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墨書 Inktalez
Although it was a question, Princess Shangyang had no intention of accepting Gu Bei's refusal. She had already made up her mind; if Gu Bei truly declined, she would ask again until he agreed.
Gu Bei could not resist her and had no choice but to comply.
"Great!" Princess Shangyang cheered, her spirits high as she walked ahead.
Gu Bei could only follow behind, patiently accompanying her.
Princess Shangyang rarely left the palace, so everything was new to her; even an ordinary item could leave her in awe.
After visiting a few shops, Princess Shangyang pointed to a store selling accessories and said, "Let's check out this place. I've heard their designs are quite innovative, and many concubines in the palace have shopped here!"
With that, she happily walked inside.
As soon as Gu Bei entered, he noticed that Princess Shangyang was not browsing for accessories but chatting with someone. His expression turned cold; he recognized the person all too well—Liu Susu, with whom he had some unresolved grievances.
Liu Susu was not alone; Lady Liu was with her, likely out shopping together as mother and daughter.
"General Gu, look who I ran into!" Princess Shangyang called Gu Bei over. "What a coincidence! Lady Liu and Sister Liu are also here buying accessories."
Gu Bei suppressed his displeasure and greeted Lady Liu. As for Liu Susu, he didn't even spare her a glance from the corner of his eye.
Given what Liu Susu had done, Gu Bei not confronting her on the spot was already a significant concession to the Liu family. Lady Liu was well aware of her daughter's misdeeds and had no grounds to criticize Gu Bei for being impolite.
The atmosphere grew tense; Lady Liu felt somewhat guilty facing Gu Bei. Her daughter had offended so many people, so it was no wonder Gu Bei was upset.
Even Princess Shangyang, who usually did not read people's expressions well, could clearly sense the coldness radiating from Gu Bei. She obediently quieted down and stood to the side, her eyes darting around as she occasionally stole glances at Gu Bei's reactions.
In contrast, Liu Susu enthusiastically took Princess Shangyang's hand and praised her, "What a coincidence! I never expected to run into you outside the palace. The princess has become even more enchanting lately; with just a bit of dressing up, you could easily pass for a Beautiful Lady!"
The Shangyang Princess felt a bit shy when someone praised her in front of Gu Bei. "Sister Liu, you're teasing me again! If you keep this up, I won't talk to you anymore!"
"Oh dear, how can that be?" Liu Susu feigned surprise. "I'm only speaking the truth. Why is the princess unhappy? You are stunningly beautiful, and General Gu has such heroic spirit. Anyone who sees you two would think you are a perfect match!"
Hearing Liu Susu praise her and Gu Bei as a couple, the Shangyang Princess's heart blossomed with joy, and she looked at Gu Bei with a bashful expression.
Gu Bei remained stoic, showing no emotion, as if he were completely absent from their conversation.
His gaze swept over Liu Susu. What scheme was she concocting now? Did she really think that by using the princess, she could achieve her own goals?
Gu Bei coldly urged the Shangyang Princess to adhere to palace rules. With no choice left and realizing that much time had passed, she reluctantly returned to the palace.
Once they left, Liu Susu could no longer maintain her smile and seethed with anger as she watched them depart.
"A perfect match?" Liu Susu scoffed. "More like a pair of fools! They really think they're something special, but they're just a bunch of idiots!"
Lady Liu whispered sternly, "Stop talking nonsense! That is Your Highness and the General; how can you afford to offend them?"
"What of the General? He can't even control his own marriage!" Liu Susu sneered. "As long as the Shangyang Princess keeps pestering him, how dare he truly defy the Empress's wrath and marry that Ye Xiaohan woman?"
Lady Liu replied with rising anger, "What are you talking about? You just praised them to keep the princess from giving up easily! Why can't you listen? Their matters are theirs alone; we shouldn't interfere! Didn't you promise not to stir up trouble anymore?"
Liu Susu pouted, "Mother! Who is really your daughter? That Ye Xiaohan dared to treat me this way, making Father lock me up for so long and not let me out! I won't let her off easily! If I can't have it, she shouldn't get it either!"
In the end, Liu Susu gritted her teeth, her face twisted in rage. But she quickly masked her expression faster than a change of face in a play. "It's just too bad for the Shangyang Princess; while others fight, she benefits."
Though it was frustrating to see the Shangyang Princess reap the rewards effortlessly, just imagining Ye Xiaohan's devastated face when Gu Bei abandoned her made everything worthwhile for Liu Susu.
As long as Ye Xiaohan was not doing well, Liu Susu felt at ease!
Lady Liu looked at her daughter with concern. She understood her daughter's temperament too well; just by looking at her expression, she knew that Liu Susu was still brooding over the previous events.
"My daughter, listen to your parents' advice and don't get involved in this matter any further!" Lady Liu said earnestly. "The only reason you were safe before was that Miss Ye had no one to rely on. Even if she was with General Gu, before marriage, she had no official status, which is why your father could keep things under control."
If the situation involved the Shangyang Princess, it would be entirely different. The Queen was notoriously protective of her children; who would dare to touch them? She could ruin an entire family for her child's sake.
Liu Susu reassured Lady Liu, "Mother, don't worry. I won't act recklessly like before. Father has already taught me a lesson; how could I not remember? I was just venting my frustration."
Lady Liu looked at Liu Susu with doubt but did not see any clear emotion on her daughter's face. She could only remind her cautiously, "It's best if you think that way; then your father and I can rest easy."
After that, Lady Liu lost interest in continuing their shopping and hurriedly took Liu Susu home.
On the surface, Liu Susu appeared calm, but secretly she was brewing a host of bad ideas.
The Shangyang Princess returned to the palace and would not be able to go out for a while, which left her feeling frustrated.
Everything else was manageable; she had long since gotten used to living in the palace. The only thing that displeased her was the lavish feast laid out before her.
"More of the same! Just these again!" The Shangyang Princess slammed her chopsticks back onto the table. "Do these Royal Chefs have any brains? They can only replicate dishes that others have already overcooked; can't they come up with something new?"
A palace maid quickly stepped forward to appease the Shangyang Princess. "Your Highness, please don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health over just one Royal Chef!"
"What do you know?" The Shangyang Princess glared at the maid angrily. "You think everything tastes good! You eat whatever is put in front of you—just a bowl of plain rice or half a bun, and you're satisfied! You have no appreciation for fine cuisine!"
The maid shrugged her shoulders and replied softly, "I do have my preferences."
"Do you dare to talk back?" the Shangyang Princess exclaimed angrily. "What ambition can someone have who can eat two bowls of plain rice? Why don't you tell me?"
The maid replied, "My ambition is simply rice!"
"Hmph!" The Shangyang Princess pushed the maid aside. "You lack great aspirations! How can that be considered ambition? One should aspire to taste all the delicacies in the world, to eat what others have never tasted—that is true ambition!"
The maid dared not respond further. She simply couldn't understand why loving rice and steamed buns wasn't enough. Isn't it true that in life, the things one eats most often and never tires of are precisely these?
Isn't this clear? These are the true delicacies that people pursue!
"Ah, which blind fool dares to anger our princess?"
A voice approached from afar. Upon hearing it, the Shangyang Princess looked up in surprise, "Sister Liu!"
Liu Susu approached with a beaming smile. "I heard your voice from outside. Did a maid's laziness make you angry?"
Her gaze swept over the maid, who felt a chill run down her spine as if being watched by some terrifying creature.
"It wasn't her." The Shangyang Princess found someone to vent her frustrations on and poured out everything that had been bothering her, including how she had visited a restaurant and how Ye Xiaohan had coldly rejected her.
In the end, the princess concluded, "This woman simply doesn't know what's good for her. I won't let her off easily!"
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