spoiled brat

Chapter 104 103. It’s hard to calm down (3)
"I have seen many poor people, beggars and people of low social status since I was a child."

Zhao Zhao lowered her head, refusing to look at the two noblemen before her.

"Most of them are not bad. They are meticulous but hardworking. They may flatter the powerful and bully the weak, but they will also stand up for justice. As long as they can survive and have food to eat, they will not do bad things."

She stared at her hands, her voice growing softer and softer: "Many people are just one step away from being kind, like when the princess saved me... If the royal palace could give them a place to stand, they would be eternally grateful."

After saying this, Zhao Zhao's ears burned bright red, and she couldn't understand why she was so shy in front of Xiu Ning. When she looked up, she met Xiu Ning's gentle eyes, which were full of admiration. Zhao Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and she was glad that she didn't have a puppy tail, otherwise she would have been so happy that she would have been spinning around in circles.

Their intentions were compassionate, but Xiu Yi's thoughts were different: recruiting some poor beggars in their prime to the manor would be beneficial. Firstly, it would help cultivate wasteland; secondly, it would help keep the old retainers in each manor in check; and thirdly, as Zhao Zhao said, it's always good to show kindness to the people, gaining a reputation and winning popular support, which would help stabilize the rear. And if there were any changes in the capital in the future, these poor beggars might even join the army.

The night air was chilly, and Xiu Ning coughed softly. A maidservant brought in a tray and said, "Princess, it's time to take your medicine."

The medicine smelled bitter. Zhao Zhao watched Xiu Ning drink it down in one gulp, feeling depressed. She raised her hand and tightly closed the window.

The three discussed Zhao Zhao's words and found that measuring and dividing the land were major projects that would take up a lot of time, require hands-on work, and also need troops to keep order and prevent any unrest.

Xiu Ning was ill and confined to his residence, unable to go out. He entrusted the matter to Zhao Zhao and Yuan Zhen, asking them to write letters to report it frequently.

Zhao Zhao blushed and said, "Princess, I don't know many characters."

Xiu Ning flipped her fingers lightly, but Xiu Yi didn't translate the sentence. He said calmly, "It's easy. I'll teach you on the way. Become my apprentice."

Zhao Zhao was speechless: "I..."

"No?"

Zhao Zhao thought to herself, this person already suspected her, and if they were often together in the future, her secret investigations into her enemies would inevitably be exposed.

Just as he was about to decline, Xiu Yi raised an eyebrow slightly: "You are the smartest person in the world, you can learn anything and dare to do anything—it's just learning to write with me, what are you afraid of?"

His words were meaningful. Zhao Zhao was afraid that he would reveal his murder in the forest, so she reluctantly accepted tea instead of wine and performed the apprenticeship ceremony.

Having said all they needed to say, Xiuyi and Zhaozhao took their leave. The moon was high in the sky, the courtyard empty, and two peacocks slept side by side, looking rather pitiful.

Zhao Zhao couldn't help but glance at him a few more times, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips. Xiu Yi turned to look at her: "What are you laughing at?"

"Having the young master as your teacher, isn't that something to be happy about?" Zhao Zhao casually replied, but what she really meant for that arrogant girl was: What good are all those priceless treasures you give her? Xiu Ning doesn't care at all. I can help her with real, tangible things, can you?

Just as she was feeling smug, her waist suddenly tightened, and before Zhao Zhao could cry out, her wrist was grabbed. She thought to herself, "Oh no!" Sure enough, the next moment, the dagger she always carried appeared in Xiu Yi's hand.

He didn't let go of Zhaozhao, his cold gaze sweeping over her: "So clean and efficient, how many times has this been?"

"The first time!" Zhao Zhao couldn't break free from him and stubbornly denied it: "I was forced into it!"

A sarcastic voice rang in my ears: "You're lying to me again."

Xiu Yi casually tossed the dagger into the pool, and Zhao Zhao's heart suddenly turned cold. Where in the world could she find another knife that would accompany her through life and death?

"Hypocritical and dangerous, how could I dare leave you with me and Xiu Ning?" He spoke casually, as if trimming a cat's nails: "From now on, you don't need to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Zhao jumped into the pool with a splash and disappeared instantly.

Xiu Yi watched as the ripples subsided, but Zhao Zhao didn't resurface for a long time. The pool was deep and cold; had she really died like this? Just as he was about to call for his maids or attendants to rescue her, Zhao Zhao suddenly surfaced, thrashing about as if she were about to sink: "Save me... Your Highness, save me..."

Xiu Yi stood with his arms crossed, watching Zhao Zhao leisurely for a while. Seeing that she was coughing badly, he bent down to try to pull her ashore.

But as soon as he reached out, Zhao Zhao wrapped herself around him and slid up to him. Caught off guard, Xiu Yi was pulled into the pool, and Zhao Zhao dragged him down.

The pool was icy cold, and the water murmured softly. Xiu Yi heard a soft laugh in his ear, tinged with smugness, before an even colder object was shoved into his hand—the dagger.

After the two of them climbed ashore, soaking wet, he pointed a dagger at Zhao Zhao, his eyes filled with anger at being offended.

Zhao Zhao wasn't afraid. With her chin pressed against the tip of the knife, any further and she would be slit in the throat. She smiled at him and said, "Knowing I'm no good, why are you still so careless?"

He was caught off guard, and Zhao Zhao could have killed him.

"Although I don't know what has happened to you recently, or what your purpose was in entering the Prince's residence, if you had been swift and decisive with your strike just now—with that merit, you could ask the Emperor for anything, and he would grant it." Xiu Yi sneered, "Should I thank you for showing mercy?"

“But I won’t do that. You are Xiu Ning’s brother, and I will never let her be sad.” Zhao Zhao ran her finger along the blade, her fingertip cutting slightly, feeling a slight pain. “I just want to prove that I have no ill intentions towards you. You don’t like me carrying a dagger, so I won’t, not because I’m afraid of your power…” She smiled, revealing two small tiger teeth, and said childishly, “but because I want to be closer to the princess. Everyone in this world who was kind to me is gone now, and the only one I can keep is her, and only she is left.”

The night breeze, carrying moisture, blew in. The two were on the verge of exchanging blows, yet they were so close that Zhao Zhao could see the shadow cast by his eyelashes. Although he had an eccentric personality, his face was undeniably handsome…

As she was pondering, Xiu Yi sheathed his dagger and tossed it back into Zhao Zhao's arms: "Haven't I ever been good to you?" The words were spoken lightly, yet came too suddenly, leaving Zhao Zhao stunned: "Huh?"

"When we first met, you startled the emperor. The head guard wanted to take you to jail, but Xiu Ning went to help you up. It was I who stopped him."

"..."

"Later, you were being chased by thugs and were running through the streets in the middle of the night when you bumped into me. Although it was unintentional, I still managed to save you."

"..."

“You went to You Ming’s side and leaked information to me. After the plot failed, do you think You Ming didn’t suspect you? I did it with some effort, making him think it was one of his subordinates who leaked the information.”

"..."

“That night in the alley was nothing. Since you’re thinking of ending it all, I have no reason to stop you.”

"..."

"Also, next time, don't use beggars to deliver messages. The message you asked them to deliver was 'There's trouble in Fanjiazhuang, come quickly,' but they've been spreading all sorts of nonsense, saying things like 'There's trouble in Zhangjiazhuang, Lijiazhuang,' or 'There's trouble in Fanjiazhuang, don't come under any circumstances.'"

"..."

Xiu Yi raised an eyebrow slightly: "You think about repaying Xiu Ning, but you don't remember my kindness?"

“…That’s different.” Zhao Zhao felt a little flustered for some reason.

"What's the difference?"

Zhao Zhao thought to herself, "It's just different, it's different in every way."

She picked up the dagger and tucked it into her sleeve. Her hair and clothes were still wet, and her face was disheveled yet childlike. "Why are you arguing with your own sister? I'm just a nobody, I can't worship two Buddhas at the same time. I'll return it to her first, then to you. Just wait patiently!"

Knowing she was being unreasonable, she left after saying those words. The night was dark, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the pale moonlight illuminated her retreating figure, making her look like a cunning and nimble cat.

In the following days, Xiu Ning and Yuan Zhen discussed the regulations for allocating and distributing land. Zhao Zhao listened attentively but couldn't get a word in edgewise. She felt deeply that she had spent the past ten years or so in petty scheming and had a head full of imaginative ideas, but none of them were of any practical use.

Yuan Zhen noticed Zhao Zhao's sadness and privately comforted her, "The princess asked you to come out of the manor with me to cook, which clearly shows her intention to mentor you. Learn from her, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to improve your skills in the future."

Zhao Zhao understood Xiu Ning's good intentions and was grateful, but a few concerns arose in her heart. The night she entered the manor, she and Xiu Yi had a little commotion by the pond. Although it wasn't a big deal, it was still seen by the sharp-eyed maids. Under the moon, in the woods, the two of them, wet and close together, were enough to make up a dozen plays. The servants had already spread the word and were looking at her strangely. Although she wasn't afraid of gossip, what would Xiu Ning think?

Because of this concern, Zhao Zhao avoided Xiu Yi whenever possible, and he was not attentive to her, even colder than Zhao Zhao.

Xiu Ning asked about this matter several times, but Zhao Zhao always brushed it off with a few words.

Yuan Zhen, unaware of the full picture, laughed and said, "Why are you avoiding him like a plague? What's there to be afraid of what others say about you? Putting aside your status, just look at his appearance. If people say you two are having an affair, how are you at a disadvantage? If you could get your hands on such a handsome, good-looking, and high-status man, you should be strutting around like a headless chicken!"

Zhao Zhao thought to herself that she was wronged. It was true that she liked men, and he was indeed good-looking, but her future was more important. How could she let lust cloud her judgment?
Yuan Zhen sighed again, "It's a blessing from your ancestors that he's willing to teach you to write, but you refuse this good fortune..."

Zhao Zhao smiled bitterly. That person was aloof and didn't genuinely want to teach her. What was the point of sticking close to him?
Fortunately, the stalemate didn't last long. A few days later, at dawn, the autumn wind was bleak, and a large group of people left the city.

Leading the way were two hundred light cavalry, responsible for maintaining order and recruiting refugees; followed by a dozen or so carriages, all of which were various groups brought from the prefecture, skilled in surveying, mathematics, agriculture, and so on; at the very end were a dozen or so boxes of fish-scale registers transferred from the prefectural government, recording land and taxes. Yuan Zhen disliked them as outdated records from more than ten years ago, so he would tear them up to burn in his small stove when he ran out of charcoal.

The small stove burned warmly, and the rack stood firmly. Yuan Zhen was roasting chestnuts and dried fruit on it, and the carriage swayed along, emitting sweet smoke. Zhao Zhao woke up, ate, and slept, discovering that Yuan Zhen's private stash seemed inexhaustible; he could even find things sold at the market in the remote mountains.

When asked why, Yuan Zhen raised his hand and pointed far behind him. A conspicuous white horse followed the group, with a young master on its back. His face was ashen and his clothes were drab. He had obviously followed them all the way.

The young master noticed their gazes, and excitedly waved from his horse. He then turned around, revealing a full bundle on his back, which wagged like a puppy's tail.

Seeing Zhao Zhao's confusion, Yuan Zhen said, "My lover is the one who was yelling about jumping into the river the night you entered the mansion."

She slightly raised her chin, and the young master hurriedly rode forward, his dusty face close to the carriage window. He smiled, revealing two dimples: "Sister Zhen, are you hungry?" As he spoke, he stuffed the package on his back into the carriage, saying solicitously, "Just tell me what else you want to eat, and I'll go to heaven and earth to buy it!"

Yuan Zhen laughed, raised her hand to pinch his face and play with it, then sent him away with a few words.

Zhao Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Didn't he know...?" She still remembered that the reason he wanted to jump into the river was because Yuan Zhen was unfaithful.

“He knows,” Yuan Zhen said, peeling sunflower seeds. “But he doesn’t mind if I have an affair with someone else.”

Zhao Zhao was stunned. Ordinary men value a woman's chastity, so why was this young master so infatuated?

(End of this chapter)