Chapter 5 Three Moves to Win the King's Heart
Xiao Ce was slightly taken aback. He had heard about Meng Yanzhi's background, but he didn't expect that it was her adoptive mother's belongings. She had clearly reddened her eyes when she found them, but told him that they were unimportant.
Are you afraid of troubling him?
Xiao Ce couldn't quite describe his feelings, but he felt a pang of pity in his heart. "Miss Meng, don't worry about troubling me. The banquet will take a while, but I'll help you find it."
The woman slightly raised her chin, her eyes filled with a look of flattery and surprise, like a little rabbit. Her eyes were red, and she smiled with immense gratitude, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, Your Highness. It's a piece of chalcedony, with words engraved on it..."
Her voice was like heavenly music.
It felt like a goose feather gently brushing against his heart.
His throat suddenly felt a little itchy, and he quickly withdrew his impolite gaze. "You all help Miss Meng search for her."
After a while, a young eunuch said, "Found it! Found it!"
Xiao Ce breathed a slight sigh of relief, took the jade cartilage, and saw that it was engraved with the two characters "Qingqing". Was that her childhood name?
Xiao Ce asked, "Is it this?"
The woman's eyes, which had been filled with melancholy, were now bright and sparkling, her voice more lively and spirited. "Exactly!"
Xiao Ce looked at the words "Qingqing" and slightly curved his lips before handing over the jade marrow in his hand.
Unexpectedly, Miss Meng was very polite. She simply gave her maid a look, and the maid stepped forward and took the jade, clearly to avoid physical contact.
Xiao Ce was slightly dazed.
"Thank you, Your Highness..."
"Your Highness, you should go to the main banquet first. I will follow you later."
This statement was clearly made to avoid suspicion.
Xiao Ce inexplicably didn't want to grant her wish: "It's alright, let's go together."
Meng Yanzhi was speechless.
"What, you're not willing?" He retreated as a gesture of advance, smiling at her.
Meng Yanzhi widened her rabbit-like eyes and quickly shook her head, "Of course not..."
"Then let's go together."
Meng Yanzhi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she had no choice but to follow.
Xiao Ce didn't have much of an impression of this woman. After all, in that situation, he only caught a fleeting glimpse of her figure, and afterwards, he saw that she always had her head down and her eyebrows down, looking lifeless.
So when he heard that she couldn't marry because she was infertile, he didn't react much; the favor he owed to the Meng family was the same.
But at this moment, I feel a strange sense of regret.
The two left together.
On the high tower, a figure in bright yellow stood out, exuding nobility. Unlike the prince, his features were not delicate and refined; instead, they were striking and incomparably handsome.
The chessboard in front of him had just been finished, and the Crown Prince had just left from there.
The man could see all the scenery below.
"Should we remind the Crown Prince that the woman seems to have ulterior motives?" the guard asked.
The guards immediately recognized her as the woman who had escaped from the emperor's room the previous night.
Having just slept with His Majesty, he's now showing off in front of the Crown Prince. Could he be a spy?
Emperor Yuanjing recalled the woman's pitiful appearance just now, and how she knew how to be charming and coquettish. However, she was very stubborn in bed and wouldn't even bend her waist.
He said, "If he can't even see through such a low-level method, then he has wasted all the years of my teachings."
The guards fell silent upon hearing this.
"Keep an eye on it for now," Emperor Yuanjing said coldly.
The guard responded.
"Pack your things and return to the palace in three days."
The guard was slightly taken aback, then replied, "Yes."
As soon as she finished speaking, the two figures disappeared into the distance. The woman seemed to have tripped over her own feet. The usually composed Crown Prince quickly grabbed her, and the two almost hugged each other.
Tsk...
The guard stole a glance at the emperor beside him and saw that the man's thin lips were slightly curved, not so much in a smile as in a mocking tone.
The methods were rather inadequate.
But that face was indeed alluring.
...
When Meng Yanzhi accidentally fell and was caught by Xiao Ce, the man's palm held her soft hand.
She never intended to use such despicable means to seduce him.
A few days ago she tried to climb into bed, but that method was the fastest and most effective, and she obviously failed. So she plans to take it slow and steady from now on.
So what happened just now was indeed an accident.
She quickly withdrew her hand. "Thank you, Your Highness. Rouge will go in first."
Before Xiao Ce could react, his palm was empty.
His eyes flickered slightly. "Alright."
Meng Yanzhi walked away quickly.
Xiao Ce looked at his empty palm. The woman's hands were very rough, not like those of a pampered woman, but rather like those of someone who had done a lot of hard work.
A hint of wariness appeared in his eyes.
As Meng Yanzhi approached the banquet, a chorus of criticism arose.
"It turns out that the eldest daughter of the Meng family came from a rural background, was quite uncouth, and had an ordinary appearance, which is why the second daughter was chosen as the crown prince's wife..."
"Yes, I didn't expect that not only is the eldest young lady unable to have children, but she's also a country girl. It's a good thing that the position of Crown Princess didn't fall to her, otherwise it would have been a disgrace to our dynasty. It seems that the second young lady of the Meng family is much more suitable."
"I thought she was the phoenix who saved the crown prince, but it turns out she's just a commoner. She's lucky, though. Saving the crown prince's life is like defying fate. I thought Miss Meng was unworthy, but in comparison, she's much more worthy than the eldest young lady."
"..."
Those voices emerged.
A mocking smile appeared on Meng Yanzhi's beautiful face.
Xiao Ce, who followed behind, also heard all these words. He didn't approach, but just watched from a distance.
From his perspective, Meng Yanzhi seemed to freeze at first, remain silent for a long time, then quietly wipe away the tears in her eyes, straighten her back, and walk into the banquet.
Xiao Ce frowned slightly, recalling the comments made by those people earlier.
"Go and find out who spread these."
The eunuch beside him replied, "Yes."
Meanwhile, Meng Yanzhi had already entered the banquet hall. She had just learned that the Crown Prince was following behind her, so she pretended to wipe away her tears and put on a brave face.
There are only a few reasons why a man might fall in love with a woman: first, the desire to conquer; second, curiosity; and third, pity.
Therefore, she chose the third option.
He will then investigate who spread the rumors and find out what kind of life she was living in the Meng family.
Knowing how hard she worked for the Meng family, and how humble she was, one can naturally understand why her hands were rough.
In addition, he was further empowered by the fact that his savior was also present.
How could one not pity them?
Meanwhile, Meng Anxian couldn't wait for Meng Yanzhi to appear. Once Meng Yanzhi appeared, all the criticisms against her would be confirmed.
At that time, no one will mock her anymore for being a "picked-up" crown princess.
"You came up with a good idea today. I'll reward you later," Meng Anxian said.
Xu Yunrou lowered her eyes, "It's all something a younger sister should do."
Meng Anxian looked at her and said, "She is your biological cousin by blood."
Xu Yunrou smiled and said, "But my uncle and aunt only treat my sister as their daughter. Yunrou has been with Anxian since she was a child. She has only been in the manor for a few years. How can she compare to my cousin Anxian?"
Hearing this answer, Meng Anxian smiled.
"Miss Meng has arrived—"
A voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone eagerly looked at the rumored crude and ugly eldest daughter of the Meng family.
A slender figure entered, her dress shimmering like moonlight. Her charming and affectionate face was framed by a fluffy quilt. Her posture was upright, her steps delicate, each step as if flowers were blooming beneath her feet, breathtakingly beautiful. She always wore a smile, her gaze gentle, appearing exceptionally poised.
You call this "ugly"?
Is this what you call a country woman?
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