Chapter 200

Chapter 200: Princess, Want It?

Only when the appointed time was almost there did Shang Xing Yu reluctantly settle on what to wear. He chose a dark robe of cloud-brocade with faint patterns, tied a black-and-gold belt at his waist, and bound his black hair high beneath an ink-black crown.

For a moment, Sheng Zhi Wan almost thought a beautiful man had stepped out of a painting. She inexplicably remembered the dozen or so portraits of men she had seen earlier that day.

Liu Shang blinked, then blinked again. Young Master Shang Er looked truly good, and he had dressed so formally just to meet the Princess. It was obvious he had put real thought into it.

Sheng Zhi Wan instructed, “Liu Shang, go stand guard outside. Don’t let anyone come near.”

Liu Shang answered, “Yes!” She turned and went out.

Sheng Zhi Wan asked, “Young Master Shang Er, have you found out anything about the Lin ZhouTang Family?”

Shang Xing Yu shook his head. “Not yet. No news has come back.”

Sheng Zhi Wan nodded. Then she pressed her lips together and finally asked what she truly wanted to ask, “Young Master Shang Er, do your earlier words still count?”

Shang Xing Yu froze, and then his eyes suddenly flared bright.

Sheng Zhi Wan was pinned by his heated gaze, and the guilt in her heart only grew heavier. She took a deep breath and said plainly, “But Young Master Shang Er should know this – I didn’t like you.”

The fire in Shang Xing Yu’s eyes dimmed. He had known it long ago, but hearing her say it again still made his chest feel stuffy.

Shang Xing Yu forced a smile. “If the Princess didn’t like me, what did the Princess mean just now?”

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “I didn’t like you, but I didn’t dislike you either. Imperial Father and the Empress Dowager both want me to remarry now…”

“I’m willing!” Before Sheng Zhi Wan could finish, Shang Xing Yu shot to his feet.

So what if she didn’t like him now? Not liking him now did not mean she would never like him.

Shang Xing Yu moved in front of Sheng Zhi Wan. “Princess, look at me.”

Shang Xing Yu said quickly, “My height, my build, and my face… I’m not boasting, but aside from being older than me, Qi Shu Xian can’t compare to me anywhere.”

Shang Xing Yu kept talking. “I’m young, and my stamina is good…”

“Shut up!” Sheng Zhi Wan’s ears turned red. This spoiled dandy really dared to say anything.

Shang Xing Yu half-crouched in front of Sheng Zhi Wan so she could clearly see his expression. “Princess, is that a yes?”

Ever since he was little, his experiences had taught him one thing. If he wanted something, he had to fight for it early. If he missed the chance once, then even if he tried later, the opportunity would already be gone.

So what if he had no shame? He wanted the Princess to see him, to pay attention to him.

Sheng Zhi Wan lifted one finger and said, “Y-you, move back a little…”

Shang Xing Yu retreated a bit. “Princess?”

That look, that tone – it felt so familiar to Sheng Zhi Wan, like someone else.

No… not someone. Laifu.

The moment Sheng Zhi Wan thought of Laifu, her eyes darkened.

Shang Xing Yu immediately backed off another step. Fine. He really should not push her too hard…

Shang Xing Yu started, “If the Princess doesn’t…”

Sheng Zhi Wan suddenly looked at him. “Aren’t you afraid I’m using you?”

Shang Xing Yu froze.

Sheng Zhi Wan lowered her gaze and continued, “In fact, I am using you. I want that position, and you want me. As long as you’re willing to hand over all of Qin Trading House and all your private troops to me, I’ll marry you. How about it?”

Shang Xing Yu was stunned.

Sheng Zhi Wan raised her eyes again, and her blunt gaze stayed on him. “What? Is Young Master Shang Er willing? If you’re willing…”

Sheng Zhi Wan reached out, her fingertip moving forward.

Shang Xing Yu felt as if a thin bolt of thunder-fire had struck his jaw. His throat bobbed once.

Then, before Sheng Zhi Wan could even react, Shang Xing Yu turned around, strode to the window, and leaped out.

A trace of self-mockery rose in Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes.

But in the next instant, the window opened again, and a figure jumped back inside. “Princess, wait for me a moment!”

What?

Sheng Zhi Wan froze, and that man sprang out again like a gust of wind.

The self-mockery in Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes was left hanging, neither up nor down, by his baffling actions. Wait for him? For what?

Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyelid twitched as she thought of one possibility.

But… how could that be? How could anyone give up everything for one person?

No… maybe it was possible.

Sheng Zhi Wan snorted. Hadn’t she been one of those people in her last life? Foolish and blind.

Shang Xing Yu had been able to lead private troops and drive back the Eastern Wa. He probably wouldn’t be as stupid as she had been.

The more Sheng Zhi Wan thought about it, the more she felt it was true.

On the other side, Shang Xing Yu had already raced over bricks and rooftops to fetch what he needed. The icy wind stabbed his face, yet he could not help laughing twice.

“Mom? I think I heard someone laughing?” A child’s milky voice drifted over.

The woman kicked the man sleeping like a dead pig beside her. “I think I heard it too. Head of the Household, hurry and go check. Is there a thief outside?”

Shang Xing Yu said nothing.

Shang Xing Yu curled his lip. What thief? What thief was as handsome, dashing, and elegant as him?

Shang Xing Yu returned to the Princess Residence again. The lamp in the room was still lit.

Shang Xing Yu’s hand paused in midair. He tidied the hair and clothing the wind had messed up, and only then did he push open the window and jump inside.

Sheng Zhi Wan had not expected him to return so quickly. She turned her eyes slightly and met his blazing gaze.

Shang Xing Yu pushed a black wooden box toward her. “My people are called the Yu Family Army. Inside are the tokens that can command them, and the hidden businesses of Qin Trading House.”

Shang Xing Yu looked straight at her. “Since Princess wants them, let these be my dowry. How about it?”

Sheng Zhi Wan opened her mouth in shock.

Dowry – he did not plan to take her as his bride, but to marry into her household?

Sheng Zhi Wan’s throat went dry, and her gaze could not stop itself from falling to the wooden box.

She truly wanted it.

The Yu Family Army. Unbeatable, unstoppable. In only two months, it could drive out the Eastern Wa, whom Sheng Kingdom could not resist at all.

If she wanted to sit in that position, then with the Yu Family Army, her certainty would rise by far more than three parts out of ten.

Yet the more she wanted it, the heavier her heart became. She had once given her heart to the wrong person, and because of that, she did not want him to give his to the wrong person too.

Seeing Sheng Zhi Wan’s struggle, Shang Xing Yu spoke first. “Princess, what are you hesitating for? I admired the Princess. What belongs to me belongs to the Princess.”

Shang Xing Yu added, “It’s good that Princess only wants that position. I still have the ability.”

Shang Xing Yu said seriously, “If Princess wanted the stars in the sky, then I could only cut my own throat and go up to the sky to fetch them for Princess.”

Sheng Zhi Wan could not help laughing. “Stars in the sky? What are you even saying?”

Shang Xing Yu eagerly pushed the box even closer. “Princess, do you want it?”

Sheng Zhi Wan set her fingers on the lid. “You said this is dowry?”

Shang Xing Yu answered at once, “Yes. My father never cared about me, my mother passed away, and Madam Shang only keeps up appearances. Princess, is this dowry enough?”

Shang Xing Yu continued, “If it isn’t enough, I can still earn more.”

Shang Xing Yu suddenly remembered something. “Right – I actually split Qin Trading House into two parts. One part stayed in the dark, and the token is in this box.”

Shang Xing Yu explained, “The other part is in the open. I want to use it to show His Majesty my sincerity, so he’ll grant me to the Princess.”

Shang Xing Yu stared at her intensely. “It’s probably only a little over five hundred thousand taels of silver. Do you think His Majesty will agree?”

Without thinking, Sheng Zhi Wan followed his train of thought-