"Let go first." He used force, and Wei Hanzhang realized that his wrist was being held. He pulled it away hastily, "Let go!"

Xiao Junzhan paused slightly, then released his grip as instructed and stared at her in silence.

Wei Hanzhang felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by him. He rubbed his wrist and said, "Are you specifically keeping an eye on my news? The Gu family just came to cancel the engagement this morning, and you found out so quickly."

"Hmm..." Xiao Junzhan did not deny it, but nodded slowly and said, "In order to prevent you from using the engagement with him to reject me again, I will naturally have to pay attention to it all the time. Now that you have broken off the engagement, it will be good for everyone."

Good for everyone...

Wei Hanzhang curled his lips in his heart, what does "good for everyone" mean? It should be better for him.

Seeing that she looked relaxed and didn't seem to be too troubled by love, Xiao Junzhan calmed down his anxious and angry mood and said in a gentle voice: "Ran Ran, now that you don't have a "engagement" anymore, can you consider me carefully?"

"..." Wei Hanzhang choked. Seeing the servants bringing two chairs, she took the lead and sat down. She looked up and asked, "When will the Jiang family's case be judged?"

Xiao Junzhan knew her concerns and never thought of using the Jiang family's affairs to influence her decision. Hearing this, he said frankly: "This case will be concluded within three days. By then, only Jiang Zixiu's branch of the Jiang family will be exiled to Lingnan. As for Mr. Jiang, I will send guards to escort them back home from Beijing."

"The Jiang family's property will not be confiscated by the court, and your other two uncles will still be officials," Xiao Junzhan said in a gentle voice, "The descendants of the Jiang family can still serve as officials, and will not be affected by Jiang Zixiu's incident. Your maternal grandfather's family will not be seriously affected and will still be a prominent family in Xuzhou."

"Since I have already agreed to this matter, there will be no more changes. Ranran does not need to worry about making me unhappy and harming the Jiang family."

The man in front of her spoke softly, and there seemed to be stars in his eyes as he looked at her. He was so gentle that Wei Hanzhang's heart started beating like a drum after just one moment of looking at him, and he quickly looked away and backed away.

Xiao Junzhan paused and said, "Ranran, I like you and want to marry you. You..."

"Stop talking!" Wei Hanzhang couldn't listen any longer. He felt like his throat was about to smoke. He said angrily, "I just called off the engagement. I don't have the time to think about other things. Why are you so anxious to force me?"

We just broke up, how can we find another partner so quickly, and such a...

Wei Hanzhang was feeling awkward and wanted to find fault with him, but after much probing she discovered that the man in front of her was perfect except for the fact that he was a divorced man.

But, this is what she cares about most...

So what if she likes him, so what if she is a little bit attracted to him? She cannot go against her principles.

As soon as she finished speaking, the courtyard suddenly became quiet.

Xiao Junzhan stood tall and slender, slowly lowered his eyes and stopped looking at her, and the air around them seemed to be stagnant.

Ning Hai took a half step back silently. Even though he had witnessed his prince being frustrated in front of the girl he loved countless times during this period of time, it did not affect his admiration for this courageous girl from the Wei family every time more than the last time.

Xiao Junzhan stood in silence for a long time. No one dared to make a sound in the courtyard except for the gentle summer breeze.

This unbearable silence made Wei Hanzhang realize the majesty of the man in front of him belatedly. Just as he was feeling uneasy, he heard his voice: "What if I didn't marry you?"

Xiao Junzhan said calmly: "I don't want to make you sad, Ranran, why don't you think about how to accept me happily."

"…What do you mean?" Wei Hanzhang's expression slightly restrained.

Is this a threat?

"I should be the one asking you this," Xiao Junzhan lowered his eyes and looked at her: "Ranran, what do you mean to me?"

He is angry.

Wei Hanzhang stared at his indifferent face, not understanding what he was angry about.

Are you angry because she didn't promise to marry you right away?

After thinking for a while, Wei Hanzhang said, "Since you heard the conversation between me and Gu Yunran that day at Fengxia Mountain, you should know what my requirements for my future husband are."

Xiao Junzhan was slightly startled. The forest was empty and she and the young man from the Gu family were talking in a low voice. He didn't actually hear the specific content of their conversation.

Just by looking at their expressions as if they were arguing, I knew they didn't get along well.

Wei Hanzhang didn't look at him and whispered, "You are old, which is one thing. I can accept it, but..."

When his age was mentioned again, Xiao Junzhan remained calm, "But what?"

"..." Wei Hanzhang hesitated to speak, and under his focused gaze, she confessed: "Since I was a child, I have made a decision that the husband I will marry in the future must be clean and tidy. There must not be any concubines, dancers, boy catamites, or..."

"Wait..." Xiao Junzhan frowned and interrupted her increasingly outrageous words, "I don't have those things around me, you don't need to worry about this."

What did the Jiang family teach her? Could they even say nonsense about "pedophilia"?

"Even if there are no male sycophants, you have quite a few concubines in your backyard... and two illegitimate sons and one illegitimate daughter. Oh, and your legitimate wife also left behind a posthumous child, born after her husband's death..."

His flat denial left Wei Hanzhang speechless. If she had not asked Jiang about it indirectly, she would have been fooled by his appearance.

Wei Hanzhang said, "I am still young and have only learned a little about being a household manager. I am not steady enough and I am not experienced enough to intimidate the concubines in your backyard. I am also very stingy and jealous. I cannot be as tolerant and generous as other wives. I am really not a good match for you."

"You've helped me a lot, and I'm very touched, but a woman should never be too cautious about her lifelong affairs. I really don't want to marry you just because I'm touched."

She spoke sincerely, listing one by one the reasons why she thought the two of them were not a good match. At the end, she concluded: "Xiao Boqian, you should find another dignified and noble lady as your successor. With your status, you can choose any noble lady in the capital."

It was very rare for her to talk so much in one breath. Xiao Junzhan listened quietly and did not interrupt her again. However, his expression became more and more complicated and he stared at her with a strange look.

Based on her understanding over the past few days, Wei Hanzhang knew his character. This Prince Xiao might be romantic and unrestrained when it comes to matters between men and women, but he was by no means unreasonable. He would definitely listen to what she said, so she sat patiently in the chair, waiting for his reply.

Xiao Junzhan was a little confused. After a long pause, he whispered, "What if I'm alone and there's no one else in the backyard?"

After a pause, he added: "From now on, you will be the only one here. Are you willing to..."

"No!" Wei Hanzhang stood up suddenly and said angrily, "Xiao Boqian, although I thought you were a playboy before, I still believed in my heart that you were an upright gentleman. Now it seems that I was wrong about you."

There are two more chapters~~~ 　　 　 (End of this chapter)