Chapter 26: Guilt Cannot Be Escaped

She stayed at the residence of the Chief Princess until nightfall before Yin Mingyu finally nodded in agreement and allowed her to leave. During this time, she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the Chief Princess.

Yin Mingyu carried her onto the bed—not to sleep, but just to loosely hold her in his arms as they talked idly. At one point, she nearly dozed off.

“Wake up,” Yin Mingyu said, giving her ear a light pinch. He lifted the brocade quilt and, as expected, spotted the white binding cloth Ning Zhaorou had tried to hide earlier.

Ning Zhaorou hadn’t reacted yet. Sitting up, she raised her hand and immediately saw the cloth—she quickly snatched it up and hid it again. Looking up at Yin Mingyu, she was now fully awake.

“Your Majesty… are you leaving?” she asked, and as soon as she said it, she too realized how late it had gotten. She knelt on the bed and moved closer to Yin Mingyu on her knees, looking up at him.

Yin Mingyu teased her while holding her waist, pulling her up slightly and saying casually,
“Yes, I should go. I’ve seen you today, coaxed you plenty—what, now you can’t bear to let me go?”

Ning Zhaorou extended her arms and lightly wrapped them around his neck. She didn’t deny his words. Surrounded by Yin Mingyu’s scent, she wondered vaguely if it had rubbed off on her after he held her the whole afternoon.

Sensing her distracted, Yin Mingyu’s hand slid lower and gave her a light pat, asking,
“I asked you a question.”

Ning Zhaorou jolted slightly and cautiously echoed his words:
“I was thinking of Your Majesty… I really don’t want you to go.”

Yin Mingyu let out a soft laugh. Before coming here, he’d thought he had nearly forgotten about this girl. He assumed that seeing her again wouldn’t stir much feeling—but the result was just the opposite. The more he looked, the more he liked her.

How could Ning Zhaorou be so lovable?

“It’s time to prepare for you to enter the palace,” he said.

Ning Zhaorou’s eyes lit up slightly at those words.

So he pinched her chin and reminded her,
“Silly girl. Do you think entering the palace is such a wonderful thing?”

She was still young. The palace concubines had all clawed their way up—open fights and hidden schemes were everywhere. If he let her enter the palace too soon, she would no doubt be bullied terribly.

Just one Consort Liang had already made things difficult for her. If she was any more naïve, she could be thoroughly schemed against before even entering the palace.

Ning Zhaorou’s eyes were clear as water. She responded softly, choosing her words carefully:
“This subject understands. The consorts in the inner palace… are extremely formidable. But I think, what matters most is Your Majesty’s favor.”

The palace women fought and schemed for imperial favor. If she could win just a bit of it, she wouldn’t be as afraid.

Yin Mingyu looked down, observing her serious expression as she said this, and gently scolded her,
“Such a brazen little charmer, this Ning girl. I should give you ten strokes with a paddle just to correct this mouth of yours.”

Despite the words, there was no real anger in his expression. In fact, it reminded him of something else.

“By the way, I still haven’t punished you for deceiving your emperor last time. Getting bolder, aren’t you?”

He saw Ning Zhaorou visibly freeze, and finally a trace of panic rose in her eyes. Her body trembled slightly under his hand, but she stubbornly held back from making a sound.

“I wonder if your body can withstand the rod,” he murmured. Then he gently pressed her shoulder and turned her body over, pinning her to the bed. His palm slid down and rested on her lower back as he warned:

“Palace rods are used on the spine. Below that, the flesh is soft—just a few strokes and it tears the skin.”

Ning Zhaorou couldn’t escape in time. Pressed down by his palm, she let out a soft breathy sound, somewhere between a plea and fear. Her body twisted like a frightened kitten, trying to wriggle away.

“Smack—” Yin Mingyu landed a slap on her buttocks, and the room immediately fell silent.

Ning Zhaorou froze. She turned her head, eyes brimming with tears, looking confused and wronged. Her rosy lips parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of her white teeth, and in that expression, there was clear grievance.

Yin Mingyu saw her finally turn her head back. The part of her that had just been struck still obediently rested beneath his palm, as if silently saying she would take whatever punishment he gave.

That slap had been quite forceful—even the sound of it echoed clearly. But if he kept going, he feared this girl would end up crying miserably. After all, it wasn’t a serious offense. If she’d said something wrong, he could teach her properly another time. There was no need to frighten her like this.

So he lifted Ning Zhaorou back up from the bed.

“There. Consider your account settled. But if you ever dare deceive your emperor again, I won’t let you off so easily.”

Ning Zhaorou bit her lip lightly and promised she wouldn’t dare again.

Yin Mingyu gave her another hug, tidied her hair, and finally led her down from the pavilion.

When the carriage had arrived at the Princess’s residence, it had been completely empty inside. Now, as they left, it was packed with things—most of them gifted by Yin Mingyu.

There were clothes, jewelry, and fine fabrics, all sized to fit Ning Zhaorou.

These items returned with Ning Zhaorou to the Anping Marquis Manor, and when Ning Wanqing saw them, she couldn’t help feeling jealous for a long while. Gifts from the Princess herself were not something she dared to touch, no matter how tempting. This wasn’t the same as the rewards given by Consort Liang back at Mount Yuehua—Ning Zhaorou had already offended Consort Liang, but the Princess clearly favored her greatly.

Seeing Ning Zhaorou take the gifts into her own courtyard, Ning Wanqing immediately turned to find Madam Wu. Unable to contain her fury, she complained:

“It’s all because you insisted she go to Mount Yuehua. And now? Not only has she shaken off that marriage, she’s even become the center of attention—”

Madam Wu listened calmly, sipping her tea with a composed air before speaking:
“There’s no need to be so upset about this.”

Ning Wanqing had been raised by Madam Wu and, while she hadn’t inherited all of her temperament, she managed to calm herself down at last. Looking at Madam Wu, she asked:

“Do you have a plan, godmother?”

Madam Wu turned her head slightly and instructed the maid beside her to pour a cup of tea for Ning Wanqing. Only then did she speak slowly:

“That girl is certainly good-looking. Even if the marriage didn’t work out, there will be no shortage of men who want her. Since this engagement can’t go through, I suppose I’ll be charitable and help her find a better match.”

“What kind of match?” Ning Wanqing asked, frowning.

Madam Wu leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

Ning Wanqing’s brows gradually relaxed, and a look of delight appeared on her face.

---

Ning Zhaorou’s days had been peaceful for a while. Then, on a rainy autumn day in the capital, she overheard some unexpected news from the household—two of the governesses had died.

“Strange, really. I heard that Madam Fang fell during the night, hit her head on the steps, and died instantly. The other, Madam Liu, suddenly fell ill—she didn’t last long either,” Shuangwu said softly as she helped sort embroidery threads for Ning Zhaorou.

“Is that so?” Ning Zhaorou’s dark eyes gazed through the curtain of rain into the courtyard beyond. Raindrops fell like a string of pearls, splashing onto the ground with sharp, crackling sounds.

“Yes. If you ask me, they got what they deserved.” Those two old crones had often abused their power under the guise of teaching the young miss. And everyone knew they acted on Madam Wu’s orders. Their end was long overdue.

Ning Zhaorou continued watching the rain, then suddenly curved her lips into a smile. It was genuine. She said nothing more, and calmly resumed stitching her sachet, thread by thread.