Thanks to Yu Chi Cheng's protection, the gossips about me among the people of Beihan gradually died down. From then on, whenever Yu Chi Cheng had free time, he would drag me around the palace or take me out to play. It made Ao Qing so angry that she would throw tantrums and act coquettishly whenever she saw me.
Later, she found that the more she lost her temper with me, the colder Yu Chi Cheng became towards her. Finally, she decided to change her attitude towards me. Gradually, she even began to greet me with a smile and say all kinds of intimate words. It scared me so much that I would avoid her whenever I saw her.
Yu Chi Cheng was very puzzled by my attitude towards Ao Qing. He asked me, "How could a child who grew up in the harem be so scared of a woman?"
I didn't quite understand why a child who grew up in the harem must be fearless. So I said, "Because in Dayong, no one has ever treated me like this." In my eyes, the harem in Dayong was harmonious and safe. There was no need to worry about being schemed against. Although my mother had taught me that people's hearts were sinister, those words were just empty talk until I experienced them myself, weren't they?
Hearing this, Yu Chi Cheng sighed and said in a low voice, "Your mother has protected you too well. She has cleared away all the possibilities of your getting hurt. I don't know if it's good or not?"
"What do you mean?" I didn't understand the tone in his words, so I looked up at him. At that time, we were sitting on the roof of the Beihan Palace, under the vast sky, looking at the starry sky.
Hearing this, he didn't look at me either. He just looked into the far distance, letting the starlight fill his eyes. "An overly comfortable environment is not suitable for growth. Obviously, your mother doesn't want you to experience any big storms."
"Do you mean that if I hadn't accidentally run out this time, my future life would have been as calm as water in the Dayong Palace?" I asked him seriously.
But he withdrew his gaze and looked down at me. "Isn't it good to be so comfortable? Some people can't even achieve this in their whole lives."
Looking at him, I suddenly thought he was much more reliable than my elder brother. At least he could teach me some life lessons. So I said, "Okay. I'll continue to be comfortable in the palace. Outside the palace, I'll try my best not to be bullied."
Yu Chi Cheng smiled. "It's okay to keep a pure heart like this. Leave the rest to me."
"Don't." I refused firmly. What I was thinking in my mind was how to protect myself if I was framed again. What did my mother say before? Calm down. Yes, I must be calm! The one who loses their temper first loses!
The starlight that night was very gentle. There were no clouds blocking it. It had the same broad and clean sky as Beihan always had. I finally understood what Yu Chi Cheng meant when he said the sky in Beihan was different from that in Dayong that night in Dayong. I really didn't expect that one day I could see such a difference with my own eyes.
...
Following Yu Chi Cheng, the days passed very happily. My initial dislike for Beihan also disappeared.
But in the palace, there were always some people you couldn't avoid. That wasn't important. The important thing was, could they not pick the time when Yu Chi Cheng was not around?
Just now, when Yu Chi Cheng pretended to be mysterious and said he was going back to the palace to get something, I met Princess Ao Qing beside the water pavilion. When she saw me, her eyes lit up. She stopped the people behind her and walked towards me alone. I pretended not to see anything and continued to look at the scenery in the palace calmly.
Seeing that I ignored her, she still shamelessly walked around to my side and smiled falsely at me. "Tsk tsk, Princess Xi He. Long time no see. How have you been recently?"
I pulled a long face and said self - mockingly, "Aren't you afraid that I'll poison you and disfigure you when you get so close to me, Princess?"
Ao Qing smiled. "You don't have those poisons, but I do! Shouldn't the one who's afraid be you?"
"Oh, so it was a frame - up. But do those female archers know it was you?" I asked calmly.
"You don't need to worry about this." Ao Qing still maintained her hypocritical smile. This smile on her young face had a kind of special beauty, but I couldn't appreciate it.
She paused for a moment and then said, "But I didn't expect that you actually had the antidote for that kind of poison. I originally thought sacrificing a few people could kill you, but I didn't expect you were quite capable. But let me tell you, no matter how good Yu Chi Gege is to you, don't even think about marrying him. My father and the King have already made an agreement. Yu Chi Gege will definitely be my husband. If you really like him, it's okay for you to be his concubine."
Hearing this, I couldn't help laughing. So it was because of this reason that she targeted me so much. She didn't know that I never even thought about marrying Yu Chi Cheng.
"What are you laughing at? You, the fox spirit from Dayong. Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're a princess. Let me tell you, my father said that Dayong is so poor that it can't be compared with our Beihan at all. So the King's kindness to let you come here to play is a great favor to you!"
After hearing this, I found it even more laughable. I didn't know which country was bowing to be a vassal now, and yet she still dared to be so arrogant in front of me. So I wanted to deflate her arrogance. I pointed at her gorgeous clothes and said, "Do you think your clothes are very precious and beautiful? But if I tell you that in Dayong, all nobles above the fifth rank can wear them?"
Her face changed. I then showed her the jade bracelet on my hand. "How does this jade bracelet of the glass - like variety compare with the clumsy gold bracelet on your hand? Everyone knows that gold has a price but jade is priceless. You don't need me, the princess, to teach you about taste, do you?"
After saying that, I turned around. She was so angry that her face turned blue. She reached out to grab me. "What do you mean? Explain it clearly to me."
I swept her hand away and said disgustedly, "Have some self - restraint, okay? Didn't your mother teach you the etiquette that a princess should follow? No wonder Yu Chi Cheng doesn't take a fancy to you. You're just a venomous and stupid princess!"
"You!" After saying that, she grabbed me and slapped me. I was so angry that I slapped her back. She immediately grabbed my hair and fought with me. I was also not willing to give in. I stepped on her feet hard and pinched her neck. The servants in the distance saw us fighting and rushed over to help. But I pushed her to the railing outside the water pavilion and held her firmly. I said to everyone, "If any of you dare to come over, this is a matter between me and your princess!"
Everyone stopped. Ao Qing glanced at the back of me and laughed instead of getting angry. She tempted me, "If you have the guts, push me into the water."
I said, "Why should I push you into the water?"
But she laughed. "If you don't push me, I'll jump by myself!"
Before I could react, I was pushed away by her. Then I watched helplessly as she climbed over the railing. Realizing that she was very likely to frame me again, I immediately stepped forward to grab her. But it was too late when I grabbed her. Her whole body had already fallen towards the water. And because I grabbed her, I was dragged by the falling force and reluctantly fell into the water too.