Chapter 4: Poisonous Mouth

There was a constant stream of people and cars in front of the princess's mansion, all of whom were coming to attend the flower-viewing banquet.

As Jiang Ran lifted the car curtain, she saw a lilac shadow rushing towards her and crashing into her arms.

"A Ran, Ran Ran Ran, my Ran Ran, I miss you so much." Xu Roujia squeezed into the car, rubbed Jiang Ran's face like kneading dough, and took a few deep breaths.

"Oh, my Miss Xu. I heard that Miss Xu is the most dignified and virtuous, and a role model for the ladies in Chang'an. Is that you?"

Jiang Ran smiled mischievously, exhaled a few times, and reached out to tickle her.

"Bah, I was forced to do it." Xu Roujia spat.

"If it weren't for this reputation, I would have beaten Lu Yu into a pig's head after receiving your letter a few days ago."

Jiang Ran stopped laughing and said, "I have already broken off the engagement. I will have nothing to do with Lu Yu anymore."

"Great! Ah Ran, you finally came to your senses. There are plenty of fish in the sea. Why bother hanging yourself on that neck tree?"

Jiang Ran's heart softened. Xu Roujia was her best friend, and she was the type who would protect her for no reason and would always stand by her unconditionally.

"I thought you would think I was impulsive."

"How could that be? I wonder how you could have endured such a hot temper for two years."

"But if you want to get rid of Lu Yu, who is such a stubborn guy, it will probably take some effort."

Two years were indeed wasted, but it was better than wasting a lifetime.

Jiang Ran shrugged without commenting, but pulled Xu Roujia into the princess's mansion.

I finally got to go out and have fun, but I feel unlucky when I mention that person.

The two walked hand in hand on the road, and many eyes were focused on them.

At the princess's invitation, all the ladies dressed up carefully, and almost everyone had their hair covered with jewels and jade.

They seemed to have made up their minds not to have their hair pointed, to have simple buns, and to wear clothes made of unfashionable materials. However, when put together, they looked even more outstanding, like lotus flowers in clear water.

Jiang Ran felt uncomfortable being stared at, and whispered in Xu Roujia's ear: "Is it weird that I'm wearing green? Why are you all looking at us?"

Xu Roujia covered her mouth and laughed secretly. Jiang Ran was always used to wearing fiery red, which was vivid and bright.

Not wanting to stand out today, she specially picked out a sky-blue waist-length skirt, which made her look even more charming and lively, like the alluring enchantress in the peach blossom forest in the storybook.

"strangeness."

Jiang Ran raised his hand as if to hit her, but heard her say, "Why is Prime Minister Lu sitting there alone?"

She paused and glanced over. Under a blooming hibiscus tree in the south, sat a young man in a turquoise gown. He looked cold and aloof, giving off an air of "keep away from strangers". It was Lu Weiqing.

The embarrassing scene of that day came to her mind and she almost wanted to run away.

Damn, she remembered that Lu Weiqing rarely attended such banquets, let alone being invited by Princess Le'an.

Everyone in Chang'an knew that Prime Minister Lu and Princess Le'an did not get along. To be more precise, she was chasing him and he was running away.

Just when she was hesitating about which direction to escape, Lu Weiqing raised his eyes and looked at her without any emotion, but instantly froze her in place.

There were many people around him, but the world where he was was still, as if there was a barrier between them, and the noise from others could not reach him.

A thought popped up in his mind, and Jiang Ran suddenly felt very lonely.

More importantly, she now looks timid and guilty.

Jiang Ran made up his mind, pulled Xu Roujia and walked towards Lu Weiqing.

"What a coincidence! Lord Lu is here to enjoy the flowers too?"

Lu Weiqing nodded slightly and answered, "Yes."

"Hahaha, the autumn weather is nice and crisp, perfect for flower viewing."

Jiang Ran laughed awkwardly twice, nudged Xu Roujia twice with his elbow, and warned with his eyes: Speak up, don't let the conversation get awkward.

Xu Roujia pursed her lips tightly and dared not say a word.

Jiang Ran winked wildly, her eyes were about to cramp, and she hummed softly: I don't know what to say.

Do I know what to say?

Jiang Ran was about to scold her with her eyes when she noticed Lu Weiqing looking at her: "Is your brother doing well these days?"

He knows!

Jiang Ran's smiling face froze.

"You are not being held under house arrest by the bad guys again, right?" A hint of teasing flashed in his deep eyes.

Jiang Ran's face suddenly turned red.

He knew she had misunderstood, so how could he ask directly!

Lonely? Lonely? What the hell. It's obviously just a bad mouth.

No wonder no one came to talk to him.

"Thank you Lord Lu for your concern. That's great, great." Jiang Ran covered his smoking face, said a few perfunctory words, and quickly pulled Xu Roujia away.

"Very familiar?"

As they were far away, Xu Roujia's language system recovered and she even had the courage to start gossiping.

Jiang Ran rolled his eyes and said, "If you have the guts, go ask him yourself."

Xu Roujia spread her hands, indicating that she didn't have the courage.

A mocking voice came from far behind him: "Who are you pretending to be familiar with again? You just keep pestering me. You didn't catch the first one, and now you're thinking about the next one."

Jiang Ran turned around and saw Xu Qingwan, frowning, not even bothering to put on a show.

Xu Qingwan is the daughter of the Prime Minister. She prides herself on being noble and elegant, and every time she appears, there are a bunch of followers vying to curry favor with her.

When Lin Buqiu first arrived in Chang'an, Jiang Ran kindly took her out to play. However, Lin Buqiu was desperate to get close to Xu Qingwan, and because of her humble background, she was humiliated. After returning home, Lin Buqiu went to Lu Yu to complain, and naturally, Jiang Ran was accused of deliberately bullying her.

Jiang Ran recalled that she and Xu Qingwan had no connection at all. Even when they met at the banquet, they never said hello.

This time she was obviously here to cause trouble on purpose.

"She's stupid. She relies on her looks to climb up the social ladder." Xu Qingwan's little follower covered her mouth and spoke loudly, deliberately letting everyone around her hear.

Xu Qingwan's face darkened when she heard this, and she remembered the scene just now.

She dressed up carefully for the banquet today. Everything from head to toe was custom-made. Every piece of jewelry was carefully selected. She even wore her mother's most precious dowry. She was determined to be the most beautiful among all the girls.

Sure enough, from the moment she entered the room, many people secretly looked at her, even Lord Lu, whom she was obsessed with, looked over.

But the next second, the shameless Jiang Ran rushed over and blocked Lord Lu's sight.

Jiang Ran has a vixen-like face, and Lord Lu even smiled at her.

Xu Qingwan's chest felt like lava boiling, she was both unwilling and jealous, and said viciously to Jiang Ran: "A toad wants to eat swan meat."

Oh, that sentence again.

Many people have said this to her in the past two years, but it has no harm at all.

Jiang Ran wasn't actually very angry, she was just a little confused.

I never noticed Xu Qingwan had a crush on Lu Yu before. She really has poor taste.

"Xu Qingwan, you've got the wrong person. Lu Yu and I have broken off our engagement, and now your rival in love is Lin Buqiu."

"You know Lin Buqiu, right? His cousin, the one who always likes to act like a spoiled brat and cry. Let me tell you, her favorite trick is..."

Jiang Ran chattered on and on, and little words popped out like beans from a bamboo tube, and he looked at Xu Qingwan with sympathy in his eyes.

She spoke with such confidence that even Xu Qingwan's little follower was frightened.

The Lu and Xu families did have the intention of discussing marriage. Xu Qingwan had even made a scene, disliking Lu Yu's philandering. Everyone knew he had a childhood sweetheart and a cousin, and what good family's daughter would be willing to clean up this mess? She rushed to marry into one, wouldn't she be ridiculed?

But today Xu Qingwan picked a fight with Jiang Ran again, clearly trying to establish her authority.

Xu Wanqing felt that everyone was looking at her with understanding. She became angry and said loudly, "Don't slander me! You are the only one who likes that idiot Lu Yu."