Chapter 370

The biggest deduction in Qing’s scorecard was her lowly origins.

Qing’s status can be uplifted by Wang Ya.

Yeon Pa said that a woman’s lowly status can be elevated by marrying a good husband, and she was sincere in that, not just some matchmaking ploy.

But what about Wang Ya, who accepted Qing?

How could he bear to be ridiculed for keeping someone lowly by his side?

But it turns out she’s a princess!

A true daughter of the imperial family, born from the Empress, and she’s even already received a princess’s title.

So, Yeon Pa is all smiles, thinking that these noble bloodlines surely make for the most precious pair in the world.

Yeon Pa always carries on about how lowly she is.

Someone once said that people are inherently obsessed with what they lack.

Of course, in the Central Plain, there’s no time for such self-reflection or deep consultations, so Yeon Pa was oblivious to her own deficiencies.

However, if someone specialized in analyzing others’ wounds took a look, they’d note that Yeon Pa’s origins are among the most humble of the Central Plain, coming from a rural community.

Somehow she managed to enter a sect called Yeonseong while being a lowly monkey, but she could never shake off that label.

The legendary Divine Skill and the legendary Demonic Arts, along with a life full of regrets after the extermination of her sect, yet Yeon Pa still couldn’t escape being the lowly female disciple.

So if psychoanalysts were to examine her, they’d say that Yeon Pa still thinks of herself as lowly, hence her obsession with grandeur.

The master’s prestige translates to the disciple’s prestige.

It shows a desire to deny her low birth while yearning to be noble.

Yet, results like this tend to paint the individual as pitiful and selfish.

But does Yeon Pa fit this? Absolutely not.

She was awfully excited.

Truly, it seemed like the heavens had destined her match!

A new lady, no, a mistress, scores a perfect ten thousand for her lineage.

The fact that the two are actually uncle and niece doesn’t bother Yeon Pa one bit.

In the Central Plain, it’s forbidden to marry within the same surname.

When the noble scholars rise up in protest, they argue that marrying relatives is no different than animals getting together. (Animals might feel wronged by that comparison.)

But for the people of the Central Plain, the law is merely a concept to ignore; those who follow it become fools mocked by others.

This is one of the traits of the Chinese nation, a spirit carried and enacted by future generations.

Thus, no one obeys the law.

Moreover, the laws of the Central Plain have never been above power even for a single moment.

This will remain true for the future as well; there was one chance to be above but nothing ever came of it.

And so, the law of the Central Plain is destined to remain an eternal slave wielding the sword of the powerful, a bully targeting the weak.

So, what does it matter to the people of the world?

If Wang Ya is to marry the princess, what could mere lowly folks dare to whisper? They’d just lose their heads.

It’s just how it is; the noble ones don’t have to care about such laws.

And personally, it’s a very pleasing matter for Yeon Pa as well.

In traditional Chinese culture, clans would gather by surname, living off one another.

Occasionally, they would raid neighboring villages for women, slaves, and grains.

Even now, remote villages, fortified in mountains, are inhabited solely by clans sharing a surname, creating communities where neighbors and cousins are indistinguishable.

This is the background Yeon Pa comes from.

So, when it comes to marrying a familiar relative, knowing nothing of each other’s original backgrounds or personalities, it’s far better than marrying a complete stranger—it’s a bond forged since childhood that leads to a lifelong union.

In fact, it’s a blessing!

Yeon Pa is utterly happy.

To the extent that it feels like after suturing a wound that burst open, she doesn’t even feel the pain anymore.

This old lowly thing isn’t meant to have such times!

“Princess, a noble one shouldn’t be doing something like this. The carriage should be pulled by commoners, so please allow yourself to rest.”

Qing suddenly gets chills.

What is this? The fiercely intimidating mother-in-law suddenly turned into some humble housemaid?

“No, I don’t even know if she’s a princess or not! I mean, the Empress, um, when you try to say it, it sounds so wrong. Well, she could’ve just misunderstood.”

“Originally, just by looking at the physiognomy, a noble person’s aura becomes evident. To a lowly person, it’s perfectly clear that the princess must indeed be of the dragon’s bloodline, so there’s no reason to doubt.”

Yeon Pa doesn’t even need to confirm the truth anymore.

Whether she’s a real princess or not doesn’t matter.

The Empress has backed her and granted her a title, so even if she’s a fake, she can still claim to be a princess.

Qing is utterly perplexed. Naturally.

“No, just a moment ago, you were saying she’s lowly and whatnot. Are we suddenly changing our tune?”

“An old fool, my eyes were dim, failing to recognize a noble one. I will gladly accept any punishment. However, even if you take my head, my noble aura remains intact.”

“Lady. I’m losing my mind. Just get back in.”

“Are you suggesting that a princess should climb into a carriage? Whether I didn’t know before or now, I feel uncomfortable riding on a needle.”

Qing’s forehead veins bulge.

“Lady. I remodeled it for your comfort. How could you…?”

“I’m not talking about comfort. It’s just how a lowly person feels.”

“Doesn’t matter? A princess ordered it, so get in. What will I be if I tell a grandmother on the verge of passing to pull the carriage?”

Qing is naturally lenient to elders, and given her origins, she simply can’t do it.

It would be ridiculous to mount on a shabby cart of an elderly woman gathering scraps.

Especially if that grandmother has holes all over her body, about to spit out blood.

(Though, that grandmother is a peerless master of the Realm of Transformation.)

“If that’s how it is, I shall obey.”

Tears well in Yeon Pa’s eyes.

Is it not due to that immense grace granting Yeon Pa a place in the royal court, even welcoming a lowly maiden into the fold?

Now she realizes, the master and mistress indeed share a beautiful heart.

A benevolent boundless mercy awarded her a perfect ten thousand points.

No, how could a lowly person dare score a noble one? What a blasphemous girl she is.

Even if asked to score Qing, she couldn’t be this generous.

With affection from both the horsemen and the beloved wheel witch, Qing’s merciless slaughter of the old would separate the righteous from the wicked, eh?

—-

Before Jayu even received the prince’s title, something happened while he stayed in the Imperial Palace because he wasn’t Deok-hyun.

Jayu’s hobby, fitting his ink-like appearance, was reading the words of wise men, so today he was enjoying his pastime under the pretense of studying.

……Oh dear……Young Lady……please……have some decency……please……

Suddenly, the outside became raucous, and the door burst open with a loud crash.

“Uncle! What are you doing!? Let’s play!”

Disregarding her identity as a prince, a daring woman burst through a man’s door without fear.

She was tall and pretty, but her chest was overly ample, making her appear silly and shallow, exactly the kind of girl who would kick a man’s door down.

But there was one redeeming factor.

She was indeed a woman, but the mind inside belonged to that of a ten-year-old child.

“You again. Managed to slip out, didn’t you?”

“I’m bored. Let’s play.”

“Oh goodness, it’s time for poetry reading—”

“I don’t care! I’m bored!”

This is bad.

Jayu shook his head slowly.

There’s nothing as serious to a ten-year-old as boredom; the fact that it’s poetry reading time is trivial to them.

“If you’re bored, there are other cousins—”

“They’re no fun! What’s the fun in just sitting around and twiddling your thumbs? Let’s have a sword fight instead. Sword fight.”

“Ahem, if we’re talking sword fight, then I—”

“I know you’re the weakest among the people I know! Even letting you go all out, you’re still the easiest to handle. It’s no fun fighting against someone who holds back! I’ll beat you up.”

True, Jayu didn’t have the body for fighting, but could a child speak so candidly, even if they were just young and honest?

And didn’t she just say she’d beat him up?

“That’s not what I said. I just meant to have fun.”

“I totally meant that.”

“Not really.”

“That’s what I meant—”

“Not what I said.”

Each interruption sparked Jayu’s irritation to bubble up.

As much as he wanted to hit her, he held back like a grown-up.

Fighting would only mean defeat for him, and even more, tussling with his niece would only make him look like a fool regardless of winning or losing.

“Well. Not a sword fight, then?”

“Then how about calligraphy? I just got some good paper.”

“Uh-huh.”

She pretends to think hard about it.

And then finally arrives at a conclusion.

“Not that. Also, uh. I’m hungry. Uncle, I’m hungry.”

“Then I’ll have a snack brought up immediately—”

“No, I have sweet potatoes. Let’s eat sweet potatoes.”

“What?”

Suddenly, what’s with the sweet potato rant?

Jayu stares at her in disbelief at the absurd comment.

But had she always been this beautiful?

For a moment, it seems like she grew a few inches while he wasn’t looking.

Huh? Not a niece, is it Qing, a friend instead?

Suddenly, the girl transforming into Qing dashes off into the servant’s quarters.

“Friend, why are you going into the servant’s room?”

Seriously, you can’t reason with her.

Jayu forces a wry smile as he heads over to the servants’ room and opens the door.

His eyes bulge wide open.

There stood a shockingly beautiful back.

Among the countless lines formed by a woman’s body, the most precious and beautiful seem to have consolidated into a breathtaking sight, making it hard to breathe.

Her arms raised while tying her hair up.

And beneath her armpits, clearly visible from the back, the presence of front assets seemed to peek out just a tad.

Jayu stares dumbfounded at that back view, forgetting even to breathe.

He could stare for ages, enchanted by the beauty, just lost in watching, as time passes without notice.

Then the woman suddenly recalls something, breaking the spell.

“Oh, friend. Want sweet potatoes? Want to eat sweet potatoes?”

Only then does he notice the horrifyingly disgusting rotten sweet potato proudly displayed near her side—

“Gah!”

Jayu jumps up.

“Water, get me water.”

Dizzy from the mental image, he looked for water, but alas, not a servant in sight to bring him any.

Only then does he realize, ah right, this isn’t the royal estate, and he thinks.

“Ha. What kind of dream is this…”

A wave of self-loathing crashes over him.

His niece, wasn’t it?

Staring blankly at his niece’s back, but how can you not lose your mind looking at such artistry? It was truly beautiful—

In that moment, Jayu’s gaze loses focus.

A short while later.

“Hmm, hmm.”

Clearing his throat, he frowns and lays back down on the bed unceremoniously.

When his eyes close, that white, exquisite flesh that shines like moonlight comes to mind.

“I’m going to lose my mind.”

As he scanned his surroundings, he spotted the water jug on the table and, forgetting all sense of dignity, chugged it down.

As the icy water ran down, it felt like he returned to his senses.

This can’t be happening.

What makes someone human?

Jayu, lost in his love for reading the words of the wise,

How could he entertain such thoughts about his niece, it’s unacceptable! Smooth lines tracing down the back like it was carved, the neat bone structure, the shadows of ribs showing clearly, alongside the heavy presence that resembled a mountain—damn, this is madness! It’s pure madness!

Jayu’s mind raced at the grotesque implications of his own imagination.

His face turned red as he slapped his cheeks hard, flipping the water jug over his head.

Drip, drip…….

But since the water jug had a narrow opening, the cold water ran lazily down his neck, soaking him without relief.

---