When she recognized Chen Congyun, Chen Congyun introduced herself, saying, "My daughter is Chen Congyun. My father is Chen Bing, the director of the Ministry of Works and the left vice minister."
She looked at Jiang Rao, with a look of astonishment in her eyes. "Fourth Miss, can I have a word with you?"
Jiang Rao thought of her father being Chen Bing, and could not let down her guard for a moment. She suggested, "It's snowing, why don't you come with me to Shuxiang Palace?"
If she brought Chen Congyun into Shuxiang Palace, she would not be afraid of what she might do to her.
Chen Congyun nodded and agreed.
Shuxiang Palace, warm room.
Although it was Chen Congyun who came to her, since this warm room was in Shuxiang Palace, Jiang Rao put herself in the position of the host and asked the palace servants to bring tea and snacks and entertain the guest seriously.
The exquisitely shaped snacks were placed in front of her, but Chen Congyun was not interested. She lowered her head, with a look of uneasiness in her eyes. After a long silence, she suddenly raised her head with tears in her eyes, "Miss Jiang, please help me."
There was a crying tone when he spoke.
Jiang Rao had been waiting for her to speak first. After waiting for a long time, she was a little frightened by such a sudden sentence. She paused for a moment and quickly signaled the palace servants to wipe away Chen Congyun's tears. She asked her softly, "How do you want me to help you?"
Chen Congyun shed many tears and choked up, saying, "I don't want to marry the Ninth Prince."
Jiang Rao's expression turned serious.
Chen Congyun raised her tearful eyes and looked at Jiang Rao. She stared at Jiang Rao in the shadows, "I found you only because I was desperate. I know you want to marry the Ninth Prince. Can you quickly ask your father to ask the emperor for an imperial decree to grant the marriage?"
She looked at Jiang Rao, her eyes revealing extreme pleading and a hint of envy.
Although the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion has a much better foundation than her family, there are also families in Jinling that are richer than the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion. However, the girls of those families all live in deep mansions and large courtyards. All of them carry the shackles of family. None of them can live as freely and generously as Jiang Rao.
Jiang Rao was stunned, "How did you know I wanted to marry the Ninth Prince?"
This matter should only be known by people in her house and her aunt.
Chen Congjun looked at Jiang Rao with envy, and was so sad that he cried so hard that he couldn't speak.
Jiang Rao took the handkerchief from the palace maid and wiped away Chen Congyun's tears herself.
But as soon as she stretched out her hand, Chen Congyun dodged back as if frightened.
This situation looked like she bullied her.
Jiang Rao sighed, "Don't cry first, tell me what happened, then I'll know how to help you."
"You promised to help me?"
Chen Congyun's eyes lit up, he raised his hand to wipe away his tears, and said with a choked voice: "My father was drunk last night. I wanted to take advantage of his drunkenness and ask him to promise me to marry the person I want to marry, but he scolded me and said that my marriage would be snatched away by you."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Jiang Rao with a hint of surprise in her eyes, but without the initial fear.
Chen Bing’s original words after he got drunk were naturally not that simple.
He had been having a series of bad luck recently and originally wanted to say that the model of the Yunling Plank Road was made by him. However, he didn't know that Emperor Zhaowu had already seen the drawings drawn by Rong Ting. Since the emperor already knew about it, how dare he steal the credit for his son's work? Even if Xu Guozhang promised him, he no longer had the courage. He was upset because the credit he had planned to get disappeared. He cursed Jiang Xingzhou for making Jiang Rao so unruly and domineering. This string of dirty words made Chen Congyun very scared.
In addition, Jiang Xingzhou has long been known in Jinling as a daughter slave, so she thought... Jiang Rao was really just like her father scolded her, a willful and domineering girl.
If she hadn't been desperate, she would never have thought of coming to find Jiang Rao.
Jiang Rao was a little surprised, "Do you have someone else in your heart?"
A blush appeared on Chen Congyun's face. She lowered her head and said "hmm" softly.
Jiang Rao rolled her eyes. She was curious and wanted to know who Chen Congyun liked.
"Can you... tell me?" she asked tentatively.
Chen Congyun hesitated for a moment.
Although Jiang Rao did not promise her that she would not tell anyone, she felt that she was someone she could trust after just one look at her.
Jiang Rao's eyes were clear, like a piece of transparent and beautiful crystal. Chen Congyun looked at her and suddenly made up his mind, "It's the third prince."
"I came here today with the intention of burning my boats and crossing the river. I won't hide anything from you."
Jiang Rao was surprised.
She had seen the Third Prince in the academy, but she did not have much impression of him. When she tried hard to think about him, she could only remember a vague figure. His appearance was far inferior to Rong Ting, and his talent was not as good as Pei Songyu. He had a gentle and cowardly personality and was indeed not outstanding enough.
Chen Congyun saw Jiang Rao's surprise. She felt a little aggrieved as if she couldn't stand her lover being questioned by others. "He is a very good person."
She confided, "A few months ago, I went to the villa to escape the summer heat and was almost bitten by a dog. He saved me..."
The first time I talked to Chen Congyun, I heard her say so much
As for her personal matter, Jiang Rao always had a feeling that the story she was listening to was not real, and she was not quite sure. But after thinking about it, she realized that even if she believed her words, it would not cause any harm, so she believed her words without much thought.
But she frowned, "How can a life-saving favor and a crush... be the same thing?"
If that's the case, then if another man saves her in the future, will she marry him?
"I didn't fall in love with him at first sight because he saved my life, but only after that, I..." Chen Congyun blushed and suddenly couldn't continue, "He secretly gave me a purse during the Mid-Autumn Festival this year in exchange for me rejecting the marriage arranged by his mother. I don't like Jinling, and he has told the emperor that he wants to go to a remote fiefdom to be a prince. He has done so much for me, and I,..."
"I don't want to let him down."
She was so embarrassed that she raised her hands to cover her face.
Although Jiang Rao was very curious about what she originally wanted to say after saying "only later", seeing that Chen Congyun was too shy, she suppressed her curiosity and did not ask too many questions.
Chen Congyun suddenly seemed to have relieved something from his heart, and he breathed a sigh of relief, "I have never told these words to anyone else. Today is the first time I have told them, and I will not hide them from others in the future."
Jiang Rao's eyes swept across the back of Chen Congyun's hand, "On your hand..." Chen Congyun quickly put his hand down, covering the scar on the palm of his hand.
But Jiang Rao had already seen it, "Why are there so many injuries?"
Chen Congyun lowered her eyes in pain. "I have the reputation of a talented girl, but in fact I am not smart, and I can even be considered dull. In order to let me fight for him, my father has been very strict with me since I was a child. He forced me to learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting, otherwise I would be beaten with a ruler. I did everything, and I escaped the beatings all these years. Last night, again..."
"I have listened to him for fifteen years, except for marriage." She choked up again, lowered her head, and a look of determination appeared in her eyes that had always been submissive. "I don't want to listen to him anymore. He taught me so many etiquettes and morals from books, but he wants me to help the queen and do evil things. I can't stand it."
Chen Congyun looked at Jiang Rao with embarrassment, "I'm sorry to make you laugh at me. But Miss Jiang, you're the only one who can help me."
After hearing so much, Jiang Rao still didn't understand how she could help Chen Congyun.
She couldn't convince her father by herself.
Chen Congyun looked at her hesitant and tangled expression and said, "I heard from my father last night that when he visited your home, your father had already intended to marry you to the Ninth Prince."
Jiang Rao opened her lips slightly in surprise, "Really?"
Chen Congyun nodded immediately, "Can you leave the palace quickly and talk to your father to ask for an imperial decree granting marriage as soon as possible? I'm afraid my father will join forces with the queen in a few days to get the imperial decree granting marriage before you do."
…
The next day, the sky was clear and the snow had stopped. Jiang Rao was standing alone on the swing in the imperial garden. When she saw Rong Ting, she trotted over, put the sleeve stove in his arms, and said excitedly, "I can marry you now."
Rong Ting stared at her, his eyes were like a tree branch collapsed by heavy snow, his vision was in chaos.
"Is what you said true?" His voice was hoarse. Jiang Rao nodded, "As long as what Chen Congyun said is true."
Chen Congyun?
Rong Ting frowned slightly, "When have you seen her?"
"Yesterday," Jiang Rao said, "she came to me and I discussed it with her. She told me that my father had softened his attitude and wanted to agree to my request."
He thought about it for a moment and found the scene a little strange.
She could actually trade speculation with a man who was almost engaged to him?
"She came to my aunt's palace yesterday and wanted me to help her. She actually has feelings for your third brother, so she hopes that we can get engaged sooner."
Jiang Rao listened to the stories all day yesterday. Thinking back to them, she felt sad. She suddenly felt a little emotional. "I didn't expect that the Third Prince looked a little cowardly, but he was actually a responsible person."
Rong Ting found it irritating.
His third brother was probably not the man who almost had an engagement with her when they were children, but even if he knew this, he still felt that her words praising other men were extremely harsh.
Jealousy stirred in his heart, he spoke in a difficult tone, looking up with great grievance, "I know that some of my brothers almost got engaged to you."
"But now that you are engaged to me, can you just think of me?"
His tone was too humble. If there was a tail behind him, it would definitely be wagging its tail to beg for mercy.
Jiang Rao had no idea what kind of crazy possessiveness was hidden in his eyes. She looked at him in confusion.
Royal brother? who?
"You've been away from Jinling for too long, but you don't know what kind of people my brothers are. They're not good, really not good. You said my third brother is affectionate and loyal, but he's not only good to Miss Chen, he already has concubines and maids, and several of my brothers have them."
He used pure and innocent eyes to say words to discredit others. His expression contained a little bit of rebuke, a little bit of disdain, and more of it was an inexplicable comparison.
"When you were a child, the guy you were almost engaged to was not a good person. You wouldn't want to marry such a person, right?"
His voice was deep yet gentle, as if he was coaxing and enticing Jiang Rao to say "yes".
"You do make sense." Jiang Rao pondered for a moment and raised her puzzled eyes, "But weren't you the one who almost got engaged to me?"
Could it be that he knew that Chen Congyun didn't want to get engaged to him, and felt that he was not threatened by Queen Jiahe, so he didn't want to get engaged to her and found a reason to politely reject her?
Otherwise, why would anyone call himself a bad person?
Thinking of this possibility, Jiang Rao opened her eyes wide, "Do you... not want to get engaged to me?"
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