Chapter 35: A Kind-Hearted Beauty

Chen Kan wore a flying-fish robe with a bullfight pattern, a saber hanging at his waist, and an expression that made it clear to anyone that he was no gentleman. Not to mention, he was whistling at a group of young women. Although the women did not understand the connotation of his whistling, they knew instinctively that it was nothing respectable.

Chen Kan wore a wicked, charming grin. The Qinhuai River was not particularly wide, but he was certain that the servants and bodyguards accompanying these women would be unable to swim across to give him any trouble—by the time they could reach him, he would be long gone. Emboldened by this, he whistled again. This was true impunity.

"You rogue! Get lost!" the women cried out in anger, picking up stones from the riverbank and hurling them at him.

Their shrieks, however, disturbed a person of high status who was cooling off in the nearby woods. It was a sweet girl with large, expressive eyes. Hearing her maids shouting at a "rogue" by the river, she suddenly perked up.

"A rogue? Isn't that the same one who was starving and searching for food all over the palace?" she muttered to herself. She then cast her shimmering, lively eyes toward the elderly nursemaid standing beside her. "Nanny Rong, please, just let me go and play for a while. Just a little while, won't you?" She batted her large, sparkling eyes pleadingly.

Nanny Rong replied, "Your Highness, when we left the palace, you promised the Emperor that you would stay in the pavilion to escape the heat and would not show your face in public."

"But I’m so bored! Just let me play for a moment, I promise, just a little while."

Indeed, the noblewoman the maids referred to was Princess Changning, Zhu Yuelan. Accustomed to the cool breeze of Beiping, she had struggled to adapt to the humid, sweltering climate of Jiangnan since arriving in Jinling, especially within the oppressive heat of the imperial palace. She had begged Zhu Di to let her come to the Qinhuai River to escape the heat, and he, unable to refuse her, had granted permission. However, due to her status, she was confined to a makeshift pavilion, while her maids were free to frolic as they pleased. Zhu Yuelan had been envious of their freedom, and now, hearing the word "rogue," her restless heart could no longer be contained.

"But Princess, this is the wilderness. What if you encounter danger?" Nanny Rong remained hesitant; these were turbulent times, and one could never be sure if remnants of Jianwen’s faction might be lurking nearby. If any harm came to the Princess, not even a dozen of her heads would be enough to pay the price.

"Oh, what danger could there be? Besides, we have so many guards with us. If there were any trouble, they could handle it. Just let me go, please?"

Zhu Yuelan grabbed Nanny Rong’s arm and swayed it back and forth, her large eyes filled with feigned sorrow. Watching her, Nanny Rong’s heart softened. Having lost her mother at a young age, Zhu Yuelan had been raised by Nanny Rong; though they were mistress and servant in name, they were like mother and daughter in spirit. What mother could resist such an adorable plea?

"Very well, Princess," Nanny Rong sighed helplessly. "But you said only for a moment."

"Mhm!" Zhu Yuelan nodded like a chick pecking at grain, a look of triumph flashing in her eyes.

Nanny Rong sighed again. "Go on, then."

"I knew Nanny Rong was the best!" Planting a kiss on the nanny's cheek, Zhu Yuelan skipped and hopped toward the river.

Watching her figure disappear, Nanny Rong shook her head with a resigned smile. She could do nothing about this whimsical, mischievous Princess. But since she had raised her herself, she could only indulge her. Shifting her expression, Nanny Rong coughed twice toward the woods. Moments later, two Imperial Guards in flying-fish robes with embroidered sabers appeared before her.

"I heard the servants shouting about some rogue," Nanny Rong commanded. "Go and deal with it. Do not let any riffraff disturb the Princess."

"Understood!" The two guards vanished in a blink.

Back at the riverbank, Chen Kan smirked. "Can't hit me! See? You're missing!"

The women were grinding their teeth in frustration. It was true—most of the stones they threw fell limply into the calm water long before they could reach him. Faced with his mocking demeanor, there was little they could do.

"Wait, you really are a rogue, aren't you?"

A crisp, ethereal voice rang out, causing Chen Kan’s smirk to freeze. *Could she be the noblewoman the maids were talking about?* Watching Zhu Yuelan bound toward the riverbank, Chen Kan called out uncertainly, "Your Highness, the Princess?"

"Not a Princess, I am the Princess now!" Zhu Yuelan’s eyes crinkled into crescents, and she waved at him from the opposite bank, completely disregarding her royal dignity.

*So,* Chen Kan thought, *I’ve been teasing Princess Zhu Yuelan’s maids?* He had never expected that a casual bit of mischief would involve her. This was a classic case of the flood washing away the Dragon King’s temple.

*Am I doomed?* he wondered.

"Your Highness, aren't you in the palace? Why are you here?"

"The palace is too hot, so I came to the river to escape the heat!"

The two conversed across the Qinhuai River. For some reason, seeing Zhu Yuelan lifted Chen Kan’s already good spirits. Her shimmering, large eyes seemed as if they could draw his very soul into them.

"Rogue, are you still hungry? I brought some delicious food."

"Ah..." Chen Kan felt an urge to leap into the water and swim across. *But wait,* he told himself, *does she only see me as someone who just eats? I have talent, too! The uncles and cousins you're about to see deposed can prove that!*

He suppressed the urge to jump. "No, no," he whispered, trying to lecture himself. "Men and women must be kept apart, and there is a distinction between monarch and subject. Besides, she is Zhu Di’s daughter—if Zhu Di is a dragon, she is a little dragoness, the fire-breathing kind. This is too dangerous, Chen Kan, you must hold your ground. You have grand ambitions and aspirations. How can one settle down before the Xiongnu are defeated? First build a career, then a home!"

"Hurry over! I brought roasted chicken, roast goose, sweet wine, and plums, peaches..." Seeing Chen Kan silent, Zhu Yuelan assumed he couldn't swim. She hopped on her feet and added, "There’s a pontoon bridge about three or four miles ahead. Cross it, and I’ll wait for you here!"

*!*

*So be it,* he thought. *I’ve transmigrated—can’t I even have the dignity to love a woman? She’s just a princess—I must marry her!*

He was now absolutely certain: he had fallen for this beautiful, kind-hearted girl. Even though they had only met twice, love needed no reason. Love at first sight was perfectly logical.

"I’m coming! I want the roast goose!" Chen Kan looked up and waved, his resolve growing firm.