"The king's son... the prince?"
Qiao'er quickly placed a finger on her lips, "Secret! Secret! The Princess must pretend not to know! Not many people in the General Mansion know!"
Yun Chunnuan glanced at the little girl, "So how do you know?"
"That's a secret too, hehe!" Qiao'er shook her head with pride, "Anyway, our general is excellent! He's very good to the servants!"
On this point, Yun Chunnuan agreed.
Just look at that room full of little girls who arrived uninvited, chirping around her; it's clear they haven't suffered from society's brutality... well, the Barbarian General's brutality.
Moreover, with Qiao'er's disposition, if there were a tyrant master in the mansion, she definitely wouldn't be so lively.
Although it had nothing to do with Yun Chunnuan, she still felt relieved by this realization.
Such a person, who might just seem a bit fierce, treats the servants so generously; he likely won't use violence against her, right?
Suddenly, she recalled the recent forceful kiss.
Yun Chunnuan shook her head, no, no, no! She can't afford to relax her guard around him; he's just a wild stallion! He could flare up anywhere, anytime!
If she hasn't seen the Little Princess's face, she might still want to do something to disgust him and make him dislike her.
But when faced with this lovely face...
There's a saying that you should definitely date someone good-looking so that even when you're angry, looking at their face calms you down.
Similarly, unless she ruins her appearance...
Oh, no, even disfigured, there's still her icy skin and delicate bones.
The beauty Yun Chunnuan once dreamed of now caused her countless troubles...
'Boom—'
Yun Chunnuan was just thinking when suddenly a dull sound rang in her ears.
It seemed something had hit the ground.
Before she could look, she suddenly felt dizzy...
*
Unknowingly, it was already dusk.
The banquet had been going on for an hour, and Yelyu Lie's gaze repeatedly fixed on the stone archway.
Just then, a maid he had sent out returned, kneeling tremblingly beside him, "General, the princess says she's... unwell and won't come."
"What?! I've waited so long, and she's not coming?"
The table filled with various meats and wine was kicked over by Yelyu Lie.
The thunderous roar instantly cooled the surrounding clamor.
A group of people dressed in foreign attire sat around the tables, all too scared to move.
In contrast, the woman kneeling beside Yelyu Lie, with her lowered face, showed a hint of a triumphant smile.
"Yes, General, I didn't see the princess; it was Qiao'er who cried, saying she was unwell..."
"What? Cried? Central Plains people dare to bully my sister?!"
Before Yelyu Lie could say more, Banlai, seated to his lower right, couldn't help but shout in anger.
He slammed his wine bowl and stood up, immediately sensing a sharp gaze.
Banlai furtively raised his eyes to look at the man seated at the head, feeling a bit resentful, "General, you're spoiling that Central Plains woman too much. What could've been a grand wedding banquet turned into a family banquet, and now she won't even show her face. Clearly, she's disregarding us!"
"Indeed, General! That Great Xia Princess is so high and mighty! Shouldn't we teach her a lesson on your behalf?"
One stone caused a thousand ripples, and everyone expressed their dissatisfaction with the Little Princess.
Including the king forcefully stuffing this Great Xia Princess on their general, which was the most annoying of all!
And the woman kneeling by the side was even more pleased, seemingly achieving her desired goal.
Ayan secretly raised her eyes to look at the man sitting up top, handsome and formidable, her heart involuntarily floating towards him.
She saw the refined features of the man now clouded, as he grasped a jar of strong wine and gulped down half of it.
Then, boldly wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he shouted loudly, "Screw those Central Plains people! Let's drink ourselves!"
"Drink, drink, drink! Just treat it as the General's welcome party!"
"Yeah! No need to get angry over a Central Plains person! General! I salute you!"
A group of boisterous fellows drank with fiery enthusiasm, prompting Ayan to attempt to stop them, "General, drinking like this will harm your health, this servant..."
Unexpectedly, before she could touch the man, he pushed her away with a single hand, not even sparing her a glance!
Ayan fell to the ground, her hands clenched into fists, eyes red with anger.
She had been waiting for the general to return, but who knew he'd be so smitten with that woman from the Central Plains!
Everyone said she was the most beautiful in the General Mansion, even Miss Nalan said she outshone those concubines, yet why does the general never spare her a glance!
If the general doesn't take her soon, her father and mother will force her to marry Banlai!
Unwilling, Ayan gathered the loose hair by her temples and mimicked the coquettish, gentle voice of the Great Xia Princess, "General, that Central Plains person doesn't know any better, let me serve you instead."
'Bang—'
A jar of wine flew through the air, breaking open at Ayan's feet.
She was so frightened she widened her eyes, daring not approach any further.
The man, however, narrowed his glassy eyes, looking at her mockingly, "You think you're worthy?"
Ayan's face turned white.
The next second, she saw the man who had just said 'screw those Central Plains people' suddenly stand up.
Amidst the shocked cries, he strode with large steps towards the stone archway.
"General!!!"
Ayan grew even more scared, wanting to chase after him but was held back by Banlai.
He looked at her eagerly, "Ayan, Ayan, stop looking at the General, look at me! I... I really like you!"
Fueled by a little alcohol, Banlai spoke the words that had long been buried in his heart.
Ayan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but she was tightly entangled and unable to move, left only to watch as the tall, robust man vanished from her sight...