The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 14 Jiang Jinshuang apologized to me.

The peach blossoms are too alluring.

His beauty was so captivating that he couldn't even ignore it or remain single-minded.

But she was the opposite of him.

—She has a particular fondness for peach blossoms.

He still remembers that year when the imperial family led the royal children to Huguo Temple to pray for blessings.

Behind Huguo Temple, the mountains are covered with peach blossoms.

Unable to bear the obscure Buddhist scriptures, she secretly slipped away to the back mountain. When she returned to her meditation room, she brought him a bouquet of flowers.

"Pei Du, from now on, every spring, I will pick the most beautiful branch from the peach tree and place it on your desk!"

"That way, every time you study hard, you'll think of me!"

She always liked to make all sorts of promises to him on a whim.

But she was also very lazy, and those promises would often only last for two or three days before disappearing without a trace.

A promise made on a whim is not a valid promise.

Just like on many spring days afterward without her, Pei Du looked at the peach blossoms covering the mountains and fields and realized—

A flower branch is just a flower branch; there's no such thing as the "most beautiful" one.

Looking at the blooming peach blossoms on the desk, the man lowered his head slightly and realized that the page he had been reading for half an hour contained only one line of text.

She always did things as she pleased, and as a princess who was pampered and raised, she could always say decisive things without any restraint.

Just like tonight.

"Please rest assured, Lord Pei, I am no longer interested in you."

"From now on, you can pretend that I don't know you, and I will never cause you any more trouble."

"Let's pretend we're not acquainted."

"..."

The man closed his eyes slightly and rubbed his eye sockets.

Even though he knew these words were just her angry outbursts, his eyelids still twitched.

She has a very bad memory.

The harsh words spoken yesterday are forgotten today.

She would sit beside him as usual, disturbing his thoughts.

Of course, there were times when she gave him the cold shoulder.

On that occasion, Bei Huai attacked the border again, and the war was tense, but she insisted on returning to Baiyujing to escape the summer heat.

He tried to persuade her several times, but she refused to compromise. The next day, she had a carriage prepared to take her to Baiyujing.

He was not taken along.

Three whole months.

Later, when Prince Ruiyang defeated the Beihuai army and autumn colors deepened, she finally returned to the capital.

That day, they had a very fierce argument.

"Pei Du! If you truly dislike me this much, I will simply not come to see you again! There's no need for you to be so harsh and condescending, like a high and mighty academy teacher!"

“If Your Highness makes a mistake and no one dares to speak out, you will make a grave error sooner or later.”

"That's my business, it's none of your concern!"

“Since it has nothing to do with me, Your Highness doesn’t need to come here several times a day. It will save you some peace and quiet.”

She really didn't come to see him for six days.

Even if they meet in the courtyard, they will keep their distance and avoid seeing each other.

He stayed in his dormitory for six whole days.

She has never come.

On the night of the sixth day, he heard her complaining coming from outside the dormitory.

She was drunk and went to the wrong bedroom, complaining about why she couldn't open the door.

He opened the door, and the moonlight, like water, streamed over her head, making her hair appear radiant.

She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Huh? Pei Du, what are you doing in my bedchamber?"

He simply looked down at her.

In the dead of night, without any lights, the ground was shaded by bamboo.

for a long time.

"Jiang Jinshuang".

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Apologize to me."
-
Jiang Jinshuang slept until late morning. When Chuntao came to help her get up and dress, she was both amused and exasperated: "Your Highness, you're only just waking up. The manor has already begun preparations."

Jiang Jinshuang sat in front of the bronze mirror, looking at the charming woman reflected in it: "What are you preparing?"

"Your Highness, you've forgotten that the Yichun Banquet will be held at your residence tomorrow."

Jiang Jinshuang then perked up a bit: "I remember, tell them to prepare a good feast."

After all, she has prepared a grand show for tomorrow.

Chun Tao was a little worried. While combing Jiang Jinshuang's hair, she cautiously asked, "Does Your Highness think those officials will come tomorrow?"

Jiang Jinshuang smiled, and before she could explain anything further, the door to the bedchamber was opened.

Through the gauze curtain, Jiang Jinshuang saw the person in the entrance hall.

The man in black stood ramrod straight, holding his sword with both hands, and remained silent.

Jiang Jinshuang understood and turned to Chuntao, saying, "Go down and supervise the banquet first."

"Yes."

Chun Tao didn't say anything more. She walked to the entrance, bowed respectfully to the man in black, and then went out.

He also closed the door behind him.

With Chun Tao gone, only the two of them remained in the vast bedroom.

The sheer curtains were soft and hazy.

"I just received news that the Xia family will be holding a flower-viewing banquet at their residence tomorrow, and the invitation includes all the officials from the Yichun Banquet."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang narrowed her eyes slightly and let out a cold laugh.

In the past, even if the invited officials disliked Princess Zhaoming and her power was immense, they would still have to maintain appearances.

Now that she has lost her power, those officials were already hesitant about attending her banquet. Xia Yurong's actions gave them a way out.

It's definitely going to be a rude act for her to visit the Xia family.

She raised her chin, looked at herself in the bronze mirror, and said in a slightly cold tone, "It seems that Xia Yurong really doesn't know what's good for her."

She had already asked Pei Du to give her a chance, so since she made things difficult for herself, she can't be blamed.

"Go tell Chuntao that there's no need to make any special preparations for the banquet."

Outside the curtain, the man in black spoke calmly: "Aren't you going to do it?"

Jiang Jinshuang raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Of course we'll do it. Kidnapping people is such a fun thing to do."

She wanted to see if Xia Yurong would dare to snatch someone from her hands tomorrow.

"it is good."

The man responded and prepared to leave.

"Inkstone secrets, etc."

The man stopped and turned to face her.

Jiang Jinshuang smiled at him: "Tomorrow's banquet will be full of all sorts of people, and some might try to take the opportunity to kill me."

Upon hearing this, Yan Jue calmly nodded: "Okay."

After a moment of silence, he seemed to feel that the answer was somewhat brief, so he added, "With me by your side, no one can kill you."

Jiang Jinshuang smiled and said, "I believe you."
-
That night, Jiang Jinshuang had another dream.

In her dream, she was enveloped in familiar warmth and heat, with a man pinning her down, his voice low, trembling.

"Your Highness has done such an absurd thing. Has he considered the consequences?"

"What if I hadn't come today? Whom would Your Highness have wanted to offer that cup of wine to?"

"Don't cry, just bear it..."

The sticky, burning sensation in my dream felt almost tangible.

The jade pendant on the bed jingled all night.

Jiang Jinshuang felt like a cloud that couldn't bear the weight, her toes curling up together.

Pei Du despised her, so he punished her again and again, refusing to let her go.

She had forgotten how many sweet words she had said before he finally took pity on her, grabbed her slender waist, and let her succumb to his charms.

She knew she had no face to face the lucid Pei Du, so before dawn, she dressed and left the capital in a carriage.

Before leaving, she found a pen and ink and angrily left two words on his bedside table.

"poor"!
Anyway, we'll never see each other again.

If Jiang Jinshuang knew that she would return to the capital, Pei Du would rise to the position of Grand Secretary.

She vowed that she would definitely suppress her vengeful nature.

(End of this chapter)