Chapter 26 (Revised)
As the seasons gradually shifted towards Grain Rain, the heavens seemed to have heard the farmers' wishes and showered the fertile land with abundant rain. After two days of continuous spring rain, they perfectly withdrew their power, dispersing the dark clouds and ushering in the bright sunshine.
After the rain, the weather cleared up, which is a good time to go out.
A team of carriages and horses accompanied by guards and servants walked out of the city gate and headed towards Yuyin Mountain in the suburbs.
Jiang Weiqiu was wearing a ginger-yellow Hu suit with a round collar and narrow sleeves, which made him look tall and straight and his face was as handsome as a jade.
His black hair was tied up in a bun, with a jade crown and hairpins passing through it. His sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, with a smile in them, were the most likely to attract the attention of girls.
He sat high on his horse, leading the team at the front, full of high spirits.
Chu Miaomiao and Jiang Yingyue were sitting in the carriage chatting idly, but because they had left home too early, they were both a little drowsy at this time, and the voices of their conversation gradually became lower.
Since moving to the suburban manor, Chu Miaomiao has basically lost contact with these friends except for meeting them once on the day of the housewarming party.
Jiang Yingyue was asked by Princess Yukang to take good care of Chu Miaomiao. On the other hand, she had guessed her dilemma last time and was worried that she would be depressed, so she took the opportunity of going to Yuyin Temple to fulfill her family's vow to invite Chu Miaomiao to go out for a walk together.
Yuyin Mountain is lush with trees and has beautiful scenery, which will surely make you feel happy.
When they arrived at Yuyin Temple, Madam Jiang and Jiang Weiqiu led the girls into the temple and were greeted by the abbot. Madam Jiang wanted to discuss the subsequent offerings with the abbot, so she asked Jiang Weiqiu to lead the girls to worship Buddha first.
When they arrived at the palace, they unexpectedly saw a familiar face.
The moment she saw that face, Chu Miaomiao immediately looked at the Jiang siblings, her gaze lingering on their faces. The unhappy expressions on their faces seemed to be asking, "Whose idea was this?"
The Jiang brothers and sisters all smiled unnaturally.
Yes, the one who had been waiting here for a long time was Crown Prince Wei Zhen.
The round-necked crimson-purple Hu clothing with dark patterns embroidered with flowing clouds made Wei Zhen look very noble. His figure was as straight and upright as a jade tree, and he was extremely handsome.
Only when his eyes met Chu Miaomiao's did Wei Zhen dare to curl up the corners of his lips, revealing a light and gentle smile.
Chu Miaomiao was so shocked that she immediately turned her head away, avoiding eye contact with Wei Zhen.
Jiang Wei Qiu saw Wei Zhen's joy, sighed inwardly, winked at his sister, and took her away.
Only Chu Miaomiao and Wei Zhen were left standing opposite each other inside and outside the palace.
The atmosphere became even more awkward.
After a long while, Chu Miaomiao touched her nose and spoke first: "What a coincidence, His Highness is here to worship Buddha too."
"Unfortunately," Wei Zhen denied, "I was waiting for you here on purpose."
Chu Miaomiao pursed her lips. When did Wei Zhen become so bad at talking? How could she continue after being silenced like this?
Or maybe just turn around and walk away without answering? That doesn't seem to be a problem.
As if seeing through Chu Miaomiao's thoughts, Wei Zhen said again: "There's no point in leaving. We will meet again someday."
"...What exactly do you want?" Chu Miaomiao tried hard to maintain a polite and restrained smile so as not to say anything strange.
When Wei Zhen heard this, the curve of his lips gradually disappeared, and the brilliance on his body seemed to dim: "I just wanted to see you."
Chu Miaomiao's heart tightened, and her polite smile could no longer be maintained. She lowered her eyes slightly, as if this could hide her vulnerability.
After a long while, Chu Miaomiao said in an almost inaudible voice: "Your Highness... let's stop here..."
Wei Zhen just looked at her quietly without saying a word, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"I've already said before that I'm not worthy of you doing this. I've already clearly rejected you. If you keep pestering me like this, I'll really be rude..."
At the end, although she was pretending to be strong, Chu Miaomiao's voice couldn't help but tremble.
How could Wei Zhen not hear something so strange? He looked at Chu Miaomiao with a look of pity. He didn't respond, but turned and looked up at the tall golden Buddha statue, and asked abruptly, "Miaomiao, do you believe in gods and Buddhas?"
Chu Miaomiao looked up, her eyes slightly red and moist. Seeing Wei Zhen kneeling on the futon, confusion was in his eyes.
Wei Zhen was neither anxious nor annoyed when he didn't hear Chu Miaomiao's answer. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, closed his eyes, then kowtowed and began to worship Buddha.
"I didn't believe in gods or Buddhas before," Wei Zhenyan said. "If the gods in heaven could really hear people's prayers, then how could anyone in this world suffer so much? Everyone in the world should be happy and prosperous, without any worries."
Chu Miaomiao ignored her own sadness and glanced at the Buddha statue, frowning slightly: "It is better to be careful with your words in front of the gods and Buddhas, or be careful that they will not bless you."
Wei Zhen smiled: "Didn't I just say 'in the past'? From today on, I am willing to become its devout believer."
Chu Miaomiao was a little confused: "Isn't this change a bit hasty?"
"Because I just prayed to it, hoping that one day you would open your heart to me."
Wei Zhen walked slowly in front of Chu Miaomiao, his gentle eyes reflected directly into her eyes and into her heart.
"you……"
Chu Miaomiao was surprised. She subconsciously wanted to step back, but Wei Zhen held her arm, obviously not wanting her to escape again.
"Miaomiao."
Chu Miaomiao's mind told her to shake Wei Zhen off, but emotionally she couldn't be so decisive. She stood there at a loss, her mind a mess, staring blankly at Wei Zhen.
Wei Zhen's black eyes, as deep and tranquil as an ancient pool, were now filled with tenderness and tenderness, which deeply attracted Chu Miaomiao and almost made her indulge in them.
"I believe in fate, and I also believe that the gods and Buddhas will not sever the bond between you and me."
Wei Zhen's eyes scanned Chu Miaomiao's features one by one, and his tone softened, almost pleading: "I won't force you, but please don't reject me again and again. I'll be satisfied if you can just let me see you from time to time."
Throughout Wei Zhen's life, even during the most difficult times, he had never had to beg anyone so humbly. Even in his downfall, he still had the pride of being a member of the imperial family, not to mention that he was now the crown prince. Why would he need to be so humble?
But during the time when he couldn't see Chu Miaomiao, Wei Zhen became increasingly aware that the carefree, bright and lively girl had become an inseparable concern in his heart.
Once he realized all this, his pride and integrity, which he had cared about in the past, were no longer as important as her.
Chu Miaomiao, whose will was nearly shaken, suddenly came to her senses, stepped back, and tried to make her voice cold and hard: "Your Highness, please respect yourself. You are the crown prince of a country, and I am just a princess in name only, dispensable. There is nothing more between us except the relationship between monarch and subject. You have your responsibilities, and I have my life. It is better to let each other go than to be entangled."
The girl's sleeve slipped from Wei Zhen's fingers. He put his hand behind his back and clenched it into a fist. The tenderness in his eyes gradually gave way to a gloomy haze. His voice became hoarse. "Are you really going to be so heartless?"
Seeing Wei Zhen's hurt expression, Chu Miaomiao felt a little reluctant, but she still decided to harden her heart. If this ill-fated relationship couldn't be severed, it would only bring endless trouble to Wei Zhen in the future. It would be better to break it off now.
"Your Highness, I don't like you, nor do I like your constant pestering. Please stop here before I harbor any resentment towards you."
Chu Miaomiao turned and left, afraid that if she stayed any longer, her tears would burst out. Just as she was sniffing and wiping away the tears, she heard a woman's stern voice faintly in the distance: "Help! Help! Help!"
Chu Miaomiao and Wei Zhen both recognized Jiang Yingyue's voice. Ignoring their previous emotional entanglement, they exchanged a glance and began to run frantically in the direction of the voice.
Wei Zhen made a gesture, and the guards who had been hiding in the shadows also moved. Chu Miaomiao saw several dark shadows swooshing past her and couldn't help but exclaim, "Amazing!"
When they arrived at the scene, they found that the scene they saw was slightly different from what they had imagined.
Jiang Yingyue, whose hair and clothes had been disheveled during the struggle, was now sitting on a strong man, with a delicate dagger in her hand deeply stabbed into the man's thigh.
Looking at the man again, he was injured in more than just his thigh. Some powder was sprinkled in his eyes. He was in so much pain that he covered his eyes and screamed in pain, his body shaking uncontrollably.
Everyone who saw this scene was stunned. Chu Miaomiao stared at Jiang Yingyue, who was still in shock, with her mouth wide open: "You, you are so powerful?"
If a petite girl were placed in front of a burly man, no one would believe it!
The last to arrive were Jiang's mother and son. They gasped in shock at the sight of Jiang Yingyue's condition. Fortunately, Madam Jiang reacted quickly and immediately ordered the servants to seal off the area, forbidding anyone else from approaching.
Seeing her mother and brother, Jiang Yingyue finally relaxed. Her body trembled, and she almost fainted. Jiang Weiqiu rushed forward, pulled his sister into his arms, and held her sideways, saying softly, "It's okay, don't be afraid. Brother is here."
Wei Zhen instructed a guard beside him, "Go and ask the abbot for a quiet place and find out the identity of this person."
Everyone found a guest room to sit down. With the comfort of her mother and Chu Miaomiao, Jiang Yingyue slowly came back to her senses, but she still looked confused. Chu Miaomiao was worried that she was scared silly.
"What happened?" Mrs. Jiang asked. She glanced at her son with a stern and resentful look, as if she was angry that he couldn't always stay with his sister.
Jiang Weiqiu also blamed himself deeply. He had accompanied her to Yuyin Temple today to protect the women in his family, but he hadn't expected that he would be deceived by someone using the lame excuse of a carriage problem, thus putting his sister in danger.
Jiang Yingyue took a sip of hot tea and slowly recounted what had happened.
After Jiang Weiqiu left, she wanted to walk alone in the quiet backyard, but she didn't expect a man to suddenly appear and attack her. Fortunately, she had been hanging out with Princess Yukang since she was a child and had learned some self-defense techniques from her. She also had the powder and dagger Princess Yukang gave her for self-defense, which allowed her to subdue the man and escape.
As he was speaking, the door was pushed open from the outside and Wei Zhen's guard came to report.
"Reporting to Your Highness, the identity of the thief has been found out."
"Who is it?"
"It was sent by a man named Pan Liang who works for the Duke of Ye."
Jiang Weiqiu suddenly looked at Wei Zhen, who had a cold expression on his face: "How could it be!"
"Tell me in detail." Wei Zhen continued to ask, suppressing his anger.
"It is said that the youngest son of the Duke of Ye is interested in the young lady from the Jiang family..."
Before the guard could finish his words, Madam Jiang stood up angrily, her eyes spitting fire.
"Mother, calm down."
Jiang Weiqiu was the first to calm down. He helped Madam Jiang sit down and shook his head. "Mother, think about it carefully. This is a plot to sow enmity between our Jiang family and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The youngest son of the Duke of Ye is just a small fry. The real mastermind behind this is the one we should be concerned about."
Jiang Yingyue was confused, while Chu Miaomiao looked at Wei Zhen with concern, and couldn't help but worry for him.
Wei Zhen's situation was already difficult, and she couldn't be a burden to him anymore.
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