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

Chapter 28 Is your parent out of their mind?

Jiang Jinshuang seemed to have guessed something, and sneered, "You deliberately avoided me to come find you?"

Si Ning nodded.

"What did he say?"

Si Ning said slowly and deliberately, "His Majesty's intention is to hold a small spring banquet in the palace tomorrow, which will be a perfect way to welcome me back."

Jiang Jinshuang fiddled with the ivory chopsticks and said casually, "Since you're avoiding me, you probably don't plan to invite me?"

She had been back in the capital for several days, but His Majesty had not held a banquet to welcome her. Si Ning had only arrived yesterday, yet the palace was already holding a banquet so soon.

Si Ning did not deny Jiang Jinshuang's words, but smiled and said, "I told the eunuch who came to deliver the message that I am currently a guest at the princess's residence. There is no reason for the host to stay at home when there are no guests going to the banquet."

Jiang Jinshuang raised an eyebrow: "What did the eunuch say?"

"They said they wanted to go back and inquire about His Majesty's opinion."

Jiang Jinshuang nodded, showing no emotion.

There are many rules for banquets in the palace, which Jiang Jinshuang has never liked to attend.

However, now that she has returned to the capital, His Majesty's attitude clearly shows that he does not want to see her.

If it were just that he didn't want to see her, that would be one thing, but he kept going back and forth to torment her.

She has very little patience.

Rather than doing that, I might as well take advantage of the banquet to see him.

At least this way, His Majesty will no longer use the pretext of paying his respects to make her repeatedly visit the palace only to find it empty.

If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain myself.

Si Ning's words carried more weight than hers. As darkness fell, the palace drafted a new invitation and sent it to the princess's residence.

This time, the guests on the invitation were the two of them.

Jiang Jinshuang was planning to rest early tonight because she was going to attend a palace banquet tomorrow. But just as she was about to return to her bedchamber, Chun Tao rushed over to report to her.

"Your Highness, Lord Jingmo of Wenshan Pavilion has arrived and says he wishes to see you."

Jiang Jinshuang frowned: "What's he doing here?"

"This servant doesn't know either. Lord Jingmo is waiting for you in the main hall."

Filled with doubt, Jiang Jinshuang walked towards the main hall.

In the main hall.

Jingmo, dressed in black, respectfully clasped his hands in a salute to Jiang Jinshuang upon her arrival.

"Your subordinate Jingmo greets Your Highness."

“Lord Jingmo, we meet again,” Jiang Jinshuang smiled without any emotion. “I thought that since Lord Jingmo wouldn’t let me go to Wenshan Pavilion, he probably wouldn’t want to come to the Princess’s residence either.”

When the matter was brought up, Jingmo lowered her head, looking embarrassed.

He didn't understand the adults' thoughts before, which caused such a big misunderstanding. After being punished, Jingmo belatedly realized what had happened.

"Please forgive me for what happened at Wenshan Pavilion last time, Your Highness. I will accept any punishment as Your Highness desires!" Jingmo said with shame.

Jiang Jinshuang sneered and waved her hand: "Forget it. If I really beat you up and you get seriously injured, wouldn't your master also have to report me?"

Jingmo: "..."

"Lord Jingmo, what brings you to the Princess's residence so late?" Jiang Jinshuang yawned, feeling somewhat tired.

Jingmo clasped his hands in a fist salute, recalling the expression on his master's face when he arrived, and forced himself to speak.

"Your Highness, I am here to deliver a message."

"Pass on a message?" Jiang Jinshuang raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes, my master has something to say to Your Highness... instructions."

He said "instruct," not "report," nor "discuss."

Jiang Jinshuang sneered: "What are your orders, Grand Secretary?"

"Uh, my family said, he said..."

"say what?"

"The princess must have Mr. Si Ning move out of the side hall within three days."

"what?"

Jiang Jinshuang thought she had misheard.

"The Grand Secretary intends for Mr. Si Ning to move out of the side hall within three days."

The spring night was quiet, and the moonlight was as smooth as water.

Jiang Jinshuang chuckled lightly, tilting her head slightly to look at Jingmo: "Is your father out of his mind?"

Jingmo seemed to think the request was a bit excessive, and unusually, he lowered his head and did not object.

Jiang Jinshuang laughed in exasperation: "I had no idea that the Grand Secretary had become so nosy!"

They've even set their sights on her princess's residence!

Jingmo also looked troubled: "I hope Your Highness will grant my request."

Jiang Jinshuang gritted her teeth and smiled: "What if I don't agree?"

Jingmo carefully exhaled and said softly, "The Lord's original words were, 'Your Highness is welcome to give it a try.'"

With those words, Jiang Jinshuang's expression turned slightly cold, and the smile on her face vanished.

He was threatening her.

—How dare he threaten her!?
That bastard Pei Du, he's even resorting to such methods to deal with her!
A gentleman like him rarely uses threats to achieve his goals.

In the three years that Jiang Jinshuang knew him, he had only used this method once. That time, she also saw a different side of Pei Du.

Jiang Jinshuang still remembers that time.

At that time, she helped a down-on-his-luck poor scholar—who was about the same age as Pei Du.

The poor scholar was begging for food when he was beaten and shoved by a group of servants for soiling a young master's fine clothes. He covered his head and begged for mercy in a trembling voice.

She rescued him but did not take him back to the princess's residence. She simply found him a place to stay in the capital and sent someone to give him some silver to help him pass the imperial examinations. After that, she paid him no further attention.

She knew that the scholar had ulterior motives towards her. After all, there were rumors that Princess Zhaoming was fickle and had many male lovers. She was pursuing that young master Pei while also having other women by her side and indulging in philandering.

Jiang Jinshuang had her servants reprimand him, thinking she had given up on his idea.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, he came to our door.

When Jiang Jinshuang learned of this, she immediately realized something was wrong and hurried back to the princess's residence.

Outside the princess's residence, the scholar knelt on the cold stone platform. Pei Du, dressed in a black robe, had a desk brought to the door and calmly began practicing calligraphy and reading.

Where would ordinary people ever see such a scene?
Many people gathered outside the princess's residence, looking around in layers, pointing and whispering.

"what happened?"

"Oh? You all don't know? This person kneeling here is a lover of Princess Zhaoming from outside the palace~"

"A debt of love?"

"Yes, Princess Zhaoming kept this scholar as a mistress, but the scholar fell in love and insisted on coming to her door to become her lover!"

"Tsk tsk tsk! Princess Zhaoming is truly shameless and utterly debauched!"

"Who says otherwise? This young master Pei still lives in this mansion, yet he's always looking for other women and attracting unwanted attention!"

"Then what is this Young Master Pei doing here?"

"Oh, you don't know, Young Master Pei said that if he wants to kneel, he can kneel, and he will stay here and guard him."

"Tsk tsk tsk, this Princess Zhaoming is really useless. She got herself into a love debt, does she expect her lover to help her resolve it?"

"..."

The murmurs among the crowd grew louder and louder, but Pei Du, sitting high up with a serene expression, remained unaffected as he wrote scriptures with his eyes lowered.

A gentleman is like jade; his hands are long and fair, with distinct joints, and when he holds the pen, he looks like a figure in a painting.

Seeing this, Jiang Jinshuang had no time to appreciate the "beauty" anymore!
He hurriedly stepped forward and walked to Pei Du's side.

"What's wrong? It's chilly today, why did you come out?"

Her voice was as usual, and her gaze toward Pei Du was as gentle and bright as ever.

The act of copying the sutra paused slightly.

The man's long eyelashes trembled slightly, but he continued writing, ignoring her.

Below the steps, the scholar's eyes reddened upon seeing Jiang Jinshuang arrive, and he knelt forward, saying, "Your Highness..."

Jiang Jinshuang gave the scholar a cold look: "Get lost."

Upon hearing this, tears streamed down the scholar's face. "Your Highness... I understand that you admire Young Master Pei. I do not seek any title or honor; I only wish to remain in the Princess's residence, even as a mere courtier. I wish to accompany Your Highness..."

With a "crack," Pei Du's writing brush was snapped in two.

Eye-catching beads of blood trickled down from his fingertips onto the sharp strokes of the scripture.

Seeing this, Jiang Jinshuang frowned with heartache, and lost all her good temper towards the scholar.

"Do you want to die, or get out?"

Upon hearing this, the scholar stubbornly knelt forward, straightening his spine: "My love for Your Highness is as clear as day and night. Even if Your Highness were to kill me, I would do so willingly."

Upon hearing this, the people present praised him repeatedly, and their criticism of Jiang Jinshuang became even more scathing.

"Princess Zhaoming is indeed heartless. This scholar was willing to die for her, and she still has this kind of expression on her face!"

"That's right! Why not take it into your household? That would satisfy the scholar's wishes!"

"Hmph! I don't believe that Princess Zhaoming would dare to execute someone in public!"

"..."

Jiang Jinshuang frowned, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

—She really couldn't kill someone in the street; this scholar was forcing her.

She could certainly take the scholar back and deal with him, but doing so would damage Pei Du's reputation.

—She cared a lot about Pei Du's reputation.

Just then, a man dressed as a commoner approached the scholar from a distance and whispered something in his ear. Upon hearing this, the scholar's eyes widened, and he looked at Jiang Jinshuang and Pei Du in a panic.

The next second, before Jiang Jinshuang could react, the scholar kowtowed several times and loudly apologized: "This humble subject was foolish! It was this humble subject who was foolish!"

"Your Highness, please don't blame me! I'll leave now and won't bother you again!"

After saying that, as if afraid she would change her mind, he propped himself up and ran out of the crowd.

A grand drama thus came to an abrupt end.

Jiang Jinshuang looked in the direction the scholar had left, then turned to look at Pei Du beside her.

Pei Du remained calm. He slowly rose, had someone put away his desk, and turned to walk into the princess's residence.

Seeing this, Jiang Jinshuang hurriedly chased after them.

Pei Du's expression was not good.

Jiang Jinshuang coughed lightly and smiled ingratiatingly: "Pei Du, did you do this?"

(End of this chapter)