Chapter 381: Begging The Empress To Grant My Wish
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Ever since the Nan State’s warriors had been ruthlessly beaten up by Su Ying at the banquet, this group of people seemed to have died in the palace. There hadn’t been any movement from them at all.
If it wasn’t for Princess Pingling’s sudden request for an audience today, Su Ying really wouldn’t have remembered this group of people.
Su Ying wasn’t in a hurry to see her, and only after breakfast did she let a palace maid lead Princess Pingling in.
Princess Pingling looked very elegant in her attire. She only wore a lotus pendant on her head. Paired with the jade hibiscus petals on her ears, it made her plump and fair face look as saintly and beautiful as a lotus.
Princess Pingling walked into the main hall and knelt down gently like a flower to give Su Ying a deep bow. Even the neat and tidy hairdo on her head was exuding reverence.
“Greetings, Your Imperial Highness.”
Su Ying’s gaze fell on her. “Princess, there’s no need for formalities. Please rise.”
“Thank you, Your Imperial Highness.” Princess Pingling didn’t get up. Instead, she straightened her back and gave Su Ying a pleading look.
“Today, 1 came over because I have a request which I hope Your Imperial Highness will grant.”
Su Ying rested her chin on her hand and lowered her almond-shaped eyes slightly. Her entire body exuded a languid air, and her eyebrows did not even twitch when she heard Princess Pingling’s words. “Oh? Tell me what it is.”
Princess Pingling looked at the palace maids serving her and said, “I implore Your Imperial Highness to dismiss the attendants.”
Su Ying raised her finger slightly to signal to the people in the inner hall to excuse themselves.
Soon, only Su Ying and Princess Pingling were left in the hall.
Princess Pingling kowtowed to Su Ying, her eyes red-rimmed as she said while sobbing, “I beg Your Imperial Highness to help me. My Big Brother and Emperor Father want me to marry the Emperor in a marriage alliance with the Chu State. But I can see that Your Imperial Highness and the Emperor have a very good relationship. 1 don’t want to be someone who destroys the relationship between Your Imperial Highness and the Emperor. I beg Your Imperial Highness to send me out of the city.”
Su Ying raised her eyes. “You want to leave the capital city? And after that? You’re not familiar with this place. Where can you go?”
Princess Pingling lowered her eyes and revealed a bashful expression, “There… there are people… there are people waiting for me outside the city. We… we will leave the Chu State and will definitely not cause any trouble for Your Imperial Highness.”
Su Ying slowly sat up straight. “You mean to say that you want me to help you escape out of the Chu State?”
Princess Pingling nodded. “Yes. Please grant my wish, Your Imperial Highness.” “Why should I help you?”
Princess Pingling said, “I have the map of the troops formation at the border of the Nan State. If Your Imperial Highness is willing to help me, 1 will offer you the map with both hands.”
Upon hearing this, Su Ying slowly sat up straight, her eyes blazing. “Do you know what you’re saying?”
Princess Pingling pursed her lips. “They don’t care about my life or death, so why should I care about them? As long as Your Imperial Highness is willing to help me, I will definitely not disappoint you!”
“I don’t need the map.”
Princess Pingling was stunned. “What did Your Imperial Highness say?”
“Didn’t your Nan State lose?”
Princess Pingling choked. “This… this may… may be useful in the future…”
“Enough. Leave now. 1 will pretend I don’t know anything about today’s matter.”
Princess Pingling wanted to say something more, but Su Ying’s icy gaze stopped her.
Princess Pingling could only leave reluctantly.
After coming to the hall, Aunt Zhao asked about Princess Pingling’s motive for this visit. When Aunt Zhao learned that she wanted Su Ying to send her out of the city, Aunt Zhao was very shocked.
“Is she going to elope with someone? Your Imperial Highness, you must not do this.” Regardless of whether this matter succeeded or failed, it wouldn’t bring Su Ying any benefits. There was no need for her to get involved.
Su Ying tapped her fingertips on the coffee table. “Mm-hmm.”
Previously, when Xiao Jue tried to force the Emperor to abdicate, the capital was so chaotic that no one cared about the situation in the palace for temporary stays. That Prince Yu would definitely be paying attention to the happenings in the Imperial Palace at all times. If Princess Pingling really wanted to flee, she could easily do it in a matter of minutes. However, she did not flee but came here at this point to ask Su Ying to grant her wish.
Those people really thought Su Ying was a fool.
“Then Your Imperial Highness wants to…”
“Let’s wait and see. If they really want to do something and have some scheming plan, they won’t give up after failing once. Let’s wait a while more.”
“Your Imperial Highness is right.”
At night, after Xiao Jin arrived at Conjugal Phoenix Palace, Su Ying told him about Princess Pingling’s visit during the day.
After listening, Xiao Jin frowned and said, “I won’t let her marry into the Imperial harem.”
Su Ying shot Xiao Jin a glance. She felt that there was something wrong with his focus. “Shouldn’t you be curious about why she did that? Why did she choose me, of all people?”
Xiao Jin pondered deeply for a moment before replying solemnly, “Maybe she thinks you’re kinder?”
Su Ying gave a fake smile. “Xiao Jin, this joke is so bad it gives me shivers.”
“You are feeling cold? I’ll warm you up.”
Su Ying slapped his outstretched hand away. She didn’t understand why his eyes looked like a wolf that had just seen meat every time he looked at her.
Xiao Jin grabbed her hand, put it near his nose, and sniffed it. “Did you eat dried beef tonight?”
“Yes.”
“I’m hungry. Let me have a taste too.” Xiao Jin withdrew his arms and concurrently pulled Su Ying into his embrace, capturing the mouth that had eaten the dried beef with precision.
Just as the two of them were about to go into a deeper state of exchange, a series of hurried footsteps were heard outside the door.
“Your Majesty, something happened at the palace for temporary stays.”
In the inner hall, the two people who were gradually getting into the mood had no intention of stopping.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”
Bang!
The door of the inner hall was suddenly flung open. The eunuch raised his head and saw Xiao Jin’s face which was as black as the bottom of a pot. He was so frightened that he wished he could die on the spot!
“What is it?”
“Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards guarding the palace for temporary stays just reported that Princess Pingling of the Nan State has disappeared and is suspected to have been kidnapped. The Imperial Guards have already sent more people to search for her.”
Xiao Jin’s expression became increasingly ominous. “Then continue searching. Search the palace for temporary stays thoroughly, inside and outside.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Xiao Jin turned around and returned to the inner hall. Before he could return to the bed, footsteps were heard outside the door again.
“Your Majesty, Prince Yu of the Nan State requests an audience.”
The veins on Xiao Jin’s forehead bulged violently. “He’d better have something very important to tell me!”
Xiao Jin looked in the direction of the bed and said, “Wait for me to come back.”
After saying that, he turned around and left reluctantly.
On the bed, Su Ying rubbed the spot between her eyebrows in annoyance. After all this turmoil, she didn’t feel sleepy anymore, so she simply got up to eat supper.
Bai Shuang hurriedly went to the Imperial kitchen to get Hea Shouyi to prepare some food for Su Ying.
Xiao Jin still had not returned after she had eaten and drank her fill. She didn’t know what Prince Yu was talking about for so long. Su Ying yawned and simply lay down on the bed.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky outside was already bright. There were signs of someone sleeping on the bed next to her. She remembered that Xiao Jin had returned last night.
Su Ying had the habit of practicing martial arts in the morning. The first thing she did after waking up was to go out for her morning practice.
Su Ying left Conjugal Phoenix Palace, planning to use her morning practice session to thoroughly understand every nook and cranny of the Imperial Palace.
She jogged slowly along the bluestone paths. The eunuchs and palace maids along the paths only felt a person running past them, but before they could see clearly, the figure disappeared again.
Su Ying ran to the rockery area in the back garden and did some simple stretching exercises. There was an artificial lake in front of her, but because there were very few people in the Imperial harem’s quarters now, usually no one would come here early in the morning.
Just as Su Ying was about to leave, she heard a slight movement coming from the man-made rockery behind her..