Zanxing

Chapter 94 - Husband and Wife (2)

This kind of direct praise left Yanxing feeling a bit uneasy and somewhat perplexed. She asked, "Are you saying that King Shenning had no flaws at all?"

Princess Lizhu looked at her in surprise, "Why would you ask that?"

"Everyone has flaws. Even if lovers see each other through rose-colored glasses, and those small imperfections seem endearing, there will always be some shortcomings. You and King Shenning were husband and wife, so didn't he ever do anything wrong, even just a little?"

Princess Lizhu shook her head. "No."

Yanxing pondered for a moment.

Gu Baiying chimed in, "From what you're saying, King Shenning was a man who couldn't even catch a chicken. How could someone like that subdue a demonic merman?"

His tone was far from polite.

Princess Lizhu, however, did not get angry. After a brief pause, she slowly replied, "To be honest, I'm not sure. Perhaps it was due to the Demon-Subduing Array."

"Where is the cultivator who set up the Demon-Subduing Array now?" Gu Baiying asked.

"The cultivator left after eliminating the demonic merman. Over the years, I haven't heard anything about him in the palace. He left no message behind, or else, with the current chaos in the city, we would simply seek him out to set up the array again," Princess Lizhu explained. She then turned to Yanxing and Gu Baiying, her eyes sharp. "You two have asked me many questions. What exactly are you implying? Do you think there was something wrong with my husband?"

This woman was incredibly perceptive. Yanxing hurriedly replied, "Please don't misunderstand, Princess. We didn't mean anything by it. It's just that the records about the demonic merman from back then are very sketchy, so we've been asking a lot."

Trying to change the topic, Yanxing glanced at the curved horn bow hanging on the opposite wall and smiled. "That bow is impressive. Is it yours, Princess?"

Princess Lizhu followed Yanxing's gaze and smiled faintly. "Yes, that is my bow. When I came here from the Lin Kingdom, I brought it along, thinking I might miss my homeland."

Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow slightly. "So, the Princess knows how to shoot?"

"The Lin Kingdom is covered with forests, and everyone there excels in riding and archery. I'm a princess of Lin, so I grew up with a bow in hand," Princess Lizhu's expression brightened as she spoke, her eyes sparkling. She continued with a smile, "Galloping through the woods with a bow in hand is far more freeing than sitting in a palace."

The maid standing beside her chimed in, "Our Princess's archery was so good that it once scared off pirates."

"Pirates?" Yanxing asked. "Did the Princess encounter pirates?"

Princess Lizhu laughed. "That was a long time ago. When I first traveled from Lin Kingdom to the Li'er Isles by sea, we encountered pirates who were pillaging and killing indiscriminately. I led my attendants to fight them off. The pirates are cowards at heart, so they fled soon after."

"Nonsense," the maid retorted, "Those pirates were terrified of the Princess's archery and fled in panic. The immortal masters don't know, but back then, our Princess standing at the bow of the ship, drawing her bow—she looked truly formidable."

Princess Lizhu seemed lost in thought.

She had been just under eighteen at the time, already filled with unease and uncertainty about the arranged marriage. Then, those pirates appeared. The women of Lin Kingdom were brave and bold by nature, never backing down from a fight. So, she took up her horn bow, and with a few attendants, swam to the pirate ship under cover of night. They took the pirates by surprise.

The pirates had plundered many ships, killing all the men and keeping the women as captives. After rescuing those women, she remembered how grateful they were. Among them was a weak-looking young boy, timid and fearful. Before Princess Lizhu could ask him any questions, he jumped into the sea. When her guards searched for him later, he was nowhere to be found, and no one knew if he had survived.

"That does sound impressive," Gu Baiying remarked, sipping his tea before adding in a rather flat tone, "But there's no mention of your bravery in the records of Li'er. I wonder if all of the Princess's heroic deeds were credited to King Shenning instead?"

His words were a direct stab. Yanxing quickly intervened with a laugh, "Perhaps it's because we haven't seen the records about the Princess yet."

Princess Lizhu fell silent for a long while before finally smiling faintly. "No, that's not it. I simply haven't touched a bow since coming here. The Li'er Kingdom is different from Lin. Here, women are expected to be gentle and graceful, soft-hearted and meek. Handling weapons, they say, is rebellious and unladylike."

"So wielding a weapon is considered rebellious?" Gu Baiying sneered. "You say your husband treated you well, that he had no flaws, yet he wouldn't even let you hold a bow. Princess Lizhu, you are truly generous."

Yanxing wished she could kick Gu Baiying.

Princess Lizhu was taken aback by his words. She didn't refute them. Instead, she gazed out the window, remaining silent for a long time.

The atmosphere grew tense.

Yanxing, realizing they wouldn't get any more answers, put down her teacup and stood. "We came here today just to ask a few questions. Thank you, Princess, for telling us so much. It's getting late, so we'll take our leave for now. If we have any further questions, we'll return to seek your guidance." She then hurriedly tugged at Gu Baiying, who was ignoring her, and practically dragged him out of Princess Lizhu's chamber.

Once they were back at their own residence, Gu Baiying shook off Yanxing's hand and snapped, "Yang Yanxing, what was with all the winking back there?"

"Martial Uncle, why were you constantly mocking King Shenning in front of Princess Lizhu?" Yanxing asked, exasperated. "He's already dead. Let the dead rest. There's no need to speak ill of him."

"Deceitful people deserve it," Gu Baiying scoffed. "The records of Li'er are full of lies. They should all be burned."

Before Yanxing could say more, they heard Tian Fangfang's voice calling from outside the courtyard, "Martial Uncle! Yanxing!"

"Have they returned?" Yanxing turned to see Tian Fangfang and Mendong rushing into the courtyard, both panting heavily.

Once inside, Tian Fangfang grabbed a cup of tea from the table and downed it in one go. Yanxing asked, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Martial Uncle," Mendong addressed Gu Baiying excitedly, "We've made progress. We've found something!"

Gu Baiying asked, "What did you discover?"

"The girls who were victimized forty years ago, they were all eighteen. Today, we asked for the birth dates of the five families' daughters and found that they were all born on the same day—under the yin moon, yin day, and yin hour!"

Tian Fangfang slammed his teacup down on the table. "It's no coincidence, Martial Uncle. Those girls were all pure yin bodies!"