy task for him."

Although her words were somewhat blunt and harsh, Su Zian knew that her intention was simply to remind her of the various risks.

Of course, this logic had already occurred to Su Zian before she decided to go to Linyuan Tower. Therefore, she was not as worried as Ying Siling and just lightly smiled in response to the beauty's good intentions.

"Life and death are destined, wealth and nobility are in the hands of heaven. If heaven has destined that I cannot pass this tribulation, then it is my fate. No one else is to blame."

Ying Siling could never stand her indifferent and carefree attitude. She immediately furrowed her brows and was about to give her a lecture, "You..."

"Alright, alright, I was just joking with you."

Before Ying Siling could begin to nag on and on, Su Zian had already hooked her arm with hers and was pulling her forward. She then said, "Do not worry, I know what I am doing. Moreover, today I have not underestimated that Prince. The more it is like this, the less likely it is that something will happen to me."

She then whispered a few words into Ying Siling's ear, informing her about the confrontation with the Princess in the Linyuan Pavilion.

Upon hearing this, Ying Siling's brows finally relaxed a little.

Indeed, for someone in Su Zian's current situation, bringing some matters into the open might be far safer than keeping them in the dark.

After all, in the confidential letter she had handed over to the Princess, no one else had been able to decipher its content. Especially someone like the Prince of Yu, who was so suspicious, would certainly wonder if it was some letter expressing grievances. If things were already set in motion and she had made it clear that she knew everything the Princess knew, then who informed him of the details would hardly matter.

In this way, their focus would not be on Su Zian, a nameless, unimportant person who cannot make any waves, but rather on the important Princess of the Imperial Family.

Thinking of this, Ying Siling let out a soft sigh and said, "Forget it, as long as you know what you are doing. There are many people on the streets today, and the officers at the yamen* are too few to patrol properly. I borrowed quite a few people from our camp. I still need to help out at the camp, so I cannot accompany you to wander around. I feel uneasy leaving you out here alone, so I think I will send you back to the manor. Is that alright?"

*government office in feudal China

Upon hearing this, Su Zian's eyes dimmed.

Fortunately, she was not someone who would act willfully. It was only a momentary disappointment, and she quickly suppressed those negative emotions. She forced a smile and replied, "If you do not go with me to stroll, it would not be interesting for me to go alone. If you have matters to attend to, go ahead. I am not a child, I can return on my own."

It was a pity that Ying Siling did not notice Su Zian's mood and said, "No, you cannot go back alone. I will not be at ease."

No matter what reason Su Zian gave to refuse, Ying Siling was determined not to let her return alone.

In the end, Su Zian had no choice but to let her go.

This person is always so stubborn.

Sitting in the carriage on the way back, Su Zian rested her chin on her hand, watching the people come and go outside the window.

As they were leaving, the carriage just happened to pass by Li Qiubai and her group.

Seeing the bright smile of the Princess as she interacted with that "Young Master", Su Zian could not help but feel a bit envious.

Author's Note:

If there is no comment, I don’t want to write. But if I don't write, there is no comment. It's an endless loop...