A faint smile appeared on Shao Shi Nuo's lips: "This Marquis..."
Jiang Rong snapped out of her daze and saw the Luo family girl step forward and stand beside the young Marquis Jingning. She raised her eyelids slightly and gave a cold smile.
Upon hearing this, Chu Yening's right ear twitched, and he then increased the pressure on his feet even more.
The eunuch, wincing in pain in his back, hurriedly begged for mercy: "Young Marquis, it is naturally His Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yening moved her foot away, arrogantly turning her head away, not wanting to look at him again: "It's good that you know."
"Tell me yourself."
The eunuch, while keeping close to the ground, turned to the side and glanced at Chu Yening with both eyes.
The illustrious Marquis of Jingning has just returned to the capital, and His Majesty is already showing him exceptional care and concern, especially since he is a member of the Chu family. As for the daughter of Grand Secretary Liang, he's not stupid; he can tell who's stronger at a glance.
Thinking of this, he quickly lowered his head and said, "It's Miss Liang..."
"You eunuch, stop spouting nonsense!" Liang Xi immediately interrupted the eunuch. Then, turning to Chu Yening, she said sarcastically, "Lord Jingning, I've heard you've been stationed on the border of our Great Xia for many years, achieving great military exploits and remaining utterly loyal to His Majesty. His Majesty also inquires about your well-being year after year. Clearly, Lord Jingning is a reasonable man, so please don't do anything disloyal that would break the hearts of the people!"
Chu Yening's face suddenly darkened, his gaze turning icy: "What did you call me?"
Liang Xi's eyelids twitched inexplicably.
He raised his eyebrows slightly, then smiled slyly and asked Qin Weixi beside him, "Where's Zhoufeng?"
Just as Qin Weixi was about to speak, she caught a glimpse of Liang Xi instinctively taking a step back, her eyes filled with fear. She smiled faintly. Soon after, she heard Chu Yening ask again, "What is 'outside'?"
He glanced at everyone, then fixed his gaze on Qin Weixi in front of him.
"she is?"
He pulled Qin Weixi behind him with one hand.
A faint smile played on his lips. "I'm a very protective person, it just depends on whether the relationship is good or bad. If I want to protect someone, even if they're black, I'll make them white. You can say I'm unprincipled, fine. Unprincipled is fine too. But..." He turned his head, his bright peach blossom eyes curving, and looked at Qin Weixi softly, "I'm here today to stand up for her! Not to seek justice for you."
"Besides, our daughter is always right, never wrong!"
Beneath the secluded palace walls, she once casually remarked: "Fourth Brother, if I ever marry, you must stand up for me!"
Ten years have passed since then, and the world has changed, but he has never forgotten the promise he made in his youth.
A strange feeling welled up in Qin Weixi's heart, and she felt her hands trembling uncontrollably. When she looked up at him again, she found only a blur. She reached out to wipe it, but found that her fingertips were wet. She realized that she had unknowingly shed tears.
She stretched out one hand and gently poked Chu Yening's hand with one finger. Then she noticed the cloud pattern on the narrow sleeve of his wrist and haphazardly drew a circle around it.
Chu Yening responded quickly, gently twitching the five fingers of the hand hidden behind her back.
Jiang Yuanjun and the others who arrived later also happened to witness this scene.
Zhao Shu stared intently at Qin Weixi, afraid she would disappear in the blink of an eye. That over-the-shoulder throw that had sent Liang Xi sprawling to the ground—that expression...she felt she'd seen it somewhere before. Her mind raced. Yes, it was Qin Weixi's younger sister. And then there was Chu Yening's fierce protection—she'd only ever seen that same behavior in Qin Weixi's younger sister when she was in trouble.
But those eyes and brows clearly resembled Xiao Xing's, and Zhao Shuhan couldn't help but laugh silently.
Seeing this from afar, Ping An couldn't help but clap and cheer softly, having already forgotten all the rules his sister had told him about after entering the palace.
Tao Qingyun smiled with relief, while Jiang Yuanjun's eyes were full of surprise. Suddenly, the words Ye Ning had spoken to him in the palace that day flashed through his mind: "Tell me, who can protect her now?"
Then Jiang Yuanjun smiled knowingly at the two of them. Liang Lang, on the other hand, had an extremely complicated look in his eyes.
Tao Qingyun looked at Qin Weixi with the expression one would give a young daughter, and then at Chu Yening with the expression one would give a father-in-law looking at a promising son-in-law.
Jiang Yuanjun gave a wry smile, then looked at him and asked, "What's with that expression?"
Tao Qingyun playfully punched him in the shoulder: "Hey, can't you just let yourself get carried away?!"
Jiang Yuanjun looked back at him and saw that Tao Qingyun's eyes seemed to be filled with a thin mist. He shook his head and smiled, but he knew that his feelings at this moment were no less than Tao Qingyun's.
Even after many years, these people never became estranged in the slightest, nor were they ever provoked by others. As for the Qin family and her, as for her seventh sister, after that rainy night, he had thought of keeping her in his heart, protecting her, and wishing her well year after year in the name of her elder brother. But whenever he looked at that painting in the Eastern Palace—the little girl standing on the swing, gazing at the Kunning Palace under the magnolia tree planted by his grandfather—how could he…
Inside the garden, Qingpai bowed again to the newcomer and quickly said with a smile, "Young Marquis, it's just young girls playing around. You've only recently returned to the capital, and the other day His Majesty and the Empress were chatting and reminiscing about your father. The Empress specially ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare your favorite fresh fish and smoked meat today. How about we have a casual meal together with the Princess and the Crown Prince later?" As she spoke, she winked at Jiang Yuanfu.
However, Jiang Yuanfu remained motionless, seemingly lost in thought. Qingpai, having no other choice, stepped forward and called out, "Your Highness."
Jiang Yuanfu turned around, but her cold gaze fell on Liang Xi and Jiang Rong.
Liang Xi was taken aback, but quickly understood from Qing Pai's words that the current Marquis of Jingning was backed by General Chu Lanzhe, who had made outstanding military achievements, protected the country's peace, and was deeply loved by the people. Above the general was the generation of the late emperor, and above the Marquis of Jingning's ancestors. Even though the Chu family ancestors and the general had passed away many years ago, the decades of military exploits left in history, and the events that occurred during the Chu family ancestors' time with the founding emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, are unforgettable for the world.
Liang Xi quickly lowered her head and said, "It was my mistake."
Seeing this, Jiang Yuanfu looked at Jiang Rong again, only to see that Jiang Rong was staring intently in the direction of Chu Yening. Jiang Rong quickly came to her senses and said unwillingly, "It was my slip of the tongue, I hope that Marquis Jingning will not blame me."
However, Chu Yening seemed not to hear. He looked at the kneeling eunuch and sneered coldly. Then, looking down at the two kneeling figures, he lazily said, "If your eyes aren't working, does your mouth also fail you?"
Liang Xi and Jiang Rong raised their heads slightly upon hearing this, their eyes filled with confusion. Qing Pai, however, quickly understood and approached the two, whispering, "Why aren't you going to speak to Miss Luo..."
Qin Weixi stepped forward, a faint smile still on her lips: "No need, thank you Aunt Qingpai."
Chu Yening suddenly curled his lips into a low smile: "I believe it is necessary."
Qin Weixi winked at him upon hearing this.
Liang Xi and Jiang Rong both looked towards Princess Zhenhui, the golden branch and jade leaf, behind the many gates, only to find that Jiang Yuanfu no longer glanced at them, and even the usually amiable Aunt Qingpai in Kunning Palace had turned cold. Liang Xi lowered her head, gritting her teeth, her face flushed, while Jiang Rong also concealed her anger. However, unable to withstand the aggressive pressure from the Marquis of Jingning, Liang Xi had no choice but to step forward and say together, "Miss Luo, we're sorry."
But Jiang Rong is the Princess of Yongtai, personally bestowed by the current emperor, and shares the same surname Jiang as the imperial family. Most of the people attending the banquet today are daughters of noble families, and there are also princes and noblemen outside the garden. She is a high-ranking princess, so how could she possibly apologize to the daughter of a former powerful minister?
But so what if she is a princess? Above her is Princess Zhenhui, who is always coldly watching her.
She gritted her teeth inwardly, turned her body slightly to the side, turned her head away, and whispered, "I misunderstood."
Everyone present quickly realized that the plum vase incident was nothing more than Liang Xi taking advantage of his family's power, with his father, the Grand Secretary who held the position of Chief Minister in the imperial court, taking the opportunity to frame the Luo family's daughter.
Pei Qingyin noticed the subtle interaction between Chu Yening and Qin Weixi among the crowd. She suddenly recalled the unpleasant encounter she had with Luo Zhaoxing, who had just returned to the capital, at the palace banquet that day. Afterwards, she was splashed twice with fishy-smelling water from the Jinshui River. This caused her to leave the palace in a disheveled state, enduring ridicule from the daughters of her father's colleagues. Her father had punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for many days. Looking at today's events, Pei Qingyin immediately understood.
It was Chu Yening! It was Chu Yening that day!
She laughed in anger, then took a few steps forward, got close to Qin Weixi, narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Chu Yening, gritting her teeth and whispering, "I didn't realize that this young Marquis Jingning is so fiercely protective of his own!"
However, Chu Yening didn't even look at her, turning his back with great pride, like a black swan in the Penglai River.
Jiang Rong gritted her teeth inwardly, staring at the so-called Luo family girl. Unconsciously, her fingers clenched into fists. Her grandfather, Prince Jing, had accomplished nothing in his life, and her father had no opportunity to display his talents; the vast Prince Jing's mansion was merely an empty shell. Therefore, she was somewhat intimidated by the Marquis of Jingning's extraordinary rank, yet she also longed to marry into the Marquis's family one day. However, she was not afraid of the Luo family, which had already left the capital.
She flicked her sleeve, intending to glare at him secretly. But Chu Yening didn't give her a moment's chance, lightly knocking away the dazzling gold hairpin from her temple.
Qin Weixi felt a blur before her eyes and was about to reach out to pull Chu Yening, but it was too late.
Jiang Rong's hair immediately fell down, her head becoming disheveled.
Qingpai hurriedly said, "Young Marquis, this is against the rules."
Chu Yening said, "What does it have to do with me?" He then smiled and said, "If I had accepted this rule, would I have gone to that desolate Northwest back then? Aren't there enough people in the capital who have made enemies of me? One more wouldn't make a difference, but if I lose one... I won't be able to sleep tonight."
Qin Weixi looked at Jiang Rong and Liang Xi with a cold, icy expression. She was not afraid of people talking about her, but she would never allow anyone to slander the Qin family, slander Xiao Xing who died young, or slander the people she was determined to protect with all her might in this life.
Jiang Rong's eyes were red as she whispered to Chu Yening, "Young Marquis, why are you treating me like this?" She swept her gaze across everyone in the garden, and even those outside. Today, whether it was the palace maids present, the daughters of her relatives in the garden, or the noble ladies she had cultivated over the years in her social circle, she had lost all face.
Chu Yening raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Do I know you?"
Jiang Rong continued, "Ten years ago, when you, young marquis, went to war with your father, I, the princess, saw you off from the pavilion on Gulou Street." She suddenly gave a bitter smile. It didn't matter anymore. Since she had already lost face, there was no going back. Besides, the current Marquis of Jingning was no longer the glorious heir of the Marquis of Jingning. Now that he had been exiled for ten years and had just returned to the capital, which noble family would allow their daughter to marry into the Marquis of Jingning's household? She had already lost face today, but she still had the glory of a princess. If she could get a marriage decree from the Empress because of this, it would be a good thing.
She forced a smile and said, "I am a member of the Gu family, and my father is the heir of the Prince of Jing. I have admired the Marquis of Jingning for many years..."
Chu Yening interrupted with a cold remark: "Oh? I don't know."
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