Su Xingze paid a visit to Yan Huisheng in the Imperial Palace, and after sharing the midday meal with him, he was intercepted by Xie Lin as soon as he left the Palace.
Xie Lin looked at Su Xingze, "Brother Su, that’s not very kind of you. I haven’t found a girl I fancy yet, and you’ve already found one, leaving me alone. My mother is going to nag me to death."
Su Xingze looked at him, "Brother Xie, are you still thinking about Miss Qin?"
Xie Lin coughed abruptly, denying it, "No."
He slung his arm around Su Xingze’s shoulder, sighing, "I personally witnessed how Zhou Gu and Su Rong were mutually in love. I wanted to find someone like that. Qin Luan doesn’t like me and doesn’t want to marry me, so I let her go. But these past few years, I’ve been too busy with court affairs, as you know. Where have I had the time to find a girl I like?"
Jealous, he said, "It’s not like Brother Su, surrounded and pursued by girls. Now you’ve got a beauty in your arms. All this time, I’ve been using you as an excuse to fend off my mother, and now, I don’t have a shield anymore. My mother scolds me so harshly."
Su Xingze thought for a moment, then said, "Second Young Master Ye of Southern Chu isn’t married yet, either."
Xie Lin: "..."
Could he compare with Ye Guixue? Ye Xiang had already retired along with the King early and Ye Guixue had taken Ye Xiang’s place, now serving as an Auxiliary Minister. How audacious would he have to be to compare himself with the youngest Ye Xiang of Southern Chu?
He sighed, "I can’t compare."
Su Xingze felt helpless too; even if he didn’t have Liu Yu, he didn’t have a mother at home who nagged him every day about marriage. His mother didn’t care whether he got married; as long as she had her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter with her every day, she was very happy.
"Come on, keep me company today. Let’s find a place to chat and drink," urged Xie Lin, pulling Su Xingze along.
Su Xingze nodded, "Alright."
The two entered the Guest Welcoming Inn and had just settled down when Chen Zhou and Jiang Xing found them. Both men had married two years ago, one to the granddaughter of an imperial censor, the other to the Little Princess of the Prince’s Palace.
Xie Lin didn’t like the two of them much, "Why don’t you two go home and coddle your wives instead of coming here?"
Sitting next to Su Xingze, Chen Zhou responded, "Brother Su just got back from the Imperial Palace, and you had the jump on us, taking him here to drink. We couldn’t find him at the Su Residence, so we had to come here too."
He sighed, "Brother Xie, don’t give us a cold shoulder every time you see us. It’s not our fault that you can’t find a girl you like; you’re just too picky. So many noble ladies want to marry you, leaving you spoiled for choice, but you won’t choose. We didn’t intentionally leave you out in the cold."
Xie Lin snorted through his nose, "Do I dislike you just for that reason? It’s your sister-in-law, who dared to drug me during a banquet."
Chen Zhou coughed, "She’s just a concubine’s daughter who doesn’t know any better. Didn’t my father-in-law punish her and marry her off outside the Capital City?"
Recalling the incident, Xie Lin was still displeased, "All concubine-born like me, yet why didn’t Zhou Gu have better luck. Sigh."
Chen Zhou was speechless. How could concubine-born daughters be the same? Su Rong was a princess from Southern Chu, noble from birth, and now revered by everyone as a Queen. He once foolishly fancied her, and thinking back now, he felt his face burn. The fact that Su Rong didn’t beat him up was probably because she remembered the few taels of silver he had tricked from him when they were younger, right?
Xie Lin then turned to Jiang Xing, "And you, your sister-in-law, on the day she drugged me, just glanced at me and ran. She actually ran away!"
Jiang Xing helplessly replied, "Was she supposed to save you instead of running? How would she do that?"
Xie Lin was left speechless.
Chen Zhou also asked, "Yes, how did she save you? Don’t just impose on her. A girl’s reputation is important, especially since she’s not even of the same surname as the Prince’s Palace, being a daughter brought along by her stepmother. Plus, with her low status, if she had saved you and ruined her reputation, wouldn’t people say she’s overreaching by clinging to you? Who else should she avoid but you?"
Xie Lin was completely at a loss for words.
Jiang Xing looked at Xie Lin, "Afterwards, you caused her trouble several times in private, to the point she almost left the Prince’s Palace to return to her hometown."
Chen Zhou was shocked, "Since when did you become so petty?"
Su Xingze said in a low voice from the side, "Brother Xie, could it be that you’ve fallen for her without realizing it?"
Xie Lin stiffened suddenly.
Jiang Xing realized something and laughed, "That’s what I thought. You, Second Young Master Ye, why would you harbor ill will against a girl? Turns out you’ve taken a fancy to her." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Chen Zhou was speechless, "Have you grown up for nothing? Even I know that’s not how you treat someone you like. Are you stupid? Look how scared she is of you, thinking you’re holding a grudge and seeking revenge. You’ve taken an interest in her and you don’t even know it? And you even dragged us into your mess."
Xie Lin choked up, scolded thoroughly, he opened his mouth but found nothing to rebut.
Chen Zhou teased him, "No wonder you still can’t find a wife. Any girl you fancy would be scared away by you, steering clear of you."
He patted Xie Lin on the shoulder, earnestly advising, "Brother, you should hurry and let your mother go propose marriage. I’ve heard that Miss Li is beautiful, and many families have already requested her hand. Now the Prince’s stepmother is choosing a husband for her, picky and choosy, and there are prospects she likes. If you’re too late, you’ll miss out."
Xie Lin turned to look at Jiang Xing.
Jiang Xing nodded affirmatively, "That’s the case, but I suggest that you first get rid of my sister-in-law’s impression that you’re petty and out for revenge against her; otherwise, even if your mother sends a matchmaker, she will be politely refused."
Xie Lin suddenly felt uneasy, "Does Li Wan really despise me that much?"
Chen Zhou laughed loudly, "Despise you? She’s afraid of you. With your status, how could she dare to aim so high? Besides, think about what you’ve done these past two years. Giving her trouble several times, who wouldn’t despise you?"
Xie Lin grabbed a clump of his hair forcefully, "I—I didn’t do anything to her. I just stopped her twice on the street to ask why she would hide upon seeing me."
Chen Zhou let out a long "oh," "And how did she respond to you?"
Xie Lin held back, "She said she didn’t dare to overreach."
Chen Zhou clicked his tongue, "And then you got annoyed?"
Xie Lin recalled his dark expressions on those few occasions, hesitated for a moment, then muttered, "How have I become so odious?" He stood up and said to Su Xingze, "Brother Su, I won’t drink with you today, we can drink another day. I need to go find her."
With that, he turned around and left.
Chen Zhou was immediately impressed, "As expected of Second Young Master Ye, decisively taking action once he realizes something. No wonder he holds the highest position in Dali Temple."
With him investigating cases in Dali Temple, each and every case was solved efficiently and decisively, making the Ministry of Justice seem obsolete.
Su Xingze remembered how Xie Lin had been pouring out his woes to him today, and now the man had already gone to pursue the girl. He chuckled, "It seems from now on, he won’t have to be nagged by the Rui’an Queen anymore."
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