Chapter 69 – “Wishing I Could Drag Him Out and Give Him a Beating”

On the stands, accompanying the Emperor for casual conversation, Shen Nian kept an eye on the situation over at Xia Tian’s side. When she saw that Xia Tian had left the stands, she quickly signaled Mu Chen, who understood and left.

After a while, Mu Chen returned, whispering that Madam and Miss Wen, along with two others, seemed to have started an argument not far from the ice rink.

Shen Nian felt anxious and explained the situation to the Emperor, but to her surprise, the Emperor, with his childlike nature, insisted on coming along to see the excitement.

Sure enough, hiding in the corner, the Emperor listened to their conversation for a while before turning to Shen Nian and teasing her, “Your wife is quite something!”

Shen Nian, maintaining a calm expression, replied, “Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor chuckled and, with curiosity, asked, “Chu Xuan, is your wife really from a farming family?”

“Yes, truly,” Shen Nian replied.

The Emperor sighed in admiration. “Her knowledge and eloquence don’t seem like someone from a farming family. Especially her eloquence—it’s even better than my Imperial Censor’s!”

Shen Nian didn’t respond, but inwardly agreed.

Listening to the exchange, she noticed that Xia Tian wasn’t at a disadvantage, so she didn’t rush out.

The others were still unaware that their conversation had been overheard by the Emperor.

Xia Tian, seeing that she had been a bit harsh earlier, noticed that the three were looking a little defeated. Adopting a “forgiving enemies is better than creating lasting grudges” mindset, she began to patiently reason with them.

“I say, Miss Wen, you’re stunningly beautiful, talented, and gifted—why must you tie yourself to Shen Nian?”

Miss Wen glared at her. “You say that so nicely. Why don’t you just give up your position as ‘Nian Gege’s’ partner?”

Xia Tian smiled. “I’m in a different situation. The two of us are in mutual affection. But you two—one side is interested, while the other is indifferent, right?”

With patience, she continued, “You say you have such good conditions, and there are so many noble gentlemen in the capital. I find it hard to believe that there’s no one as excellent as Shen Nian for you.”

The three of them looked at her with a sharp side-eye—this was clearly a boast!

“But Nian Gege has known me since we were young…” Miss Wen wasn’t convinced. She didn’t want to give up on the person she had liked for so many years, only for him to fall into someone else’s arms.

Especially someone like Shen Nian—someone they considered an ordinary farm girl. How could she bear it?

Losing to such a person, who seemingly had nothing to offer, left her feeling bitter.

Xia Tian interrupted her, “Enough with ‘Nian Gege.’ I know saying this makes me sound like I’m taking advantage of the situation, but think about it—if you married him and he doesn’t like you, won’t that be even more painful?”

“You’re so outstanding. Surely, the number of people who like you could fill up the entire palace gates. Isn’t it better to choose someone who likes you?”

She looked directly into Miss Wen’s eyes, speaking seriously. “Besides, living together is about daily life—a fleeting attraction or impulse will eventually be replaced by the mundane aspects of life. When that happens, if he still doesn’t reciprocate your feelings, will you still be able to keep liking him?”

Miss Wen was stunned. Was this something she should be thinking about now?

“But… if I wait long enough, he’ll like me…” Miss Wen hesitated.

Xia Tian sighed inwardly. Why were these noble ladies always so naive?

“But you’ve known him for many years. Has he liked you yet?” Xia Tian pressed, giving her no chance to respond. “Don’t blame me—I don’t have enough charm to just steal him away from you.”

“If it weren’t for you, Shen Nian would definitely choose Miss Wen,” Hu Mengyao chimed in, quickly rebutting.

Xia Tian rolled her eyes. “That just means Shen Nian doesn’t like your Miss Wen at all. Otherwise, why would he rather choose me than her?”

This was getting tedious. They were going around in circles.

“Let’s not talk about it anymore. You three can do whatever you want. But if there’s something, just go find Shen Nian. Don’t come looking for me. If he wants to marry you, I won’t stop him.”

Xia Tian shrugged. “But if he doesn’t want to marry you, I won’t let go.”

Hu Mengyao angrily retorted, “How could you be so…”

Xia Tian waved her hand, cutting her off. “Stop. Are you three tired? Let’s go find somewhere to sit and have a cup of tea, and then we can talk about it slowly. These three young ladies have already come to me twice today, and we’ve been talking in circles for hours. It’s always the same thing.”

They all believed she had taken Shen Nian from them.

Shen Hui was done handling things and wouldn’t be bothering her for now.

Unexpectedly, another Miss came to challenge her.

Talking to people who were so stubborn was exhausting.

She almost wished she could drag Shen Nian out and give him a good beating.

Miss Wen seemed a little deflated now, probably hit hard by Xia Tian’s comment, “He chose me over you.” She turned pale and remained silent for a while.

Xia Tian sighed inwardly. Why couldn’t she see things clearly?

With good family background, beauty, and talent, what kind of man couldn’t she find? Why couldn’t she move on?

If someone said they didn’t like her, then just turn around and leave. Outstanding men weren’t extinct, so why cry over it?

But standing in Miss Wen’s shoes, Xia Tian had to admit she was just speaking from a position of not having to endure the same feelings.

None of them spoke for a while. After some time, Miss Wen and the others left, and Xia Tian, with Cuiyun, returned to the stands.

She hoped Miss Wen could go home and think things over. This was something she would have to work out on her own.

The Emperor saw the group dispersing, then turned and patted Shen Nian on the shoulder before leaving.

Shen Nian stood still for a while before heading back.

After the afternoon’s ice festival speeches by the Emperor concluded, the event was successfully wrapped up.

The two of them got into the carriage, and Xia Tian noticed that Shen Nian, still holding her hand tightly without letting go, was acting strangely.

She stared at him in confusion. What was going on?

Since she returned to the stands, Shen Nian had been like this—silent and just holding her hand tightly, not letting go.

“Shen Dage, what’s wrong? You’re acting a bit odd,” Xia Tian asked, leaning her head forward and lifting her chin to look at him.

“It’s nothing,” Shen Nian replied, maintaining his usual calm expression.

Xia Tian shook her head. Something was definitely going on!

That evening, when they returned home, Shen Nian came from Lingyun Pavilion, holding a brocade box. Xia Tian widened her eyes, staring at him. She immediately guessed that he had heard about Miss Wen’s confrontation with her today and was now trying to bribe her with something nice.

Shen Nian didn’t speak, just smiled at her.

Xia Tian glared at him for a while, but in the end, her intention to drag him out for a beating faded.

Was it really his fault for being too outstanding?

But still, she muttered under her breath, “Let me see it. It better not be some junk, because it won’t buy me.”

Shen Nian pushed the brocade box in front of her and opened it, revealing a dazzling golden set of headpieces and ornaments, intricately designed, exquisitely crafted, and looking luxurious and noble.

Xia Tian immediately closed the box, holding it close to her chest, and grinned. “Now that’s more like it.”

Shen Nian, seeing her excitement, knew he had chosen the right gift!

When they were arguing with Miss Wen earlier, he could tell she had started losing patience. He feared she might leave because it was too much trouble.

He had indeed chosen wisely!

Xia Tian stopped being angry and began chatting with him again.

“Shen Dage, do you know who had the most exercise during the ice festival games?”