Chapter 138 Birthday
To release or not to release?
Originally, Zhong Min had only said it as a joke, not giving it much thought. She had simply asked it casually for fun, so she hadn't expected Luo Jiaxing to answer or give a surprising answer. However, while the speaker had no intention, the listener took it very seriously.
Luo Jiaxing fell silent. The reason for his silence was not because he didn't know the answer in his heart, but because the answer came too quickly and too clearly, so clearly that even he was extremely surprised. That's why he hesitated, hesitating whether he should tell the answer truthfully.
If it were now, he would definitely let her go. Even if it meant going against the prince's orders, he would not go against her wishes. To this day, he still remembered the look in her eyes at that time, such despair, such helplessness, such longing, like a bird with its wings broken. His refusal had pushed her into despair.
At the time, he'd felt only sympathy and a touch of pity, but now, if he were to witness that scene again, he'd be filled with self-blame, sadness, and reluctance. That reluctance had already transcended ordinary friendship, enough to drive him to do anything irrational. For him, seeing her happy was the most important and meaningful thing in the world, a weight no less than his loyalty and brotherly love for the prince.
He didn't know when he started to have such feelings for this girl, nor did he know why they started or why they were so deep. But he knew his heart very well, more clearly than ever before, that no matter how she felt about him, he would not change.
"If it were now, I would naturally let you go." After a long while, he finally spoke, telling Zhong Min the truth of his heart. She was the person he cared about most, so he was unwilling to lie to her, no matter what.
"Really?" Zhong Min was surprised when he heard this, and then asked jokingly, "But if you let me go, wouldn't that be tantamount to openly defying the prince and betraying your loyalty to him?"
Luo Jiaxing couldn't help but smile faintly when he heard this. After a moment, he replied, "You just said that we have such a close relationship now. If I don't let you go, wouldn't that make me a traitor? At worst, I can let you go first, and then take the initiative to apologize to the prince. I'll take all the responsibility."
He said it lightly, but deep down he really thought so. If he had to choose between Zhong Min and the prince in the future, this would be his decision.
Zhong Min couldn't help but shake her head upon hearing this. Luo Jiaxing was truly a man, loyal and righteous, yet not too pedantic. He knew how to adapt and adapt, and wasn't blindly loyal. The only thing she found was that he had a bit of a tragic streak. If faced with a dilemma, it seemed like he'd rather sacrifice himself than put others in a difficult position.
"You are too straightforward. If I were you, I would be more selfish and think more about myself. I would not try to be too arrogant." Zhong Min originally wanted to play a joke on him, pretending that he would run away now to see how he would react. But now it seems that there is no need to play tricks on him like this. It really makes him look too unkind.
When Luo Jiaxing heard Zhong Min say this, he felt warm in his heart and didn't know what to say for a moment. Just then, the restaurant owner brought some wine and food, so he took the opportunity to change the subject.
The food and wine tasted really good. Zhong Min tried everything and praised it endlessly. The osmanthus wine was especially mellow and mild in taste, unlike the spicy taste of other liquors. After drinking it, there was a faint osmanthus fragrance between the lips and teeth. It was indeed a rare fine wine.
Zhong Min could already drink some wine, and his alcohol tolerance has been increasing day by day since he came to this world. In addition, he was so happy today that he drank a lot more without realizing it.
"Alright, this wine is quite strong, don't drink any more." Luo Jiaxing snatched the wine glass from Zhong Min's hand, not letting her drink any more. He looked fine at the moment, but if he drank any more, he might get drunk in no time. "Eat more food, these are all cooked by the restaurant owner himself."
Seeing this, Zhong Min stopped trying to grab the wine glass. She was not a heavy drinker to begin with, but when she heard that the wine was strong, she didn't dare drink any more and just ate her food obediently.
After eating and drinking, it was already dark outside. Muzhou was not like the capital, and it was not very lively at night unless it was an important festival. But Zhong Min insisted on visiting the night market, and Luo Jiaxing had no choice but to take her to a more lively place.
"Why isn't it lively at all? There aren't many people here, and the lights are dim. It's not as fun as it was during the day." Zhong Min looked at the shops, most of which were already closed, and felt a little disappointed. The lantern in her hand was given to her by the shop owner before she left, saying it could be used to play with and light the way. Now it was really useful, but everything was pitch black, not at all the brightly lit scene she had imagined.
"It's always been like this here. The border isn't like the capital, so this is still considered good. Before the prince came to Muzhou, the streets were deserted after dark, so how could there be so many shops open?" Luo Jiaxing said with a smile, "If you want to visit the night market, wait a few days until Mid-Autumn Festival. On Mid-Autumn Festival night, the entire Muzhou city is crowded with people and brightly lit. There are all kinds of things to see and do, and it's very lively. I can take you to the night market again then. It's getting late now, so let me take you back home first."
Zhong Min nodded when he heard this: "That's the only way."
The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner. The time flies by so fast. It has been almost a year since I came here. The winter in Muzhou is particularly long. It starts snowing in November. Maybe it will snow soon too.
Just as she was thinking, Zhong Min suddenly stopped and quickly turned around to look back, but she looked around but found nothing. Luo Jiaxing was surprised to see this and asked her what was wrong.
"Brother Luo, why do I feel like someone is following us?" Zhong Min saw that none of the people behind her were missing, but she always felt as if there were other eyes around staring at her, which made her feel indescribably awkward.
Luo Jiaxing also looked around, then looked away and said, "Don't be nervous, it's the secret guards. The prince is worried about your safety, so he specially sent the secret guards to follow you secretly."
Secret guards? Zhong Min frowned upon hearing this. She hadn't expected Xiao Mingzheng to be so thoughtful. However, she had a feeling that the pair of eyes staring at her from behind weren't secret guards, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She paused for a moment, not dwelling on it. She nodded and continued walking back.
After watching Zhong Min and the others enter the palace, Luo Jiaxing finally left with his entourage. Without them, Xier and Ziyan immediately relaxed, chattering with Zhong Min about their shopping trip, their voices naturally brimming with excitement. Besides enjoying a delicious meal and fun, the two girls each received two beautiful pieces of jewelry and cosmetics. Naturally, they were in high spirits, chatting and laughing all the way, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
When passing by the garden pavilion, Zhong Min saw Xiao Mingzheng and Jiang Xiyan from a distance. Judging from the situation, they seemed to be drinking and dining there. The two sat very close to each other, and their expressions looked like a romantic and sweet loving couple.
Zhong Min couldn't stand Jiang Xiyan's hypocritical face the most. He secretly despised her, but didn't stop. He took Xier and Zi Yan and pretended not to see her, and walked around to the other side.
But before she had taken a few steps, she saw a maid hurried over from the waterside pavilion, bowed to her and said, "Miss Min'er, the princess invites you to move to the waterside pavilion and sit down."
Zhong Min shook her head inwardly. They hadn't even gotten married yet, and the princess had already called her over. What was she even going to do? Did they want her to be a third wheel?
"Please thank the princess for her kindness. It's late today, and I won't disturb the princess and the prince." Zhong Min didn't intend to give face to this so-called princess. She didn't like such people in the first place, and it was even more so after the incident with Concubine Liu.
But the maid seemed to have anticipated what Zhong Min would say, and she continued calmly, "Young lady, you may not know that today is the princess' birthday. It would be best for you to go over, so that the prince won't mistakenly think that you are disrespectful to the princess."
Hearing this, Zhong Min couldn't help but look at the maid. No wonder she was so bold. It turned out that she was one of the personal maids that Jiang Xiyan brought from outside. It was this girl who took the blame for the mistake of the jade pendant that day.
"What's your name?" she asked the maid.
"My name is Cong'er, and I am the princess's personal maid." Cong'er had a proud look on her face. She was much more arrogant than when she first came that day.
Zhong Min sneered inwardly. It seemed like rising tides really lifted all boats. Now that he was so complacent, one could imagine what the boss was like. "Cong'er? That's a good name, I hope he lives up to it."
After saying this, Zhong Min didn't bother to look at Cong'er's suddenly dark face and turned to walk towards the waterside pavilion. Since it was her birthday, she naturally had to go and congratulate her. After all, she was a highly educated person, so how could she be so petty?
"Zhong Min didn't know that today is the princess' birthday, and he didn't prepare any gifts. He could only say congratulations. May the princess have this day every year." After entering, Zhong Min didn't even look at Xiao Mingzheng. He nodded directly to Jiang Xiyan and bowed slightly, as a way to congratulate her on her birthday.
Hearing Zhong Min calling her "Princess," Jiang Xiyan quickly stood up with a shy look on her face. She came over and pulled Zhong Min to sit on the stone bench next to her. "Sister Min, calling me Xiyan like this is really a joke on me. The prince has asked everyone in the palace to treat me like a princess, which is a favor from the prince to Xiyan. Xiyan naturally appreciates the favor but dares not go beyond the courtesy. How dare she call herself a princess before we get married?"
"The princess has filtered it." Zhong Min smiled and took Jiang Xiyan's hand away from her. She glanced at Cong'er beside her and said directly, "I saw Cong'er called me princess when she came over to tell me to come over. It's just a matter of time. There's no need to be embarrassed."
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