Chapter 38

The Second Prince looked at the floundering Qiao Jiaojiao and furrowed his brows.

He didn’t like children, and he had never interacted with them before.

Moreover, this was a child from the Qiao family.

Seeing Qiao Jiaojiao’s eagerness to approach the Second Prince, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but smile helplessly.

“Younger Brother, it seems this Qiao girl really likes you.”

Implicitly: Would you like to hold her?

The Second Prince was originally reluctant, but after the Crown Prince’s words, he had to consider more.

If he resisted too much, would the Crown Prince think he had something against the Qiao family?

Furthermore, would the onlookers think he was deliberately putting on airs?

No, the Zhucui Pavilion was just destroyed not long ago, and with the recent incident involving Northern assassins, this was a time for him to keep a low profile.

Thinking of this, the Second Prince finally reached out his hand towards Qiao Jiaojiao.

Qiao Jiaojiao’s shameless plan succeeded halfway, and her eyes immediately lit up.

Seeing the Second Prince awkwardly place her on his lap, Qiao Jiaojiao silently prayed in her heart.

【Male lead, oh male lead, please don’t do anything strange to me later—I’m just a child!】

At this time, some people had already finished their poems.

As the sheets of paper were handed to the two gentlemen, they carefully examined them.

If they found any good lines, they would read them aloud for everyone to appreciate.

The acknowledged gentlemen and ladies would then hold their heads high, accepting the admiring or jealous gazes of others.

Meng Guxue had actually finished her poem long ago, but at this moment, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Because her handwriting was really ugly!

Before crossing over, Meng Guxue hadn’t practiced calligraphy much.

After crossing over, she was busy thinking about how to stand out and compete with the other legitimate and illegitimate children in the mansion, so she didn’t have the leisure to practice calligraphy!

When she handed in her paper, would the two gentlemen just treat it as scrap paper?

Meng Guxue was extremely regretful. In the end, she bit her fist and punched the desk, rubbing the back of her hand until it bled.

Despite the pain, Meng Guxue gritted her teeth, holding back her tears and immediately wrapping her hand with a handkerchief.

A woman must be ruthless to maintain her position!

If the two gentlemen asked later, she would have a perfect excuse!

When she got home, she would quickly practice her calligraphy. That way, she could say she was flawless!

Thinking of this, Meng Guxue slowly stood up.

Qiao Jiaojiao was paying attention to Meng Guxue. When she saw her stand up, she suddenly shivered.

Meng Guxue took a deep breath, walked confidently towards the two gentlemen, and halfway there, a smile couldn’t help but tug at the corners of her mouth.

It was just some unknown fictional dynasty. Let’s see how she, a woman from the modern era, could manipulate these old fogies!

Most importantly, she wanted to capture the Second Prince.

With such a distinguished figure by her side, wouldn’t it be just a matter of minutes to ascend to the throne?

By then, she would have the Second Prince dismiss the entire harem for her and dote on her alone. She would be the mother of the world!

Clatter—

Just as Meng Guxue was indulging in her beautiful dream, there was suddenly a commotion at the table.

Meng Guxue quickly tiptoed to see, only to see the Second Prince with a grim face, his brows furrowed, holding Qiao Jiaojiao at a distance.

Qiao Jiaojiao: “…”

【I’m not exaggerating, I really saw a murderous intent in the male lead’s face just now.】

Seeing Meng Guxue walking towards the platform, Qiao Jiaojiao knew she couldn’t delay any longer.

So she suppressed her sense of shame and let it flow, resulting in the scene before her.

Qiao Jiaojiao looked down. Because the Second Prince reacted quickly, she only managed to wet a small circle in front of him.

Of course, for someone with cleanliness issues, even a small spot was intolerable.

Qiao Tianjing had prepared early. Seeing the Second Prince looking grim as he lifted Qiao Jiaojiao by the collar, he immediately felt sorry and took her over.

Holding someone by the collar like that could strangle her!

But on the surface, Qiao Tianjing had to apologize repeatedly.

“Second Prince, my little sister is disrespectful. Please forgive her.”

Qiao Diyi also chimed in, speaking with a lot of humility.

“Second Prince, my little sister is still young and didn’t do it on purpose. If you want to blame someone, I have thick skin and can take it. You can punish me, Second Prince!”

Seeing this, the crowd couldn’t help but discuss.

“I remember, this Miss Qiao peed on His Highness the Crown Prince at the full moon banquet!”

“I remember, at that time, His Highness the Crown Prince just laughed it off.”

“In my opinion, the Qiao family shouldn’t have acted recklessly. Why bring a child here?”

These words were spoken by Sheng Xiuran.

With many followers, there were immediately people in the crowd who began to blame Qiao Tianjing and his brother.

The Second Prince looked gloomy. At this point, he already felt uncomfortable all over, especially in the wet area, which felt like being pricked by needles.

Hearing the discussions around him, a chill ran through the Second Prince’s heart.

Since the Crown Prince had been so generous earlier, there was no reason for him, as the younger brother, to lose his temper.

Thinking of this, the Second Prince’s eyes turned cold, but he calmly said, “Forget it, she’s just a child. It’s cold in March, and the young lady from the Qiao family should change into dry clothes as soon as possible.”

Qiao Tianjing immediately showed gratitude upon hearing this. “Thank you for your generosity, Second Prince. Then you…”

Qiao Tianjing deliberately glanced at the wet area on the Second Prince’s lower garment.

The Second Prince instantly felt that the wet spot was becoming more intolerable. He turned to the Crown Prince and said, “Brother, I’ll return to the palace first.”

The Crown Prince nodded lightly. He knew the Second Prince was very particular about his clothes and belongings, especially his personal items, which had to be spotless.

Seeing the Crown Prince nod, the Second Prince immediately left with large strides, his urgency evident in his steps.

Meng Guxue saw this and couldn’t help but open her mouth slightly.

Why… why did he leave so quickly? Her poem hadn’t even been recited yet!

If it weren’t for Mrs. Meng teaching her a bit of propriety recently, Meng Guxue would have wanted to speak up and stop the Second Prince.

At this moment, Meng Guxue regretted her dilly-dallying once again.

If she hadn’t cared about her handwriting just now and had been more decisive, she would have charmed the Second Prince long ago!

Now, watching the Second Prince’s figure disappear into the peach forest, all she could do was stomp her foot in frustration!

Qiao Jiaojiao watched the Second Prince leave and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Don’t doubt it, if it weren’t for being in front of everyone just now, and if she weren’t the daughter of the Qiao family, the male lead would have really strangled her.

【Great, although I’ve become shameless, I finally managed to drive away the male lead!】

【The poetry meeting was originally supposed to be a sweet moment, but I’ve ruined it. If the male and female leads want to establish their relationship later, they won’t have such a good opportunity anymore.】

【Tsk, who would have thought that peeing could really change one’s fate…】