Chapter 6 Pastries "You don't need to come over anymore unless it's absolutely necessary"...
"Husband." Jiang Zhiyao knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Jiang Zhiyao carried the pastries and pushed open the door to go inside.
She stepped forward and placed the pastries on the small table next to Yan Zhenxi: "These are jujube and yam cakes that I just made. My husband can try them."
After speaking, Jiang Zhiyao looked at Yan Zhenxi. Yan Zhenxi felt a little strange. Why did she feel that the way Jiang Zhiyao looked at her was a little...pity?
"Husband, won't you try some?" Jiang Zhiyao asked, seeing that Yan Zhenxi hadn't made a move for a while.
Yan Zhenxi naturally wouldn't eat it: "No, I'll eat it later. Thank you, Madam."
"Okay." Jiang Zhiyao looked a little disappointed, but didn't say anything more.
Before leaving, Jiang Zhiyao looked at Yan Zhenxi and couldn't help but say, "Husband, remember to rest early."
The door was closed.
Yan Zhenxi picked up a piece of clean, white pastry and gently smelled it.
It smells quite sweet.
Yan Zhenxi casually put it down: "Take it and throw it away."
"Yes, sir." A bodyguard suddenly appeared silently in Yan Zhenxi's room, which had previously only contained Yan Zhenxi.
After the guard picked up the plate, he hesitated and said, "...Sir, Miss Jiang didn't add anything to this plate of pastries."
Yan Zhenxi glanced at him indifferently: "I know."
The guard suddenly broke out in a cold sweat; he shouldn't have said that.
Because sometimes it was his turn to look after Jiang Zhiyao during shift changes, he had a very good impression of Miss Jiang.
I always felt that Miss Jiang had an unconscious aura of peace about her, and seeing the warmth of her daily life could make the guards, who were always on the edge of a knife, relax a little.
So he couldn't help but think of speaking up for Miss Jiang.
The guard immediately knelt down and admitted his mistake: "Your subordinate knows he was wrong."
The adults hadn't done those things for a while, which made him temporarily forget the adults' temperament.
The guard's head was pressed against the ground, which was cold, but his forehead was covered in sweat, and his forearms trembled slightly involuntarily.
"Go down and receive your punishment. You don't need to come to the Yan residence anymore." The voice was icy, a stark contrast to the gentle tone he had used before.
"Yes." The guard replied and silently withdrew.
Given the personality of that Miss Jiang from before, he certainly knew that there was nothing in the pastry.
But now, Yan Zhenxi thought coldly, it seems that this young lady is not as timid and naive as she appears.
Otherwise, why would she let her own bodyguards speak up for her?
He had only been here a short time, yet he had almost been fooled. It seemed that the charcoal delivered to him was merely a trick to deceive him.
Yan Zhenxi never believed that someone would be kind to another person for no reason, unless there was something to gain from it.
He also never hesitates to assume the worst about others, especially those close to him.
The sudden arranged marriage and substitution, coupled with her weak and easily bullied demeanor upon arrival—who could have sent her?
-
"Husband, are you there?" Jiang Zhiyao knocked on the door again, carrying pastries.
Since the first time she read to Yan Zhenxi, Jiang Zhiyao had come several more times, so today she thought she had nothing to do, so she came over again, bringing some pastries with her.
"Come in." Jiang Zhiyao didn't hear the coldness hidden inside.
"I've come to read to my husband." Jiang Zhiyao placed the pastries in the same spot as yesterday, her tone expectant. "Did you like yesterday's pastries?"
“You don’t need to come over again unless you have to,” Yan Zhenxi said without facing Jiang Zhiyao. “I prefer peace and quiet.”
Jiang Zhiyao was momentarily stunned by his words, and it took her a while to react, wondering why he suddenly said that.
Had she annoyed him? Jiang Zhiyao couldn't help but overthink.
She blinked hard, her eyes stinging, and tears welled up in them.
"I understand." The voice was very soft.
Looking at the exquisite pastries she had made with such care, Jiang Zhiyao suddenly felt a pang of sadness. He definitely wouldn't like them. Rather than wasting them, she decided to take them back and share them with Nanzhi.
With a hint of anger that she couldn't quite explain, Jiang Zhiyao took the plate of pastries back into her hands, left the room without saying anything more.
Yan Zhenxi blinked, looking somewhat confused, as she gazed at Jiang Zhiyao's departing figure through the veil.
Is she angry?
Walking on the covered bridge, I shivered as the cold wind blew.
The rare burst of anger that Jiang Zhiyao had just felt disappeared.
She slowed her pace.
Jiang Zhiyao frowned slightly in annoyance.
It was Yan Zhenxi's gentleness that made her want to take advantage of him.
This shouldn't have happened.
Without expectations, there will be no disappointment, and even less anger.
She hasn't felt angry in a long time.
Yan Zhenxi had no obligation to fulfill her expectations.
I'd better not bother him anymore.
Jiang Zhiyao immediately withdrew all the tentative steps she had taken recently.
-
Winter has passed, and the warm and vibrant spring has arrived.
Today, the capital city will also welcome a grand event.
The third prince pacified the northwest and led his troops back to the capital.
Jiang Zhiyao is currently sitting in Yunyue Tower, watching the spirited soldiers walking down the street.
Next to her were Ji Wanqing and Cheng Mingzhu.
The third prince, who was in the lead, was dressed in full armor that gleamed in the sunlight. He had a healthy wheat-colored complexion and a robust physique.
Ji Wanqing casually picked a flower from the vase and tossed it downwards.
The flower branch landed squarely on the Third Prince, who caught it steadily, then looked up at Ji Wanqing and grinned.
He was so spirited just a moment ago, but now his smile has a touch of naivety.
Ji Wanqing burst out laughing, her eyes crinkling.
Her usually aloof face was now beaming with a bright smile, leaving the people below holding up flowers in awe.
Cheng Mingzhu watched from the side, resting her chin on her hand, and exclaimed, "How wonderful, one or two at a time."
She no longer even had the energy to bicker with Ji Wanqing: "My father keeps telling me to go and find a partner."
Cheng Mingzhu got angry when she heard this: "I've looked at five or six, and none of them worked out. Xuanxi even came to mock me on purpose."
Xuanxi was the young master of the Vice Minister's family, and Cheng Mingzhu and he had never gotten along.
"By the way, Yao Yao, how are things between you and Yan Zhenxi?" After complaining, Cheng Mingzhu turned her head and asked Jiang Zhiyao.
Ji Wanqing then turned her gaze away from the crowd and looked at Jiang Zhiyao, awaiting her answer.
Since that incident in the study, Jiang Zhiyao has not gone to see Yan Zhenxi again. She hasn't seen him much these past few days either, and usually just greets him when she sees him from afar.
Jiang Zhiyao replied gently, "Just interact normally."
“What do you mean by ‘normal’?” Cheng Mingzhu was clearly not satisfied with this answer. “Did he bully you?”
"No." Jiang Zhiyao shook her head. "It's fine as long as we treat each other with respect."
"Did the others in the Yan family make things difficult for you?" Ji Wanqing followed up with her question.
"No," Jiang Zhiyao replied with a smile, omitting the conversation with Madam Yan, "You've all asked that many times already."
"If I'm really being bullied, I'll definitely tell you. Besides, we still see each other quite often now, don't we?"
Ji Wanqing sighed, "It was better when we were at the manor. We could ask Yao Yao for anything we wanted."
After Jiang Zhiyao left, Ji Wanqing always missed her while at home, and sometimes she would even subconsciously walk to the front of Jiang Zhiyao's courtyard.
Cheng Mingzhu snorted: "I think it's fine as it is now, so you won't always be taking up Yao Yao's attention."
Ji Wanqing didn't respond to her question: "Are you going to the banquet tonight?"
Today, the Third Prince returns to court, and a banquet will be held in the palace.
"Of course I'll go." Cheng Mingzhu always liked to join in the fun, and she was sure many people would attend this banquet.
Jiang Zhiyao will also be going; Yan Zhenxi already sent someone to tell her this morning: "She's going."
"I wonder what kind of song and dance performances will be arranged for today's banquet." Cheng Mingzhu was very much looking forward to it.
-
In a secluded attic.
Yan Zhenxi slowly poured himself a cup of tea. Sitting opposite him was the Third Prince, who had just returned to the capital.
The Third Prince seemed somewhat anxious. He downed his tea in one gulp and then hurriedly asked, "How is things in the capital?"
"Everything went smoothly."
"That's good." The Third Prince's slightly anxious expression relaxed. "Thank you for your hard work."
Yan Zhenxi's blindness was feigned; he was indeed injured at the time, but his eyes were fine.
The current emperor is very old, and the position of crown prince has not yet been established, so the princes below are naturally eager to take it.
The Yan family is a force they must contend with.
Although Yan Zhenxi's father is still nominally in charge of the Yan family, Yan Zhenxi has essentially taken control of the internal affairs, making him a highly sought-after figure to befriend.
It could even be said that whoever Yan Zhenxi sides with has a 70-80% chance of getting that position.
Of course, if the princes couldn't make friends with them themselves, they certainly wouldn't let others have the chance.
Faced with the olive branches extended by various forces, Yan Zhenxi remained unmoved, causing the princes to become anxious. They were all afraid that Yan Zhenxi had secretly sided with their enemies.
Seeing that Yan Zhenxi had not made any move, everyone became anxious, and Yan Zhenxi was subjected to more and more assassination attempts.
Moreover, it wasn't just the princes; the Emperor also harbored many grievances against the Yan family.
Therefore, in order to extricate himself from the struggle for the throne, Yan Zhenxi had already planned to make himself "disabled" when he learned that there would be assassins at the banquet.
The emperor and the princes naturally did not believe that Yan Zhenxi was truly blind, but he had his own ways of dealing with the waves of probing.
Before long, those people naturally gave up. After all, on the surface, Yan Zhenxi had become a cripple and lost control of the Yan family, so he was no longer of any value.
They then turned to befriend Yan Ciying, Yan Zhenxi's纨绔 (playboy) younger brother.
However, not long after Yan Zhenxi's incident, Yan Ciying was assigned to a local area for training.
Although they could not directly contact Yan Ciying, those forces still frequently sent him gifts.
Yan Ciying was naturally riding high, but he didn't know that the power he controlled within the Yan family was just an empty shell.
In fact, Yan Zhenxi had already chosen the people he wanted to associate with. In this struggle for the throne, the Yan family could not remain uninvolved.
But the princes he chose were never those who were suspicious and vying for power in the capital, but rather the Third Prince, who was far away in the northwest and not favored by the emperor.
This was actually a decision that Yan Zhenxi had made long ago. He had been secretly observing the princes for a long time. The eldest prince was too arrogant, the second prince was treacherous and cunning, and the fourth prince was too cowardly...
The Third Prince is the most suitable candidate.
He is warm-hearted, brave but not reckless, bold yet meticulous, decisive yet compassionate.
Today's conversation is drawing to a close, and the planning for this period and the arrangements for the future have all been finalized.
The Third Prince suddenly said to Yan Zhenxi seriously, "Wanqing really likes her younger sister, and this time it was thanks to her that we were able to get help. I hope you can treat her better."
Having spent so much time together, he had long known Yan Zhenxi's personality: resourceful but too cold and selfish.
As an ally and friend, Yan Zhenxi is undoubtedly the best, but as a husband, he is far from qualified.
Yan Zhenxi hesitated for a few seconds before replying, "I will."
Should we treat her better? What would be considered good treatment?
He suddenly remembered the scene in the study that day. Had he been a little too harsh in his tone back then?
These past few days, I haven't seen Jiang Zhiyao much. When we do bump into each other, we just exchange a few awkward greetings.
Yan Zhenxi inexplicably recalled her watery eyes at their wedding, the charcoal delivered in winter, and her gentle voice reading aloud in the study.
Finally, there was the plate of pastries he had never tasted before, which looked delicate and soft.
Will it taste as sweet as it smells?
A note from the author:
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