“Young Master, you’ve got the wrong person. I’m just a maidservant in the residence, not a noble lady.”
The maid in green had just delivered some snacks and was about to leave with the food container when she was suddenly grabbed by Qiu An. She was startled and almost kicked him on instinct—until she saw it was the heir to the prince’s estate and held back. When she heard that Qiu An wanted to marry her as his consort, she immediately protested.
Qiu An ignored her entirely, his eyes fixed firmly on the Princess Consort of the Frontier King.
Seeing that Qiu An wasn’t responding, the maid in green grew visibly annoyed and struggled to break free. Just as she was about to resist, she remembered the reason she had come to the royal residence in the first place and forcibly calmed herself, allowing Qiu An to continue holding onto her.
“What? You’re sure you want to marry her as your consort?”
The Princess Consort of the Frontier King glanced at the five noble daughters standing to the side, then at the maid Qiu An was holding onto. Confirming she was indeed a servant, her voice rose in shock.
“Mother, that’s right. I want her to be my consort. You just said that I could pick anyone standing under the osmanthus tree, and she’s standing right there. You can’t go back on your word.”
Qiu An stared firmly at the Princess Consort as he spoke.
“You… you…”
The Princess Consort was so angry she didn’t know what to say.
She had assumed Qiu An would choose one of the five daughters of military families. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine he would rather marry a servant girl than one of them.
After a brief pause, the Princess Consort turned her gaze to the maid in green. She wanted to see just how stunning this maid had to be to make her son defy her so boldly.
When she got a good look at the maid’s face, she paused in surprise. Then, a knowing smile spread across her lips as she looked back at Qiu An.
“An’er, are you sure you want to marry the girl you’re holding?”
“If you really are, I’ll allow it. But if you change your mind, then from that point on, you’ll have to follow my arrangement for marriage.”
Seeing his mother’s unreadable smile, Qiu An began to panic. But at this point, if he backed down, he’d have to marry one of the five robust military daughters instead. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to continue.
“Yes, I… I…”
Qiu An turned toward the maid in green as he spoke, but as soon as he saw her face clearly, he froze mid-sentence.
On her otherwise stunning face were two five-centimetre-long scars—one on each side. Without them, she would undoubtedly be a woman of peerless beauty.
“Heh… An’er, do you still want to marry her?”
The Princess Consort laughed at Qiu An’s reaction.
Seeing him stunned by her scars, the maid smirked in satisfaction, secretly pleased with her earlier decision.
“Young Master, a disfigured maid like me could never be worthy of your esteemed status. You’d best tell the Princess Consort that you were only joking.”
If her face were unblemished, her smile might have been captivating. But now, with the scars, her smile lost much of its charm.
“Mother, I… I…”
Just as Qiu An was about to admit his mistake, a long-awaited voice echoed in his mind—the system he had waited three years for.
“Ding! Congratulations, Host, on choosing your destined partner. The Soft Rice System has been bound (inactive).”
The name of the system was a bit strange, but Qiu An was thrilled to hear it nonetheless. He was overcome with emotion—finally, the heavens had not abandoned him.
After his initial excitement, he remembered the system was still inactive. He quickly asked:
“System, what does ‘inactive’ mean? How do I activate you?”
“Host, you have selected your destined partner, but as the Soft Rice System implies, it requires reliance on her. To activate the system, she must willingly acknowledge you and agree to marry you.”
“She has to say she’s willing? But she seems pretty against me. How do I get her to agree?”
Qiu An stared at the maid, lost in thought about how to win her over. He completely forgot that both the Princess Consort and the maid were still waiting for his answer.
The maid, thinking he was about to retract his words, was delighted. She was just waiting for him to let go. But he suddenly froze and stared at her silently, which made her anxious.
“Young Master, please say it! Why did you stop halfway? Just tell the Princess Consort you’ve changed your mind!”
Her words snapped Qiu An out of his thoughts. Seeing the anxiety on her face made him laugh.
Suddenly, Qiu An tightened his grip, pulling her into his arms. Caught off guard, she stumbled into his chest. His left hand wrapped around her waist.
The maid was completely stunned. She looked up at Qiu An, dazed.
He leaned close, his breath warm against her face, and said softly:
“You underestimate yourself. Even with your scars, you are worthy of me. I will marry you.”
“Don’t try to escape. This life, you’re destined to be mine. You can’t run.”
Because of how close they were, his breath brushed her skin with every word, sending a shiver through her body. It was like being tickled by feathers, making her heart flutter and leaving her momentarily dazed and confused.
“An’er!”
The Princess Consort had thought Qiu An would regret his decision after seeing the scars. She had even started to smile—until he pulled the maid into his arms. The sight of the two so intimate made her furious.
“Ah!”
Her outburst didn’t startle Qiu An, but it did snap the maid out of her daze. She gasped and pushed him away, then fled toward the inner courtyard.
Qiu An stumbled slightly but managed to stay upright. Though his martial arts had been crippled, he still had a strong stance.
“Heh… Trying to run? Without you, how can I activate my system? Just wait—I’ll catch you.”
Watching the maid flee, Qiu An grinned and took a step forward to chase her. But before his foot could land, a sharp pain struck his left ear.
“Ah! Mother, not so hard! My ear’s going to fall off!”
He didn’t need to look to know the familiar pain—it was his mother twisting his ear again.
“Hmph! You won’t even listen to your own mother. What use is this ear anyway? It may as well fall off. Explain yourself! Are you trying to drive me mad?!”
The Princess Consort dragged him by the ear toward the inner courtyard.
“Ow! Mother, be gentle—it hurts!”
“Mother, my ear—seriously—it’s falling off!”
“Mother…!”
Qiu An kept complaining the entire way.
Meanwhile, the five noble daughters stood frozen, their faces darkening.
“Hmph! Qiu An is utterly insulting. He’d rather choose a disfigured maid than one of us.”
“He has dishonored me—and that’s an insult to my entire Chen family. I’m going home to tell my father.”
The daughter of the Deputy Minister of War stormed out of the royal estate.
“I’m telling my father too!”
…
One by one, all five young ladies stormed off in anger.
From the pavilion, Granny Rong watched them leave with a helpless smile, then turned and followed toward the inner courtyard.
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