Chapter 20: Who Knew the Princess Liked Xue Chen

This practical experience was the first for the students of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. The winner was Princess Ning An.

The emperor decided to make a grand event of it, holding a celebratory banquet, after which the Frigid Spirit Pool would be opened.

Ning Shengsheng woke up early. Songgao attended to her bath, while Zaoni organized the lavish robes sent by the emperor. His Majesty had said that the princess was the star of the day, and he had instructed them to dress her in the most magnificent and dazzling attire.

Ning Shengsheng emerged from her bath and saw the glittering jewelry on the dressing table. Her jaw nearly dropped.

“Am I wearing all of this?”

Songgao smiled. “Yes, Your Highness!”

Those things looked like they weighed at least ten pounds. If she wore them all on her head, her neck would break. She protested, but her protest was in vain.

Shuangxi stood by with a smile, watching her on Ning Xuan’s behalf. Ning Shengsheng had no choice but to comply. After an hour of being “processed,” Ning Shengsheng was finally ready. She carefully stood up, feeling top-heavy. She swayed and almost fell, but fortunately, Songgao was quick to catch her arm.

“Let’s… go…”

She did her best to maintain her posture.

Shuangxi raised his neck and called out, “Attendants, prepare the palanquin!”

…

Inside Shaoguang Hall, everyone had already arrived. Xue Chen’s seat was arranged in the farthest corner, by the entrance of the hall. The others thought he would be displeased, but unexpectedly, it was exactly what he wanted. The corner was deserted and quiet. He leisurely poured himself a cup of wine. As long as he could enter the Frigid Spirit Pool today, nothing else mattered.

Ning Xuan sat on the dragon throne and glanced at Xue Chen in the corner. He knew, of course, that the people in the palace were targeting this hostage prince from a weak nation. But so what? It was the survival of the fittest. Power and status had to be earned. His own situation as a child had not been much better than Xue Chen’s.

If An’an liked him, then he should be overjoyed to accept her affection. If he had no skills, he could just be a pretty-faced prince consort. If he had some skills, it would be good to have someone else doting on his dear sister. The reason Ning Xuan thought this way was because his sister had never liked anyone for more than seven days. But with this Xue Chen, it had already been more than half a month. He would have to ask that girl properly later.

Inside the grand hall, the students of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, finally on a break, were chatting with their neighbors. Only Ning Jin, on the emperor’s right, looked very angry.

Just then, an attendant announced from outside in a loud voice, “Princess Ning An has arrived!!!”

Before the girl entered, a fresh and pleasant fragrance wafted in, a scent that refreshed the mind and spirit. Then, Ning Shengsheng, dressed in a light blue palace gown, walked in slowly. Her small face was lightly powdered, and her slender waist was cinched with an goose-yellow cloud-patterned sash, which floated gracefully behind her, making her look like a fairy from the God Realm.

The young dandies let out a gasp of surprise. In the past, they had only thought of Princess Ning An as fierce and didn’t dare to look at her more than once. They had never imagined that she had blossomed into such a stunning beauty.

Ning Xuan’s gaze swept over the group of dandies, and a lump formed in his throat. What kind of worthless bunch dares to covet my sister?

“Ahem!”

A single cough from the emperor, and everyone quickly retracted their necks.

“Ning An pays her respects to Older Brother!”

Ning Shengsheng paid no attention to the others’ gazes. Her neck was about to break. She prayed that this palace banquet would end quickly.

“Dispense with the formalities. My taste is not bad, is it? The blue cloud-patterned sash really suits my Ning An!”

“Thank you, Older Brother. It is very comfortable to wear.”

Leaning on a hundred pounds of gold and jewels, she was helped to her seat by Songgao. Just as she sat down, her enemy, Ning Jin, launched an attack.

“Older Brother, why does Ning An get a cloud-patterned sash and I don’t? You’re biased! Now that mother is gone, Older Brother doesn’t dote on me anymore!”

Ah, this…

Ning Shengsheng peeked at the monarch on the dragon throne. A flash of displeasure crossed his handsome face, and his thin lips tightened. “Next time you take first place in the practical experience, Older Brother will also give you a cloud-patterned sash.”

“Oh!”

Ning Jin reluctantly fell silent. She was arrogant, but not so foolish as to not see that the emperor was displeased. She had only wanted to remind him of how her mother had sacrificed herself to help him ascend the throne. How could he not treat them equally?

Ning Shengsheng, of course, had also thought of this and clicked her tongue in pity. What Ning Jin didn’t know was that all emperors hated to be “coerced” by any factor, even the merit of helping them ascend the throne. Wasting that favor on petty rivalries was far less wise than saving it for a critical moment.

She wouldn’t remind someone who was targeting her. However, she had to constantly reflect on others’ mistakes.

“The case of the bone demon in Yongle Town, although it was solved by Princess Ning An, the young disciples of our Great Ning also performed admirably. I raise my cup to celebrate my dear sister’s achievement, and also to the hope of our Great Ning’s future—”

“—which is all of you. May your cultivation increase with each passing day!”

“May you soon become the pillars of our Great Ning!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Ning Xuan stood up, his words inspiring the young disciples. Everyone raised their wine cups and drank in one gulp.

Seeing this scene, Ning Shengsheng thought of the fall of Great Ning and their eventual fates. A tightness formed in her chest. Just as she was thinking of stepping outside for a walk, a young man in a purple robe stood up.

“Your Majesty, this subject has a question.”

“You are the eldest son of the Jiang family, are you not?” Ning Xuan took a sip of his wine and gestured for him to continue.

“This subject is Jiang Ji. My younger brother, Jiang Feng, was harmed in Yongle Town. I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter!”

Ning Shengsheng sat back down, wanting to hear what would be said next.

“Of course. The Marquis of Ping’an has served Great Ning in battle for half his life. His precious son is dead, so I will naturally order a thorough investigation.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Jiang Ji paused, then added, “This subject has one more matter, and I don’t know if I should speak.”

Ning Shengsheng silently rolled her eyes. If you don’t know if you should speak, then don’t speak. Saying it out loud just means you want to speak. It was completely unnecessary.

“Speak,” Ning Xuan said with a wave of his hand.

Jiang Ji glared at Xue Chen in the corner. “Princess Ning An may, of course, enter the Frigid Spirit Pool. But this Xue Chen is from the Heavenly Phoenix Nation, and he was sent here as a hostage prince from a defeated nation. How can he enter such a revered place? We…”

He threw caution to the wind and said, “We are not convinced!”

After he spoke, the others exchanged glances but did not speak up, because the monarch above had not stated his position.

Ning Xuan was silent for a moment, then turned to his left and asked, “An’an, what do you think?”

She knew it. This dear brother of hers might seem like a manic-depressive who was always in a bad mood, but in reality, he was quite cunning. He was best at diverting trouble.

For Xue Chen’s sake, she would endure it!

“I think he can, of course, enter. Xue Chen is a member of my team. It doesn’t matter what country he’s from. Master Pei said at the time that the team that catches the evil spirit can enter the Frigid Spirit Pool. Our Great Ning is a powerful and prosperous nation. How can we go back on our word?” Ning Shengsheng said in one breath, her two eyes glaring at Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji shrank back in fear, but remembering his father’s instructions, he forced himself to continue. “Princess Ning An, I hear that you used the Dragon Bone Soul to subdue the bone demon, and that Xue Chen did not contribute. On what grounds can he enter the Frigid Spirit Pool?”

Ning Xuan watched the show with great interest.

Xue Chen sat quietly, his eyes downcast, as if the argument in the hall had nothing to do with him.

“He was the one who found the clues and solved the case! Without him, I wouldn’t even have known where the bone demon was!”

“Are you satisfied now, Jiang Ji!”

Ning Shengsheng looked straight at Jiang Ji, but her mind was wondering what grudge the Marquis of Ping’an’s residence had against Xue Chen to be targeting him like this.

Jiang Ji sneered. “Who doesn’t know that the princess is in love with Xue Chen and is naturally covering for him!”