The envoy's trick
Seeing Ye Jiajia laughing so hard that she didn't say anything for a long time, Qin Yuyao shook her head helplessly, picked up the teapot and filled the empty cup in front of her.
"Tell me, what's so funny?" Qin Yuyao handed over the teacup and looked at Ye Jiajia with burning eyes, obviously wanting to know clearly.
Ye Jiajia paused, then said seriously, "I heard this from my father. Originally, the envoys came from this grassland just to discuss a ceasefire, but when they heard that our Prince Zhen'an was still unmarried, they thought of marrying a princess here."
Qin Yuyao frowned at the word "unmarried." How could she still claim Luan Zhengya was unmarried, pretending she didn't exist? Or was it just that the news from the grasslands hadn't reached her late?
Seeing her frown, Ye Jiajia hurriedly said, "This must be because the news from the grassland was delayed for a long time. Otherwise, how could the former princess become a concubine?"
Not to mention that Prince Zhen'an had previously been stationed in southern Xinjiang and had killed many grassland soldiers. To easily betroth the princess to Prince Zhen'an was simply too shameless.
"I know about this matter. Since the prince hasn't said anything, it's not a big deal." Qin Yuyao patted the back of Ye Jiajia's hand and said with a smile, "But thank you very much for seeking my cooperation today and telling me this matter."
Seeing that she was indeed calm and didn't sound panicked, Ye Jiajia finally breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that if she said it too early, Luan Zhengya would come to question her, and she would not dare to go out.
"Don't worry, Sister Yuyao. I used to live close to my cousin, and I never saw how he treated other women. You must be the most suitable and most predestined one." Ye Jiajia said, leaning her head on Qin Yuyao's shoulder.
"Besides, I like you very much. If that princess comes and really wants to snatch my cousin away, I will definitely help you stop her!"
Ye Jiajia said this with such confidence that she looked like a cute little sister. Qin Yuyao smiled and shook her head: "You, just take care of yourself when the time comes. I have the prince watching over me, so nothing will go wrong."
By the time Qin Yuyao returned to the palace, the sun had already set and the sky was getting dark.
Ye Jiajia originally wanted to send him off, but was stopped by Qin Yuyao: "Don't worry about me, the people guarding me are all secret guards sent by your cousin."
These words made Ye Jiajia's eyes widen in surprise. She didn't expect that Luan Zhengya would even arrange the secret guards, whose number was already insufficient, to be around Qin Yuyao.
Suddenly, I became more convinced that the two of them were in harmony and in love with each other.
"Hmph, Qin Wenxin can only write some letters and spread rumors about me. Then I will be the one laughing at her. And she still dreams of becoming my sister-in-law? Bah, bah, bah!" Ye Jiajia muttered softly as she watched Qin Yuyao's carriage go away.
The carriage slowly stopped at the gate of the Prince's Mansion. Before Qingyu could lift the curtain, she went out to greet the guests. A hand stretched out, and the jade ring on the thumb looked extremely noble.
Looking at the hand, Qin Yuyao's lips curled up, and she slowly placed her own hand on it. Soon, a strong force pulled her out of the carriage, and in the blink of an eye, she was carried down by the waist.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he couldn't help but look up at the other person: "Luan Zhengya? Aren't you going out to discuss official business today?"
After pushing back her messy bangs, Luan Zhengya lowered her gaze and met Qin Yuyao's eyes.
He said softly, "I'll come back when I've finished my work. I was thinking of having dinner with you today." The two of them could never get together during this period of time.
Qin Yuyao suppressed the smile on her face and said softly, "That's unfortunate. Jia Jia and I just came back after dinner."
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the person in front of him pause. Then he continued, "Then please have my lady accompany me for dinner. Even if my lady doesn't want to eat, I'll eat more just by looking at her."
Is this a pretense? Qin Yuyao shook her head slightly, pushing away her wild thoughts. Seeing that he was still staring at her intently, she hurriedly said, "Okay."
The next moment, he was seen beaming. Qin Yuyao couldn't help but smile too, and soon, Luan Zhengya took her hand and walked towards the mansion.
The Prince of Zhen'an's mansion, with its lake at its center, was still a bit chilly on summer nights. The cool breeze must have chilled the thin gauze she wore during the day. Qin Yuyao, however, felt the hand she was holding was exceptionally hot, her entire attention focused on the person beside her.
Although Luan Zhengya was looking forward, she could always sense that the person next to her was looking at her. She couldn't help but feel happy and her lips curled up.
Jiang He had already slipped away while the two were talking. He went to the kitchen in advance to tell the princess that although she didn't want to eat it, she still had to pay attention to the taste.
When the two entered the flower hall, a variety of dishes were already placed on the table. The maids and servants who had been accompanying them all withdrew with great tact.
"What did you talk about with Ye Jiajia today?" Luan Zhengya served the clear fish soup and placed it next to Qin Yuyao.
I didn't expect him to be curious about this, but there was nothing I couldn't tell him. I thought about it briefly in my mind and then told him what happened during the day.
Seeing that she still tasted the fish soup, Luan Zhengya put the fish meat that had just been deboned into her bowl and said, "So you want to go to the shop yourself to take a look?"
Qin Yuyao nodded slightly, looking at the fish meat in the bowl stained with sauce, and put it into her mouth. The fish meat really smelled delicious. If Ye Jiajia and she hadn't eaten much tonight, she wouldn't have eaten more than this one bite.
"Let's go and take a look tomorrow. Logically, the shop has been open for so long, so it should have a stable income. But the money collected is not much. I think there is another situation." As she said this, Qin Yuyao picked up a piece of garlic vegetables on the side and put it into Luan Zhengya's bowl.
Seeing her move, Luan Zhengya's eyes moved slightly, and she put the green vegetable into her mouth and ate it. After a moment, she whispered, "I don't like this green vegetable."
This was said with great grievance, as if she had forgotten that he didn't like vegetables, which made him very confused. Qin Yuyao immediately picked up a shrimp in a hurry. She had just eaten a few of the boiled shrimp, which were particularly fresh and sweet.
Seeing her flustered expression, Luan Zhengya pursed her lips slightly, suppressing the upward curve of her mouth. However, she still didn't let go of Qin Yuyao and continued, "Hey, it would be great if my lady could pick some up for me to eat."
Qin Yuyao blinked, unable to believe that these words actually came out of his mouth. She glared at him unhappily, but her gaze met his deep eyes.
Subconsciously, she reached out her chopsticks and passed the shrimp to Luan Zhengya's mouth. She clearly lowered her head to eat the shrimp, but her eyes were fixed on her without blinking.
It seems that what I put into my mouth is not the shrimp, but myself who is picking up the food.
This made Qin Yuyao pick up the tea and take a sip. Then she cleared her throat and said, "When my shop opens, I'll ask you to promote it well."
Although they have to walk more on the paths of the common people, the common people will naturally be happy to go to the shops that the dignitaries like to go to.
His gaze fell imperceptibly on the side of Qin Yuyao's face, her originally fair cheek now slightly red. Luan Zhengya withdrew her gaze with satisfaction, then said slowly, "The princess opened a shop, and even without me saying anything, those people would have come on their own initiative."
Suddenly, Qin Yuyao spoke again: "I want to open a shop in partnership with someone, please... Zhengya, please speak more for me." This title was rarely used between the two of them, so Qin Yuyao lowered her head to pick up some food after she finished speaking.
Seeing that if she continued to tease him, he would probably turn as red as the shrimp on the table, Luan Zhengya decided to stop while she was ahead. She stopped teasing him and immediately agreed to the deal.
"You really don't need me to go with you?" Luan Zhengya said. Seeing her hesitation, he added, "I'm not too ostentatious. Not many people in Shengjing know me. It's safe for me to go with you."
Thinking of the actions of that old thief Qin Ziwen in the past few days, Luan Zhengya lowered her eyes to hide the gloom in her eyes. In the past few days, the secret guards had eliminated many people who wanted to take action. Although they are still investigating, Qin Ziwen's hand is undoubtedly involved.
Qin Yuyao, however, assumed that since he was free, he wanted to walk with her. Without asking any more questions, she simply nodded, "Then wait for me tomorrow morning. I'll pack up and we'll go take a look. There are two shops in the south and north of the city."
At night, feeling the steady breathing beside her, Luan Zhengya slowly opened her eyes. Under the moonlight outside the window, she put on her coat and went to the study, where Jiang He had been waiting for a while.
Seeing Luan Zhengya come in, he immediately handed over the letter in his hand.
Luan Zhengya lowered his head and read the letter carefully, then sat in a chair and pondered quietly.
A moment later, Jiang He heard Luan Zhengya's deep voice say, "Send one more person to follow Qin Ziwen. This is a time of great uncertainty, so don't miss anything."
After a pause, he continued, "As for the affairs in the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, you can ask the secret guards to keep an eye on them. Yuyao should think about solving the problem herself, so don't interfere."
Seeing Jiang He nod and take note, Luan Zhengya frowned and said, "I won't interfere, but Yuyao's safety is the most important thing."
"Yes!" Jiang He felt helpless. He didn't want to interfere, but he wanted to avoid any trouble. This scale was a little difficult to grasp, but since the prince had spoken, they, as subordinates, naturally had to comply.
Before Jiang He left, he heard Luan Zhengya say, "Have all the shops in the mansion been given to Yuyao to look after?" Suddenly he remembered that all the shops he had bought in the past were given to Jiang He to look after.
Upon hearing this, Jiang He hurriedly explained, "I submitted it along with the household account book on the first day the princess arrived, but I haven't seen the princess inquire about it yet."
Luan Zhengya frowned. Could it be that Yuyao hadn't yet inquired about the affairs of the mansion? Or perhaps, she hadn't yet paid attention to the Prince Zhen'an's mansion?
If it was the latter... Thinking of this, Luan Zhengya, who had been calm, suddenly lost her composure. After a long while, she raised her hand and let Jiang He handle it.
Luan Zhengya walked slowly down the corridor under the moonlight. It wasn't long before she returned to the bedside. Qin Yuyao was soundly asleep, her hand subconsciously resting beside her.
After searching for a long time and failing to find the target, she retreated again. Seeing her like this, Luan Zhengya's original frustration had mostly dissipated.
So he carefully lay down beside her, and his body, which had been chilled by the cold night wind, was instantly melted away by the warmth of her proximity.
Looking at her contented sleeping face, Luan Zhengya couldn't help but place a gentle kiss on her cheek. His gaze finally fell greedily on Qin Yuyao's lips, and he couldn't help but bite them lightly.
Then he held his breath and looked at the person who had been disturbed from his sweet dream. He muttered a few words unconsciously. But he never took back his arms, but moved closer.
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