Shuse Jinjia

Although Xie Zhaotang disliked these banquets, Duan You came to see her at the hospital that day and gave her a tea invitation from the Third Princess, Duan Ning.

Knowing Xie Zhaotang's attitude towards these banquets, Duan You quickly explained, "Tangtang, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you. I just want to help Sister Ning. You don't know, although she is a princess, she actually lives a very hard life."

Princesses and other nobles were very distant figures to Xie Zhaotang, so she rarely paid attention to them.

Hearing Duan You say this, she asked curiously, "What happened?"

Duan You sighed and said, "Sister Ning's mother's surname was Zhao. She was just a noblewoman. Sister Ning was only seven years old when she passed away. After Sister Ning came of age, the emperor bestowed upon her a marriage to General Zheng Feng. Only a month after the wedding, General Zheng died on the battlefield. Sister Ning became a widow before she could even conceive a child."

"In ordinary families, when faced with this kind of situation, the more open-minded ones might allow the daughter-in-law to remarry, while the more conservative ones would demand that the daughter-in-law remain a widow for her son for life. Unfortunately, the Zheng family's parents were the conservative type!"

"They not only demanded that Sister Ning remain a widow for Zheng Feng, but also resented her for not protecting him and letting him go to the battlefield, saying that Sister Ning had killed Zheng Feng!"

Xie Zhaotang frowned, listening patiently.

Duan You smiled bitterly: "Sister Ning's mother, Consort Zhao, died early. The Emperor has many children and rarely cares about them. You know how it is in the palace; concubines who aren't favored are bullied, let alone princesses who have no one to protect them. Sister Ning has a gentle personality and is even a bit insecure!"

"The Zheng family is good at putting on a show. They are respectful to her in public, but they find ways to torment her in private. They even replaced Ning's dowry maids, so no one knows what Ning has been going through at home."

When Duan You was a child, he studied in the palace under the Grand Tutor and met Duan Ning. The two got along very well. Knowing that Duan Ning was not doing well in the Zheng family, he would occasionally visit him.

However, after several visits, the Zheng family would either say that Duan Ning was sick and not receiving guests, or that Duan Ning had gone to the farm to recuperate. In any case, since they couldn't avoid it, the Zheng family would only allow Duan You to see Duan Ning once.

"Tangtang, it was my idea for Sister Ning to ask you to help her get away from the Zheng family," Duan You said.

Xie Zhaotang sensed something was amiss and asked, "The Third Princess is still a princess. Why doesn't she ask the Emperor for help when she's being tormented by the Zheng family?"

Duan You whispered, "Consort Zhao and the Empress had a grudge. The Empress became pregnant again after the Crown Prince, but when she was three months pregnant, Consort Zhao knocked her down the steps and she miscarried. Consort Zhao died a few months later... That's why Sister Ning's letter to the Emperor for help was intercepted by the Empress..."

"My mother said that this marriage of Sister Ning was also chosen for her by the Empress!"

Retaliation? Xie Zhaotang understood.

The Empress was behind this; no wonder the Zheng family dared to mistreat the Third Princess.

"Then let's meet!"

Xie Zhaotang disliked the Empress, thinking that the Third Princess had no other choice but to ask her for help, and she herself had hoped that someone could lend her a hand.

If she doesn't have the ability, fine; if she does, then lend a hand.

She asked Duan You to invite Duan Ning to Yipinxuan, and they went there on time the next day.

Duan Ning only brought one maid with her, and it seems that the maid was persuaded by her to help her.

Xie Zhaotang and Duan You arrived first. When Duan Ning entered, Xie Zhaotang saw that she was in her early twenties and that the fabric of her dress was a tribute from the palace, but the style was already several years old.

Duan Ning bears only a slight resemblance to Emperor Mingcheng and the Crown Prince, with extremely clear and delicate eyebrows and eyes, and large, clear pupils.

Her skin was a pale, cold white, as if it had never seen sunlight, with a sickly thinness...

She was very thin, and the dress looked loose on her. Xie Zhaotang had never liked very thin people, thinking they were difficult to get along with.

But Duan Ning gave her a gentle feeling, which aroused her pity.

"Third Princess, I'm a straightforward person and like to get straight to the point. I've heard about your situation from Youyou, so I won't beat around the bush. I'll ask you, do you want me to tell the Emperor about your ordeal directly, or do you want to leave the Zheng family without going through the Emperor?"

Xie Zhaotang asked directly.

Duan Ning was stunned for a moment, probably taken aback by Xie Zhaotang's directness.

Duan You quickly said, "Sister Ning, just tell Tangtang what you think, and we'll definitely help if we can!"

Duan Ning pursed her lips and said, "Madam Huo, please call me the same as Youyou! Princess... I'd rather I didn't have that title!"

She looked up at Xie Zhaotang and said bluntly, "Madam Huo, if I ask you to take me to see the Emperor, aren't you worried about offending the Empress?"

Xie Zhaotang shook his head: "I'm not afraid of offending her!"

The Emperor and the Crown Prince have both entrusted Duan Li to her for training, so Xie Zhaotang really doesn't think the Empress can affect her position.

Duan Ning stared at her intently for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "I don't need Madam Huo to take me to see the Emperor. If I want to see the Emperor, I can go directly. After all, with my status, if I want to see my father, they wouldn't dare to beat me to death at the palace gate!"

"Madam Huo, I asked Youyou to invite you here because I wanted you to point me in the right direction... How am I supposed to support myself after leaving the Zheng family? To be honest, Madam Huo, my dowry has been taken away by the Zheng family over the years..."

"I heard you showed the Li siblings a way out; I just want you to show me a way to make a living too!"

Xie Zhaotang frowned as she looked at Duan You. There was no longer any weakness in her eyes; instead, there was a resolute determination that suggested she had nothing to lose.

"Sister Ning, I don't understand. Even if you break ties with the Zheng family, you are still the Emperor's daughter... As far as I know, the Emperor isn't a stingy person. Even if you lose all your dowry, he will still reward you, enough for you to live well!"

Duan Ning smiled faintly: "Even if my father bestows rewards upon me, as long as the Empress is alive, she has a way to make me lose everything again... Therefore, I want to leave the Zheng family, return to my mother's hometown, change my name and surname, and start over..."

This means she's giving up her princess status!

I don't know what she went through to become so disillusioned with the royal family.

Xie Zhaotang put herself in the Empress's shoes; the Crown Prince was the Empress's biological son, and the eldest grandson of the Emperor, Duan Li, was also the Empress's maternal grandson.

Duan Ning probably wanted to stay away from the capital because he was afraid that the Crown Prince and Duan Li would both side with the Empress.

If it were me, I would also choose this path!

She thought for a moment and said, "Sister Ning, do you want to be extremely wealthy or content with a modest life?"

Duan Ning decisively replied, "A modest fortune is enough!"

Xie Zhaotang smiled and asked, "What is Sister Ning good at?"

Duan Ning blushed slightly: "I'm not as good at painting as Young Master Li, but my calligraphy is pretty good. I... I'm not good at dealing with people either. I... I can write storybooks..."

Her head hung down, as if she felt very embarrassed.

A princess writing a storybook—she herself felt she was degrading herself.

Xie Zhaotang didn't mean to look down on them. There are so many online writers in modern times, and many great writers have emerged. Who says that writing fiction is degenerate?

Duan Ning doesn't like dealing with people, so this line of work suits him perfectly.

Xie Zhaotang asked, "Does your mother still have any relatives?"

Duan Ning's face darkened, and he shook his head: "I had two uncles. After my mother died, they were attacked by bandits, and the whole family died..."

Seeing the hatred in her eyes, Xie Zhaotang guessed that this must also be the Empress's doing.

Xie Zhaotang frowned and tentatively asked, "Do you want to help them seek justice and get revenge?"