Qiao Yujing guessed correctly; Xie Wenyuan was indeed deliberately putting on an act of scheming.

This guy was best at thinking ten steps ahead with every move he made. Just dealing with Qian Botu alone, how could he possibly waste so much effort and confront him in person?

Isn’t it better to pull the strings from behind the scenes? Why come out and be the center of attention?

The reason he acted that way was indeed to attract the attention of the noble families, but more importantly, it was to fish for bigger catches.

He was aiming for the Crown Prince and the Second Prince—two big fish!

With the experience from his past life, he wouldn’t make the same mistakes again, but he also wouldn’t side with the Crown Prince.

That guy was secretly wicked and quite stingy; following him would lead nowhere. If things went wrong, it would just be a lot of effort for nothing.

The Second Prince was no good either. He could fight for the throne, but he wasn’t fit to be emperor; his character was too brutal. If he took the throne, he would definitely be a tyrant, and following him would be infuriating.

As for the other princes, they were even worse, lacking the ability to compete for the position of heir.

The quality of the current emperor’s sons was simply lacking.

So, after thinking it over, Xie Wenyuan decided to play a double game.

On the surface, he would pretend to ally with both, acting as a spy and a pawn, while secretly undermining their power, ultimately supporting the young emperor to ascend the throne!

As for whether he would be suspected of usurping the throne later, that would depend on the situation…

Of course, based on his performance today, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince would definitely look down on him. Whether the fish would bite would depend on how Qian Botu acted after returning.

One link leads to another; in this life, Xie Wenyuan was young and strong, and he had plenty of time to play with everyone.

……

Xie Wenyuan didn’t care about the seemingly amiable but actually distant attitude of the several scholars.

He patiently accompanied everyone to appreciate the poetry collection, openly showcasing his talent, establishing an image of a capable young man with some flaws in character, which attracted quite a bit of attention from the noble families.

After the poetry gathering ended, Xie Wenyuan bid farewell to his classmates and headed to the peach blossom grove to meet the person he had arranged to see.

When he arrived, Qiao Yujing had already been waiting for a long time, and his maidservants had all been sent away.

The young man, who was not particularly handsome but had a graceful figure, stood under the peach tree, looking quite sorrowful, which made him seem very pitiful.

Although Xie Wenyuan had a high immunity to beauty, he was still a man after all.

He had to admit that this young man named Qiao Yujing had a kind of captivating charm. This scene made his heart feel as if it had been lightly brushed by a feather, suddenly feeling a bit soft.

Suppressing the strange feelings in his heart, Xie Wenyuan walked over and frowned, saying, “How long have you been waiting here? Didn’t I tell you to come after the poetry gathering ended?”

Looking at the red spots on his face and hands, one could only wonder how long he had been bitten by mosquitoes.

If someone didn’t know Xie Wenyuan’s true identity, upon hearing this, Qiao Yujing would definitely have retorted with annoyance.

He was someone who had been caught with a handle, so it was only natural that he didn’t dare to act all high and mighty by coming over early, right?

But thinking of the person in front of him, who in his past life could turn the world upside down, he immediately felt intimidated.

Intimidated to the point of being helpless.

“I’m sorry, Xie Langjun. I walk slowly and was afraid of being late, so I came early. But was this action inappropriate? Did I ruin something for you?”

Qiao Yujing asked cautiously, looking pitiful.

He wanted to act weak, play the victim, and pretend to be timid, indicating that he was just a useless young man who couldn’t handle anything big, so please don’t ask him to do anything too difficult!

He had just managed to live a second life and really didn’t want to get involved in the grand schemes of a treacherous minister.

Unfortunately, the heavens were not on his side!

Xie Wenyuan looked at him and paused, “You seem to be very afraid of me?”

No, to be precise, he should be fearful.

Clearly, the last time they met, this young man had looked at him with a mix of shyness, anger, and resentment, as if he had the guts to settle the score with him sooner or later.

But today, upon meeting, he had turned into a frightened little quail.

Something was off.

Feeling the probing gaze, Qiao Yujing immediately tensed up and quickly shook his head in denial.

“I’m not! I’m not! How could I be afraid! I’m just not used to meeting a man alone for the first time, so please don’t mind, Langjun!”

After saying that, he hurriedly changed the subject, “I wonder why you asked to meet me today? As long as it doesn’t involve me dying, I will definitely go through fire and water to fulfill your orders.”

The secret of his rebirth was too big.

He couldn’t let the other party discover that he was also reborn.

Otherwise, with Xie Wenyuan’s ruthless nature, how could he still have his life?

Qiao Yujing tried hard to maintain his composure, striving to flatter him, acting like a loyal little brother.

But there was one little problem.

His eyes were very beautiful, naturally filled with emotion, and his flattering expression didn’t seem flattering at all; instead, it looked like he was secretly sending flirtatious glances.

So, Xie Wenyuan, misunderstanding: …

This young man really knew how to bend and stretch; to save his life, he was even trying to seduce him!

But was he the kind of shallow person who could be easily swayed by beauty?

Moreover, this young man had previously planned to seduce the heir of the Yijun Wangfu. In the other’s eyes, was he really on the same level as that kind of useless person?

Xie Wenyuan pressed his lips down, his voice turning cold as he got to the point.

“I don’t have any orders for now. I called you here today mainly to confirm one thing: are you planning to seduce the heir of the Chu family and become the heir’s wife of the Yijun Wangfu?”

His words were indeed not very pleasant to hear.

Although Qiao Yujing was timid, he still had a strong sense of self-respect, and he couldn’t help but retort angrily.

“Why do you have to say such things, Langjun! I do have the intention to get close to the heir of the Chu family, but I am also a clean and upright young master of the Bo family. How can you use the word ‘seduce’ to describe me? What kind of gentleman are you?”

Seeing him get riled up, Xie Wenyuan was puzzled, “I’m not a gentleman to begin with. Otherwise, would I have used you to repay my kindness when we were on the mountain?”

“Besides, you’ve plotted against the servant, spilled wine, danced, and flirted; isn’t that seduction? You’ve already done it, so why bother beautifying it?”

People in this world were so hypocritical. He was so sincere, yet others scolded him for being bad, and he never minded.

Qiao Yujing: …

Isn’t that not minding? That’s having no room to refute at all.

Qiao Yujing was so angry he felt like a pufferfish, momentarily forgetting his fear.

“It’s not seduction! I’m just getting close, just getting close! Why do you have to speak so harshly?”

“I’m just stating the facts. The meaning of ‘getting close’ refers to fawning; while ‘seduction’ means to entice. What you did today is no different from a peacock spreading its tail to attract a mate, is it?”

Xie Wenyuan retorted with a sharp tongue.

Qiao Yujing: That seems to be the case.

No! What kind of reasoning is that?

How could a clean and upright young man like him be described as seducing? It’s as if he were some kind of loose character.

“No, it’s definitely not seduction. You can’t say that about me.”

Qiao Yujing insisted stubbornly, his voice rising with a nasal tone, tears streaming down his face.

“……”

Xie Wenyuan froze.

Why is this young man crying again?

So delicate.

He couldn’t argue back and immediately started crying.

He still preferred those ministers who argued with him in the court; they would only spit blood after he left.

This young man was actually trying to play the victim!

Xie Wenyuan felt a bit of a headache, but seeing the young man crying so pitifully, his eyes almost swollen, he ultimately restrained his impulse to continue being sharp-tongued and awkwardly said,

“Ahem, I’m just stating the facts. Why are you crying?”

“Are you bullying me and not allowing me to cry? The way you said that about me makes it sound like I’m some kind of courtesan from a brothel.”

Qiao Yujing sobbed in protest.

He was bold, but that didn’t mean he had a thick skin. He was a good family young man, and hearing such words naturally made him uncomfortable.

Xie Wenyuan helplessly said, “Alright, I won’t say it anymore. Back to the main topic, you should give up on the idea of marrying into the Yijun Wangfu.”

“I know you might be looking for a good marriage, and I think that’s understandable, but your taste is really too poor. With so many high-ranking families in the capital, why did you choose the Yijun Wangfu?”

“Do you know that the heir of the Chu family has an outside concubine from a brothel? They even have a legitimate son and daughter. The couple of the Yijun Wangfu is not easy to deal with, and the family’s business is declining. Who would marry into that?”

Of course, he knew, which was why he was seducing!

This was the revenge gift he prepared for his younger sister.

However, Qiao Yujing asked in confusion, “Langjun, why are you telling me this? Does my marrying the heir of the Chu family affect your plans in any way?”

Xie Wenyuan fell silent.

Yeah!

Who Qiao Yujing married, and whether he would suffer after marriage, what did it have to do with him?

He just needed to use the other party to gain the support of the Yongchang Bo family for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne. How the other person lived their life had nothing to do with him!

There were plenty of foolish people he couldn’t stand; why was he suddenly meddling in other people’s business?

This was really strange.

After a brief pause, Xie Wenyuan said somewhat irritably, “Yes, your marriage to the heir of the Chu family does affect my plans, so you’re not allowed to marry him.”

“Then who should I marry? Xie Langjun, I’m willing to help you, but we’re just making a deal. I’m not your subordinate; I don’t have the freedom to marry.”

Qiao Yujing felt quite wronged.

His creditor was being too controlling.

“A deal? A life-saving grace should be repaid with one’s life. I saved you, so your life belongs to me. What’s wrong with me interfering in your marriage?”

Qiao Yujing got angry, “You’re being unreasonable.”

“Unreasonable? What do you think I am, a good person?”

Xie Wenyuan laughed confidently.

Qiao Yujing: …

Tears came out of Qiao Yujing’s eyes again, and he sobbed, “Then what do you want me to do to let me go? I’m already eighteen; if I don’t get married soon, I’ll become an old bachelor and won’t be able to marry.”

He wanted to get married soon and leave the Bo family.

Hearing the words about marriage made Xie Wenyuan inexplicably irritated.

Marriage, marriage.

Did this young man really want to get married that badly?

Xie Wenyuan’s tone turned unfriendly, “Anyway, without my permission, you’re not allowed to get married.”

This statement hit right at the heart.

If he wasn’t allowed to marry, how could he leave the Bo family openly?

Sure enough, this treacherous minister had a black heart, actually persecuting an innocent and pitiful young man like him.

“You bad guy, I’ll fight you!”

Qiao Yujing was provoked, tears streaming down his face as he charged forward to fight.

Xie Wenyuan instinctively wanted to lift his foot to kick.

But halfway through, he remembered that the person in front of him was a young man, so he quickly retracted his foot and stepped back.

As a result, Qiao Yujing saw him lift his foot to kick and reflexively prepared to dodge.

His foot stumbled, and he tripped over his own feet, falling directly onto Xie Wenyuan.

“Ugh!”

Xie Wenyuan let out a muffled grunt of pain.

Qiao Yujing realized what he had bumped into, his face turning bright red as he covered his eyes, sitting on the ground and not daring to move!

Author’s Note:
Qiao: It’s all the old gong’s sharp tongue that lacks romance; don’t blame me!