Chapter 73: The Courtyard Full of Wind Chimes I, Jiang Cichen, never fear misunderstandings when I act...
On the first day that the Mandala Wind Chime was taken away, Jiang Cichen was nowhere to be seen.
The day after the Mandala Wind Chime was taken away, Jiang Cichen was nowhere to be seen.
Ever since Jiang Cichen unreasonably took the wind chime away that day, Luo Wan hadn't seen him for two days. She felt that she could never get that rare thing back.
On the third day after the Mandragora wind chime was taken away, she opened the door in the morning and saw Mandragora wind chimes hanging under the eaves all over the yard, gently turning with the breeze, like a dream.
Jiang Cichen was leaning against the corridor pillar, wearing a dark casual suit, with a hint of fatigue in his eyes, but his handsome and elegant appearance was not diminished at all.
"Awake?" Jiang Cichen smiled faintly, "It seems my apology is acceptable to the host."
Luo Wan walked out of the room, looked around, and said, "What does this mean?"
"Apologize." Jiang Cichen casually touched a string of wind chimes with his fingertips and looked down at her. "I stole your beloved that day, so I have to repay you double, right?"
"It's just a wind chime, why mobilize so many people?" Luo Wan slightly shifted his gaze to focus on the spinning wind chimes. "Besides, that was originally a gift from the Empress..."
"Do you really think this was a gift from the Empress Dowager?" He chuckled and continued, "Xie Yan and Chen Nanyuan, who were traveling with me, both received gifts. The Empress Dowager isn't so senile as to think I'd like a wind chime. So this was originally a gift from her, but she intended to 'reward' you with more than just a wind chime."
Luo Wan looked up at him in confusion, with light and shadow flickering in his eyes.
"Mandragora... temptation, addiction, seeking pleasure in danger." Jiang Cichen said lazily, "She hopes you will see your true identity and stay within your proper place."
The moment he finished speaking, the wind chimes were suddenly blown by a gust of wind, and the light and shadow swayed even more bizarrely.
Luo Wan stood there and understood everything in an instant.
Since she had already rejected the Queen's proposal to confer her the title of Princess, and had decisively drawn a line between her and Jiang Cichen, she had to keep her word. This was the Queen's way of reminding her not to play hard-to-get-lust.
Yes, this is why the eunuchs in the palace specially introduced the Mandala wind chime to her.
Jiang Cichen walked up to her, stopped, and almost enveloped her. Luo Wan was tall for a woman, but she still looked so petite in front of him.
"But now," Jiang Cichen said, "I've hung it all over your yard. By tomorrow, everyone in Yunjing will know that Jiang Cichen has turned the Queen's reward for your obedience into a toy to amuse you."
Luo Wan paused and said calmly: "This move will probably cause many misunderstandings in Yunjing."
"Misunderstanding?" He smiled slightly, and his tone became serious. "I, Jiang Cichen, never worry about being misunderstood."
He said clearly, "Are you afraid?"
Luo Wan looked at the handsome yet oppressive face in front of him, and suddenly remembered the rumors about General Jiang in the capital: he was willful, unfathomable, and never cared about what others thought.
And at this moment, he was clearly putting this "indifference" in front of her, forcing her to give an answer.
The moment of silence was stretched infinitely.
She was too scared.
I was scared to death. I had never been so scared before.
How many times in a person's life can he be truly sincere and without any calculation?
Luo Wan didn’t know about others, but for her, there probably wouldn’t be another one.
Because I once loved someone so seriously and unreservedly, and gave my wholehearted sincerity so recklessly in my youth, once I unfortunately gave it to the wrong person, I became numb and stingy.
Luo Wan moved his lips and was about to speak when the housekeeper suddenly walked into the yard, breaking the silent silence.
Jiang Cichen frowned unhappily and glanced at the housekeeper with a cold expression.
The butler felt a lump in his throat when he looked at him, and the words that were about to come out of his mouth were stuck.
Luo Wan came to the rescue at the right time and asked, "What's the matter?"
The housekeeper was as if granted amnesty and quickly bowed and replied, "The Crown Princess is here."
"What is she doing here?" Jiang Cichen said coldly, "She came alone?"
"Take the little prince with you." The butler replied in a low voice.
*
Arriving in the backyard, Luo Wan spotted the Crown Princess swinging alone on a swing. Nearby, the young prince was giggling at Chen Nanyuan's amusement, but the Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen.
The Crown Princess said calmly, "He probably went to coax his young mistress Xu."
Jiang Cichen nodded briefly and left. The affairs of the court were complicated, and he had no intention of getting involved in the affairs of the Eastern Palace.
The matter of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess's divorce was brought before the Emperor and Empress, who reprimanded her and confined her for a few days. However, it was not entirely without gain. At least the Crown Princess no longer needed the Crown Prince's approval for everything. She could go to Yunjing's festive occasions whenever she wanted, and the Crown Prince's secret guards would accompany her for protection.
The Crown Princess waved towards Luo Wan, her expression showing a certain seriousness. When Luo Wan approached, she lowered her voice and asked, "Did you know that your general is going to marry?"
Luo Wan was slightly stunned, then shook her head. She had never heard Jiang Cichen mention this matter.
On second thought, he was already a young man, so it was normal for the emperor and empress to arrange a marriage for him. Moreover, his foundation in Yunjing was not yet stable, so if he could gain a strong ally through this, it would be a hundred benefits for him and no harm at all.
"But the fate hasn't been decided yet. I heard it from Xiao Ce." The Crown Princess said, "I'm inviting you to go to the opera. You know martial arts, which is just right for protecting me. I don't want Xiao Ce's group of secret guards to annoy me."
While her husband went off to coax his mistress, the Crown Princess remained unfazed, even enjoying herself with music. Luo Wan admired her for her state of mind. She thought, if she had been even half as carefree as the Crown Princess in her previous life, she probably wouldn't have ended up like that.
Luo Wan said tactfully, "I don't understand opera. Your Highness, why don't you find another like-minded friend to accompany you?"
The Crown Princess sighed and said, "I have no friends in Yunjing."
Luo Wan was slightly surprised. The Crown Prince was the lord of the Eastern Palace, the future Emperor of Yun State, and the Crown Princess was the future Empress, the mother of the nation. Logically, the Crown Princess should be the object of fawning and flattery from the daughters of Yun Jing's various noble families, but she said she had no friends.
The Crown Princess continued, "Everyone in Yunjing knows that Xiao Ce loves Xu Lian'er. I am a jealous Crown Princess and will not allow Xu Lian'er to enter the Eastern Palace. When Xiao Ce ascends the throne, I will not be able to stop Xu Lian'er from entering the palace. The young ladies from the aristocratic families in Yunjing all have a long-term vision, and ignoring me is their token of loyalty to Xiao Ce and Xu Lian'er."
Luo Wan extremely dislikes such fickle men.
She thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, I will go with you."
As night fell, the little prince was left in General Lingyun's mansion, with his wet nurse looking after him and Chen Nanyuan entertaining him. So when the Crown Princess left, he waved to his mother without crying or making a fuss.
Luo Wan seemed to have seen through something. She said, "The Crown Princess probably doesn't just want to not use His Royal Highness's secret guards."
The Crown Princess pondered, "What is the relationship between your general and Guard Chen? If it's just okay, he should be transferred to the Eastern Palace to serve."
Luo Wan's words were concise and shocking: "A friend of life and death."
*
Junzi Terrace in Yunjing is Yunguo's greatest opera sanctuary. Yunguo has been a nation of thriving literary talent since ancient times, with many distinguished scholars flocking to the capital. Teahouses abound in the capital, far more densely populated than elsewhere. Everywhere you look, scholars can be found reciting poetry, composing couplets, and chatting with fans.
Junzitai is even more famous. Anyone with even a passing interest in opera knows its fame. Opera lovers long to hear a piece here; opera singers dream of performing on stage here.
Therefore, the people gathered at Junzitai are no longer just people from Yunnan, but also like-minded people from all over the world.
Luo Wan followed the Crown Princess into the private room that had been reserved in advance.
Even though the Crown Princess scoffed at the Crown Prince's Secret Guards, they didn't dare leave without even a hint of disrespect. If anything went wrong with the Crown Princess, their lives would be in jeopardy.
Several secret guards silently dispersed and stood guard on both sides of the private room.
The private rooms surround the stage. Sitting in a private room and looking out, you can see the world-famous "Junzi Stage". The entire theater is named after this stage.
The Crown Princess leaned back on the cushions and whispered to Luo Wan, "The one who will be taking the stage soon is the Wei Family Troupe from Jingzhou in the Northern Kingdom. They are world-famous."
It was world-famous, but Luo Wan had never heard of it.
The Crown Princess saw her bewilderment and smiled slightly: "If you have never listened to opera, it is normal for you not to know."
As he was speaking, the sound of clanging gongs and drums suddenly rang out, and a group of actors in colorful clothes and with painted faces came onto the stage gracefully. The sound followed their steps and their voices were as melodious as clouds.
At this moment, the door of the private room opposite was slowly opened by the servants, and two familiar figures came into view. The man in gorgeous clothes was sitting facing the door, and the woman beside him was leaning forward slightly to pour tea for him, leaving only a slender silhouette.
The man's face is clearly visible, and the identity of the person next to him is self-evident.
Meeting Crown Prince Xiao Ce and Miss Xu here, the Crown Princess's smiling face suddenly darkened, turning from sunny to gloomy. She coldly spat out two words: "Bad luck."
Luo Wan noticed the man's expression grow increasingly gloomy, perhaps because he'd read her lips. Xiao Ce stared at them intently, his gaze sharp as a blade, as if he were about to explode and start an argument with the Crown Princess.
After pouring the tea, Miss Xu noticed that Xiao Ce had a strange expression on his face. She followed Xiao Ce's gaze and saw the Crown Princess. She was startled at first, then quickly nodded slightly as a courtesy.
The Crown Princess snorted lightly, turned her gaze away, and returned her eyes to the Gentleman's Terrace.
However, the gaze of the man in the private room opposite was too scorching, making her feel uncomfortable all over. She felt like she had a thorn in her back and could not sit still. So she simply stood up and slammed the door of the private room.
The singing sound was a little quieter, but it could still be heard clearly.
Luo Wan took a sip of tea awkwardly.
"Don't drink tea," the Crown Princess suddenly said, "I'll treat you to a drink!"
Upon hearing this, Luo Wan quickly refused: "Your Highness, to be honest, I can't hold my liquor well."
The Crown Princess clearly didn't believe it. She said, "You're a soldier. How could soldiers' sons and daughters not be able to handle alcohol?"
Luo Wan herself felt helpless. While she wasn't a true military prodigy, she had spent two lifetimes as a member of the Jianghu. Yet, she lacked the hearty drinking abilities of a Jianghu person. She suspected it was probably because she'd rarely drunk alcohol in her past life, so she was easily knocked out after just one drink.
Luo Wan pondered and said, "Maybe it's innate."
"It's okay," the Crown Princess waved her hand and said, "Yunjing's plum wine is sweet and mellow, not intoxicating at all. I promise you won't get drunk."
Soon, the Crown Princess ordered the waiter to bring two jars of plum wine.
Junzitai mainly serves tea. Wine is an extremely rare thing here, and only the highest-ranking officials can drink it. Ordinary people would not even know that Junzitai sells wine.
It is only supplied to dignitaries, so the plum blossom wine in Junzitai is all aged fine wine. As soon as the wine jar is opened, the leisurely plum blossom fragrance will fill your nose.
After closing the door, the Crown Princess put aside her airs, took two more cups from the side, filled them up, and placed one of the cups in front of Luo Wan with a smile.
Luo Wan didn't understand why so many people liked something like wine, which was intoxicating, disruptive and difficult to drink.
"Drink!" After the Crown Princess said this, she picked up the wine glass and drank it all without caring whether Luo Wan had drunk it or not.
Putting down the cup, he saw that the cup in front of Luo Wan was still full, and couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you drink?"
Luo Wan said, "Since I'm here to protect the Crown Princess, I can't drink and cause trouble."
As she spoke, the Crown Princess drank two or three more cups. A blush appeared on her face, but her words were clear: "Don't call me Crown Princess. I hate this name."
Ever since she and Xiao Ce had been at loggerheads on He Street that day, and the embarrassing scene today, Luo Wan probably understood why she hated the title of Crown Princess. For Song Yunshang, who had always been confined by the title of Crown Princess, every time she was honored with the title, it was like being tortured to death.
The Crown Princess picked up Luo Wan's glass of wine, handed it directly to her lips, and insisted, "Just drink one."
Luo Wan leaned back slightly and said softly, "Miss Song, I really can't drink."
Someone once said that she was particularly excited after drinking and could make a scene for an hour or two. If it were somewhere else, it would be fine, but in Yunjing, at Junzitai, Luo Wan was afraid of saying or doing something wrong.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, the Crown Princess pleaded softly. She twisted her thumb and index finger together, gesturing, "Just one sip, just a little bit. I promise I won't get drunk."
Luo Wan took a sip as instructed, and the leisurely fragrance of plum blossoms instantly spread between her lips and teeth. It was sweet in the mouth, without any burning sensation in the throat.
The Crown Princess smiled and said, "I told you I wouldn't get drunk."
Luo Wan nodded. This was completely different from the strong liquor she had drunk in the Yinan military camp. Perhaps it was because the audience was different; the liquor served to literati and elegant people was naturally much milder.
The Crown Princess suddenly lowered her head and said sadly, "He is a liar."
Luo Wan was stunned for a moment. The Crown Princess, who had just been smiling and urging people to drink, suddenly started complaining.
"He used to say he loved me the most, but he lied to me. Now he loves Xu Lian'er the most."
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The author has something to say: Note: "How many times in a person's life can he be truly sincere, without any calculation." From the Internet.
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