Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 567 Savior
The King of Qin's expression immediately turned extremely ugly.

"Didn't that unfilial son say he lost the pearl? At a time like this, how could he still have the mind to flirt with women in public?"

“Bring him here; I will punish him severely.”

Jiang Zhenru hurriedly grabbed the Prince of Qin's arm: "Your Highness, please don't be angry. Perhaps there is more to this story."

"What's the inside story?" King Qin asked. "I want him to give me a reason. He was the one who made a scene before, demanding to marry Lady Xie. What is he doing now?"

“The main thing is that the woman is not an ordinary woman,” Jiang Zhenru said. “She is a merchant who has lost her husband and works in the public eye. It seems that the Xia family’s troubles are also related to her.”

"Rumors are still circulating that she's having an affair with Wang Yan. How can Jun-ge'er possibly get involved with someone like that?"

The King of Qin had heard of such a woman in a secret letter, so he looked at Jiang Zhenru and asked, "Are you perhaps referring to Lady Xie?"

Jiang Zhenru nodded: "It's the new boss of the porcelain business, Madam Xie."

The King of Qin's gaze immediately deepened. He had been in a hurry to call his eldest son over to reprimand him in order to keep him in line and prevent him from causing any trouble.

Upon hearing that the other party was from the Xie family, he immediately changed his mind.

When did the eldest son begin associating with the Xie family? What did they do in private? Is he involved in Xia Mengxian's case?

The eldest son deliberately concealed the truth, clearly not wanting him to know the facts.

The King of Qin looked at Jiang Zhenru: "He never mentioned Xie Shi to you before?"

Jiang Zhenru shook her head: "Jun-ge'er doesn't talk to me much. After he took up his post in the palace, he came home even less often."

After a long silence, the King of Qin said, "Just pretend you know nothing. Leave this matter to me."

Jiang Zhenru nodded obediently.

When the King of Qin noticed that Jiang Zhenru looked tired, he stopped asking her about her household affairs and said, "I'll help you to the main room to rest."

Jiang Zhenru happily agreed, and the couple walked out the door hand in hand. Just as they stepped onto the long corridor, they saw the servant of the Prince of Huai walking quickly toward them.

"What are you doing?" Before Jiang Zhenru could speak, the King of Qin asked.

The servant stepped forward and bowed: "The Prince has left the manor on business and instructed me to come and see the Princess before he left."

The King of Qin frowned even more deeply.

Jiang Zhenru nodded naturally to the servant: "What does Jun-ge want to say to me?"

The servant whispered, "The Prince asked the Princess for help earlier, inviting Lady Xie to a banquet at the manor... But just now the Prince said... there's no need to hold a banquet and invite anyone."

The King of Qin suppressed his anger, and Jiang Zhenru quickly nodded and said, "Tell Jun-ge that I know."

The servant bowed and quickly left.

After the King of Qin and Jiang Zhenru entered the main house, he asked in a cold voice, "What's going on here?"

Jiang Zhenru explained, "Xia Mengxian's case has also implicated Xie Shumi's household. There are some bad rumors circulating outside. Jun'er asked me to take the initiative to invite Xie Erniangzi to visit, which is also partly to protect her."

"Since the two families are already engaged, what we're doing isn't exactly helping someone in need, but it will let Second Madam Xie know Jun'er's intentions. After thinking it over, I see nothing wrong with it, so I've agreed."

"The banquet preparations were almost complete, and all that was left was to send out invitations, but who knew that Jun-ge would change his mind again."

After speaking, Jiang Zhenru fell into thought, clearly unaware of why the Prince of Huai was acting this way. "Could something have happened?" Jiang Zhenru murmured, "That's the Xie Privy Council's residence, and it was a marriage bestowed by the Empress Dowager... It can't be... it can't be..."

Jiang Zhenru did not continue speaking, but to the King of Qin, it was tantamount to saying so.

Could it be that the eldest son wants to marry someone else?

It sounded utterly impossible, but the King of Qin had no idea what his rebellious son was thinking. In this family, everyone treated him as the eldest son, and he had already been given a title; what more could he want?
Thinking of this, the King of Qin summoned his guards and said, "Have someone follow the Prince these days, and report to me in detail everything he does."

"Find out where he went right now."

The guards responded.

……

On the official road, Prince Huai rode his horse forward, and as darkness fell, he finally found a village.

His guards stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a moment, the wooden door slowly opened, and an old man walked out of the courtyard.

The old man's gaze fell on the face of the Prince of Huai, and after a long period of scrutiny, he pointed at the Prince of Huai: "You...you are not that injured young master?"

The Prince of Huai nodded: "I was injured in the mountains that day, but fortunately the old man rescued me."

The old man smiled broadly: "It's rare to meet you again, young man. Please come in."

The old man led the horses away to feed them, and then welcomed Prince Huai into the main house. He was about to go and get some water when Prince Huai stopped him.

The Prince of Huai said, "I have come here today because I have something I would like to ask you, sir."

The old man smiled, his wrinkles deepening: "Last year, thanks to your kindness, my husband, I was able to acquire more fertile land, and our family's life has become increasingly better. I don't know how to repay you. If you have any instructions, my family will do our best."

The Prince of Huai asked the old man to sit beside him: "Do you still remember my instructions from that day?"

The old man lowered his voice warily: "I must not mention to outsiders that I saved the young master, lest it bring trouble to the family. The young master gave me some money to buy land, and I will tell everyone that it was earned by my son doing business outside."

The Prince of Huai said approvingly, "Only in this way can we ensure peace in the future."

The old man laughed and said, "Our family is too fortunate to receive such a blessing. This is just right." The young man did not reveal his identity, but he had heard some rumors. Since the young man had given such instructions, he would do as he was told.

Actually, on that day, when Prince Huai was injured, it was this old man who first saved him. Later, the old man went to look for something, intending to drag Prince Huai back. At this time, Prince Huai encountered Xie Erniangzi again.

When Xie Erniangzi was treating the wounds of the Prince of Huai, the old man happened to return and witnessed everything.

The Prince of Huai was injured by a sharp weapon. The old man was afraid of causing trouble and originally did not want to show up again. However, after Xie Erniangzi bandaged the Prince of Huai's wound, she left in a hurry. Helpless, the old man had no choice but to step forward again.

Prince Huai never mentioned these matters to anyone else.

The Prince of Huai said, "The woman who saved me ran away from home. She was eager to get away, so she didn't stay long. Later, her family found her and took her back."

The old man lived not far from Xie Family Village. Upon hearing this, he asked, "Is that woman a member of the Xie family?"

The Prince of Huai nodded: "Indeed."

“I have two portraits I would like you to look at,” Prince Huai said, taking them out of his robes and placing them on the table. “Can you tell which of these two people is the one who saved me that day?”

Upon hearing this, the old man quickly got up, picked up the oil lamp, and shone it on the painting.