Chapter 77: "You want me to sleep with you"
A few days later, Luo Wan received a portrait of a noble lady from a prominent family sent by the Crown Princess. Attached to the portrait was a brief introduction about her family background and character, her father and brothers' official positions, and even her factions within the court.
There were more than a dozen portraits, representing that the Crown Princess had ordered people to select more than a dozen young ladies from aristocratic families.
The afternoon sun shone down, and Jiang Cichen, a rare sight at home, sat in his study, flipping through a book when he saw a figure rush into the courtyard, clutching a stack of scrolls. They placed them on the stone table and then left.
Jiang Cichen threw down the book, stood up, walked out of the study, came to the stone table, and flipped through the pile of scrolls out of boredom.
The scrolls were stacked together, and one of them rolled to the ground due to his movement and unfolded, revealing the face of a woman. The lower right corner was written in beautiful small regular script, filled with notes.
Just as Jiang Cichen was about to pick up the scrolls, Luo Wan came in with the remaining scrolls. She couldn't move all of the more than ten scrolls in one trip, so she divided them into two trips.
She saw Jiang Cichen pick up the unfolded scroll on the ground, and without saying anything, he placed the other paintings in his arms on the stone table.
Jiang Cichen handed her the scroll, frowned at her, and said, "What are these?"
Luo Wan said: "Portraits of some of the young ladies of marriageable age from aristocratic families in Yunjing."
Jiang Cichen's brow furrowed even more. Normally, as soon as he finished court, he would be forced by the Emperor's grandfather and grandmother to meet the daughters of the aristocratic families, which annoyed him to no end. Finally, the expedition was settled, and he had some free time, avoiding the palace. Unexpectedly, he saw these people's portraits in the palace again.
He asked, “What are you doing with these?”
Luo Wan lowered her eyes, scanning the small words beside the painting, and said, "Aren't you going to get married?" As she spoke, she turned the portrait over and showed it to Jiang Cichen. "Lin Wanyin, the eldest daughter of the Imperial Censor, is sixteen years old, has a gentle personality, and loves playing the zither and chess. How is she?"
Jiang Cichen didn't even glance at it, sat down on the stone bench, and asked, "What's going on?"
Luo Wan sat down opposite him and asked, "What do you think?"
Jiang Cichen pressed the painting onto the stone table and said, "Who told you I was going to get married?"
"Crown Princess, listen to what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said." Luo Wan said, "None of this is important. What matters most is your intention."
Jiang Cichen suddenly chuckled. This couple was really quick-witted. He stared at Luo Wan: "My feelings?"
This complicated look made Luo Wan's heart palpitate for a moment.
Luo Wan didn't meet his eyes, but picked up another portrait and said, "Xie Qing, the second daughter of the Dali Temple Minister, is seventeen years old and loves calligraphy and painting. She's not bad either."
Jiang Cichen took a glance and said calmly, "Too thin."
Luo Wan picked another one and said, "He Niannian, the sixteen-year-old daughter of General Huaihua, likes riding and archery. She's also very good."
Jiang Cichen said perfunctorily: "Too strong."
Before he knew it, he had finished looking at more than a dozen portraits, and without exception, Jiang Cichen rejected them all for various reasons.
Luo Wan could understand that he was a bit picky, but it was obvious that Jiang Cichen was deliberately rejecting them, not even looking at them. He called the fat ones thin, the thin ones fat, the tall ones short, and the short ones tall.
Luo Wan hadn't originally pinned her hopes on these portraits, but since the Crown Princess had mentioned it, she simply agreed. If Jiang Cichen found someone he liked, and this opportunity allowed him to establish himself in Yunjing, everyone would be happy. If not, then forget it.
She was only offering a choice; ultimately, Jiang Cichen had to make his own decision. If the Crown Princess hadn't mentioned it, Luo Wan wouldn't have gotten involved.
A forced melon is not sweet. She had tasted this once in her previous life.
As the sun sets, the golden afterglow paints the courtyard with a warm color.
Luo Wan stood up and said, "Since there's no one I like, I'm leaving."
After she took a few steps and had put some distance between herself and the stone table, Jiang Cichen said leisurely, "Who said I didn't find someone I liked?"
He walked towards Luo Wan, stopped in front of her, stared at her condescendingly, and asked, "Luo Wan, who I like and who I want to marry, don't you really know?"
Every word struck her heart clearly.
After a few seconds of silence, Luo Wan raised her eyes and saw a hint of confusion in Jiang Cichen's eyes.
"The other day I hung mandala wind chimes all over your yard. I said I wasn't afraid of people in Yunjing misunderstanding me. I asked you if you were afraid, but you didn't answer." His eyes burned. "Now, what's your answer?"
Luo Wan recalled that morning when he opened the door and saw wind chimes all over the yard spinning gently in the breeze, flashing tiny golden lights in the morning light.
He stood in the courtyard, a rare gentle smile on his lips. He asked her if she was afraid of the rumors spread by the people in Yunjing.
She didn't answer and kept avoiding it because she knew that some answers, once spoken, could never be taken back.
She is not a frank person.
Luo Wan said: "Some things we have already made clear in Kunning Palace."
Jiang Cichen's eyes dimmed instantly, and he was a little angry: "Explain clearly?"
He took another step closer, and the distance between them suddenly became dangerous and ambiguous.
Luo Wan vaguely recalled the same feeling she had when she first met Jiang Cichen. Jiang Cichen hadn't changed. He had always been a dangerous person, but sometimes he hid it so well that she almost forgot his true nature.
Jiang Cichen said "Oh" meaningfully.
"You mean you refused the marriage proposal in front of the Queen?" Jiang Cichen asked, "Since you said it so clearly, then tell me why you took the initiative to kiss me later?"
Luo Wan was stunned for a moment, then frowned and asked, "When did I kiss you?" She paused, as if remembering something, "Was it a few days ago when I was drunk?"
She was no naive young woman, and when she woke up the next day and saw the unusual redness and swelling on her lips and the faint cut, she had a hint of doubt. Hearing him speak for himself now only confirmed her suspicions.
Jiang Cichen raised his eyebrows and said nothing.
Luo Wan was speechless for a moment. She had originally thought that this plum blossom wine was indeed different. She actually fell asleep after drinking it, but she didn't expect such a thing to happen.
Just as she lowered her eyes in deep thought, she suddenly heard Jiang Cichen speak calmly, "Actually, you are also moved."
Moved? That was a long time ago. Luo Wanwan had only felt the urge to kill in her previous life.
Maybe someone treats her well, maybe someone is willing to love her, but she has her own things to do, and Jiang Cichen also has his own way to go, so he can't always be with her.
After the fall of the Northern Kingdom, the alliance ended and the two men eventually parted ways.
Luo Wan couldn't be so stupid as to tie herself to one man forever, otherwise she would have lived twice in vain.
Forming an alliance with Jiang Cichen was only part of her plan. After rescuing Shen Zhiyan and repaying the kindness they showed her in their childhood, she could pursue her revenge without any worries.
Whether she can defeat the high priest, whether she will meet Lei Yuanjie again, what her fate will be, whether she will live or die, no one knows.
So what if you are moved, and what if you are not moved?
There was no way she would stay for Jiang Cichen.
Luo Wan took a breath and said, "Maybe I did something to make you misunderstand, I'm sorry. But the truth is, I have never been moved."
Jiang Cichen stared at her, his fists clenched so tightly beneath his sleeves that his knuckles turned white.
"Even if there is, Jiang Cichen, I think that for people like us, love only occupies a very small part of life, not even as much as hatred." Luo Wan paused and said word by word, "So there is no need."
Jiang Cichen frowned, his tone unusually hurried: "What do you mean it's unnecessary?"
Luo Wan looked up at him.
The twilight fell on him in patches through the branches and leaves, making his gloomy expression even more unpredictable.
"Love is the most ethereal and false thing in this world, and I never believe in sincerity." Luo Wan said in a calm tone, "I don't want your sincerity."
It was clearly early summer, but the air suddenly turned cold.
Jiang Cichen grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him. Even in his rage, it didn't hinder his handsomeness in the slightest. His eyebrows and eyes were still charming, and this expression actually added a bit of imposing aura.
He said, "Then what do you want? When you got drunk you said you wanted me to sleep with you. Is that all you want?"
After he finished speaking, Jiang Cichen felt the body in his arms stiffen slightly.
Luo Wan felt a buzzing in her head, as if something had exploded. Although she was noisy when drunk, she rarely lost her composure like this. She even began to doubt the truth of Jiang Cichen's words.
However, it was only for a moment. Luo Wan quickly suppressed all her outward emotions, even giving a faint smile. "General Lingyun is a man of divine beauty, and few women in the world would be unmoved by him. In the capital, he commands the attention of all. Even young men and women who are just beginning to fall in love are naturally attracted to him. If the general is willing to condescend to me, I will naturally not refuse a chance encounter, but I won't accept a heartfelt one."
The so-called love between men and women is nothing but personal desire; it comes violently and goes away quickly.
Precisely because she had truly experienced it, Luo Wan couldn't believe it. She didn't believe that in this chaotic world, there would be someone who would stand by her without any scruples or reservations.
Love is cheap and belongs to everyone.
Jiang Cichen just looked into her eyes to determine whether her words were true or false, and she could also clearly see his eyes so close to her.
He had deliberately spoken so bluntly and harshly, merely trying to force a word out of her. But in this tangled argument, he was the only one who surrendered, always the first to fall.
Not only was she indifferent, she even proposed a seemingly win-win solution.
"Very good, Luo Wan." Jiang Cichen loosened his grip and took a step back. "You're quite cruel."
He strode into the room and the door slammed shut with a loud bang.
After Jiang Cichen left, she was the only one left in the yard.
Luo Wan stared at the tightly closed door, slightly lost in thought.
After a moment, she closed her eyes heavily. When she opened them again and wanted to turn around and leave, a loud noise suddenly came from the room, like the sound of a desk being slammed against the wall and shattering.
The housekeeper rushed over upon hearing the noise and saw Luo Wan standing alone in the yard, looking bewildered.
Another crisp sound was heard in the room, like porcelain shattering. The housekeeper hurried forward to check. The room was filled with precious items that Princess Xiao Qing had searched for in the past.
"No need to go." Luo Wan stopped him.
The butler hesitantly stepped back to her side and asked in a low voice: "Miss, what happened to the general?"
Luo Wan lowered his eyes and said, "It's okay, I just made him angry. Go and do your thing."
The butler opened his mouth and glanced subconsciously at the door, as if he had seen the mess in the house through the door.
He secretly felt sorry for the precious curios and ornaments that might have met with misfortune, but he did not dare to say much. He could only respectfully respond "yes" and then retreat.
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