Chapter 28: A Childhood of Misfortune
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The little girl had cried until her eyes were swollen and red. She huddled in the corner, clutching herself tightly with both arms, her gaze brimming with wariness.
Sheng Mingyue crouched down, the corners of her lips lifting into a gentle smile as she did her best to appear approachable. “Little Commandery Princess, please come with this servant to see the Prince. Her Highness the Grand Princess is very worried about you.”
“You’re lying!” Jia’an angrily wiped away her tears, her face stubborn. “Father is dead, and Mother doesn’t truly care about me either. I have nothing… Even a slave like you can come and bully me!”
Sheng Mingyue watched her quietly for a long while before saying, “Was it not the Commandery Princess who threw something at someone without cause first? This servant merely summoned the courage to ask for justice.”
Jia’an glared at her, fury and resentment in her eyes. She looked like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. “I didn’t throw it at you. What right do you have to speak?”
“Song Guo is my friend. Someone was making sport of humiliating her, and I could not simply stand by.” Sheng Mingyue’s expression remained calm, her tone as even as before. “Even if the other party is a noble, I still must speak up. At worst, I will accept the punishment in her place.”
“Friend?” Jia’an froze. She drew in on herself, looking somewhat at a loss. “What is a friend?”
A flicker of surprise passed through Sheng Mingyue’s eyes. Meeting the girl’s guarded gaze, she could not say what she felt.
[The Commandery Princess Jia’an’s childhood is truly miserable. Her father does not love her, her mother does not care for her, and she has neither friends nor companions. After finally growing up, she is even used by her own mother!]
[An unhappy childhood takes a lifetime to heal. The little princess was warped by the way her mother raised her. In order to gain her mother’s love, she willingly committed so many wicked deeds, and in the end, she even took the blame for her.]
[She keeps making mistakes just to attract other people’s attention, just like the delinquent in my own family. She is still young. If only the little cannon fodder could change this child for the better.]
[Poor second male lead. He is devoted to their sibling bond, but people change. Even more so when the Grand Princess married into a foreign land and endured years of humiliation… Her state of mind has long since changed.]
[The Grand Princess clearly has so many places to stay, yet she chose the Little Prince’s residence. She intends to use the Prince’s name as a shield while doing wicked things!]
The expression on Sheng Mingyue’s face gradually stiffened. A chill crept down her back. As she looked at Jia’an’s youthful face, the image of the Grand Princess rose in her mind, and she felt as though she were facing a formidable enemy.
The Grand Princess possessed such an exalted status. What on earth could have made her act with such caution?
This concerned her only source of support. If anyone dared attempt to harm the Prince, then even at the cost of her life, she would never allow the villain to succeed!
Sheng Mingyue’s mind was a tangled mess, and she had not the slightest clue.
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This was the first time she had ever felt that the spectators had said too little.
Every time, they stopped halfway through, as though determined to drive her mad!
Seeing the young woman before her suddenly fall silent, Jia’an assumed that she was unwilling to pay her any attention. Tears immediately welled in her eyes again. “There isn’t a single good person in your Great Chu!”
The sudden outburst pulled Sheng Mingyue back to reality. She lowered her eyes and saw Jia’an glaring at her with undisguised resentment. Startled, she hurriedly said, “Please forgive this servant, Commandery Princess. For a moment, I did not know how to explain the word ‘friend.’”
“Perhaps it means… someone who cannot bear to see you suffer, someone who will protect you and keep you safe at any cost. That is what a friend is.”
Jia’an fell still and lowered her head slightly, pretending to be composed. “Someone like that… I have never met one.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she sprang to her feet, acting as though nothing had happened. “Whatever sort of fruit your friend is, since she did not like my welcoming gift, I cannot be bothered with her anymore.”
“But you, you foul maid.” Jia’an raised her arm and pointed straight at Sheng Mingyue’s nose, declaring loudly, “You and I are enemies from this day forth. Keep your guard up. Who knows when I might put a knife in you!”
“To tell you the truth, the fire today was originally meant for you!” Jia’an’s eyes were still bright red. Her plan had failed, and she was unwilling to accept it. Gritting her teeth, she said, “If I had already learned how to use those strange things, you would have been dead by now!”
With that, Jia’an shot her a vicious glare, turned around, and ran toward the Elm and Sophora Courtyard.
Watching her retreating figure, Sheng Mingyue muttered under her breath, “So unreasonable and ill-mannered… And she expects me to change her for the better?”
One corner of the Prince’s residence had been burned beyond recognition. The Elm and Sophora Courtyard had to be rebuilt and was no longer fit for habitation, so Rong Zhao had no choice but to ask the mother and daughter to move into the Cleansing Heart Pavilion, not far from his own courtyard.
“Elder Sister, you had better keep a close watch on her.” Rong Zhao cast a sidelong glance at Jia’an, his tone mild. “If she burns down my Cleansing Heart Pavilion as well, there will be no vacant courtyard left in the residence.”
Rong Min had just suffered a disturbance to her pregnancy and was now reclining halfway against a soft, warm couch. She said quietly, “Do not worry, A-Zhao. Jia’an is my daughter. I know her temperament. After making such a mistake today, she will not have the courage to do it again.”
Jia’an stood beside the bed, her head bowed as she picked at her fingers. In a small voice, she said, “Imperial Uncle… I know I was wrong.”
Rong Zhao gave a quiet hum, accepting her apology.
After Rong Zhao left, only mother and daughter remained in the spacious room.
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After hesitating for a moment, Jia’an cautiously moved closer and said softly, “Mother, please do not be angry with me. I was wrong…”
Before she could finish, the woman on the bed raised her hand and struck her viciously across the face.
The crisp sound of the slap rang through the room. Jia’an froze for only an instant before dropping to her knees beside the bed, as though she were accustomed to doing so.
The candlelight flickered. Rong Min’s face was half illuminated and half concealed in shadow as she looked down at her kneeling daughter. There was not a trace of warmth in her eyes.
“How many times have I told you? Once we came to Great Chu, you were to put away that uncouth, reckless manner you had in the northern frontier.”
“I brought you back to your homeland not so that you could eat, drink, and amuse yourself.” Rong Min’s expression darkened, her voice filled with exasperation at her daughter’s hopelessness. “The etiquette tutor will arrive tomorrow. You will correct your temperament properly. If you ruin my plans, I will not spare you.”
Jia’an instantly lifted her small face, panic and helplessness—rarely seen in her expression—spreading across it. “Mother, please do not abandon me! I know I was wrong. From now on, I will follow the rules. I absolutely will not cause you any more trouble!”
Rong Min looked down at her. “What did you call me?”
Jia’an trembled violently. Meeting the woman’s cold eyes, she stammered out two words. “M-Mother…”
Rong Min exhaled the foul breath of resentment lodged in her chest and said in a low voice, “You had better do as you say. Learn to be composed.”
“And all this over a lowly maid? Was she worth scheming against from the shadows?” Rong Min gave a cold snort before continuing blandly, “She saved your Imperial Uncle’s life. That debt of gratitude is right there before him, and he only values her because his emotions are still running high. Once some time has passed and his gratitude fades, would it not be as easy as crushing an ant for you to deal with her?”
“To survive in this world, you must learn to be patient.”
Rong Min closed her eyes, concealing the emotions beneath them. It was unclear whether she was speaking to Jia’an or to herself.
“Eighteen years… I have finally waited for the day I could return.”
As her words fell, Rong Min gripped the edge of the quilt tightly. Then she suddenly lowered her head and began to chuckle under her breath, as though she had gone mad.
Her stifled laughter echoed through the spacious room, especially chilling beneath the night sky.
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