Chapter 6

Chapter 6

That day, Cui Tao felt a bit dazed.

A sour feeling also welled up in her heart.

So, she stood by the base of a wall and spoke to a dark shadow-

“I think the Grand Princess is different from the rumors.”

“Why must the talk of fate be forced upon a woman?”

“Clearly, they are the ones who want her dead, yet they dress it up in such righteous-sounding words…”

The shadow said coldly, “You’ve been deceived by her.”

Cui Tao frowned. “I haven’t.”

The shadow said, “Who told you a tyrant must look like a ferocious demon? She can be gentle and approachable too-so warm you feel like you’re standing in a spring breeze.”

Cui Tao: “…Do you have proof?”

“The Grand Princess has been unmatched in cunning since she was little. Who do you think you are, to pity her?”

Cui Tao lowered her head.

The shadow was furious at her for not living up to expectations.

“Just do your job properly. Don’t disappoint His Majesty.”

That night, Xie Canghuai worked up the courage to come see me again.

With an awkward, ingratiating smile, he said, “Wife…”

I said, “Call me Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess.”

Xie Canghuai’s face twisted at once. “Stop it!”

I looked at him and said nothing.

In the end, he could only give in. “Grand Princess.”

I nodded. “Say it on your knees.”

Xie Canghuai actually knelt. He even started massaging my feet, all smiles and flattery.

I was serious.

But in his eyes, this was just bedroom play between husband and wife.

Cui Tao: “…”

She looked uncomfortable.

But I didn’t let her leave, so the poor girl could only stay and keep watching this filthy spectacle.

I knew he’d come to talk about taking a concubine.

What I didn’t expect was that the next thing out of his mouth would be outrageous enough to stun even me.

He said, “Wife-I mean, Grand Princess-these past few years, you’ve suffered with me here in Sanyuan Yi…”

He said I had suffered, yet he immediately started complaining about himself.

How he had finally earned his jinshi degree, only to be sent out to some backwater border town to serve as a county magistrate.

Wasn’t it just because they were bullying him for coming from a poor family and having no connections?

And now his immediate superior’s adopted daughter from the Pingyuan Circuit Governor’s Office had taken a fancy to him-she was even willing to become his concubine.

Wasn’t this heaven handing him an opportunity?

“Wife, think about it. If I use this chance to climb higher, won’t you be able to live with more dignity too?”

Cui Tao stared at me in disbelief.

Me: “…”

Don’t look at me!

I didn’t know either!

I’d thought he was just as happy in Sanyuan Yi as I was.

When I finally came back to myself, I could only try to talk him down gently.

“Who told you that marrying the Governor’s Wife’s adopted daughter will get you promoted?”

The Governor’s Wife had hundreds of adopted daughters.

All of them were unfortunate orphans from the frontier.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be lining up to become his concubine.

Xie Canghuai bit his lip. “If we don’t try, how will we know?”

I frowned. “There’s no need to try. Husband, you don’t have the smooth talking and social finesse for it. Even if you try to cling to powerful people, you won’t even know how.”

Xie Canghuai: “…”

I continued, “And why do you always think you’re a genius being held back? In truth, you only placed in the third tier of the jinshi. Even among your cohort, you were lower-middle at best.”

Xie Canghuai’s face slowly flushed red.

I comforted him. “But your reputation as an official is excellent now, and Sanyuan is a key military position. Your prospects are boundless.”

I was busy from dawn to dusk, doing everything under his name.

Nowadays, who doesn’t praise Lord Xie as young and capable?

“As long as you keep your feet on the ground, your blessings are still ahead of you.”