Interesting stories
"Forehead?"
Was he asking me?
Jiang Yan looked at Shangguan Zeyu blankly.
"My beloved concubine, I'm asking you a question. Are you thinking about something else again?" Shangguan Zeyu looked at Jiang Yan with a doting smile.
Anyone who saw that look couldn't help but sigh, "The prince truly dotes on Jiang Yan!"
But Jiang Yan knew that he was just putting on an act for others, and that he was also taking advantage of her.
"Your Highness, I have no objection. I leave it entirely to Your Highness to decide," she said with a provocative smile.
Madam Liu and Liu Ruyan both looked at him.
"This morning, Master Liu spoke to me about this matter. I replied that I will consider it carefully."
Upon hearing this, Madam Liu was overjoyed and hurriedly pulled Liu Ruyan to kneel down.
Shangguan Zeyu stepped in front of them, saying, "Madam Liu, please don't do this. I am, after all, Yan'er's brother-in-law, and it is my responsibility to do so."
Hmph, brother-in-law, you've really gotten a great deal!
Jiang Yan inwardly mocked him mercilessly: "Mother, sister, and the prince have all said so, so you don't need to worry."
But Liu Ruyan glared at her with angry eyes.
She was frustrated and puzzled. What had she done to offend her again?
Is it wrong to say something polite?
Okay, fine, you two talk it over yourselves, she won't listen!
"Your Highness, I suddenly feel unwell and must go now."
"My beloved concubine, shall I summon a doctor?"
Why are you so nervous?
You're not the real Shangguan Zeyu!
"Your Highness, I am fine and will be alright after a rest."
"Since that's the case, let's disperse then. I'll accompany my beloved concubine back to rest."
Jiang Yan quickly stopped him, saying, "No, Your Highness. My mother and sister have something to discuss with you. I can go back on my own."
"How can this be? My beloved consort is of course the most important to me." With that, he put his arm around her waist and led her away.
Jiang Yan could clearly feel that Madam Liu and Liu Ruyan had stared a hole through the back of her head, and she felt even more disgusted with "Zhang Qin".
After they reached the corner, she pushed him away forcefully.
"What are you doing? Are you doing this on purpose? Did the Prince send you to do this? What does the Prince want to do?"
Caught off guard, Shangguan Zeyu was suddenly pushed by her and staggered two steps to the side before regaining his balance.
"My beloved concubine, what's wrong? Have I done something wrong?"
Jiang Yan couldn't help but sneer: "Zhang Qin, stop acting, okay? There are only the three of us here, no one will tell on us!"
"How do you know I'm acting?" Shangguan Zeyu looked at her excitedly and slowly approached her.
"Stop! Stop right there!! I know you've had a tough time, being under orders, but don't put on an act for me! I hate this kind of thing!!"
Shangguan Zeyu stopped and pretended to be disappointed, pursing his lips.
"Okay, like you said, I'm fake. So can you tell me why you hate me so much?" She smiled again, her smile as bright as a spring flower.
Jiang Yan was speechless and rolled her eyes at him.
"Zhang Qin, I have no objection to your liking for the Prince, and I won't stop you from liking him. Can you please stop causing me trouble? I'm not your number one enemy in your relationship with the Prince. I just want to live a peaceful life. Please, have mercy on me, I'm begging you!"
Shangguan Zeyu looked at her with amusement, his eyes still full of seductive smiles.
Jiang Yan was truly impressed by him; he was a reincarnated demon, born to seduce people.
"Alright, you can go back now. I'm going back by myself. Don't follow me!" Jiang Yan firmly gestured for him to stop before walking away, turning back every few steps.
"Master, will Guard Zhang repeat what you said to the Prince verbatim?"
Upon hearing Huang Ying's words, Jiang Yan felt as if she had been hit on the head with a club.
Yes, how could she have forgotten about that?
She was so focused on venting her emotions that she didn't think about this at all!
This is terrible. If he tells Shangguan Zeyu everything she said, word for word, then she...
"Go back, let's go back right now!!"
Hurry back and find "Zhang Qin," this ancestor is truly someone you can't afford to offend!
Jiang Yan, with Huang Ying by her side, caught up with "Zhang Qin" at a 100-meter sprint speed.
"Wait, wait a minute!"
Shangguan Zeyu turned around and looked at her in confusion.
"I have something to tell you!" Jiang Yan ran breathlessly to Shangguan Zeyu's side. "Don't talk nonsense!!"
Shangguan Zeyu raised an eyebrow with interest: "What do you mean, my beloved concubine?"
Jiang Yan was too lazy to correct his wording anymore. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
"Don't tell the prince what I told you."
"Why?" Shangguan Zeyu's eyes immediately lit up with a smile.
"What do you think?" Jiang Yan rolled her eyes at him in her mind.
"...Is it because...you're afraid the Prince...will be angry?"
He can get angry or not, I'm just afraid of dying.
"Yes, that's right. I don't want Your Highness to be angry about this. What I said to you was entirely my own opinion and has nothing to do with Your Highness."
"Okay, I understand."
"Alright, I have something to do, that's all! Don't say anything out of line, or I'll make you regret it!" Jiang Yan said, raising her solid fist at him before letting Huang Ying help her slowly back.
Shangguan Zeyu was becoming more and more interested in her. The playful smile stayed on his face for a long time until he could no longer see her back before he withdrew it.
This evening, Liu Xiangyi's birthday banquet began.
Unlike Madam Liu and Liu Ruyan, Jiang Yan did not greet them at the main gate. In fact, she was already married and did not have the right to do so. Instead, she sat in a secluded corner of the courtyard, observing the people who came to offer their birthday wishes.
Liu Xiangyi was the richest man in the capital, and he owned money shops all over the place, so people came to congratulate him on his birthday in an endless stream.
It's no surprise that business people came to congratulate him on his birthday, but it's somewhat puzzling that high-ranking officials and nobles from the capital came to offer their congratulations.
The prince is not short of money, and the officials do not fawn over him for promotion, so why do they come to congratulate him on his birthday?
Does he have some other identity?
"Huang Ying, what official position does your husband hold?"
"Without a master, the master only runs a money exchange; he holds no official position."
"Then why are there so many officials here?"
"That is indeed strange. The master stays at home all the time, rarely interacts with others, and no one else comes to the house."
"That's really strange!!"
It goes without saying how extravagant the banquets hosted by wealthy families are.
Unable to bear the constant noise around her, Jiang Yan offered her birthday wishes to Liu Xiangyi and then returned home with Huang Ying.
"Huang Ying, bring out your young lady's belongings, especially the more valuable ones. I want to see if I can find any useful information."
"Yes, Master."
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Yan laid out all of Liu Ruyi's treasures in front of her: three thick books and four paintings and calligraphies.
“Master, Miss doesn’t have any valuable treasures, just these.”
Jiang Yan casually flipped through the three books, all of which were ancient books used to brainwash women into following men's ways; there was nothing interesting about them.
Is it calligraphy or painting? It certainly has the style of a master. It's a landscape painting with a profound artistic conception, making the viewer feel as if they are actually there.
"Did your young lady draw all of these? She's so talented!"
"Yes, Miss likes to paint, and she paints very well. She has thrown away many of her paintings."
"Why throw it away? It's nice to keep it and look at it when you have time!"
Huang Ying didn't answer the question, and Jiang Yan had only asked it casually, so it was over.
"Did your young lady write this? Her handwriting is so beautiful! It's strong and elegant, with a lot of character."
"Master, you can write too?"
"I don't know. My teacher only talked about how to appreciate handwriting when I was in school." That's just making things up.
Jiang Yan turned the items in front of her over and over, but couldn't find what she was looking for, which puzzled her greatly.
"Is there anything else? Does your young lady have anything that she doesn't usually take out and only looks at occasionally?"
"Yes, but they've all been taken to the Prince's residence; there aren't any here."
"You got it from the Prince's mansion? What kind of things are in there? Is there a lot?"
"Not much, just the jade ball you gave to Madam Wu, a white magnolia hairpin, and a colorful ceramic kitten."
"Is that all?" Jiang Yan was quite surprised.
"Yes. The second young lady took all of the young lady's other things."
"That Liu Ruyan is truly despicable!!"
Huang Ying: "Master, have you found any evidence to seek justice for the young lady?"
Jiang Yan shook his head: "No." After a moment of silence, he continued, "Your young lady was pushed into the water by Liu Ruyan. There are no eyewitnesses, so it's difficult. Moreover, no useful information was left behind. Seeking justice for her will be quite challenging."
What was unusual was that this time, Huang Ying didn't yell at her or blame her; instead, she sadly lowered her eyes.
Jiang Yan sighed: "Don't worry, since I promised you and am using your young lady's body, I will definitely help her seek justice."
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