Chapter 22: Dandy She struggled slightly, frowned, and was quite dissatisfied...
Xiao Chengjing saw the rouge color coming through her earlobe, spreading little by little, and soon burned to the side of her neck.
He looked like he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
He couldn't help but chuckle.
As his eyes moved, his smile grew wider, and even his eyebrows were tinged with pride.
Hearing his clear laughter, Shu Yao buried her face deeper into her palms, thinking about how to change the subject and put the matter behind her.
Pursing her lips, she raised her head and said softly, "Your Majesty, I am... a little hungry."
Xiao Chengjing smiled without saying anything, and readily called Cui Jinzhong and brought some snacks that were easy to digest.
After Cui Jinzhong brought a plate of bamboo leaf glutinous rice cakes, he retreated quietly without any delay.
Shu Yao was already hungry, and wanted to use food to divert her attention, so she picked up a piece and started eating.
The glutinous rice had the fragrance of bamboo leaves, and the red bean paste was wrapped with candied dates. It was warm and delicious, and it slightly soothed her troubled mood.
When they were almost done eating, Shu Yao wiped the corner of her lips and looked at the man who seemed to be concentrating on government affairs. She hesitated for a few words and finally called out in a weak voice, "Your Majesty..."
Xiao Chengjing didn't raise his head, only uttered a lazy response from his throat: "Hmm?"
Yao carefully considered her words to avoid further humiliation: "Where shall I sleep tonight?"
Xiao Chengjing paused slightly while holding the pen, and looked up at her.
But there was still a faint blush on her cheeks, and her bright eyes showed an unconcealable alertness.
He put down his pen, leaned back leisurely, and looked at her leisurely, with a hint of amusement on the corner of his lips: "Where do you want to sleep, Jiang Qing?"
Shu Yao knew he was teasing her on purpose, so she puffed her cheeks slightly and said the most disrespectful words in the most respectful tone: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I want to sleep on the floor."
Hearing this, Xiao Chengjing lowered his eyes and smiled slightly, fiddling with the tassel of the jade pendant around his waist.
The bright yellow ears of corn spun and scattered between his fingers.
"In that case, just follow your wishes." There was an unconcealable teasing in his tone.
Shu Yao smiled bitterly, why bother coming here and making yourself miserable.
He had no choice but to wrap himself tightly in his cloak and curl up in a ball, lying on the cold ground.
The sleepiness came so suddenly that I fell into sleep in just a moment.
In the dream, Shu Yao was wearing a green silk dress and a bamboo-jointed hairpin carved from mutton-fat white jade was pinned in her hair.
The green shirt and white jade have a kind of elegant charm.
She looked at herself in her dream and felt a little strange.
It seemed that ever since Princess Jingning Yuwen Zhao's Thousand Years Banquet, she had been wearing no makeup all day...
Shu Yao remembered that at the banquet that day, she just lowered her head to taste a piece of cold roast, and before she could swallow it, she felt a gaze pressing on her.
When she raised her eyes, she met the prince's lightning-like eyes, which locked onto the dancer from afar through her fluttering colorful sleeves.
The prince turned his head and asked the eunuch standing behind him, "Whose young lady is that? She looks unfamiliar, yet familiar."
The eunuch immediately leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, that is Jiang, the hostage sent by the Li Kingdom."
"So it's her..." The prince drew out his words, his eyes wandering over her as if he was admiring a new tribute.
Shu Yao quickly lowered her head and closed her eyes to avoid the piercing gaze.
The silver chopsticks fiddled with the cold roast on the plate.
I just hope the banquet ends soon.
Unfortunately, a strong smell of alcohol hit me in the face.
The Third Prince had left his seat at some point and walked unsteadily to her desk.
He supported himself on the low table with one hand, leaned forward and brought his flushed face closer, "Sister Jiang? It's so boring hiding here alone."
His voice was stained with alcohol, and his breath was filled with foul air, which was both greasy and choking, making people want to move aside.
"Come on... drink this cup with your brother..."
As he spoke, he handed over the golden cup in his hand.
The rim of the cup almost touched her lips, and the wine in the cup almost soaked her clothes.
The clamor in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment, and hundreds of gazes turned into fine needles, piercing this corner vaguely.
At that moment, the Crown Prince called out in a clear voice, "Third brother." His tone carried the authority of an elder brother, mixed with a hint of criticism, "You are drunk. Come here—" He raised his hand and beckoned two eunuchs to come over, "Help the Third Prince to the side hall to sober up."
The eunuch stepped forward, and his men used their strength to hold back the third prince on the left and right as he tried to pounce.
The third prince twisted his body, glared at the crown prince, and was eventually half-supported and half-dragged away from the banquet.
The storm seemed to have subsided, but Shu Yao only felt it was ironic.
She didn't need the prince's self-righteous help.
It is true that the Third Prince is arrogant, but the Emperor of Jin is still alive, and she is still nominally his hostage. It is impossible for the Third Prince to openly challenge the authority of the Emperor of Jin for a woman.
To put it bluntly, the prince's so-called help was just to use her to threaten the third prince.
When the prince saw that she didn't even glance at him to express her gratitude, his eyes suddenly darkened.
Yuwen Zhao on the other side also saw everything and gave a wink to his personal maid.
The maid understood and quietly walked around to Shu Yao's desk. She bent down and whispered, "The princess asked me to tell you that if you feel uncomfortable, you can leave and rest for a while."
Shu Yaoru felt as if she had been pardoned, and quietly left the table while everyone was toasting to congratulate the princess.
Unexpectedly, just as she turned into the Nine-Turn Corridor, she saw a few dandies in brocade clothes emerging from the darkness and blocking her way with a playful smile.
The palace lanterns swayed slightly, casting shadows that sometimes bright and sometimes dark, illuminating the absurd expressions on the faces of several people.
"The banquet is not even half over, where are you in such a hurry to go, young lady?" The man in the lead had a sticky gaze, which slid like a snake from her sweaty temples to her violently heaving chest.
Shu Yao suddenly stopped in her tracks, a scream caught in her throat, her nails digging deep into her palms.
She knew that shouting was useless, because on one side was a rich and powerful young man from a prominent family, and on the other side was a powerless girl from a small country.
Public opinion will be in that direction, and you can tell with your toes.
She tried to steady her voice: "Didn't the gentlemen leave the table?"
The man on the left noticed her pale face and took a few steps closer, saying with a fake smile, "Don't be afraid, young lady. The Third Prince wants to have a few private words with you."
Shu Yao took a step back quickly, and her back almost hit the arms of the person behind her.
A chill ran through my body.
At this moment, the third prince pushed aside several playboys who were blocking his way and walked out slowly.
"Sister Jiang, there are so many people at the banquet." The Third Prince grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "It's just right that there's no one around right now... Speaking of which, it's been a while since I've seen you come to Chongwenguan... I'm so worried about you, brother..."
Shu Yao sneered in her heart.
After living under someone else's roof for so many years, she had become immune to this kind of magical attack and had even developed a special set of techniques to deal with it.
The corners of her lips curved slightly, but a cold look clung to her eyes. "Your Highness, if you have something to say, feel free to do so. Why resort to such a situation? If others were to see this, they would think Your Highness was disregarding your status and intentionally embarrassing a minister, which would damage the dignity of our diplomatic relations."
The Third Prince sneered and was about to retort when a voice she didn't want to hear rang out from a distance: "Sister Jiang, what you said is quite right."
It’s the prince.
Everyone present was startled.
The prince had appeared a few steps away, his bright yellow uniform gleaming coldly under the palace lanterns.
Her gaze swept across the faces of the playboys, finally landing on the Third Prince. "You ignorant fellows, if you're not afraid of being reported by me, then keep them."
The frivolous smile on the playboy's face froze instantly, and they all stole glances at the Third Prince.
Seeing the third prince's gloomy face.
Several people were immediately deflated and left in disappointment.
The Crown Prince raised his eyebrows at the Third Prince and admonished him with a tone of contempt, "Third brother, why are you still standing there? It's late, don't delay your return home."
The Third Prince's expression was uncertain. He glared at Shu Yao fiercely, snorted coldly, and finally left with a flick of his sleeves.
In an instant, Shu Yao and the prince were the only ones left in the silent corridor.
She knelt and said, "Your Highness, thank you for rescuing me."
He did not ask her to stand up, but walked slowly forward and suddenly raised his hand.
His fingertips brushed the black hair scattered by her ear, and he fiddled with her earlobe intentionally or unintentionally.
Shu Yao's whole body stiffened, and her stomach churned.
Damn it! One leaves and another comes!
The hand naturally fell on her shoulder, and with a slight force, it pinched her shoulder neither lightly nor heavily.
Shu Yao subconsciously wanted to wave it away, but her mind told her that she couldn't.
She must endure and wait until the Jin emperor dies and the Jin state is in chaos, then she can completely escape. This is the best solution.
She lowered her eyes and suppressed the resentment that was surging in her heart.
"Sister Jiang, you're too polite. Actually, it's not Third Brother's fault..." The Crown Prince seemed to have a mixture of pity and regret, as if he had something unspoken. "Sister Jiang is such a beautiful girl..." His breath brushed against her hair. "I feel sorry for you being trapped in this deserted hostage house."
Shu Yao wanted to bring up the importance of diplomatic relations to fool people, but only a few vague mumblings came out of her throat, and the words were stuck together and incoherent.
Xiao Chengjing was reviewing memorials under the lamp and looked up when he heard the voice.
Seeing her curled up on the ground like a frightened little animal, I unconsciously put down my pen, stood up and walked to her side.
Without further ado, he picked her up and gently placed her on the couch.
When I just held her in my arms.
She struggled slightly, frowned, and looked quite reluctant.
He thought she was about to wake up, and his heart skipped a beat.
Unexpectedly, she only uttered a few vague words of scolding and fell asleep in his arms again.
I guess I suffered some injustice in my dream.
He suddenly remembered the day when Yuwen Zhao made insinuations and he questioned him aggressively in the carriage.
Afterwards, he ordered a thorough investigation and found out that she had had a very difficult time during her fifteen years in Jin.
He then realized that he shouldn't have asked that question in the carriage that day.
However, what really stung him was...
It wasn't that she had ever suffered the same pain as him, with no one to help her and no one to vent to.
But the person he cherished was actually coveted by others.
Even though the past has turned to ashes, thinking about it now, that kind of covetous heart was clearly a provocation and blasphemy to his current power.
He stood quietly beside the couch, staring intently.
Knowing her past, he was afraid of offending her since they met this time and had not looked at her so closely.
Now that there was no one around, he allowed himself to be more unrestrained.
His eyes carefully traced the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, as if reading a poem that he dared not recite lightly.
Seeing her brows slightly furrowed, he raised his hand to smooth out the fine lines between her brows.
However, when his fingertips were about to reach, he suddenly clenched his fist and retracted it, hanging it in his sleeve, tightening and loosening it again.
After all, he was afraid of disturbing her, so he just gently straightened the wrinkles of her cloak, then held his breath and stepped back, returning to his desk to review memorials.
The author has something to say:
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This week from the 19th to the 23rd daily update [let me check it out]
Sorry for locking it for a while. I just found out that I wrote the heroine wrong after I posted it, so I changed it again [panda head]
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