I've been bullied and humiliated for thirteen years; when I wake up, I'll be bloodthirsty.

Chapter 81 My Future Husband

Sheng Yunjiao and Lu Yangyang found a quiet pavilion and sat down.

Sheng Yunjiao peeked around to make sure no one was coming, then leaned over and whispered to Lu Yangyang, "Let me tell you, among all the young ladies from the aristocratic families in the capital, there are three people I hate the most."

She was afraid someone would hear, so she almost pressed her head against Lu Yangyang's ear. "You already saw the first two at the polo field last time. They're the arrogant and unreasonable Sixth Princess who tries to snatch everything she sees. She's the adopted daughter of Consort Xiao. Her birth mother was supposedly just a low-ranking concubine who died many years ago. She was given to Consort Xiao to raise. Relying on Consort Xiao's power, she's very arrogant and domineering. It's said that she often bullies other princesses in the palace. She also has a bad temper and listens to the Third Prince the most because the Third Prince is Consort Xiao's biological son."

"Then there's Cheng Shujin, that muscle-bound, simple-minded idiot. Relying on General Cheng's deep trust from His Majesty, she acts arrogantly in the capital. Because of her big and strong appearance, she always looks down on others. She's used to fawning over the powerful and bullying the weak. She especially likes to bully girls from families with lower social standing than her. It's said that she has her eye on the Third Prince, so she treats the Sixth Princess like an ancestor. Unfortunately, the Sixth Princess is just playing with her like a monkey. The Third Prince only shows her some kindness because of her status. In reality, he has no interest in her at all."

Lu Yangyang paused in her act of stuffing something into her mouth, turned to Sheng Yunjiao and blinked, "How do you know everything?"

She was genuinely shocked. Sheng Yunjiao rarely went out, so how did she even know about this kind of gossip?

Sheng Yunjiao winked at her smugly and said mysteriously, "Also, didn't you notice that Sheng Yunzhu and the Sixth Princess were also huddled together? That's because Sheng Yunzhu and the Third Prince have some shady dealings. I saw it at a banquet once."

Lu Yangyang: ...

She had a suspicion that Sheng Yunzhu and the Third Prince had some shady dealings.

After all, in the dream, Sheng Yunzhu married the Third Prince, so the two of them definitely didn't get together later; they were already connected.

Sheng Yunjiao cleared her throat. "Let me tell you about the last one. That peacock is Princess Liduan. She is the youngest daughter of the eldest princess, about the same age as you, and her name is Zong Liduan."

Lu Yangyang looked at Sheng Yunjiao in surprise.

Even if she knew nothing about the capital, she knew that the current royal family of the Great Zhao Dynasty belonged to the Zong clan.

Princess Liduan is the youngest daughter of the eldest princess, so how could she inherit her mother's traits?

Sheng Yunjiao lowered her voice even further, "The Eldest Princess once had a consort. About twenty years ago, when Crown Prince Chongwen went to Northern Yan as a hostage, a group of civil officials accompanied him, including the newly appointed top scholar, Lord Bo, who was also the Eldest Princess's consort. Consort Bo never returned, and the Eldest Princess gave birth to her eldest son alone. For many years afterward, she never remarried. However, about thirteen years ago, she gave birth to a young daughter, Princess Liduan. Although everyone was curious about who Princess Liduan's biological father was, who dared to ask the Eldest Princess? When an imperial censor wanted to impeach the Eldest Princess for moral failings, the Eldest Princess simply took her daughter to the Golden Palace and made a scene. In the end, she not only escaped any punishment but also forced His Majesty to acknowledge this niece as her mother's surname, include her in the clan genealogy, and bestow upon her the title of Princess."

"Since it's just a title, without any fief or estate, people can't call her Princess Zong, so they call her by her name, Princess Liduan. Princess Liduan has been pampered since childhood, so her personality is a bit... not exactly annoying, but she's not very bright, very reckless, and stubborn. In short, if you see her in the future, stay away from her. Who knows when she might suddenly act out of character."

Sheng Yunjiao leaned on Lu Yangyang's shoulder, chattering away to complain to Lu Yangyang while keenly observing the surrounding situation.

Suddenly, as she was speaking, she exclaimed, "Ah!"

"What's wrong?" Lu Yangyang asked.

Sheng Yunjiao nudged her shoulder, gesturing for her to look under a flowering tree in the distance: "Look, isn't that Sister Ruoxue and the Third Prince? My goodness, Sister Ruoxue is truly extraordinary. When did she start dating the Third Prince?"

Lu Yangyang followed her gaze and indeed saw a young couple talking nonsense. It was the Third Prince, whom she had met once before, and Cheng Ruoxue, whom she had just met today.

Lu Yangyang asked curiously, "What is a fishpond?"

"Ahem," Sheng Yunjiao coughed lightly, slightly embarrassed, "I was just saying, it's just that Sister Ruoxue, there are just too many young men who like her, Sister Ruoxue, um..."

Lu Yangyang didn't quite understand, so she slowly asked, "You mean, she's juggling both of them at the same time?"

"Cough cough cough," Sheng Yunjiao hurriedly covered her mouth, blinking her eyes: "I really didn't say that, it's just that all those young masters like Sister Ruoxue, even Third Brother and Fourth Brother admire her very much, and often ask me to bring Sister Ruoxue the sentimental poems they wrote! Sister Ruoxue doesn't think much of them!"

"Half of the young men in the capital regard Sister Ruoxue as their goddess."

Lu Yangyang nodded: "Then they have a good eye."

"Haha, Yangyang, I knew you were different. Many women don't like Sister Ruoxue's behavior, they think she... but it's clearly those people who are chasing after Sister Ruoxue. Sister Ruoxue has never agreed to any of them! Sister Ruoxue said that when looking for a man, she not only looks at his family background, but also whether he is devoted to her. If she doesn't pick and choose, how would she know what kind of men these are?" Sheng Yunjiao said softly, her face flushed.

Lu Yangyang: "..."

She didn't understand, but she was deeply shocked. Although she had interacted with the girls in the village before, marriage was still a distant concept for a child like her.

I didn't expect city people to be so precocious.

Seeing her blank expression, Sheng Yunjiao couldn't help but ask, "Yangyang, don't you have any thoughts about your future husband?"

Lu Yangyang shook her head blankly.

What is a husband?

From the moment she glimpsed the ending of "her" in her dream, she never thought about getting married; she only wanted to change her own fate.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Lu Yangyang?" At this moment, a maid with an oval face walked over and asked Lu Yangyang.

Lu Yangyang nodded. "What is it?"

"Greetings, Miss Lu. I am a maidservant of the Heir Apparent's wife. The Heir Apparent's wife has been grateful for the time you saved our young master and wanted to find an opportunity to thank you properly. Therefore, she invited Madam Lan to sit in our Heir Apparent's wife's courtyard and specifically asked me to invite you to come along." The maidservant bowed respectfully to Lu Yangyang.

"Your aunt wants you to come over? I'll go with you." Sheng Yunjiao stood up.

Just then, a girl called out from not far away, "Jiaojiao, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere."