Chapter 72 What kind of person is that fiancé?
Xie Yanzhi's words exploded in Shen Qingnian's ears like a thunderclap.
She appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil.
How could Xie Yanzhi know so quickly that he was her fiancé?
Shen Qingnian clenched her sleeves to calm herself down.
This purse is hers, the one Hua Momo gave to Xie Yanzhi, which she didn't even see.
Xie Yanzhi has always been cunning. What if he's here to deceive her and trick her into revealing information?
She turned her head and saw Xie Yanzhi's amused gaze.
She recognized that look; Xie Yanzhi always looked at her with the same interest whenever he teased her.
Shen Qingnian feigned surprise and asked, "You have one too?"
Xie Yanzhi, confused, said, "Shen Qingnian, what you have in your hand is mine."
Shen Qingnian raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Cousin, why don't we open it and see whose it is?"
As she spoke, Shen Qingnian took the purse from Xie Yanzhi's hand, took out the silver lock inside, looked at it, and her expression relaxed.
“Cousin, look, although this silver lock has turned a bit black, you can still vaguely see the character ‘沉’ on the clasp.”
Xie Yanzhi leaned closer to take a look, and sure enough, there was a "沉" (chen, meaning sinking/heavy).
Judging from Xie Yanzhi's expression, he was probably unaware of the intricacies involved.
Shen Qingnian had taken out this lock and examined it many times; she knew its details inside and out.
Shen Qingnian continued, "Cousin, there should also be a 'Thank you' on your lock."
“In our Jiangnan region, when a couple gets engaged, both families exchange these purses and silver locks.”
On the night of the thank-you banquet, I never expected that the engagement customs in Jiangnan would be like this.
According to Shen Qingnian, even if the two purses and the silver lock look the same, it doesn't mean that the two are engaged.
Why exchange tokens?
Or is there something special about this lock that allows it to distinguish between betrothed individuals?
Xie Yanzhi was still lost in thought when he heard Shen Qingnian teasingly say, "Didn't you say you weren't engaged, cousin?"
Xie Yanzhi was also a little unsure at this moment. Hua Momo was old. What if she had picked up someone else's silver lock and mistaken it for his?
Seeing Shen Qingnian's smug little face, he reached out and snatched the lock away.
Shen Qingnian panicked: "Cousin, give it back to me!"
Xie Yanzhi said coldly, "I will not allow you to have any other man's keepsakes."
With that, he turned and left Qianyue Residence.
He wanted to go back and see if the silver lock in his room really did have the character "谢" (xie, meaning thank you) on it.
Back in his study, Xie Yanzhi reached into the drawer and, sure enough, found a purse.
He took out the silver lock and saw that there was indeed a "Thank you" character on the clasp.
Xie Yanzhi sat at his desk, his hand supporting his forehead.
He was increasingly confused about what was going on.
Could it be that Shen Qingnian was betrothed since childhood, and so was he?
But they weren't engaged to each other?
He then remembered how anxious Shen Qingnian was about this purse, because it was her engagement token with her fiancé.
He had given her so many gifts, but he had never seen her cherish them like this before.
Shen Qingnian!
Very good!
She was about to become his concubine, yet she still longed for other men.
"Yuan Qing!"
Hearing Xie Yanzhi's cold voice from outside the door, Yuan Qing knew that his master was angry again.
"Master."
Xie Yanzhi threw the two locks onto the table and said coldly, "Go and clean the surface of these silver locks. See if there's anything special about them."
"Investigate further to see if these two locks are related and who owns them!"
He wanted to see who Shen Qingnian's fiancé really was! Compared to him, what kind of person was that?
After Xie Yanzhi left, Shen Qingnian was still somewhat resentful.
This person is always so domineering and unreasonable; he always takes her things away.
She couldn't do anything about him, simply because he was the crown prince!
He is the one in power in the Jingnan Marquis's mansion!
He's the kind of person who can influence her marriage with just a few words!
Let him keep the silver lock; it's something related to him anyway, and he should have returned it long ago.
Yuan Qing then came to deliver another message, "Miss Qing, the master said you can go out of the manor to the jewelry shop and choose a lock, silver or gold, whatever you like."
Shen Qingnian thought to herself, "Is this a slap followed by a sweet treat?"
However, she took this opportunity to go out and prepare for their escape.
"When can we go?" Shen Qingnian asked calmly.
Yuan Qing was overjoyed to see that Miss Qing had agreed, which meant she wouldn't be angry with him anymore.
“Anytime is fine.” Yuan Qing dared not delay.
He had just handed the lock over to his subordinates to investigate, and then came without stopping.
"Then I'll go now." Shen Qingnian said, picking up her cloak and walking towards the door.
A long night can lead to many unforeseen events, so it's best to prepare early.
Ling'er followed closely behind, and the three of them left the mansion together.
Yuan Qing was driving Shen Qingnian to a jewelry shop, but Shen Qingnian told him to stop in front of a clothing shop instead.
"I'm going to buy two sets of clothes so I won't embarrass the young master in the future," Shen Qingnian said, then took Ling'er inside.
Seeing that Yuan Qing had been waiting at the entrance of the clothing shop, Shen Qingnian pretended to look at the clothes for a while, and then said to the shopkeeper, "May I go upstairs to take a look? I want to buy a piece of clothing."
The shopkeeper then led them upstairs to the second floor.
When they came down, Ling'er was carrying a bundle in her hand.
Yuan Qing didn't ask any questions. Anyway, the master just wanted Miss Qing to come out and spend money. What's the difference between buying a lock and buying clothes?
It's all for the sake of making Miss Qing happy.
At night, just as Shen Qingnian was about to take the clothes out of her bundle, she was hugged from behind.
Shen Qingnian broke free from Xie Yanzhi's embrace and hid by the table.
"Still angry?" Xie Yanzhi sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her.
Shen Qingnian's expression was displeased, but she still said calmly, "I wouldn't dare to be angry, didn't my cousin make it up to me?"
"Yeah?"
Xie Yanzhi glanced around and immediately noticed a sleeve peeking out from the bundle beside the bed. It was made of bamboo-green material with an ink painting pattern, clearly men's clothing.
Shen Qingnian's heart tightened immediately. Those were the two sets of men's robes she had bought at the clothing store earlier that day under the guise of buying a new set of clothes.
The two people on the road sign were dressed as men, so on the day they escaped, she and Ling'er had to wear men's clothing.
What to do? Xie Yanzhi was about to reach for the clothes.
Shen Qingnian immediately sat on Xie Yanzhi's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and blocked his view of the clothes: "Cousin!"
Xie Yanzhi was somewhat surprised by Shen Qingnian's initiative to throw herself into his arms, but he was mostly pleased.
Knowing that Shen Qingnian didn't want him to see the clothes, Xie Yanzhi still asked knowingly, "What, you won't let me see them?"
Shen Qingnian bit her lip lightly and nodded, looking somewhat shy.
Xie Yanzhi released her waist and examined her sleeve.
He frowned and stared at Shen Qingnian with a displeased expression, making Shen Qingnian feel as if her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
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