Chapter 86: Encounter at the City Gates
Chapter 86: Encounter at the City Gates
Ning Shu headed slowly back towards the Princess Residence with a large procession. The moment she got to the city gates, she encountered a group of troops. The two groups ended up stuck at the gates.
The group of troops carried an awe-inspiring aura, causing the aura on Ning Shu’s side to become weak.
“Princess, princess! It’s General Duan, it’s General Duan ah…” Yuan Dong saw the person at the head of the troops and hastily shouted the news towards Ning Shu who was sitting inside a gorgeous palanquin. She looked very surprised and happy, so much so that the rims of her eyes were red with emotion.
Ning Shu’s expression, however, was very indifferent. It was truly the case of enemies being on a narrow road. Ning Shu looked outside and met Duan Xinghui’s gaze.
She narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at Duan Xinghui who was in full armor. His gaze was bright, and his eyes were darker than they were in the original host’s memory.
The most laughable thing was that he was actually holding a woman in his arms. He was actually leading a march while riding with a woman.
It was said that Duan Xinghui did things calmly and with careful thought, but Ning Shu didn’t feel that it was the case at all. She then shifted her gaze to examine Er Ya who was sitting with Duan Xinghui. Er Ya’s skin was a healthy wheat color. However, the noble women of the Great Yong dynasty viewed paleness as beauty, so based on that standard, Er Ya really didn’t count as a beauty. Just the factor of her skin caused her features to lose much of its charm.
Any casually picked out daughter of a noble family in the capital would have better looks than Er Ya. It was no wonder the original host hadn’t been able to accept it. She was a respected princess, yet she lost to a girl like this from the countryside. It was too devastating of a defeat.
When Duan Xinghui met Ning Shu’s gaze, he found that her gaze was clear and cold. He was the first to shift his gaze away. Pressing his horse, he pulled on the reins to drive the horse towards the palanquin.
Duan Xinghui cupped his fist and saluted Ning Shu. “This general respectfully greets Princess and wishes Princess good health.”
Ning Shu sized Duan Xinghui up. En. He didn’t lose any limbs and his face seemed a little slimmer. She nodded and said, “So General Duan has come back. General Duan, you may head in first to report to His Majesty.”
Ning Shu’s attitude towards Duan Xinghui was very cool and polite while maintaining the arrogant tone of royalty.
Duan Xinghui’s expression changed a little. Ning Shu’s attitude made him feel a little frustrated. He had already thought of ways to deal with the princess’s inevitable questions and the ensuing loud scene, but her current attitude made it so that he couldn’t put any of his prepared methods to use at all.
Right now the person didn’t seem to care about him at all. Duan Xinghui felt like his self-esteemed had suffered a hit. He was someone with a very strong ego, and from Er Ya, he was able to obtain wholehearted reverence and adoration.
However, when facing Princess Jiahui, the relationship between a ruler and a subject forever separated them.
Ning Shu only swept a mild glance over Er Ya. From the distance, Er Ya didn’t seem pretty. She seemed a little dark. From closer up… she was seriously dark ah. However, it caused her large almond eyes to stand out.
En, Duan Xinghui had probably noticed Er Ya’s lively beauty.
“General Duan, aren’t you going to enter the city?” asked Ning Shu coolly.
Duan Xinghui felt a sense of unease when facing this cold Princess Jiahui. If it had been a princess that made a huge scene, cried, and blamed him, he would be more at ease because it was to be expected. But when Princess Jiahui acted like this, it was impossible for him to tell what she was thinking.
She seemed to treat him like a stranger and didn’t seem happy about the fact that he was alive at all. In addition, the way she was acting with the dignity of a princess made Duan Xinghui felt even more vexed. However, he could only stifle the anger, which caused him to feel even more out-of-sorts.
Er Ya, who was in Duan Xinghui’s arms, looked at Ning Shu curiously. When she saw the poised and elegant princess, she was overcome with feelings of inferiority. Moreover, the princess was even so beautiful.
Er Ya couldn’t find the words to describe her beauty. She just felt that, as the princess sat on the gorgeous palanquin, the luxurious palanquin seemed to complement her beauty and make her seem like a fairy that had descended to the mortal world; someone so beautiful people didn’t dare to look at her directly.
Ning Shu watched as Er Ya sized her up without any apprehension. Her gaze contained stunned admiration and traces of inferiority. It was clear she was nervous, as her slightly rough hands were grabbing onto the reins tightly.
“Audacious! Who are you to dare to directly look at a member of the imperial family!?” Before Ning Shu even said anything, Yuan Dong started shouting in a very stern tone. Yuan Dong’s charming and lovable face was filled with a dignified imposing expression. She was, after all, the princess’s personal maid, so she also had some imposing dignity.