"I am perfectly fine, but I don't know why the princess is both avoiding me and secretly watching me."
Wei Yinqiu's hands were numb with pain. She looked at him with a pained expression and said, "Can we talk about this more realistically? I can't take it anymore..."
Jin Heng watched as the little girl clung desperately to the top of the wall, trying to climb up, but her body wouldn't obey her commands and she kept falling down, looking both comical and adorable.
He forced himself not to laugh out loud, but the corners of his lips still couldn't help but turn up.
He leaped down from the wall, stood beneath her, and held her legs, saying, "Let go slowly, I'll carry you down."
"Okay, okay, but you have to hold on tight, I'm afraid of getting hurt."
"Okay, don't worry, I'm here and I won't let you fall."
Wei Yinqiu then slowly loosened her grip. With the last bit of strength breaking free, her body suddenly plummeted downwards, startling her into a scream.
The next second, she fell into an embrace filled with the scent of cedar.
A low laugh came from the man, making my chest tremble slightly.
Wei Yinqiu's face suddenly flushed, and she buried her head in his chest.
Upon entering, the guard saw this and smiled, winking as if to say, "See? I told you she was playing hard to get."
Jin Heng did not put her down directly, but carried her into the mansion.
Why did you refuse my visit?
Wei Yinqiu wrapped her arms around his neck, but didn't dare to look up. She replied softly, "I'm afraid of causing you trouble."
"Oh? How do you know?"
“Because of our identities…you are His Majesty’s man, while I grew up by the Empress Dowager’s side; we are destined to be adversaries.”
"His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are mother and son, why should we be at odds?"
"But the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince..." She pursed her lips, knowing she couldn't discuss the struggle for the throne recklessly, so she stopped there.
Jin Heng chuckled lightly, "It seems you're not really stupid after all. If you know that, why did you provoke me in the first place?"
He put her down.
Seeing that his expression had returned to its usual coldness, Wei Yinqiu quickly reached out and grabbed his sleeve, looked up at him, and said, "Because I don't care about any of those things, Jinheng. I am just a woman. Power, status, money, I don't care about any of them. I approached you in the first place because my heart was moved, nothing more."
Jin Heng looked at the stubborn and earnest girl in front of him, and a string in his heart was touched. He reached out and gently stroked her face.
A sharp, throbbing pain shot through his chest, and he himself was unaware of how affectionate his gaze was at that moment.
"But, Princess, you and I are different... Can you understand?"
His slender fingers were slightly bent, and his knuckles swept across her profile, moving down her graceful lines little by little until they reached her fair and delicate neck.
Then, he grabbed her.
Wei Yinqiu stared in astonishment, meeting his eyes which seemed to freeze instantly. Her body slowly dangled in mid-air, her pupils gradually becoming bloodshot from suffocation, and her face flushed red, but none of this could compare to the pain in her heart...
The servants around realized what was happening and wanted to stop it, but they didn't dare to step forward, so they all knelt down.
Wei Yinqiu's personal maid burst into tears, kowtowing and pleading, "Grand Tutor, please have mercy! Please, Grand Tutor, have mercy..."
Jin Heng immediately let go of her hand.
She fell to the ground with a thud, her bottom throbbing with pain. Normally, she would have grimaced and cried for a while, but this time she was too stunned to recover and just stared blankly at the man in front of her.
He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't make a sound for a moment.
"You want to ask me why?" Jin Heng looked down at her, his expression indifferent, like a god who only mercifully bestows a glance upon a mortal.
His voice was even colder: "Wei Yinqiu, you knew I was a minister in charge of assisting the emperor, yet you still deliberately tried to get close to me, that's one mistake; you are a princess personally raised by the Empress Dowager, and you are trying to win over court officials for the sake of the imperial family, that's another mistake; you frequently visit men's residences, disregarding the royal family's reputation and acting recklessly, that's a third mistake."
Wei Yinqiu stared blankly at him, a dull pain in her heart and a blank look in her eyes.
She remained silent, only to hear him continue, "I was also wrong. I had been too indulgent towards the princess in the past, to the point that I lost my sense of propriety. I will plead guilty to Your Majesty and am willing to have my salary deducted for one year and walk to court for three years as a form of suicide. I will keep this in mind."
"From now on, I urge the princess to respect herself and not to bother me or cause me any more trouble."
After saying this, he bowed respectfully and then turned to leave.
Wei Yinqiu remained seated, staring blankly at his receding figure. He was still as radiant as ever, but why did he seem to be growing more and more unreal to her?
What exactly happened? Why did he seem like a completely different person all of a sudden? Why would he do this to himself?
The maidservant came over to help her, crying, but she refused to move, only murmuring softly, "Trouble... He said I'm trouble... So... all along I've been bothering him..."
"Princess, please get up, the ground is cold."
She suddenly laughed, but tears streamed down her face, her voice low and hoarse: "So...it was all wrong after all..."
She seemed not to hear what the maid beside her was saying, and simply stood up and walked slowly inside.
...
Everyone says that Princess Yongning has become more and more composed and has more and more of the dignity of a princess since she came of age.
However, she didn't care much about the marriage arranged for her by the Empress Dowager. She devoted herself to carving, poetry and painting, and became particularly fond of talent. Anyone she took a liking to would have a smooth career later on.
As a result, more and more people sent visiting cards to Yongning Residence.
Whenever the princess organizes a poetry gathering, talented men from all over the capital scramble to get in, hoping to make an appearance before the princess.
...
The story of Princess Yongning and Grand Tutor Jin has come to an end.
Qingying was still somewhat taken aback after hearing this, and frowned in confusion, asking, "What's wrong with Jinheng all of a sudden?"
Xie Jiaoying shrugged and pouted, "Who knows? A man's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea."
Qingying narrowed her eyes and stared at her, "How do you know so much?"
“Naturally, it was Princess Yongning herself who told me.”
Why would she tell you all this?
Xie Jiaoying sighed heavily and said, "Didn't I say before that the Emperor was considering sending the Princess to marry a foreign ruler? She's trying to take one last gamble."
"What are we betting on?"
"Blockhead." Lu Xingli sighed as well. "Of course, we're betting on Grand Tutor Jin's sincerity."
"What sincerity? Jin Heng has hurt her so badly, where is there any sincerity left to speak of?"
"Tsk, you really don't get it." Even Xie Jiaoying couldn't stand it anymore. She reached out and poked her head with her finger and said, "Jin Heng has obviously fallen for the princess, but because of his position, he can't reciprocate her feelings."
Qingying sorted out her thoughts and suddenly realized: "So, you mean Jinheng's actions were for the Emperor and Empress Dowager's benefit?"
Xie Jiaoying nodded. "If he chooses the princess, it's tantamount to siding with the Empress Dowager. The Emperor certainly won't allow the dog he raised to eat the enemy's food."
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