Chapter 114 An Gonggong's Desperate Approach: A Petty Man's Triumph
The scholar was so frightened that he took a step back, and then felt extremely embarrassed.
The tall, thin man opposite him, who had a somewhat sinister air about him and looked like a pretty boy, was actually quite close to his own age. He was startled by that glare.
Does this person think he's some high-ranking official or nobleman, able to silence people with just a glance? That's incredibly rude.
Chen Qinglie stopped the scholar who wanted to say something more, and said, "Stop talking."
"But what I said wasn't wrong either. When I came over just now, I saw this woman rudely leaning on the bow of the boat, as if she had never been treated properly..."
Before the scholar could finish speaking, Anhe interrupted, "Are you from the Imperial Academy?"
Anhe was good at guessing people's intentions. The person who hung out with Chen Qinglie and dressed like a scholar was just a classmate who wanted to get something from Chen Qinglie because he saw that Chen Qinglie had some opportunities.
"So what if it is? What? I've never seen you at the Imperial Academy. You couldn't even pass the Imperial Academy exam, so you're just secretly hating us."
The scholar assumed that Anhe was about his age, yet he had seen such a person before, so he must be someone with little ability.
Anhe scoffed as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world: "Oh? You're right, our family hates people like you."
"After all, we know this Brother Chen of yours well, and he's not exactly a likable person."
The scholar saw the contempt on Anhe's face, but he also heard the words in Anhe's speech.
He frowned and said, "He's a eunuch?"
The scholar looked enlightened: "No wonder..." He glanced at An He.
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Qinglie pulled him behind him. The scholar heard Chen Qinglie whisper, "Stop talking. Can't you tell? He's the Ninth Prince."
The scholar's already open mouth gaped open even wider.
All the words I wanted to say were stuck in my throat.
He swallowed hard, unable to believe it.
But he also knew that Chen Qinglie had met the Ninth Prince and even had some significant entanglements with him, so he asked tremblingly, "Are you serious?"
How could that ruthless eunuch be here!
Anhe saw the scholar's expression change and found it laughable. He interrupted, "Why did you stop talking? What do you want to say about our family? It seems there are always a few fearless people in this world, and they are attracted to each other."
An He looked at Chen Qinglie: "Chen Qinglie, don't you think so?"
Zhao Liangxu placed her clean, still slightly cold hands, which had been soaked in water, into An He's hands.
The wide sleeves covered everything.
Chen Qinglie's mouth was agape, oblivious to everything. He glanced at Zhao Liangxu, who was too lazy to reply, and said, "What you say is true, but..." His gaze made An He pull Zhao Liangxu closer to him. "You have to consider a girl's reputation. You can't ruin everything for her."
Upon encountering him today, Chen Qinglie calmly had his classmates utter a few unpleasant words before taking the time to stop the scholar.
Perhaps he didn't mean it that way, but he did it subconsciously.
He just felt that the scholar's words made sense and wanted someone else to say a few words on his behalf.
Chen Qinglie still remembered the confrontation with An He that day. He was ultimately victorious because of An He's status. He was both a high-ranking official and a eunuch.
In any case, I can still maintain some dignity in front of him.
However, Chen Qinglie's expression turned somewhat unpleasant when he recalled his encounter with An He later.
To make him give up, Anhe secretly said some dirty things to him.
They said Zhao Liangxu liked eunuchs like him, liked that he served her well, even...
When those words came out of Anhe's mouth and reached his ears, Chen Qinglie felt only disgust and pain.
An He actually slandered Zhao Liangxu behind her back, disregarding her reputation.
Upon seeing Anhe again today, he recalled this incident once more.
Zhao Liangxu happened to be there, and how could she tolerate the eunuch beside her gossiping behind her back?
Chen Qinglie told his companions to go back to their cabins and not to get involved in these matters anymore.
"Heh, I thought you were planning to have those scholars speak for you today, and then become your scapegoats," An He said sarcastically, looking at Chen Qinglie standing alone at the bow of the boat.
Chen Qinglie then turned his gaze to Zhao Liangxu, who was sitting shoulder to shoulder with An He, listening to the two bickering with great interest.
When Anhe was being scolded just now, she only frowned slightly.
Chen Qinglie thought that Zhao Liangxu would not speak up for An He. After all, how could Zhao Liangxu like someone as treacherous and cunning as An He?
She was simply being controlled by Anhe, and couldn't show off much.
The frown was probably because her difficult situation was mentioned.
Chen Qinglie faced Zhao Liangxu and said, "I suppose Princess Zhao doesn't know what His Highness once told me."
He now adopted a complaining posture: "I once worked with Princess Zhao. Although we were not close, I knew that Princess Zhao loved reading and had beautiful handwriting. Most students in the Imperial Academy could not compare to her. Has His Majesty seen your talent?"
"Even if Your Majesty didn't see it, you can't just slander a girl without evidence..."
Zhao Liangxu, with an expression that showed she had taken it all to heart, asked, "How did Eunuch An slander me?"
Chen Qinglie found it difficult to express.
He only said, "You are definitely not what Eunuch An described."
Zhao Liangxu glanced at An He, squeezed his fingers, and then said to Chen Qinglie, "Young Master Chen, do you still think that I was forced by Eunuch An?"
"We're just enjoying a leisurely boat trip on the lake, Young Master Chen, please don't unjustly label Eunuch An as a bully who preys on men and women."
When Zhao Liangxu spoke to others, her tone was always calm and even somewhat indifferent.
The faint smile on her face, when seen by Chen Qinglie, gave him a sense of unfamiliarity and strangeness.
Chen Qinglie said, "But Qian Sui told me before..."
Zhao Liangxu interrupted him: "Young Master Chen speaks very elegantly, but there's something you haven't noticed yourself, has there?" The curve of her lips thinned slightly.
The feeling of unfamiliarity in Chen Qinglie's heart became more and more obvious.
"Why do you always think I'm subservient to Eunuch An? Haven't my relationship with Eunuch An been obvious enough? Or does Young Master Chen actually look down on eunuchs deep down?"
"You think you're better than a eunuch because of your own male identity? You think I shouldn't like Anhe, but should like someone like you instead?"
Zhao Liangxu's words revealed the thoughts that Chen Qinglie had kept hidden in his heart.
He felt he should be better than Anhe because he was a better and more promising man.
Even Anhe's status is something he may never achieve in his lifetime.
He did indeed have a knack for recognizing people and making friends, and he found a path that suited him, leading him into officialdom.
But both skill and luck are indispensable. After working hard for thirty or forty years, he may be able to reach a very high position.
Zhao Liangxu continued, "Young Master Chen, how can you be so sure that even if I hadn't met An He, I would have been able to have many conversations with you?"
Zhao Liangxu didn't say much, and her words weren't harsh, but they precisely struck at the smugness in Chen Qinglie's heart.
He was embarrassed that his thoughts had been so bluntly revealed, and he didn't want to admit it: "I didn't mean it... but ultimately, Princess Zhao couldn't know everything His Highness said." Just like what Anhe had said to him before.
Zhao Liangxu chuckled: "How do you know I didn't know those things? In the end, I'm not the person you've idealized in your mind."
“You’re expecting a girl who is both talented and gentle and beautiful, not a…” Zhao Liangxu paused, thinking about her words, “a woman who should be waiting to be married, but instead lives with Eunuch An. The person next to you is right. In your eyes, I am quite outrageous.”
"But what can we do about it?"
Zhao Liangxu's words were cryptic, but Chen Qinglie understood them.
Chen Qinglie was in a daze, wanting to look away, but then he noticed that An He and Zhao Liangxu were very close, close enough that their hands could clasp together and their shoulders and elbows could touch.
Chen Qinglie recalled the words An He had said to him before.
He froze, his face gradually turning pale.
He remained silent, lost in thought.
Zhao Liangxu turned around; she was getting tired of standing at the bow and wanted to go back to her cabin to rest.
After listening quietly to what Zhao Liangxu said to Chen Qinglie, An He looked at Chen Qinglie and gave a triumphant sneer before following Zhao Liangxu inside.
Only after hearing Zhao Liangxu's words today did Chen Qinglie truly give up.
He could no longer deceive himself.
Zhao Liangxu pulled An He into the cabin and said, "Eunuch An looks very smug."
"Like a petty person who has achieved their goal."
Because of Zhao Liangxu's words, An He could no longer hide the expression on his face.
He said, "Our family has never been anything like righteous people. So what if a petty person gets ahead?"
He sat in the chair, reaching for the porcelain cup on the table, but Zhao Liangxu patted his arm first.
An He was confused, but Zhao Liangxu pulled his arm away and sat down with him in the same chair, squeezing in next to him.
"...You're not angry anymore?" An He quickly realized what was happening and let Zhao Liangxu sit in front of him. Then, as if afraid that Zhao Liangxu would push him away and run away again, he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
Zhao Liangxu lightly flicked Anhe's forehead and said, "I was already angry. Today and yesterday were to teach you a lesson. It's really hard to guard against someone impersonating me. It's normal for you to be angry with me, given your shrewdness. But it's because you don't ask me anything and make wild guesses that you don't trust me. That's what makes me angry, you know?"
She reasoned with Anhe.
Anhe could only hear the seriousness in Zhao Liangxu's words, as if she were trying to explain things to him, which made his heart race.
Zhao Liangxu always treated him so well.
It wouldn't be too much to not forgive him anyway.
"I will never do it in my life."
Zhao Liangxu poked Anhe's cheek again, but her words were merciless: "Of course you won't. If there's a next time, I'll just smother you with a pillow tonight."
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Author's note: Time to hug and cuddle again! (Happy)
I'll be a little busy tomorrow, so I'll be taking a short day off. Update the day after tomorrow.
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