Chapter 175 Talking Big
Sun Miao's feigned ignorance was strikingly similar to that of his colleagues who had been kicking Xiao Jue when he was down all this time.
They looked on with curiosity and confusion, one after another crowding around him, asking in strange tones:
"Xiao Shaoqing is being unreasonable and ungrateful. He ignores his own sister and instead pities and favors his half-sister... Oh, I misspoke. She's not even a half-sister; she's more like an illegitimate daughter?"
"Minister Xiao is one thing, but how come you've been blinded by greed? Now look what's happened, she's grown up to be Princess Cheng Le, with the same parents. Tell me, how come she's so lucky?"
"I really don't understand you people who have younger sisters but don't know how to cherish them. I wish I had a younger sister of my own blood. Xiao Shaoqing is truly blessed but doesn't know it..."
Xiao Jue tightened his lips, and almost fled in panic as he bowed again:
"I have important matters to attend to, please do as you see fit, Eunuch Sun."
Sun Miao was still smiling, his eyes narrowed into two curved slits on his plump, round face.
The ink stick was delivered to Prime Minister Zheng's desk, where he was revising and checking the final draft with his subordinates.
"Hmm...not bad, no oversights. You can put it here for now, I'll check it one last time."
"Prime Minister Zheng, you have been working on this version of the law for three whole days. Why don't you go back first, and we can proofread the rest?"
His subordinates were worried about his health and volunteered to stay and help.
"There are still many matters to attend to in the court. You may go and attend to other matters. Although I am old, I can still easily proofread these documents."
Prime Minister Zheng waved his hand, signaling the officials below to go about their business.
After all, laws and regulations are the foundation of a nation, and he still doesn't trust others to handle them.
"Eunuch Sun, what are the Crown Prince's orders?"
He turned his head and asked Sun Miao.
Sun Miao explained the whole story in detail, and then personally opened the brocade box, revealing two exquisite ink sticks inside.
"Um……"
Zheng Xiang picked one up, and after seeing the words on it, his gaze sharpened.
"Your Highness means..."
Eunuch Sun simply shook his head: "I'm just here to deliver a message. What riddles are Lord Zheng and His Highness the Crown Prince playing? How could Prime Minister Zheng not know?"
Having delivered the goods and completed his errand, he left the government office with a smile.
Inside the government office, the officials who had just been dismissed were recalled to conduct a final inspection and transcription of the last draft.
The Xie family in the west of the city.
Xie Yunyun, carrying a basket and humming a song, opened her front door and was taken aback to see a handsome young man inside, looking down at a letter in his hand.
"Brother, what are you looking at?! It's that thing from Xiao Yuxuan again... oh no, Qi Yuxuan?"
Upon hearing the voice, Xie Tingzhou frowned and said, "You should address her as Princess."
He didn't intend to look at it anymore, so he folded the letter into three sections and was about to put it into his chest.
Xie Yunyun was much faster than him, rushing forward in a few strides and snatching the letter from his hand.
"I don't care about this or that master. She cares about you so much, she must have her eye on you. Why don't we go with the flow and marry her?"
"Nonsense!"
Xie Tingzhou snatched the letter back and coldly rebuked her.
Xie Yunyun shrugged indifferently:
"Where did I say something wrong? If I didn't have my eye on you, would I be so eager to send you money and medicine? I don't believe that any girl could be attracted to my brother, Xie Yunyun's brother."
"I can't explain it to you clearly. Just pretend you don't know anything about this, or you'll get yourself into trouble."
Xie Tingzhou glanced at Xie Yunyun with a cold look, then turned and walked into the house.
"Tch, you make it sound so scary. It's just that you haven't even passed the high school entrance exam yet, so you can't marry her in a grand way, which is why you don't want me to know?"
Xie Yunyun followed him inside, chattering behind him.
"It's not what you think. Princess, you are of noble character and I have never had any designs on you. There are other things between us to discuss."
Xie Tingzhou sat back down at his desk, looking somewhat impatient. "Get out, you're disturbing my studies."
Xie Yunyun was taken aback, and her steps faltered.
"Alright, alright, I'll be going! I won't disturb Scholar Xie's advancement to high school!"
She turned and walked out, but halfway there she saw the unfinished silk flowers in her basket, picked them up and walked out.
Half an hour later.
Several young women from nearby alleys gathered together, some embroidering, some making silk flowers, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.
A little girl, while threading a needle, smiled at Xie Yunyun and said:
"Hey, just how handsome do you think your brother is? Is he good enough to charm Princess Chang Le?"
Xie Yunyun's silk flower hadn't taken shape after a long time, but she had eaten quite a few melon seeds and peanuts from the house. Hearing this, she quickly spat out the shells of the melon seeds to the side.
"You don't believe me? A few days ago, as soon as the prescription for the plague was developed, Princess Chang Le sent someone to my house, saying that she was bewitched by my brother?"
"Come on, if your brother were really that capable, he wouldn't be living in this alley. He's even bragging about being the Princess of Chang Le. It's hilarious!"
Xie Yunyun stopped eating the melon seeds and tossed them back into the fruit plate with a clattering sound.
"Why would I lie to you? I saw it with my own eyes. Just a few months ago, when Princess Chang Le was still the Fifth Miss Xiao, she was giving my brother money."
"I'm not kidding, but I'm afraid I'll soon have a princess as a sister-in-law. You'll all be envious then!"
The girls clearly didn't believe it and started questioning it all at once:
"Oh dear, can't you at least tell a decent lie? Don't even mention that Princess Chang Le probably hasn't even met your brother once. Even if she really likes your brother, there's still the Princess above to vet her. Do you think she'd be willing to let her daughter marry a poor scholar? Don't make people laugh!"
Xie Yunyun was angry that they were praising Qi Yuxuan and belittling Xie Tingzhou, and said angrily:
"What kind of bullshit princess's daughter is she? She's just an adopted daughter, not a biological one. How can she be as noble as a proper princess?"
"Besides, my brother is only a successful candidate in the provincial examination now, it doesn't mean he'll be one forever! He's going to be the top scholar in the imperial examination next spring!"
The conversation shifted from Princess Chang Le to Xie Yunyun's brother passing the imperial examination, and the girls laughed so hard they could barely speak.
"Hahahaha, Xie Yunyun really loves to brag, she dares to say anything outrageous."
"Okay, we'll make a bet with you. Even if your brother doesn't become the top scholar, but just gets the highest rank, I'll give you all my savings and make silk flowers for you for ten years!"
"Hmph, just you wait and see!"
Xie Yunyun ignored the girls who never supported her, grabbed another handful of peanuts, picked up her basket, and walked out.
"Hey, you've eaten so much of our roasted nuts, and you still want to take a bite before you leave, really..."
A sharp question came from behind her, and Xie Yunyun walked away quickly, her feet barely touching the ground.
When news of the flaws in the legal code compiled under Zheng Xiang's supervision reached the Princess's residence, it was already three days later.
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