Chapter 14
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Jiang Nian felt a surge of shock and astonishment in his heart.
In just a few days, how could he have changed so much?
Whether in the past life or the last time Jiang Nian saw him, Jiang Juan was always timid and melancholic.
He never dared to make eye contact with people, let alone socialize with them. He was ridiculed in the capital, but apart from Jiang Nian, no one knew that this annoying Third Young Master actually had an extraordinarily beautiful face.
——He often secretly watched Jiang Juan with eyes full of envy and longing.
This face was originally beautiful, but it had been worn down by his insecurity and melancholy. However, now all of that seemed to have disappeared, as if Jiang Juan had undergone a complete transformation.
His eyes were pure and captivating, untouched by any worldly vulgarity, as if they were from the heavens themselves.
Perhaps appearance could be changed temporarily with external means, but could a person’s demeanor and character change so drastically in such a short time?
Impossible, it’s simply impossible.
Unless…
Jiang Nian suddenly remembered something and his eyes widened.
Could Jiang Juan have been reborn too?
No, it’s not possible.
Jiang Nian quickly dismissed the frightening thought.
If Jiang Juan had also experienced rebirth, then no matter what, he wouldn’t willingly marry into Prince Li Residence. After all, the one who eventually ascended to the throne was Marquis Anping. He had no reason to take such a risk.
But how could Jiang Juan have changed so drastically?
How could he sit so calmly in the arms of Prince Li, without a trace of fear or unease, as if he didn’t know how violent this man could be?
Jiang Nian couldn’t understand.
Of course, there was one more thing he couldn’t understand.
——How could Prince Li be willing to hold him in his arms this time?
Was he no longer afraid of getting his hands dirty?
Jiang Nian stared at Jiang Juan in a daze for a long time before smiling and saying, “Your Royal Consort.”
After all, he was the protagonist shou. Jiang Juan politely responded, “Yes, Brother, you’ve come.”
Jiang Juan paused for a moment, then explained, “I, I made you wait for so long—”
He didn’t know how to say it without sounding like a villain provoking them. Jiang Juan struggled to find the right words, but Xue Fangli intervened casually, “He was sleeping. I didn’t instruct anyone to inform him.”
Jiang Juan: “…”
It seemed a bit arrogant.
He gently tugged at Xue Fangli’s sleeve, shaking his head to indicate that he didn’t need to intervene. Xue Fangli looked at Jiang Juan but didn’t react much.
What’s there to be nervous about?
Even he isn’t afraid, but facing this Second Young Master, he’s become so nervous.
Xue Fangli lowered his eyelids, his expression thoughtful.
To Jiang Nian, this seemed to imply something else altogether.
—He’s displeased.
Jiang Juan’s marriage into Prince Li Residence seemed to have gained considerable favor, which Jiang Nian found hard to believe. His experiences from his previous life were still vivid in his mind, and Jiang Nian couldn’t accept that Jiang Juan was not on the same path as him.
At this moment, Prince Li’s expression remained neutral, and he didn’t say anything, finally allowing Jiang Nian to reassure himself slightly.
No matter how much favor he might receive, it’s just that—favor.
Look, even a small gesture can still displease Prince Li, can’t it?
Jiang Nian’s tone took on a somewhat retaliatory edge, and he lost his usual sense of restraint. “Little brother, with the way His Highness protects you, why do you still complain about him?”
Jiang Juan paused, “I didn’t.”
Jiang Nian smiled faintly, “Then you—”
His words abruptly halted.
Xue Fangli lifted his eyelids, staring at Jiang Nian with a smile that was not quite a smile.
The look in Xue Fangli’s eyes was a mirror image of their interactions in the previous life.
High and mighty, yet utterly indifferent. The man wore a smile, but it never reached his eyes. He lazily watched Jiang Nian as if he could see through all the ugliness in Jiang Nian’s heart, mocking him silently.
Jiang Nian hated him, and he truly feared him.
His heart skipped a beat, and Jiang Nian’s face paled. He lowered his head, forcing a smile. “…I spoke out of turn.”
Minister Jiang frowned. Jiang Nian had always been gentle and polite. The words he had just spoken, stirring up trouble, didn’t seem like something he would say. However, Minister Jiang didn’t dwell on it too much, attributing it to Jiang Nian’s impatience after waiting for so long.
Minister Jiang was also quite annoyed.
He had intended to give Jiang Juan a good scolding when they met, but he hadn’t expected Xue Fangli to be present. He had to temporarily suppress his anger.
After a brief thought, Minister Jiang respectfully said, “Your Highness, we came to visit the Royal Consort, just for some casual conversation. You can busy yourself with your own matters, there’s no need to accompany us.”
“I have nothing pressing, just came to accompany the Royal Consort. I wasn’t aware of Minister Jiang’s visit, and I’m not here specifically to keep him company,” Xue Fangli glanced at him and said with a smile, “Minister Jiang, there’s no need to worry.”
Minister Jiang choked back a response.
After a moment’s pause, Xue Fangli added, “Since it’s just casual conversation, Minister Jiang can feel free to speak as if I’m not here.”
Minister Jiang: “…”
With His Highness presiding, how could he dare to speak so casually? How could he dare to speak at all?
Minister Jiang hesitated. Like Jiang Nian, he had assumed that with the temperament of Prince Li, Jiang Juan’s marriage into Prince Li Residence wouldn’t lead to anything good. But unexpectedly, Prince Li seemed to treat him well, showing some support for him.
He shouldn’t have come here at all.
Minister Jiang regretted it deeply.
Having already come and spoken, Minister Jiang had to maintain a smile despite the fire burning within him. He turned to Jiang Juan with a gentle tone, asking, “Where did you get injured?”
The sudden change in attitude puzzled Jiang Juan, who looked at him strangely before responding after a moment’s pause, “… my foot.”
Minister Jiang’s smile froze for a moment as he suppressed his anger. He continued amiably, “How did you get injured?”
Jiang Juan evasively replied, “I accidentally twisted it.”
Minister Jiang and Jiang Juan were never close, and there wasn’t much to say between father and son on ordinary days. After inquiring about the injury, Minister Jiang didn’t know what else to say, falling into an awkward silence.
“Why are you stopping there?” Xue Fangli asked leisurely, “Is that all?”
“Of course not,” Minister Jiang forced a smile, “Xiao Nian, you two have always had a good relationship. Do you have anything to say?”
Jiang Nian seemed absent-minded, not hearing Minister Jiang calling out to him. Seeing this, Minister Jiang had to pretend to care and said to Jiang Juan, “You can’t go back tomorrow. When your foot heals, you must come back to visit. The family misses you a lot.”
Jiang Juan wasn’t foolish and responded with a perfunctory “Yes, yes, okay.”
Minister Jiang continued feigning concern, “Speaking of which, injuries to the tendons and bones take a hundred days to heal. You need to take good care of this foot injury to prevent future complications.”
Jiang Juan replied, “You’re right.”
Minister Jiang: “….”
He was wracking his brains here, but Jiang Juan was almost playing him for a fool. Minister Jiang was on the verge of losing his temper when he abruptly lowered his voice, “You—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Xue Fangli had already lifted his eyelids. He casually interjected, “Lord Jiang, when I said ‘casual,’ I meant casual in my absence, not that you can be so casual.”
Minister Jiang met his gaze and felt a chill run down his spine. He remained stiff for a while before speaking softly to Jiang Juan, “Is your heart condition acting up again recently? The weather is getting warmer, you need to be careful, avoid the heat, and especially avoid…”
Minister Jiang continued with his rambling, driven by social etiquette. Jiang Juan had barely managed to feign interest earlier, but as the conversation wore on, he grew increasingly tired, his eyelids becoming heavier and heavier until he couldn’t even keep up the pretense.
——He ended up falling asleep in Xue Fangli’s arms.
Minister Jiang: “….”
He became even angrier.
But he dared not express his anger, so he suppressed his rising frustration once again. He lowered his voice and addressed Xue Fangli, “Your Highness, since the Royal Consort is tired, I shall take my leave to avoid disturbing his rest.”
After being kept waiting for quite some time, Xue Fangli finally spoke up slowly, “Lord Jiang is right.”
Minister Jiang: “…..”
Then Xue Fangli added, “Someone, see our guests off.”
Minister Jiang clenched his teeth hard. At least they were finally free from this ordeal.
As they were escorted out, Minister Jiang felt a sense of relief wash over him. His expression darkened as he muttered, “His Highness is certainly protective of him.”
Jiang Nian refused to admit it, only murmuring, “His Highness must have just been momentarily intrigued.”
This man was the most heartless.
Even though he doted on Jiang Juan and protected him now, how long would this affection last?
There would be no exceptions.
Absolutely none.
Jiang Nian took a deep breath, repeatedly reminding himself in his heart.
——Prince Li is by no means a suitable match, but Marquis of Anping is.
Suddenly, Jiang Nian felt a strong urge to visit Marquis of Anping. He said to Minister Jiang, “Father, I want to visit the Marquis’s residence.”
Upon hearing him mention the Marquis’s residence, Minister Jiang asked, “Did the Marquis mention about going to the palace to seek marriage approval from His Majesty in the past few days? Has it been granted?”
Jiang Nian shook his head. “He hasn’t told me yet. He should not have gone to the palace yet.”
“If it weren’t for his uncle, you two would have been married long ago,” Minister Jiang snorted coldly. “Being proud in the past was one thing, but now you are Mr. Bai’s top disciple. You have been well-versed in literature since childhood, but he looked down on you, instead favoring Jiang Juan.”
Jiang Nian forced a smile. “Mr. Bai is renowned far and wide, respected by all. The Emperor’s son-in-law has deeply grasped his true teachings. Perhaps I am indeed inferior to my little brother in some aspects.”
“How is that possible,” Minister Jiang disagreed. “Speaking of which, the Eldest Princess will return to the capital soon, and his uncle should also be back. Let the Marquis go to the palace sooner and finalize the matter.”
Jiang Nian nodded. “Alright.”
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Nian couldn’t help but ask the question that had been lingering in his mind, “Father, where did the engagement between my brother and the Marquis come from?”
Minister Jiang replied, “It was arranged by his maternal grandfather and the Emperor’s son-in-law.”
Jiang Nian exclaimed, “But isn’t he living in the countryside? How did he come to know the Emperor’s son-in-law?”
Minister Jiang didn’t remember very clearly either. “It seems he saved the Emperor’s son-in-law’s life once, but I didn’t inquire further.”
Jiang Nian pondered deeply, “I see…”
.
Inside the pavilion, Jiang Juan’s eyelashes fluttered, as if he was starting to wake up. Even before opening his eyes, he was already fully engaged, “Yes, you’re right.”
Steward Gao standing nearby nearly burst into laughter at Jiang Juan’s response. Xue Fangli, who was holding Jiang Juan, shot him a glance, causing him to quickly suppress his laughter, although his shoulders kept shaking slightly.
He thought that being misled was more infuriating than being directly offended or ignored, but unfortunately, the Royal Consort seemed unaware of that.
The Royal Consort is quite something
Steward Gao sighed.
Jiang Juan slowly opened his eyes and found that Minister Jiang and Jiang Nian were gone. He asked in confusion, “Where are they?”
Xue Fangli replied, “They left after you fell asleep.”
Jiang Juan responded with an “Oh” but then froze as a realization hit him.
Did he unintentionally offend the protagonist shou again?
He fell asleep while talking.
Jiang Juan: “…”
He sighed sorrowfully, feeling like he was repeatedly stepping on the protagonist shou’s face as the main villain.
Xue Fangli noticed his reaction and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Juan said in a daze, “I must be more careful in the future.”
As he spoke, Jiang Juan remembered how assertive Xue Fangli could be and added, “Your Highness, you too, don’t offend people recklessly anymore.”
The young man had just woken up from his nap, his eyes moist and clear, his voice soft. Xue Fangli looked at him with lowered eyes, intending to chuckle, but ended up just smiling gently and replied, “Sure.”
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