Chapter 32 How to bestow a marriage upon Che'er, she was so...
Xiao Che stared at the familiar jade pendant lying in his palm, speechless for a long time. He seemed to find it absurd, or perhaps he simply couldn't process it. After confirming it several times, he finally looked up at Yan Jiarou, his tone already carrying a hint of amusement: "Isn't this the jade pendant I lost? How did it end up with you?"
But Yan Jiarou had her eyes tightly closed, her face showing an expression of resignation to death.
He thought with a wicked sense of humor that her current state of being terrified was actually quite cute.
He became even more eager to tease her, took a step forward, and whispered in her ear, "Royal sister, I have a question for you."
Yan Jiarou jolted awake, opened her eyes, and stammered, "I...I...I found this!"
"Oh? If I remember correctly, this jade pendant was lost near the Agarwood Pavilion last time. Considering the time, it has been quite a while. Since you found it, why don't you return it to me?"
"I……"
Xiao Che stepped forward again, a playful look on his face: "My words are engraved on this jade pendant. Surely my royal sister didn't see them?"
Even if she wanted to deny knowing it was his jade pendant, she couldn't anymore.
With a stiff neck, Yan Jiarou retorted, "Who says that just because I found your things, I have to rush over and bring them to you? Xiao Che, I don't owe you anything. You dropped the jade pendant yourself, what does it have to do with me? You've probably forgotten our relationship—we've been at odds for a long time!"
Xiao Che gave an "Oh?" and looked at her intently, saying, "Are you sure you don't owe me anything?"
Yan Jiarou was stunned: "Wh...what..."
Xiao Che simply gazed at her quietly, then suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh after a moment: "Forget it, you're just a clueless little fool, why would I ask you anything?"
He held the jade pendant in his palm, made a fist, and held it in front of her eyes. Suddenly, he released it, his fingers threading through the tassel, and the jade pendant fell down, dangling in front of her eyes: "You want this jade pendant?"
Yan Jiarou was taken aback, wondering how he knew. But then she thought that since she had found his jade pendant, she neither returned it nor threw it away, so she naturally wanted to keep it for herself. It was not surprising that Xiao Che asked this question.
She naturally wanted the jade pendant, but had no other intention than to cure her illness!
However, she could not tell Xiao Che her true thoughts, nor could she let him know the purpose of the jade pendant she had taken from him.
She blinked rapidly, coughed, and tentatively asked, "What...what do you want?"
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow, slightly curved his lips, and a knowing glint flashed in his eyes: "It seems you really want it."
A playful smile played on his lips. He was about to speak when, as if suddenly remembering something, his gaze shifted, and his eyes became more intriguing as he looked at Yan Jiarou: "Wait, if I remember correctly, that jade pendant just now seemed to have fallen from your chest—you... hid it in your chest, close to your heart?"
Yan Jiarou's heart skipped a beat.
It's over, Xiao Che has discovered her secret... What's the difference between him catching her doing this and publicly executing her?
Even if the sky were to fall, this wouldn't be any worse.
While she was still in a daze, Xiao Che stepped forward, leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Royal sister, why aren't you saying anything?"
Yan Jiarou jolted awake, abruptly looking up. The instant her eyes met his, her mind went blank, and she instinctively blurted out, "It's not what you think!!"
Xiao Che suppressed a smile and asked, "Oh? What do you mean?"
Unaware that she had been led astray, Yan Jiarou blurted out, "No...it's definitely not because I'm thinking of someone!"
Xiao Che couldn't suppress the smile on his lips. He gave a meaningful "Oh" and deliberately repeated, "Seeing this reminds me of someone."
This is clearly a deliberate misinterpretation of her meaning!
That's not what she meant at all!
Yan Jiarou's face turned bright red, and she stamped her feet in frustration. In her haste to refute, she didn't think twice before blurting out, "No, it's not about seeing an object and thinking of you! That jade pendant is something you've worn for years, and it's been imbued with your scent. I kept it on my person simply so I could feel your presence all the time!"
Upon hearing this, an eerie silence instantly fell over the surroundings.
The playful smile on Xiao Che's lips gradually faded, replaced by a complex look as he gazed at her, hesitant to speak: "You..."
When Yan Jiarou realized what was happening, she felt dizzy and disoriented; the sky had truly collapsed.
She stared blankly ahead, seemingly still alive, but she had actually been gone for a while.
What does it mean to be worse off than dead?
This is truly a living hell.
Losing face like this in front of your arch-enemy would probably make you never be able to hold your head up again.
She wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear right then and there!
However, Xiao Che, her arch-rival, seemed much more composed. After a brief moment of shock and astonishment, he quickly regained his usual nonchalant and unrestrained demeanor, and said with a meaningful smile, "So that's how it is."
"But Yan Yan, how is your excuse any different from 'seeing an object and thinking of someone'?"
His hand rested on the back of her neck, pulling her close and leaning down slightly to touch her forehead: "If you want to feel my presence, why use such an inanimate object? I'm standing right in front of you now. You can feel it however you want."
He naturally didn't believe Yan Jiarou's nonsense, thinking it was just another prank, but since she wanted to put on an act, he wasn't unwilling to play along.
He wanted to see just how far she could go with this performance.
His breath mingled with hers, chasing her increasingly rapid and hot breaths: "Whatever you want to feel... I'll agree to anything, just tell me..."
Xiao Che's aura forcefully invaded her mind, utterly unreasonable. Yan Jiarou felt the dormant addiction within her stirring again, her reason being slowly eroded by desire.
Despite this situation, Xiao Che continued to tempt her: "What do you want... Royal sister, why aren't you saying anything?"
Yan Jiarou suddenly felt angry. Forcing herself to stay clear-headed, she reached out and pushed him hard against his chest, saying, "I don't want you... Go away!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She felt that Xiao Che must have done it on purpose. He must have figured something out, so he deliberately seduced her and made her look bad in front of him!
Recalling his appearance just now, for some reason, she was reminded of the white fox she had met at Mount Li.
Her peaceful life was completely disrupted from the moment she met that white fox. It was from that encounter that she began to suffer from a strange illness and that eerie dream…
That white fox was clearly different from Xiao Che. In the end, it was Xiao Che who caused her to be like this, and now, it actually wanted to lure her into having another relapse and making a fool of herself so that it could take the opportunity to mock her. It was simply too much!
He was just as despicable as that white fox, and just as adept at bewitching people and driving them to madness! Thinking of this, she couldn't hold back any longer and slapped him across the face: "Xiao Che, you're so disgusting! Shameless! Vixen!"
Taking advantage of Xiao Che's momentary daze, she quickly snatched the jade pendant from his hand, lifted her skirt, and ran away without looking back.
Xiao Che was left standing there, stunned.
He raised his hand to touch the side of his face where he had been slapped, and suddenly burst out laughing.
No wonder they put on such a good show in front of him; they were waiting for him here all along.
But never mind, she's just a little girl, he naturally won't hold it against her.
Her recent strange behavior is probably because she lost another bet and is now resorting to this trick in front of him.
He won't take it seriously, but like he said, there will definitely be no next time.
——
After Yan Jiarou hurriedly fled back to Chenghuan Palace, she saw Yingxue pouring tea. She quickly sat down and gulped down two cups of cold tea. Yingxue stared at her in disbelief and said worriedly, "Princess, please drink slowly, be careful not to choke... You only went out for a short while, how did you become so thirsty?"
"You don't know..." She raised her hand to wipe the water from her lips. After drinking two cups of cold tea, the agitation in her body subsided, and she became unusually calm. Her eyes stared blankly at a point in the void, and she sighed deeply, saying, "My lifelong reputation is completely ruined..."
——
She originally thought that after this ordeal, she would be as good as dead, but later she found that no matter how big the event was, it wasn't as terrifying as she had imagined.
At least Xiao Che didn't make fun of her about that incident after that, and in fact, she hardly ever saw Xiao Che again after that.
It was as if he was intentionally avoiding it, yet it also seemed that he was indeed much busier than before.
He and Xiao Yan jointly established the Xiuwen Hall outside the palace. In Xiao Yan's name, they gathered a group of scholars and began compiling the "Yudi Zhi" (Records of Geography). Although it was in Xiao Yan's name, he presided over many matters and often left the palace.
She now has very few opportunities to see him.
I happened to see her once, but I treated her as if I didn't know her, just like any other young lady from a noble family.
Yan Jiarou couldn't quite describe her feelings. She was naturally glad that he hadn't brought up the previous incident to make fun of her, and she was happy about that—but she wasn't as happy as she had imagined.
...They were so close not long ago, how come they are so cold to each other now?
When she came to her senses and realized what she had just been thinking, she was startled.
No, it's just a temporary adjustment. After more than ten years of bickering, suddenly becoming strangers would be unsettling for anyone.
That must be it.
It will get better in a while.
As for her strange illness, it still hasn't gotten better. Fortunately, she has Xiao Che's jade pendant to keep her from losing her composure. Although she often feels irritable and absent-minded because her addiction is not completely satisfied, at least she can maintain basic rationality and not lose her dignity.
She had originally thought that she and Xiao Che could continue to live peacefully together.
Until half a month later, something happened that completely intertwined their fates. After that, all the love, hate and entanglement only increased.
——
That day was the Dragon Boat Festival. A family banquet was held in the palace. As usual, she and several other princesses went to Anren Hall to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager after the banquet.
Empress Dowager Wang was not a true Wei person; she had half Hu (non-Han) blood. Therefore, she did not value bloodlines as much as others in the palace and treated Xiao Che and the other princes and princesses equally.
Furthermore, because Jiang Chenyu had saved her beloved pet by chance in her early years, thus incurring her great kindness, she held Xiao Che in high regard, as well as Yan Jiarou, who also had a close relationship with Jiang Chenyu. The other princesses all took their leave one after another, but Yan Jiarou was kept by the Empress Dowager for some private conversations.
Empress Dowager Wang wore a bright yellow round-necked pheasant robe, her hair styled in a jeweled bun adorned with square-shaped floral patterns and a gold comb, exuding an air of elegance and nobility, yet also displaying kindness and approachability.
She took Yan Jiarou's hand and placed it in her palm, gently stroking the back of her hand, and asked with a smile, "Time flies so fast, our little Jiarou, you've already come of age... Do you have someone you like?"
Yan Jiarou blushed slightly and whispered, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager... how can you ask such a question..."
Empress Dowager Wang laughed and said, "Why be shy in front of me? I think all three of my grandsons are very good. It's just a matter of which one you like."
"Speaking of which, my three grandsons have all come of age and it's time for them to get married. I'm not worried about Jue'er and Yan'er, but Che'er is the only one. He's been cold-hearted since he was little, and because of the controversy surrounding his bloodline, he's unwilling to let his guard down with others. I've heard that he doesn't even give a second glance to those young ladies from noble families. I'm really worried about his marriage."
Yan Jiarou agreed: Xiao Che's personality is such that he always bullies people; no woman could stand him.
After a long sigh, the Empress Dowager suddenly patted the back of her hand, as if she had just remembered something: "Speaking of which, a few days ago, the maid of Vice Minister Wang had her aunt bring her to visit me. Her aunt is a distant cousin of mine. Although she is not a direct relative, we are still related. She would come to pay her respects to me during festivals."
"She always came alone before, but this time she brought a maid with her. She said the maid had just turned 18 this year. Since they are from the same clan, it was time for her to come and let me see her. I think her name is Wang Ruoying. She's a clever and lively girl, and she's pretty too..."
“She mentioned Che’er to me intentionally or unintentionally, and said that at the recent hairpin ceremony, Che’er personally gave her the hairpin. The whole of Wei knows the meaning of a man giving flowers. The implication in her words is very clear—that Che’er treats her differently.”
"Her hints to me clearly indicate that she is also interested in Che'er. I think that if they are truly in love, why not have the Emperor bestow a marriage upon them? Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"
"No, we cannot grant this marriage!"
Before the Empress Dowager could finish speaking, Yan Jiarou impatiently interrupted her, saying, "Your Majesty, a marriage cannot be bestowed..."
Empress Dowager Wang was slightly taken aback, clearly surprised by Yan Jiarou's unusual attitude.
Her tone was so urgent that it could even be described as excited.
Why is Che'er so excited about being betrothed?
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