Chapter 18 "The Fourth Prince has a face that's incredibly alluring..."
Xie Yushu heard the system's voice as she walked down the waterside pavilion and covered bridge with the old woman.
Song Jie's low "green hat" rating is probably because Xiao Zhen spoke up for her; otherwise, it would be too easy to max out Song Jie's "green hat" rating.
She turned her head and glanced into the pavilion, where she saw Xiao Zhen and his entourage leaving their seats. It seemed that Xiao Zhen was very worried about the jade hairpin being made public.
It's highly likely that Song Jie recognized the jade hairpin, while in the original drama, Xiao Zhen always pretended to be a weak and sickly puppet rabbit in front of Song Jie.
It's a small matter if people find out he was mistaken for a petty thief and humiliated, but it would be a big problem if his years of pretense were exposed.
With this leverage over her, she's going to have some fun with Xiao Zhen.
Xie Yushu withdrew his gaze and supported Jin Ye, who suddenly swayed as if about to faint.
"Madam!" Jin Ye and Yin Ya were startled.
The nanny who was leading the way quickly helped her up. Seeing that she gagged, she asked, "Madam, have you suffered from heatstroke? Quickly help Madam to the west hall to give her some water. I will go and fetch a doctor."
Several people hurriedly headed towards the west hall.
Before Xiao Zhen had even stepped off the covered bridge, he saw several people supporting Xie Yushu as they headed towards the west courtyard. Was he genuinely unwell, or was he faking it?
He was about to order his guards to capture Xie Yushu and retrieve the jade hairpin when a servant behind him whispered, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Song has also left the waterside pavilion."
Xiao Zhen turned around and saw Song Jie, dressed in a magnificent robe, supporting Cang Shu as they walked out of the waterside pavilion under the blazing sun. Suppressed coughs came intermittently from behind, which made him feel irritated.
Is Song Jie really that concerned about Xie Yushu?
No sooner had Xie Yushu left his seat than Song Jie followed him out.
He didn't understand. If Song Jie considered Xie Yushu a fake of Xie Jianing, why would he care so much about a fake? He stayed at the banquet for her despite his illness, and then came out with her again despite his illness.
What is Song Jie doing following us out? Is he going to find Xie Yushu? Isn't he afraid that others will see him having an affair with a married woman and gossip?
Xiao Zhen clenched his fingers. If he were to send his secret guards to attack Xie Yushu now, they might run into Song Jie. Song Jie's Cang Shu was unfathomable, and his secret guards were no match for him.
However, he absolutely could not let Xie Yushu see Song Jie before he retrieved the jade hairpin, because Xie Yushu would definitely hand the jade hairpin over to Song Jie.
"Go and stop Song Jie," Xiao Zhen whispered to his servant, then quickly walked down the covered bridge without further delay.
After the attendant acknowledged, he lowered his head and quickly walked towards Song Jie.
As Xiao Zhen stepped off the covered bridge, he heard Cang Shu's cold shout from afar: "You reckless fool, don't you have eyes?"
"Your Excellency, please forgive me! I was ordered to search for the Fourth Prince's lost jade pendant, but I was in such a hurry that I didn't watch where I was going..."
Xiao Zhen walked towards the west courtyard without turning his head.
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A bamboo grove was planted in the west courtyard, and a tank of ice was placed in the side hall for cooling.
The old woman from the Duke's mansion settled Xie Yushu on a chaise longue in the side hall, while instructing someone to fetch a doctor and hurrying off to fetch some iced drinks.
Jin Ye and Yin Ya were left to take care of Xie Yushu. The two maids were quite frightened and kept fanning Xie Yushu and wiping her palms and forehead with wet handkerchiefs.
Seeing that the old woman had left, Xie Yushu sat up from the chaise longue and took the hands of the women fanning her, saying softly, "It's nothing, I was just pretending."
"So, Madam was faking it." A man's voice, tinged with laughter, came from the doorway.
Jin Ye and Yin Ya thought it was some lecherous man harassing the lady again, and turned around to scold him, but they saw that the man was actually the Fourth Prince Xiao Zhen. The two hurriedly bowed their heads and knelt down to pay their respects.
Xie Yushu slowly rose, supported by the chaise longue, and gave a perfunctory bow, asking, "The Fourth Prince wasn't at the banquet, so why did he come here alone?"
Xiao Zhen did not order the two maids to get up. He just smiled at Xie Yushu, lifted his robe and walked into the side hall, saying in an ambiguous tone, "Naturally, it's because I was worried about Madam Pei that I came to see you."
Jin Ye and Yin Ya were shocked by these words. How could the Fourth Prince say such a thing to their mistress! What would happen if others heard it!
Xie Yushu showed no surprise whatsoever. Standing there, he waved his fan with a half-smile and said, "If people hear you say that, they will inevitably misunderstand. I only met the Fourth Prince once half a year ago, and we didn't even exchange a word. How could I dare to trouble the Fourth Prince with such concern?"
Xiao Zhen looked closely at her face. She resembled Xie Jianing, but not Xie Jianing. Although Xie Jianing was arrogant, she never had that kind of mocking smile that seemed to regard everyone as dirt.
He was so curious: where did Xie Yushu get the confidence to do this?
"Although we only met once, I have a deep impression of you, Madam." Xiao Zhen said gently, "You look a lot like one of my friends. Seeing you is like seeing her again. So I want to see you and talk to you."
His voice was unusually gentle and seductive, and his words were ambiguous, making Jin Ye and Yin Ya blush. But then their mistress chuckled and said, "Fourth Prince, are you trying to seduce me, a married woman?"
The golden leaves and silver buds were stunned, speechless with shock.
Xiao Zhen was also stunned. He didn't expect Xie Yushu to say such arrogant and blunt words. He scoffed inwardly. How dare a mere concubine's daughter think that he would seduce her? He was not like Song Jie, who liked Xie Jianing so much that he treated a fake as a treasure.
But he wanted to get the jade hairpin back as soon as possible, so he could only smile and take a few steps toward Xie Yushu, and say softly, "There are some things I want to say to Madam alone."
He stopped two steps away from Xie Yushu, gazing at her with affection in his eyes, and reached out to take the sandalwood fan from her palm.
Xie Yushu could clearly see the red rash on his Adam's apple, which spread all the way down to his clothes, like a burning red cloud.
In the original drama, he was very good at seducing women. He pretended to be pitiful and seduced his stepmother, Consort Zhang, and the female lead, Xie Jianing. He also pretended to be gentle and bewitched the substitute female supporting character, Xie Yushu, making a group of women willingly become his tools.
Is he now trying to seduce her and trick her into giving him that jade hairpin?
Xie Yushu smiled slowly and instructed, "Jinye and Yinya, go outside and see why the doctor hasn't arrived yet."
What a frivolous woman.
Xiao Zhen lowered his head, opened the sandalwood fan, and smelled a fragrant breeze, as light and ethereal as the scent emanating from her.
Golden Leaf and Silver Sprout obediently retreated outside the door.
The door closed gently behind him.
Xie Yushu pulled back the sandalwood-colored fan, sat down in front of him, fanned himself with a fan, and said, "Let's begin, Fourth Prince."
Xiao Zhen didn't realize what was going on and was stunned for a moment.
She leaned back on the couch and said imperiously, "Is this how the Fourth Prince usually foolishly tries to seduce women?"
Xiao Zhen then realized that she was asking him to start seducing her.
A feeling of humiliation welled up in her heart again. How dare she? How dare a mere concubine's daughter sit in front of a prince and treat him like a male concubine?
Xiao Zhen sneered, not wanting to continue the act any longer. He leaned closer to her, his arm resting on the side couch. "Madam said she found a jade hairpin in the West Garden. I did lose a jade hairpin. Madam, take it out and see if it's mine."
"What a coincidence? What does the Fourth Prince's hairpin look like?" Xie Yushu's gaze was fixed on his face, while the sandalwood fan in her hand slid gently from his Adam's apple to his collar...
Startled, Xiao Zhen immediately gripped the sandalwood fan, angrily reaching out to grab Xie Yushu by the neck. His face, devoid of any pretense, turned as cold and sinister as a venomous snake: "Xie Yushu, how dare you!"
He held her slender, white neck in his palm, but she laughed without fear, looking at him and asking, "Not going to act anymore? How can the Fourth Prince get the jade hairpin back with such clumsy acting skills?"
Xiao Zhen frowned, suddenly realizing what was happening. "You knew that the person in the West Garden was me?" If you knew, how dare you strip him and humiliate him?
"I didn't know at first," Xie Yushu lied without blinking. "Later, I heard your voice in the waterside pavilion and guessed it was you. I only realized it was the Fourth Prince when you chased after me and appeared here."
There was not a trace of reverence in her words.
So when she looked at him from the waterside pavilion and said those things, she was deliberately trying to provoke him, so that he would have no choice but to speak up for her and defend her in public.
Xiao Zhen laughed in anger: "I didn't realize you had such a scheming mind."
"I didn't see it either," Xie Yushu retorted sarcastically. "The Fourth Prince has a very attractive physique."
"Xie Yushu!" Xiao Zhen had never seen such a frivolous and wanton woman. Even on the verge of death, she still dared to make suggestive remarks. "Take out the jade hairpin, or I'll let you taste the humiliation of being stripped naked."
Xie Yushu smiled sarcastically and said, "If you had begged me properly and seduced me, I might have given you the jade hairpin. But since you're scaring me like this, I'll have to have my men give the hairpin to Song Jie."
Xiao Zhen's expression hardened. He hadn't expected Xie Yushu to know his weakness so well. How did she know he was afraid Song Jie would see the jade hairpin? What else did she know? Did Song Jie tell her?
In an instant, his murderous intent surged, and he said coldly, "Xie Yushu, aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
"I'm scared," Xie Yushu said, raising her hand to grasp his wrist. "But I know you wouldn't dare kill me now, because..."
Suddenly, the tense voices of Jin Ye and Yin Ya bowing came from outside the tightly closed door: "Prime Minister! This servant greets Your Majesty!"
Xie Yushu clearly felt the hand gripping her neck tremble slightly.
She smiled as she looked at Xiao Zhen, whose expression had frozen.
Song Jie's voice came from outside the door: "Where is Xie Yushu?"
A note from the author:
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It's a little late today, I'll continue tomorrow~
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