Chapter 78: Jealousy: Whether it's a woman or a man, they all get tired of the old and love the new. ...
The carriage finally arrived outside the palace gate.
Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief for a moment.
Several palace maids and guards had already been waiting here to welcome Nanyue. Duan Zhirui was also in the front row. The deputy envoy of the Golden Feather Guard escorted Nanyue to the palace and then took her around to familiarize herself with the route. Then everyone with a discerning eye in the palace should have known Nanyue's status and would not dare to neglect her.
Nan Yue brought her servants and waved to Yu Qing and Xie Jing, then followed the Golden Feather Guards into the palace.
After she left, the two remaining men exchanged a glance. They had each made their own gaffes in the carriage, and now, naturally, there was some awkwardness.
"Prince," Xie Jing whispered, "I arranged for the princess to enter the palace out of good intentions to look after her. Are you truly dissatisfied?"
Yu Qing couldn't explain.
She was sometimes not sober. Even though she knew Xie Jing was a genuine man, she still couldn't realize that he was no longer her wife.
He was tall and slender, and Yu Qing could hold his arm easily in the past, but now she had to tilt her head slightly to look him in the eye.
The shoulders that she could hold in her arms before have now become flat and broad.
He was a prince born in a wealthy family, handsome and unparalleled, and was loved by everyone. He was no longer the princess who needed and depended on her in every way.
Qing Jia would cry pitifully and complain about how she had no favor or favour in the palace and how there was no one she could trust her life to. In fact, this was just to teach people to let down their guard.
Xie Jing himself said that we cannot listen to "her" one-sided words.
Indeed, at the very least, she was still a princess, surrounded by her own loyal staff, such as her maids and secret guards. Even if the emperor and empress despised her, she wouldn't have to suffer. Instead, her life would have been much easier. She could carefully avoid attention, marry when she was old enough, and then escape and return to the capital as a prince. Wasn't that all pretty smooth sailing?
Now he has a mother, an elder brother, and many people who care about him. Why does he need anyone else to pity and care for him?
Yu Qing's eyes swept across the light white collar of her dress. This morning, she had inexplicably asked someone to pick out a set, and she didn't know why.
Looking in the mirror, I think I look pretty good.
However, for someone who is good at decoration like Xie Jing, it seems a bit plain and ordinary.
"Kindness?" she said calmly, "I think your Highness has more on your mind than this."
This straightforward and ruthless revelation made Xie Jing choke.
She didn't want to make things difficult for Nan Yue when he was around, but she was rude to him as soon as he left.
He was also at a loss for words because he really had no good intentions.
He avoided Yu Qing's gaze and said, "Anyway, don't worry, I will take care of her and won't let her get into any trouble in the palace."
Yu Qing thought to himself, this person is so shameless. He went out for fun, fell into the water and was frightened and sick for several days. Now he is still making big promises to take care of others.
Xie Jing asked, "You...are you still going to take my carriage back? I'll take you back to Beichensi?"
Yu Qing tried to avoid being alone with her partner, fearing she would lose her composure again. She said, "No need."
There were guards stationed outside the palace, so she just had to ask someone to bring her a horse.
"Okay." Xie Jing sighed.
He turned around reluctantly and got into the carriage slowly.
Yu Qing pursed her lips, picked up a piece of silver at random, and threw it out from her fingertips, hitting him right in the knee.
Xie Jing felt a sudden sharp pain in his joints, his legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees on the bicycle frame. He thought he was having trouble again, but Yu Qing reached out and helped him up.
They were about to separate, but Xie Jing couldn't help but shudder and looked back.
Yu Qing was at his ease, and said with a hint of meaning, "Your Highness, you can't even walk steadily. I think you should not rush to help others."
It turned out that she was still thinking about this matter. He just helped Nanyue and didn't let her come, but she couldn't stand it.
Xie Jing felt a chill in his heart, and couldn't help but think of Xie Tingzhao's warning. He sadly discovered that he was right. No matter whether it was a woman or a man, they all liked the new and got tired of the old.
His eyes dropped, and he couldn't help but whispered: "...I just don't want you to be with Nanyue."
Yu Qing didn't understand his inexplicable words for a moment. What happened between him and Nan Yue?
It was not until King Jing's carriage had gone several feet away that she suddenly realized what was going on.
In his eyes, I am a man. He probably thinks that I am competing with him for her and regards Yu Qing as a love rival.
So that's how it is. Yu Qing was both amused and helpless.
As expected, Xie Jing didn't understand at all. She wasn't doing this for Nan Yue at all.
·
Xie Jing returned to the palace. Although his plan was successful, he did not look happy.
He knew that Yu Qing was very dissatisfied and had been targeting him several times in her words and deeds.
He admitted that Nan Yue was not only young and beautiful, but also kind and brave, much better than the sickly Princess Qingjia.
He remembered that Yu Qing used to be always smiling, but now she always looked serious. Wouldn't she be happy if she were really with Nan Yue? He was being too much of a hindrance to their marriage. It wasn't that he couldn't bear to see Yu Qing succeed, nor did he blame Nan Yue, but he truly couldn't accept it.
Why didn’t Yu Qing give me a chance?
He is not completely useless.
She was skilled in all arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She had sewn clothes for her, embroidered purses, and even served her tea at Beichensi. Yu Qing hadn't disliked anything before, but now she didn't even recognize Qingjia as her wife.
Yu Qing praised the snacks made by Nan Yue today.
...He really doesn't know how to do this. He's not as dexterous as others.
After dinner, the former secret guard, now the head chef, was comfortably preparing the ingredients in the luxurious kitchen of the palace. Hearing someone coming in, he turned around and saw that it was the prince.
"Milk cake, molten cheese, and fermented rice dumplings," Xie Jing asked, "Do you know how to make them?"
The chef nodded, not understanding what was going on.
"Okay," Xie Jing announced, "you'll teach me from now on."
Chef: “…Huh?”
·
Before the next court meeting, Xie Jing finally finished writing the memorial to the Ministry of Revenue. The previous one was written by Wen Xu under his supervision, and this time he was not given an outline. After reading it, Wen Xu asked him to revise it twice. He was still working hard the night before and finally submitted it.
The emperor felt a sudden sense of relief after hearing the report, and was so happy that he asked him to come and discuss the matter further after the court was dismissed. After spending half an hour with the emperor, he thought about going to Rong Fei's place again.
When Duan Zhirui had no other matters to attend to, he was responsible for protecting him. This time, he also accompanied him to the court and the palace. Xie Jing went to see his mother, and Duan Zhirui waited outside.
Xie Jing came out and saw no one. He thought Nan Yue wasn't far away, so he might as well go and ask her how she was doing. However, when he got closer, he found... Duan Zhirui and Nan Yue were talking at the gate of her palace.
Xie Jing frowned, as if thinking about something.
On the way back, Xie Jing looked at Duan Zhirui, who was absent-minded in the carriage, and said, "Do you like her too?"
Duan Zhirui: "What?"
He paused for a moment before coming to his senses, and then he couldn't even speak clearly: "How did Your Highness know this?"
Xie Jing was speechless: "It's written on your face."
Duan Zhirui: “…”
He thought he hadn't been very obvious, but Xie Jing was very good at reading people's expressions and couldn't hide it at all. His handsome face immediately turned red.
"I, I, I just admire her... I just sent her to the palace last time, walked with her in the imperial garden, and helped her catch a butterfly... I didn't do anything else!"
...No wonder that after he and Yu Qing went back last time, Duan Zhirui stayed in the palace for a long time and returned in the evening.
Xie Jing looked at Duan Zhirui. This young General Duan was quite handsome. He had won the top prize in the martial arts examination before he was twenty, and after entering the court, he rose through the ranks of the Golden Feather Guard. Although he was a bit of a gossipmonger and liked to watch the fun, he was also a rare talent. He had been in the imperial court for many years and was a very respectable figure in the Golden Feather Guard.
He suddenly discovered...Duan Zhirui was also capable.
"You're not the only one who likes a girl like that," Xie Jing said a little sourly. The other one was Yu Qing. "You're dilly-dallying. If you miss the chance, you'll cry."
"I know," Duan Zhirui said with embarrassment, "Actually, I bought a gift last time, but I just didn't feel comfortable giving it this time..."
Xie Jing: "Let me take a look."
Duan Zhirui took out a gorgeous box from his arms. Xie Jing felt something was wrong when he saw it. When he opened it, he saw a big gold bracelet with a phoenix carved on it.
Xie Jing's eyes went dark: "..."
"Luckily you didn't send it off," Xie Jing couldn't help but sigh, "What kind of vision do you men have?"
Duan Zhirui: "I heard that girls like gold a lot, and this is the most valuable one..."
Xie Jing thought of the phoenix hairpin that Yu Qing had given him. He had never worn it since he received it, and he was really at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"..." Xie Jing said, "Forget it, just follow me."
Xie Jing took Duan Zhirui to the largest pearl and jade shop in Beijing, and went straight to the shopkeeper. He described the shape of a silk and butterfly necklace in detail, added silver, and asked them to make it as soon as possible.
Duan Zhirui didn't understand a word and was dumbfounded after seeing the sketch drawn by the craftsman. He had never imagined such an exquisite object.
"She told me before that she had a necklace she particularly liked. When she left Lanzhou, there was a strong storm and it accidentally broke. When the boat shook, it fell into the sea and was never retrieved," Xie Jing said. "After you get it, find a chance to give it to her first."
Duan Zhirui nodded repeatedly.
"As for your bracelet, why not just melt it down and give it to her as a gold ingot?" Xie Jing said calmly, "She can buy something she likes later."
Duan Zhirui: “…Okay.”
He thought that His Royal Highness Prince Jing sounded very capable, so why was his love life so bumpy?
We will not discuss what General Duan did with the gift later, but the head manager of Zhucuifang was from an imperial merchant family, had many connections in Beijing, and was very knowledgeable about business opportunities.
It has been half a year since His Royal Highness Prince Jing returned to the capital. He gradually participated in politics and often attended banquets of aristocratic families. Many people recognized him.
Moreover, King Jing was an extremely elegant and particular handsome man. He usually dressed in a unique way and did not follow the trend. Many young men wanted to imitate him when they saw him. Although he sometimes failed to do it well and not only did he fail to win the favor of girls, he also gained a lot of dislike. However, he still created a new trend every now and then.
So the shopkeeper quickly put out a message, saying that His Royal Highness Prince Jing was very fond of the quality of his own items and spent a hundred taels of silver to customize the jewelry. His Royal Highness personally selected them and was fair to everyone. He invited all distinguished guests to visit the store to choose and customize. If they ordered more than three pieces, the price would be reduced by 10%, and the price would be reduced by 10%, until the end of the month.
Yu Qing usually doesn't care about these things at all.
She knew nothing about the trends in the capital or the happenings in the city, but one of her friends was Mr. Wen Er, who was very knowledgeable, and the shopkeeper had a good relationship with Wen Shuo.
"...We've made a fortune these past few days, and the money has piled up like a mountain!" Wen Shuo said, "We're even planning to open another branch in the southern part of Beijing. This time, we've made enough money to buy the shop."
Yu Qing did not join in lamenting the huge profits of this business. After a long while, he just said, "It turns out that King Jing is so popular."
Wen Shuo felt that Yu Qing's tone sounded a bit sour, which was rare. He used to ignore all this, but now that he has met his match, he feels a crisis?
He hurriedly said, "Don't worry, your position is very stable. The girls won't forget you! Go buy it next time and let him share the profits with you."
Yu Qing: “…”
She held her forehead and said, "You can leave."
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