What’s Your Gender, Princess? Chapter 5

【5】

I was a bit afraid when I held out a hand under her nose… and discovered that she wasn’t breathing.

I looked at Prince Wumin stiffly: “What do we do, she’s not breathing…”

Prince Wumin wasn’t nervous at all. He tested for her pulse, and said: “Rest a.s.sured, she’s not dead. Her acupuncture point had probably been stabbed into, making her enter a sleeping state.”

I let out a huge breath of relief: “That’s great.”

Prince Wumin knitted his eyebrows: “What’s great? I bet everyone knows that she’s here with us right now, so I have to be revealed in front of everyone. Also, even though she’s not dead now, she’s still not in a good condition. My uncle loves his daughter as if she’s his life, seriously…”

Hearing him say that, I couldn’t help but say: “You’re actually a hundred times more patient when it comes to her.”

Prince Wumin said: “She likes me, and this a great way for me to control my uncle.”

I said: “Then you’re going to marry her and make her an Empress in the future?”

Prince Wumin looked at me with a slight sneer: “You think that after I ascend the throne, I’d let my uncle stay by my side, like a ticking bomb waiting to explode?”

“…No.”

“Then do you think that after I get rid of him, I would be at peace knowing that I have his daughter by my side, like a ticking bomb waiting to explode?”

“…No.”

“That’s exactly right.” He calmly stated, “At the moment, I’m only faking that I like her, so my uncle wouldn’t do anything to me because of Princess Shengan. I’ll get rid of all of their people afterwards.”

His current vicious and merciless manner made me vaguely recall that day on that platform, the man who was in charge of voicing the executions.

In these short hours of interaction, in the midst of the noisy turmoil, I nearly forgot that Prince Wumin was that type of person.

When I suddenly recalled that, I was fully frightened.

I asked cautiously: “By your side, why is it all bombs…”

“…” Prince Wumin looked at me with a complex expression, “I think you’re missing the point here…”

I explained: “No, I was just thinking that in your mind, I’m probably a bomb too.”

Prince Wumin pursed his lips into a smile: “Don’t worry, even if it is, it’s also linked to me —— our current situation, is like a double bomb…”

“…”

After Prince Wumin carefully extracted the silver needles out of Princess Shengan’s head, he allowed me to call for people to come in, telling me to say that Princess Shengan accidentally hit her head, fainted, and to bring her back home.

Princess Yangping’s clothes and other items had arrived just in time. I took a look, and saw gold light flickering from its gold lotus borders. It was indeed gorgeous and not at all gaudy. The craftsmans.h.i.+p was fine and meticulous with little precious pearls. With just a look, there were no less than a thousand pearls, and each one was properly embroidered. There was not a slanted one in sight, and not even the connecting lines could be seen, which goes to show that it had been carefully made to be luxurious.

I looked at the head ornaments, and they were all the dangling kind, gold hairpins with ta.s.sels. If they were to all be worn, I believe that half the face would be covered. There was an especially large ta.s.seled one, and when I helped Prince Wumin put it on, I said: “If you can’t see the face, then it wouldn’t matter if you’re ugly or beautiful.”

Prince Wumin didn’t say anything. He only accepted it mutely, and then put it to the back of his head.

“…”

Both Prince Wumin and I didn’t really know how to dress up. In the end, we still had to call for the palace maids to help him out. I’m a.s.suming that the palace maids were already accustomed to today’s strangeness. Even though some of their complexions were as white as paper and were as green as gra.s.s, they were no longer trembling, so their help in dressing up wasn’t that bad.

After a series of bustling, the palace maids withdrew and I looked at Prince Wumin: “As expected of thirty percent looks and seventy percent make up, Crown Prince Your Highness, you’re really beautiful like this.”

Prince Wumin sneered: “Yun Jiao, you really have no face, to actually compliment yourself by complimenting me.”

I shot him a smile: “Not like it’s my face.”

“…”

We had finally finished the preparations. We went over what we were going to say and do once we go to visit the Emperor —— In a while, I was going to tell West Yang Country’s Emperor that Prince Wumin, who was currently me, Princess Changyi, came to seek peace. Prince Wumin, who’s currently me, received news that North Chang Country was going to take advantage of West Yang Country attacking East Yuan Country to attack West Yang Country, that was currently fairly empty of military power due to our war. Moreover, West Yang Country has been attacking East Yuan Country for a long time without any success. Soldiers were growing weary of the war —— After all, invading someone couldn’t compare with the people’s pa.s.sion to defend their country, especially since the war had dragged on for this long. Now that North Chang Country has made some movements, Prince Wumin decided to immediately seek a draw with East Yuan Country and deal with North Chang Country first.

Making peace required a connecting link, and that link, was Princess Changyi, who had rushed over.

Of course, since West Yang Country had spent so much military strength and resources to attack East Yuan Country, it would be impossible for them to withdraw this easily. Even if the Emperor agreed, the soldiers would be extremely dissatisfied, so East Yuan Country would have to give half of its taxes to West Yang Country. Moreover, the first time had to include offerings like gold, silver, other valuables, pigs, dogs, livestock, satin, silk, and other materials of that grade.

From now one, the two countries were to be considered allies, shall a.s.sist the other in need, and never invade the other.

This was also something I agreed on. After all, this was way better than the current East Yuan Country that was nearing its end. If even this was unacceptable, if the Emperor absolutely refuses, if the King of Xiuyi shot off his mouth and Prince Wumin’s Crown Prince position was in danger, then I could just die with him…

I asked Prince Wumin this before, and he said that North Chang Country was indeed eyeing West Yang Country like a tiger, but they shouldn’t be that brazen enough to directly attack yet. After all, North Chang Country and South Wen Country were mutually keeping the other in check, so they wouldn’t turn around and be able to randomly come here yet.

But right now, we can’t bother with that anymore. We need to take out a viable excuse —— Besides, North Chang Country wasn’t really that friendly either, so it would be wiped out in the future anyways.

In regards to Prince Wumin’s aggressive approach, I had no objections.

After verifying that our story had no mistakes, we left the Heaven Palming Palace together. As we walked, I seriously informed him that he was not allowed to call me Yun Jiao.

Since young, people had always called me Princess, or Changyi. Aside from the vague memories of my mother calling me Yun Jiao when I was really young, and when I was studying the Book of Songs, when my tutor said “a clear moonlight” while mentioning my name, I had nearly forgotten that my name was Yun Jiao. Prince Wumin knowing my name wasn’t that unexpected, but when he kept saying it so frequently, it made me feel a bit weird.

After Prince Wumin heard what I said, his face spread into a smile: “Then… Jiao’er?”

“…Just call me Yun Jiao.”