Jiang Rao tapped her fingertips on the stone table. Even though Jiang Xingzhou was not a very meticulous person, he could see that she was worried. "Why? You don't want to invite him over?"

He didn't wait for Jiang Rao to speak, but guessed first, "Did I offend you?"

"Don't think that he will be granted a title in two days. What's wrong with the prince? If he offends you in any way, you should return to your parents' home after you get married."

Jiang Xingzhou lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then sneered. If this allows my daughter to live in the Ning'an Earl's Mansion for a long time after she gets married, just like she does now, it seems like a good idea.

Jiang Rao watched him fall silent, not knowing what he was thinking. Even a casual guess would tell her that he must have some strange thoughts. She pressed her forehead helplessly and interrupted his thoughts, "It's not what Daddy thinks."

"If you want to invite the King of Qi to your house for a drink,"

Jiang Xingzhou is shameless and unrestrained by etiquette. "What do you mean by King of Qi? He has no title, but he is just called a title. He is just a young boy. Why should we give him such a big face?"

"What are you going to shout about?"

"My son-in-law."

Jiang Rao: “…”

After Jiang Rao came back, she heard from Jiang Qin that her father seemed to be more and more satisfied with Rong Ting as a son-in-law. Now she saw it with her own eyes.

She said calmly, "Since Dad wants your son-in-law to come to our house, he should ask someone to ask him every year."

Jiang Rao followed Jiang Xingzhou's words and changed the address neatly. But she felt very disappointed and thought, maybe in the end, it might be different.

Jiang Rao realized that she had to ask for clarification quickly. She stood up and left the pavilion, wanting to enter the palace. Ming Shao asked her where she was going, and she hesitated for a moment, "To the jewelry shop, to look at some jewelry."

Her hesitation and reluctance to let go made her change her plan of entering the palace.

Let her be lazy and procrastinate for two more days.

After the ceremony of conferring the title of nobility on Rong Ting was completed, she would ask for clarification.

…

The jewelry shops are filled with a dazzling array of goods, and after the New Year, there are many new styles.

Jiang Rao looked for a long time but couldn't find anything she liked.

She was a frequent customer of the jewelry store, and she always felt awkward leaving empty-handed, even though she didn't want anything. She just kept looking around, leisurely browsing for a long time, picking and choosing, and finally picked a few items.

Ming Shao casually glanced at the things Jiang Rao bought at the end, and she knew that none of the things she picked were for herself to wear.

Some were too ostentatious, some were too plain, and some were too simple, all of which were far from the styles Jiang Rao liked.

To say what kind of person Jiang Rao likes, Ming Shao looked at

One look at the hairpin stuck in Jiang Rao's hair made it clear.

Seeing Jiang Rao was about to leave, Ming Shao followed her with the jewelry that the shopkeeper had packed for her, "Miss, you should buy yourself some jewelry, otherwise it would be a waste of time."

Jiang Rao shook her head. "I picked some jewelry for my mother and aunt, so it wasn't a wasted trip."

"That jade hairpin is too simple in workmanship, without any patterns. Who would like it, Madam or Imperial Concubine?"

Jiang Rao smiled, "That's for Tang'er."

She took the makeup box in her own hands and said, "She never likes things that are too fancy. I will take the hairpin and give it to her personally."

Ming Shao handed the makeup box to Jiang Rao. Jiang Rao put away the box and walked out of the inn. When she got on the carriage, she paused.

Another carriage stopped across the street, and the people who got out were Princess Xiang and Xie Xi.

During the days when the Xu family suffered, the expressions on their faces were comfortable and relaxed, and they all had smiles on their faces.

Jiang Rao was increasingly curious about the mother and daughter. Empress Jiahe was in tears in the palace, and Xu Guozhang was probably also overwhelmed by Emperor Zhaowu's interrogation of him. The actions of Princess Xiang and Xie Xi...

Not like the Xu family at all.

Besides, this was the first time she saw them among the shops along the Qinhuai River.

As she had never dealt with them before, she did not dare to approach them rashly for fear of being rejected. After this hesitation, Princess Xiang and Xie Xi got back on the carriage and left.

Jiang Rao was somewhat disappointed when she heard Ming Shao whisper in her ear, "Miss, are they Mr. Yan and his friends over at the teahouse?"

Jiang Rao looked over, and her sight immediately caught Rong Ting behind Yan Nanxun.

He is tall and straight, and stands out in the crowd.

Just seeing him standing there, Jiang Rao felt like a small hook had fallen into her heart and scratched it.

It was only after a while that she saw the people who were with Yan Nanxun and Rong Ting.

In addition to Liao Qiubai, there was an official she was unfamiliar with.

Judging from the color of his official uniform and the patterns on it, he is a second-rank official.

A horse-drawn carriage passed by on the street, blocking Jiang Rao's sight. After the carriage drove away, the group of people just now entered the teahouse.

Jiang Rao could only see their backs.

She was about to leave when Ming Shao said, "Miss, do you want to go to the teahouse and book a private room? Didn't the master say that when you meet the son-in-law, you should let him know and ask him to come to the Ning'an Marquis's mansion when he is free?"

Ming Shao followed suit and noticed the change in Jiang Xingzhou's attitude, so she directly called him son-in-law.

Jiang Rao had heard this before.

Changing the name would make Mingshao shy, so he restrained himself a little. At this moment, he was thinking that the marriage might not be possible. Hearing Mingshao say this, he felt as if he had stolen something good, and he felt that Mingshao's words sounded much more pleasant to the ears.

She looked down at the makeup box in her hand and thought about it. She had been feeling awkward for several days and dragging it on was not a solution.

Instead of waiting until after his ennoblement ceremony to ask him clearly, it is better to ask him clearly now. It will be a blow to the head and the pain will be gone after it is over.

What’s even worse is…

She seemed to have just seen that the second-rank official was followed by a girl about her age.

Jinling has always been a place where power is valued, and those who have power and wealth will be looked up to by others. In the past few days, carriages coming to visit her father were often parked outside the Ning'an Marquis's mansion. She knew clearly in her heart that those people came to visit Rong Ting Wumen, so they took a roundabout way to attack her father. She knew this and was extremely dissatisfied.

When she was planning to use his future power to keep the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion, she treated his affairs as her own. She watched him being trampled into the mud when he was powerless, and then watched him being treated as a guest of honor when he became famous. Her emotional personality made her dissatisfaction with those snobs written directly on her face.

Jiang Rao was a little bit temperamental and had a feeling that the second-rank official was not a good person.

She couldn't force her way into their social gathering, so she listened to Ming Shao and booked a private room next to Rong Ting's and stayed there.

Today Jiang Rao went out, accompanied by two maids, Mingshao and Yu'er. She told the two maids to go downstairs and ask the waiter to order some light porridge and soup. She sat at the table and waited for a while. Suddenly, she couldn't resist her curiosity, so she stood up stealthily, walked to the wall, stared at the carved wall for a long time as if appreciating flowers, and finally got closer and tried to eavesdrop.

When Mingshao and Yu'er came back, they saw Jiang Rao's little face pressed against the wall, with her hands covering her ears, looking very cautious. This action would obviously make someone look sneaky, but when she did it it looked a bit silly and not very smart.

Seeing them coming back, Jiang Rao pursed her lips and did another move that didn't seem very smart. She pressed her fingers to her lips and made a "hush" sound.

Ming Shao was extremely helpless. She had watched Jiang Rao grow up and understood her personality. When she was out, she had felt that her daughter was becoming more and more mature after she came of age.

But sometimes, I feel that she is immature.

This private room is very soundproofed, so there is no way to hear what's happening next door.

No sound could be heard from next door.

She stepped forward and said, "Miss, you have the ability to hear what is said next door even without a wall, so don't torture yourself by sticking to the wall here. If you want to know what is going on over there, even if you don't ask the son-in-law, you can just ask Mr. Yan, and you will know everything, right?"

Jiang Rao pursed her lips and stood up. Her feet were numb from squatting. She shook her head and said, "No need to ask Mr. Yan."

She always felt that if she asked, Yan Nanxun would doubt Rong Ting's character, which would make her seem not so magnanimous and petty.

Although she... does seem a little petty.

Her legs were numb and she stood up slowly. Ming Shao hurried forward to support Jiang Rao. Jiang Rao tried to cover up her mistake, but it only made it more obvious. She quietly defended herself, "I didn't want to listen to the noise next door. I was just too bored, so I came here to look at the patterns painted on the wall."

Ming Shao pursed her lips and smiled. Sometimes she could see what was going on in Jiang Rao's mind, but she didn't say anything. Saying it would only make Jiang Rao embarrassed and angry. She helped Jiang Rao up and sat back on the chair. There were several knocks on the door of the private room.

It was the waiter who came over and served the food to the table.

Jiang Rao was not hungry at the moment, so she only ordered a bamboo shoot soup. However, the waiter brought her a portion of bird's nest.

"This is not what we ordered." Ming Shao counted the food and found something strange. She called the waiter. The waiter turned around and smiled apologetically, "I forgot to explain clearly. This was ordered by the Ninth Prince next door. He wants to give it to the girl."

Jiang Rao was stunned for a moment.

How did Rong Ting know she was here?

She glanced towards the corner of the wall where she had just tried to eavesdrop, wondering if someone in the next room could hear her movements.

Just when I was puzzled, there was another knock on the door. Standing outside was Huai Qing.

Huai Qing smiled, "Please tell the fourth young lady to stay in the restaurant for a while. His Highness will come to look for her after he finishes his socializing."

Jiang Rao also realized that Rong Ting really knew that she was here.

She stopped Huai Qing who was about to leave and asked the question in her heart, "Huai Qing, why does your prince know that I am here?"

Huai Qing said: "I am only here to pass on the message for Your Highness, and I don't know when Your Highness saw the girl."

Jiang Rao was silent for a moment, the strange feeling in her heart still lingered, and she couldn't figure out when Rong Ting had seen her.

If he knew she was here, he must have seen her enter the private room next to his after she arrived at the restaurant, but she was always paying attention to her surroundings and obviously did not see him.

"Girl, I may go back

? Huai Qing asked softly.

"No." Jiang Rao came back to her senses, hesitated for a moment, and asked quietly, "Just now I saw a second-rank official was also there with you. Did he... come with his daughter?"

She asked in a low voice, with a somewhat casual tone, but the look in her eyes as she looked at Huai Qing revealed her determination not to let him go unless he told her.

Huai Qing understood immediately and laughed, "That was Lord Shu from the Dali Temple. He didn't bring his daughter with him, which is against the rules. It's just that they met outside the teahouse just now. Lord Shu wanted to tell Lord Liao about his daughter, so he stopped her and let her chat with Lord Liao for a few more words. He didn't let Miss Shu follow him to the teahouse."

Jiang Rao blushed a little.

It turned out that she was really overthinking it.

She shouldn't have cursed Lord Shu in her heart just now.

"I'm just asking." She

The second time, he said one thing and meant another. He waved his hand and hurriedly asked Huai Qing to leave. Ming Shao looked at the Tremella and Bird's Nest Soup that was served that night and said, "This is what the girl likes to eat."

Yu'er agreed, "Your Highness is so kind to the girl."

Jiang Rao felt even more depressed as she bit the bird's nest.

She was thinking about the question she had asked Huai Qing just now. She forgot to remind him not to tell Rong Ting when he returned. What if Rong Ting knew about her petty behavior...

Huai Qing is a wooden and taciturn person.

I shouldn't say anything nonsense.

Jiang Rao raised her hand to support her forehead, feeling a little nervous as she thought Rong Ting would come over after his social event.

This time she couldn't hide even if she wanted to. She had to find out clearly today what the marriage was going to be like.

Jiang Rao was a little nervous about the final outcome, but when she thought about how she would be able to have a happy ending in the end and not have to struggle like she had in the past few days, she felt relieved.

But when Rong Ting came to her after the social event, she looked at him with a gentle smile and unparalleled handsomeness, and all the frank words she had prepared in her mind suddenly disappeared into her stomach.

If she missed him, she probably wouldn't be able to find anyone with a better complexion than him even if she searched all over Jinling or all over Dazhao.

Originally, she wanted to be open and have a good discussion. If he felt that he could deal with the Queen well enough, the marriage would not count, and she would agree to that. However, she only thought about it in her mind and never said it out loud.

"I want to talk to you about our marriage."

This sentence was still generous and frank, but when she came to the second half, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her words were out of control. She couldn't think of a single word she had prepared before, "Even if...even if our marriage is just a temporary solution to an urgent problem, it is still a marriage granted by the emperor."

Her tone became a little hoarse and stiff, "The emperor personally ordered it, and we can't cancel the engagement so easily."

Jiang Rao bit the tip of her tongue after she finished speaking. She could even hear the ruthlessness in her tone.

Even a little unreasonable.

There have been precedents of marriages granted by the emperor that eventually broke down.

She had the courage to be a bad person but not the ability to do it, so she felt guilty first, lowered her eyes, and felt a little weak.

Rong Ting laughed out loud, his voice was hoarse and his smile was deep.

When Jiang Rao heard him laugh, the tips of her ears turned red, as if all her thoughts had been seen through. She turned her face away in annoyance.

Is she the type of person who bullies the weak and fears the strong? Otherwise, why did it always seem like she was bullying him day after day?

…

Yan Nanxun left with Liao Qiubai. Liao Qiubai saw Lord Shu off. Before leaving, Lord Shu said, "Even if it is true as Lord Liao said, that Xu Guozhang has thousands of assassins working for him, if we can't find those people, we can't do anything to him."

Liao Qiubai smiled faintly, "Even if he can't find it, Lord Shu should know that His Highness has the ability to make him unable to turn over."

Shu Yanqing was silent for a while, then said, "I understand."

He had never paid attention to the disabled Ninth Prince before, until he came back from Huaizhou and the Emperor wanted to investigate the Xu family, allowing him to interact more with him, and then he gradually paid attention to him.

Despite his young age, his skills and cunning should not be underestimated.

Who the current emperor will appoint as the crown prince is a question that puzzles all court officials.

Shu Yanqing thought of the many things that happened in the officialdom recently, frowned slightly, and said to Liao Qiubai: "Your Highness and Lord Liao, if you have any use for me, please feel free to speak up."

I already have the intention of seeking refuge.

…

Rong Ting looked at the little girl who was sometimes arrogant and sometimes annoyed and lowered her head. He smiled brightly with the corners of his lips raised, his small fangs faintly visible. He quietly stretched out his hand from under the table and tapped Jiang Rao's knee from time to time with moderate force and did not move upwards beyond the rules. Although he was a little dishonest, he was more like a child who wanted to attract attention with small movements. He wanted Jiang Rao to notice him and wanted her to cast her drooping eyes towards him. He tapped again and again, neither too heavy nor too light, and the way he looked at Jiang Rao was like a little leopard's gaze grasping its prey.

When she looked at him, the movement of his fingertips stopped, "Niannian, there is something you should know."

Today he was wearing a dark red gown with python pattern, which faintly revealed his arrogance and nobility. His every move was still dignified and elegant, but his face with red lips and white teeth had changed. In front of Jiang Rao, he tilted his head and lowered his head. His posture could not be more humble, and his expression was still as well-behaved and pitiful as before.

Jiang Rao's gaze returned to him and could not be moved away.

"I won't marry anyone but you."