High-class Spring Joy

"Third Brother, when did you become so stingy? It's just a scallion chicken. I can easily buy one here in Bianjing. When we get back to Bianjing, I'll buy you ten or eight more and make up the difference, okay?"

Jie Mingan never expected to be rejected by Chu Jingxian. Even though His Highness the Crown Prince had nodded, Chu Jingxian still took it back on his own.

This is also the point that surprised Jie Ming'an the most, which shows that Chu Jingxian really cares about this seemingly ordinary scallion chicken.

Not only was Jie Ming surprised, but His Highness the Crown Prince beside him was also astonished, raising an eyebrow and saying, "I've never seen Third Brother so childish before! Could it be that this scallion oil chicken has some origin, or that the person who made it has some connection to us?"

His Highness the Crown Prince smiled, his peach blossom eyes fixed on the chessboard before him, his fingertips holding a black chess piece, his expression somewhat nonchalant.

Jie Ming'an nodded in agreement: "Your Highness is right. Could it be that the person making the scallion chicken is a young lady?"

Chu Jingxian listened to their conversation with a casual smile, the corners of his lips curving upwards. "If you'd like to eat some, I'll have Chen Sha go down the mountain and buy a few for you two. But this one won't do."

At this moment, one of the Crown Prince's men came to report: "Your Highness, the Third Prince has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Chu Jingxian, Xie Ming'an, and the Crown Prince all showed a change in expression, their smiles fading slightly.

A white chess piece fell from Jie Ming'an's fingertips and landed on the chessboard. Jie Ming'an stood up, stretched, and said, "Since someone has arrived, I'll take my leave."

After finishing his sentence, Jie Ming left.

His Highness the Crown Prince raised an eyebrow: "He dares to come, which shows he came prepared. Now that he's here, I'm quite curious to see what he has to say."

Chu Jingxian's fingertips, which were tapping on the table, stopped: "Your Highness?"

His Highness the Crown Prince laughed: "Third Brother, why don't you listen from behind the curtain? I suppose he's here to perform. If I watch this show alone, it might be too boring, with no one to share it with. Whether it's in the light or in the dark, he can't stay still."

After saying that, His Highness the Crown Prince waved his sleeve and said, "Let my elder brother in."

"Yes."

Soon, a tall, handsome man dressed in a black robe was brought in by the guards.

At this moment, only His Highness the Crown Prince remained in the courtyard; Chu Jingxian had already gone to a secluded place.

But when the Third Prince entered, His Highness the Crown Prince realized what kind of show was about to unfold.

Although the Third Prince was dressed in a black brocade robe, he was holding several leather whips in his hand. Standing in front of the Crown Prince, the Third Prince decisively took off his upper garment, revealing his back.

His Highness the Crown Prince raised an eyebrow. Was he about to stage a scene of apology with a bundle of thorns on his back?

"Brother, what are you doing?"

"Yesterday, my sister was assassinated, and my courtyard is the closest to hers, right next door. It was my negligence that I failed to notice the assassin entering..."

-

After leaving the Empress Dowager's Buddhist hall, Qingyuan took a very secluded path, intending to sneak back to the princess's courtyard.

As she walked, she bumped into someone she thought shouldn't be there.

Solving for light and shadow?

How did he end up here?

As soon as Qingyuan saw Jie Ming'an, Jie Ming'an also saw Qingyuan. His eyes lit up, and he immediately rushed to Qingyuan in a few strides: "A-Yuan, A-Yuan, what are you doing here? A-Yuan?"

Looking at the grinning person in front of her, Qingyuan didn't know what to say for a moment.

"What's wrong? Ah Yuan, are you unhappy to see me? I'm the godfather of the child in your belly!"

Jie Ming'an really doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut.

Qingyuan really didn't know what to say, so she looked at the person in front of her honestly and took two steps back.

He looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. I heard about how you shone at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet a long time ago, but I just haven't had a chance to congratulate you. I knew our A-Yuan was no ordinary girl."

Jie Ming said, his words laced with glibness.

Qingyuan glared at her: "Don't talk nonsense, who's your family's?"

"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore. So, have you found that person? Or is that person still refusing to see you?"

Jie Ming sighed and shook his head, saying, "I'm telling you, don't bother looking for that person. I don't think he's any good either. He has no sense of responsibility whatsoever. How could a grown man, a man of integrity, do something so ungrateful, shameless, and utterly irresponsible? Even if you find someone like that, he'll definitely not be a good person. You should listen to me. At best, if you can wait, I can definitely make you a queen or a noble consort. Even if you don't want to be a royal consort, at worst, I can make you a marquis's wife. Then I'll ask for an imperial title for you. Isn't that much better than you searching for an irresponsible man in this vast sea of ​​people?"

If all else fails and you don't want to marry, I'll give you ten thousand taels of gold, a house, and several acres of fertile land. You can live well on your own. There's no need to go looking for that irresponsible man. To put it another way, instead of going to him, you'd be better off choosing me. So, while I may have a few flaws, at least I'll treat you well.

Qingyuan blushed at his words, and then thought he was dreaming. She glared at him fiercely and said, "If you keep talking nonsense, you'll pay back the few taels of silver you owe me! And you'll pay back the wealth and glory you promised when I agreed to save you!"

"Okay, okay, I was wrong, I was wrong, I won't say anything more."

This is how Jie Ming'an put it.

Just then, a gentle female voice came from the side: "I wonder when Sister Qingyuan came to know Lord Xie?"

As she spoke, Jiang Qingge gracefully walked out from the side, her figure slender and elegant, still retaining that refined and noble air of a high-born lady.

When he looked at Qingyuan and Jieming, the smile on his face was quite meaningful.

Hearing Jiang Qingge's words, Qingyuan frowned subconsciously. If she followed Jiang Qingge's lead, she would be accused of having an affair with another man. If this got out, her reputation would be easily damaged.

Qingyuan knew that she would be under the watchful eyes of many people and be met with hostility when she stood in front of the Empress Dowager.

But that doesn't mean that if she hadn't chosen to show off in front of the Empress Dowager, there would have been no less hostility. At least for Jiang Qingge in front of her, she probably wanted to kill her from the very beginning.

Instead of trying to hide, it's better to fight for yourself and fight for a chance to survive.

Just as Qingyuan was about to speak, she suddenly heard Jieming chuckle to himself.

Jie Ming gave a cold laugh and subtly moved away from Qing Yuan. "I don't know her. I don't even know which family's maid she is. I just met her on the road. Miss Jiang, on the other hand, I know her very well!"

As he spoke, Jie Ming'an, with a nonchalant smile on his face, walked step by step to Jiang Qingge: "I wonder if Miss Jiang's injuries have healed after all this time? Is the handkerchief you're using still the one with the begonia flower pattern? We've known each other before, so why are you pretending not to know me now?"

Although it was a small path, maids and servants still passed by from time to time. When Jie Ming spoke these words, he raised his voice even more, so that anyone passing by or getting close to him could probably hear him clearly.

Jiang Qingge's expression changed upon hearing Jie Ming'an's words. If others heard this, they might think that she and Jie Ming'an had some kind of affair, and then the bad reputation wouldn't be Qing Yuan's, but hers!

Jiang Qingge smiled wryly: "Lord Xie... oh no, he's no longer a lord. He's been banished from the palace by the Emperor and is now a commoner. Young Master Xie, there's no need for you to deliberately tarnish my reputation just to protect this maid..."

"How could Miss Jiang think of me like that?!"

Upon hearing this, Jie Ming'an's face showed deep sorrow and shock. He grabbed Jiang Qingge's hand and said, "You clearly gave me a token of your affection back then, saying you admired me greatly. But I dared not approach you because you were still engaged at the time. Who knew you would go so far as to give me your undergarment? Now, just because I fell off a cliff and went from an official to a commoner, you've become a snob? Miss Jiang, where did your reputation for virtue and gentleness throughout Bianjing come from? Is it all just because of me?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingge's face immediately turned panicked, and she angrily retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting?! This is blatant slander! I have never done such a thing."

Jie Ming smiled knowingly. "How could I not? Miss Jiang, have you forgotten? The bodice was embroidered with a pattern of mandarin ducks in love, and there were several auspicious clouds embroidered in bright red in the bottom right corner. The mandarin ducks even had green and blue feathers embroidered on their heads. Does Miss Jiang have some other intention? Or did Miss Jiang also give such a bodice to another young master?"

More and more maids and servants gathered around, whispering among themselves:

"This sounds so plausible, it can't possibly be fabricated, right?"

"Moreover, Miss Jiang recognized this young master's identity at a glance, as if they were quite familiar with each other. It shouldn't be someone she's only met once. Could it be that Miss Jiang is really that kind of person?"

"Back then, she was supposed to be engaged to the third young master of the Marquis's mansion, yet she gave her undergarment to another man as a token of her love? Who would have thought that Miss Jiang would be associated with the words 'fickle and promiscuous'?"

"Who can argue with that? It really does mean you can't judge a book by its cover."

As the words spoken by the maids and servants grew increasingly outrageous, Jiang Qingge grew more and more furious, but she couldn't show it on her face. She gritted her teeth and glared at Jie Ming'an in front of her: "I didn't realize you would protect Qingyuan so much. Hmm, to protect Qingyuan's reputation, you'd even go so far as to slander the reputation of an official's daughter! It's utterly despicable and a complete distortion of the truth!"

"What are you talking about?!"

Another male voice came from behind, and everyone looked over to see that it was Chu Jingyu.

Upon seeing Chu Jingyu, Qingyuan recounted the entire incident to him, a rare smile playing on her lips as she looked at him: "Young Master, this official claims to know Miss Jiang, but Miss Jiang refuses to admit it. So this official says that Miss Jiang once gave him her undergarments and handkerchiefs as tokens of their betrothal. However, at that time, Miss Jiang seemed to be engaged to the Third Young Master. Therefore, the two sides are at odds. Miss Jiang insists that she has never seen the person before her, but she recognized him at first glance and even knew that he was banished from the palace by the Emperor and demoted to a commoner. This servant does not know whether it is true or false, and I beg you, Young Master, to make a decision."

As Qingyuan said this, her tone was filled with undisguised pleasure. Sure enough, there are always other villains to deal with. It would be better to let Jie Ming'an use unorthodox methods to teach them a lesson.

This time, Jie Ming'an finally paid back the one or two taels of silver she owed for her medical expenses.

Upon hearing this, Chu Jingyu's face flushed red with anger. He rushed into the crowd and pulled Jiang Qingge into his arms, shouting, "What nonsense are you spouting? Ge'er is not that kind of person! If you continue to slander me, I'll report you to His Highness the Crown Prince and make you regret it!"

As soon as Jiang Qingge saw Chu Jingyu arrive, she threw herself into his arms, wiping away imaginary tears with her handkerchief, looking utterly heartbroken: "Ah Jing... Ah Jing, I knew you would believe me. I just need you to believe me, I don't care about anything else."

These words made Chu Jingyu feel even more heartbroken.

Hearing this, Jie Ming'an chuckled mischievously: "Yes, Miss Jiang isn't that kind of person, but why did she get involved with you, the fifth young master of the Marquis's mansion, right after breaking off her engagement with the third young master? You keep saying it's all my slander, all my false accusations, well, now you see, a man and a woman alone, not married at all. Moreover, Miss Jiang is, to some extent, the fifth young master's ex-sister-in-law. How can they be so naturally hugging and embracing in front of everyone? If no one sees them, how outrageous would that be!"

"you!!"

Chu Jingyu's face flushed red with anger at Jie Ming'an's words: "You're talking utter nonsense! Since Ge'er has already broken off her engagement with my brother, she is now a free and innocent woman. We are mutually in love and have gone our separate ways. Why can't we be together? If you continue to ruin Ge'er's reputation like this, I will definitely report you to His Highness the Crown Prince. What right do you, a mere commoner, have to be here at Xiangguo Temple?!"

"Oh dear, I'm so afraid of you. I'm just a commoner, it's really not worth me making a trip to Xiangguo Temple. Of course, I can't compare to you young masters and ladies from high-ranking families. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Jie Ming'an curled his lip in a very irritating way: "Justice resides in the hearts of the people. You can shut my mouth, but you can't shut people's hearts."

After saying that, Jie Ming'an turned and left without waiting for Chu Jingyu and Jiang Qingge to speak, looking both irritating and dashing.

The maids and servants nearby took a look:

"What that young master said makes sense. If they're hugging and kissing in public, who knows what they're like in private? What that young master said might not be something Miss Jiang wouldn't do."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you can know a person's face but not their heart. Who would have thought that the legendary virtuous Miss Jiang would actually be an unfaithful, promiscuous, fickle, and even bullying person?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingge's face turned even more ashen with anger, and her personal maid, Fanghua, immediately stepped forward to reprimand her:

"What nonsense are you spouting? If I hear you gossiping about our young lady again, I will definitely report you to our master and have you sued in the Bianjing government for defamation. If you bring shame to our family and damage our reputation, we will make you taste what it's like to have your tongues cut out and be sold to a brokerage firm!!"

Fanghua's words were indeed frightening, and the servants and maids around her scattered like birds and beasts.

Within half a day, the farce that had taken place on that narrow path had spread throughout Xiangguo Temple.

When Sai Huatuo arrived at Xiangguo Temple, it was already evening. Chu Jingxian didn't even have dinner with His Highness the Crown Prince before rushing back to his own courtyard.

Chu Jingxian cut to the chase: "That day I asked you, given Qingyuan's constitution, the possibility of her getting pregnant after only one sexual encounter is almost nonexistent, isn't that right?"

"Yes..." Sai Huatuo said, then suddenly shook his head: "Yes and no, it depends on the specific situation."