Chapter 2 Yet another girl who wants to be Prince Jing's woman

Chapter 2 Yet another girl who wants to be Prince Jing's woman

Shen Nanzi flipped through the files, her expression growing increasingly grim with each page.

“Bitao, fourteen years old, comes from a brothel, is good at singing, and always accompanies Prince Jing when he appears. She first started working in the brothel in early winter last year.”

She chuckled and slammed the file in her hand to the ground, startling Bitao into shrinking back.

Lie Feng looked at her, his eyes filled with worry.

“He picked you last year, tell me! How many times did you accompany him?” Shen Nanzi asked the question that she cared about most and that made her most embarrassed.

I clearly don't want to know, but I can't help but ask for clarification!

It was as if that already wounded heart had been stabbed again.

She was clearly on the verge of tears, yet she was so fierce she looked like she could devour someone.

Bitao only learned today that the handsome and wealthy guest who loved to drink by the window was actually the renowned Prince Jing.

His queen was so beautiful, as if she were a celestial being descended to earth.

It was as if even glancing at someone as insignificant as her would be a desecration.

In her eyes, the former courtesan was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, but this woman's beauty was sharp and fierce, like a peerless peony stained with blood.

More dazzling and stunning than the courtesan of yesteryear.

...It's like a vengeful Yama, the King of Hell, who takes lives.

However… that person is Prince Jing, Prince Jing! He is someone that lowly people like them wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

The women in the building all say that Prince Jing adores her, and the way he looks at her is unique.

Even the madam treated her with great courtesy, often offering advice, fearing that she might neglect him.

With his extraordinary and unconventional appearance, just sitting there, her heart would race. How could she possibly be indifferent to him!

She was willing to serve him for life, as long as he was willing.

Forever and ever...

Bitao glanced around at the soft, thick blankets, and even kneeling on them, she didn't feel any pain in her knees.

The room was filled with a pleasant fragrance and felt warm and cozy, like springtime.

The princess's water-red embroidered boots, with the pearl at the top like a cold light, pierced straight into the most hidden corner of her heart.

That breathtakingly beautiful face flashed through my mind; even death, even if there was only a sliver of hope...

The trembling girl's eyes blazed with intense light, like an ant hiding in the darkness seeing the sun.

“Your Highness, this lowly servant has served Prince Jing countless times, and he has always treated me with special regard. Please let me stay; I do not wish to remain in this brothel to sing.”

"This lowly servant will serve you wholeheartedly, and in the next life I will be willing to be your ox or horse to repay your kindness."

"Please let this lowly servant stay in the Prince's mansion, even if it's just to be a bed warmer. I beg you."

Shen Nanzi listened quietly, then a captivating smile appeared on her beautiful face as she carefully examined Bitao.

He was truly unattractive, skinny, and practically skinny.

Xie Yan's tastes are truly unique, constantly changing and never set in stone.

But I developed feelings I shouldn't have had, wanting to be her sister!

"Haha!" She tilted her head back and sneered, then her laughter faded, her brows furrowed with frost, a chilling aura emanating from her, and her delicate shoulders trembled.

"Serving Xie Yan? You wish! Didn't you even bother to find out what kind of person I am?"

Bitao was stunned. She seemed to have heard rumors about the Princess Consort of Jing from the guests' casual conversation.

Her face immediately turned pale. She was jealous, insane, and the only one by Prince Jing's side.

All the young maids in the mansion were sold off, leaving only old women and male servants; even the kittens could not be female.

Previously, all the women around Prince Jing disappeared, and it was rumored that they were secretly executed by Princess Jing.

Bitao's body began to tremble again, and she retreated using both her hands and feet, trying to escape.

However, a sheathed black sword vibrated beside him, emitting a series of buzzing sounds.

Her eyes were filled with fear, almost forgetting that there was a cold-faced swordsman standing behind her like a guardian deity.

"Your Highness, please forgive this lowly servant. This lowly servant does not wish to die."

Shen Nanzi gave a forced smile, resting her arm on the armrest, her snow-white fingers stroking her chin. "Tell me, what does Prince Jing like most about you?"

Bitao's voice was filled with fear, "Sing a song."

"Sing?" Shen Nanzi's red lips curved slightly, revealing a charming yet unconscious smile. "That's your mouth, then. Sing for me."

Bitao was unaware of the princess's intentions, but in order to save her life, she still sang her best little tune in a trembling voice.

"I lean against the railing, laughing, my fingertips stained with shimmering light. I long for the day I will return. Snow brings the fragrance of plum blossoms. Another season has passed, and my longing for you breaks my heart."

Her voice was melodious and ethereal, and the lyrics of the song fully expressed the pain of longing.

It's annoying to hear.

"Alright! Stop!"

Shen Nanzi laughed wildly, yet it sent chills down one's spine.

"Today, I, the imperial concubine, will fulfill your wish."

Bitao was overjoyed. It was because she sang the song well that she won the favor of the princess and was willing to keep her by Prince Jing's side to serve him.

"Liefeng, take her to another courtyard, find her a marriage partner, and get her married."

"Yes, Miss." Lie Feng accepted the order.

Bitao's body went limp, and she couldn't even stand up. She tried to beg for mercy, but Liefeng stuffed her mouth shut and carried her out the door.

Shen Nanzi, however, was like a withered peony, waiting for the person who would never return in that song.

The aunt entered the room carrying a tray with a bowl of chicken soup on it. She looked at her with concern and said, "Your Highness, please have some!"

"I'm going to take a nap." She got up and walked listlessly into the inner room, completely lacking her previous arrogance.

Her great-aunt watched her lonely figure and sighed, "She's slept all day; how can she not eat or drink?"

Shen Nanzi lay fully clothed on the bed, watching the tassels on the edge of the curtains sway gently.

When he was young, his father favored his concubines and neglected his wife.

He allowed his concubine to bully his mother, taking advantage of her lack of family support and young children, and he unconditionally protected his concubine.

This caused the mother to become depressed and die in her sickbed.

She and her brother witnessed everything and vowed to seek justice for their mother.

However, before they could take action themselves, their father suddenly died, and the family power fell into the hands of their elder brother.

Knowing how she had treated the wife and her two children, the concubine tried to abscond with the money, but was stopped by the concubine and her brother.

The aunt committed suicide in front of her mother's grave, her great revenge fulfilled, and the brother and sister embraced and wept bitterly.

When he was fourteen, his older brother began to make a name for himself in officialdom and was invited to attend a ceremony.

She sat at the innermost female guest seat, next to a male guest, with a tall hedge separating them.

She could hear the laughter coming from the men's room next door; they were clearly a group of dashing young men in fine clothes.

After discussing ideals and ambitions, the conversation drifted off to the girl he liked after the drinks were finished.

She heard a pleasant-sounding young voice say, "One person is enough for a lifetime."

What followed were all the sour remarks of a young man, such as how useless he was, that he was a prince after all, one girl was not enough, and that he should taste all the beauties in the world to live up to his youth, and so on.

Shen Nanzi never heard the boy speak again, but learned from the other boys that the boy who said he would only be with one person in his life was the Third Prince.

Although she had never met him, she remembered him deeply in her heart.

She harbored an unattainable wish: if a woman's life was destined to end in marriage.

Regardless of whether the person is beautiful or ugly, fat or thin, she is willing to spend her life with them.

However, she knew that this was just a distant fantasy; her brother was only a minor official of the fourth rank, while the other was a prince.

No matter how beautiful she is, she can never compare to the bright moon in the sky.

Perhaps it was her mother's spirit in heaven, because two years later, her brother brought back a message that made her harbor delusions.

The emperor wants to marry him to a girl who has secretly conceived a child with another man. How can such a good person be matched with such a girl?

Knowing this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she confided her thoughts to her brother.

Her brother happened to perform a great service and secured a marriage decree from the emperor for her.

The moment the veil was lifted, his incomparably handsome face and noble aura were revealed, like a peony hidden indoors finally seeing the bright moon in the sky.

Her original intention regarding this marriage was to remain platonic, avoid romantic feelings, and simply treat him with respect and courtesy.

However, this one glance was so stunning that it instantly shattered her initial expectations.

From then on, she was captivated by his beauty and the dream of his promise from many years ago: "I will only have one person in my life."

She secretly vowed to love him well for the rest of her life and to be a good wife and a good princess.

However, this dream shattered after only half a day.

*

"Shen Nanzi," Xie Yan's voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of a door being kicked open, as if accompanied by a sudden downpour, "Come out here!"