Chapter 87 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

Due to Nan Zhu's refusal to allow Li Jin to enter, he had no choice but to stand outside the hall, accompanying Xing Er for a chat. Li Jin, on the other hand, felt completely at ease. Regardless of whether they were close or not, as long as he caught Xing Er, he would go on endlessly about all sorts of things. Starting from his childhood in the Jiangnan region, then moving on to how he followed his father's promotion to the capital, and then discussing how he was favored by his cousin... However, Xing Er had no interest in listening to Li Jin's jumbled stories. Last night, in Princess Xiao Yue's chambers, she had been shocked to see a man's shoes. So today, when Li Jin and He Yunxiao came over, she paid particular attention to the shoes they were wearing. As expected, without any surprises, the shoes He Yunxiao wore today were exactly the same as the ones worn by the man last night. He Yunxiao was indeed the man secretly meeting with Princess Nan Zhu. As Nan Zhu's personal maid, Xing Er naturally knew that the Empress Dowager intended for Nan Zhu to marry He Yunxiao. Although it hadn't been formally decided, it was almost certain. Therefore, He Yunxiao's secret visit to see Meng Qingrou was indeed a breach of etiquette, but it would also make for an interesting scandal. When people talked about it, it would surely be quite an enthralling tale. Now, Xing Er was a bit uncertain as she observed Princess Nan Zhu's attitude regarding this marriage. As Meng Qingrou's long-time close friend, she didn't dare to be certain about anything else, but she was familiar with Meng Qingrou's character. This Princess Nan Zhu might seem gentle, but she was actually tough on the inside. While she could be bullied casually most of the time, once she encountered something she felt strongly about, she would be shocked, her limbs would go numb, her organs would shake, her mouth would go sweet, fresh blood would rise up uncontrollably. "Xing Er, do you know the Zhenlong Chess Formation?" When it came to playing chess, one of the few things Li Jin excelled at, he became animated. "The Zhenlong Chess Formation, I've already figured out a way to crack it! If I place this here, and you place that there, then I put this here, and you put that there..." Li Jin pretended as if there were a puzzle in front of him, using his finger to demonstrate the moves to Xing Er. Meanwhile, Xing Er, resting her cheek in her hand, was actually thinking about Princess Nan Zhu's situation. After a while, He Yunxiao, who had entered the palace with his head held high, finally emerged from the Linxuan Palace. However, when he came out, his steps were slow, his shoulders slumped, his gaze vacant and dull, and he looked completely dejected, like a wilted cucumber. Seeing He Yunxiao coming out, Li Jin immediately cheered, "Brother He, is it a success?" "It's over..." In a hoarse and low voice, the words came from He Yunxiao's cracked lips. Li Jin scratched his head. "I've helped you so much, how could it be over?" "It's over..." Watching He Yunxiao in this state, Xing Er couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Originally, she didn't particularly like He Yunxiao. Aside from his own bad reputation, sneaking into the Princess's chambers late at night was a sign of disrespect to the Princess herself. But now, seeing He Yunxiao looking so lost, she suddenly understood him. Xing Er knew Nan Zhu's situation. She had no background, no power, wasn't taken seriously, and was even suffering from a strange poison. Her only advantages were the title of a princess and a pretty face. In this world, finding a gentleman who could marry Nan Zhu was easy. Finding someone who could marry her, treat her well, and love her was not difficult either. But finding someone who could marry her, treat her well, love her, and be willing to be so dejected for her was extremely rare. Xing Er was older than Meng Qingrou, and she had seen and heard a lot of things in the harem. Which concubine didn't do everything possible to please the Emperor? Those who upset the Emperor were sometimes left alone if they were favored, but if they weren't, they were simply thrown out like dogs. "He Yunxiao, my Princess has this kind of personality. When she gets angry, she won't take anyone's feelings into account. Please don't take it to heart." Although Xing Er told He Yunxiao not to mind Meng Qingrou, in actuality, she hoped that He Yunxiao would be genuinely concerned about Meng Qingrou. The poor girl had suffered a lot since she was young. It would be best for her to have someone who cared for and loved her, so she could suffer less in the future. Looking at He Yunxiao's expression and hearing his words, Xing Er was genuinely happy for Nan Zhu. How nice. He's like this himself, but he's still thinking about our Princess. "I understand, He Yunxiao." Once Xing Er agreed, she called other palace maids to attend to He Yunxiao and Li Jin, then went to Linxuan Palace to find Nan Zhu in her sleeping quarters. After Meng Qingrou scolded He Yunxiao and sat quietly in her chambers, Xing Er opened the door slightly, slipped into the room, and quickly shut the door. "Princess?" "Hmm." Xing Er didn't ask any boring questions like "Are you okay?" Last time, when Meng Qingrou's mother passed away, she had been by her side the whole time. She was very experienced. Despite her usual appearance of someone who could be easily bullied, this gentle girl was actually stronger than most people. "Princess doesn't seem very happy today." Meng Qingrou sat quietly in her chair without any unnecessary movements. "Somewhat." "Can you tell Xing Er about it?" Meng Qingrou looked up at Xing Er, the girl who was like a steward, an older sister, and an elder at the same time. She lowered her head and said, "I was deceived." Xing Er whispered, "How were you deceived?" Meng Qingrou turned her face to the side. "He initially said he was Xiao Yun and tricked me into marrying him, but now he says he's He Yunxiao." "In that case, how did you reply to him?" "I won't marry anyone, and he's not allowed to come again." "Good. Since he has deceived us, he should just leave." After Xing Er finished speaking, she saw that Meng Qingrou showed no signs of improvement, and she understood in her heart. When a couple quarrels, fanning the flames doesn't help. If you scold the other party according to one's heart's desire and they are happy, it means they don't care as much, or not at all. If they are unhappy and even blame you for scolding, it means they still care a lot. Xing Er added, "Your Highness, he is the lord, and you are the subject. He just deceived you, so scolding him is not enough. I’ll go speak to Princess Xiao Yue, charge He Yunxiao with the crime of deceiving the lord, and later have him executed in autumn!" Xing Er got up and pretended to leave. But Meng Qingrou couldn’t sit still when she saw this. She jumped off her chair and ran over to grab Xing Er. "Xing Er! Don't go!" She hastened to say good things to He Yunxiao. "He knows his reputation is bad, and he went by an alias at first because he was afraid I'd refuse! Later, he just didn’t tell me because he was playing around. Actually, he confessed yesterday, but I didn't believe him, so it's my fault!" Xing Er couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Highness, surely you understand what happened, right?" Meng Qingrou stood there dumbfounded. Unconsciously, tears streamed down her cheeks. Losing herself in thought, she kept crying, as though she would never stop. Gently, Xing Er held the girl, patting her back rhythmically. "Qingrou, just cry. It will make you feel better." At this moment, Meng Qingrou finally sobbed. "Xing Er, I, I was originally... sob... going to beg my sister and my mother... but he deceived me... Why would he deceive me... I trusted him so much..." "Don't forgive him easily this time." "Mm..." "Make him suffer a bit!" "Mm..."