Chapter 28 Who Loves Whom?
The women all covered their mouths in unison, gasped, and darted their eyes around the three men.
This is just too amazing! She loves him, he loves her, but she doesn't love him.
Lin Ruoxue pushed Tuoba Hong hard, looking at the Third Prince in panic for help, but the Third Prince covered his face, which was throbbing from the blow, and ignored her.
She had no choice but to speak up, "The Second Prince is probably drunk. Please have some self-respect. The Third Prince and I are in love, and I have nothing to do with you."
Tuoba Hong was stunned for a moment before being pushed away.
He looked at the woman in front of him and spoke with difficulty, "Is it because of him...?"
Lin Ruoxue gave him a distant bow, "Please, Second Prince, stop talking nonsense and slandering my innocence."
Tuoba Hong's body trembled, he took a step back, and glared fiercely at Lin Ruoxue, "Fine, remember what you said, and you must never fall into my hands in the future."
Lin Ruoxue was so frightened by his ruthlessness that she took a few steps back.
Tuoba Hong flicked his sleeves and strode away.
The women made way for him, exchanging knowing glances.
One woman serving two husbands! Is that even allowed?
Lin Ruoxue is truly remarkable; she has even caused princes from two different countries to fight over her.
Lin Ruoxue curtsied to everyone, "If there's nothing else, please go back, ladies." She was almost at her breaking point.
The women agreed verbally, but their eyes were all fixed on the two people standing at the very back.
Lin Ruoxue and the Third Prince then noticed the Xie siblings standing behind the group.
As a woman herself, Xie Mingyi felt pity for Lin Ruoxue's accidental loss of virginity, but that was all she felt.
Thinking of all the events that happened tonight, Xie Mingyi shook her head, wondering how much of it was orchestrated by Lin Ruoxue.
She looked at the Third Prince again and couldn't help but sigh. It's true that you can know a person's face but not their heart. It turns out that her unconscious resistance to him was actually a warning from her intuition that this person was not a good match.
"Thank you, ladies. It's getting late, and the esteemed guests in the hall must be getting impatient." Xie Mingyi bowed to the ladies. "I will definitely visit them in person to express my gratitude later."
It's not that they won't pursue the matter, it's just that the Xie and Lin families are already sworn enemies, and the Xie family has taken note of this.
The women said "No need to thank me" while glancing at Lin Ruoxue and the Third Prince.
The Third Prince looked at Xie Mingyi, who seemed calm and collected, and clenched his fists. How could she not be angry at all? He didn't even expect Xie Mingyi to cling to him like a shrew anymore.
After all this, she wasn't jealous at all, and didn't have the slightest affection for him? What about all those long poems he memorized to get closer to her?!
Lin Ruoxue spotted the person standing under the bright moon. She couldn't help but hide behind the Third Prince. It wasn't that she felt safe behind the Third Prince, but simply that she didn't want that person to see her in such a disheveled state.
She bit her lower lip hard, looked up at the man again, and found that Xie Linyuan hadn't looked at her at all from beginning to end.
The Xie family is doing very well; this is the first time the two of them have reached such a tacit understanding.
Xie Mingyi stopped looking at the two men and, together with her elder brother, escorted the women back to the main hall.
The banquet for the envoys from the Northern Rong was a resounding success, with both guests and hosts enjoying themselves immensely.
For a long time afterward, rumors of Lin Ruoxue's romantic affairs with the princes of the two countries circulated in the backyards of various households in the capital.
On the return journey in the carriage.
Wen Shuwan sat on one side of the carriage, holding Xie Mianmian, who was still asleep, in her arms.
She lowered her head and gently patted the child's back.
A strand of hair slipped from her temple onto her cheek.
A finger with distinct knuckles reached out and lovingly tucked a stray hair behind his wife's ear, then gently pinched her delicate, white earlobe.
Xie Linyuan asked, "Are you tired? This child is heavy, let me carry him."
Wen Shuwan blushed slightly and shook her head.
If you let him hold the baby, the child will only wake up startled by the hard, bumpy ride.
As if she had thought of something, she looked up at Xie Linyuan, only to meet a pair of deep eyes; he had been watching her intently.
Wen Shuwan quickly lowered her head again. He always looked at her with that kind of gaze, which could easily give her the illusion that she was deeply loved.
She said, "Mianmian tamed the wild beast in the palace. This child has such a talent. I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse." Wen Shuwan stroked the child's hair, her tone full of worry.
Xie Linyuan sat down close to Wen Shuwan, wrapped his arm around his wife and held her head in his arms, letting her lean on his shoulder with his other hand.
"Don't be afraid, trust me, and trust Mianmian too."
Xie Huaijin told them everything he knew. Although they were shocked that Xie Mianmian could command animals, they did not intend to use the child's abilities for anything.
Protecting family members is an adult's responsibility; Xie Mianmian's job is simply to grow up happily.
"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." They will do everything they can to protect Xie Mianmian; a child only needs to be able to protect himself.
"Okay, I believe in my husband." Wen Shuwan was forced to rest her head on Xie Linyuan's shoulder. Her heart was pounding. She felt very sweet, but at the same time, she was condemning herself in her heart for stealing someone else's happiness.
She didn't know what happened back then, only that the day after she fell into the water, Xie Linyuan came to propose marriage, which startled her honest and simple Hanlin scholar father.
Faced with her savior's marriage proposal, Wen Shuwan silently accepted her parents' wishes and agreed to the marriage.
But no one knew that when that person lifted her out of the water, through the misty water droplets, she saw a handsome man with strands of wet black hair clinging to his face, like a river god, solemn yet having strayed into the mortal world.
The thrill of that moment still lingers to this day.
Wen Shuwan opened her mouth, wanting to ask about what happened back then.
He wanted to know if it was because of her that he ruined his good marriage. He wanted to know who the woman who had brought him here was.
But she didn't dare ask. The atmosphere was just too beautiful, and she was too greedy. She didn't want to break this intimate silence.
Xie Linyuan had no idea what his wife was thinking. He simply hugged her happily and gently inhaled the fragrance of cold plum blossoms in her hair.
I slept well all night.
The next day, Xie Mianmian and the others were going to have their riding and archery lesson.
"Isn't there a lighter bow? I can't even draw this one," a child complained.
“Look at you, you little brat. The spring hunt is coming soon. If you don’t practice now, don’t expect me to share the prey with you later,” said another child from a noble family.
The Sixth Princess stood in front of the target with a refreshed expression. Today she finally didn't have to practice horseback riding. This little archery challenge would be a piece of cake for her.
She held a specially made light bow in her hand, which was just the right size for a child of that age.
"Hey, Xie Mianmian, stop slacking off and come practice your archery. As my companion, you can't embarrass me at the spring hunt."
In a secluded corner where no one was watching, Xie Mianmian was grimacing and struggling.
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