Volume One, Chapter 13: Xu Cheng’s Love for the Young Master
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Ning Ling seized the peeping intruder without hesitation and locked him behind the firewood door, awaiting the young master’s inspection.
“You bastard! I am Xu Cheng, the heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei’s household. How dare you, a mere maid, kidnap me? Aren’t you afraid my father will have your head cut off?”
Ignoring the insults, Ning Ling’s cold voice rang out: “Attempting to assassinate the Sixth Prince is a crime punishable by death! Xu Cheng… are you sure you are really the heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei?”
Caught off guard by the remark, Xu Cheng, who had been arrogant for no more than three seconds inside the firewood room, immediately backed down.
“No, no, no… I’m not an heir. I’m just a voyeur!”
“Oh, how sensible!”
“Then will you let me go? Sister? Sister? Sister?”
Xu Cheng was no fool. The stunning maid who had subdued him in an instant was obviously no ordinary person.
So he wisely admitted defeat to avoid serious injury.
When called “Sister,” Ning Ling replied, “Don’t call me that! The young master is in his bridal chamber. Wait until he is done before we deal with you.”
“What… bridal chamber?”
Xu Cheng’s face showed disbelief, but the hope in his eyes was shattered by those words.
“Impossible… The princess is a pure fairy; how could that useless Xie Zheng have succeeded? Even if it’s after the wedding, it would be justified, but my princess fairy would never stoop to that guy!”
“Impossible… It must be impossible!”
Xu Cheng refused to believe it and began to imagine scenarios.
“Surely you, the lowly maid, were acting on Xie Zheng’s orders to provoke me, attempting something improper but were stopped by the princess fairy herself. He probably didn’t even dare to approach the bed.”
“In the eyes of the princess fairy, only I, Xu Cheng, am worthy of sharing her bed—pah, even I would not dare desecrate her!”
Inside the firewood room, this man muttered to himself.
Ning Ling had seen too many like him and had summed them up in one phrase: “Sycophants!”
A step beyond mere sycophants!
They were most common in Yichun Tower—those who, when licking up to her, would gladly kneel and act like dogs, taking pleasure in it.
Ning Ling couldn’t be bothered to pay him any mind.
…
Later, Ning Ling informed Xie Zheng of the incident.
“Sycophant? What’s that?”
Xie Zheng frowned. To dare spy on him in the bridal chamber was like discovering a hidden camera in a hotel—someone violating his privacy for their amusement.
Such a demon must be dealt with personally.
Ning Ling explained, “It’s a kind of hopeless fool. Once they fall for a woman, they cling shamelessly, not to gain her favor, but to enjoy being tormented. Hence, I call them ‘sycophants’.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Zheng suddenly understood.
“Oh, you mean a ‘simp’!”
“Sir, what’s a simp?” Ning Ling asked with innocent puzzlement.
Xie Zheng then realized they lived in different worlds and naturally didn’t understand each other.
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“It’s the same idea as a sycophant!”
“Oh!”
Ning Ling looked obedient and eager to learn, trailing behind Xie Zheng.
Xie Zheng approached the firewood room, took a firewood knife from outside, ready to gouge out the eyes of this voyeur who dared spy on him and Qin Yuan’s private moment.
Ning Ling opened the door, and just as Xie Zheng raised the knife to strike—
Suddenly, Xu Cheng appeared before him, looking utterly exhausted.
“Xu Cheng?”
“Xie Zheng?”
They spoke simultaneously, but when Xu Cheng saw the raised knife, he immediately flew into a rage.
“Bastard Xie Zheng! I knew it—you must be resentful because the princess interrupted your bridal chamber. It’s because she has feelings for me that you hate her and want revenge with this knife!”
“I’m telling you, it’s useless. The princess has me in her heart. Killing me won’t make her open up to you. Forget it!”
“Besides, if the princess learns you attacked me, she will hate you forever. She will fight you to the death for me!”
“Love is utterly unreasonable!”
Xu Cheng wore a triumphant expression, imagining all this and even stretching out his neck, daring Xie Zheng to strike.
“Come on, kill me then!”
“Afterwards, the woman you love will hate you more. You will never win the princess’s heart—let alone her body!”
In Xu Cheng’s eyes, the princess was a sacred fairy, not to be defiled—even by him.
His affection was the truest kind in this world!
He reveled in it.
Ning Ling could no longer tolerate his delusions.
It seemed the “simp” the young master mentioned was even more pitiful than her “sycophant”—this was clearly a complete idiot (as the young master had explained, proving his vast knowledge).
“Sir, shall I finish him off?”
The moment Ning Ling said this, Xie Zheng shouted angrily, “What nonsense! He’s my lucky star. How can I just kill him? Go back and meditate on your mistakes—write ten thousand words of self-criticism!”
Then Xie Zheng put down the knife.
At this critical moment of provoking the Marquis of Zhenbei, he dared not offend his son.
He didn’t want to lose the bigger picture over a small matter.
“Xu Cheng! Don’t take the maid’s ignorance to heart. Since you have come to my humble abode today, I, Xie Zheng, as your host, will treat you well.”
“Xie Zheng, don’t think I’ll forgive you so easily. We have the grievance of wife theft; we are sworn enemies!”
“You must think if I attend your wedding, I’ll be satisfied and mock you in my heart. You really are a petty man!”
Xu Cheng kept imagining.
Xie Zheng was speechless. What nonsense was this?
I’m trying to keep my head down and not offend you, yet you conjure up all these delusions?
If I weren’t afraid of your father, I would slap you hard and wipe that ‘giant simp’ grin off your face.
“Alright, alright, young master is right! Let’s drink and leave!”
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“Xie Zheng, you’re being sarcastic. I knew you were resentful. You plan to use joining the army as an excuse to create a ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’ situation with the princess.”
Xie Zheng: “?”
Xu Cheng acted as if he had Xie Zheng figured out.
“You think that by leaving the princess soon, she’ll miss you every day and grow fonder of you when you return!”
“I’m telling you, I won’t agree!”
Xie Zheng sensed something was wrong, but the outcome was unexpected.
“So I, too, will go to the Shenwu Military Camp, also to create a ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’ effect. Since we leave at the same time, the princess’s feelings for me will deepen!”
Xu Cheng’s reasoning was beyond words, but Xie Zheng asked, “But the Shenwu Military is under my control now. How do you plan to get in?”
Xu Cheng proudly replied, “The Shenwu Military is my father’s personal guard. Letting me in will be easy!”
His confidence made Xie Zheng frown.
If Xu Cheng could so easily enter the Shenwu Military Camp, it meant there were insiders from the Xu family within.
His trip to the camp would be far from peaceful.
The Marquis of Zhenbei wouldn’t need to act personally—he could rely on the centurions and commanders inside the camp to make things difficult for him.
This mission to the Shenwu Military Camp—
Xie Zheng would have to prepare well.
Using Xu Cheng’s own mouth, he asked a few more questions: “Young Master Xu, you are truly relentless. You’ve put so much effort into the princess. If she finds out, she will surely be moved.”
“But I leave for the Shenwu Military Camp in seven days. I’m afraid you won’t have enough time to prepare?”
Xu Cheng boasted, “I’ll arrive before you. My father has already sent letters to the camp, instructing the centurions to receive me.”
“‘Distance makes the heart grow fonder,’ ‘time makes things more beautiful.’ I will outdo you in every way, Xie Zheng…”
“No! I’m leaving tonight…”
“No! You must leave now.”
Xu Cheng’s urgency to leave immediately for the camp gave Xie Zheng some insight.
Apparently, the Xu family had deep connections throughout the Shenwu Military Camp, communicating quickly.
Though the camp was taken back by the emperor three months ago, the Marquis of Zhenbei’s influence had not been completely broken.
This trip would be fraught with danger.
But Xu Cheng himself was insignificant; the real threat was how the centurions in the Shenwu Camp might torment him.
Before leaving, Xie Zheng had to improve his strength quickly.
Otherwise, the expedition to Shenwu—
Would end in destruction!
He then released Xu Cheng and instructed Ning Ling, “Everyone will come with me to Yuanzhou next. Also, have Zhuo’er follow Xu Cheng out of the city. Be sure to investigate who he meets on the road, who he sees, and especially who the centurion sent to receive him is.”
“This trip to Yuanzhou is extremely important!”