Chapter 303 Explaining the Dao
"Oh, okay, that's normal. Some of the foods I liked when I was little, I don't really like now. What do you like to eat now? I'll have someone prepare them for you."
Huo Ran shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness, Princess. I don't have any requirements for these things now. As long as there is food, that's enough for me. As for preferences, those are no longer important."
Princess Chongyang's smile faded. She naturally understood Huo Ran's meaning; he simply wanted to say that he was different from before, both in terms of diet and feelings. Huo Ran had no intention of developing anything else with Princess Chongyang.
Hearing Huo Ran say this, Liu Zijun felt much better. It turned out that even a princess could be looked down upon. Now she was no longer worried that Huo Ran would be taken away from her.
"Greetings, Your Highness. Today is your birthday, and I have prepared a special gift for you."
Princess Chongyang was about to leave. She wasn't the type to cling to someone. Although she liked Huo Ran, if he didn't like her back, she wouldn't force it, no matter how much she liked him. After all, forced relationships are never sweet, and there's no point in being together by force.
"Really? Thank you very much, Miss Liu. I remember you used to like following me around. Now that you've grown up, you have your own ideas."
Liu Zijun's smile froze on her face. When she was a child, she did like to follow Princess Chongyang around and flatter her. At that time, her father was only a minor official of the fifth rank. She would take any opportunity to flatter Princess Chongyang. That period was the most shameful time of her life, and many people said that she was the princess's dog.
Now that Princess Chongyang had casually mentioned her, she felt extremely uncomfortable. However, she was now the legitimate daughter of the prime minister, and even if Princess Chongyang was of noble status, she should still be respected.
"Of course, I was too young and ignorant before. I am very grateful to Princess Chongyang for taking me out to play. Now that Princess Chongyang has been away from the capital for many years, if there is anything you want to know, you can ask me. I can also show you around the capital for some entertainment."
Princess Chongyang looked Liu Zijun up and down with a look that sent chills down one's spine. It contained disdain, contempt, and even a hint of disgust.
"No need. This princess is not so poor that she doesn't even have someone to guide her. Miss Liu's status is different now. She is second only to Prime Minister Liu. I can't order her around."
Princess Chongyang left after speaking. Although she was praising Liu Zijun, her words were full of disdain.
"What's so great about it?" Liu Zijun muttered to herself after Princess Chongyang left.
Huo Ran would rather exchange a few words with Princess Chongyang than pay any attention to Liu Zijun. Just as he was about to leave, Liu Zijun stopped him.
"Brother Huo Ran, you didn't even tell me you were coming today, so I was able to come with you. There's a lantern festival tonight, do you want us to go together tonight...?"
"I'm sorry, I have something to do tonight. Please make yourself at home, Ms. Liu."
After Huo Ran finished speaking, he left resolutely. Liu Zijun stayed there and saw others looking at her and laughing. Her face flushed red. Huo Ran was really heartless to her. Even if he didn't like her, he shouldn't have embarrassed her in front of so many people.
"Huo Ran, you just wait, you'll regret this sooner or later!"
Zhao Zhilan chuckled behind her back, but when Liu Zijun looked over, she revealed an angry expression: "Sister Liu, this young master is too heartless to you. Could it be that he has fallen for Princess Chongyang? After all, Princess Chongyang is here and is favored by the Emperor; who wouldn't want to be her husband?"
Liu Zijun hesitated and said, "That's not necessarily true. From what Brother Huo Ran said just now, it seems that he has no interest in Princess Chongyang. With Brother Huo Ran's ambition, he would never stoop to being a prince consort."
Zhao Zhilan said with a smile, "That's not necessarily true. Princess Chongyang can be so gentle to the young master. It's hard to say that she won't melt his heart. Moreover, the young master is proud. I estimate that in the entire capital, only Princess Chongyang is worthy of him."
Upon hearing this, Liu Zijun glared fiercely at Zhao Zhilan: "What nonsense are you talking about? Am I not good enough for the young master? How am I inferior to Princess Chongyang? Are you trying to curry favor with Princess Chongyang? If you want to, I won't stop you. Maybe if you curry favor, your family can get promoted. But you are born out of wedlock, so even if your family rises higher, you won't benefit from it."
Zhao Zhilan lowered her eyes, hiding the ruthlessness in them. This was not the first time she had been humiliated and despised by Liu Zijun, but she always endured it and waited for the opportunity to repay Liu Zijun in the future.
“Sister Liu is right. How could I possibly try to curry favor with Princess Chongyang? Someone like the princess wouldn’t even give me a second glance. It’s only because Sister Liu is kind-hearted that she’s willing to show me the world. Otherwise, I would still be doing needlework in the mansion, living a life worse than a maid.”
Hearing her say this, Liu Zijun felt a little better: "It's good that you know. If it weren't for me, you would still be a concubine's daughter doing manual labor at home. The reason your family doesn't dare to bully you now is because of me. If you are ungrateful, don't blame me for not remembering your past feelings."
Zhao Zhilan nodded: "Yes, I have always been grateful for your kindness, sister, and I will never forget it."
Liu Zijun snorted and said, "That's more like it. By the way, where's Brother Huo Ran?"
The two searched everywhere for Huo Ran, but couldn't find him. They didn't know where he had gone; it seemed he had left ahead of time.
On the other side, watching Liu Zijun's hurried search, the palace matron asked, "Princess, why don't you tell the young master your feelings? Although the emperor wants to bestow a marriage upon the young master and Miss Liu, the imperial decree hasn't been issued yet, and everything still has a chance to unfold. If you truly love the young master, why not give it a try?"
Princess Chongyang remained unmoved: "It's true that I haven't seen Huo Ran for a long time, but based on what I know about him from his childhood, if he were interested in me, he wouldn't have said those things just now. That's just how I am; I would never force someone, because that would make everyone uncomfortable. Even if I got him, I wouldn't be truly happy. By the way, it seems Huo Ran has someone he likes. Could it be this Liu Zijun?"
Granny Zhao glanced at Liu Zijun, pursed her lips, and said, "This servant doesn't think so. The young master is even colder to Liu Zijun than to you."
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