Chapter 5.4

After Yuan Buqu left on his own, Sha Pingwei relaxed, crossing his legs and enjoying some wine and snacks. The Imperial Garden was vast and beautiful, and even three days wasn’t enough to see it all. At night, it was better to stay away from the crowds to avoid getting entangled with the palace maids again.

Beside the pavilion stood an old banyan tree, its leaves rustling in the wind. Sha Pingwei, curious, leaned in to look, but was startled by a sudden scream! A white figure fell from the tree, and he instinctively reached out to catch the person in white, holding them close to prevent a potentially fatal fall.

Li Cuiyu kept stroking her chest and gasping for air. For a moment, she didn’t realized that she fell into the arms of a big man. It was not until she caught her breath that she looked up and saw a pair of surprised eyes. The two faces were close at hand. She whispered: “Who are you? Who allowed you to be here?”

Being the savior of such an ungrateful woman hardly seemed worth it! Sha Pingwei, instead of receiving the gratitude he expected, was met with aggressive questioning. Without thinking, he retracted his hands, letting the little girl in his arms fall to the ground, following the laws of gravity. However, he had made sure that the pavilion was carpeted, so the only “injury” she would suffer would be to her pride.

“How dare you! I’ll have your head!” Li Cuiyu jumped up, clutching her hip with one hand and pointing at the rough, bear-like man in front of her with the other. How dare he be disrespectful to a princess! Even a hundred deaths wouldn’t be enough to atone for his offense!

“Little girl! Listen to me!” Sha Pingwei grabbed her by the collar, scolding her like an adult: “I don’t have time to play with you! So young, yet you already know how to play tricks! Did you think climbing a tree would get my attention? Go back to your room and sleep, and stop bothering me!”

“I’m fifteen! Don’t call me little! Let me go! You’re too insolent! I’ll have you killed if you don’t let go right now!” Li Cuiyu struggled desperately and kicked his shin hard. As a result, she found herself thrown to the ground again, while the big man was hopping in pain! Serves him right! She was wearing hard-soled boots, and it must have hurt terribly! Rubbing her sore bottom from the second fall, she looked around for her bundle. She saw it was still hanging on the tree, not having fallen down with her. Remembering the frightening experience of falling from the tree, she didn’t dare climb back up, so she decided the big bear would have to do it for her.

“Hey!” She kicked him to get his attention, not noticing the murderous look in his eyes. “Get my little bundle down, hurry!”

“Who do you think you are?” he shouted, and since he had a habit of not hitting women, he channeled his anger by punching a carved wooden post, breaking off a corner. “I want you to apologize to me! Otherwise, I might just break my rule and hit a woman.”

“You dare! Do you know who I am?” Li Cuiyu adopted a haughty stance, intending to teach this clueless soldier a lesson. Although she was a kind-hearted princess who would shed tears over an ant blown away by the wind, she had no patience for anyone who insulted or disrespected her! This wasn’t abusing her power; it was upholding justice! So, she approached him, thinking that if he showed any sign of remorse, she might let him off the hook. After all, he was quite good-looking and didn’t fawn over her like others did.

Sha Pingwei glared back, refusing to back down. This little palace maid was unbelievably bold, carrying a bundle as if she were planning to escape the palace, and yet she acted so fierce. His uniform clearly showed his rank, but she didn’t seem to be the least bit intimidated! Perhaps she was too young to understand the difference in rank and just thought of him as a low-level lackey. What a pity—such a pretty face, but so unruly! She probably hadn’t been properly disciplined. No matter; he didn’t mind stepping in to teach her a few manners.

“Who are you? Just a little maid!”

“Hmph! Open your dog eyes wide; I’m a princess! Kneel down quickly!” She demanded arrogantly, expecting the soldier to show her the utmost respect.

“A princess?” Sha Pingwei laughed heartily, pointing at the plain, dusty girl before him. “If you’re a princess, then those women adorned in gold and silver, heavily made up, must be the Empress Dowager!”

“Impudent!” Li Cuiyu raised her hand and slapped Sha Pingwei, wiping the smile off his face.

However, tables can turn in a moment. Instantly, she found herself face down, draped over his knee, her already injured pride taking yet another hit. She was stunned for a moment! When she finally realized what had happened, she struggled fiercely, but her strength was no match for his. Luckily, he didn’t hit her hard, but the humiliation was thorough. At that moment, she could no longer maintain her princess-like dignity. She forgot about her status, crying out in both shame and anger, “Let me go! Let me go! I’ll have my father kill you, wah—!”

Her sudden crying threw him into a panic.

“Hey! Little palace maid! Weren’t you trying to sneak out of the palace? If you keep crying like this, you’ll wake the dead, let alone attract all the palace guards!”

She only cried louder, sitting on his lap, her hands grabbing and hitting his chest.

“Stop crying! Your pretty face is turning into a monkey’s butt—”

“Ah—!” She instantly stopped crying and shouted at him, “What did you say? Did you just call my face… like…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish.

Sha Pingwei sighed. Seeing her tear-streaked cheeks, he couldn’t help but smile and even felt a bit of affection. Poor girl! So young and sent to the palace—no wonder she wanted to escape.

“Not anymore, now it looks like a beautiful hibiscus. Very lovely. Do you know that trying to sneak out of the palace is a serious crime? How about this—I’ll plead with the Emperor to give you to me, and I’ll take you back home. You’re still young, and it’s not suitable for you to stay in the palace. Did someone bully you? Is that why you’re trying to escape?” He took off his scarf and awkwardly wiped her face, his rough hands making her soft cheeks hurt.

But she didn’t push him away, just curiously stared at him. Did he really think she was a palace maid trying to escape? And even assumed someone had been bullying her! This man was a bit rough, but he seemed quite kind too. He even talked about asking her father to give her to him! Thinking of this made her blush.

“What are you talking about? The Emperor would never give me to anyone!” She quickly forgot her earlier frustration, now looking at this not-so-annoying man with curiosity. The bright corridor lights reflected his lively expression; he had the eyes of an innocent child.

Sha Pingwei scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. “Oh right! I already refused the Emperor’s offer of a beautiful lady. How could I ask him for anything now?”

“So you’re one of the generals who returned victorious?” She glanced at the eagle emblem on his shoulder, guessing his rank. “Who are you?”

“I’m Sha Pingwei, under General Yuan.” Although he had been promoted to general, he still wasn’t used to his new status and preferred to see himself as part of Yuan’s forces—it felt more comfortable.

So he was the son of Grand Tutor Sha! Li Cuiyu looked him up and down. He didn’t have the stern, imposing air of a general at all. No wonder she wasn’t afraid of him! He had the same strong build as Yuan Buqu, but while she should have felt intimidated by his size, she didn’t… After all, she was still sitting on his lap! Did this mean she was only afraid of rigid, serious people like Yuan Buqu? So scared that when her father insisted on a marriage, she immediately thought of escaping! But she had been so unlucky; after finally managing to climb out of her attic window, she had crept across the rooftop, terrified. She was trying to “keep her feet on the ground” by climbing down a tree branch, only to fall.

“You’re a general now too, quite powerful.”

“Not powerful enough to help you,” he said, feeling guilty. “But you can’t be reckless. The palace guards are strict; you won’t make it out. If you get caught, the consequences will be unimaginable. Anyway, my dad comes to the palace every day. I’ll ask him to look out for you so no one bullies you, okay? What’s your name?”

Li Cuiyu hesitated for a moment, then smiled. “My name is Cuiyu.”

There seemed to be a commotion on the other side of the palace. The lights, which had been extinguished, suddenly lit up, and voices grew louder.

Li Cuiyu jumped off his lap, understanding what was going on.

“What happened?” Sha Pingwei tensed up, thinking someone had noticed a palace maid was missing. If word spread, she’d be in big trouble.

“Quickly, go back to the banquet! The princess is probably missing again, and that’s why everyone is searching for her. You shouldn’t be here; if you’re found, you’ll be the one in trouble!” She pushed him away.

“What about you? Will you be okay?” He refused to leave, holding her small hands.

Li Cuiyu hesitated, the moonlight hiding the blush on her cheeks. A wave of emotion swept through her heart, and she quickly pulled her hands back behind her.

“I’ll be fine, now go!”

“Oh!” From afar, calls for “Princess” could be heard, so it seemed this little palace maid would be safe! Relieved, he waved his hand. “My dad is Sha Shao. I’ll ask him to keep an eye out for you.”

As he walked away, Li Cuiyu bit her lip, then suddenly called out, “Sha Pingwei.”

“Hmm?” He turned around.

“Will you marry me?” She asked, and without waiting to see his stunned expression, his jaw practically dropping to his chest, she lifted her skirt and ran back towards the inner palace.

Until the white hem of her dress was no longer visible, Sha Pingwei stood in a daze at the same spot! It was at this moment that he deeply felt how beautiful the maid was; he hadn’t noticed it before, until she mentioned marrying him… It was the first time a woman proposed to him, and it was hard not to be stunned.

The emperor’s final concession was that Yuan Buqu could marry two wives simultaneously, with the emperor personally officiating the wedding. However, he still insisted on marrying the princess into the Yuan family.

So after the imperial banquet, Yuan Buqu did not go home directly, but went to Sha’s mansion with the father and son of the Sha family to discuss countermeasures.

The usually talkative Sha Pingwei appeared absent-minded and dazed, sitting silently in the corner of the study.

Naturally, only Sha Shao and Yuan Buqu were discussing.

“The official decree will be issued in three days! We must convince the emperor to change his mind within three days. Damn it! Now everyone in the city knows that I want to marry the princess! I don’t want Bingyan to get hurt!” Yuan Buqu paced in the study like a trapped beast.

Ziren, your mind is completely confused, and you can’t think clearly.” Sha Shao reminded him calmly.

“I will resign from my position to the emperor tomorrow.”

“Don’t act on impulse. What you’re doing is like slapping the emperor in the face; things are only going to get worse. Your past impulsiveness was your own business, but now you need to think about Bingyan. You know very well who will suffer the emperor’s wrath if you break with him. What if the emperor decides to summon Bingyan into the palace? The emperor is a wise ruler, but he has his own face to save—hm! The Changping princess is the emperor’s most beloved youngest daughter. Perhaps we should work on the princess,” Sha Shao said, stroking his beard. He walked a few steps and, without waiting for Yuan Buqu to ask further, continued, “Tomorrow we’ll go to the palace to meet the emperor and request that you two be given a chance to develop feelings for each other privately. As long as the princess doesn’t fall for you and reports it to the emperor, his one-sided wish will be shattered. He definitely wouldn’t want his daughter to be wronged. How does that sound?”

Yuan Buqu’s face was filled with resistance.

“Of course, it’s not really about you interacting with the princess. Instead, you should be honest with her about your situation with Bingyan and ask for her understanding. If the princess is willing to help, having the empress persuade the emperor would be more effective. This way, you won’t have to clash with the emperor,” Sha Shao added.

“What if the princess is spoiled and headstrong?” Yuan Buqu asked. He couldn’t muster any goodwill towards women other than Bingyan, and he didn’t know how to coax them, let alone play the role of someone to be pitied.

Sha Shao shook his head.

“A princess cherished by our emperor would never be spoiled and headstrong. This is currently the most feasible method; it’s worth a try. You should rest in the guest room for now, and we’ll meet the emperor after you wake up.”

It was already the fourth watch of the night! Sha Shao summoned the servants to prepare the room.

Yuan Buqu said, “I’ll first return to the residence to see Bingyan.”

“It’s better not to trouble her while things are unresolved,” Sha Shao advised.

Yuan Buqu thought for a moment, then sat down again, filled with frustration with no outlet! But Sha Shao’s concerns were valid. Rather than making her worry, it would be better to give her good news once the matter was resolved. She was likely as troubled as he was. Could this be the source of her unease for the past few days?

The next morning, Sha and his son, along with Yuan Buqu, were urgently summoned to the palace. The entire palace was in chaos!

The princess was missing!

This major news was ordered to be kept confidential by the emperor. Therefore, no one outside the palace knew. Since the princess’s disappearance involved her marriage, the three of them were summoned.

The princess left a handkerchief with a few lines written on it. The gist was that she would not marry Yuan Buqu. If her father wanted her happiness, he should let her marry Sha Pingwei. She ended by saying she decided to spend a month traveling before returning to the palace.

Not only was the emperor stunned, but Sha and his son, as well as Yuan Buqu, were also shocked and unable to react to the sudden turn of events.

The emperor’s meaning was clear: since the matter involved them, they were responsible for finding the princess. The marriage could be discussed, but the prerequisite was to find the princess intact, with a deadline of half a month.

Sansukini: Lol. I love how things resolved itself. I like this princess. She’s a brat, but she’s not unreasonable and she’s kind. Last chapters next week. I hope you’re enjoying reading this. And please leave a good review on novelupdates.

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