Chapter 188
Chapter 188
Though it had only been a minor scuffle, Weiqing Song did not go easy on them.
For all his reputation as a man of polished warmth and brilliance, he had always acted decisively. The ministers who constantly seized on every perceived weakness to accuse him of being mild and lacking a sovereign’s authority absolutely despised that contrast.
Because it was the Eighth Prince’s birthday, Weiqing did not punish them severely. The Second Princess was furious, but she did not dare claim that some demon had incited them.
The imperial family was deeply wary of talk concerning ghosts and gods. The Second Princess did not have the courage.
The Fifth Princess, on the other hand, was confined to her palace and seemed positively delighted about it.
*Ding. The Broadcast of a Sincere Heart has ended. May it help you see the people around you clearly, so that you remain gloriously single until death year after year. We wish you a pleasant life. Goodbye.*
A-Pang, regaining control of himself, stared at Shengsheng Zhou in bafflement.
Shengsheng stared back in equal bafflement.
*I’m putting this damned skill in solitary confinement!!* A-Pang roared.
Still shaken, Shengsheng nodded. The implications were horrifying. Thank goodness it had not been her.
*How is that any different from having people hear your thoughts? The humiliation! You nearly scared this baby to death.*
Weiqing glanced at her, thinking, *People have been hearing your thoughts for more than a day or two.*
The crowd parted like the Red Sea to let Zhiyu Jiang reach Shengsheng. The little parrot on her shoulder stared fixedly at Shengsheng.
*Senior, what just happened?*
*Nothing. A-Pang had a seizure,* Shengsheng replied.
The little parrot nodded and said no more.
After Weiqing all but drove them back to their respective palaces, Shengsheng borrowed Xiaosui from Zhiyu along the way.
A-Pang had been listless lately, and that last incident had left him barely able to move. She needed to find a way to get Xiaosui working on the Plot Points as soon as possible.
Noticing how often Weihe Song glanced at the parrot on her shoulder, Shengsheng asked, “Do you like it?”
The Ninth Prince shook his head. “No.” It belonged to someone else. He was not allowed to like it.
As though seeing through his thoughts, Shengsheng tapped his forehead. “Do you remember what I taught you?”
The Ninth Prince lifted his head and recited with dramatic cadence, “Ask anyone up and down the palace who’s boss around here.”
Shengsheng: “…Not that line.”
The Ninth Prince thought for a moment. “I am a prince. I am the son of the supreme ruler of the realm.”
Shengsheng nodded in satisfaction and asked gently, “Then Imperial Sister will ask you again. Do you like it?”
The Ninth Prince looked at the face before him, one his limited vocabulary could not begin to describe. His gaze steadied. “I like it.”
Many years later, on an evening when the Ninth Prince had established a family and career of his own, he would become slightly drunk and recall his youth. Taking up a brush, he would write the eight-character verse, *Radiant as blossoms, gentle as jade*, making up for his childhood inability to describe her.
Of course, the story would never reach that point, so let us focus on the present.
“Exactly. If you like something, say so. If you dislike something, refuse it. Understand?” Shengsheng smiled and stroked his head.
The Ninth Prince nuzzled into her palm. “Mm. I like Imperial Sister.”
“Imperial Sister likes you too. So tell me, did the Eighth Prince bully you?”
The Ninth Prince paused, glanced at Shengsheng, and whispered, “He didn’t bully me. He just won’t let anyone else speak to me.”
Consort Jing had the Empress behind her, and aside from the Ninth Prince, the Eighth Prince was the youngest. It was easy to imagine his position as the little tyrant of the Imperial Academy.
But emotional abuse was abuse too. Over time, it would inevitably harm a child’s mind.
She could only rely on Imperial Brother to handle Consort Rong. But Weiqing was not the only person Shengsheng could rely on. She also had the Empress.
The Ninth Prince looked up at Shengsheng’s thoughtful face and secretly tightened his grip on her sleeve.
The truth was, he was fine. At first, he had felt a little disappointed, but compared with beatings, scolding, and humiliation, being ignored and excluded was nothing at all.
He did not want to trouble Imperial Sister over such a small matter.
…
*You can’t contact them??* Xiaosui flapped his wings, eyes round with shock.
Shengsheng Zhou nodded. Xiaosui showed nothing unusual and looked dim-witted throughout the entire conversation, making Shengsheng wonder again whether she had been overthinking things before.
*You can’t stay like this forever. You should return to human form and remain beside Zhiyu Jiang. I’ll arrange an identity for you.*
Xiaosui nodded obediently. *But the female lead is used to seeing me like this. If I suddenly disappear, will she be sad?*
Shengsheng shook her head. *Don’t worry. I’ll tell her you merely died and will remain by her side in another form.*
Xiaosui: *…* Was that truly how one comforted a person?
*You can’t use Jierge’s appearance. I still have some kind of miraculous human potion. I’ll give you a new face and put you beside her as a young servant or something.*
The little parrot nodded readily.
Gently smoothing the Ninth Prince’s brow, which had furrowed over some unknown dream, Shengsheng continued, *According to the original timeline, the female lead has just been handed over from the Zhu Kingdom to Weiqing Song. She is deeply disappointed that the villain gave her away so casually. While she is disheartened and lonely, Weiqing’s gentle pursuit slowly leads her to open her heart…*
Shengsheng stared wide-eyed and recited the plot with the solemn precision of a student repeating a memorized text.
Xiaosui grew dizzy listening to her.
*Then… the female lead enjoys a peaceful stretch of time in the Zhen Kingdom. The main Plot Points are: helping a timid girl with communication difficulties become cheerful and outgoing, then finding a good husband for another girl who has never been able to marry. She wins the affection of both women and earns even greater favor from the Crown Prince.*
Xiaosui quietly watched Shengsheng’s grin widen with every word.
At last, she could no longer contain herself. She sprang to her feet. *Hahahaha! Heaven itself is helping me!*
*A girl with communication difficulties and another who can’t marry? Don’t we have two ready-made candidates?!*
The happily confined Fifth Princess and the Second Princess, who was miserably copying Buddhist scriptures, shuddered at the same time.
Who was plotting against this princess?
The following morning, Princess Nanmo entered the State Preceptor’s Residence with a young servant.
“Oh, my precious darling.”
Shengsheng and Zhiyu threw their arms around each other and bounced in a circle.
“Shengsheng, what brings you here?” Zhiyu smiled so broadly that her eyes nearly disappeared.
Remembering her business, Shengsheng pointed to the tall, long-legged, handsome youth behind her. “I brought you a young servant to handle your daily needs.”
She would explain the parrot in a few days. She could hardly tell Zhiyu the instant the bird vanished that her parrot had become a spirit and cultivated a human form.
Zhiyu needed time to adjust. At least a few days.
One day later, Zhiyu looked at the young man bowing his head in apology after breaking the third vase in her room and wept bitter tears of heartache.
Shengsheng, he isn’t taking care of me. He’s trying to kill me…
At the same time, the Fifth Princess heard movement in her courtyard. Trembling behind her palace maid, she raised a broom, pointed at the person halfway over the roof, and poked her maid.
The maid looked back, read the shape of her lips, then called upward, “Who goes there? I’ll summon the guards!”
Shengsheng hauled her trailing leg over the wall. Dressed in dashing fitted clothes, she leaped down with the wind at her back, landed in a wide stance with one hand braced against the ground, and raised her eyes. “A pleasure to meet you. My name is Lei Feng Dumbledore. I have come to help you.”
The Fifth Princess poked her palace maid again.
The maid shouted, “We don’t need help! Leave!”
The corner of Shengsheng’s mouth twitched beneath her veil. “Well… before I do, could I borrow some clothes?”
The Fifth Princess: ???
Shengsheng closed her eyes, then forced out the humiliating admission. “I may have… split my pants at the crotch.”