Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 159 Recalling the Past
Judging whether someone is good or bad like that is too hasty, but looking at the child's age, Chunyu Shuang felt speechless. She's still just a child. However, she was fortunate to have her help just now; otherwise, the two of them, who were completely defenseless, would have been caught.

However, they couldn't stay at the child's house for long. If the guards from the Prince's mansion weren't satisfied with searching the streets and wanted to search the houses as well, and found the two of them here, they would be in real trouble. They weren't worried about being arrested, but they would feel uneasy if they implicated the mother and daughter.

"Thank you for your help, young lady. We'll be leaving now to avoid causing you any trouble."

"Are you, my brother and sister, bad people?"

"of course not."

"But if you're not bad people, why do you say you'll drag us down with you? When Dad was home, he often told me to be a good person who would help others in times of trouble. Am I wrong to do that?"

"This one……"

Chunyu Shuang didn't have much experience interacting with children, given her family situation. Her brothers' children weren't very close to her either, but Chunyu Shuang didn't like those ungrateful brats either.

She remembered that the children were quite cute when they were little, probably because they hadn't been harmed by adults. So Chunyu Shuang treated those little ingrates fairly well, until one day, one of her nephews said something in a naive yet malicious tone.

"Auntie, aren't you very rich? Give me money, I want to buy candied hawthorns."

"Didn't you just eat some? You can't eat candied hawthorns too often, they'll ruin your teeth and you won't be able to chew the meat then."

"You're talking nonsense! How could I possibly rot my teeth? You really are the ungrateful wretch our parents described! If you don't treat me well now, I won't take care of you when you're old!"

"...Why would I need you to take care of me in my old age and break pots for me?"

"Of course it's because you can't get married! Dad says you're almost thirty and no good man will want you. You're just an old spinster who can't get married. Anyway, all your money will be left to me after you die. Without me, your nephew, to take care of you in your old age, I wonder who will take care of you! Hurry up and give me the money!"

"..."

How did Chunyu Shuang feel at that time? Utterly confused. She never intended for her nephew to take care of her in her old age. Her kindness towards them was genuine, but she never expected them to think it was a transaction.

She immediately flew into a rage, not caring how much the family doted on this brat, and dragged him over for a beating, making the nephew cry and wail, attracting the attention of the whole family.

Chunyu Shuang naively believed that her parents would side with her, after all, she was their elder. She never expected that her mother, who had been weak her whole life, would get angry at her.

"What are you yelling about? This is your own nephew. If you can't get married, he'll have to take care of you in your old age. Shouldn't you be treating him better now?!"

"...So you taught him these words."

"Am I wrong? You're getting older and fewer people are coming to propose marriage. With your temper, how can you possibly marry into a good family?"

"Okay, you don't need to say anything."

Her whole family was shocked. How dare Chunyu Shuang speak to her mother like that? It showed no filial piety whatsoever. Wasn't she afraid of being criticized? It was from that moment that Chunyu Shuang faced reality. She would speak out for her mother, but tragically, that woman, despite a lifetime of hard work, couldn't understand why she had become like this, and didn't even think that everything she had experienced was wrong. Perhaps she was just meddling; wouldn't it have been better to just let her fend for herself?
But people, no matter how harsh their thoughts or words may be, will always involuntarily change their minds. After all, people can be truly ruthless when they want to be, but when it comes to indecisiveness, they can be indecisive regardless of the situation.

“I don’t need to prove my usefulness by getting married or not. I’m putting it out there today: even if I die and my body is left to rot in the wilderness, I don’t need your precious son to collect my remains! I came into this world naked and I will leave naked, and I have no shame in it.”

"The only thing that makes me ashamed is having family members like you, who are incompetent themselves and can't stand seeing others succeed. You're short-sighted and only know how to look at the sky from the bottom of a well. I'll keep a close eye on how outstanding your sons are, and see if your precious grandchildren will be able to make something of themselves in ten years!"

It was from that time onward that Chunyu Shuang's relationship with her family became increasingly strained, until it completely broke down before she left Beijing this time.

Pulling herself from her reverie to look at the well-behaved, adorable, and sensible little girl before her, Chunyu Shuang couldn't help but sigh. Why were people's views so shallow? Men and women are clearly equal, each with their own roles, yet some people insist on judging others by gender. Even her several nephews, all tied together, couldn't match the cleverness and intelligence of this little girl before her.

He bent down to look the little girl in the eye and spoke earnestly.

"No, that's not it. You're absolutely right, young lady. One should always have good intentions in life, but those good intentions should also have some edge, otherwise you won't know whether you've encountered a human or a ghost."

The little girl immediately cheered up.

“I knew Dad was right…”

Just then, a gentle female voice, sounding slightly anxious, came through.

"Ruohua, what's going on? Dahei just ran up to us silently, neither barking nor moving away, just wagging its tail. Were you being naughty...? Who are you?"

As the gentle female voice rang out, a familiar figure hurried over, followed by a large black dog that trotted along slowly.

The noodle stall owner clearly had a good memory; the moment he saw Chunyu Shuang and the other person, he remembered that they had appeared at his noodle stall before. However, the timing of their appearance was inappropriate, especially given the uproar outside from the search. The owner had a sudden inspiration.

"Were the guards from the Prince's residence who just passed by outside here looking for you?"

Chunyu Shuang and Xie Mingchen exchanged a glance, realizing they were in trouble. Before the boss could make a scene, they quickly clarified that they meant no harm.

"Please rest assured, sir. We meant no harm. We were just chased by some unknown guards from the royal palace and, in our panic, we ended up in your backyard. Don't worry, we'll leave right away and won't cause any trouble for you."

This boss, who kneaded dough year-round, had strong, powerful arms; frankly, he could easily defeat these two defenseless civil officials. Of course, if they fought back, they might have a chance, but a large, black dog, almost half a person's height, was watching them menacingly from behind…

Look at those sharp teeth, bulging muscles, and razor-sharp claws...

Let's not take the risk.

(End of this chapter)