Chapter 26 So what if I smell bad in the toilet? Did I use your toilet...?

"There is a beginning."

“Piercing the ear”.

"Both ears".

"According to the pole."

...

As Si She's clear voice rang out one after another, cheers erupted from the tallest pavilion in Ya Feng Yuan.

Then came another series of jingling sounds as jade pendants, incense balls, and pearl flowers fell into a carved lacquered wooden tray held by a waiter and were presented to Qi Jingxuan and Shen Yan.

Qi Jingxuan laughed triumphantly: "I told you you couldn't win. See, you lost again."

As he spoke, he picked up a newly won telescope from the wooden tray and handed it to Shen Yan.

He had just seen it. Shen Yan was very interested in this thing and glanced at it several times when Lu Jia Liu Lang took it out as a prize.

Having obtained what he desired most and having won enough for the day, Qi Jingxuan decided to stop while he was ahead, waving his hand and saying, "Alright, I won't make things difficult for you today. You guys play, we'll go look around elsewhere."

He then pulled Shen Yan along and started to leave.

The people in the pitch-pot area urged him to stay, saying, "Don't go, don't go! Come again, come again!"

“Yes, let’s do it again,” someone said, pointing to the top of their head, “I can even use this jade crown on my head as a prize.”

Qi Jingxuan scoffed: "Do I care about your jade crown? It's just that it's my princess's first time here. She saw that it was lively here, so she played a few more rounds."

"That's enough for you guys. Stop pushing yourselves too much, or you'll lose your pants and have to walk out of here naked."

"You can afford to lose face, but I'm afraid of getting a sty from looking at it."

This remark drew laughter from everyone present, but some people became even more unconvinced.

"Why would we just leave after winning? Maybe we can turn the tide and win a few more rounds."

Qi Jingxuan chuckled, finding it quite amusing.

"What kind of talk is this? If you don't win, you leave. Do you expect us to wait until you win?"

"If you're so competitive and insist on winning, otherwise you won't let us leave, then my princess will have no choice but to throw the ball with her eyes closed."

Everyone laughed again upon hearing this. The man was still somewhat unconvinced, but he didn't dare to actually ask Shen Yan to close her eyes and throw.

If that's the case, even if he wins, it's an unfair victory, and he won't need to come to Yafeng Garden anymore; no one will want to play with him.

Seeing that he was not speaking, Qi Jingxuan raised his chin and said, "It's not impossible to win. Just practice more. When my princess is in a good mood, you can come and play a few more rounds with her. Otherwise, it's kind of boring to keep winning like this."

After saying that, he shook his head and sighed, looking like a "lone wolf seeking defeat".

Someone retorted indignantly, "Your Highness Prince Jin speaks as if you were the one who won against us, when it was clearly the Princess Consort..."

The man realized he'd been led astray by Qi Jingxuan's constant use of "my princess," and quickly corrected himself, saying, "It was clearly Miss Shen who won, what are you so smug about?"

"Why can't I be proud?"

Qi Jingxuan said matter-of-factly, "Of course I'm proud to have married such an amazing princess! Why don't you try marrying one as amazing as her yourself!"

The man was stunned by his shameless remarks and didn't know how to respond. He watched helplessly as the man arrogantly pulled Shen Yan's sleeve and walked out.

The waiter followed behind, carrying a tray filled with all sorts of items, all the prizes they had won at Yafeng Garden that day; the tray was overflowing.

Qi Jingxuan originally brought Shen Yan here just to have some fun, but he didn't expect Shen Yan to play so many games so well.

Especially in games like pitch-pot that require accuracy, she only needs to try a few times to get a feel for it, and soon she can dominate the game.

Qi Jingxuan followed behind her, clapping and cheering until his hands were almost worn out, feeling extremely pleased.

He had visited Yafeng Garden so many times, but he had never been as proud as he was today.

"You're amazing!"

He kept praising it as we walked, talking non-stop.

"I've never seen anyone play the wooden arrow-throwing game so well, and your Cuju (ancient Chinese football) is amazing too!"

Shen Yan chuckled: "I didn't play very well, I just played reasonably well within my capabilities."

"Take Cuju for example. You see, I can do well in freestyle play, but if I really have to go out and face someone, I'm not fast and I'm not strong enough. I can't catch up with the ball or bump into others, so there's no way I can win."

"That's already amazing! Look at all those people who couldn't beat you today."

Qi Jingxuan said, then remembered something and asked, "The Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion also had a game of pitch-pot at the spring banquet that day, so why didn't anyone mention you?"

There were quite a few young people there that day; if she had shown this skill then, Qi Jingxuan would have known.

He blurted out the question instinctively, then immediately regretted it, raising his hand to slap his face: "I'm sorry, I... I forgot, about that day..."

That day, Shen Yan was framed and taken from the backyard of the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion to the front yard. There was no way she could play the game of pitch-pot there.

Shen Yan knew what he was thinking and shook her head, saying, "Before I was drugged and taken away, Miss Xu and the others were already playing pitch-pot. I didn't want to stand out at the time, so I just threw one arrow and went to the washroom."

Putting aside the fact that it was a banquet at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence, the host arranged the pitch-pot game to allow the guests to have fun and get along harmoniously. As a guest, it was inappropriate for her to overstep the bounds of the occasion and spoil everyone's enjoyment.

Even disregarding all that, she didn't want to stand out at the time; she just wanted to go home with her mother after the banquet and avoid any trouble.

Since things are already like this whether or not we seek the limelight, we might as well follow our own desires.

Moreover, the more prominent she is today, the more others will understand that she truly married Qi Jingxuan willingly, and that she was happy when she went out with him without any reluctance. Therefore, there will be no rumors that she was forced by her family to come out for social events.

Qi Jingxuan was unaware of her many thoughts and felt that this topic was really inappropriate, so he quickly changed the subject to the telescope in her hand and asked her why she liked it.

Shen Yan held the telescope in her hand and played with it, casually saying, "I've seen this before at someone else's place. I thought it was very novel, and I was even thinking of buying one if I came across it sometime, but..."

She paused abruptly, her expression somewhat dazed.

Qi Jingxuan was puzzled and asked, "What happened in the end?"

Shen Yan snapped out of her reverie, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts that had suddenly surfaced, and said, "It's nothing, it's just... I haven't encountered you before, so I liked you the moment I saw you today and wanted to win you over."

Qi Jingxuan nodded and said "oh". Seeing that it was almost noon, he took her out of Yafeng Garden to have lunch.

"Actually, you can eat at Ya Feng Yuan, and the chef's skills are not bad, but it's not a proper restaurant. It's okay if you're too lazy to go out and just grab a bite, but if you really want to eat something you like, it's best to go to a restaurant or eatery."

“My favorite restaurant, Bafangke, is nearby. It has four chefs who cook all kinds of dishes very well. Diners from all over the country can find food that suits their taste at their restaurant.”

“You’ve only been in Beijing for six months, so your tastes might be a little different from mine, but you’ll definitely be able to find something you like at his place.”

Shen Yan has never been particular about food and didn't know which restaurants were nearby, so she just nodded and followed silently.

Since Bafangke was not far from here, the two did not take a carriage. They strolled along at a leisurely pace, stopping to look at any stalls or shops that interested them.

As she passed a small storefront, barely ten feet wide, Shen Yan suddenly stopped. Looking at the weathered words "Xu's Noodle Shop" on the signboard, she glanced around and murmured, "So this is the street. This shop is still here."

Qi Jingxuan followed her gaze and saw that it was an inconspicuous little noodle shop, which could be seen through at a glance from the street.

The place was tiny, with only a few tables and chairs, and there wasn't a single customer in the store; it was incredibly deserted.

The waiter was dozing against a table, while an elderly man with white hair, who was either the accountant or the manager, was also huddled behind the counter, his eyes half-closed and his head nodding lightly.

Qi Jingxuan had lived in the capital for over a decade and had never noticed such a small shop before, so he couldn't help but ask, "Have you been here before?"

"Um."

Shen Yan nodded and said, "When I was four or five years old, I came to the capital with my grandfather. At that time, I was hungry while walking on the street, and the restaurants here were all very expensive. My grandfather thought the name of this noodle shop was more... um... simple and unpretentious, so he took me to this noodle shop to eat noodles."

"As it turned out, this restaurant wasn't cheap for us at the time. My grandfather was short of money, so after asking the price, he wanted to take me away and walk a little further to find another place to eat."

“An old lady served us. She saw that I was young and my stomach was growling, so she offered to give us a discount.”

"Later they really did give me a much better price, and they even gave me a chicken leg for free. It was the best chicken leg I've ever had in years."

Because of this chicken leg, young Shen Yan had no impression of the colorful shops on this street, but she remembered this small storefront.

Qi Jingxuan suddenly realized: "I thought your whole family only came to Beijing last year."

“This is indeed my mother’s first time here. My father came once when he took the imperial examination, and I only came once with my grandfather.”

"Shen Yan said."

Seeing that she seemed quite nostalgic when she brought up the past, Qi Jingxuan, though not really interested in the noodle shop, tentatively asked, "Would you like to go in and eat noodles, and also buy one of those chicken legs you ate before?"

Shen Yan thought for a moment, nodded, and the two of them stepped into the small shop and sat down at a table at the very back.

Although the waiter was dozing off, his ears were still sharp. Hearing someone approach, he immediately opened his eyes and came over with a smile to ask, "What would you two gentlemen like to eat?"

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Qi Jingxuan's face clearly and almost bit her tongue.

This... isn't this His Highness Prince Jin?

Although the Prince of Jin had never eaten at their shop, he frequented this street, so most of the shop assistants on the street recognized him.

Qi Jingxuan ignored the waiter's surprised expression and turned to ask Shen Yan, "What would you like to eat?"

After carefully recalling the past, Shen Yan ordered one serving of each of the noodles she and her grandfather had eaten years ago, and finally said, "Add a chicken leg as well."

The waiter was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this. He didn't have time to think about why the Prince of Jin would come to their shop to eat noodles, and hurriedly replied, "Miss, we don't sell chicken legs."

Shen Yan was taken aback: "You're not selling them? But I remember your family used to have some."

"No, no."

"That's what the guy said confidently."

"Although I only came here in the last few years, my family's shop has always only sold noodles and some pickles, not chicken legs."

Shen Yan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood. She looked at the old man who was still dozing off and smiled, "Then forget it, two bowls it is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qi Jingxuan slammed a silver ingot on the table: "If you don't have one, make one now. We'll wait."

The shopkeeper was startled by the silver ingot. Although he knew that this prince was always generous, this was the first time he had been personally dazzled by such generosity. He stared at the silver ingot, ready to agree at any moment.

But he was still clear-headed and knew he couldn't make the decision himself, so he said he would go ask first. Then he went straight to the counter, gently shook the old man awake, and loudly told him Qi Jingxuan's request.

The old man was clearly hard of hearing, so he spoke loudly. After the waiter finished speaking, he shouted, "No way! It's too much trouble. Who would bother to make a chicken leg at this hour? Eat it if you want, or leave if you don't."

Upon hearing this, the waiter broke out in a cold sweat, awkwardly glanced at Qi Jingxuan, gave a sheepish smile, and then gestured to the old man, saying, "One chicken leg, a lot of money, a whole ingot of silver!"

"I wouldn't do it for any amount of money; I'm not short of cash."

The old man said willfully.

The waiter was speechless and could only return to Qi Jingxuan with a forced smile, saying that he couldn't make chicken legs.

The old man had a deep, loud voice, which Qi Jingxuan had already heard earlier, and he found this shop to be quite unusual.

He had seen people who had plenty of money to open shops, but he had never seen anyone who opened a shop and then turned their money away.

Seeing that the noodle shop was dilapidated and business was slow, he gave Shen Yan extra money because his family had once given her a chicken leg when she was hungry. But she didn't seem to care about it.

Shen Yan looked at the street outside and said with a smile, "This shop has such a slow business, yet it has been able to stay open on this street for so long. It must really be rich."

Otherwise, they would have either already sold it off or switched to other businesses, so why keep it in their hands and insist on running a noodle shop with hardly any customers?

Qi Jingxuan thought about it and agreed, saying, "Then forget it. I'll take you somewhere else to eat chicken legs later. There are plenty of good chicken legs in the capital, and there are definitely better ones than this one."

Shen Yan nodded, and in the end only ordered two bowls of noodles.

Although he didn't get the chicken leg, Qi Jingxuan didn't ask for the silver ingot back, saying he gave it to the shop as a tip.

The waiter happily took the silver and presented it to the old man. The old man frowned, looked at it, and said loudly in what he thought was a very soft voice, "Where did this idiot come from, giving so much silver for two bowls of noodles?"

After saying this, he happily put the silver ingot into the money box, making a pleasant, crisp sound.

Qi Jingxuan spent ten taels of silver and was still called a fool, which made him glare angrily.

If the person speaking wasn't an old man old enough to be his great-grandfather, he would have definitely gone up and argued with him.

Because of the old man's words, the waiter didn't dare to approach Qi Jingxuan and his companion again. Only after the noodles were ready and served did he bring a tray to them, put down the noodles, and immediately retreat to the counter.

As the two ate noodles, Qi Jingxuan asked Shen Yan, "Is this the same as what you ate when you were little?"

Shen Yan tasted it carefully, then shook her head with a smile: "I don't know, I don't remember what that bowl of noodles tasted like when I was a child."

More than ten years is too long. Even the chicken legs that I thought were very delicious back then are hard to recall the exact taste of now. I only remember that they were very tasty.

Qi Jingxuan felt that the noodles at this shop were really just average. The taste was only so-so, and it was far from delicious. No wonder the business was so bad despite being in such a good location. It hadn't made a name for itself in decades, and it was a miracle that it hadn't closed down yet.

Fortunately, he's not a picky eater. Although he loves good food, he's not so bad at eating that he won't eat if the food doesn't suit his taste.

The noodles in front of them weren't very good, but they would fill their stomachs. After they went out, he would take Shen Yan for a stroll around the neighborhood and buy some snacks.

Sibaozhai's pastries and preserved fruits are available on their cart, so there's no need to buy them.

Wuweixuan's cherry syrup is in season right now; it's sweet and delicious, and girls should love it.

Ruyi Fang is most famous for its ice bowls, but it's too early to eat them in spring. Instead, try a bowl of plum juice, which is perfect for when you're tired from shopping.

The sweet wines at Crescent Lake are all delicious, but is it really appropriate to bring a girl to drink with me...?

As Qi Jingxuan was thinking, he suddenly heard a violent cough.

His thoughts were interrupted. He looked up and saw the shop assistant standing by the counter, coughing forcefully with his fist to his lips, his eyes darting around as if they were about to fly out of his face.

Qi Jingxuan, puzzled, stared intently at him.

When the shop assistant saw him looking over, he immediately stopped coughing and stopped darting his eyes around. He lowered his head and acted as if nothing had happened.

Qi Jingxuan was even more puzzled. Just as he was about to ask, he heard voices faintly coming from behind him, and they mentioned him in their conversation.

He turned around and saw that two more customers had entered the shop and were now sitting at the table near the door.

The two had probably already ordered their food and were waiting for their noodles to be served. Since they had nothing to do, they chatted casually to pass the time.

Because Qi Jingxuan had his back to them, they only saw Shen Yan when they entered the store and did not know that the person sitting opposite her was the Prince of Jin, whom they were currently discussing.

The shop assistant, fearing they might say something inappropriate, coughed forcefully and gestured to them not to speak carelessly.

Unfortunately, the commotion attracted the attention of the Prince of Jin, but the two diners only glanced at him before looking away and continuing their conversation.

The shopkeeper was on the verge of tears, and could only hope that they would be careful with their words and actions, and not say anything unpleasant that might anger the Prince of Jin, lest some bloodshed occur in their little shop.

"I don't know what Prince Jin was thinking, he insisted on marrying Miss Shen, and all this trouble has happened these past few days. I thought His Majesty would definitely refuse, but I didn't expect him to agree. I heard that he is already preparing to bestow the marriage upon her."

"Hey, how could this have happened if we hadn't agreed? Are we supposed to let the Shen family suffer this injustice for nothing? Didn't you see that as soon as Miss Shen had her accident, some poor scholars went to the streets to cause trouble? If things really escalate, Prince Jin won't have a good time."

"Moreover, Miss Shen is not bad either. Although she comes from a humble background, she is from a scholarly family. In terms of talent alone, she is more than a match for Prince Jin."

“You’re right. Although Prince Jin is of noble birth, he’s rather unruly. If he were to marry a young lady from a prominent family, both of them would be spoiled and unwilling to give in to each other. How could they possibly live together without arguing every other day?”

"Exactly, Miss Shen is someone he chose himself, so he'll definitely be willing to pamper and coax her. Isn't that better than marrying someone you don't like?"

"But speaking of which... I am a little worried that Miss Shen will not be able to stand Prince Jin."

The man lowered his voice as he spoke, as if he wanted to say something secret, but his tone was clearly teasing.

"Why can't he stand the Prince of Jin? Does he perhaps have some strange quirk?"

“It’s not a quirk,” the man chuckled softly. “Haven’t you heard? Prince Jin has been staying at the Shen family’s doorstep these past few days in an effort to marry Miss Shen.”

“The Shen family didn’t agree to this marriage before, so we definitely can’t just let him in.”

"But people have to relieve themselves sometimes. Prince Jin is a prince, after all. He can't just take off his pants and relieve himself in the street. So for the past few days, he has been using the bathroom of a neighbor's house near the Shen family's house."

"According to that family, the Prince of Jin's toilets were incredibly smelly. Every time he came out of the bathroom, the doors and windows had to be left open for half a day before anyone could enter. Otherwise, the stench would knock you over as soon as you entered."

Qi Jingxuan was eating noodles when he heard people talking about it, but he didn't intend to pay any attention. He thought that if they said a few words, he would let it go, as long as they didn't slander Shen Yan.

But as he listened, the conversation suddenly shifted from his relationship with Shen Yan to his trip to the toilet, and he even talked about it in such a... way.

Qi Jingxuan gritted his teeth, his hand gripping the chopsticks with bulging veins, and jumped up from his chair, striding toward the two men.

When the two saw the diners inside suddenly walking towards them, they subconsciously looked up. When they saw who it was, they were so frightened that they almost slid off their chairs.

“Your Highness, Prince Jin…”

The two quickly stood up and bowed respectfully.

Qi Jingxuan's face turned ashen, and he angrily demanded, "Who gave you permission to tarnish my reputation here?"

The two men were so frightened that they knelt down with a thud, repeatedly saying that they were commoners and dared not.

"It's...it's just gossip we heard outside, we were just saying it casually."

"Yes, it wasn't us who spread it. We just... we just heard people outside saying it, so... we just said a few words too."

"fart!"

Qi Jingxuan jumped up and down, almost lifting the roof off.

"My toilet doesn't smell at all! And if it does, it's just a normal, ordinary stench!"

"Humans eat grains and cereals, so who can go to the toilet without smelling bad? Are you all immortals who don't eat grains and live on dew and air, so you're completely free of filth?"

"We're all human, what's wrong with my toilet smelling bad? Did I use your toilet?"

"Yes, yes, everyone stinks."

One of them said.

"No... I didn't use my toilet."

The other person said, while subconsciously adding in their mind: "It's from Old Zhang's house in Yangliu Hutong."

Qi Jingxuan raged, but there was nothing he could do about the two of them. In the end, he could only roar, "Get out! Don't let me see you again!"

The two quickly got up and rolled away, not even bothering to eat their noodles, fleeing the street as fast as they could.

Qi Jingxuan was furious. When he returned to the table, his chest was still heaving. When he looked up, he saw Shen Yan sitting opposite him. He realized that she had heard everything he had just said and felt extremely embarrassed.

Then he saw that she seemed to be eating noodles with her head down, but actually didn't put a single bite in her mouth. Her lips were clearly taut as she tried to suppress a laugh, and anger surged within him again: "You're laughing at me!"

"without."

Shen Yan hurriedly replied.

He opened his mouth but couldn't suppress the laughter he was trying to hold back, and two soft laughs escaped from his lips. He could only quickly shut his mouth again and bury his head in the bowl of noodles.

Qi Jingxuan became even angrier upon seeing this, and said indignantly, "So what if I smell bad in the toilet? Everyone smells bad! Doesn't your toilet smell bad too?"

Shen Yan, who was pretending to eat noodles, froze on her lips as the noodles she was picking up with her chopsticks fell into the bowl.

Qi Jingxuan was also stunned for a moment. After regaining his senses, he slapped himself twice: "I'm sorry, I... I'm not good at talking."

Shen Yan nodded: "I can see that."

Even if Qi Jingxuan was slow-witted, he knew that it was really inappropriate to say such things to a girl, and he secretly worried that Shen Yan might be angry.

Just as he was thinking about how to ease the awkward atmosphere, he heard her say again, "It must have been very difficult for Your Highness to survive in the palace until now."

Seeing that she had spoken to him first, Qi Jingxuan subconsciously replied, "Yes, don't let my status as a prince fool you. It may seem glamorous on the surface, but there are many shady things happening in the palace..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he noticed the hidden smile on Shen Yan's lips, and then he realized: "You're teasing me."

After speaking, seeing Shen Yan's eyes crinkle and her smile deepen, he felt a sudden sense of relief and smiled along with her.

The two sat facing each other and laughed for a long time before Qi Jingxuan sighed and said, "It really wasn't easy..."

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Author's Note: This is a combined update from yesterday and today.

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!