Chapter 22  

Xu Lianqiao had just returned to her room when she encountered Princess Anyi’s maid at the door.

“Mrs. Jiang is very polite. On behalf of the princess, I, Servant Chao Yun, have invited you.”

The visitor spoke with a serious face and a tone that lacked emotion. After finishing, he gestured to Xu Lianqiao, urging her to follow without giving her any time to respond or rest.

“Now?” Xu Lianqiao hesitated. She didn’t know why Princess Anyi wanted to see her, and she unconsciously glanced at “Jiang Huai” beside her. To be honest, she wasn’t very confident about meeting Princess Anyi.

“Should I change my clothes?” Xu Lianqiao asked.

Without even looking, she knew that her skirt and shoes were probably covered in mud. She’d been walking around earlier, so it seemed inappropriate to meet the princess in this state.

Chao Yun quickly glanced at Xu Lianqiao and frowned slightly. He thought to himself that the princess might not like waiting or seeing anyone too dirty.

“Then please hurry up, Mrs. Jiang. The princess doesn’t like waiting for people.”

To say he doesn’t like it is an understatement. The princess finds it disgusting, and right now, Mrs. Jiang seems a bit too dirty, which could cause some tension when she sees her.

Just as Xu Lianqiao was about to agree, a cold snort came from above. She realized it was Jiang Huai expressing his dissatisfaction.

He straightened his back, standing with his hands behind him, and said loudly:

“How absurd, it’s your princess who invited my wife. Shouldn’t she wait?”

Xu Lianqiao couldn’t believe that Jiang Huai had said such a thing.

She didn’t dare to show her anger, only stealing a glance at Chao Yun’s expression.

Chao Yun sighed internally, knowing that he had to serve the princess. His face, however, remained expressionless.

“Excuse me, miss, please wait for me for a moment,”Chao Yun said.

He nodded and apologized, before leaving.

This was strange.

Jiang Huai used to be considerate and polite to everyone. Why was he suddenly so rude?

The door slammed shut behind them as they left. Xu Lianqiao tugged on the man’s sleeve and led him into the room

“What nonsense did you just say? You are someone who is close to the princess; don’t you worry about offending others?”

“What’s there to be afraid of?”

Ning Yuan sat down and was about to pour himself a glass of water but realized the cup was already empty.

Xu Lianqiao looked at the indifferent look on “Jiang Huai’s” face and felt a surge of frustration. Her voice even held a hint of annoyance as she said:

“Yes, you’re Prince Xuanwu and also the minister of Dali Temple. Of course, you don’t have to worry. Anyway, the princess won’t make trouble for anyone.”

She was the one who had been called, not him. It was easy for him to stand and speak calmly…

“Yes. You don’t know why the princess is looking for me, do you?”

After speaking, Xu Lianqiao felt a bit foolish for her outburst. “Jiang Huai” had been speaking on her behalf earlier.

She felt like recently she had been unusually honest around Jiang Huai.

Turning around, she secretly scolded herself.

This is dangerous, Xu Lianqiao, wake up.

After hearing Xu Lianqiao’s complaint, Ning Yuan lowered his head and smiled gently.

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

He said it was nothing, but in fact, he was thinking about how cute Xu Lianqiao looked when she was angry, with her cheeks puffed out.

“Don’t worry,” Ning Yuan reassured her. “I’ll go with you in a minute.”

It must have been because of Wei Jue’s matter.

His voice was soft and calming, as if discussing something trivial, but it had a soothing effect on her.

Xu Lianqiao lowered her head, feeling guilty about how she had spoken earlier.

“I’m going to change clothes.”

“What?”

Xu Lianqiao felt irritated again by “Jiang Huai”: “I said I’m going to change clothes.”

“Ah… oh… okay…”

Ning Yuan looked around, realizing that there wasn’t even a screen in the room for privacy.

He had heard her clearly, but a few unintentional thoughts flashed through his mind, making him momentarily flustered.

She awkwardly touched her nose and stood up. Before leaving, she said, “This dress might not fit, but… you can adjust it later.”

Xu Lianqiao glanced at the clothes “Jiang Huai” had given her. She had no idea where he had gotten them, but they’d have to work on it for now.

“I know,” he replied.

After closing the door, Xu Lianqiao felt her heart racing, though she couldn’t understand why.

It must be because she was nervous about meeting the princess.

_

Along the way, Xu Lianqiao’s statement that she wasn’t worried was a lie.

When she gets nervous, she feels uncomfortable.

“Where did you find the clothes?” Xu Lianqiao noticed that the clothes he brought were made of brocade. While it’s not so rare that only the disciples of the Tian family could wear it, it is not something that ordinary people can afford either.

“Isn’t it suitable?”

Ning Yuan didn’t think too much about it, but felt that it should fit her.

“…”

Xu Lianqiao touched her belly.

It can’t be said that it’s completely unsuitable, but it is indeed a bit lacking. She could even imagine how graceful the figure of a person who could wear this dress would be.

Ah, she really can’t compare.

“I asked a pilgrim^[1]which is a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons. to buy it.”

Something came up suddenly, and it was obviously too late to go down the mountain to buy clothes. He had to find someone at the temple to buy one. Fortunately, he met a woman holding a package and guessed she might have picked out something.

He felt… it should be about right before giving it to Ah Qiao.

Though he only assessed it with his eyes.

Xu Lianqiao noticed the look in “Jiang Huai’s” eyes.

She felt a bit frustrated.

Sure enough, men… always like a good figure.

But she didn’t have the chance to be upset because they had already arrived at Princess Anyi’s residence.

It must be said that even in the land of Buddhism, there is still a difference between her and the princess.

However, Xu Lianqiao felt that if Princess Anyi were given the choice, she would definitely not want to live here.

But there was no choice. The Holy One gave an order, and even Princess Anyi couldn’t refuse.

Indeed, being an emperor is really convenient.

“You two, the princess invites you.”

After receiving the order, Xu Lianqiao entered the house with “Jiang Huai.”

But…

The princess wasn’t seated in the main seat of the room. Instead, Wei Jue and… Mrs. Wei was kneeling beside it first.

Before Xu Lianqiao could react, “Jiang Huai” had already stepped in front of her, shielding her from Wei Jue’s hostile gaze.

Over there, Princess Anyi slowly emerged from behind the curtain when she saw everyone had arrived.

She walked with graceful steps, twisting her body with each movement. The hairpin in her bun and the fan in her hand swayed with every step.

Xu Lianqiao couldn’t help but sigh. She is really graceful… beautiful and charming.

As a woman, she couldn’t help but feel envious when she saw Princess Anyi.

Previously, she had only heard rumors that Princess Anyi was the most beautiful woman in the capital…

Only today did she realize it was true that it’s better to meet her than just hear about her.

She could see no sign that Princess Anyi was nearly ten years older than her.

Time really never defeats beauty.

Princess Anyi clearly noticed her burning gaze and suddenly smiled.

“Am I good-looking?”

The word “good” was used very subtly. It was unclear whether she was asking Xu Lianqiao if she looked good or if she had already noticed her gaze.

After being asked, Xu Lianqiao realized that she had not yet greeted the princess.

Just as she wondered whether she should salute or kneel down, “Jiang Huai” spoke first:

“I wonder why the princess asked my wife to come here?”

His tone was so calm, as if he wasn’t at all impressed by Princess Anyi’s appearance.

Xu Lianqiao couldn’t help but wonder if this was the right reaction for Jiang Huai…

After he spoke, Princess Anyi leaned back on the cushions, closed her eyes lightly, and then said in a lazy tone:

“This princess saved your wife from disaster. Why wouldn’t I be allowed to see her?”

After saying that, she glanced at Wei Jue and Mrs. Wei, who were kneeling on the side, and then turned to Mrs. Wei to ask:

“Speaking of which, I would like to know, if the one who fell into the water was me but your biological daughter, would you still take responsibility for Wei Jue like this?”

Although she hadn’t come out earlier, she had overheard enough to understand that Mrs. Wei was focused on saying it was her responsibility and begging to let Wei Jue go, offering to handle things herself.

If Princess Anyi didn’t know the truth, she would have thought this was a touching display of a mother-daughter bond.

When Ning Yuan heard this, he couldn’t help but glance at Xu Lianqiao, his eyes full of concern.

He knew that what Princess Anyi said wasn’t true. She wasn’t trying to fight for Ah Qiao’s justice but just wanted to see the spectacle.

How boring.

Mrs. Wei was at a loss when she was asked. This was the first time someone had harshly pointed out her past, and she didn’t know how to respond. She just kept her head lowered.

On the other hand, Wei Jue couldn’t hold back and blurted out, “What can she do? She is just a woman who covets glory and wealth. Otherwise, why would she abandon her own daughter? I can’t even fight her, yet she pretends to be virtuous in front of her stepdaughter.”

Mrs. Wei’s heart sank when she heard Wei Jue’s crying words…

She knew that Wei Jue had a grudge against her, but she never knew it was this deep.

“Jue’er…”

She was so stunned that she couldn’t even explain herself properly.

She admitted that she wasn’t a good mother to Lianqiao, but she had a clear conscience about Jue’er.

“I don’t need you to show off here…”

“I have my own mother. I don’t need your mother. If you want to be someone else’s mother, go find your own daughter.”

The scene grew chaotic.

Princess Anyi didn’t stop anyone and simply “enjoyed” the show.

It had been a long time since she had seen such an interesting scene, and she couldn’t help but mutter, so there really are people eager to be stepmothers these days.

The only flaw was that Xu Lianqiao didn’t cry along with them as she imagined.

Xu Lianqiao just watched, puzzled, wondering why they suddenly started quarreling.

But her hand was being held by “Jiang Huai”, and she knew he was silently telling her not to feel upset.