A Figure on Jade Steps in the Wind and Snow 101

Chapter 101: The Second Imperial Princess

The Second Imperial Princess had been a little worried recently.

She had been diligently working on her homework, cultivating both civil and military skills, and was very attentive, but the Grand Tutor said that she was “diligent but not talented.”

Of course, this was not said in front of her, but she had overheard it one day when she was reporting to her mother-empress.

Although her mother-empress had immediately replied that “talent can be made up for with diligence in the later stages, and the most important thing is attitude,” she was still a little hurt.

She stood outside the Imperial Study, supported by her attendant’s hand, and said with her head down, “Let’s go,” and turned to leave the palace.

The attendant was really a little heartbroken. After returning to her room, she had a heart-to-heart talk with the Second Imperial Princess. She had watched the Second Imperial Princess grow up since she was a child, and in her impression, the Second Imperial Princess had always been gentle and resilient, like an ivy in spring, quietly and steadily climbing the wall.

“The Emperor still favors Your Highness,” the attendant said in a gentle voice. “Your Highness has a good attitude and studies until late at night every day. The Emperor sees it all.”

The Second Imperial Princess let out a muffled sigh, “But I still feel that it’s not enough. My Imperial Eldest Sister doesn’t seem to work very hard on a normal day, but in the last Imperial Academy test, my score was not much different from hers.”

The attendant thought for a moment and had an idea, “Why doesn’t Your Highness go to Her Highness Huai’an’s manor for a while and have a chat with Her Highness Huai’an?”

“It would be too much of a bother to my little aunt…” The Second Imperial Princess was a little hesitant. “It’s already the first watch now, and I don’t know if my little aunt and General Shen have gone to bed.”

“Who goes to bed at the first watch?” the attendant smiled. “It’s probably just after dinner at the first watch. If Her Highness Huai’an is not convenient to see you, you can just come back. There’s no need to feel sorry for the carriage fare.”

The Second Imperial Princess also smiled, “Why would I feel sorry for the carriage fare? Forget it, you’re right. If they have something to do and it’s not convenient to see me, they will naturally refuse.”

So when Shen Zhishu and Jiang Yu were playing Go in the pavilion, they once again heard someone knocking on the door outside.

After a moment, the doorman replied, “It’s the Second Highness.”

Shen Zhishu put down her white jade chess piece and suddenly raised her head, “Your two nieces are really something. You come today, and I’ll come tomorrow, and you always come at this time.”

“Doesn’t the General want to see her?” Jiang Yu said softly. “If you don’t want to see her, it’s fine. I’ll have someone refuse her.”

Shen Zhishu raised an eyebrow, suddenly cupped her hands, and said with a smile, “This subordinate will leave it to Your Highness to decide.”

Jiang Yu glanced at her and raised her hand to order the doorman to let her in.

**

The Second Imperial Princess had always been very polite. When she came to visit this time, she brought a box of high-quality Junshan Silver Needle and a watermelon that was as thick as a person’s waist.

She bowed to Jiang Yu and said in a gentle voice, “I didn’t mean to come at this time, but I have just gotten some good things. This Junshan Silver Needle is secondary, but this watermelon is rare. It’s not the season for watermelon harvest, but my manor has harvested three large watermelons. I had someone send one to the palace, and I kept one for myself. After thinking about it, my little aunt has taken care of me a lot in the past, so I hurried to send it over.”

Shen Zhishu smiled and said, “Then this subordinate has also benefited. Huai’an often mentions Your Highness to me, saying that Your Highness used to come to her manor every few days, but she doesn’t come often after she got married.”

The Second Imperial Princess said, “Oh,” “I was originally afraid of disturbing the General and my little aunt’s peace. If my little aunt doesn’t find me annoying, I will naturally run here every day.”

Jiang Yu had someone brew the Junshan Silver Needle and cut the watermelon. After seeing the tea and melon served together, she finally said, “You’ve come, why bring a gift.”

Shen Zhishu immediately smiled, “Wuya’s words are very nice, and her hands are also fast. You’ve accepted the gift, brewed it, and cut it, so she can’t take it back. And then you’re being polite and acting like a good person.”

The Second Imperial Princess said hurriedly, “If my little aunt likes it, I’ll have the manor harvest a few more watermelons. It’s just that they’re not this big.”

Jiang Yu shook her head and said, “No need, this one is more than enough,” and then got straight to the point, “What are you here for today?”

The Second Imperial Princess’s hand, which was about to reach for the teacup, paused, and she said vaguely, “Can’t I come if I have nothing to do? I came to see my little aunt and General Shen.”

Jiang Yu blinked and did not speak. Shen Zhishu chimed in from the side, “Just say it. The First Highness was also here at this time yesterday, and she was not polite with us. She got straight to the point.”

“The Imperial Eldest Sister was also here?” The Second Imperial Princess was a little curious. “Did she have something to ask for?”

“I can’t tell Your Highness about this,” Shen Zhishu said with a smile. “In short, Your Highness, don’t be polite. Just say it.”

The Second Imperial Princess sighed and began to talk about her worries from the beginning. Once she started, she couldn’t stop and talked for two quarters of an hour without stopping.

Jiang Yu and Shen Zhishu listened quietly, nodding from time to time and saying, “Mm.”

“Diligence can make up for lack of talent,” Shen Zhishu said in the end. “Let me tell you a story, Your Highness. It’s a story from ancient times, with a bit of a fantasy element.”

“Once upon a time, there was a child who was not very talented, but her family was well-off, so her family sent her to a famous mountain sect to cultivate.”

“That child was very hardworking and would get up every day before dawn to practice martial arts. But her talent was not very outstanding, and even though she tried her best, she could only barely squeeze into the top ten in the martial arts competition and could not get first place.”

“But in the end, she still became an immortal. Do you know why?”

“Why?” the Second Imperial Princess asked.

“Because she was steadfast and eager to learn, calm and composed, and had always been down-to-earth and willing to work hard, and had never tried any crooked ways. Of the nine people ahead of her, three went mad from being too eager for success, five fought to the death for the title of the twelve immortals, and one… cultivated the evil path and did not become an immortal, but became a demon instead.”

The Second Imperial Princess listened to the whole story in silence, her worried expression not diminishing. She let out a shallow sigh and said in a gentle voice, “It was hard on the General to make up such a story to comfort me.”

“How can it be made up?” Shen Zhishu shook her head, and as if she had a flash of inspiration, she said mysteriously. “This was told to me by the State Preceptor. Perhaps it’s a story from her ancestors?”

The Second Imperial Princess seemed to be very reluctant to believe it.

Jiang Yu put her arm around Shen Zhishu’s shoulder and helped her fan the flames, “What General Shen said is true, don’t you not believe it. The State Preceptor personally showed us her family tree and told us.”

The Second Imperial Princess went from completely not believing to half-believing.

She took a bite of the watermelon with a fork, pursed her lips, and said, “Alright,” “I will definitely strive to learn and be diligent.”

“That’s it,” Shen Zhishu said with a loud voice and a guarantee. “If you have any problems with martial arts, just come to the General’s Manor, and this subordinate will definitely help if I can.”

The Second Imperial Princess thanked her profusely and left. When she left, she had someone bring a box of jewels and jewelry to the General’s Manor.

The three of them had not moved to the flower hall when they were talking, so Shen Zhishu and Jiang Yu were still sitting in the pavilion at this moment.

Shen Zhishu tidied up the stray hairs that had been ruffled by the east wind, and her gaze flowed from the corners of her eyes and landed on the faint mole on Jiang Yu.

At that time, the night was getting deeper, the lights in the pavilion were not bright, and not a human voice could be heard.

Shen Zhishu watched as Jiang Yu’s eyes were baked to a light chestnut color by the lights around her. She paused and said softly, “Does Your Highness allow this subordinate to say some presumptuous words?”

Jiang Yu turned her head to the side, met her gaze, and asked in a faint voice, “What presumptuous words?”

“Is it presumptuous to talk about the future crown prince?”

Jiang Yu’s raised eyebrows fell, “I thought…”

She said these four words, but she swallowed the second half of her sentence and did not continue for a long time.

Shen Zhishu urged, “What did you think?”

“Nothing,” Jiang Yu said. “The General can speak. This Princess will pardon you.”

“This subordinate thanks Your Highness for your magnanimity,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “Speaking of which, between the First Highness and the Second Highness, it’s really hard to see who is better. The two of them have comparable power and prestige in the court, so it will probably depend on who the Emperor likes the most. Does Your Highness know the Emperor’s intention?”

“Jiang Chu only thinks that the First Imperial Princess is a little too extreme and is prone to taking shortcuts; and the Second Imperial Princess is a little too soft, and she is afraid that she will not be able to control her subordinates. So there is no obvious preference. There is also the Fifth Sister, who is fifteen this year and is also in the limelight. The General can take a look at her.”

Shen Zhishu raised an eyebrow, “Wuya is not biased towards the Second Highness.”

Jiang Yu was noncommittal, “Although I am closer to the Second Sister, the matter of the crown prince is not a small matter and cannot be judged by closeness.”

“Does Your Highness still remember the matter of me deliberately keeping my distance from Your Highness before?” Shen Zhishu leaned a little closer to Jiang Yu. “At that time, my Mother Shen only thought that you were biased towards the Second Highness, so she did not let me get close to you. Otherwise…”

“Hmm? Otherwise what?”

Shen Zhishu smiled and completed the second half of her sentence, “Otherwise, I and Your Highness would probably have become familiar with each other faster, and we might have been able to get married before the New Year.”

They were extremely close, and their outer robes brushed against each other. Jiang Yu’s hair all fell on Shen Zhishu’s shoulder.

The distant lights were extinguished a few more, and the night was dark and deep. Only in the small space was the light faint and narrow, which highlighted a sense of being in a secluded corner.

Shen Zhishu’s gaze swept over the seam of Jiang Yu’s lips, and she suddenly saw an opening in that seam, and then she heard a certain person say, “Is that so.”

“Is that so?” Jiang Yu asked. “When did the General have feelings for me?”

“Your Highness can guess? But actually, I’m not very clear myself. It’s just that my heart often beats faster when I’m with Your Highness.”

Jiang Yu narrowed her eyes, “You’re asking me to guess something that you’re not even clear about?”

“Then let’s not guess,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “Anyway, my feelings started tens of thousands of years ago, much earlier than Your Highness.”

Jiang Yu was quiet for a few breaths and said in a faint voice, “Not necessarily.”

“Hmm?” Shen Zhishu was surprised. “Then when did Your Highness start to have feelings for me?”

Jiang Yu opened her mouth, “I forgot.”

Shen Zhishu: …

Perhaps it was because Shen Zhishu’s expression was a little hard to describe, Jiang Yu quickly added, “In the past, I didn’t know what it meant to have feelings. I just thought it was a common thing between friends.”

“Mm. And then?”

“And then?” Jiang Yu’s eyelashes were slightly lowered, as if she were casually recalling the past, or as if she were not thinking about anything. “And then I clarified my feelings for the General, but at that time, we were both already high immortals, so I had to pretend to be ‘above love’.”

Shen Zhishu replied with a low “Mm.”

She idly played with Jiang Yu’s black hair, and her fingertips traveled from Jiang Yu’s neck to her ear, paused, and squeezed it gently.

Jiang Yu’s breath trembled.

“Your Highness’s ear seems to be very sensitive,” Shen Zhishu turned her head to the side, and her lips were very close to Jiang Yu’s ear, and her warm breath sprayed wantonly.

Jiang Yu did not dodge and suddenly twisted Shen Zhishu’s waist with her backhand.

Shen Zhishu: !

Shen Zhishu immediately jumped away.

“Why did you hit me?” she asked with a smile.

Jiang Yu glanced at her, did not answer, and continued on her own, “But heaven has not been unkind to me and has granted me the fate of this life.”

“That’s right,” Shen Zhishu nodded. “I also didn’t expect to have a next life…”

Jiang Yu suddenly asked, “Is the story that the General told the Second Sister just now your story?”

“I suppose so, but I have embellished it a little,” Shen Zhishu thought for a moment and said with a smile. “I was actually quite talented. I could get first place among my peers after a month of intensive training.”

“I also remember that Youshu’s talent was excellent,” Jiang Yu said. “You learned how to enlighten the dead in just one day.”

Shen Zhishu said modestly, “It was because my master taught me well.”

People always seem to love to reminisce about the past.

Jiang Yu was talking about the last soul she had enlightened, and Shen Zhishu listened quietly with a smile, helping Jiang Yu to tidy up the stray hairs by her temples.

Heaven has not been unkind to me, she thought.

Even though my previous life was unbearable to look back on, I am fortunate to have not failed my mission in this life.