flattery
Not long after Wang Qianqian left, Jiang Yan wanted to leave the manor.
Huang Ying told her that Shangguan Zeyu was on leave today, and she had better stay at the Prince's Mansion and not go anywhere, so that she wouldn't be there when Shangguan Zeyu came looking for her again.
Jiang Yan was naturally very unhappy, but what could she do?
She is still Shangguan Zeyu's concubine, still living in the Duan Prince's mansion, and still has to consider Shangguan Zeyu in everything she does.
It was already the middle of the hottest period of summer, and it was no longer safe to stay in the courtyard. Jiang Yan moved the rocking chair indoors, directly facing the courtyard.
In fact, in ancient times, summers were not as hot as they are in modern society. Even during the hottest part of summer, it was only sultry at midday, and the mornings and evenings were quite cool.
Jiang Yan nestled in the rocking chair, squinting her eyes, leisurely eating the grapes that Huang Ying had prepared for her.
Huang Ying remained seated beside her, busy embroidering a purse.
Jiang Yan ate some grapes for a while and then asked her, "If you had someone you liked, would you want them to be clingy with you, or would you prefer them to keep their distance?"
Huang Ying was taken aback by her question and remained silent for a moment before answering shyly.
"Master, are you joking? Huang Ying will never marry!"
"How could that be? 'A daughter is like a tree that cannot be kept at home once she grows up; keeping her at home only breeds resentment!'"
Huang Ying blushed as she embroidered a purse, her voice soft as she said, "That's someone else, not me!"
Jiang Yan suddenly seemed to have thought of something, tilted his neck, turned his head to look at her, and had a look of joy on his face.
"I think Zhang Qin is quite good-looking! He's got both looks and talent. Do you like him? How about I go and talk to the Prince and ask him to let you two be together?"
Huang Ying suddenly became somewhat embarrassed and angry, and scolded, "Master! If you joke with me again, I'll get angry!"
Jiang Yan smiled happily, still looking at Huang Ying, whose face was red, her brows were furrowed, and her lips were pouting.
"Huang Ying, a good man should take the initiative, don't wait! I think Zhang Qin is good, a kind and honest man. If you like him, hurry up and make your move, otherwise someone else will beat you to it and you'll be crying!"
"My lady!" Huang Ying raised her voice slightly, her expression serious. "I really never thought about this! I only want to seek justice for my young mistress! Besides, I'm perfectly fine on my own, why should I get married? Men are all heartless and unreliable!!"
Jiang Yan's expression turned slightly serious: "You haven't been brainwashed by me, have you?"
"'Brainwashing'? Master, what is that?"
Jiang Yan sighed: "Huang Ying, how should I put it? You're still young, you haven't experienced the pain of love yet, you shouldn't think like that. Look at you, you're so cute and beautiful, your sweetheart will definitely like you very much and cherish you!"
"Your Highness must be very beautiful, so why do you think all men are bastards?"
"Well... look, I'm Consort Liu now, and my husband is surrounded by a large group of women. Do you think it's these women's fault? I think a large part of the reason is the prince's fault! If the prince hadn't been tempted and had a firm will, where would all these women come from? What he's doing is cruel to all the women who like him!"
Huang Ying was very serious at first, but she laughed by the end.
Jiang Yan didn't understand how she could laugh at such a serious topic, and asked with a slight frown.
What are you laughing at?
The oriole was still laughing, as if she understood everything.
"My lady, the prince is in the manor today. Shall I accompany you to find him?"
Jiang Yan slowly withdrew her gaze from Huang Ying, and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Why are you looking for him?"
Huang Ying rolled her eyes mischievously, smiled brightly, and looked at her, saying, "His Highness must miss you, Master."
"He wouldn't miss me! He has his Princess Xiao, his Lady Wang, and his Lady Wu. He's probably living a carefree life here!" After saying that, she dejectedly curled up in the rocking chair again.
Seeing her like this, Huang Ying smiled, put down her work, and walked towards her.
“My lord, didn’t you say you wanted to take this opportunity to curry favor with the prince and then find a way to get back? You’re not leaving the manor today, and no one has come to cause trouble these past few days. Why don’t you take this opportunity to cultivate a good relationship with the prince? It would be better than staying here and sulking. What do you say?”
"Where did I sulk?" Jiang Yan asked guiltily, avoiding eye contact with Huang Ying.
Huang Ying didn't expose her, saying, "Alright, alright, mistress, you're not upset. I misunderstood. Mistress, the Prince must be very busy these days. I heard that Prince Su has returned to the capital with a large number of soldiers. The Prince must be troubled by this. Mistress, you have many ideas. Perhaps you can enlighten the Prince. If the Prince is happy, he will definitely grant you any requests you make in the future."
Jiang Yan thought Huang Ying's words made a lot of sense, and sat up straight: "Yes, you're right. If I help him now, he will definitely side with me in the future, which will be a good thing for us!"
"Yes!" Huang Ying smiled and nodded vigorously.
"He should still be at Cloud Pavilion right now. Let's go find him!"
Jiang Yan is the kind of person who either doesn't do something at all, or if he does, he's extremely eager to do it.
Thus, he took the oriole to the Cloud Pavilion.
Under the blazing sun, they were already drenched in sweat after only a few steps.
Jiang Yan hesitated: "Oh my god, going to Yunxiao Pavilion in this heat, I'm afraid I'll faint before we even get there! Heatstroke is terrible, it can be fatal! I think we should just go back and go find him later." With that, she turned to walk back.
Huang Ying quickly grabbed her arm: "My lady, you can't be half-hearted when you're doing something. We've already come out, there's no reason to go back. You're afraid of the heat, that's easy to solve, let's go into the woods. There's a breeze in the woods, and the sun won't shine through, so it won't be hot, right?"
Jiang Yan looked at Huang Ying's excited appearance, then glanced at the lush forest, and then looked up at the sun that was barely visible, and sighed.
"Alright, let's go into the woods."
The woods were indeed cool, like having a fan on, and the breeze instantly lifted one's spirits. However, the downside was that clothes would get caught on branches and treetops, and could easily get a hole in them.
Jiang Yan couldn't help but smile bitterly: "If we keep going like this, we'll be practically naked before we even reach the Cloud Pavilion!"
Huang Ying also found it hilarious: "My lady, it's already like this, so let it be. If the prince asks, just say that you walked a thorny path to see him and went through all sorts of hardships to get to him. The prince will definitely be very excited then, and when he is excited, he will definitely show affection, pity, and all sorts of rewards and care."
Jiang Yan looked at her as if she were a monster: "Huang Ying, have you been possessed? How come you are so different from the Huang Ying I know?"
The oriole just chuckled.
Jiang Yan sighed, looking extremely arrogant: "I don't care about his rewards at all, they're useless! I don't need his concern! I certainly don't need his affection!"
Huang Ying smiled and said, "Yes, yes, my lady, you don't need anything. It's the prince who needs you!"
"Hmph, that's more like it!"
Although Jiang Yan and Huang Ying had been walking through the forest, their clothes were still soaked by the time they reached Yunxiao Pavilion. What was even more embarrassing was that the hems of their clothes looked like they had been chewed by a dog, with uneven lengths.
Jiang Yan was speechless: "Do you think I can get in like this?"
Huang Ying smiled guiltily: "My lady, your visit to the prince is to express your feelings, and the prince will not blame you!"
Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh speechlessly again.
"Huang Ying, why are your words inconsistent? I heard you say before that you must dress up and groom yourself before meeting the prince, otherwise it would be disrespectful to him."
Huang Ying smiled sheepishly: "Master, the past is the past, and the present is the present. They are different."
"Which law is different? You better explain it to me properly!"
Huang Ying felt extremely guilty. She glanced at the closed door of Yunxiao Pavilion and said, "Master, you should go and visit the Prince! Other matters are not urgent and can be discussed later!" She then pulled Jiang Yan towards Yunxiao Pavilion.
Jiang Yan was just teasing her; she didn't necessarily want her to say anything, so she went with her.
The bamboo fence outside Yunxiao Pavilion was unlocked, indicating that Shangguan Zeyu was at Yunxiao Pavilion.
Huang Ying gently pushed open the fence, and Jiang Yan went inside.
Zhang Qin wasn't waiting outside, and Jiang Yan, unsure if Shangguan Zeyu was busy, stopped outside the door.
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