The famous scene in the carriage
She slumped onto the cold steps, gazing at the towering walls and the unfathomable depths of the palace before her, her mind filled with countless thoughts.
How could she possibly carve out a way to survive in this deep palace, this magnificent capital, and even the entire Great Shang Dynasty?
"Miss Jiang?" A gentle voice, tinged with hesitation, rang out from not far away.
Jiang Wanzhi trembled violently, looking up like a frightened bird.
Under the moonlight, Zongzheng Zhaoran found himself standing in the shadows of the corridor.
"Your Highness...Prince Zhao?" Jiang Wanzhi's voice was panicked as she looked at him in disbelief at his presence. She struggled to stand up and bow, but her legs were numb and limp.
Zongzheng Zhaoran quickly stepped forward, offered a helping hand, and said gently, "Miss Jiang, there's no need for such formality. I noticed you had been away from your seat for quite some time and seemed unwell, so I came out to look for you."
His gaze fell on the black and gold cloak on her shoulders. "It seems that Miss Jiang arranged to meet her ninth brother here. I apologize for disturbing you."
"No... Your Highness Prince Zhao... You've misunderstood." Jiang Wanzhi looked like a frightened little animal that had been ravaged by a wild beast.
A subtle, almost imperceptible expression flashed in Zongzheng Zhaoran's gentle eyes.
His face showed a gentle concern as he took out a plain white hand warmer from his sleeve and handed it to her, saying, "Miss Jiang, it's windy tonight, don't get cold."
Jiang Wanzhi was stunned. Looking at the hand warmer that Prince Zhao placed in her hand, she whispered, "Thank you... Your Highness."
The hand warmer carried a faint scent of gardenias, as if it had been specially prepared for her. Completely different from the cold and domineering aura emanating from Zongzheng Hengyu, it brought her a touch of warmth.
Jiang Wanzhi breathed a sigh of relief. The male lead is indeed the male lead! He is so gentle and considerate!
"Miss Jiang seems... to be very afraid of Ninth Brother?" Zongzheng Zhaoran had heard something about it. The imperial decree of marriage had just been delivered to the Prime Minister's residence on New Year's Eve, and she had escaped from the residence that night.
Jiang Wanzhi froze, her fingers tightening suddenly as she gripped the hand warmer!
Jiang Wanzhi was taken aback by his sudden question and hurriedly lowered her head, "Your Highness Prince Heng is of noble status, and I only feel a sense of awe."
"A sense of awe?" Zongzheng Zhaoran repeated softly, a faint, meaningful smile curving his lips. "I do sense that there's a hint of grievance in Miss Jiang's eyes."
He paused, smiled slightly, and gazed at her in a gentle tone, "Since Miss Jiang is unwilling to elaborate, I will not press further. However..."
He leaned down slightly and lowered his voice, a gesture that carried a seductive comforting quality for Jiang Wanzhi: "If Miss Jiang truly feels wronged, she might as well remember that there is more than one path to take in this world."
He glanced meaningfully at the hand warmer in her hand, "Perhaps I can be the one that Miss Jiang is willing to confide in."
After saying that, without waiting for Jiang Wanzhi's reaction, he straightened up and resumed his aloof and polite demeanor: "It's windy in the Imperial Garden, Miss Jiang, you should return to your seat early so as not to worry Prime Minister Jiang. I'll take my leave first."
He nodded slightly, and his pale figure, just as he had arrived, silently disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
Jiang Wanzhi stood frozen in place, clutching the fragrant hand warmer. Zongzheng Zhaoran's words were like poison coated in honey.
"Miss! Miss, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere!" Chun Tao's anxious voice broke the silence.
Jiang Wanzhi snapped back to reality, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress her surging emotions before replying, "It's nothing... I got lost. Let's go back."
She followed Chun Tao, her steps unsteady as she walked back, the brightly lit Linde Hall just before her.
The clamor inside the hall surged in like a wave from another world, carrying an unreal and illusory feeling.
She stopped outside the hall, took a few deep breaths of the cold air, and tried to suppress the turmoil churning in her chest.
“Chuntao,” Jiang Wanzhi suddenly called out to her, her voice urgent and demanding, “help me take this cloak off.”
Chun Tao was taken aback, looking at the black and gold cloak that clearly belonged to Prince Heng, exuding majesty and coldness, and hesitated, "Miss? The night wind is chilly, you..."
"Take it off!" Jiang Wanzhi's tone carried a hint of sharpness that was barely perceptible.
She cannot go in wearing that iconic cloak!
That would only reveal to everyone who she was with and what she had been through.
Zongzheng Hengyu's label of "ownership" made her feel suffocated.
“And… this,” she quickly shoved a gardenia-scented hand warmer from her sleeve into Chun Tao’s hand, “Keep it safe, don’t let anyone see it.”
Looking at her young mistress's pale yet resolute face, Chun Tao dared not ask any more questions. She quickly and deftly untied the cloak's ties, rolled it up, folded it neatly, and then deeply hid the small hand warmer in her sleeve.
After getting rid of these two "hot potatoes," Jiang Wanzhi finally felt a little relieved, as if a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
She tidied her slightly disheveled hair and clothes, tried to straighten her back, and attempted to create a facade of calm on her face before taking a deep breath and stepping back into that suffocatingly bustling world.
However, the moment she stepped into the hall, two tangible gazes locked onto her instantly.
A gaze came from diagonally in front. Zongzheng Hengyu remained seated, his posture languid, toying with a white jade wine cup in his hand, but his gaze pierced through the light and shadow and the crowd in the hall, landing precisely on her.
Another gaze came from further ahead. Zongzheng Zhaoran was smiling and talking to his ministers, but out of the corner of his eye, as Jiang Wanzhi stepped into the palace, his gaze seemingly unintentionally swept over her bare shoulders and slightly thin figure.
Then, his gentle gaze lingered on her face for a moment, carrying a very faint, elusive understanding, and the corners of his lips curved into a barely perceptible smile.
These two gazes, one as cold as an abyss and the other as gentle as a blade, sandwiched Jiang Wanzhi in the middle, making her restless and even causing her to breathe cautiously.
The banquet finally came to a close amidst cheers of farewell to His Majesty.
Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon and rose to take their leave.
Jiang Wanzhi was almost impatient to leave this suffocating place with her father.
"Prime Minister Jiang, please wait."
A deep, calm voice rang out, not loud, but clearly drowning out the remaining noise in the hall.
Yan Cheng had appeared beside Prime Minister Jiang without anyone noticing, bowing respectfully with a demeanor that left no room for doubt: "His Highness has a few words he wishes to say to Miss Jiang. His Highness will personally escort Miss Jiang back to her residence. Please rest assured, Prime Minister Jiang, take your leave first."
He personally escorted her back to her residence?!
Prime Minister Jiang's expression changed slightly. He subconsciously looked at his pale-faced daughter, and then at Zongzheng Hengyu, who stood with his hands behind his back and an indifferent expression not far away.
His Majesty's decree of marriage was still ringing in his ears. Now that Prince Heng wanted to personally escort the bride, how could he dare to stop him?
Prime Minister Jiang could only suppress his doubts and unease, and said to Jiang Wanzhi in a deep voice, "Zhi'er, listen carefully to His Highness's instructions, and do not be impolite." His eyes were filled with a complex warning and a trace of barely perceptible worry.
“Yes… Father.” Jiang Wanzhi was extremely unwilling, her fingertips digging deeply into her palm.
This villainous boss! He really didn't give her a moment's rest!
Watching her father, the Prime Minister, disappear into the crowd at the palace gate, Jiang Wanzhi felt as if her last bit of support had been taken away, leaving only boundless panic and unease.
She stood frozen in place, watching Zongzheng Hengyu slowly walk towards her.
"Let's go." He said succinctly, not even glancing at her, and walked straight past her towards the palace gate. Yan Cheng followed silently.
Jiang Wanzhi was like a puppet on a string, and could only follow behind them numbly.
The carriage of Prince Heng's mansion was already parked outside the palace gate. It was all black, understated yet exuding an undeniable majesty, just like its owner.
Yan Cheng lifted the carriage curtain, and Zongzheng Hengyu boarded first. Jiang Wanzhi looked at the deep, dark carriage, which resembled the jaws of a beast, and her steps felt as heavy as lead.
"Miss Jiang, please come up," Yan Cheng urged calmly.
Jiang Wanzhi closed her eyes, resignedly bent down, and crawled inside.
The carriage was spacious, covered with thick velvet carpets, and had a heater burning. The air was filled with a faint, cool, agarwood fragrance that belonged to Zongzheng Hengyu.
He sat in the main seat, closing his eyes to rest, as if she didn't exist.
The carriage started slowly, rolling over the bluestone slabs of the palace road, making a dull and rhythmic sound.
The carriage was deathly silent, save for the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire in the heater and the erratic heartbeat that Jiang Wanzhi tried so hard to suppress.
She huddled in the corner furthest from Zongzheng Hengyu, her body tense, wishing she could shrink herself into a ball of air.
The noise from the street could be faintly heard through the heavy carriage curtains, making the already oppressive atmosphere inside the carriage even more palpable.
Sudden!
The carriage jolted violently!
Whether it was because they had run over a pothole or because the horses pulling the cart had been startled, the cart began to shake violently!
"Ah!" Caught off guard, Jiang Wanzhi exclaimed in surprise. Her body was thrown off her seat by the huge inertia and she fell straight forward!
She instinctively closed her eyes, waiting for the excruciating pain of hitting the car wall.
However, the anticipated impact did not occur.
A strong, powerful arm reached out with lightning speed and precisely wrapped its arms around her slender waist!
A tremendous force suddenly pulled her up, and she uncontrollably fell into a hard, slightly warm embrace!
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Jiang Wanzhi opened her eyes in shock, and the first thing she saw was a dark fabric embroidered with dark gold cloud patterns. Her nose was filled with a rich, cold, sandalwood fragrance that domineeringly invaded all her senses.
Her entire body was firmly held in his arms, and her hands, propelled by the momentum of the carriage, pressed directly against the cool skin of his neck!
She could clearly feel his steady and powerful heartbeat beneath his chest, the warmth of his body through his clothes, and the unshakeable strength emanating from the arm around her waist.
This scene... is absolutely hilarious! Isn't this the classic trope used in TV dramas to bring the male and female leads closer?
This sudden intimate contact, imbued with a strong masculine aura and an absolute sense of control, instantly shattered all her defenses!
"Your...Your Highness, please forgive me..." Her voice was filled with panic as she struggled to get out of his arms, but her body was too weak from the shock and the excessive closeness.
Zongzheng Hengyu looked down at her.
The person in his arms was like a frightened little animal, her body stiff and trembling slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.
Her pale face was filled with panic, and her wide, embarrassed eyes, reflected in the dim light inside the car, revealed a rare, fragile purity.
The warmth from the heater in the carriage, mixed with her faint, youthful fragrance and his cool aura, created a strange, dizzying, and ambiguous atmosphere.
The lingering effects of the bumpy ride still seemed to be causing the car to sway slightly, adding a touch of indescribable allure and chaos.
Zongzheng Hengyu's arms did not loosen; instead, they tightened even more under her feeble struggles, holding her firmly in his embrace.
His gaze was fixed on her intently, and in his deep, cold eyes, it was as if a pebble had been thrown into the frozen lake, creating a barely perceptible ripple.
He remained silent, neither pushing her away immediately nor uttering a word of rebuke.
Jiang Wanzhi could clearly feel his arms tightening around her and his deep, unfathomable gaze that burned with heat as it fell on her face.
The carriage quickly regained its balance, and the driver, terrified, apologized outside.
While the driver was talking, she suddenly broke free from his embrace, slumped back into her original corner in a disheveled state, and curled up into a ball.
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