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

Chapter 209 Love at first sight?
Seeing that Jiang Jinshuang enjoyed listening to these things, Chuntao continued talking to her.

"I've also heard that the top scholar's surname is Lin. When he rode his horse through the streets of Chang'an, everyone called him Scholar Lin."

Jiang Jinshuang smacked her lips, lowered her head, and only then did she notice that Chuntao had placed a small pile of melon seeds beside her.

She smiled, picked up some melon seeds and ate them: "Didn't my good brother win over this Scholar Lin?"

Chun Tao shook her head: "This servant doesn't know either, but not long after the results of the palace examination came out, many officials invited this top scholar Lin to their residences, but he declined them all."

Jiang Jinshuang nodded: "She's quite smart."

With the current situation in the court unclear, going with the flow and echoing others' opinions is not a good thing.

To be honest, even Jiang Biechen's status and power in the court today are, in some respects, inferior to that powerful minister and chief minister.

Furthermore, the Crown Prince and the Grand Secretary even seemed to be on equal footing in the court.

Taking sides rashly at this point could be a dead end.

Jiang Biechen needs to show some sincerity if he wants to win over this newly crowned top scholar.

Thinking of this, Jiang Jinshuang stopped her thoughts and smiled slightly: "Alright, it's getting late, let's get some rest. I have to attend a birthday banquet tomorrow."

Chun Tao nodded: "This servant will go make the bed for Your Highness."

"it is good."
-
That night.

Chang'an Avenue was indeed exceptionally lively today.

Because General Zhenyuan had kept accounts at various restaurants and taverns, many people from the capital came out to eat, drink, and have fun.

Lanterns were hung everywhere in the streets and alleys.

Yan Jue was carrying a bunch of snacks and children's toys in his arms.

He ate a lot of meat tonight and was in a good mood.

The vendors who came out tonight were selling some very novel trinkets. Yan Jue browsed through a few stalls and picked out a few interesting items.

The pastries were bought from Xinyuezhai on South Street; their pastries are exquisite and delicious.

Chang'an Avenue was bustling with people.

Holding the things in his arms, Yan Jue walked towards the princess's residence.

On the other side, Qingshan followed her maid down the street. Qingshan looked around and saw the bustling scene on the street, a satisfied smile appearing on her lips.

A maidservant standing nearby laughed and said, "Miss, the master's birthday banquet is truly magnificent. Even on New Year's Eve, we've never seen anything like it."

Qingshan smiled and said, "My father is the Zhenyuan General of Wan Jin. It goes without saying how precious his entourage is."

Maid: "Hmph, you used to treat Xia Yurong, the Xia family, as your closest friend and protected her so much, but in the end you were branded as a traitor, which angered the master and caused you to be punished along with him."

"You've put so much effort into preparing this birthday banquet, young lady. I'm sure your husband will understand your good intentions once he sees it."

Thinking of Xia Yurong, Qing Shan narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them: "The Xia family has been deceiving me for so long, do they think I'm a fool?"

The maidservant quickly reassured her, "Fortunately, Madam Xia is dead now, so you don't need to get angry over such a person."

After a pause, the maidservant cautiously added, "But now that Princess Zhaoming has been released from prison without charge by His Majesty, will she... cause us trouble?"

"Hmph, what am I afraid of, she's just a good-for-nothing? Why should I be afraid of her?" Qing Shan scoffed disdainfully.

In Qing Shan's opinion, although Xia Yurong was not a good person, Princess Zhaoming was even worse, having committed countless evil deeds.

So what if she's disrespectful to her?

Qing Shan had heard from the palace that the emperor had chosen sons-in-law for Princess Zhaoming, all of whom were local officials of the seventh or eighth rank, or good-for-nothing second-generation rich kids.

His Majesty's attitude towards Jiang Jinshuang is evident.

Since His Majesty doesn't care about Princess Zhaoming, what does she have to be afraid of?

Thinking this, Qing Shan snorted coldly and continued walking forward.

The maid behind her laughed and chimed in, "What you say makes sense, Miss. So what if Princess Zhaoming is born into the royal family? If we really talk about it, she spent so long in the bitterly cold Baiyujing. She's just a savage dressed in royal clothes."

“Once His Majesty finalizes her marriage, Princess Zhaoming will be married off to a remote place, and I’m afraid she’ll never have the chance to return to the capital in her lifetime.” Qing Shan sneered, “I can’t stand her arrogant attitude. Does she really think she’s so great? She’s just relying on the fact that she was born into a good family and has a good uncle.”

"Someone like her, if she marries a good-for-nothing, that'll be her life."

“I’m different from her. The husband I’m looking for will definitely be the one I like the most, the one I love the most.”

The two chatted as they walked.

Chang'an Street was bustling with activity tonight. Qing Shan and her maid were just women, and the crowd soon separated them.

Qingshan followed the flow of people forward, her feet tumbling around, and in an instant, she leaned backward.

Surrounded by surging crowds on all sides, Qing Shan couldn't even imagine the consequences if she collapsed in such a place!
However, the expected fall did not occur.

Behind her, a sword hilt pressed against her back, the cold, hard pain bringing her back to her senses.

She turned around abruptly and saw a man dressed in black, who glanced at her with a calm and collected look.

Yan Jue's cold gaze.

He sheathed his sword and looked down at the kite in his arms.

When this woman leaned backward, she bumped into his kite.

Upon inspection, the wings appeared to be uneven, and the back bamboo segments seemed to show signs of cracking from being pressed.

Realizing this, Yan Jue's expression grew even colder.

Qing Shan froze on the spot, staring wide-eyed at the man in front of her.

The man was dressed in black, as dark as night. The tightly cinched waist belt accentuated his solitary pine-like silhouette. His eyes were cold and piercing, like the cold light of the far northern wilderness, undisturbed.

He had a face as thin as snow and as sharp as a blade, with his eyelashes casting shadows under his eyes when they fell.

His nose bridge was as sharp as an icicle, his lips were extremely pale, and his expression was cold and indifferent, showing no emotion whatsoever.

The husband I'm looking for will definitely be the one I like the most, the one I love the most.

This sentence suddenly echoed in my mind.

Qing Shan's eyes widened, and for no apparent reason, her cheeks flushed crimson.

Yan Jue was actually not very happy.

Some of the kites were crushed.

He didn't really want to lose his temper, because Jiang Jinshuang always said that he was very fierce when he lost his temper.

—Although whenever he gets angry with her, he will at most just ignore her.

I never yelled at her.

"Thank you so much for saving me, young master. I—"

With his thin lips pressed tightly together, Yan Jue didn't look at Qing Shan again, nor did he listen to what she hadn't finished saying.

With a single step, he vanished from the crowd and gradually disappeared into the distance.

He wanted to buy another kite before the vendor left.

Before Qing Shan could finish speaking, she watched helplessly as the man leaped away and disappeared into the crowd.
-
Yan Jue returned late at night.

Jiang Jinshuang was sleeping in her room when she heard knocking sounds coming from the window frame in the middle of the night.

Rubbing her eyes, Jiang Jinshuang looked at the figure outside the window and couldn't help but chuckle: "Yanjue, I'm resting."

Outside the window, the man's voice was cold and calm: "Fine."

After saying that, the figure outside the window disappeared.

Jiang Jinshuang felt puzzled.

After thinking for a moment, he got out of bed and opened the window.

On the balcony outside the window, there was a pile of strange little trinkets, with brown paper bags full of delicate pastries and candies, and a beautiful and exquisite kite next to them.