Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Anping’s actions truly infuriated me.

That day, I returned to our mud burrow and huddled next to the hibernating Xiao Lan, venting my rage in a heated tirade.

“To think I, Little Frog, have been busy running back and forth, nearly freezing to death in the snow just to find her an opportunity, and she doesn’t even cherish it!

“She’s a princess for nothing; she doesn’t even have the courage of a toad! Why is she so afraid of that Old Loach? She’s not even as smart as the grain in the fields-at least the grain knows when to bend! How can a human not understand the concept of tactical retreat?

“A dignified princess, yet she lacks even a shred of boldness! Even I, a mere toad, know that if a great man cannot avoid death, he should at least die for a grand cause! As a princess, she was born a moon in the sky! If she must die, she should die with purpose! How can she settle for being rotting mud in a dark corner?”

In my fit of pique, I successfully woke Xiao Lan up.

After listening to my angry rant, Xiao Lan sighed. “Perhaps it isn’t just cowardice. Perhaps there is also a lack of will in her heart.”

“What lack of will? What doesn’t she want?”

“She doesn’t want to see King Liang. Think about it-Princess Anping has been imprisoned with the Deposed Queen since she was four years old. She watched her brother die of illness and her Imperial Consort Mother throw herself into a well. Having suddenly seen through her father’s ruthlessness and cruelty, how could she not be afraid?

“Worldly wealth and prominent royal power are nothing but a dream in the end. Perhaps she understood this truth long ago, accepted her fate, and simply has no desire to curry favor with her father.”

Clearly, Xiao Lan saw things with more depth than I did.

However, I still couldn’t agree with Anping’s so-called “lack of will.”

I said to Xiao Lan, “Only water naturally flows to the lowest point! She clearly has the chance to live a better life, yet she hides in a corner, willing to suffer. Isn’t that just being pathetic?

“To live is to resist! You must resist! Take us toads, for example-if we encounter a snake or a rat, are we just supposed to let them eat us? Even if we are destined to be eaten, we should fight to the bitter end! We have to let them know I’m not someone to be messed with. Even in death, one must have backbone!

“If it’s true for a toad, it should be true for a human! For the sake of dignity, we can lose, but we must never surrender!

“Anping’s behavior is just spineless! She’s already been completely forgotten by the world; who cares about what she wants or doesn’t want! If I were her, I would find a way to fight my way out! I’d seize every single opportunity! An inchworm bends its body not to suffocate in its hole, and dragons and snakes lie low for more than just self-preservation! As the saying goes, A toad may crouch in the stable, but its ambitions reach a thousand miles! Be humble when you must, but strike when the time is right…”

My impassioned speech that day successfully made Xiao Lan see me in a new light.

It said approvingly, “Little Frog, you are indeed more suited to be a princess than Anping is.”