Chapter 100 With ulterior motives, Xue Rongyue, say something! ...
"I told you two were acting strangely."
Early autumn nights often arrive earlier than summer nights. The sunset has barely faded above the distant mountain peaks when twilight spreads, enveloping the majestic and beautiful imperial city. The weeping willows along the roadsides are tinged with the yellow of autumn. A night breeze blows, and willow leaves twirl and fall onto the calm lake, creating ripples.
Swallows flew by, skimming over the crowded streets, and soon the taverns in the streets and alleys came alive. The lanterns hanging in front of the shops lit up one after another, and bright candlelight adorned the city of Chang'an as night fell.
The carriage moved along the bustling street, stopping and starting. Inside the carriage, Jingnu looked at Xue Rongyue with suspicion again: "Why would Prince Qin invite you to a restaurant for a meal out of the blue?"
Xue Rongyue remained unfazed, saying, "How would I know?"
“You’ve changed.” Tonight, Jingnu was no longer easily fooled. Her tone was heavy. “You’ve started having secrets you’re hiding from me.”
Xue Rongyue vehemently denied it: "I didn't."
Jingnu said, "Then explain!"
Xue Rongyue feigned ignorance: "Explain what?"
"Why did Prince Qin invite you to a restaurant? Didn't you say before that there were too many eyes watching you two and that you should try to minimize contact? Why are you going out to eat tonight? Is the Princess's residence not big enough, or is the food cooked by the imperial chef not good?"
Xue Rongyue was overwhelmed by Jingnu's barrage of questions and decisively pushed everything onto Qin Jin: "I don't know."
"I really don't know. I'm not a mind reader, how would I know what he's thinking?" Meeting Jingnu's persistent gaze, Xue Rongyue blinked and gave a sincere suggestion, "When we get to the restaurant, you can ask Qin Jin and let him answer your questions."
“Alright.” Jingnu accepted the suggestion and said solemnly, “I will definitely ask Prince Qin when we get to the restaurant.”
Xue Rongyue patted her shoulder to show her approval.
As night fell, Chang'an became even more bustling. When the carriage reached West Street, it was swept up by the crowds and could hardly move.
Jingnu lifted the curtain and looked outside: "The autumn hunt is coming soon. I wonder if the Princess will take you with her. If she will, you should pack your bags."
Xue Rongyue replied, "With so many people around, there's bound to be gossip. The Xue family has suffered a sudden and unexpected misfortune; including me would inevitably lead to..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jingnu suddenly turned around, grabbed Xue Rongyue's sleeve, and gestured for her to look outside: "My lady, look, isn't that... Jiang Langjun?"
Jiang Langjun?
Which Jiang Langjun?
Xue Rongyue looked in the direction Jingnu was pointing and frowned: "Jiang Huaishun?"
The warm yellow light shone through the crimson silk, illuminating the bustling street under the flickering candlelight. Following the direction Jingnu pointed, a familiar figure with a jade-like face and slender figure came into view. It was Jiang Huaishun, whom she had met a few times in Linxian County of Cenzhou.
How could he be in Chang'an?
Xue Rongyue was puzzled.
Jiang Huaishun was accompanied only by a servant. The two of them almost lost their footing in the surging crowd. They barely managed to find a place to stand and searched for something anxiously and frantically on the long street.
His gaze swept back and forth across the long street, and just then, Jiang Huaishun's eyes fell on the carriage. Through the gap in the curtain lifted by Jingnu, he glimpsed Xue Rongyue.
Jiang Huaishun was taken aback at first, but then his eyes lit up and he looked over excitedly. Fearing that Xue Rongyue hadn't seen him, he waved his hand vigorously as he approached the carriage.
"Uncle Liu, once there are fewer pedestrians on the street, you can drive the carriage directly to the restaurant and wait for me," Xue Rongyue instructed after getting off the carriage with Jingnu.
***
Lake East Teahouse, third floor.
"Madam Xue!"
Squeezing through the crowd in a disheveled state, Jiang Huaishun walked forward breathlessly, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Xue Rongyue: "I really didn't expect to run into you on the street."
"I didn't expect that either." Xue Rongyue ordered two steaming cups of Yangxian tea, a plate of hibiscus sugar frosting peach powder cake, and two dishes of white jade frosting square cake. "Young Master Jiang, please sit down. I didn't know what kind of tea or snacks you usually like, so I just ordered some random things."
Jiang Huaishun wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Thank you for your trouble, Madam Xue. I won't be picky."
Skimming off the foam with the tea lid, the rising steam slowly dissipated before her eyes. Xue Rongyue cut to the chase, "I wonder why Young Master Jiang is in Chang'an?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaishun explained, "Not long after Madam Xue left Lin County, I heard that the mastermind behind the murder of Brother Xue, who had secretly colluded with the mountain bandits, had been caught. I heard that this person had been escorted to Chang'an, so I thought I would come to Chang'an to witness the moment he was beheaded and executed, which would be a way to comfort Brother Xue's spirit in heaven."
"So I packed my bags and headed for Chang'an, but the journey was fraught with wind and rain, delaying me for several days. I finally arrived in Chang'an three nights ago. I intended to settle in and then send a letter to the Xue family to pay my respects, but then I heard..."
Jiang Huaishun raised his head and looked at Xue Rongyue, his expression showing worry: "Who knew that the Xue family would encounter such an accident? Fortunately, Madam Xue is unharmed. It is truly a blessing that we could meet her on the street tonight."
Xue Rongyue did not want to discuss these matters with an outsider like him, so upon hearing this, she simply lowered her head, took a sip of tea, and remained silent.
Jiang Huaishun, on the other hand, was almost overflowing with worry. His lips trembled for a moment, and after hesitating for a long time, he couldn't help but ask, "...Has Madam Xue thought about the future?"
Xue Rongyue raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a puzzled expression: "In the future?"
Jiang Huaishun mustered his courage and said, "If... it's not that I don't believe in General Xue's character and virtue, but if by some chance General Xue is really convicted in the future, has Madam Xue thought about her own situation?"
Xue Rongyue said calmly, "There's no need to beat around the bush when it comes to what Jiang Langjun really wants to say."
With his lips pressed tightly together, Jiang Huaishun took a deep breath, looked nervously at Xue Rongyue, and finally said the words that had been weighing on his mind: "Madam Xue, have you ever thought about getting married?"
"oh?"
Xue Rongyue was startled by his words.
“Brother Xue was kind to me, but he has passed away and I have no way to repay him. Now that the Xue family is in trouble, I cannot ignore it. According to the law of the court, a married woman is not implicated by her maternal family. If General Xue is really convicted in the future, the only way for Madam Xue to survive right now is to get married.”
Jiang Huaishun said, "I know that my wife is marrying me, which is a great honor for me and the Jiang family. But I have no other intentions. I just want to save my wife from this predicament. If my wife finds a husband she likes in the future, I will write a divorce agreement and prepare a generous dowry to send my wife off in a grand wedding."
Xue Rongyue put down her teacup and looked at Jiang Huaishun with surprise.
"puff--!"
Ji Dian couldn't hold back any longer and spat out a mouthful of tea. She looked at Qin Jin, whose face was pale, and said, "So you're trying to poach my man."
Tonight, Qin Jin was unusually free from work, so he came to the teahouse to relax while waiting for the appointed time. As the appointed time approached, he and Qin Jin were about to leave when, to their surprise, they spotted Jing Nu on the stairs on the third floor.
Where Jingnu is, Xue Rongyue will surely be.
She thought that there were too many pedestrians on the street and Xue Rongyue came to the teahouse to avoid the storm, but she had just come downstairs when she heard these words.
Ji Dian couldn't help but laugh. Glancing at the silent Qin Jin, he couldn't resist teasing, "I remember someone once said—"
Clearing his throat, Ji Dian deliberately mimicked Qin Jin's tone, saying, "Princess Yong'an is of noble birth, outstanding in appearance, exceptionally talented, skilled in both literature and martial arts, kind-hearted, honest, and upright in conduct... Who wouldn't be captivated by such an outstanding person? It's only natural that she has many admirers."
Qin Jin: ""
"Did you say that? Did you say that?" Ji Dian approached Qin Jin with a mischievous grin.
Qin Jin pushed him away expressionlessly.
Having finally found a pretext to attack Qin Jin, Ji Dian was unlikely to let it go so easily: "You said it yourself, so why are you looking so sullen? After all, it's only human nature."
Ji Dian pronounced the phrase "human nature" with unusual emphasis, using a sarcastic tone.
Turning the jade thumb ring on his hand, Qin Jin's dark gaze peered through the hazy screen. Jiang Huaishun's slightly tense words echoed in his ears. When Jiang Huaishun took out the family's heirloom jade pendant, he finally couldn't hold back any longer.
He gritted his teeth: "It's only human nature, but as human beings, we should learn to control our desires and inappropriate emotions, and not have unnecessary fantasies!"
When he couldn't discern the emotions in Jiang Huaishun's gaze as he looked at Xue Rongyue...
The promise of finding a perfect husband and receiving a fortune in marriage was just a pretext to deceive Xue Rongyue!
Why didn't Xue Rongyue rebuke him for his ill intentions?
Couldn't Xue Rongyue see through such wolfish ambitions and such a false excuse?!
—How could you not see it?
As a child, the moment he uttered a lie, Xue Rongyue's sharp gaze fell upon him, and a slap followed immediately!
You can't tell now? You're kidding me!
Xue Rongyue, say something!
His gaze seemed to transform into a tangible sword, piercing behind the screen. Qin Jin changed from rotating the jade thumb ring to pinching it, making it creak and his fingertips turn white.
Ji Dian looked at him with amusement: "Then why don't you restrain yourself a little?"
I finally finished my work tonight and was looking forward to having a drink with him during this rare free time. But this guy was so eager to see Xue Rongyue, showing no brotherly affection whatsoever, and even boasting about it.
However, as soon as he said those words, Ji Dian regretted it.
Sure enough, the next moment, Qin Jin, whose face was still ugly and whose eyes were like swords, was instantly calmed down by these words.
Qin Jin smiled and looked at Ji Dian: "I don't need it."
He feigned calmness, but his tone inevitably betrayed a subtle hint of smugness: "We're engaged, you know that? You should know, it's an imperial decree bestowed by the Emperor, and the decree is right here in your mansion..."
Ji Dian interrupted him before he could finish, her face contorted with a pained expression: "I know, I know. Not only do you keep it at home, but you also devoutly offer three sticks of incense before the imperial edict every morning when you wake up. That's enough, stop talking. My ears are going to fall off from hearing it!"
Meanwhile, Xue Rongyue was also puzzled—
Jiang Huaishun has already said this much, how long does Qin Jin intend to stand idly by?
Thinking this, Xue Rongyue turned her gaze to the jade pendant that Jiang Huaishun was pushing towards her. The next moment, footsteps could be heard.
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Author's Note: Chapter 100 is here! Hooray! [Sprinkling flowers]
I'm not feeling well today, so I'll write less. I'll try to write more tomorrow. [crying emoji]
Goodnight everyone~
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