I Am This Type of Woman

“Something's not right about this.”

“I also think something's not right.”

Father and son Ban exchanged glances, then turned to Madam Yin, hoping to find an answer from her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Madam Yin was taken aback. “I don't know what's going on either.” She racked her brains but couldn't figure out what was amiss. Finally, she turned to Ban Hua. “Hua Hua, think carefully again. Are you sure there wasn't anything about you being granted the title of Junjun in your dream?”

“No,” Ban Hua shook her head with certainty. “If such a good thing happened, I wouldn't forget it.”

“Then… could your dream be false?” Ban Heng suddenly thought of another possibility. “Xie Qilin's matter was just a coincidence. In reality, no one skipped breakfast, our family won't be raided, and all of this is just your imagination?”

Premonitory dreams were always hearsay, difficult to distinguish between true and false. Even he knew that when those founding emperors wanted to rebel, they loved to associate themselves with deities. Even the founding emperor of their Daye Dynasty used the same tactic. Whether deities truly existed, everyone knew the truth; it was just a way to fool the common people.

Ban Hua also became uncertain after Ban Heng's question. She got up and retrieved a wooden box from the curio shelf. Inside was a stack of paper covered in writing that resembled cryptic symbols. Probably only Ban Hua herself could understand what she had written.

“That day, I was afraid I would forget the dream's contents over time, so I wrote down everything I could remember,” Ban Hua slapped the stack of paper on the table. “Look and see if any other coincidental events happen. Once or twice can be a coincidence, but three or four times can't all be coincidences, right?”

Ban Huai picked up the paper and looked at it for a long time, then stared blankly at Ban Hua. “Daughter, what did you write here?”

Ban Hua took the paper and glanced at it. “Xie Wanyu will marry the Second Prince, but the Second Prince actually likes Shi Feixian.”

“Why did you only remember such trivial matters?” Ban Heng knew he couldn't decipher Ban Hua's cryptic writing, so he didn't even bother looking. “Were there any major events happening in the court?”

“I'm so lazy, how could I dream of major political events?” Ban Hua replied matter-of-factly. “Besides, the 'me' in the dream was so busy every day, how would I have time to care about those boring political affairs? Even if it were you, you wouldn't remember either.”

Ban Heng thought about it seriously. If he had this dream, he would probably forget it upon waking up. He would definitely be worse than his older sister.

“Then why do you remember so clearly who someone is marrying?” This was something Ban Heng couldn't understand.

“Who told her to be against me?”

Ban Heng suddenly understood and nodded with complete comprehension. With his older sister's vengeful nature, she would definitely remember this.

The now-adult First Prince and Second Prince were both born to the Empress. Perhaps before His Majesty ascended the throne, he had suffered enough from the late Emperor's favoritism towards concubines, so the person he respected most was the Empress, and the princes he valued most were also born to the Empress.

It was a pity that His Majesty's favoritism towards his two legitimate sons had allowed them to live a smooth-sailing life since childhood. As a result, the Crown Prince's personality was too indecisive, easily swayed, and prone to emotional decisions. The Second Prince had an arrogant personality. He always acted as if the Emperor was first, the Crown Prince was second, and he was third. As for the other court officials, very few were taken seriously by him.

The relationship between these two princes and Marquis Jingting's Residence wasn't very good, so Ban Hua didn't have much affection for them either.

There was one scene in the dream that Ban Hua remembered particularly clearly. Xie Wanyu, who had become a Prince's wife, slapped Shi Feixian. However, the Second Prince, in front of many people, not only reprimanded Xie Wanyu, but also personally accompanied Shi Feixian to see the imperial physician.

The men and women of the imperial family were not sincere, but at least they maintained a superficial harmony. The Second Prince's behavior of not giving his principal wife any face was going too far.

Now, Xie Wanyu and Shi Feixian were as close as sisters. Who would have thought that such a thing would happen in the future? No, wait, wasn't Shi Feixian interested in Rong Xia? If she had an ambiguous relationship with the Second Prince in the future, it meant that she didn't marry Rong Xia at all. So the question was, who was the woman who married Rong Xia?

“Sigh.”

Ban Hua sighed, resting her chin on her hand. It was a pity that she wasn't familiar with Rong Xia, and she hadn't even dreamed of him, so she really didn't know who the woman who could steal Shi Feixian's sweetheart was.

“Let's wait and see,” Madam Yin stroked her daughter's head. “If Young Lady Xie really marries the Second Prince, then we will…”

In reality, what could they do? They had a noble title but no real power. If someone really rebelled and proclaimed himself emperor, all they could do was obediently become fish on a chopping board.

“Sister, if only you knew who that rebel was in your dream,” Ban Heng was very dejected. “At least we could choose to kill him or cling to his thigh.”

“If everything in your sister's dream comes true, it means that this person is the son of destiny. Do you think you can kill him just by saying you want to kill him?” Ban Huai said exasperatedly. “Go be your dandy self and don't trouble your brain.”

In the autumn of the 21st year of Yunqing in the Daye Dynasty, the Emperor asked a certain noble lady of the court to act as a matchmaker and propose marriage to Xie Wanyu, the legitimate daughter of Duke Zhongping, on behalf of the Second Prince.

Duke Zhongping could only be considered a nouveau riche. Logically, his daughter shouldn't be able to marry into the Prince's residence. The reason the Emperor took the initiative to have him marry a principal wife with little influence was because he was becoming complacent. He could dote on his second legitimate son, but that didn't mean he liked the idea of his second legitimate son replacing his first legitimate son.

For Duke Zhongping, this wasn't a very good marriage, but since His Majesty had asked a First Rank noble lady to personally act as a matchmaker, he couldn't and dared not refuse.

After learning that Xie Wanyu was actually going to marry the Second Prince, the four members of the Ban family were ashen-faced, hiding in their room and crying their hearts out.

Dayue Palace was the residence of the emperors of the Daye Dynasty, and it was also the place that all the princes dreamed of living in.

The Second Prince, Jiang Luo, knelt before Emperor Yunqing, his face full of unwillingness and resentment. “Father, the person I admire is not Young Lady Xie. Why are you forcing me to marry her?”

“I've seen this Young Lady Xie. She has a beautiful appearance, elegant demeanor, and most importantly, a very gentle nature, which is very compatible with you,” Emperor Yunqing wrote, not even looking at Jiang Luo. “If you can't understand, go back and think about it slowly. When you've figured it out, I'll let you out of the palace.”

“Father!” Jiang Luo looked at Emperor Yunqing in disbelief. “Both Elder Brother and I are your sons. Why do you treat me like this? What's so good about that Xie Wanyu? In terms of talent, she's not as good as Young Lady Shi. In terms of bearing, she's not as good as Lady Kangning from Imperial Uncle's family. As for appearance…”

Jiang Luo sneered. “Even that idiot Ban Hua is prettier than her. Why should I marry such a woman?”

“Since you think Ban Hua is prettier than her, then marry Ban Hua!” Emperor Yunqing said impatiently. “There aren't that many perfect women in the world. Don't be dissatisfied.”

Jiang Luo gritted his teeth, afraid that if he continued to be stubborn, his father would really make him marry Ban Hua. He could only silently kowtow to Emperor Yunqing and silently retreat.

It wasn't that there were no perfect women at this time, it was just that his father didn't want him to have one.

In Grand Princess Dening's residence, Ban Hua's witty remarks made Grand Princess Dening laugh heartily, calling her "my darling" repeatedly, her fondness evident.

Ban Heng ate snacks while complaining, “Grandmother, don't believe my sister's words. When she whipped that Shen Yu, she didn't hold back at all. She swung the whip powerfully, even I was intimidated by her.”

“Girls should be assertive,” Grand Princess Dening patted Ban Hua's hand. “People like us don't need to learn to flatter others like other women. If anyone provokes you, just tell Grandmother, and I will stand up for you.”

Ban Hua held Grand Princess Dening's hand and smiled sweetly. “You don't have to worry about me. My brother and I are both fine. As long as you are healthy, I'm not afraid of anything.”

“Good, good,” Grand Princess Dening embraced Ban Hua, her smile gentle and kind. “Even for our Hua Hua, this Princess must live a long life.”

“And stay forever young, becoming younger and younger.”

“Alright, forever young.” Grand Princess Dening agreed with a smile.

When the siblings left the Princess's Residence, Grand Princess Dening stuffed them with many things again, as if she was afraid that her unreasonable son would wrong the two children.

“Cough, cough.” Watching the siblings ride their horses further and further away, Grand Princess Dening took out a handkerchief to cover her mouth, leaned on her attendant’s hand, and let out a long sigh.

ʕ◉ᴥ◉ʔ

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