Hearing Jing Yan call her name, Yue Jiang's eyes lit up, and she went to greet the person who came over: "Your Highness, didn't you go to court? Why are you in the inner palace?"
"I had something to discuss with the Empress Dowager, so I came over after the court session. The Empress Dowager said you liked to come at this time, so I thought I would come out to greet you. I didn't expect to actually run into you."
Jing Yan always bowed his head and explained the reason to Yue Jiang in a gentle manner.
When the question was directed at Jing Shuo, her eyes softened slightly, and she looked at him with a deep, scrutinizing gaze, displaying the majesty of a crown prince second only to the emperor.
"We've already reached the inner palace gate, why did you stop? Judging from this, Second Brother was just talking to Jiang'er, why didn't you go inside Mother's palace to talk?"
Jing Shuo was no longer the calculating man he had been when he was alone with Yue Jiang; he greeted her with a smile.
"What I was talking about was nothing important, just a casual greeting when we met on the road. How could I dare to disturb the Empress Dowager?"
Jing Shuo humbly cupped his hands and said, "Since Your Majesty has come to pick up Your Majesty and your sister-in-law, I will respectfully see you off."
Jing Yan had no intention of leaving immediately, nor did she believe what Jing Shuo had just said; she simply greeted Yue Jiang.
He knew that back then, if it weren't for Empress Dowager Zheng and Empress Dowager Cheng vying for the position of Crown Princess for his father, his grandfather would have chosen his mother, who was the daughter of the Emperor's tutor, to avoid offending either side.
It is highly likely that the Cheng family will produce another empress, and Jing Shuo will naturally take his place.
Back then, when Anguo wanted to force Jingyan to come to Anguo as a hostage, apart from the court officials doing their best to keep Jingyan,
Empress Dowager Cheng secretly hoped that Jing Yan would leave and never return. However, when the ministers managed to keep Jing Yan and discussed whether to send Jing Shuo or Jing Lu to An,
In order to keep Jingshuo, Empress Dowager Cheng used the last of the Cheng family's resources and even incited the orphan to kneel and beg to keep Jingshuo.
The Cheng family were the orphans who suffered the most from the Anguo Rebellion. After careful consideration, Emperor Jing Huaixu chose to keep Jing Shuo and send him to Jing Lu.
In the end, the matter was dropped because Anguo did not want the prince of Jingguo anymore.
That's human nature. When something that rightfully belongs to us, whether it's a person or a thing, suddenly falls into the hands of someone else, we feel resentful.
But Jing Yan didn't think that he had stolen Jing Shuo's things. He had never given up the heavy responsibilities he had shouldered over the years, and everything he did was based on the interests of the Jing Kingdom.
Jing Yan believed he had done right by everything and deserved everything.
If Jing Shuo develops feelings for Yue Jiang Sheng because of his resentment, he will not tolerate it.
Jing Yan stood tall and straight, his face serious and meticulous. He took a box from the eunuch behind him.
Yue Jiang glanced at it and realized it was the sachet Jing Shuo had given her yesterday. She had instructed Qing Ke to burn it along with the box, but it had somehow appeared perfectly intact in Jing Yan's hands.
Yesterday, Chong was indifferent and didn't care, but he dared to return the jade intact to her face!
Jing Yan continued speaking slowly, his words clearly conveying his admonition to Jing Shuo.
"This sachet was originally a kind gesture from my second brother, but I didn't like the smell and just threw it away without him knowing. Perhaps this will cause him to send me and Jiang'er a new one next time."
At this point, Jing Yan paused deliberately, and Jing Shuo's brows stiffened slightly. He had stopped Yue Jiang today to probe her feelings.
If she were to play hard to get, there would be opportunities for interaction. How did Jingyan know that he wanted to use this as an excuse to send gifts frequently?
Jing Shuo and Jing Yan look different. Jing Yan resembles Empress Ye, with a dignified and elegant appearance. The composure and calmness emanating from him are hard to conceal, making people feel at ease when they see him.
Jing Shuo favored his biological mother, Consort Cheng. He raised his eyebrows slightly, and his eyes were even more flamboyant than Consort Cheng's long and delicate phoenix eyes, revealing a hint of arrogance.
Jing Yan ignored Jing Shuo's subtle change and continued, "I couldn't bear it, and after careful consideration, I think it's best to return it to my second brother in person, so as not to let him do useless work for nothing."
The moment the box was handed to him, Jing Shuo reached out and took it, looking apologetic.
"Your Majesty is too kind. It was your younger brother who failed to understand your and your sister-in-law's preferences, and the gift he gave was not to your liking. Your Majesty is still willing to give me some pointers. I am ashamed."
Upon retrieving the item, Jing Shuo was surprised that his usually aloof elder brother was so guarded. It was just a small, inconspicuous sachet; why would he go to such lengths to return it personally?
He glanced at Yue Jiang again, but seeing her beautiful face, he didn't give her even a second look.
Jing Shuo couldn't understand how his cousin Cheng Suyun and Zheng Yutong from Empress Dowager Zheng's side had entered the palace over the years.
Everyone knows that both empress dowagers want to send them to the Eastern Palace. One is aloof and proud, and the other is charming and gentle. Isn't that enough to satisfy Jing Yan?
But Jing Yan has remained unmoved all these years. If he had even the slightest interest, he would have taken the two of them as his concubines two or three years ago.
He was clearly a clueless blockhead, his cold and hard aura permeating the military camp.
The Yue Kingdom is wealthy, so it's not surprising that there are some strange and ingenious tricks. Jing Shuo couldn't help but think that since he had just sent the sachet less than two days ago, Jing Yan had personally returned it.
It must be that Yue Jiang has that fragrance on her body that made it so hard for her to win over her good brother, the emperor.
And how could it be that Yue Jiang understood his implication, feeling empty in front of the indifferent Jing Yan, and longing for him while holding her sachet?
After Jing Yan discovered this, he came over to reprimand him. It seems that Jing Shuo shouldn't have been in such a hurry; he should have taken a steady approach to win over Yue Jiang.
This is good, it can create a rift between them, so how can we prevent Yue Jiang's lonely heart from getting closer to him?
Jing Shuo only needs to show Yue Jiang gentleness and consideration in more time in the future. If he can get what she brought from Yue Kingdom, it will be easier for the Cheng family to win people's hearts.
Neither side spoke further, and Jing Yan led Yue Jiang away first. After Jing Shuo was completely out of sight, Jing Yan noticed that Yue Jiang was unusually quiet.
He explained, "The items were burned without our knowledge, which did not achieve the desired effect. To prevent Jingshuo from sending things away indiscriminately again, we returned the items to him directly. He knows his limits and will not knowingly commit the same offense."
"I originally intended to meet him privately to repay the debt, but unexpectedly, Jiang'er bumped into him on the road."
What was said earlier was quite clear, but Yue Jiang felt it was hard to say whether Jing Shuo had any intention of giving up.
However, the fact that Jing Yan acted so quickly shows that she deliberately reminded him yesterday that he cared about it and was eager to resolve the problem for her.
Yue Jiang Shen felt that Jing Yan's performance this time was very good.
As they walked, Yue Jiang used her wide sleeves to sneak close to Jing Yan's hand and hooked her little finger around his.
Jing Yan sensed this and curled his fingers to leave, but Yue Jiang hooked his arm around him even tighter, holding him firmly in place.
"Jiang'er, outside..."
"Your Highness, if you want to break my fingernails, then break them. I've already broken and twisted several because of you, so one more won't make a difference."
Yue Jiang spoke with a sense of grievance, but whenever Jing Yan thought about where and how Yue Jiang's fingernails had been broken, his back burned with embarrassment, and he felt that her words were too ambiguous and suggestive.
Her hands tensed involuntarily, and under the weight of gravity, Yue Jiang gave a soft "hmm".
"Your Highness, how could you let me suffer so much pain when we're outside?"
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