Chapter 29:

Qingfeng Pavilion was not like a brothel that only became lively at night. During the day, it had the sounds of silk and bamboo, and most of the visitors were cultured individuals, mostly coming to listen to music and admire the instruments.

Zhuang Xiaoyu entered Qingfeng Pavilion and directly stated her intention. She had heard that there were beauties here and had come to see for herself.

“Miss, if you wish to meet Young Master Jiang, I’ll first ask him if he wishes to see you. Please wait a moment.”

They had to ask first? It seemed like this person had quite a bit of standing, or maybe real power.

“Miss, please, Young Master Jiang will meet with you.”

“Thank you. How much is it for a visit?”

She had to ask, just in case it was too expensive—she didn’t have much on her.

“Please come upstairs, Miss. Young Master Jiang does not charge any fees.”

Such a good deal? They weren’t just using their beauty to make money?

The attendant led her to the door and then left. Zhuang Xiaoyu pushed the door open and entered. The room was decorated in a fresh and elegant style, with a faint sandalwood fragrance filling the air. This fragrance was pleasant but expensive. Some refined young scholars and ladies would choose their preferred scent and burn it in their rooms. Over time, the scent would cling to both the room and their clothes, somewhat like modern-day perfumes.

Zhuang Xiaoyu didn’t like it, though. She had never liked wearing perfume, even in the modern world. She always preferred skincare products with very faint scents. She didn’t like drinking any beverages, only plain water. Perhaps she was just too different, which was why her boyfriend had changed.

Jiang He was sitting on the carpet, with a table next to him. On the table were a teapot and teacups, with steam still rising from the freshly poured water.

“Hello, I’m Zhuang Xiaoyu. I’ve come here because I’ve heard about Young Master Jiang’s beauty and wanted to take a look.”

Jiang He nodded slightly. “Jiang He greets Miss Zhuang. Please have a seat.”

Zhuang Xiaoyu observed Jiang He closely. He was indeed as stunning as people had said—his features were like a painting, almost heavenly. He was both beautiful and seductive, even more so than Murong Xuan. His voice carried a faint seductive tone.

“How did your mother raise you, that you turned out so handsome?”

Zhuang Xiaoyu sat across from him, finding herself increasingly drawn to his beauty. This was the real deal, not the plastic faces from modern technology. She almost wanted to reach out and touch him.

“If you like it, that’s good,” Jiang He said with a faint smile.

“Like it? You’re too handsome. What about your family? How did you end up in such a place? A son as beautiful as you shouldn’t be out selling his beauty.”

Talking about his family seemed to touch a sore spot, and he fell silent for a while before quietly saying, “They’re all dead.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

“It’s fine, it’s all in the past.”

His tone was emotionless, yet Zhuang Xiaoyu felt a pang of sympathy. It seemed she was naturally drawn to beautiful people in distress.

“How old are you, Young Master Jiang?”

“Twenty-seven, by the lunar calendar.”

“Where is your hometown? Why did you come to the capital and end up in such a place? With your looks, you’re bound to attract trouble.”

“I had no other choice. I ask Miss to protect me.”

“Alright. If you’re in any trouble, just let me know. With your looks, no one should be allowed to take advantage of you.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Miss. Please, have some tea.” Jiang He gracefully extended a slender finger, offering her a cup of tea.

“I don’t like tea.”

“What does Miss like, then? Would you prefer to listen to music?”

“No need. I just came to see you, to enjoy the view. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a beautiful person. My eyes are a little tired.”

Jiang He smiled shyly at her, his gaze full of charm.

It was surprising that men could be so captivating. But Zhuang Xiaoyu wasn’t infatuated. Though she was curious about how beautiful he really was, she wasn’t about to fall for it.

She wasn’t infatuated at all, and she certainly wasn’t normal. While other girls would blush in such situations, she never did. In fact, she enjoyed seeing beautiful men blush more.

At this moment, Zhuang Xiaoyu thought about how this exquisite person might end up with someone’s daughter.

“Miss, you’re staring at me like that, and I’m starting to feel shy.”

He said he was shy, but there was no sign of it. His eyes sparkled as he locked gazes with Zhuang Xiaoyu.

“Why would you feel shy? Don’t so many people look at you every day?”

“Not at all. My face isn’t something just anyone can look at.”

“Is that so? Is there some special requirement for people to look at you?”

Before Jiang He could respond, there was a commotion outside the door. The sound of the attendant’s voice came through. “This gentleman, Young Master Jiang is receiving a guest. You cannot enter.”

“Get out.”

With a shout, the door was pushed open, and everyone in the room looked up to see the newcomer.

“Murong Xuan? What are you doing here?”

Zhuang Xiaoyu hurried to her feet and walked over to him.

“If I didn’t come, would you have become someone else’s sister?”

His voice carried an endless sense of grievance, as though Zhuang Xiaoyu had betrayed him.

“I heard Qingfeng Pavilion has an extraordinary beauty, so I came to have a look. I had just sat down when you arrived. This is Jiang He—he’s quite beautiful, isn’t he?”

Jiang He, who had been mentioned by name, could only nod toward Murong Xuan. “Prince Xuan.”

“You know me?”

“Miss just mentioned your name.”

“It really is as beautiful as a celestial being, seductively enchanting to the extreme. Xiaoyu, don’t let him confuse you.”

“If you get confused by him, I won’t care. Stop being so sour. When did you come back? Let me treat you to a meal.”

Zhuang Xiaoyu couldn’t freeload, so she took out a silver ingot from her bag and gave it to Jiang He as a tip. Then, she grabbed Murong Xuan and left Qingfeng Pavilion.

Jiang He played with the silver Zhuang Xiaoyu left behind, and after a while, he whispered, “This is interesting.”

Zhuang Xiaoyu brought Murong Xuan to Baishan Pavilion and kept asking him about his trip.

“Was everything smooth?”

“Mm.”

“When did you come back?”

“Just now.”

As soon as he came back, he heard she had gone to Nanfeng Pavilion without even returning to the royal residence. Luckily, she came here, otherwise that seductive man would have charmed her away.

“I thought you would go straight back to the frontier?”

“……” Was it because I can’t let go of you?

“How long are you staying this time?”

“I don’t know.”

“You seem a bit off. Did something happen on the road?”

That shouldn’t be the case. She had knocked out the emperor’s secret guards, and hadn’t caused any trouble.

“I miss you, Sister Xiaoyu.”

“Mm, I miss you too.”

“Really?” Murong Xuan’s eyes brightened.

“Mm, I was still thinking about whether the young master at Qingfeng Pavilion is more pleasing to the eye than Murong Xuan.”

Murong Xuan looked deeply aggrieved: “So who do you think is more pleasing, me or him?”

Zhuang Xiaoyu grabbed his face with her hands, inspecting it closely from left to right, then made a face of disdain.

“How did you get so dark? You’re even thinner now. Your skin doesn’t feel as good either.”

She used to love pinching his face because it felt good to the touch. Every time she rubbed it, it would turn bright red, but Murong Xuan wasn’t angry. This time, however, he was upset. He quickly pushed Zhuang Xiaoyu’s hand away.

“So Jiang He’s hand feels good, right? You like him, don’t you? You don’t like me anymore, do you?”

“I don’t know, no, no.”

Zhuang Xiaoyu quickly answered his three questions in one go.

“Sister, you’re even speaking so perfunctorily to me. Looks like I shouldn’t have rushed back. I delayed your secret meeting with Jiang He.”

Murong Xuan’s voice was full of grievance, biting his lip, his eyes glistening with tears, almost like he was about to cry.

“What’s with you? Why are you acting so weird?”

“You said you would miss me. You said you would wait for me to come back. You don’t keep your promises. You’re a liar…”

Before he could finish, Zhuang Xiaoyu slapped him on the head.

“Stop talking nonsense, or I’ll throw you out.”

“……” Murong Xuan was stunned by the slap.

“Why aren’t you speaking anymore?”

“Such roughness.” After a while, Murong Xuan mumbled.

“Is this the first time you realized I’m rough?”

“You’re only rough with me, but so gentle with Jiang He.”

“Which eye of yours saw me being gentle with him?”

“You even gave him silver. You’ve never given me any.”

“Taking you out to eat doesn’t require silver. Hurry up and talk about something serious, don’t keep bringing up useless stuff, all that tea-like nonsense. Who taught you that?”

Murong Xuan looked at her for a moment, then smiled. Zhuang Xiaoyu hadn’t changed at all, she was still the same.

This smile was enough to restore the normal atmosphere, and Zhuang Xiaoyu looked at him with contempt.

“I just buried my mother and received word that you’ve been betrothed to Murong Ze. I rushed back as quickly as I could. I was afraid that if I came back late, you would have already married him.”

“How could I possibly marry that trash?”

“As soon as I returned, I heard you offended Father Emperor in order to annul the engagement?”

“Mm, that old man sent the entire secret guard to kill me, but I wiped them all out.”

“You killed all of them?”

“I spared a few. Wan’er pleaded, so I left them to send word back. Recently, the court is unstable. Now that you’ve just returned, stay at the royal residence and rest. Don’t get involved.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you, Xiaoyu.”

Zhuang Xiaoyu was satisfied as she pinched his face. Chatting with him was so fun, but she had to act like the green tea type.