Chapter 100 – Afraid of a Fight? It’s Not Like I Can’t Beat Her

Zhao Jin’s eyes flickered, and she looked away from Xia Tian with a hint of embarrassment.

Hu Mengyao, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as reserved—she immediately laid everything out in a straightforward manner.

Turns out, the Princess of Yunying County, just like Zhao Jin, also harbored feelings for Shen Nian. But back then, most people thought Zhao Jin and Shen Nian made the better pair.

Naturally, the Princess of Yunying wasn’t happy about that and had even picked fights with Zhao Jin on several occasions.

Fortunately, Zhao Jin came from a decent background herself, so the Princess couldn’t really do anything to her.

Still, whenever the two ran into each other, it was clear they couldn’t stand one another.

The only reason the Princess of Yunying could stand toe-to-toe with Zhao Jin was because she was the late-in-life daughter of the esteemed Princess Ruihua. She was utterly doted on—if she wanted the stars, she wouldn’t accept the moon instead. That kind of pampering had shaped her into an arrogant and willful young lady.

She even caused quite a stir once by insisting on marrying Shen Nian.

At the time, Shen Nian had already been suffering from his illness for two years and was half-dead. There was no way Princess Ruihua would let her precious daughter marry into that kind of situation.

In the end, with no better solution, she had the girl sent out of the capital under the pretense of accompanying her grandmother back to her ancestral home for a memorial ceremony.

This time, the Princess was returning to celebrate the Emperor’s longevity festival.

Most importantly, she was now sixteen—old enough for marriage discussions.

So Princess Ruihua sent people to bring her back to the capital.

Xia Tian now understood the whole situation. So it’s just another rotten peach blossom clinging to Shen Nian!

When Hu Mengyao finished, she looked quite gleeful. “That Princess of Yunying isn’t as easygoing as Sister Zhao. Just wait—she’s going to come after you.”

“What, like she’s going to eat me or something?” Xia Tian rolled her eyes.

“She might not eat you, but she could definitely whip you,” Hu Mengyao warned with mock seriousness when she saw Xia Tian didn’t believe her.

“She’s that unreasonable?” Xia Tian still wasn’t convinced.

“She’s way beyond unreasonable. I feel ashamed of myself in front of her!” Hu Mengyao sighed dramatically—completely unaware that she’d just dragged herself into the insult.

“Well, at least you’re self-aware,” Xia Tian grinned, baring her teeth. “You know you’re unreasonable too.”

“Hey! What’s your problem? I’m on your side, giving you inside info here, and you’re mocking me?” Hu Mengyao stomped her foot in frustration.

“Fine, fine, thank you! But if you could just wipe that gloating look off your face, maybe I’d believe you really mean well.”

“What? When did I gloat?” Hu Mengyao widened her eyes in protest.

“Alright, alright, you two give it a rest already,” Lin Sanyu finally cut in, unable to take any more of their banter.

Since the Princess of Yunying had been brought up, she figured they might as well tell Xia Tian more about her—better than letting her walk into trouble unaware.

“Xia Tian, banter aside, you should take Mengyao seriously. That Princess of Yunying is seriously spoiled by Princess Ruihua.”

Lin Sanyu paused, then leaned closer and whispered, “Princess Ruihua was one of the key supporters of the Emperor’s ascension. That’s why he respects her a lot.”

Xia Tian thought about it for a moment and asked, “So, is Princess Ruihua a reasonable person?”

“Well… she is reasonable, but she’s extremely biased when it comes to her daughter. Otherwise, the Princess of Yunying wouldn’t have grown up so spoiled and domineering.”

Lin Sanyu hadn’t expected that question, but Xia Tian’s line of thinking wasn’t wrong. If Princess Ruihua didn’t approve, the Princess of Yunying couldn’t just swoop in and steal Shen Nian.

“But the worry is that Princess Ruihua might actually support her in doing just that,” Lin Sanyu said with a bit of concern.

Xia Tian smiled. “It’s fine. I don’t believe they’d dare openly snatch someone away. And if they really do? Then they can have him.”

If the Princess of Yunying truly insisted on Shen Nian, and Princess Ruihua—or even the Emperor—decided to back her up, then Xia Tian was happy to step aside.

You can’t fight imperial power. So why even try? It’s not that big of a deal.

“You’re giving up already? No fight, no nothing? This is all you’ve got?” Hu Mengyao looked at her in disbelief.

“Mengyao, give it a rest. Xia Tian’s just being realistic,” Zhao Jin tried to smooth things over.

“You can be realistic, but at least try to come up with a plan! You haven’t even started fighting yet and you’re already backing down—that’s not like you at all!” Hu Mengyao scolded her like she couldn’t bear to see her like this. “Use that same fire you argue with us. Go make her so mad she spits blood!”

“Can you not pour oil on the fire?” Lin Sanyu rubbed her forehead. “The Princess of Yunying isn’t like the three of us. She actually throws hands.”

“What’s there to be afraid of? It’s not like Xia Tian can’t beat her!” Hu Mengyao shot back.

“Wow, thanks a lot,” Xia Tian rolled her eyes dramatically.

Sure, she had Shen Nian backing her, but she wasn’t about to just casually brawl with a royal princess. What, was she tired of living?

Still, Hu Mengyao enthusiastically looped her arm through Xia Tian’s. “No matter what, I’m on your side this time.”

Xia Tian couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, thank you.”

“Of course! The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

She didn’t believe that the Princess of Yunying would actually throw a tantrum and start swinging.

Given how much Shen Nian cared for Xia Tian, if the Princess of Yunying dared lay a finger on her, he’d definitely turn against her on the spot.

Besides, Shen Nian had already turned down Sister Zhao—why would he want some wild, barbaric girl?

She was a bit worried about Xia Tian’s situation, but only a little. Mainly, she feared that if Xia Tian clashed with the Princess, she might get schemed against.

The four of them huddled together, chatting a while longer before they finally started to look around at their surroundings.

They were on a vast grassy field, and many young ladies were out enjoying the spring outing today.

Children ran across the grass, flying kites in the breeze. The air was soft and fresh—it was lovely.

But Xia Tian wasn’t just out for fun. She wanted to gather some inspiration to create a painting for the longevity festival—something that would please the Emperor.

In the distance, farmers were tilling the land and sowing seeds. Children played in the fields. The entire scene was full of life and energy—it filled one’s heart with hope.

Xia Tian waved to the three girls, then prepared to head that way. When she asked if they wanted to come, they all shook their heads, so Xia Tian went ahead with Ning Xiang, Ning Xue, and Mu Chen.

It was early March, and around this time in the capital, people were mainly planting spring wheat and rapeseed. The temperature was just right, and planting now meant a harvest by July.

As Xia Tian approached, she saw an old man bent over, guiding a plow. He held a whip in one hand, urging along a slow-moving old ox.

A woman followed behind with a winnowing basket, dropping seeds into the freshly plowed furrows.

Nearby, children with pigtails played by the fields, and men swung hoes in the soil, occasionally straightening up to wipe sweat from their brows with the towels slung around their necks.

Despite the hard work, everyone’s face was lit with smiles. In the background, green mountains rolled like velvet waves—together, it painted a picture of hope and vitality.

Xia Tian took in the entire scene, already forming the draft of a painting in her mind. She couldn’t wait to bring it to life in vibrant colors on her rice paper.

The gloom brought on earlier by the Princess of Yunying had completely vanished.

There were so many beautiful things in this world—why waste time obsessing over someone she hadn’t even met yet?

If the mountain doesn’t turn, the water will. Who knows what might happen?

What if the Princess of Yunying had already moved on? Then they’d all be worrying for nothing.

Having thought it through, she turned around, told the three girls it was time to head back, and they all agreed—it was getting late, after all—so they returned together.