Chapter 14: Calculation [Edited]

Soft rays of sunlight filtered through the corridor, and a gentle breeze swept by. Xia Tong pressed her back against a column, her palms sweating nervously. Tensing slightly, she said, “I… I saw Your Highness talking to the abbot, so I didn’t want to interrupt and left first. It wasn’t intentional. Please don’t be angry, Your Highness.”

If she had known the villain was present, she would have preferred to be schemed against by Xia Ning!

With her head lowered, her exquisite ground-length silk dress shimmered in the light, making her look more like a socialite than a worshiper.

“Do you wish to be the Crown Princess?” The man’s eyes darkened.

Xia Tong was taken aback. Why did the villain know everything? This was merely her grandmother’s wish, not hers.

“I don’t understand Your Highness’s meaning. Marriage is not something I can decide, and I never intended to marry into the royal family,” she said earnestly, batting her eyelashes.

After all, the hero was meant for the heroine. No matter how much her grandmother planned, it would be futile.

Glancing at her, Gu Qin continued to walk ahead, casting a long shadow on the ground.

Xia Tong looked around and realized there were no passersby. Everyone must have gone to attend to the Empress.

Seeing the figure ahead, she knew this was the only way out, so she gritted her teeth and followed at a distance.

Once they exited the winding corridor, the blazing sun enveloped them. Under the grand rocks, wildflowers poked their heads up. Xia Tong, feeling the heat, walked in the shadows of the stones. Seeing that the ancestor in front of her was ignoring her, she sighed in relief.

“The Crown Prince is indeed talented and better than the heir of the Duke’s family,” the man suddenly turned his head and fixed his gaze on her. “But you… are not.”

Xia Tong halted in her tracks, confused. “Why not?”

The moment she blurted it out, her face flushed unexpectedly, and she quickly added, “I meant, do you think I’m unremarkable Your Highness?”

Gu Qin remained silent, his gaze lingering on her with an inscrutable expression.

Xia Tong felt bewildered. She thought she was quite attractive. Did she not meet the ancient beauty standards?

However, noticing his gaze shift behind her made her instinctively tilt her head, and what she saw nearly shattered her composure!

In the crevice of the rock, among the wild grass, a vividly colored snake was slithering and flicking its tongue at her!

She had never expected her bad omen to come true. There was indeed a snake in the temple. Fear coursed through her, making her freeze like a puppet, while the snake, as thick as her wrist, stretched its head toward her, mere inches from her feet.

“I have matters to attend to and will take my leave,” Gu Qin said, a slight smile playing on his lips as he turned to leave.

“Wait… wait…” Xia Tong couldn’t raise her voice too high. Even her eyes dared not wander. With a tremor in her voice, she pleaded, “Can… can you help me…?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the woman’s eyes were red, her entire body frozen in place, even her fingertips not daring to move. A hint of amusement unconsciously crossed his brow.

Xia Tong didn’t know how to get him to help her, but she really didn’t want to die from a snake bite!

Unfortunately, things didn’t go her way. Even though she stood still, the snake was slithering closer, flicking its tongue at her feet.

She caught a glimpse of it and nearly lost her mind. Just then, pain shot through her right foot, and she instinctively darted behind the man, choking back tears as she whimpered, “I’ve been bitten by a snake.”

The thick, poisonous snake lay motionless under the sun, its head pierced by a stone, while she continued to sob in despair. Gu Qin’s expression was somewhat unusual as he stared at her intently.

“Let go,” he said calmly.

Xia Tong suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing she was still clutching his sleeve in fear. She quickly stepped back, but then remembered the snake bite and struggled to check her leg, hoping the snake wasn’t too poisonous and that she could still save herself.

However, her leg showed no wounds—just some dust, indicating that she had merely bumped into a stone and hadn’t actually been bitten.

“I just saved your life again. How do you plan to repay me?” The corners of the man’s lips twitched slightly as he took in her timid demeanor for the first time.

Xia Tong stood dazed for a moment, then quickly bowed her head. Her voice trembled, “Thank you for saving me, Your Highness. I will do anything for you, even if it means working like a horse.”

Why didn’t he save her sooner? She nearly scared herself to death!

Looking at her pale face, Gu Qin smirked lightly and replied, “That day will come.”

With that, he turned and walked away, disappearing from sight in moments.

Xia Tong didn’t think about his words. She was just a nobody—what could she possibly do for him? She glanced back at the dead snake, still feeling chills down her spine. Not daring to linger, she hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran away, vowing never to venture into such corners again.

She wondered how Xia Ning was doing. When she returned outside the inner hall, she spotted Lin Qin and the Duchess. It seemed the Empress hadn’t come out yet, but the atmosphere among the crowd was strange, especially with the old lady’s sour expression.

As she approached, ready to greet Lin Qin, she noticed the other woman’s gaze was evasive. However, Qing’er quickly came to her side and whispered, “Someone spotted the Second Miss with the Young Master of the Duke family admiring the flowers earlier, and the Old Madam is very unhappy.”

At this, Xia Tong glanced over at Xia Ning, who was looking down, her expression unreadable.

At this point, Xia Tong understood everything. Goodness, the Duke family was really underhanded! They must have wanted to summon her, and now if they’d been caught, it would be hard for her to refuse marriage. But out of nowhere, Xia Ning had swooped in. She was truly ruthless, knowing Xia Tong wouldn’t have gone over herself and seizing the chance. For the sake of their families’ reputations, Xia Tong would surely end up marrying into the Duke’s household.

Moreover, this was just a scheme by the Duke family. Xia Ning still appeared to be the victim, and no one could blame her. That woman truly played her cards well.

“What did Grandmother say?” she quietly asked Qing’er.

Qing’er looked around before leaning in to whisper, “The Old Madam has been waiting for the Empress and hasn’t said anything about it, but she must be unhappy since this is quite an embarrassing matter.”

Xia Tong realized that if she had gone, she would certainly have to marry into the Duke’s household. Even though she had been schemed against by Xia Ning, it was fine. If she wanted to marry, let her marry.

“The Empress is coming out,” someone suddenly announced. The inner hall door slowly opened, and two stern-looking maidservants walked out first, followed by a grand figure. The Empress wore a luxurious crimson and gold gown, her face beautiful yet commanding, accompanied by a pretty young lady—obviously the Princess Mingyue, born of the Empress.

“Greetings to the Empress and the Princess,” everyone bowed in respect.

The bright sunlight outside was blinding. The Empress raised a hand to shield her eyes and scanned the crowd, saying, “No need for such formalities.”

Xia Tong stood up with the others, only to see the Empress’s gaze fix on the Duchess with a soft smile. “What a coincidence, The Duchess is here today as well.”

The Duke’s family had always maintained a close relationship with the Empress, as it had significant influence and could greatly assist the Crown Prince. Strengthening ties could potentially lead to Lin Qin becoming a resident of the Eastern Palace.

“Today is not a good day, otherwise Madam Zhou and the others would not have chosen this day.” the Duchess remarked teasingly.

The others wore faint smiles. Some genuinely came to pay respects, while others came to seize the opportunity to see the Empress. Today, they were treated to quite the spectacle.

Upon hearing this, the Empress didn’t reply, her gaze suddenly landing on Xia Tong among the crowd. A maid in green quickly stepped forward and whispered, “That’s the Fourth Miss of the Xiahou family.”

Xia Tong stood out in the crowd with her charmingly delicate features and remarkable stature. It was no wonder she had been frequently mentioned; since her return to the capital, the Xiahou family had been inundated with marriage proposals.

Supported by her maid, the Empress gracefully approached the old lady, her magnificent gown sweeping the ground and leaving a curved trail behind.

“How is Old Madam Xia’s health these days?” the Empress asked with a hint of concern.

After her words, the old lady didn’t dare lift her head, merely bowing and responding respectfully, “Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Thanks to your blessings, I am still quite well.”

Xia Tong didn’t dare to look up, knowing that this was the matriarch of palace intrigue—definitely not someone to provoke.

But she ignored it, and suddenly there was a sight above her head that could not be ignored, and a voice that was neither light nor heavy suddenly rang in her ears, “Raise your head and let me see it.”