Chapter 41

In the prince’s mind, the beautiful face suddenly flashed, causing his brows to furrow slightly.

Sheng Mingcheng was still bowing, but seeing the prince’s lack of response for a while, he couldn’t help but raise his head boldly.

The prince quickly composed himself and asked lightly, “Since Mr. Sheng wishes to marry, why not have the Duke of Qingguo present your request to my father?”

Sheng Mingcheng smiled bitterly at the words, “To be frank, Your Highness, my father doesn’t want me to marry Miss Xiao, so I seek a marriage decree.”

The prince raised an eyebrow slightly, “Why is that?”

Sheng Mingcheng certainly couldn’t say because the Duke of Qingguo is upright, while their Duke’s Mansion hides too many secrets, and his father fears outsiders knowing.

But Sheng Mingcheng genuinely likes Miss Xiao from the Xiao family. He couldn’t control himself from the moment he first saw her.

Ever since he saw that stunning face, all the other girls in the family seemed like ordinary faces, simply “unappetizing”!

Facing the prince’s probing questions, Sheng Mingcheng had already prepared an excuse.

“I dare not deceive Your Highness. My father believes that the lineage of the Hussar General Family is too prestigious, and it would be more suitable for the Duke of Qingguo’s household to marry below, hence his disagreement.”

This reason seemed reasonable enough, as it was common in the capital for prestigious families to engage in marriages of unequal status.

Upon hearing this, the prince’s eyes grew darker, and he suddenly asked, “Does Miss Xiao know of your intentions?”

Sheng Mingcheng was slightly taken aback by this unexpected question from the prince.

Miss Xiao naturally had no idea of his feelings; he had only stolen a glance at her from afar and couldn’t help but fall in love.

He hadn’t even had the chance to exchange a single word with Miss Xiao!

However, in order to make the prince agree to the marriage, he had no choice but to resort to any means necessary.

Otherwise, his father would surely not relent!

With this in mind, Sheng Mingcheng lowered his head slightly, displaying embarrassment and shyness.

“Your Highness, I must confess, I have long been enamored with Miss Xiao, but we have both strictly adhered to propriety and never exchanged any private tokens of affection.”

Qiao Jiaojiao nearly went mad upon hearing this.

[Damn, Sheng Mingcheng is definitely lying! What ‘deep bond’, utter nonsense! Miss Xiao only has feelings for the prince!]

[Your Highness, don’t believe his nonsense! Sheng Mingcheng must be coveting Miss Xiao’s beauty! If Miss Xiao marries him, she’ll be walking into a fire pit!]

Unfortunately, the prince couldn’t hear Qiao Jiaojiao’s inner thoughts at all.

Upon hearing Sheng Mingcheng’s words, the prince’s brows furrowed suddenly, and his demeanor grew colder.

“A deep bond?”

Sheng Mingcheng felt a bit anxious, but in order to win the beauty, he still mustered the courage to nod. “I plead with Your Highness to grant it!”

Qiao Jiaojiao couldn’t help but curse loudly.

[Grant what, you ghost! You lecher! Useless wastrel! You damn bastard who’s led by lust!]

The prince stood silently, neither agreeing nor rejecting.

“Mr. Sheng, please go back for now. This palace will consider your proposal carefully.”

The matter of the prince’s consort had not yet been made public; besides the Qiao family, no one else knew. Miss Xiao was also among the candidates for the prince’s consort.

Sheng Mingcheng didn’t receive the prince’s definite approval. Though disappointed, he still held onto a glimmer of hope.

“Thank you, Your Highness. Would it be my honor to invite Your Highness to dine at the small pavilion in the eastern suburbs?”

The prince shook his head, “No need, I’ve already made plans with the two young lords of the Qiao family.”

Sheng Mingcheng felt dejected and could only leave in frustration.

The prince stood under the peach tree for a moment, then spoke faintly after a long while:

“Has she already formed a deep bond with the young master of the Sheng family?”

Qiao Jiaojiao was in a panic.

[What a rumor-monger! Deny the rumor, and you’ll run yourself ragged! Prince, don’t believe it! If necessary, ask Miss Xiao, she might not even know Sheng Mingcheng!]

The prince walked out of the peach grove with Qiao Jiaojiao in his arms, and immediately, Qiao Tianjing and Qiao Diyi came to greet them.

They immediately heard Qiao Jiaojiao’s indignant rant.

[Oh my, today has been an eye-opener. Sheng Mingcheng is shameless…]

Qiao Jiaojiao rambled on, and Qiao Tianjing and Qiao Diyi skillfully extracted useful information from her tirade.

So, Sheng Mingcheng wants the emperor to bestow him a marriage, and the target is the prospective princess consort, Xiao Qianlan. Moreover, to achieve his goal, he even lied about having feelings for Xiao Qianlan.

Most importantly, it seems like the prince believes him!

Wow, how tricky!

Qiao Tianjing couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. How to deal with this?

As both he and his younger brother were men, they couldn’t simply approach the two Misses from the Xiao family…

Qiao Jiaojiao was also racking her brains. Left and right, she suddenly had an idea.

[Hey, I wonder if Sister-in-law has any contact with the Misses from the Xiao family. If she does, having her act as an intermediary wouldn’t be a bad idea!]

With that thought, Qiao Jiaojiao suddenly felt deflated.

[Even if my aunt and the Miss from the Xiao family do have a relationship, so what? I can’t speak up, how can I ask my aunt to help with this?]

[Now, we can only hope that the prince himself will be calm, not easily trusting Sheng Mingcheng’s words, but instead sending someone to investigate.]

[Sigh—troublesome indeed!]

Qiao Jiaojiao leaned dejectedly on the prince’s shoulder, feeling quite low.

But when Qiao Tianjing heard Qiao Jiaojiao’s words, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Indeed, that’s a good idea!

However, in doing so, he would inevitably have to overstep boundaries and meet her privately…

With that thought, Qiao Tianjing’s cheeks began to flush.

After lunch, Aunt Liu carried Qiao Jiaojiao into the carriage.

Having used up too much brainpower this morning, Qiao Jiaojiao was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

Qiao Tianjing instructed Qiao Diyi to take good care of Qiao Jiaojiao while he quietly walked towards the distant peach grove.

At this time, many people were resting in their carriages, preparing for the poetry gathering in the afternoon.

More people were sitting in groups along the riverbank, chatting and making new friends.

Qiao Tianjing walked towards the depths of the peach grove, and a faint blush already appeared on his ears.

This place was rarely visited, so she must be nearby.

Qiao Tianjing slowed his pace, passing by a flourishing peach tree, and a slender figure in lotus pink came into view.

Qiao Tianjing’s heart skipped a beat, and he halted in his tracks.

“Han… Miss Han.”

Qiao Tianjing was unexpectedly stuttering.

Han Yaxian slowly turned around, a hint of shyness on her elegant face, truly reminiscent of blooming peach blossoms reflecting her rosy cheeks.

“What… what brings you to seek me out?”

Even though they were already betrothed, meeting in private before the wedding was highly irregular.

If it weren’t for the servant by his side repeatedly emphasizing the extreme importance of the matter, she would not have come.

Qiao Tianjing also knew that his actions were inappropriate, so he didn’t approach her further. Instead, he bowed slightly to Han Yaxian.

“Miss Han, I must apologize for my abruptness.”

Seeing this, Han Yaxian hurried forward to help him up, but halfway there, her face suddenly turned red, and she stopped.

“You… there’s no need for this. Please, tell me what’s on your mind.”

A gentle breeze brushed past, and petals fluttered down.

Qiao Tianjing’s expression turned serious as he proceeded to explain the matter at hand.

His voice was kept low, masked by the rustling of the branches, ensuring that no one else could hear except for Han Yaxian.