Chapter 21 Not Her
“How could it be meaningless?” Xie Qi said. “Whether Miss Jiang has someone she likes is of utmost importance to me, and I have come here today specifically for this matter.”
Jiang Yunqian could hardly believe what she was hearing.
The fact that Prince Xie cares so much about this matter shows that he is already deeply in love with me.
The fact that I invited her here today must mean that I have feelings for her.
Their fate was ordained; they were a match made in heaven.
The frustration she had just felt vanished instantly. Jiang Yunqian no longer cared about being reserved or shy. She mustered her courage and said in a trembling voice, "Thank you, Your Highness. Actually, I wasn't telling the truth just now. I know who that person is."
The words had already been spoken, so what followed was not so difficult: "The young master who helped me is both far away and right before my eyes. It is you, the current heir of the Marquis of Wuyi, the illustrious General Xie, praised by all."
"After that meeting, I've been captivated by you, unable to forget you. It's just a pity that we are from different social classes, so I dare not indulge in wishful thinking. I can only suffer the torment of unrequited love every day. Only today, upon seeing you again, do I realize that you, Prince Xie, also have feelings for me... for me..."
As she spoke, her lips trembled, and her shy eyes looked at Xie Qi. "My feelings for Prince Xie are the same."
Xie Qi was so shocked by her sudden long confession that he didn't come to his senses.
So Miss Jiang has had feelings for me since so early on?
Damn it, how could I have forgotten something so important, leaving her worried sick until now.
But soon, his expression hardened, and he realized something was wrong.
When they first met at Puzhao Temple, Miss Jiang had no idea of his identity; otherwise, she wouldn't have asked him to kill Yan Wenkang.
But since the person in front of him had received his help years ago and still remembered him fondly, he must have known his identity long ago.
She is definitely not the Miss Jiang from Puzhao Temple that night!
Xie Qi's expression immediately turned cold and fierce, and the aura of iron and blood accumulated from years of battles and killings poured out.
He picked up the sword that was placed beside him, drew the long sword, and instantly used the tip of the sword to pick off the jade pendant at Jiang Yunqian's waist and held it in his hand.
"Don't try to fool me! Who are you, and where did you get this jade pendant from?!"
His voice was icy, and his eyes were sharp as the cold moon as he scrutinized the woman before him.
Jiang Yunqian was caught off guard and startled. Before she could react, a flash of silver light appeared before her eyes.
But Xie Qi's sword was pointed directly at her, his face full of anger.
how so?
Jiang Yunqian was completely devoted to Xie Qi, but she never expected to be treated like this by him, and her eyes immediately turned red.
"Young Master Xie, what... what do you mean by this?"
Xie Qi snorted coldly, completely ignoring her pitiful expression that seemed on the verge of tears. "I'll ask you one more time, how did you get this jade pendant! Who exactly are you?"
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, how could Miss Jiang possibly hand over the jade pendant so easily? How much did the person opposite him know about him? He even considered the worst-case scenario: could Miss Jiang have already been murdered?
Thinking of this, Xie Qi no longer cared about anything else and directly reached out and ripped off the veil from Jiang Yunqian's face.
A completely unfamiliar face appeared in front of him.
Although she is beautiful, it is not her.
Jiang Yunqian's body trembled.
Feeling wronged and resentful, tears streamed down her face. "I... all I did was find your jade pendant! Why are you treating me like this?"
"Found it? Where did you find it? And who are you?"
A series of stern questions made Jiang Yunqian turn pale and stumble back a few steps.
At first, Xie Qi didn't recognize her, and she could comfort herself by thinking she was wearing a veil. But now that he could see her face clearly, he actually asked who she was?
Has he never cared about himself at all?
This was even more unacceptable to her than being pointed a sword at by Xie Qi.
"Young Master Xie, don't you remember me? I am Jiang Yunqian, the second young lady of the Jiang family of the Minister's Mansion. We first met at the lantern festival, and I felt something for you, for you..."
She stammered, explaining cautiously.
Xie Qi remained wary of her.
The Jiang family has only two young ladies: the eldest daughter of the first wife and the second daughter of the second wife.
If she really is Miss Jiang the Second, then the person who saved him at Puzhao Temple must be Miss Jiang the Eldest.
It was all because he was in too much of a rush that night and didn't have time to find out her identity. The person his mother saw at Linglongzhai must have been this Miss Jiang, which is why the letter was delivered to the wrong person.
“I found this jade pendant in my garden. You can see that I have repaired the tassels on it. I intended to return it to you today and never thought of keeping it for myself. Please believe me, Prince Xie,” Jiang Yunqian explained hesitantly.
Xie Qi couldn't hear a single word.
The woman in front of me seemed sincere, but in reality, she was full of lies.
The jade pendant was a gift from him personally. He has not yet fulfilled his promise or completed the entrustment. How could Miss Jiang have simply left it at home for someone else to pick up?
Even if, as Miss Jiang Er claims, she found it by accident, why didn't she think of returning it to her sister instead of keeping it for herself and altering the knot on it without permission?
If it weren't for his upbringing and manners, he might have already thrown the person off the building.
Xie Qi put the jade pendant into his pocket and made a "please" gesture. "Men and women should be different. Since the jade pendant has been returned, I thank you. Please leave quickly, Miss Jiang."
How could Jiang Yunqian be willing to leave just like that? She moved her lips and said, "Wait, I still have something I want to say to Prince Xie..."
But Xie Qi interrupted him without any mercy.
"I understand. Miss Jiang helped me find the jade pendant, and I should express my gratitude. It was my oversight that led me to do so."
He took out a stack of silver notes from his clothes and placed them on the table.
"Consider this a token of my gratitude. From now on, we shall have no further connection. Goodbye."
Hearing his heartless and cold words, Jiang Yunqian froze on the spot, her lips trembling violently, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes tightly. "No, I don't want these."
As a young lady of the Jiang family, and with her birth mother being the head mistress of the household, how could she lack money? Why would she care about Xie Qi's few silver notes?
He was clearly using money to shut her up and sever ties with her!
Why was he so kind to me just now, but now he's suddenly so cold? Is it because of this jade pendant?
After calming down, Jiang Yunqian finally realized that she had been tricked by Jiang Zhi.
"Young Master Xie, this is all my sister's conspiracy. She deliberately let me find the jade pendant to make you misunderstand me. She is so scheming and framing me because she is jealous of me and wants to ruin my reputation. Young Master Xie, please don't fall for her tricks."
Xie Qi had never seen a woman who so distorted the truth and spread rumors, and his already poor impression of Jiang Yunqian worsened even further.
He knew perfectly well what kind of person the eldest daughter of the Jiang family was, and he would never allow others to slander her like this.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
