You can't go in!
Xiangru may be fiery, but she can't vent her anger on Jing Zhe. However, she can handle Hanhan without any problem. As the saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. Hanhan is definitely a womanizer!
Jing Zhe, who had just entered, stopped. Hanhan, who was being pulled along by Xiangru, looked a little dazed. "Why?"
"My young lady is unhappy, so you can't go in!"
Why?
Hanhan remained confused, thinking, "It's not my fault that Zhu Sheren is angry. Besides, where am I supposed to sleep if I don't go back?"
Although following someone to leak information isn't exactly ethical, Xiangru's idea was still quite admirable. Her words brought Jingzhe back to his senses.
Zhu Xinning is no longer just sulking; she's come straight over, probably intending to confront him directly. It's unlikely that she'll be appeased in the usual way.
Special times call for special methods. This is a skill that every man can learn without being taught. The despicable face when coaxing people is absolutely outrageous. How can one use such methods so casually when there are outsiders present?
So she patted Hanhan on the shoulder and said, "Hanhan, Xiangru is right. It's such a beautiful night. Why don't you go for a stroll in Wuxian Garden?"
He shook his head: "No, I don't want to go!"
"..."
Xiangru, standing to the side, just scoffed: Pretending!
"If we don't go to Wuxian Garden, we can go to Fenfang Garden! I've been in Jingzhou for so long and I've never been there. You're not getting any younger, don't you want to broaden your horizons and spend the night at Fenfang Garden?"
"In no mood."
The simpleton continued to shake his head.
"How about we go to Wenxiangju then? We can eat there and take a nap."
"I ate there and came here!"
"..."
That son of a bitch actually went to eat first?
Hanhan added, "It was those people at the newspaper who said I was a great storyteller and insisted on inviting me. I'm full now, I just want to go home and take a nap!"
It's like casting pearls before swine!
At this moment, Xiangru stepped forward, pushed Jingzhe into the house, and then closed the door for him.
"Young master, please lock the door from the inside!"
Then Xiangru's lecturing voice came from outside the door: "How can you be so stupid? Young Master just wants you to stay out for the night, don't you understand? Or are you pretending to be stupid?"
"But where...am I going?"
"Didn't I tell you to go to Fragrance Garden?"
"I...I'm not going!"
"Hmph, all you do is pretend! Come with me to the Prime Minister's residence, there are plenty of empty rooms there!"
"oh…"
The sound of their footsteps gradually faded into the distance and eventually disappeared.
...
The lights in the front hall were dim.
Pushing open the door, I saw Zhu Xinning sitting at the table, with a jar of strong liquor on it.
Jing Zhe was shocked and quickly stepped forward, picked up the wine jar and weighed it in his hand. He was relieved to find that there was still quite a bit of wine inside.
There was still a sip of wine in the bowl on the table. Zhu Xinning, her cheeks flushed, grabbed it, pretending to drink it, but Jing Zhe snatched it away.
"Second sister, you can't drink anymore!"
Zhu Xinning never drank alcohol before, let alone strong liquor.
She had only had one drink, yet she was already slightly tipsy, her eyes misty with tears. She only looked up when she heard Jing Zhe's voice.
"Zhe'er!"
As if he had suddenly sobered up, the mist dissipated, and his eyes became much brighter.
"You can't...be with the princess!"
Perhaps because she had been holding it in for too long, and also because she had drunk some strong liquor, Zhu Xinning spoke directly.
"Um... Second sister, you misunderstood. I have nothing to do with the princess—"
"I'm not stupid, don't try to fool me!"
Zhu Xinning glared at him: "Even if you have no feelings for the princess, it doesn't stop the princess from having feelings for you! My Zhe'er is so handsome and talented. Any woman would have feelings for Zhe'er, let alone the princess!"
Jing Zhe really wanted to ask, "Aren't you one of these women?"
But he only thought about it for a moment, and what came out of his mouth was, "The princess probably doesn't have any feelings for me, right?"
At this point, everything should be done to appease Zhu Xinning, and any thoughts should be ignored!
"Just look at the way she looked at you today, the way she spoke to you, and how casually she took your hand when she left. Who would believe she doesn't have feelings for you?"
"..."
Seeing that Zhu Xinning was getting more and more agitated, and with the added effect of the alcohol, she started coughing repeatedly, so Jing Zhe quickly went over to pat her back and then smiled and said, "Second sister, don't worry, I think I'll be fine..."
"Something's wrong!"
Zhu Xinning stood up, stared at Jing Zhe, and said seriously, "Zhe'er, your second sister knows that something must have happened between you and Wang Yingqiu. Your second sister tried to stop you before, and she won't stop you now, after all, she taught you martial arts and you've already started... But the princess can't!"
Before Jing Zhe could speak, she reached out and covered his mouth with her hand, "And that Miss Zhang, Second Sister can also agree to her!"
"..."
Happiness came so suddenly that Jing Zhe was somewhat dazed.
But what he couldn't understand even more was why, if Wang Yingqiu and Zhang Xiaoyu were both prepared to accept him, they couldn't accept Su Mochen?
"Second sister, do you have a grudge against the princess?"
Jing Zhe asked curiously.
"No."
Zhu Xinning shook her head; the alcohol was taking effect, and her state was sometimes sober and sometimes a little confused.
"Then why... can you accept other people, but not Mo Chen?"
Upon hearing "Mo Chen," Zhu Xinning was struck dumb, her eyes glazing over. She slumped into a chair, muttering repeatedly, "Just as I thought, just as I thought..."
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, and she instantly became a sobbing mess.
"Second Sister..."
Jing Zhe panicked and quickly went over to put his arm around Zhu Xinning's shoulder. Zhu Xinning could no longer control herself and threw herself into Jing Zhe's arms, crying uncontrollably and without regard for her image.
Jing Zhe patted her back until her sobs subsided a little before asking, "Second sister, what's wrong? Why don't you explain it to Zhe'er?"
With tears streaming down her face, Zhu Xinning raised her head and said seriously, "If Zhe'er were to marry the princess... he would be the prince consort! If he becomes the prince consort, would you still be able to marry Wang Yingqiu and Zhang Xiaoyu?"
"..."
Jing Zhe had considered this issue when he was in Yongzhou, which is why he deliberately parted ways with Su Mochen back then. He forgot about it when he came to Jingzhou. If Zhu Xinning hadn't brought it up, he would have completely forgotten about it.
However, looking at Zhu Xinning's aggrieved appearance, he suddenly became interested: If it were only for Wang Yingqiu and Zhang Xiaoyu, Zhu Xinning certainly wouldn't be so agitated, right?
After all, she had been guarding against Zhang Xiaoyu and investigating the garden owner. Yesterday, when she caught him and Wang Yingqiu in the act, she was so angry that her face almost turned green. How could she suddenly become so kind and considerate of the two of them?
Something unusual must be going on!
Jing Zhe looked closely at Zhu Xinning and their eyes met. Zhu Xinning lost her previous composure and turned her head away shyly, not daring to meet Jing Zhe's gaze!
At that moment, Jing Zhe understood something!
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