Chapter 18
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Jiang Juan: “……”
He didn’t want this kind of whitewashing; it was too embarrassing. Jiang Juan spoke sincerely, “There’s no misunderstanding. People may know me by appearance, but they don’t know my heart. In truth, I can be quite malicious.”
“Is that so?” Xue Congyun began to mimic him again. “You brought something over and yet you’re asking me?”
Xue Congyun doubled down, “But you can’t do this either.”
He burst into laughter again, unable to contain himself. Jiang Juan decided to retaliate.
“So, this is what you call a good thing?” Jiang Juan said quietly, “It’s nothing special. I’ve seen many things like this, it’s nothing remarkable.”
This little trinket is indeed exquisite, but before Jiang Juan transmigrated, he enjoyed visiting museums. So when he said he had seen many things like it, it wasn’t purely to hurt Xue Congyun. Jiang Juan had genuinely seen quite a lot.
Sure enough, Xue Congyun stopped laughing when he heard this.
Since childhood, Xue Congyun had a strong desire to win, and being a prince, whatever he said was always deemed good. Almost everyone went along with him, except when it came to repeatedly losing to Jiang Juan.
Xue Congyun was about to lose his temper again. “What do you mean ‘it’s nothing special’? Take a good look at it. Its craftsmanship, its charm, isn’t it unique?”
Jiang Juan looked down and mumbled, “Uh, yeah, it’s pretty good.”
Xue Congyun: “…”
Darn it, he felt like he was being brushed off again.
He took a deep breath. If the jade cicada leaf didn’t impress, there was still the jade peacock. Xue Congyun cautiously retrieved the jade peacock and presented it to Jiang Juan. “What about this one?”
Pointing to the colors on the peacock’s feathers, he explained anxiously, fearing Jiang Juan might not recognize its value. “This is called ‘Five Blessings Arriving at the Doorstep’—to gather five colors in such a small piece of jade, do you know how rare that is?”
Indeed, it was quite rare, and the peacock was beautifully carved. However, Jiang Juan resorted to his usual tactic of feigning ignorance. “Ah, is that so? I see.”
Xue Congyun: “……”
No, you don’t understand.
If Jiang Juan truly grasped its value, shouldn’t he start praising it?
His vanity left unfulfilled, Xue Congyun glared at Jiang Juan, his frustration turning into helpless rage. “What’s wrong with you? Why is there no reaction at all? It’s nothing special? You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Xue Congyun grumbled angrily, “You stinky country bumpkin, take another good look at this!”
He pushed the jade peacock into Jiang Juan’s hands, practically wanting to press Jiang Juan’s head down to look at it, as if he wouldn’t rest until Jiang Juan appreciated its beauty today.
Jiang Juan glanced at him, realizing that teasing him further might lead to grudges. So, he admitted truthfully, “I lied to you. Both of these are good items.”
After saying that, Jiang Juan smiled gently. His lips curved softly, and beneath his damp eyelashes, there was a shimmering radiance. In this moment, the youth’s features were lively and vibrant.
Xue Congyun was taken aback. Normally, he would be angry after being played like this, but as he looked at Jiang Juan, he couldn’t help but be disarmed by his smile. He said in a grumbling tone, “I knew it…”
Although the process didn’t go as planned, the outcome was ultimately good. Xue Congyun’s vanity was finally satisfied. He waved his hand generously, “Consider yourself knowledgeable. They’re all yours now.”
Jiang Juan naturally couldn’t accept it. He declined, saying, “No need, it’s too valuable.”
“Valuable?” Xue Congyun’s excitement grew upon hearing this. He pretended to be indifferent and said, “With items of such quality, I have plenty in my storage. Once brought out, how could I take them back? Keep it, it’s yours.”
Jiang Juan: “…”
The Sixth Prince must be the reincarnation of the God of Wealth.
The three of them all came from wealthy backgrounds and were generous in their gifts, especially the Sixth Prince, who seemed determined to empty his own treasury.
Marquis Anping was naturally not one to be outdone. As the future husband of the protagonist shou, this would be the protagonist shou’s last birthday celebration at the Minister Residence. He prepared a “Ten-Mile Congratulatory Gift,” which became the talk of the town in the capital.
However, while Marquis Anping’s gifts were plentiful, they lacked the refinement of those from the Sixth Prince. Some of the items gifted by the Sixth Prince even played crucial roles in subsequent plot developments.
Jiang Juan was momentarily at a loss for words, but then he suddenly remembered a plotline.
— The protagonist shou’s birthday.
According to custom, young people should not celebrate birthdays, but the protagonist shou was adored by everyone, and couldn’t resist when his good friends and Marquis Anping insisted on organizing a celebration for him.
In the original plot, the day’s festivities were quite grand. First, the protagonist shou’s three closest friends — the Sixth Prince, the son of the Prime Minister, and the son of the General — came to offer their congratulations with gifts.
What was it again?
The name was on the tip of his tongue, but Jiang Juan just couldn’t recall it, no matter how hard he tried.
After much pondering, he gave up.
Anyway, it wasn’t the Golden Cicada Jade Leaf or the Jade Peacock.
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Juan said to Xue Congyun, “I’ll just take the peacock. You can keep the golden cicada.”
“Got it,” Xue Congyun said smugly, crossing his legs. “Since you don’t like the golden cicada, another day, come to my palace and pick a few other items. Consider it as… consider it as giving this country bumpkin some enlightenment!”
Jiang Juan: “… thanks?”
Xue Congyun: “No need to thank me.”
He went straight for the treasures as soon as he arrived, finally satisfied. Glancing around, Xue Congyun curiously asked Jiang Juan, “By the way, how did you injure your foot?”
Last time at the pavilion, Jiang Juan’s hand was covered in fingerprints from his Fifth Brother’s pinching. Xue Congyun hesitated for a moment, then leaned in close and asked in a low voice, “Is it my Fifth Brother again?”
Jiang Juan blinked, hastily explaining, “No, it’s… it’s myself…”
He stopped himself from elaborating further out of embarrassment. But to Xue Congyun, this only confirmed his suspicions.
“Ah, my Fifth Brother can be quite uncontrollable when he’s in a frenzy,” Xue Congyun sympathized, his face filled with concern. “Especially recently, so be careful.”
Jiang Juan asked him puzzled, “What’s been happening recently?”
“You don’t know?”
“No, I don’t.”
Hearing this, Xue Congyun leaned in closer, speaking even more quietly to Jiang Juan, “At the end of the month is the memorial day for my Fifth Brother’s mother, Beauty Yu. Whatever you do, don’t provoke him on that day, or else…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the door creaked open from outside.
It was like speaking of the devil and he appeared. Xue Fangli shot them a glance, and Xue Congyun felt a chill run down his spine, almost sitting down abruptly on the ground.
He hastily put his legs down, and the air of arrogance quickly dissipated, turning back into a timid quail. “Fifth, Fifth Brother, you’re back.”
Xue Fangli walked in, having noticed how close the two were just a moment ago. He naturally saw it. Xue Fangli looked coldly at Jiang Juan, his gaze lingering briefly.
There were still dewdrops on the young man’s eyelashes, indicating he had shed tears, apparently having been provoked.
He didn’t directly inquire Jiang Juan, instead calmly stating, “Sixth Brother, when I arrived just now, I heard you say you wanted to open the country bumpkin’s eyes.”
“Who’s the country bumpkin?”
Xue Congyun: “…..”
Xue Congyun hesitated, deciding to play dumb. “Ah, country bumpkin? Who’s the country bumpkin? There’s no such person. Fifth Brother, you must have misheard.”
Xue Fangli: “Is that so?”
Xue Congyun vigorously nodded, then turned his head desperately seeking help from Jiang Juan, his survival instincts prompting him to quickly change his tune. “Brother Juan! Brother Juan—! Fifth Brother misheard, right?”
He wasn’t particularly surprised that his Fifth Brother would pursue this. After all, Jiang Juan was the Marquis’s wife. No matter how rough his Fifth Brother was with the Royal Consort, he had to maintain some semblance of respect towards outsiders.
Jiang Juan hesitated for a moment, reluctant to expose Xue Congyun, but eventually nodded. “… yeah.”
Just as Xue Congyun was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Xue Fangli turned to Jiang Juan and asked, “Then why were you crying?”
Xue Congyun turned his head and saw Jiang Juan’s eyelashes still damp and stuck together, instantly feeling a chill run down his spine.
—He was the one who scared him into tears!
Xue Congyun desperately tried to signal Jiang Juan, but Jiang Juan didn’t look at him. Xue Congyun could only gulp nervously, feeling like this time he would be fed to the bugs by his Fifth Brother.
After a while, Jiang Juan finally spoke, but all he said was, “…. My foot hurts.”
Xue Congyun was stunned. He hadn’t expected Jiang Juan to cover for him, especially considering how rough his Fifth Brother had been with him.
Xue Congyun became increasingly moved the more he thought about it, and he completely changed his opinion of Jiang Juan.
— This person is actually pretty decent.
In reality, Jiang Juan just felt embarrassed and didn’t want to tell the truth.
Xue Fangli looked at him with lowered eyes, smiling casually, but his expression gradually grew colder.
He was lying.
He felt displeased with the realization that his Royal Consort lied to him for Xue Congyun.
This cognition stirred up his resentment and brutality once again.
Jiang Juan was slow to perceive the atmosphere, but it was too quiet at this moment. So, he reached out to share the joy, “Your Highness, look at this jade peacock. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Xue Fangli looked over indifferently.
Beautiful?
It was just a piece of stone.
On the day of his wedding, several boxes of gifts were sent into his courtyard, but he never touched any of them. Instead, he found joy in receiving this jade peacock.
After a while, Xue Fangli calmly remarked, “It’s just so-so.”
Xue Congyun: “…”
His darn competitive spirit.
No, this was his Fifth Brother; he couldn’t afford to offend him. He had to endure.
Jiang Juan let out a soft “ah,” not particularly upset. After all, aesthetic preferences were quite personal. He just said, “I quite like its theme.”
Xue Fangli glanced at him a few times, suppressing the annoyance in his heart. He smiled and asked, “Do you like peacocks?”
Jiang Juan nodded. There was a year when he lived near a hospital and kept a white peacock nearby. Jiang Juan often leaned against the window to watch it display its feathers.
“The display is beautiful, especially for white peacocks.”
“Even though a peacock carved from jade may appear lifelike, it is still an inanimate object,” Xue Fangli said slowly. “But there are a few peacocks kept here. If you like, after the meal, I’ll take you to see them.”
Jiang Juan exclaimed in delight, “There are peacocks here too?”
Unconsciously, he put down the jade peacock in his hand. Seeing this, Xue Fangli’s mood finally calmed down a bit, and he nodded. “If I remember correctly, there’s even a white peacock.”
Steward Gao: “?”
He couldn’t help but intervene, stuttering, “Your Highness, we don’t actually have…”
Xue Fangli glanced at him, with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, “Two blue peacocks, one white peacock.”
Steward Gao’s heart skipped a beat, hastily changing his tune, “Oh, what a coincidence! There really are a few peacocks, and it just happens that there’s a white one that Your Royal Consort likes.”
After a pause, Steward Gao said, “Since Your Royal Consort likes it, I’ll have someone go clean up right away, so it won’t be messy.”
Xue Fangli agreed, “Alright, go.”
With a smile on his face and a composed demeanor, Steward Gao withdrew, but as soon as the door closed, he hurriedly dashed away as if his pants were on fire.
——Three peacocks must be obtained before the Royal Consort finishes his meal!
The author has something to say: Steward Gao: Manly Tears.jpg
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