A Lady’s Tranquility Chapter 18.2

Chapter 18(2): Study Companion

Jiang Xue Ning sat there for a while as everyone looked at her.

Jiang Bo You and Meng shi waited for a long while but didn’t hear her say anything so they thought she had silently passed this opportunity to Jiang Xue Hui. For a moment, they had a feeling of a large stone dropping internally.

Meng shi breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to say, “Then the matter is settled,” Jiang Xue Ning stood up from her seat.

The words that she had yet to say were stuck in her throat.

Meng shi’s eyelids twitched.

Jiang Xue Hui turned her eyes to look and sighed bitterly inside, sure enough.

Even Jiang Boi You shouted inside, “It’s going to be bad,” and started mulling how to settle the matter if Ning girl made a fuss later.

However unexpectedly, Jiang Xue Ning didn’t look at anyone. She closed her eyes and bowed, “Father and mother are being polite. Although this opportunity to enter the palace is rare, this daughter knows her own temperament is stubborn and wilful. But sister is dignified and virtuous and is willing to go. Plus, she has had contact with the noble ladies from the other aristocratic families in the Capital so it’ll be more appropriate for her to enter the palace. This daughter has no objection to letting sister go this time.”

Jiang Bo You was suddenly stupefied, “What did you say?”

Meng shi couldn’t help but sit up straight, “You…”

Jiang Xue Hui was also stunned. Her eyes flashed and she became inexplicably moved, “Little sister Ning…”

Jiang Xue Ning thought of Wan niang and without giving her any face, simply said, “Don’t think that I’m trying to fulfil anyone this time, I don’t want to enter the palace because I can’t stand the rules in the palace. If in the future you want something that I set my eyes on, I’ll snatch it without fail!”

Jiang Xue Hui looked at her without a word.

Jiang Xue Ning though turned her eyes away and said to Jiang Bo You and Meng shi, “If father and mother have no other matters then this daughter will take her leave.”

How could Jiang Bo You and Meng shi have thought that things would be so simple?

They didn’t yet have the time to react.

When they heard her words, some complicated emotions appeared inside their heart – they had thought that Ning’er would definitely cause trouble but she had let go of such a great opportunity so lightly, making them feel somewhat ashamed of their original thoughts.

Jiang Bo You hurriedly said, “There’s no other matters.”

Jiang Xue Ning didn’t delay, she gave her greetings again then left the room.

The three other people were left in the hall, each with a different expression.

Finally, Jiang Xue Ning looked at the thin figure that gradually disappeared into the verandah and smiled slowly, saying to Meng shi, “Little Sister Ning’s heart is actually very soft…”

Meng shi remained silent.

Jiang Bo You though, was rather moved and sighed, “I’m unaccustomed to Ning’er being so sensible. She’s really grown up and knows how to sympathise with us and yield to her sister.”

Thankfully, these words weren’t heard by Jiang Xue Ning otherwise she would burst out laughing.

Everyone thought that she had given up such a great opportunity to enter the palace as a study companion but they didn’t know that she had no intention at all of wanting this opportunity.

When she walked out the hall, her steps became even faster.

Lian’er almost couldn’t keep up with her and shouted as she walked, “Goodness, Young Lady what’s the matter with you? That’s a good opportunity to enter the palace as a study companion for the Eldest Princess. How many people are squeezing their heads trying to get in, but you actually directly let it go!”

Jiang Xue Ning scoffed, “I’d be stupid if I went!”

How could the palace be as comfortable as the outside?

There were rules to walking, siting and lying down.

Not just the study companions who were selected from the aristocratic and noble families of the ministers, even the concubines in the palace had to be cautious in their words and actions and didn’t dare to slack off in the slightest.

She only discovered how difficult life was after entering the palace.

Thankfully, after being granted the title of the Empress, no one dared to say anything even if her behaviour was more unbridled.

 But what was being a study companion in the last life like?

A Xiao Shu who was proficient in everything and so powerful that she overwhelmed others, an Eldest Princess of Leyang who ‘hated her because of love’ and found opportunities to find faults with her yet refused to let her leave.

What was even scarier was that Xie Wei was invited to be the teacher in two classes!

In the last life, during this time, she had no grudges with Xie Wei and he didn’t make things difficult with her either.

But in this life, would she still have a way to survive if Xie Wei was the teacher?

Not to mention, the look in the Eldest Princess of Leyang’s eyes that left her with lingering fear and that Yan Lin would often come in and out of the palace…

If she wanted to torment herself by entering the palace again, then she clearly was thinking that her head was too hard and her life was too long!

Just then when Jiang Bo You and Meng shi asked about it, Jiang Xue Hui was sitting there as well. She really didn’t want Jiang Xue Hui to be too smooth hence she had dragged out her decision.

However the result was a little unexpected.

They all thought that she was some kind of good person.

But that was fine, it wasn’t a bad thing.

As for whether or not Jiang Xue Hui would suffer once she entered the palace as a study companion?

What did that have to do with her.

—

After Jiang Xue Ning returned to her room, she took out her ‘assets’ and counted them again, thinking to herself that since the matter of the study companion has fallen onto Jiang Xue Hui, then even if Jiang Xue Hui wasn’t selected, she no longer had anything to do with entering the palace. This way, she had completely deviated from the trajectory of events in the previous life. She didn’t provoke Shen Jie either. Then, as long as she found a suitable opportunity to make things clear to Shen Jie then wait until the situation at the Yong Yi Marquis Mansion had settled, then no matter whether the end result was good or bad, she would’ve gone her best. She could then go back to TOngzhou to live or simply pack a bag and travel around the world like You Fang in the previous life.

The scenery outside was so good so why trap herself into a corner?

The sound of the little abacus went on for a while.

Although she was worried about the implication of the Yong Yi Marquis Mansion in the case of King Pingan’s rebellion but she was able to get a rare night’s good sleep.

The next afternoon, the list of candidates that were selected by the palace was announced.

When the list was passed to the Jiang Mansion, Jiang Bo You and Meng shi couldn’t believe their eyes and repeatedly confirmed with the palace eunuch, “Eunuch, is this list wrong? Our mansion submitted the name of our Eldest Lady this morning but why is it our Second Lady that’s on this list of selected candidates!?”

That eunuch wasn’t clear about the inside details so simply said, “That’s what the decree states. I don’t know. Either way, it’s a young lady from your family so there’s no difference. After this decree has been issued, she can pack her things and enter the palace the day after tomorrow, learn the rules and become familiar with the situation in the palace. If she is really unsuitable then she can be sent out. Anyway, you can prepare for the young lady.”

Jiang Bo You and Meng shi looked at one another.

When the news reached Jiang Xue Ning, she was in her room sorting through her things, preparing to exchange some of her valuable items that weren’t suitable to carry into banknotes so that it would be easier when she left the mansion in the future.

However, Lian’er excitedly ran in, “Young Lady, it’s you! It’s you!”

Jiang Xue Ning felt her head ache after hearing her voice.

But Lian’er had different thoughts to her.

If Lian’er had good news then it was definitely bad news!

Her small brush strokes on the account book stopped. Jiang Xue Ning’s eyes twitched, “What’s me?”

“Enter the palace! Enter the palace to be the study companion!” Lian’er panted.

Jiang Xue Ning’s head exploded. She dropped her pen and sood up, “What did you say?!”

Lian’er didn’t understand the situation yet and thought that she was overjoyed so she hurriedly explained, “Young Lady’s name is written in the list of study companions! The name that Master gave to the palace was the Eldest Young Lady’s but for some reason, she wasn’t selected. Instead, your name was directly added in. You’ll soon become the princess’ study companion.”

“…”

Jiang Xue Ning’s head suddenly buzzed and hundreds of thousands of thoughts rushed through her like a tide.

In the end, only one thought remained –

Her name clearly wasn’t sent up but it was included in the list of study companions.

The palace was an authentic ‘shura field’!

Who exactly was it that was messing with her from behind?