Chapter 9 Do you suspect that I look like someone who is hungry and will eat anything? ...
After walking out of Fengyi Palace and sitting on the double sedan chair, Jiang Yueying still looked dazed, with a trace of bright red lingering on the tip of her ears.
Xie Yuting deliberately leaned in closer to take a look, and said with an ambiguous tone, "Princess, you are a first-rate liar. If you didn't know, you would really think I did something to you last night."
"I'm curious, why are you even bothering to use the excuse that consummating the marriage is inappropriate? What's the reason for being so hesitant?"
"What are you feeling guilty about?"
It sounded aggressive, but Jiang Yueying's nervousness eased a little when she faced him, and her expression returned to calm, because to deal with a shameless idiot like Xie Yuting, she could just make up an excuse to coax him.
"I am not a military general. Playing with a whip is just a hobby. How can I fight with the Queen, the daughter of a general? What if you hurt my face? Will the Crown Prince come to compensate me? Do you want to harm me?" She raised her eyebrows and spoke sternly.
After she finished speaking, Jiang Yueying suddenly felt a little relieved. Fortunately, Princess Anyi has always been rude. In this way, no matter what kind of inexplicable flaws she encountered, she just had to take the initiative to teach others a lesson.
It's all someone else's fault.
It’s all Xie Yuting’s fault.
"My mother has a strong character but is not overbearing. She never hurts anyone wantonly, and it is even more impossible for her to hurt you in a fight." Xie Yuting's eyes darkened and he said meaningfully.
Jiang Yueying always felt that Xie Yuting's words were strange, and sounded like he was mocking someone.
But she didn't have the mind to guess what Xie Yuting was thinking now, because she was too tired.
From last night till now, she has been nervous several times, hovering on the edge of having her identity exposed, just like walking on a single-plank bridge, which is shaky and could be shattered if she is not careful. Fortunately, she has escaped danger every time, otherwise she would really collapse.
The most urgent task now was to solve the problem of not knowing how to use a whip, but whipping skills were not something that could be mastered in a day or two, unless there was some way to prevent her from touching the whip...
Sprained your wrist?
The thought only lasted for a moment, and Jiang Yueying frowned hard, revealing a look of pain. No... I don't want to endure that kind of pain.
Or throw away the whip?
That won't work. If you lose one whip, there's another one. You can't say that you have a special liking for the old whip and don't like anything else except this one. I've never heard of anyone who would stay chaste for a whip.
After much thought, all the methods I could think of were unreliable.
Jiang Yueying was very depressed. She folded her arms and sighed silently, her mouth pouting unconsciously.
Jiang Yueying, who was unaware of anything, was distressed inwardly, not noticing that a certain Crown Prince was staring at her with a gaze as deep as a pool.
Xie Yuting looked at it for a while, then calmly withdrew his gaze, yawned, and leaned on the sedan chair to take a nap.
At noon, the sunlight slanted, penetrating the clouds and shining on the bricks and stones of the palace road. On the way to the East Palace, the orderly footsteps made a rustling sound, and the sedan chair swayed gently.
The lazy man in luxurious clothes was drowsy, and the pretty woman next to him was looking straight ahead, her pupils covered with a hazy veil, her heart in a mess.
The wind blew silently, and everything was so quiet that it seemed as if the days were endless.
…
East Palace, octagonal pavilion.
The dusk was dark, and the weary crows were scattered and slowly flew back to their tree nests. The pavilion was surrounded by silence and peace.
Xie Yuting propped up his head and played with the black and white Hetian jade pendant hanging around his waist. His fingertips stroked the smooth surface of the jade pendant, his expression gloomy.
Yu Lang, the personal bodyguard standing by, held a sword in his arms, his eyes fixed on the Crown Prince who seemed to be in a trance.
His master had a problem: whenever he encountered something he couldn't figure out, he liked to play with something in his hands. He would play with folding fans, wine glasses, and flower branches. Once, while riding a horse, he almost pulled out its mane.
So what is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince thinking about today?
Yu Lang couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, if you touch this jade pendant again, the pattern will be worn away."
Xie Yuting came back to his senses, mercifully let go of the Hetian jade pendant in his hand, and began to stroke his hair instead.
"...Your Highness, what are you thinking about?"
Xie Yuting did not hide anything from Yu Lang and said directly: "I think something is wrong with the Crown Princess."
"Something is wrong. You don't know how badly that little maid was injured this morning. I'm afraid it will take ten days or half a month for the swelling to go away." Yu Lang looked disgusted when he mentioned this.
He took Pu Ling to find medicine for her wounds. On the way, he took the opportunity to test her a few times and got a lot of information out of her, especially about Princess Anyi's behavior in Jiang State, which was even more exaggerated than the rumors.
Yu Lang wanted to say a few words of comfort, but Pu Ling told him that Her Royal Highness the Princess didn't punish her today, which showed that she was in a good mood. She hoped that Her Royal Highness would be like this every day.
Is this considered a good mood?
Shocked, Yu Lang didn't know what to say and simply kept silent.
"Last night I suggested a sparring match with her, but she turned her head away," Xie Yuting said, her gaze hard to discern. "Today, I went to pay my respects to the Queen Mother in the palace. The Queen Mother wanted to test her whip skills, but she kept declining, as if she was afraid of something..."
Even if she had only learned the basics of whip techniques, she wouldn't be in such a dilemma. Could it be that she was afraid of losing face if she lost?
If it comes to saving face, it is understandable for a princess who has been pampered since childhood.
But none of this matters. The most important thing is that this Princess Jiang gave him a very disconnected feeling.
According to rumors, Princess Anyi was domineering and cruel. She did not treat people as human beings and would beat palace maids to death if she was not satisfied. It was not an exaggeration to call her a Rakshasa.
However, the princess he married did not seem to be a cold-blooded person. Her cruelty was only on the surface. When teasing her, she would only curse and even blush when she was anxious.
Would a person whose hands are always stained with blood behave like this?
He even began to doubt whether this person was the real Princess Anyi, but the person in the portrait had thin eyebrows and a pretty face, so there was no mistake. So what went wrong?
Xie Yuting frowned, his suspicion growing stronger.
Something must have been overlooked. There is definitely something wrong with Princess Anyi.
"Maybe she's just afraid of losing and being embarrassed. Bad guys always want to save face." Yu Lang pursed his lips into a line and said coldly with his arms crossed.
Xie Yuting thought it over again and again, and said cautiously: "Xiao Lang, send a few trustworthy people to find a way to sneak into the harem of the Jiang Kingdom Palace to inquire."
"It might be a little difficult to sneak into the Jiang Kingdom's palace..." Yu Lang hesitated.
The Jiang Kingdom's palace is as strong as an iron wall, and it is extremely difficult for outsiders to enter. The best way to plant spies is to sneak into the harem through a beauty contest, but Emperor Jiang only has the deceased queen, and he has never held a beauty contest for many years since he ascended the throne.
Even the only child she had was Princess Anyi, born to the queen, and because of this she was spoiled and became lawless.
Xie Yuting said, "It's okay. As long as you are patient, you will always find an opportunity. If you can accomplish this, it will be a great achievement. Go ahead and arrange for someone."
Yulang obeyed the order.
After a while of enjoying the evening breeze, Yu Lang finally couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, you seem to be very interested in the Crown Princess?"
Xie Yuting raised his eyelids and said lazily, "I call it better to be safe than sorry."
Yu Lang nodded and asked, "Are you interested in the Crown Princess?"
"Do I look like someone who is so hungry that he will eat anything?" Xie Yuting asked back.
A slight smile appeared on Yu Lang's cold face, and he nodded vigorously on purpose.
The Crown Prince was so angry that he said arrogantly, "I have seen countless beauties. How could I be blinded by such a trivial beauty?"
Yu Lang rolled his eyes and muttered softly: "You've seen so many beauties but never touched one... You talk like you've been through a hundred battles, but in fact-"
"What is it really?" His Royal Highness the Crown Prince narrowed his eyes slightly.
Yu Lang immediately shut up and held the black knife, pretending nothing had happened.
You can't tear down your master's stage.
In a blink of an eye, the black fog blurred the sunset and the sky gradually darkened.
"By the way, the Fourth Prince's wife is hosting a tea party at her residence, inviting all the other princes' wives and noble ladies from Kyoto. The invitations have already arrived at the East Palace," Yu Lang said. "Should I give them to the Crown Princess?"
As soon as the Crown Prince got married, the invitation to the Crown Princess was sent to the East Palace. It was obvious that the visitor had bad intentions, and if he didn't go, he would be criticized.
"Just give the invitation to the Crown Princess. It's up to her to decide whether to go or not."
"Would it be inappropriate?"
"What are you afraid of? The Crown Princess can't get into a fight with anyone. Those troublesome noble ladies in Kyoto are not ordinary maids. They won't tolerate her provocation."
"Yes, I will give the invitation to the Crown Princess right away."
The west wind is cold.
The sun had completely set and lanterns were lit throughout the East Palace.
During dinner, the invitation fell into Jiang Yueying's hands.
At this time, Jiang Yueying was holding the jade bowl with a sad face, not because the food in the East Palace was not delicious, but because she was too shy to move. The green jade bowls, silver chopsticks with twined branches, gold-painted glass cups, purple clay pots with handles and other tableware on the table were too precious. They were good things she had never seen before.
But here they are the most common items, placed on the table as if they were free, which shows the extravagance of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.
She felt her fingers trembling as she held the bowl, it was so embarrassing...
I kept saying to myself, it’s okay, it’s okay, I don’t have to pay for it even if it falls.
Jiang Yueying became arrogant and said, "You can do it."
She muttered to herself for a long time before she relaxed her tension and started eating. Only then did she notice the invitation card next to her hand. It was a square piece of paper with a printed character "Qin" on it.
"This is the invitation from the Fourth Prince's wife. Please come to the banquet." Xie Yuting explained while eating, not following the etiquette of not talking while eating or sleeping.
Jiang Yueying wanted to kill herself with a piece of tofu. Why were there so many troubles right after getting married? Could she not just give herself a break?
Inviting a princess who had just married into an enemy country to attend a banquet for acquaintances was probably another attempt to cause trouble. Jiang Yueying knew very well that nothing good would come of it, but she couldn't refuse. Jiang Yueying could be timid, but Princess Anyi couldn't.
Jiang Yueying asked tentatively: "Do you have any grudges with the Fourth Prince?" First, she inquired about the relationship between the two princes so that she could have a clear idea of it.
Unexpectedly, Xie Yuting raised the corner of his lips and said proudly: "You should ask which prince has never had a feud with me."
“…”
What's there to be proud of when you've offended everyone?
Jiang Yueying was almost annoyed to death by him, a guy who was more likely to cause trouble than to help.
"Princess, are you scared?" Xie Yuting raised his peach blossom eyes, with a glimmer of light in his eyes.
Jiang Yueying made a sullen face and continued to inquire: "What is your grudge against the Fourth Prince?"
"It's not a big deal. When I was a kid, I went boating, but I forgot to bring an oar, so I used my fourth brother's arm as an oar. Later, my fourth brother wanted to vomit when he saw the boat, hahaha..." Xie Yuting ate with gusto. "Another time, I poked a hornet's nest and fed him the honey I had stolen. As a result, the retaliatory bees stung him and turned him into a big tomato."
"It shouldn't be considered a grudge. I almost forgot about it."
Jiang Yueying: “…………”
What kind of little devil are you?
Jiang Yueying had trouble controlling her expression, and her hand holding the bowl froze slightly.
Xie Yuting clumsily peeled a shrimp for herself, her tone calm and composed: "Little Princess, what's with that expression on your face? What you did in Jiang State is much worse than what I did. We are the same, there's no need to look down on each other, right?"
How can they be the same? I am a fake cruel princess, but you are a real bastard.
Jiang Yueying snorted coldly and accepted the invitation with a cold face.
When the enemy comes, we will fight them; when the water comes, we will block it with earth. Just go.
I finally finished the meal after a long time.
The bright white moon hangs high in the sky, and its silver light shines on the eaves and illuminates the corridors.
The door creaked shut and Xie Yuting closed the bedroom door.
The wedding night has passed, and the red silk candles in the room have been cleared away. The word "囍" is still firmly stuck on the wall, and the mandarin duck quilt is spread on the couch. The lingering wedding atmosphere clearly reminds the two of their current relationship.
Jiang Yueying brought up the past again: "Go sleep on the small couch."
"I want to sleep in the bed."
"I don't like sleeping with others."
"I am not an outsider. We are husband and wife."
"Xie Yuting, are you shameless?"
"It's been so many years since I've been shameless. I still miss it a little bit."
It was as if they were back on their wedding night, the two were in a stalemate.
"Can't you go out and have some fun, or sleep in a brothel?" Jiang Yueying wanted to kick him out.
Xie Yuting laughed in anger: "My dear princess, you want to drive me to a brothel on our second wedding night. Is that right to tell others about it? After all, you are my legitimate wife. Can you please consider our reputations?"
"Do you think I have a good reputation?" Jiang Yueying put her hands on her hips. "Do you think you have a good reputation?"
"What do we two notorious people have to worry about?"
Xie Yuting nodded: "Princess, what you said is absolutely right, but I am very concerned about my reputation. If people knew that I went out to sleep because I was afraid of you, wouldn't it be embarrassing?"
"So, just bear with it."
He casually took off his outer robe, kicked off his boots, got on the bed in his snow-white undershirt, snuggled comfortably into the quilt, and yawned contentedly.
It’s impossible to drive him away, Jiang Yueying thought in despair.
Xie Yuting closed his eyes and said, "Do you know how many gambling houses in Kyoto have bets on a fight between us? Some are betting on the day the fight will start, while others are betting on who will be kicked out first."
"Extremely boring." Jiang Yueying snorted coldly.
"Actually, I also placed a bet secretly." Xie Yuting suddenly smiled.
Jiang Yueying hadn't expected a certain Crown Prince to be so shameless, but she couldn't help but be curious: "What did you bet on?"
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