Luo Jiu walked back to her room in a daze, drank several sips of tea, and finally calmed down.
She didn't know what Liang Ye meant by those words, but she didn't simply think that he wanted to marry her just because he was after her looks.
These days, Luo Jiu has read a lot of history books about this era and roughly knows that the country he is in now is called Southern Liang, which does not exist in the history of Luo Jiu's time.
The emperor had reigned for twenty-seven years and was already in his fifties. He had four sons, all born to different concubines, and all of them reached adulthood at the same time.
As the emperor grew older, his health declined, but he had yet to appoint a crown prince, leading to turmoil in the court. Each prince had his own power base, inevitably resulting in a struggle for the throne.
The third prince, Liang Ye, had an unknown birth mother, but he was raised by the empress from a young age. Backed by the empress's power and favored by the emperor, he was a strong contender for the throne.
He has a handsome appearance, and apart from being somewhat promiscuous and lecherous, there are no other apparent flaws. But who knows if his behavior is just a seductive facade?
He said he genuinely wanted to marry her, but Luo Jiu believed that he truly wanted to marry the young lady of the Luo family, or to leverage the power of the Luo family.
There was just one thing Luo Jiu didn't understand. Why marry her instead of Luo Shuang'er? Wasn't Luo Shuang'er more favored than her?
Could it be that he saw through Luo Shuang'er's true nature, that her brain was full of mush? But marrying a fool is better than marrying someone who doesn't know the difference.
"Miss, please come out and see! The Third Prince just left, and now he's sent over a lot of things, piling them up all over the courtyard. What are we going to do?"
Even as a maid in the Prime Minister's residence, I had never seen so many things before. These were all sent by the Third Prince, including several imperial treasures.
Jinxia was at a loss, afraid to pick it up or touch it, lest she break it. A single careless mistake could be a capital offense. She quickly called Luo Jiu to go out and check.
Luo Jiu was puzzled. Why was the gift so extravagant, as if it was deliberately made public?
But then Luo Jiu realized, what a Third Prince! He looks like a harmless playboy, but he's actually a cunning fox.
He wanted to marry her, but was afraid of being fooled by Luo Chentianke's jokes, so he decided to send gifts first to show his goodwill. Whether she accepted them or not, the gifts had been sent, and anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't dare to compete with the royal family for her.
Even if Luo Jiu is unwilling, she will have no choice but to marry Liang Ye. Unless she is willing to wait two or three years and wait for people to gradually forget about this matter, by then Luo Jiu will no longer be young, and Luo Chentian will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.
That's a brilliant two-birds-with-one-stone strategy!
"Miss, what should we do with these things?" Jin Xia saw Luo Jiu's inexplicable smile and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
"These..." Luo Jiu paused, then said casually, "Just send them back the way they came."
"But is it really okay for you to offend the Third Prince like this..."
Jinxia's expression was complicated. Wasn't Miss being a bit too high-profile? By the next day, everyone who didn't know about this would find out.
She could already foresee what the old ladies who cooked for her would say.
At that time, the young lady will definitely be slandered without any regard for the facts, and her life will probably become even more difficult.
"Shouldn't we discuss this with the Prime Minister first before making a decision?"
"No need. Just retreat like this, the more high-profile the better." Luo Jiu's lips curled into a cold smile. Was she telling Luo Chentian that if he were part of the Third Prince's faction, he probably wouldn't be able to retreat, and if he was unlucky, he would be sold out tomorrow?
Then, a feast of treasures arrived in a grand manner and was transported back in a grand manner. Luo Jiu could imagine the expression on Liang Ye's face; it must have been quite amusing.
Luo Jiu had a very comfortable day. Luo Chentian was not at home for some reason, and Jin Shi was busy comforting her precious daughter and didn't have time to cause trouble for her.
As night fell, Luo Jiu was extra careful and didn't fall asleep. She remembered that Xiao Zhuo had said he would come again tonight.
The summer night breeze carries the unique scent of the season. A gentle breeze brings the fragrance of summer flowers, and the chirping of cicadas awakens the lively atmosphere of the night.
Luo Jiu opened her eyes and lay on the bed. Not long after, she heard someone climb in through the window.
Upon hearing this, she immediately sat up, parted the bed curtains, and peeked out. She called out uncertainly, "Xiao Zhuo?"
Instantly, I felt my hand being grasped, and Xiao Zhuo's deep yet teasing voice sounded in my ear:
"Did Miss Luo wait for me on purpose? She even opened the window beforehand. Hmm?"
Hearing his voice, Luo Jiu unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, then realized that this guy was teasing her again, and immediately became annoyed: "I opened it for the dog, get out!"
"puff!"
Xiao Zhuo laughed out loud, and then Luo Jiu felt him lightly touch her nose, which made her even angrier.
She turned her face away, unwilling to look at him. She looked extremely angry, yet surprisingly, she was somewhat adorable.
"Don't be angry." Xiao Zhuo brought his face close to Luo Jiu's ear and whispered comforting words.
"How about this, didn't you want to go out and have fun? I'll take you."
Upon hearing this, Luo Jiu turned around from inside, an uncontrollable smile spreading across her face: "Are you serious?"
Seeing Luo Jiu's childlike expression as she begged for candy, Xiao Zhuo's eyes and heart unconsciously filled with laughter. "Of course it's true, but..."
"But what?" Luo Jiu asked impatiently.
"Since I promised to take you out, shouldn't you give me some kind of reward?"
Xiao Zhuo used the most shameless tone to say the most shameless things. How thick-skinned must such a shameless person be to make you lose face?
Luo Jiu was silent for a moment, then pointed out the window again: "Go!"
Before I lose my last shred of sanity, you better get out of here right now, or I'll slap you so hard you'll be stuck to the wall and won't be able to pry you off!
"Ha ha……"
Xiao Zhuo was just teasing Luo Jiu and never expected her to agree, although getting a kiss would be the best thing ever.
However, Luo Jiu's reaction was beyond Xiao Zhuo's expectations. How could there be such an adorable person? She was practically melting Xiao Zhuo's heart.
He reached out and grabbed Luo Jiu's slender waist, then leaped up and floated with her to the roof beam. Before Luo Jiu could react, the two of them were already almost floating in mid-air.
Below were rows of houses, the height unknown. Falling down seemed like a certain death, yet it unexpectedly gave one a thrill.
Luo Jiu gripped Xiao Zhuo's clothes tightly. She couldn't see and was away from her familiar surroundings. A strange sense of tension welled up in her heart, and she could only hold onto this one thing that could give her a little sense of security.
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