Chapter 257 : You Rock, Highgod! 7 (1/2)
“…I know this is sudden, but…I can settle for…”
Snippets of conversation could be heard from somewhere up ahead. The servant leading the way slowed down, seeming unsure whether to continue onward or to stop.
In the palace, there were some things not meant for the ears of others.
Shi Sheng didn’t stop, so the servant could only forge onwards.
As they got closer, the voices became clearer.
“Your Highness, why must you be so fixated on me?”
“…We’ve known each other since childhood… Cang Lan-gege, I thought you understood me. But…you married An Yue Yao.” The sound of a woman’s soft sobs could be heard.
When two people’s red strings had been tied together, it was hard to resist falling for each other. Although Cang Lan fought it somewhat, he ultimately couldn’t win against the power of the red strings.
“Princess, don’t cry… I’ve let you down.”
“Cang Lan-gege, please marry me! I don’t care about my status! As long as you marry me, even as a concubine, I’m willing.”
Shi Sheng’s footsteps halted as she listened to the conversation. The servant who was acting as her guide was forced to stop alongside her, with no choice but to play deaf.
The person currently confessing to Cang Lan was the youngest princess of Chen, the Ninth Princess. Her ending was one of the more tragic ones too.
In the original script, Yue Yao plotted for Ninth Princess to get married off to Chuyang in order to keep her and Cang Lan apart.
When the war broke out, her life became a living nightmare.
Ninth Princess sobbed as she recounted the memories from their childhood before confessing to him emotionally. Cang Lan struggled for a while, but eventually still agreed.
Shi Sheng felt as if she’d entered the wrong story or something. ‘Why does it feel like it’s turning into a harem novel?’
“What are you guys doing?!” Yue Yao’s shout suddenly rang out. It was soon followed by the crisp sound of a slap and the Ninth Princess’ startled cry.
“An Yue Yao!” Cang Lan snapped. ‘She even dares to hit princesses now?!’
Yue Yao had come to her senses after slapping the Ninth Princess, but she hadn’t been able to control herself when she saw them hugging each other.
This matter was soon brought to the Chen Emperor’s attention.
If Qing Guan was the most beloved princess of Nanjin, then this Ninth Princess was the most beloved princess of Chen.
It was impossible for the Chen Emperor to desist in the matter when it was his daughter who’d been wronged. He immediately summoned all those involved to the throne room.
As an outsider, Shi Sheng naturally couldn’t go and watch the show.
But from what she heard, Yue Yao was given several strokes of the punishment rod. The Chen Emperor had also promised Ninth Princess to Cang Lan in marriage. Although he didn’t strip away An Yue Yao’s position of first wife, he made sure that Ninth Princess was of equal status.
The day Shi Sheng left Chang’An was the day of Ninth Princess’ marriage.
……
The fires of war soon broke out between the three kingdoms. Shi Sheng led troops into battle.
She met Cang Lan on the battlefield at one point, but she didn’t have time to exchange blows with him before he disappeared. She never saw him on the battlefield again.
She only found out once she’d led her troops into Chang’An that Cang Lan had died of the plague. He’d failed his tribulation.
Shi Sheng led the forces of Nanjin to conquer the world using a mere three years.
On the day that the Nanjin Emperor ascended the throne, an auspicious golden light descended upon his palace.
The next day, Princess Qing Guan passed, and her maidservant Bi Xi was buried with her.
The deepest impression that Princess Qing Guan had left in the hearts of many could be summed up with…
“Sharp-tongued.”
“Brash attitude.”
“Unbridled character.”
“Short-tempered.”
“Hard to get along with.”