NCCnovel Chapter 197 Inherently Good
Chapter 197 Inherently Good
A sense of patriotism and concern for the people?
To be honest, Princess Xihe has always been a girl who just wants to enjoy every day; she doesn't have any grand ambitions.
She's happy as long as she's well-fed and watered and can do what she wants.
After her elder brother, the Crown Prince, left, Princess Xihe hugged her knees and sobbed, "I'm not Ning'an, so she doesn't scheme so much. I'm just an ordinary person, why force me to do this kind of thing?"
The old women standing nearby felt sorry for her, but no one dared to advise Princess Xihe to go against the Emperor and Empress. "Actually, marrying into a royal family is quite good. At least you won't have to worry about food and drink. Besides, there are no officials around, so you don't have to worry about court affairs. You sacrificed yourself for the country, and the historians will have to write good things about you."
"Who cares? I'm not one of those men who value fame. They want to be remembered in history, but I have no such ambition. Granny, you're taking their side too. I'm not going to talk to you anymore." With that, Princess Xihe patted her skirt. She was going to find Ye Wanning, since Ye Wanning was her only good friend right now.
This time when she left the palace, she did not allow anyone to follow her. When the carriage arrived at the gate of the Xie residence, she told them to go back and went into the Xie residence by herself.
Before even entering the door, upon seeing Yunzhi, she burst into tears, "Where is your wife? Take me there quickly, I'm in so much pain."
When Yunzhi saw the princess like this, she thought something terrible had happened and hurriedly took her to see her mistress.
When Ye Wanning saw Princess Xihe come in crying, she knew it was about the marriage. "If Your Highness wants me to act as a go-between for you, I'm afraid I don't have the ability."
"I feel wronged that they didn't let me into the palace. I'm not like the others who would cause trouble for the family. Even Ning'an murdered her fiancé, but I'm just an honest person. Why am I the one chosen at a time like this?" Princess Xihe pulled Ye Wanning along. "I don't want to be a princess anymore. I'll live with you from now on, I don't want any title. My brother said it's dangerous outside, so I won't travel the world. I'll stay here with you. You'll take me in, right?"
Ye Wanning gave a wry smile, "It's possible, but how could the Empress and the others possibly not let you be a princess?"
“I’m not going back anyway. You didn’t see those two men. I’m not exaggerating. One of them is as fat as a pig, and the other isn’t even as tall as me when he jumps. Would you marry them?” Princess Xihe said, gesturing a few times.
Ye Wanning hadn't met the prospective husband Princess Xihe had mentioned, but since Princess Xihe wanted to stay at her place, she had no choice but to keep her there. Otherwise, if Princess Xihe got angry and ran off, causing trouble, the palace would hold her responsible, and she couldn't afford the consequences.
When Xie Bohuai returned, he saw Princess Xihe there and immediately frowned. Upon learning that Princess Xihe was going to sleep with Ye Wanning that night, he immediately said, "The Xie residence is too simple. Princess, you are of noble birth, it would be better if you returned to the palace. Her Majesty the Empress is only doing this for your own good. Please don't make things difficult for us by arguing with her."
"What's so difficult about it? I insisted on coming; it's not like you asked me to stay." Princess Xihe hugged Ye Wanning tightly, refusing to let go. "I'm already so pitiful; you wouldn't even let me have Wanning for a few days?"
Ye Wanning also wanted to appease Princess Xihe, so she suggested, "Why don't you sleep in the study tonight, and I'll stay with the princess for a few days?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Bohuai's face turned ashen. But before he could object, Ye Wanning had already instructed Yunzhi to tidy up his study.
Princess Xihe felt a little scared after seeing Xie Bohuai's humiliation, but she was still angry and didn't want to think about it too much.
Princess Xihe and Ye Wanning talked for a long time that night. Ye Wanning was also tired from these days and fell asleep quickly.
"Wanning?" Princess Xihe patted Ye Wanning, and seeing that Ye Wanning was asleep, she went to sleep herself.
The next day, when Xie Bohuai went to court, he found the Crown Prince with a displeased expression and asked him to take Princess Xihe back.
“She’s in a bad mood right now, let her calm down,” the Crown Prince said.
Xie Bohuai thought that wouldn't do. "The princess is of noble birth, and the news that the Empress and the Emperor arranged for her to find a husband has already spread. If people find out that she is dissatisfied, it will not be good for her reputation. The royal merchants who are arranging the marriage will only think that the princess looks down on their family. I advise the Crown Prince to let the princess make a decision as soon as possible. It's better to deal with it sooner rather than later."
He wouldn't have said these things to the Crown Prince if Princess Xihe hadn't taken his bed.
To the Crown Prince, Xie Bohuai's words sounded like a threat, and his brow twitched slightly. "You're right, then I'll go find her now."
Xie Bohuai was finally satisfied.
When the Crown Prince arrived at the Xie residence, Princess Xihe refused to see him. He said through the doorway, "You will come with me to a place. If you still don't marry after we get there, I will persuade Father to find another way."
"Really?" Princess Xihe pushed open the door.
"When have I ever lied to you?" The crown prince looked at his sister, somewhat annoyed. If he had a choice, he wouldn't force his sister to marry someone she didn't like.
The Crown Prince took Princess Xihe away, and Ye Wanning didn't know where they went. However, the next day, the Emperor issued an imperial decree to bestow a marriage upon Princess Xihe, ordering her to marry into the Lu family.
Upon hearing this news, Ye Wanning couldn't help but worry for Princess Xihe. When Xie Bohuai returned, she immediately asked what had happened, "Where did the Crown Prince take the princess yesterday?"
“We went to the refugee settlement outside the city. As the elder brother, the Crown Prince actually knows Princess Xihe best. He knows that Princess Xihe is somewhat willful, but kind at heart. Most of those refugees were displaced by the war and had no place to live, so they could only rest under trees. And this was only a small part of them, not to mention the actual situation in the area,” Xie Bohuai said.
Ye Wanning felt like she couldn't catch her breath. "So the princess agreed?"
"I don't know if she agreed on the spot or later. But don't worry, with Princess Xihe's temper, if she doesn't agree herself, neither the Empress nor the Emperor can do anything to her." Xie Bohuai didn't think the Lu family was bad. He had inquired about them, and at least the young man from the Lu family was of good character, much better than Princess Xihe's ex-husband, except that he was a little fat.
Ye Wanning wanted to sigh, but couldn't. After thinking about it, she realized that's just how people are; there are too many things they can't control.
Fortunately, she is doing well now, and her life is getting better day by day. She is content.
"There's another matter. His Majesty wanted to send Le'er to the palace as a companion to his studies, but I politely declined because Le'er was too young. However, judging from His Majesty's intentions, he will send Le'er to the palace no later than next year." Xie Bohuai said, narrowing his eyes.
To outsiders, Le Ge'er was not Xie Bohuai's biological son, but since Xie Bohuai and Ye Wanning had no other children, the Emperor had no choice but to let Le Ge'er enter the palace.
They felt that Xie Bohuai valued Ye Wanning and would likely extend that affection to her, which was better than letting Le Ge'er stay in the Xie family.