Chapter 214 The Disappearance of the Chess Player
The two changed their clothes and came out from the inner room.
Shen Ruzhi looked at Chuntao and the peony and crabapple trees, "When did you change into these?"
"The maid who just came over said that we maids also need to change into Western Region clothing. Everyone going in must change into Western Region attire," Chun Tao explained.
"Your Highness, this dress suits you so well." Peony stared at Jiang Wan Ning's slender waist, then looked at her own chubby waist.
"Maybe I should just wait outside; these clothes are getting in the way of my meal."
Everyone laughed upon hearing this.
"Sister Jiang, you've finally arrived." Song Zhuran walked towards them with a smile.
Jiang Wanru followed behind Song Zhuran and walked over together.
"I have met my mother."
This time, Jiang Wanru bowed properly.
"How did you two end up together?" Shen Ruzhi asked, looking at the two of them.
"This banquet was hosted by me, so naturally I should take care of all the guests who are here today," Jiang Wanru said kindly. "Miss Song was alone just now."
"I went over to keep you company for a while, and just then I saw you arrive, so I came over to say hello as well."
"A weasel paying respects to a chicken—it's up to no good." Shen Ruzhi rolled her eyes. "Ningning, let's go over there."
"Sister Jiang, I'll go with you." Song Zhuran followed.
Jiang Wanru did not chase after her. She glanced at Chun Tao, who was already terrified. Chun Tao tightly grabbed Haitang's hand and walked towards Jiang Wanning's direction.
Jiang Wanru's eyes turned sinister as she whispered a few instructions to the people behind her.
Jiang Wanning and Shen Ruzhi walked around the stage on the first floor and were about to go to the second floor when they were greeted by a very familiar person—Tuoba Yan'er.
"What are you doing here?" Shen Ruzhi asked with a look of disdain.
"Is your Western Xia really that bad? Why do you always come to our Eastern Tombs?"
Tuoba Yan'er stepped forward and patted Shen Ruzhi's shoulder twice. "Be good, go to the side. This princess won't bother you."
"No one will do!" Shen Ruzhi stepped in, shielding Jiang Wanning behind her, and then pulled Song Zhuran over. "She's fine."
Tuoba Yan'er glanced at her from head to toe. "What do I need her for?"
He pushed Song Zhuran over again, saying, "I'm not going to look for her. I'm going to find someone who looks decent and has a human being."
Just as Tuoba Yan'er finished speaking, she saw Prince Jin, Xiao Rui, and pointed at him on the second floor, shouting, "That thing, don't run away!"
The Prince of Jin paused when he heard the familiar voice, and said to the men beside him, "You may continue your stroll. I have other matters to attend to and will take my leave first."
Tuoba Yan'er rolled up her sleeves. "I've been looking for you for so long, and now you want to run away?"
"Do you know who he is?" Shen Ruzhi asked slyly.
"I don't care who he is, he can't steal my things!"
"Someone sent me a message saying this thing was in the Eastern Tombs, and I didn't expect it to actually be there!"
Tuoba Yan'er was about to rush forward as she spoke.
Upon hearing the last sentence, Jiang Wanning grabbed Tuoba Yan'er and asked, "You said someone sent you a message? Who?"
As far as she knew, only a handful of people knew about their relationship.
"I don't know," Tuoba Yan'er said. "Let go first, or I'll have come for nothing."
“He is the Prince of Jin, he can’t escape,” Jiang Wanning said.
Tuoba Yan'er took two steps and then turned back, pointing in the direction where Prince Jin had just been standing on the second floor. "What did you say? What's that thing? Prince Jin?"
Seeing the looks on the faces of the people around her, Tuoba Yan'er knew that Jiang Wan Ning was not lying to her. "No, he, a prince, stole my hot pot base?"
So you don't know he's the Prince of Jin?
"That goes without saying. If I had known, I would have come looking for him long ago. Why would I have waited until now?"
In other words, someone leaked the information about the Prince of Jin and deliberately lured Tuoba Yan'er here.
It's strange, really. Aside from that one time he left the mansion at the teahouse, Prince Jin hasn't left the mansion at all recently, so it's odd that he's here today.
It's as if someone deliberately arranged for them to meet today.
Or is it that Tuoba Yan'er's purpose in coming here was not just to find the Prince of Jin?
As Jiang Wan Ning was pondering this, she heard Tuoba Yan'er grab the back of Prince Jin's collar, one hand on her hip, and say, "Trying to run away?"
"Do you know who I am?" The Prince of Jin was being dragged along, his hands tightly gripping his collar, otherwise he might be strangled to death.
"How dare you say that? I knew you had a thick skin, but I didn't know it was this thick," Tuoba Yan'er said loudly.
Seeing that he couldn't intimidate him, the Prince of Jin could only whisper, "Grandma, I really didn't mean it. I'll make it up to you, okay?"
As the Prince of Jin was speaking, he happened to see Jiang Wan Ning, and his eyes dazed for a moment. He had to admit that he had seen countless beauties over the years of his travels, but there were almost none like Jiang Wan Ning who could give people a completely new look just by changing her clothes.
If he didn't have a good memory, he would have thought it was another young lady from a wealthy family who rarely went out.
"Princess Langya, please save me!" Prince Jin clasped his hands together and bowed to Jiang Wan Ning. "It's all your fault for using the hot pot broth! You have to take responsibility!"
Just then, Jiang Wan Ning also wanted to find out the situation between the two, so she spoke up to plead for Prince Jin, "Since the princess is already here, I will cover all the food for the next few days, so please eat as much as you like."
Tuoba Yan'er had come specifically for the hot pot and had also dealt with Jiang Wan Ning before, so she knew that Jiang Wan Ning meant what she said and that's why she let go of Prince Jin.
Prince Jin moved closer to Jiang Wan Ning and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, after all, you're paying." Jiang Wan Ning smiled sincerely and gently.
Prince of Jin...
"Aren't you skilled in martial arts? How come you didn't escape?" Jiang Wan Ning asked in a low voice.
"Oh, don't even mention it," Prince Jin said helplessly. "A few servants seemed to be deliberately blocking my way, and there were so many people today..."
Jiang Wan Ning looked around and realized that a few servants had indeed run into Prince Jin.
I hadn't paid any attention to it at first, but now that I think about it, one of them seems to be the bodyguard who was with the Empress a few days ago.
In other words, it was the Emperor who sent the message to Tuoba Yan'er, and it was also the Emperor who arranged for Prince Jin to come here today, allowing the two of them to meet.
"What brings the Prince of Jin here today?"
The Prince of Jin covered his face with his fan and whispered, "I've told you, but you mustn't tell anyone else."
"My brother told me to keep an eye on someone at today's banquet."
"That person had a plum blossom-shaped birthmark on his lower back. Okay, I can't say any more."
Jiang Wanning: You've said everything you needed to say.
The Emperor must have deliberately used this incident to bring the two of them together; he really is cunning.
However, it wouldn't be bad if these two were on the same path. Tuoba Yan'er isn't bad, she just resembles Zhizhi somewhat.
I wonder if this Prince Jin is a human or a ghost...
"Your Highness, Guanqi has disappeared."
As the group was strolling around, Haitang, looking slightly flustered, came over and whispered something.
Guanqi is also known as Chuntao.
"What happened?"
"There were so many people today that both I and Peony were bumped into at the same time, and the person disappeared in the blink of an eye."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com