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Chapter 20
Ning Yuan had finally gotten a set of clothes, but when he rushed back and opened the door, he found the house eerily quiet, and Ah Qiao was nowhere to be seen.
“Ah Qiao,” Ning Yuan called out a couple of times, but there was no response.
Looking around, everything seemed normal, except for a piece of paper on the table.
He picked it up and glanced over it. The more he read, the darker his expression became. Without wasting any time or even properly putting down the clothes, he hurried out.
Damn it, he thought. He’d only been gone for a short while, so why was everything going wrong again?
Just as he was about to leave, having taken only a few steps out the door, he saw Ah Qiao walking back with a basket in her hand.
Thank goodness…
Ning Yuan let out a sigh of relief when he saw that she was unharmed.
“You’re back so soon?” Ah Qiao asked, a bit surprised.
He had only been gone for a quarter of an hour or so.
“Yeah,” Ning Yuan answered quietly, though the fear still lingered.
“Where have you been?” he asked.
Ah Qiao seemed a little upset by the question.
“I went to find some things,” she replied with a hint of sarcasm.
Afraid of being questioned further, she quickly entered the room and placed the basket on the table.
Ning Yuan then noticed that the letter he had seen earlier was gone.
“You know…” Ah Qiao turned her head and glanced at Jiang Huai.
“Yes, you put it here…” Ning Yuan quickly pointed to where the letter had been placed and explained.
To clarify, he handed her the letter along with the clothes-wrapped parcel.
Taking the letter, Ah Qiao went silent for a while before slowly saying, “I didn’t plan on going.”
Even after their reunion, neither of them knew exactly what to say.
“This letter…” Ning Yuan hesitated. Should he bring it up? If not, he feared she might be misled again.
“The handwriting is too childish. It doesn’t seem like something written by someone older,” he finally expressed his concerns.
Ah Qiao didn’t react much after hearing that, but she still appeared slightly uncomfortable.
“It must have been Wei Jue who did it,” Ning Yuan added.
He should have expected the Wei family’s involvement, but he hadn’t been cautious enough, and now they had almost taken advantage of him.
Seeing the look of guilt on Jiang Huai’s face, Ah Qiao couldn’t help but laugh.
“Is this because of what happened at Jinxiu Yifang?” she teased while continuing to unpack some vegetables from her basket.
“She’s going to be Princess Chu. Why does she act so childish? I didn’t give her any fabric, but she’s still trying these little tricks.”
Ning Yuan bit into a bun, but it was dry—really dry.
Ah Qiao spoke lightly, but Ning Yuan couldn’t relax at all.
He couldn’t forget how his mother had suffered because of the malicious schemes of the housewives.
“Ah Qiao…” He was anxious as he grabbed the bun from Ah Qiao’s hand.
“We need to stay alert and serious.”
Ah Qiao pouted, feeling a bit wronged as her bun was taken away.
“I’m serious,” she insisted.
He grabbed the bun back from her hand and sat down.
“She isn’t going to marry into the Jiang family, and I won’t be going to the Chu Prince’s Mansion either. There will be plenty of opportunities to meet her in the future. Besides, when she marries into the Chu Prince’s Mansion, where will she find time to care about someone insignificant like me?”
Ah Qiao, though unsure of some things, knew that King of Chu was even more romantic than Jiang Huai.
“You’re not insignificant,” Ning Yuan replied, sitting across from her with a serious look.
“You’re important to me,” he added.
Ah Qiao froze, forgetting to swallow the half-chewed bun in her mouth. She stared at Jiang Huai, taken aback by his words.
Hiccup
Ah Qiao accidentally hiccupped, feeling embarrassed.
After a moment, Ning Yuan handed her a glass of water.
“Slow down,” he said with a smile.
Ning Yuan glanced at the dry vegetable buns.
They were truly dry, with no oil or water.
Recalling that Ah Qiao had only had a small bowl of rice for lunch earlier, he knew she must be hungry.
“Let’s go,” he said suddenly.
“Where are we going?” Ah Qiao asked, confused.
Ning Yuan smiled mischievously and said, “Just come with me and you’ll find out.”
Curious, Ah Qiao quickly swallowed the remaining half of her bun and followed Jiang Huai outside.
“Wait, I need to grab something first,” she called out as he was about to leave.
_
Another part of the temple.
Mrs. Jiang walked around the room, feeling anxious.
When she heard a knock on the door, she stopped and said, “Come in.”
“Mom, did you want to see me?” Jiang Xi asked.
“Yes, close the door,” Mrs. Jiang replied.
She then pointed to a stool beside her and said, “Xi’er, sit down.”
After Jiang Xi sat down, Mrs. Jiang handed her a booklet.
When Jiang Xi opened it, she saw lists of names and backgrounds.
“These are some unmarried young men in the capital that I’ve asked someone to gather. Xi’er, look through them and see if any of them are suitable,” Mrs. Jiang said.
Even though she and her husband had not yet forced Jiang Xi into marriage, Mrs. Jiang feared the topic would cause trouble if they asked her opinion earlier.
Jiang Xi frowned when she heard her mother’s words.
Without looking at the booklet, she tossed it onto the table.
“Mom, you just said that you and Dad would keep me a little longer…” Jiang Xi said. “Why do you suddenly want me to marry now?”
“Look at Sister Renju. She’s a year older than me and just got engaged. Why should I marry now?” Jiang Xi asked.
Mrs. Jiang was upset. But after hearing what Wang had told her earlier, she sighed.
“We have to make a decision by the end of this month.”
“Mom,” Jiang Xi said, standing up in frustration.
Seeing her daughter so upset, Mrs. Jiang’s face turned serious. She scolded, “I’ve spoiled you too much.”
She raised her hand to strike Jiang Xi but hesitated, unable to do it.
“If you want to act so willfully, stay unmarried and go to the northwest,” she said.
With those words, there was no hiding the truth. Mrs. Jiang pulled Jiang Xi back down to sit.
“Do you know King Zhenbei?” Mrs. Jiang asked.
Jiang Xi nodded.
Although she had never been to the northwest, she knew the basic information. A year ago, the old King Zhenbei had died, and his son became the new King.
“What does this have to do with King Zhenbei?” Jiang Xi asked, still confused.
“The King of Zhenbei is unmarried, do you know?” Mrs. Jiang said. “What Wang told me is that the Emperor plans to send a girl from a noble family in the capital to King Zhenbei to win his favor.”
“Ah…” Jiang Xi said. She had heard the men in the northwest were rough, and she wasn’t sure if she could live there.
“Can I go to such a cold place?” Jiang Xi asked, shivering. She couldn’t imagine giving up her daily routine of bathing and drinking tea made from dew. She didn’t want to go there.
“Then why don’t you choose someone yourself?” Mrs. Jiang asked, angry now.
“Princess Zhenbei also has a nicer title,” she added.
“Then… Mother… who do you think will be chosen?” Jiang Xi asked.
Mrs. Jiang nodded.
“It doesn’t matter who it is, as long as it’s not you. It has nothing to do with our Jiang family,” she said.
Jiang Xi searched through the list but couldn’t find anyone she liked.
“This one is too short.”
“This one is too fat.”
“This one is more lustful than my brother.”
“This one is worse. His family status is too low.”
After looking through all the names, Jiang Xi thought for a while and then said, “Mother… doesn’t Sister Jue have an older brother?”
Wei Jue’s older brother, Wei Zhu, had caught Jiang Xi’s attention when she saw him from a distance a few years ago.
Why hadn’t Mrs. Jiang considered him?
It seemed like a good match, but Mrs. Jiang knew that Wei Zhu already had a fiancée.
“Mom, can you check if he is available?” Jiang Xi asked.
“Are you willing to serve tea to Mrs. Wang?” Mrs. Jiang reminded her. “Don’t forget, Wei Zhu’s aunt is the noble lady now.”
Jiang Xi hesitated.
“So what? She’s not their real mother,” Jiang Xi replied.
Just then, there was noise outside the door.
Nanny Lin came in and reported:
“Madam, Miss… Miss Wei just pushed Princess Anyi into the river.”
***
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