Chapter 9: Masterfully Manipulated
Xiao Luohan had intended to treasure whatever candy the spirit gave her, keeping it as a reminder of this unexpected kindness. Whenever she felt down, she would look at it and remember.
But then, all sorts of colorful candies appeared in the book, piling up like a small mountain!
She’d never seen anything like it. Stunned for a long moment, she finally recovered and hurried to find a small jar, carefully placing the candies inside, one by one, glancing at the book every so often.
【Here are some of my favorite fruit candies, milk candies, and dark chocolate for Your Highness to try!】
Perhaps worried she wouldn’t recognize them, the spirit had even included drawings of each type of candy.
【The candies here are quite strong, so remember to rinse your mouth after eating them, or your teeth will rot!】
【What kind of candies and snacks did Your Highness enjoy in your homeland? I can try to find some for you!】
Just as she finished reading, another small, soft pastry, nestled on a tissue, appeared.
Xiao Luohan looked at the pastry, clutching the candy jar. A wave of warmth, tinged with sweetness, spread through her.
After sincerely thanking the spirit and listing the pastries she had craved during her journey to Daying, Xiao Luohan slowly ate the “toast,” leaving no crumbs. Then, curious, she picked a candy from the jar.
—It was a piece of dark chocolate.
The spirit was still writing: 【Dark chocolate is the only bitter one of these three. There are also sweet kinds of chocolate, but I was worried they might upset Your Highness’s stomach. I’ve heard dark chocolate is best for people with sensitive stomachs.】
【Oh, and don’t eat chocolate for at least half a shichen (an hour) after taking your medicine! It can interfere with its effects!】
Xiao Luohan was about to unwrap a piece of dark chocolate to see just how bitter it was when she saw the warning. She obediently put it back and chose a fruit candy instead.
Unwrapping the candy, she found it was shaped like an orange segment. She sniffed it lightly and, sure enough, it smelled of oranges. Popping it into her mouth, she found it tart and refreshing, completely different from the candied fruits she was used to.
She didn’t finish the rest of her medicinal broth, letting it cool as she savored the candy, her thoughts drifting.
It was a blessing she was far from home. Her mother wouldn’t have to witness her taking that useless medicine, only to die anyway. If she died by her mother’s side, her mother would blame herself.
When her father had insisted on this marriage alliance, he’d claimed it was “for her own good,” but she knew who truly cared for her.
Her mother had lived in the cold palace since before she was born, yet she had never abandoned her. Ignoring the imperial physician’s repeated warnings, she had always provided for her, even enduring humiliation to obtain medicine for her.
Now, her mother had let her go, and she understood why—Beiliao was likely on the verge of collapse. While a marriage alliance wasn’t ideal, in her mother’s eyes, it was probably her only chance at survival.
She had always listened to her mother and elder sister. Now, she had also met this… blessing. She should try harder, strive to live a little longer.
Jiang Xue quickly converted the prescription into traditional characters, formatted it neatly, and double-checked it before printing it out.
The housekeeper was calling her for lunch. She mumbled a reply, waiting for the printed paper to cool before adding a message for the Third Princess: 【My doctor says that no matter how you feel after changing medicines, you must tell me immediately, and be as detailed as possible.】
The Third Princess quickly replied with an “Okay.”
【I’m going to eat lunch now, and then I have to take a nap. Your Highness, just leave a message if you need anything!】
Jiang Xue’s body clock was fairly regular. She always felt sleepy after lunch and needed a nap to get through the four afternoon classes.
However, the Third Princess was starting to appear in her daily routine.
While eating pasta, she wondered if she could send a bowl to the Third Princess. Her family’s housekeeper was an excellent cook. During her nap, she hoped she would dream of the Third Princess again. This time, she would pay closer attention.
But she slept soundly until her alarm went off, and nothing happened. She headed back to school with her phone in her bag.
Three days passed uneventfully.
Jiang Xue gradually learned that the Third Princess wasn’t facing any immediate problems. The wedding with the Daying Crown Prince was scheduled for the following year. Until then, she would live alone in Wangmei Pavilion. The prince, disgusted by her, wouldn’t bother her.
The new servants weren’t ideal, but an older servant named Shizhu seemed to be taking special care of her. It was Shizhu who had obtained the new medicine for her. The Third Princess had started taking it that very evening.
【Your prescription is very effective. I’ve taken it for three days, and I already feel much better.】
【I’m so glad it’s working! The doctor scolded me, saying that even for a remote diagnosis, she needs a video call to see the patient’s complexion and tongue.】
【Thank you for your concern.】
【You’re welcome! Of course!】
Relieved that the prescription was working, Jiang Xue continued to check in on the Third Princess’s health every day, recording the details in a document on her phone. She planned to send a summary to the doctor after seven days.
It was Friday, and the last class of the afternoon was the usual class meeting, which happened to be about the New Year’s Eve talent show.
Even senior year had its own talent show.
While the homeroom teacher explained the procedures, Jiang Xue, already familiar with them, discreetly opened her diary, ready to chat with the Third Princess:
【Your Highness, do you remember the New Year’s Eve talent show I wrote about in my first year of high school?】
【Yes, you were organizing the literature club’s stage play.】
It was so nice to chat with someone attentive and with a good memory!
【That’s right! It’s a shame that by my second year, I was the club president, so I had to give the opportunity to the other members. Otherwise, I would have loved to participate again!】
【But I’m just saying that. The younger students in their first year did a great job. I thought their performance was even better than ours, both the script and the stage design.】
【I understand. You praised them for half a page in your second-year diary entries. And after the performance, you and the vice president delivered milk tea and fried chicken cutlets to every classroom.】
Jiang Xue felt a little embarrassed. She’d been so proud of the club members that she’d ordered treats for them before the show even ended, then, like a giddy child, she’d run all over the first-year teaching building, delivering milk tea and fried chicken.
She hadn’t expected the Third Princess to remember such a detail.
Hearing the excited chatter in the classroom, Jiang Xue knew everyone was already thinking about signing up.
Each class was required to submit at least one act, with a maximum of three. There would be auditions in mid-December, and the approved acts could then begin preparing for the show.
She casually mentioned this to the Third Princess.
【Aren’t you going to participate?】
【I’ve already performed before. I’m not interested.】
【Besides, if I were to perform, I wouldn’t be able to give you a live update of the show. Preparations start at 9 am, with costume changes, makeup, and waiting backstage.】
【And if the judges think the performance is good enough, we have to perform it again for the first and second-year shows as well.】
After writing this, Jiang Xue flipped back through her diary, finding the entries about the talent shows from her first and second years. After rereading them, she felt they weren’t detailed enough, so she decided to give the Third Princess a more thorough recap.
Class meetings were usually about major school events, mental health, or calming, therapeutic videos.
During these times, Jiang Xue, who considered herself mentally stable, would usually work on practice problems or read.
Now, it had become a time for storytelling, and likely would be from now on.
Xiao Luohan unwrapped a milk candy and popped it into her mouth, the thin rice paper dissolving first, followed by the rich, sweet, milky flavor spreading through her mouth.
She couldn’t remember when it had started, but she had come to enjoy eating the candy Jiang Xue gave her while reading Jiang Xue’s words.
Jiang Xue’s writing was vivid, and just by reading, she could picture the young woman performing on stage.
In her world, actors held a low social status. However, her mother enjoyed their performances and often invited troupes to the palace during festivals, rewarding them generously.
In Jiang Xue’s world, acting seemed to be a respectable profession, with many different specializations. She didn’t quite understand the distinctions yet, but she felt it was a good thing.
And she… she was a little curious to see Jiang Xue perform on stage.
If only she could see it in a dream. Unfortunately, the spirit hadn’t appeared in her dreams recently, and she hadn’t entered the spirit’s dreams either.
Xiao Luohan’s mind wandered for a moment. When her attention returned to the book, she found that Jiang Xue had written a giant “Ah,” followed by a bold exclamation mark.
—She now understood the function of most punctuation marks.
【What happened?】 she quickly asked.
【Xie Xitong has an idea for a performance, but the highlight is all on me!!】
Perhaps because she was reluctant to participate, Jiang Xue’s handwriting became distorted, but the following characters were neat again.
【She wants me to perform a sword dance! A solo!!】
【I wanted to refuse, but… but it’s a sword dance solo!! Super cool! Ugh, I’ve been completely manipulated by her ＿（：з」∠）＿】
【But I also want to give you a live update of the New Year’s Eve talent show…】
After carefully reading the message, Xiao Luohan paused, her brush hovering over the page.
That… that was worth considering.
She had seen her elder sister perform a solo sword dance in the snow, wielding her red-tasseled silver spear.
It had been truly breathtaking. The spear tip flicked snow from the ground and blossoms from the sky, her movements graceful and powerful. Her elder sister, dressed in red, had resembled a fluttering butterfly amidst the swirling snow.
She had begged her sister to teach her, but her sister had said she was too frail, and wielding a spear would tire her out and make her unwell. She’d suggested trying tai chi sword or a less strenuous sword dance instead and had even found a sword to teach her with.
Unfortunately, she could only manage a wooden sword and wasn’t allowed to stay out in the snow for long. But the brief feeling of freedom and exhilaration, unburdened by her frail body, still thrilled her even now.
Xiao Luohan thought it over, then carefully wrote: 【Sword dances are indeed beautiful. I enjoy watching them.】
【Okay! I’ll agree to Xie Xitong’s proposal right away!】
To her surprise, Jiang Xue’s hesitation vanished instantly!
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