Chapter Ninety-Eight: Showing Off
Song Yiqiu was startled.
It turns out that Xiao Yongjing was fully aware that Song Sangyu had tricked her into being drugged at the family banquet.
He knew it, yet he didn't stop her at the time... A surge of inexplicable anger welled up in her heart, and she laughed out of anger, deliberately flicking her wrist to spill all the wine in her cup onto the prince's robe sleeve.
He put on an innocent expression and apologized:
"Oh dear! Look at my clumsy hands. Even after spending so much time on the frontier, I still haven't shaken off this bad habit of slipping. I've soiled Your Highness's robes with wine; it's truly an offense. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Looking at his sleeves soaked with wine, Xiao Yongjing thought, 'This woman really is vindictive.'
Far from being angry, he bent down to pick up the empty cup from the ground, calmly picked up the wine pot, poured a new cup, and handed it to Song Yiqiu again.
"What's the big deal? Given the relationship between me and General Song, why would I care about such trivial matters? I know perfectly well that General Song is not good with his hands and feet."
He curled the corners of his lips into a smile, exuding an air of authority without anger.
"Even if General Song spills a thousand cups of wine, I will pour you the thousand and first cup... until you are willing to drink it."
Seeing the determination in his eyes, Song Yiqiu knew that this man was difficult to deal with.
He forced a smile, finally took the glass of wine, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp. Then he showed him the empty glass, a defiant gesture:
"Truly His Highness the Crown Prince, broad-minded and unconcerned with trifles."
Xiao Yongjing watched with satisfaction as she drank the wine, then got down to business:
"Song Yiqiu, the current situation is no longer a question of whether you are willing to have a fake marriage with me, but that you have no choice but to be bound to me."
"If I hadn't interrupted you today, judging from the way Father looked at you then, do you think you would have become a concubine? The harem of three thousand beauties might not be as comfortable as my Eastern Palace."
Song Yiqiu twitched her lips. She really couldn't understand why the emperor would have such an absurd thought when he saw her face.
Xiao Yongjing seemed to see through her doubts and continued:
"You look almost exactly like your grandmother, Madam Shen, when she was young. And my father, the Emperor, happened to have a thing for your grandmother back then..."
He left his words unsaid, watching Song Yiqiu's suddenly changed expression with a meaningful look.
"Don't you want to know why your grandmother went to the palace to accompany Consort Hui and stayed for several months? And why she was unexpectedly killed by bandits not long after she left the palace?"
Mentioning her grandmother, Song Yiqiu's eyes grew even colder, and she asked in a low voice:
"Why?"
Xiao Yongjing, however, kept everyone in suspense at this moment, letting out a hearty laugh with a hint of roguishness:
"I don't know. If I knew everything, why would I go to all this trouble to invite General Song to stay at the Crown Prince's residence and help me find out the truth?"
Speechless with anger at his attitude, Song Yiqiu turned to leave.
But the next second, her wrist was firmly grasped by a warm and strong hand, and a clever force brought her back gently.
Their eyes met, and they were extremely close.
Song Yiqiu saw a rare seriousness in Xiao Yongjing's eyes, which always carried a hint of gloom.
“Song Yiqiu,”
He called her name softly.
"I'm telling you the truth. Your succession ceremony will be in two weeks. Those eyeing the title of Marquis of Yongjia will not sit idly by. It will definitely cause quite a stir. On that day, in front of all the civil and military officials, I will ask my father to grant us a marriage."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Fu Langxing not far away, and added:
"Until then, you... be careful in everything you do and pay attention to your safety. Also, if Fu Langxing comes to bother you again, don't bother with him. Just come to me. I will take care of it for you."
Song Yiqiu raised an eyebrow, trying to break free of his hand again, but found that he was holding it very tightly:
"It seems I haven't yet agreed to Your Highness's proposal for cooperation?"
Xiao Yongjing stared at his hand that was tightly gripping her wrist, where the warmth of her skin and a faint fragrance still lingered.
He slowly released his hand, his fingertips gently tracing her wrist, as if still lingering on her wrist.
The obsession in his eyes almost overflowed when he looked up:
"That's... not up to you."
...
Only after leaving the Crown Prince's side did Bai Mei, who had been trying to maintain her composure, finally breathe a sigh of relief. Patting her chest, she spoke with lingering fear:
"Young Miss, the series of events that have happened today have truly terrified me. I knew they would sabotage the autumn hunt, but I never imagined they would be so ruthless and have prepared so many backup plans."
"Fortunately, Miss, you are quick-witted and resourceful, and in the end, you even managed to use the Crown Prince's power to clear the name of Minister Wang's family. Otherwise, we would have really suffered a great loss!"
Qingzhu nodded, but her face showed doubt:
"Yes, Miss, you escaped danger today, which is truly admirable. But... why has His Highness the Crown Prince come to see you so many times? The way he looks at you... seems a bit strange."
Song Yiqiu remained expressionless and casually replied:
"Well...maybe he's too bored with his duties at the Crown Prince's Palace."
She didn't plan to tell the two maids about the fake marriage deal for the time being, so as not to worry them.
Bai Mei was still indignant:
"Young Miss, are we just going to let this go? Song Sangyu and the others are determined to kill you today! They not only want to ruin your reputation, but also want to prevent you from attending the succession ceremony!"
Song Yiqiu's gaze was cold as she looked at the noisy crowd in the distance:
"Good and evil will eventually be rewarded; it's not that they won't be punished, it's just that the time hasn't come yet. I will collect the debts they owe, one by one, with interest."
She then asked,
"By the way, I haven't seen my second and fourth brothers. Where did they go?"
Qingzhu replied:
"As soon as you, Miss, were demonstrating your archery skills, the Second Young Master claimed to be unwell and secretly slipped back to the manor. He must have been eyeing the new treasure he acquired in his courtyard. The Fourth Young Master, on the other hand, disappeared as soon as he arrived. I wonder where he went to find some fun."
Song Yiqiu nodded and grinned:
"It seems that Second Brother really can't be without his confidant for even a moment."
Just then, bursts of lively laughter came from under the banyan tree in the distance. Many noble ladies and young gentlemen were gathered together, and the atmosphere was so lively that it was hard not to notice them.
Qingzhu tiptoed and looked around:
"Miss, I think you can see the Fourth Young Master in that crowd over there?"
Bai Mei also confirmed:
"I just saw the second young lady leading Ruan Jiawen and the others that way. I wonder what they're up to now."
Song Yiqiu was equally puzzled:
"Let's go take a look."
As the three of them approached, the crowd, remembering Song Yiqiu's stellar performance earlier that day, unconsciously suppressed their smiles and silently made way for her.
In the center of the crowd, the fourth young master, Song Yutang, stood triumphantly in front of several open large boxes. The boxes were filled with all kinds of glittering jewelry, antiques and jade artifacts. Although they were very valuable, the piled together inevitably looked vulgar.
He was enjoying the compliments from everyone:
"Brother Yutang is truly a man of great courage and lofty spirit!"
"Such a precious item, given away so readily, Young Master Song is truly a role model for us all."
"Fourth Brother's luck is truly unparalleled. He can make a fortune with just a casual game. He truly deserves to be the most capable person in the Song family."
"That's right! The glory of the Song family depends on you, Fourth Young Master."
Song Yutang was flattered and became quite arrogant. With a wave of his hand, he grabbed the jewelry from the box and stuffed it into the hands of the people around him, behaving like a nouveau riche.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Song Sangyu squeezed next to him and began to complain:
"Fourth Brother! The scene was so dangerous just now, where were you? Why didn't you come to help me? And Second Brother, you two disappeared as soon as the game started, really..."
Song Yutang, unconcerned, replied in a similarly low voice:
"Well, here I am! Look, I gave these people gifts, and they all praised the Song family for being generous. Isn't this also making you look good?"
Upon seeing Song Yiqiu approaching, Song Yutang immediately rolled his eyes, but his eyes lit up when he saw the white plum tree behind her that had brought him good fortune.
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