Chapter 11: Sharing the Same Carriage
The spacious carriage swayed slightly. He Anting rested his elbow on his knee, playing with the ring on his thumb. His face looked unhappy and his brows were lowered.
Jing Yao sat on one side, far away from him, honest and silent with a blushing face. A drop of sweat flowed down her temple and into her collar.
There was a box between the two of them, and neither of them wanted to touch it.
It's so embarrassing.
Jing Yao felt dizzy. She had never imagined that this thing could be… Why did she bother asking the shopkeeper? Ignorance is bliss.
Is there a crack in the ground for her to crawl into?
She actually asked He Anting to buy this kind of thing for her. He must have felt that she was fickle and had poor personal ethics.
There is never any good thing when you get involved with the He family.
"Master He." She whispered.
He Anting ignored her. Jing Yao said to herself, "This thing is definitely not mine. I don't... recognize it. Uh, it was the Fourth Young Lady who asked me out today. I don't know why she left me."
There was a hint of nasal in her voice. Jing Yao raised her head. Her fair and rosy face was still as rosy as a peach blossom, and even the whole carriage was filled with fragrance.
"So, please, Master He, pass this item on to the Fourth Young Lady."
He Anting then looked up at her: "Do you think it's appropriate?"
Jing Yao was embarrassed again.
But it would be even more inappropriate for her to hold it.
"Master He paid the money, so it's best for Master He to handle it."
He Anting was silent this time. Should he deal with it? How should he deal with it? He was a mysophobe, and the sight of this object made him feel uncomfortable. But if he let her take it back, he really couldn't explain it.
After all, he was the one who paid for it.
He was already irritable, and being in the same carriage with Jing made him even more irritable.
Especially her scent was all over my nose.
He stopped himself just as his thoughts were about to continue, and the anger in his heart seemed to be rekindling.
What's wrong with me?
The journey is so long, why haven’t we arrived yet?
Jing Yao was also in agony, especially since she had a huge secret in her heart.
Why is this carriage so hot and stuffy?
She raised her arm to wipe the sweat off her face, and slowly lifted up her thin sleeves, revealing her delicate arms, so white that they were dazzling.
A large white patch on the collar was also covered with a thin layer of sweat, and water droplets slowly sank into the collar, which was quite vivid.
He Anting's breath was choked.
After an unknown amount of time, when Jing Yao was about to suffocate in this atmosphere, the carriage finally stopped. Jing Yao quickly lifted the curtain and jumped out of the carriage.
A cool breeze blew over her, and she instantly felt all her orifices open up.
"Thank you, Lord He." She kept a distance and did not shamelessly try to establish a cousin relationship with him.
"Yao'er? What are you doing?" Ye Yunzheng's puzzled voice rang out as she finished her greetings.
Jing Yao looked over and her heart skipped a beat. She looked dazed. Fortunately, she usually had a slow reaction, so Ye Yunzheng didn't notice anything wrong.
Ye Yunzheng was on a day off today. He had just returned from a gathering with friends when he saw Jing Yao bowing in front of the door.
He walked closer and looked at the carriage. He Anting couldn't ignore it, so he lifted the curtain and said calmly, "Yun Zheng."
"Brother?" Ye Yunzheng looked surprised, and something was wrong in his heart. It was no wonder that he thought too much. In such a scene, with a man and a woman alone, any man would think too much.
"Young Master, the fourth lady asked me to go out today, but she went back first. I didn't have a carriage, so I happened to meet Lord He and took a ride." Jing Yao explained in a low voice.
Ye Yunzheng's expression softened a bit: "Thank you for your help, big brother."
He looked at Jing Yao's rosy cheeks, which were white with a hint of pink, her hair was slightly wet, and her whole body seemed to be soaked in sweat. The weather was hot, how could it be so hot?
Especially when she raised her face, the pure and natural charm emanated from her unconsciously.
Ye Yunzheng calmly took Jing Yao in his arms and said, "Why don't you bring a maid with you? I'll assign Ming Yi to be your guard. Next time something like this happens, you won't have to bother anyone else."
He Anting was sensitive and his eyes fell lazily on his hand, and he sneered disdainfully.
He thought everyone was like him.
"Brother, I will take Yao'er back first." Ye Yunzheng didn't bother to hide in front of He Anting, and just took Jing Yao into the mansion.
He Anting stared at the two men's backs with his sidelong glance, slowly retracted his gaze, and drove away.
Jing Yao was a little flattered. She didn't expect the prince to be so caring towards her.
Of course, she was also glad that she didn't foolishly take the thing away. If the prince saw it, he would definitely be furious and might even beat her up.
"Yao'er, have less contact with He Anting in the future." Ye Yunzheng paused. He was not worried that Jing Yao had any bad intentions, but he knew men too well.
Jing Yao's heart tightened, but she comforted herself that it was indeed not good for her to have contact with men outside her status.
"Prince, today was truly a coincidence. It won't happen again in the future."
When Ye Yunzheng heard her obedient promise, he nodded and couldn't help but lean over and gently kiss her on the forehead.
Even Jing Yao was stunned.
This scene happened to fall into the eyes of Mother Zheng under the eaves.
The whole story of today's incident soon reached He's ears, making her feel angry and depressed.
"Bitch, bitch." He Qingyun threw a set of Ru kiln tea sets to the ground with a crackling sound.
Madam Zheng tried to appease him, "Young Madam, please allow me to say something. This little rascal has never understood his place. No matter if it's a kitten or a puppy, if it rides on the master's head, it can't be kept. It doesn't matter who gives birth to the child, why does it have to be Jing?"
After hearing this, He calmed down: "Yes, there are so many women in the world, why should I catch her? Although this bitch's mother is controlled by Cui Fengyun, I can't control the prince's heart. This bitch can't be kept. At worst, I can get rid of her and marry another one to the prince."
"What excuse can you give her? She is a good concubine and cannot be beaten to death. If you sell her out casually, the prince will not tolerate it."
Mother Zheng rolled her eyes and said, "This old servant has a plan that will make the prince dislike her directly. Then the young lady will have the final say on how to deal with her."
"What method?"
Mother Zheng whispered a few words in her ear: "The doorman, Old Liu, has a nephew named Liu He. He's handsome, but a bit lustful. He often goes to brothels..."
He stroked her hair, a smile on her lips: "This method is very good."
…
He Anting returned home and asked the housekeeper to call He Qingwan over.
He Qingwan was fiddling with the sword tassel in the room. Her eyelids twitched when she heard this, and she had a bad premonition.
She trembled as she followed the housekeeper to the front hall. As soon as she entered the room, she heard He Anting's fierce shout: "Kneel down."
He Qingwan's legs went weak. She had never seen her brother lose his temper like this before, and for a moment she forgot to talk back. "Brother, I-I-I won't dare to do that anymore."
He Anting's status in the He family is unquestionable, and even the county lady cannot interfere in his affairs.
"You've read the Four Books and Five Classics like a dog, He Qingwan. You've really disappointed me. You rely on your status to do whatever you want. Jing is from the Earl's Mansion, so it's not your turn to order her around or give her a hard time."
He Qingwan lowered her head in grievance, feeling angry in her heart. What a vixen, she actually complained to her brother, bah.
"Go to the ancestral hall and kneel for a day."
He Qingwan didn't dare to say anything and went obediently. He Anting returned to the study with a gloomy face and closed the door.
With a clang, he threw the box onto the table, not knowing what to do with this hot potato.
He sat quietly for a while and opened the box.
This jade artifact was absolutely perfect, its appearance euphemistic and suggestive, and he couldn't help but imagine it sinking into...
He Anting's face changed drastically and he threw it aside.
After a while, he went into the bathroom.
That night, He invited Ye Yunzheng to her room. He had been there for many days in a row. Even if he didn't stay there occasionally, he would stay in the study. It seemed like Gu couldn't stand her and urged him to go to Jing's room.
He asked someone to set the table, and she sat down with a smile: "Today we have pigeon soup cooked over a traditional fire, please try it, my lord."
She considerately poured Ye Yunzheng a bowl of soup and casually said, "Sir, it's getting hot even before summer. We need ice in the house. If you rest for a day, you'll inevitably get cold and damp. My grandfather has a mountain villa with very nourishing hot springs. My uncle and aunt are getting old, so soaking in it will be good for their health."
Ye Yunzheng was surprised that she thought so. Usually she either went to her mother's house frequently or had some quarrels with her aunt. He knew that she was straightforward and spoiled, so he often tolerated her.
This really surprised him.
"Only the Bo Mansion?"
He Qingxuan said as a matter of course: "Of course not, my mother and sister will also be accompanying us."
Sure enough, Ye Yunzheng's expression became a little paler. Perhaps the Bo Mansion was just a side issue.
Maybe she was happy recently and suddenly became generous. In the past, she would never think of the Bo Mansion when there was something good.
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
He Qingxuan continued to be understanding: "Then invite Aunt Jing as well."
Ye Yunzheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded: "It's up to you. By the way, Ah'an, have you mentioned the promotion to Big Brother?"
"Not yet. My brother has been very preoccupied with the assassination case recently. I don't want to bother him. I'll go in a couple of days."
Ye Yunzheng suppressed his anxiety and nodded: "It's okay, there's no rush. Many people are eyeing the position of the Minister of Personnel. If I can get that position, I will be able to work better for Big Brother in the future."
"I will definitely be able to earn an imperial decree for A'ou in the future."
He Qingxuan smiled even more happily. She didn't care who Ye Yunzheng's heart was with. As long as he was willing to coax her, she was willing to do anything for him.
The trip to Tangquan was scheduled for five days later. Yun Qiao was quite excited when she heard this: "This nightgown is beautiful, and this nightgown is also beautiful. Take them both. The prince will definitely like them."
Jing Yao felt a little embarrassed as she held the nightgown that was made of very little fabric.
Yun Qiao has been a little cautious these past two days, fearing that her master might be depressed or even trying to commit suicide, but she found that not only was there no sign of this, but she also continued to eat and drink as usual.
As if nothing happened.
While feeling relieved, she also felt that she had suffered a loss. It would be best if the thief was cut into pieces, his descendants were cut off, and he had bad luck for the rest of his life. No, he should be run over by a carriage when he goes out.
Poor aunt.
Jing Yao was completely unaware.
On the day of departure, unexpectedly, Ye Yunzheng was riding in the same carriage with her.
"The young lady has gone to accompany the county lady, so I can't go." Ye Yunzheng sat beside her and pinched her cheek. "Is it okay for me to stay here with you?"
Jing Yao hummed softly and touched her hot cheeks. Her heart was beating a little faster. What was going on?
She felt that the prince was like a brother, gentle, restrained, and always caring. Apart from her mother, the prince was the best person to her.
Yunqiao said that this was love. Although she didn't quite understand it, A'niang said that if you love someone, you won't want him to have someone else in his heart. Love is very small and can only accommodate two people.
But she sincerely hoped that the prince could be better to his wife so that she wouldn't have to be so cautious every day.
Tangquan Villa is a gorgeous villa on the outskirts of the city. Jing Yao was actually assigned to a separate courtyard, not far from the prince's villa.
Moreover, there were maids serving in the yard.
"Auntie, are you okay? You've been traveling for a long time. Why don't you go take a bath in the hot springs tonight?" The maid serving in the yard was called Cui Ju. Although her smile was sincere, Jing Yao always felt that it was a little fake.
"Okay." She agreed without thinking too much.
What she didn't know was that the maid hurried out of the yard, looked at Mother Zheng outside the door, and nodded slowly.
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