"My name is Jiang Songyi, personally appointed by His Majesty, the Princess of Jiaqing County. At most, we are from the same Jiang Mansion. This 'brother-sister relationship'—"
She drawled out her tone softly, "There's really no need to argue in front of me."
Jiang Yihan felt as if he was hit hard in the chest by a heavy hammer, and his hand holding the rabbit meat suddenly tightened.
After a brief moment of surprise, the smile in Su Sheng's eyes suddenly burst out with a dazzling interest. He raised the wine bag and pointed it in the direction of Jiang Songyi: "The county lady is transparent and open-minded!"
The prince's eyes swept quietly over the strange scene beside the campfire. The golden cup of wine that he had been holding between his fingers shook silently.
In the clearing in the forest, the bonfire was burning fiercely, and the dead branches made crackling sounds under the licking of the flames.
The warm firelight dispelled the night chill in the mountains and also illuminated the young faces sitting around it.
The accompanying royal chef was very skilled. He skewered several cleaned wild pheasants on thick branches and slowly rotated them next to the fire. The fat melted in the heat and dripped onto the charcoal fire, and the rich aroma of barbecue filled the air.
Xin Yidao sat beside Jiang Songyi. The flickering firelight cast a warm golden glow over his handsome and gentle face.
He seemed extremely focused. He personally picked up a chicken leg that had just been roasted to a golden and crispy surface. With skillful movements, he carefully scraped off the burnt skin on the edge with a knife, leaving only the most perfect part. He then handed it to Jiang Songyi very naturally.
"Try this," Xinyi Daoyi's voice was calm and friendly as always, but his gaze fell on Jiang Songyi's smiling face, and there seemed to be a subtle glint in his eyes. "I specially asked the royal chef to mix some plum sauce to brush on it to relieve the greasiness. Do you think it suits your taste?"
This action was done smoothly and naturally, as if it was a matter of course.
But in front of everyone, especially when the crown prince personally picked and roasted a chicken leg for the daughter of a minister who was not a relative, the indescribable intimacy and care he showed was far beyond the normal range.
The firelight was bright, and Jiang Songyi's cheeks were slightly red. When she heard the words, the smile in her eyes deepened, as if filled with tiny starlight.
She took it without hesitation, "Thank you, Your Highness! Just smelling this fragrance makes my mouth water."
She lowered her head and gently took a bite of the crispy chicken skin. The tender and juicy leg meat wrapped in fat melted in her mouth. The rich meat aroma mixed with the sour, sweet and refreshing taste of plum sauce was truly wonderful.
She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, like a lazy cat. "Mmm! This sauce has just the right sweet and sour taste. Your Highness really knows how to find good things!"
One of them handed it naturally, the other took it frankly, and they talked and laughed. The firelight made their figures seem closer.
All of this fell into the eyes of Jiang Yihan who was a few steps away.
He was holding a bunch of roasted venison he had just been given in his hand, his eyes fixed on the prince's hand handing over the chicken leg and his sister's smiling face as she happily expressed her gratitude, his thick black eyebrows tightening little by little.
He turned his head away in annoyance, took a big bite, and chewed it, which tasted like wax.
A chuckle with obvious teasing suddenly rang out from the other side of the campfire.
“Yoho!”
The person who spoke was Yao Zhe.
He sat in a relaxed posture, leaning against a large rock warmed by the fire, with one leg bent and his arm casually resting on his knee. A silver wine cup was held between his fingers. There was an undisguised playful glint in his eyes, which pierced directly at Su Sheng, who was sitting not far from him and seemed a little restrained.
"Master Su," Yao Zhe said in a long tone, with the corners of his mouth raised and a sly smile, "We all know that the Jiang family's little sister has been beautiful and kind since she was young, and she is loved by everyone. But..."
He changed the subject, tilting his wine cup in Jiang Songyi's direction, "I think His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is being a bit too enthusiastic today. Is there someone who's more 'concerned' about this than His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? Mr. Su, you were practically glued to Jiang's little sister just now, weren't you?"
He emphasized the word "care" very much, and the implication was self-evident.
Su Sheng was immersed in the aroma of barbecue and Jiang Songyi's bright smile. The secret sweetness in his heart was instantly shattered by this sudden question.
He suddenly looked up and met Yao Zhe's eyes that were watching the show. His face turned red from the base of his neck to his ears, like a shrimp dripping with blood.
"Yao Zhe! Stop talking nonsense!" Su Sheng subconsciously wanted to deny it, his voice rising but losing its tone due to his guilty conscience, like a cat whose tail was stepped on. "I...I just take care of Jiang's sister like my own sister!"
Yao Zhe laughed heartily, extremely pleased with Su Sheng's self-confession. "Oh? My own sister? I remember that you, Master Su, are the only child in Princess Linchuan's residence. Where does 'my own sister' come from?"
Su Sheng was pressed step by step by him, and was so embarrassed that he wanted to find a hole to crawl into, but he couldn't utter a word in rebuttal.
Su Sheng?! This famous dandy in Beijing? He actually had those feelings for Yi'er?!
Jiang Yihan's brows instantly twisted into a knot.
He turned his head suddenly, his sharp eyes like a hawk fixed on Su Sheng's embarrassed face. If this kid dared to have any ideas about Yi'er...
Seeing that Su Sheng was about to be cornered by Yao Zhe and the atmosphere became awkward, Xinyi Daoyi spoke at the right time.
"Alright, Yao Zhe. Enough joking. Young Master Su is honest and upright, and he truly loves the Jiang family's younger sister. Don't tease him all the time."
The prince's words not only gave Su Sheng a decent way out, but also hinted that Su Sheng was simply caring about him, thus cleverly resolving the deadlock.
Yao Zhe curled his lips and shrugged his shoulders. He really gave the prince face and stopped being aggressive. He went to drink by himself.
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