Chapter 101 Absolutely No Such Intention: "There will be no next time."
"Jiang Langjun."
A cold voice suddenly rang out from behind him, and Jiang Huaishun froze. Before he could turn around, a familiar figure appeared beside him.
For a moment, his expression showed obvious displeasure, but he quickly concealed it. Jiang Huaishun stood up calmly and bowed to Qin Jin, saying, "Young Master Qin."
Qin Jin's gaze shifted subtly from Xue Rongyue's face, who was watching the spectacle with amusement, and landed on Jiang Huaishun: "Why is Young Master Jiang in Chang'an?"
"I have long admired the prosperity of Chang'an. Now that the banditry is over, I have some free time, so I thought I would like to come and see the scenery of Chang'an to fulfill my wish," Jiang Huaishun replied calmly.
"I see."
Picking up a pastry from the table, Qin Jin said unhurriedly, "Chang'an has countless beautiful sights, which I'm sure won't disappoint you, Young Master Jiang. However, there is something I need to tell you."
Jiang Huaishun lowered his eyes as his hands slowly tightened beneath his wide sleeves: "Please speak, Prince Qin."
"Chang'an is under the emperor's nose, so you must be careful with your words and actions..." Qin Jin put the pastries back on the table, looked up at Jiang Huaishun, and scoffed, "Remember, trouble comes from the mouth."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaishun's face turned completely cold. He suddenly looked up, his gaze turning icy, and asked Qin Jin, "Is it a matter of loose tongues?"
"The Crown Prince, for his own selfish desires, refused to speak up and helped us two, almost causing our deaths. Could it be that at that time, the Crown Prince understood the saying 'Disaster comes from the mouth'?"
With a slight twitch of his brow, Qin Jin was about to speak when Ji Dian, who was standing behind the screen, couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward with a cold laugh: "Young Master Jiang, how dare you say such a thing!"
Upon seeing Ji Dian, Jiang Huaishun's icy expression suddenly changed, and he subconsciously avoided Ji Dian's gaze.
Ji Dian said without any politeness, "Back in the bandit's den, after I realized your intentions, I repeatedly warned you not to act impulsively, but you wouldn't listen and acted rashly, almost killing me and ruining everything. In the end, your deeds were exposed, but you still tried to stuff the stolen goods into Prince Qin's hands to protect yourself."
"If your methods hadn't been so clumsy, seen through by the bandits at a glance, do you know what the consequences would have been?! Even so, it was Prince Qin who covered your escape down the mountain; otherwise, how could you possibly be alive! Now, instead of being grateful, you want to turn the tables on me?!"
"I'm turning the tables on you?" Jiang Huaishun's face turned ashen, veins bulging on his forehead. He said angrily, "If he hadn't refused to testify for me, why would I have resorted to such a desperate measure? Why would the bandits have seen through our scheme and chased us here?!"
"To testify for you?"
Ji Dian angrily said, "At that time, Luo Hongfang had already realized that there was an undercover agent hiding among the bandits. He deliberately left the ledger to lure the snake out of its hole and catch it like a turtle in a jar. Although you were not caught red-handed, the evidence is conclusive and you can't deny it. How do you expect Prince Qin to help you?"
Jiang Huaishun's face was ashen, his knuckles gripping the corner of the table tightly. Supporting his swaying body, he forced a defense: "So what? He's clearly afraid of Luo Hongfang's power, too cowardly to speak up and help. He's a complete coward..."
"you!"
Ji Dian glared angrily and wanted to step forward to explain to Jiang Huaishun, but Qin Jin stopped him.
Qin Jin glanced at Jiang Huaishun and, seeing his expression, decided not to argue with him anymore. He reached out to Xue Rongyue and softened his cold voice: "The feast is ready. If you don't go soon, the food will get cold."
Having thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle, Xue Rongyue, upon hearing this, placed her hand on Qin Jin's outstretched wrist and stood up with a smile.
Ji Dian glared fiercely at Jiang Huaishun and then stormed off, with Qin Jin and Xue Rongyue following closely behind. However, after descending just two steps, the distraught Jiang Huaishun seemed to finally come to his senses and hurriedly took two steps to catch up, calling out, "Madam Xue!"
Qin Jin stopped in his tracks, his expression turning completely cold, and his brows furrowed impatiently.
Xue Rongyue turned around to look.
"Madam Xue, what I just said came from the bottom of my heart. Please think it over carefully." Jiang Huaishun took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over Qin Jin before looking directly at Xue Rongyue. "I spoke these words entirely for your sake; I have no selfish motives..."
"For my sake?"
Xue Rongyue sighed softly, "Young Master Jiang, I didn't mean to be so explicit."
Jiang Huaishun was taken aback.
"My marriage to Qin Jin is a marriage bestowed by His Majesty, and an imperial decree has been issued. Do you want me to disobey the decree and elope with you, or do you think you can use your own power to make His Majesty rescind the decree?"
Xue Rongyue looked at Jiang Huaishun and asked, word by word, "Are you really thinking of me?"
Not only the scheming Jiang Shiyan, but also the second son of the Minister of Rites had made such remarks. However, this man was simple-minded and foolish, unaware of the ways of the world. He thought that his father was deeply favored by the Emperor and that if his father asked on his behalf, perhaps the Emperor could grant him mercy.
Later, somehow the news reached the ears of the Minister of Rites, who reportedly hung him up and beat him severely, and he still can't get out of bed to this day.
And now, another one, Jiang Huaishun, has emerged.
Xue Rongyue was utterly puzzled. How could the emperor's will be so easily changed? Moreover, the imperial edict had already been issued. Did everyone think that marriage decree was a joke?
As soon as Xue Rongyue finished speaking, Jiang Huaishun froze on the spot, his lips trembling, unable to utter another word.
“Young Master Jiang, whatever the grudges between you and Prince Qin, you shouldn’t involve me.” Xue Rongyue stopped looking at him and took a step forward. “If you want to use me as a pawn, you should see if you’re worthy.”
"...No...no, with you I...I had absolutely no such intention!"
Jiang Huaishun was eager to explain, but Xue Rongyue was too lazy to listen anymore. He went down the wooden steps and wanted to catch up, but Guang Sheng stopped him with quick eyes and hands.
Guang Sheng said with a forced smile, "Young Master Jiang, this is a teahouse in Chang'an, not the Jiang residence in Lin County. Please show some respect."
Jiang Huaishun suddenly stopped.
***
After a short while, there were indeed fewer pedestrians on the long street, and the restaurants were only a few steps away. Qin Jin and Xue Rongyue walked there, and Ji Dian also tactfully left.
Watching the two figures leave, he couldn't help but sigh. Qin Jin had almost crushed his jade thumb ring just now, and he was afraid that he would be very difficult to coax this time.
Ji Dian stroked his chin and guessed that, at the very least, Qin Jin should be able to sustain him for the duration of one dinner.
It's a pity, he really wanted to see it.
Wearing a veil, with a hazy black gauze covering his face, Xue Rongyue could not see the subtle expressions on Qin Jin's face, but from his unwavering gaze, she knew he was displeased.
Xue Rongyue snorted coldly: "Why are you angry? I'm not even angry yet!"
Qin Jin stopped in his tracks, looked at Xue Rongyue, and asked in a muffled voice, "Why are you angry?"
"If it weren't for you, would he have gone to such lengths to implicate me?" Xue Rongyue glanced at him. "And you, you're right there, yet you don't step forward."
Qin Jin was taken aback upon hearing this: "You knew I was behind the screen?"
“Jingnu’s eyes aren’t blind. If you saw her, she naturally saw you too, and she will naturally tell me,” Xue Rongyue said.
Qin Jin pursed his thin lips and asked cautiously, "Then... why didn't you stop Jiang Huai when he blurted out nonsense? Were you waiting for me to step in?"
"Otherwise what? Don't drag me into your feud." Xue Rongyue gave him a nonchalant sidelong glance.
Qin Jin's face lit up with obvious joy. He deliberately ignored Xue Rongyue's misunderstanding and speculation about Jiang Huaishun's words and admitted his mistake, saying, "It's all my fault. I didn't speak up immediately."
"What are you so happy about?" Xue Rongyue glanced at him sharply, muttering, "It was your fault to begin with."
Qin Jin assured him, "There won't be a next time."
Xue Rongyue hadn't expected him to admit his mistake so easily. She swallowed back the words she had prepared before she could even say them: "What dishes did you prepare? Is there any sweet and sour mandarin fish that I like?"
Qin Jin nodded: "Yes."
Xue Rongyue then asked, "Then... what about the crystal dragon and phoenix cake?"
"have."
"Lamb soup?"
"have."
"Cheese cherry?"
"Yes."
"And... what about chestnut cake?"
"Chestnut cake?" Qin Jin asked curiously, "You're allergic to chestnuts, how can you eat chestnut cake?"
"Oh right, I forgot."
Xue Rongyue pulled at the corners of her mouth and said calmly, "It's all thanks to Your Highness for remembering."
Speaking of chestnut cake, Qin Jin suddenly remembered something else and slowly glanced at Xue Rongyue: "How could I forget? If I forget, Madam Xue will report me to the authorities and have me arrested again."
Xue Rongyue: ""
Sensing something amiss in Qin Jin's tone, Xue Rongyue took a long time to process what had happened before recalling this past event—
When Qin Jin was young, he practiced martial arts with his elder brother at the mansion. The nanny of the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion was worried that Qin Jin would go hungry while practicing martial arts, so she would often prepare Qin Jin's favorite food. Since Qin Jin liked chestnuts, chestnut cakes were often prepared among the pastries.
But she didn't know that at the time. She only remembered that once, when she saw her brother practicing martial arts and got hungry, she ate a few pieces of pastry that Qin Jin had brought. She accidentally ate a chestnut cake and her body immediately broke out in a rash.
At that time, although she and Qin Jin had reconciled thanks to her brother's mediation, there was still some lingering resentment between them. So she subconsciously thought that Qin Jin had deliberately poisoned the pastries in an attempt to kill her.
She was in so much pain that she cried and felt that she was about to die. So she cursed Qin Jin. If her brother hadn't stopped her and called a doctor, she would have used her last breath to run to the yamen to report Qin Jin to the authorities and have him arrested.
Upon reflection, although the misunderstanding was cleared up after that, Qin Jin never brought any food containing chestnuts to the Xue residence again, and he would also avoid chestnuts when dining with her.
Xue Rongyue muttered under her breath, "These are all trivial matters from so many years ago, why do you still remember them and bring them up again?"
"I don't want to bring up the past, but it's all because Madam Xue is too biased."
Seeing Xue Rongyue looking over with a puzzled expression, Qin Jin kindly reminded her, "Does Madam Xue still remember a prisoner surnamed Liu?"
Xue Rongyue: ""
Qin Jin said quietly, "After all, he was her fiancé back then, so the treatment was different."
Xue Rongyue: "...Are you hungry? I'm so hungry, I'm starving. Let's hurry up and get something to eat. To save our energy, neither of us is allowed to speak."
Having said that, she walked away with lightning speed.
Qin Jin chuckled twice and followed behind her.
The bright moon hung high, its gentle light enveloping the figures of the two as they gradually disappeared into the distance. Their shadows on the ground lay one behind the other, closely intertwined.
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Author's note: Every time the seasons change, I either get a fever, a cold, or some kind of internal heat. If I'm not careful, they find me one after another. [crying emoji]
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