The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 43

Recognize my identity

As soon as she arrived, Murong Yan saw a seven-year-old boy arrogantly ordering a group of servants to beat and kick a small tiger cowering on the ground.

“Kill him! Kill him! How dare he roar at this young master, this little beast! Kill him quickly!”

The young tiger, not yet weaned, dodged the kicks directed at him, stumbling as he moved.

“Stop all of you!” Murong Yan sternly shouted at the crowd.

Upon seeing a familiar person, the dirty little tiger cub’s large eyes glistened with moisture, as if it had found its backbone, and it immediately ran towards Murong Yan, rolling clumsily on the way.

Murong Yan bent down, not at all disgusted, and picked up the disheveled little tiger cub, her eyes filled with tenderness.

The poor little cub meowed pathetically, its small paws clinging to the woman’s shoulder as it tried to burrow into her neck, causing Murong Yan to lower her head and gently kiss its forehead to soothe it.

The child, who was spoiled as the sole beloved grandchild, was furious upon seeing this strange woman who had suddenly appeared in the Prince’s mansion, her hair half white as if she were an old woman. “Who are you? How dare you tell me to stop! Why should I, the young master, listen to you?”

Only when the young beast in her arms had calmed down did she slowly lift her gaze to look at the foolish child in front of her, saying coldly, “In this residence, even a Prince must listen to me. What now? Should I not correct you?”

The hot-tempered boy did not expect the woman to talk back and yelled, “I am the eldest grandson of this Prince’s mansion! You white-haired witch, get out of here!”

Several old servants widened their eyes in surprise, as if they recognized who the woman was, and with faces full of panic, they wanted to stop the insolent boy. Unexpectedly, Murong Can, the heir of the Prince’s mansion, also suddenly came out from inside the house.

“Fu’er! You must not be rude!”

Murong Can, protective and with veins popping out on his neck from anger, scolded his arrogantly behaved nephew, “Where have all your manners and rules of etiquette gone? This lady is your own paternal aunt, the Chongwen County Princess personally ennobled by the late Emperor. You must not offend her!”

He stepped forward to stand in front of his sister.

“Little uncle…”

The young Murong Fu was already aware of the subtle status differences between Murong Can and his father. Seeing his usually kind and smiling little uncle rarely speaking severely to him, the boy couldn’t help but pout and burst into tears.

The commotion and crying on the corrider attracted Murong Wen and his birth mother, Auntie Liu.

Seeing his father and grandmother, Murong Fu, as if finding a mountain to lean on, quickly ran to them, and then he started to cry even louder.

“What happened?” Auntie Liu, seeing her treasured grandson so aggrieved, hurriedly picked up Murong Fu and wiped the meandering tears on his cheeks.

“That woman and little uncle bullied me…” Murong Fu murmured lowly in Auntie Liu’s arms, as if he had suffered some great injustice.

Seeing his beloved son’s nose red from crying, Murong Wen looked at the two people standing before him, somewhat dissatisfied, and took on the posture of an elder brother. “Fu’er is still young, if he has offended younger brother or sister in any way, the two of you should be more forgiving. Don’t be angry with a child.”

Murong Can was at a loss, facing the accusation, and seeing Murong Wen blaming his beloved sister, he was somewhat displeased and wanted to retort. However, Murong Yan spoke out before he could.

“Brother Ah Wen always prides himself as a scholar,” Murong Yan said with a smile that was not quite a smile, yet her expression was incredibly cold. “But now, without distinguishing right from wrong, you rush to accuse This Palace and Elder Brother. Which sage’s classic did you learn this from?”

Upon hearing this, Murong Wen choked, and his face unnaturally flushed red.

He stiffly squatted down and asked the boy, “What happened that made Wei’er feel aggrieved… feel wronged?”

“I want that little beast, but he not only refuses to let me hold him, he also wants to scratch me.” Murong Fu pretended to cry, his tearless face now pointing at the small tiger in Murong Yan’s hands with a strong tone. “I want to kill him, but Uncle scolded me.”

Without giving Murong Wen a chance to defend himself, Murong Yan spoke directly, “This little tiger is playing well in the mansion. He is not your pet. What right do you have to want to catch him? What right do you have to want to punish him?”

The woman stared directly at the boy, her face cold.

“Everything in this mansion belongs to this young master. This young master can do whatever he wants and have whatever he wants. Why would he need permission?!” Murong Fu broke free from Auntie Liu’s embrace and defiantly gestured with his fists in the air. “Father, am I right?”

The boy tugged at the sleeve of his father standing in front of him, seeking his father’s support as he always did.

But this time, the father who usually indulged the child did not respond.

More accurately, he did not dare to respond.

“So you, a mere child, with neither accomplishments nor status, think that this enormous Prince’s mansion all belongs to you?”

With a disdainful smile, Murong Yan swept her gaze over the pale-faced Murong Wen and Auntie Liu, seemingly too indifferent to spare them an extra glance, and said sarcastically, “Did you teach him all this, Brother Ah Wen?”

Having said that, the woman’s face was devoid of any smile, only staring at the man in front of her who was nervously swallowing his saliva.

Looking at his half-brother who shared his father’s weakness but lacked any civil or martial skills and always fancied himself as morally superior, Murong Yan seemed unwilling to waste more words, merely lowering her head to address the noisy boy at his feet, “Your father cannot control This Palace, and neither can your noble grandfather. Once you’ve recognized out who This Palace is, then you can leave.”

Holding the little tiger, Murong Yan ignored everyone else and turned to head back to her room, while Murong Can hurriedly came to his senses and anxiously followed his sister.

“Yue’er, Yue’er, don’t be angry,” Murong Can said nervously, looking at Murong Yan sitting on the edge of the bed with an expressionless face.

“I just didn’t expect…”

While grooming the little tiger by her side, Murong Yan spoke without raising her head, “The grand Prince Yu’s Mansion not only produced a pedantic scholar but now seems to have raised a haughty and reckless scion as well.”

Murong Can scratched his head on hearing the woman’s obvious mockery. “Brother Ah Wen has never favored acts of slaughter and can’t even hold a sword properly. It wouldn’t hurt for someone like him to stay off the battlefield and be a scholar, the mansion can support him. As for Fu’er…” his voice dry, “perhaps because he is the youngest in the family, he is a bit spoiled.”

“Not engaging in thought means wasting one’s studies. If one spends all day reciting pedantic and rotten texts, without any understanding of adaptation, and still dares to claim to be a scholar, it’s no wonder they engender such crooked offspring.” Murong Yan scoffed, then raised her eyes, “It’s exactly because there are no direct grandsons in the family and our father’s nature is easy to manipulate that they dare to be so unruly.”

Putting the little tiger down, Murong Yan looked at the man in front of her who shared a strong resemblance to herself, and suddenly asked, “When does brother plan on getting married?”

The man was caught off guard by the question, he scratched his chin and said sincerely, “…The Northern territory is not like the capital. Moreover, I’m leading troops against the barbarians day and night, and you know how dangerous that can be. I could lose my life at any moment, why would I want to bring a woman into this just to suffer with me?”

Indeed.

The Northern territories are harsh and cold; how could the body of a lady nurtured by the warm sun and delicate soil endure that?

Marrying a military officer would mean living in constant worry; if the barbarians invade in winter, the husband may not return home for three months, and she would spend her days and nights in tears.

If one truly disregards everything to accompany him, who can guarantee she will receive his undivided love?

What else is left of this Princess Consort’s position, aside from hardship?

The dragon and phoenix twins seemed to think of their mother simultaneously and fell into a tacit silence.

LP: Re-translated on February 28, 2024