Chapter 3 Miss Wen is really...squeamish
Xie Shian moved closer to her face.
The corners of the little girl's eyes were red and her eyelashes were wet, and she was indeed crying.
In fact, she was very beautiful, with full and round cheeks, and two goose yellow silk ribbons hanging down from her buns. Her slender white fingertips rested on his sleeves, and a thin layer of red appeared on them due to the force.
She is not good at studying, and neither is he.
Xie Shian felt close to her and patted her head: "Don't worry, when we get home later, if father beats you, I will definitely stand up for you!"
Wen Xingluo: “…”
What's with that sympathetic look on his face?
Who would sympathize with him on such a matter?
Wen Xingluo looked at him with a face full of righteousness, and remembered that in his previous life, the fourth young master of the Zhenbei Palace would have his legs broken by a collapsed restaurant soon, and from then on he would be reduced from a young man in fine clothes and a vigorous horse to a useless person with no fighting spirit. He clenched his handkerchief unconsciously.
Maybe, she can help Xie Shian avoid disaster.
Xie Guanlan's concerned voice came from outside the car: "Is Miss Wen really crying?"
Xie Shian stuck his head out of the car window like a puppy: "Yeah, big brother! She got the last place in the exam and she cried so sadly!"
Wen Xingluo couldn't see Xie Guanlan's expression.
But I heard him chuckle: "Miss Wen is really... delicate."
It was like the tone of an older brother doting on his younger sister.
But there is a hint of inexplicable gloating hidden in it.
…
After returning to the palace, Xie Shian and Wen Xingluo were called to the study by Xie Jing, the King of Zhenbei.
Xie Shian howled in pain from being beaten, running around the yard. "No! Father! She ranked last in the exam! Wen Xingluo ranked last! Why am I the one getting beaten?!"
Xie Jing was eight feet tall with a broad back and strong arms. He was holding a ruler and was so angry that he was puffing his beard and glaring.
He chased after Xie Shian and started beating him: "What's wrong with your sister failing the test?! She's new here, so what's wrong with her failing the test?! She can get whatever rank she wants! I hired so many teachers to give you extra lessons, and you still got such a low score!"
Wen Xingluo stood by and watched the stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots quietly.
She knew very well that she was a stepdaughter, and even if King Zhenbei was dissatisfied with her test scores, he would not hit her.
Xie Jing was tired from fighting, and gave Wen Xingluo a shy and honest smile: "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."
Wen Xingluo shook his head and asked, "Is mother still sick?"
After her mother got married, she always claimed to be ill and never interacted with the old concubine and other female relatives in the mansion, nor did she care about the child she brought with her.
Wen Xingluo felt that her mother had never actually liked her or her brothers and sisters.
Xie Jing stroked his beautiful beard, his face full of heartache: "Your mother is weak. I have asked a miracle doctor to come and treat her. The doctor said she needs to rest. You and the fourth child should go to the grandmother's yard for dinner. We will not go there."
When Wen Xingluo and Xie Shian came to Wansongyuan, Xie Guanlan had already arrived.
The old concubine arranged for Wen Xingluo to sit next to her and asked with concern, "Why don't you wear the pair of gold bracelets I gave you? Don't you like them anymore?"
Wen Xingluo touched his empty wrist and glanced at Xie Guanlan.
He was having a meal with a gentle demeanor.
She didn't say that she didn't wear the gold bracelet because of Xie Guanlan, but only said softly, "The gold bracelet my grandmother gave me is too valuable. I was afraid of losing it if I wore it, so I took it off."
"You kid," the old concubine laughed, "if it's lost, it's lost. We can afford to lose it."
She called Nanny Chen.
Nanny Chen stuffed a brocade box into Wen Xingluo's hand and said, "This is something from the dowry of the Concubine Dowager. There is no young lady in the mansion, and I haven't had the chance to use it in recent years. It's just right to give it to the young lady."
Inside the brocade box was a pair of gold bracelets with Ruyi patterns and a gold hairpin.
They are all solid gold ornaments with delicate carvings and bright luster, and they are obviously worth a lot of money at first glance.
Xie Shian was the first to shout, "Grandma, why is it that Wen Xingluo, who ranked last in the exam, doesn't get punished with a ruler and even gets a reward?! I don't accept it!"
The old concubine glared at him. "I'm just a little girl, delicate and cuddly. How can I bear the consequences of a beating?! You're tough and thick-skinned, so a few beatings won't hurt you! Besides, you're a boy. What do you need gold bracelets and hairpins for? Are you going to wear them?!"
"This is all our family property!" Xie Shi'an clutched his chest in pain. "How can we let outsiders take advantage of it?! Grandma, I don't agree with her sharing my property!"
"you--"
The old concubine was so angry with him that she picked up the dragon-headed cane and beat him.
The old man is as vigorous as a dragon and walks as fast as the wind!
Xie Shian was beaten so hard that he jumped up and down and cried loudly.
The old concubine generously added a dish of stir-fried bamboo shoots and pork to the family dinner.
When we came out of Wansongyuan, it was already completely dark.
Wen Xingluo wanted to return to his own yard, but ran into Xie Guanlan in the corridor.
She held the brocade box and knelt in greeting, "Long live the prince."
Xie Guanlan stood with his hands behind his back, his voice still sounding gentle: "Grandmother loves Miss Wen very much."
The night is as dark as ink.
He stood under the lanterns in the corridor, his black hair half tied up with a golden hairpin, his figure swaying with a belt buckle, his crimson suit making his appearance look gorgeous, but there was a hint of coldness and danger in the corners of his eyebrows and eyes.
Like a ghost on a spring night.
Wen Xingluo maintained a kneeling posture.
She knew very well that Xie Guanlan did not welcome her or her mother.
In her previous life, my sister was hastily married to a minor official, and it is hard to say that Xie Guanlan had no hand in it.
She presented the brocade box with both hands and confessed her true feelings earnestly: "I just want to leave my former home, read some poetry and live a peaceful life. I have never thought of seeking wealth and status in the royal palace. Since the prince does not like it, I am willing to return the reward given by the concubine."
Xie Guanlan didn't answer, and said with a half-smile: "I heard that Miss was joking. I have never been unhappy about it."
He never asked Wen Xingluo to get up.
Wen Xingluo lowered his eyes, his legs feeling a little sore.
"Since it's a gift from Grandmother..." Xie Guanlan slowly stretched out his hand and placed it on the brocade box. "Miss Wen, you must take good care of it. Don't lose it and disappoint Grandmother."
The spring night is quiet.
With a "plop", Xie Guanlan threw the brocade box into the pond outside the corridor.
Wen Xingluo suddenly raised his head.
Their eyes met.
Behind Xie Guanlan were the dancing shadows of trees, like countless evil spirits waving their claws wantonly, as if they wanted to tear apart the gorgeous lanterns under the corridor.
He slowly put on a smile, his voice extremely gentle: "Don't you think so, Miss Wen?"
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