Chapter 26
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According to Jiang Qingliang’s logic, Jiang Juan’s only response was always “You’re right”. It seemed like Jiang Juan opened his mouth not to speak, but to find a lever to move the earth.
Dealing with a troublemaker, you either bluff them or out-trouble them. Initially, Jiang Juan didn’t want to engage, but now he had a change of heart. He decided to use magic to counter magic.
Jiang Juan asked seriously, “Are you the beam of Chunshen Hall, that… long and stubborn beam?”
Jiang Qingliang replied inexplicably, “You’re the beam.”
“Since you’re not, and you didn’t witness what happened in Chunshen Hall with your own eyes,” Jiang Juan said, “how could you know that His Highness personally killed his mother and set fire to her body?”
Jiang Qingliang raised his voice, saying, “I just know!”
Jiang Juan said slowly, “Really? I don’t believe you.”
Although Jiang Juan’s tone was calm, Jiang Qingliang felt increasingly irritated. He retorted impatiently, “Whether you believe it or not, that’s the truth. Because of… certain reasons, Beauty Yu hasn’t been very good to His Highness, so he probably started to hate her a long time ago.”
After a moment of consideration, Jiang Juan still said, “I don’t believe it.”
Jiang Qingliang: “…..”
He asked Jiang Juan in confusion, “Can you phrase it differently?”
Jiang Juan glanced at him and complied, “You’re stating it as a fact, yet you’re using ‘probably,’ which shows your uncertainty. Can something even be considered a fact when you’re unsure yourself? Don’t you find that contradictory?”
Jiang Qingliang: “……”
He stared at Jiang Juan in disbelief, then finally said after a long while, “What exactly are you trying to stir up?”
Jiang Juan replied with confusion, “You’re the one stirring things up. With so many logical loopholes, I’m just trying to point them out for you.”
Angrily, Jiang Qingliang asked, “Do I have to thank you for that?”
Jiang Juan: “If you want to express gratitude, you can.”
Jiang Qingliang fell silent, completely at a loss for words.
After a long while, Jiang Qingliang said with frustration, “Now I understand why my brothers always say I’m asking for trouble. It’s really irritating when someone retorts at every turn.”
Jiang Juan pondered for a moment, then continued to tease him, “Is that so? I don’t believe you.”
Jiang Qingliang: “……”
He was seething with anger.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Qingliang couldn’t bear Jiang Juan’s retorts any longer. He couldn’t hold it in any longer and said to Jiang Juan, “Fine, I’ll tell you something in secret. This is something I can confirm as true.”
As he spoke, Jiang Qingliang hesitated about where to start, but then he saw Jiang Juan about to speak and immediately snapped, “I don’t care if you believe me or not, just shut up and listen!”
Jiang Juan blinked, “Oh,” he said. Actually, he didn’t intend to hurt Jiang Qingliang this time. He just realized something belatedly.
Today was the memorial day for Beauty Yu, and His Highness came to the Miaoling Temple for her. So why did people from the General Residence come?
Moreover, judging from Jiang Qingliang’s attitude, he seemed to sympathize with Beauty Yu.
This is…?
“Many years ago, on the night Beauty Yu left, I overheard my father and mother talking,” Jiang Qingliang whispered, “My father said… she wasn’t burned to death. She had already died before the fire broke out in Chunsen Hall. A dagger was stabbed into her heart, and when His Highness was found—”
“He was holding the dagger, covered in blood.”
Jiang Qingliang sneered, “His Highness and I are distant relatives, I suppose. Otherwise, why would I always have issues with him?”
Jiang Juan said in shock, “Distant relatives? But isn’t Beauty Yu an orphan?”
Jiang Qingliang said slowly, “She’s my aunt.”
Jiang Juan: “?”
What’s going on?
Jiang Juan widened his eyes, and suddenly he remembered the story His Highness told him one night about the sudden death.
——”There was once a family with a daughter, her early life was smooth and peaceful. Her parents loved and cherished her, and her husband’s family respected and protected her.”
Such stories often encounter drastic changes, but His Highness didn’t continue at that time. Jiang Juan had a hunch that this was Beauty Yu’s early life.
But what about her later life?
Jiang Juan remembered asking Steward Gao about Beauty Yu’s situation, and Steward Gao had told him some things.
——”Beauty Yu was originally an orphan. She happened to meet the Emperor when she was offering incense at the Miaoling Temple. The Emperor fell in love at first sight, and she was brought into the palace, where she received constant favor and grace”
Jiang Juan suddenly had a dreadful guess.
Jiang Qingliang’s expression was complex as he said, “If the fire at Chunshen Hall wasn’t set by His Highness, then who could it be?”
“For so many years, every time it’s my aunt’s memorial day, he goes to Miaoling Temple, but he never offers incense. What could it be if not guilt?”
“Whatever it is, it’s definitely not guilt.”
Jiang Juan’s voice was soft, but his tone was firm as he said, “Beauty Yu wouldn’t have been harmed by His Highness’s hand. He’s not that kind of person.”
Jiang Qingliang couldn’t help but challenge him, “Just because you say it isn’t, does that make it true?”
“Yeah, if I say it’s not, then it’s not,” Jiang Juan said confidently, “I’m his Royal Consort. I share a bed with him every night. Nobody understands His Highness better than I do.”
Jiang Qingliang: “…”
He was caught off guard again and didn’t know what to say for a while. He just rolled his eyes and then lifted his chin, “We’re here.”
Jiang Juan was no longer in the mood. He had too many doubts and wanted to go back to ask His Highness. So, he shook his head, “I’m not going in.”
After saying that, Jiang Juan was about to leave, but once again, he was stopped by Jiang Qingliang. “No, you said just now there’s still the matter about Brother Nian.”
“Why did you push Brother Nian into the lake?”
Jiang Qingliang wondered, “With your mouth, you’re usually not one to easily stir up trouble, but when you do, it’s enough to drive people crazy. You can accomplish so much with words alone, so why resort to physical actions?”
Jiang Juan looked at him with mixed feelings and said seriously, “You’re right. Next time, I’ll stick to using words and not resort to physical actions.”
Jiang Qingliang: “…”
Damn it, why does this keep happening!
He crossed his arms, giving Jiang Juan a scrutinizing look.
Honestly, Jiang Qingliang couldn’t reconcile Jiang Juan with the insecure and jealous younger brother described by Brother Nian. That’s why he was shocked when he heard Jiang Juan’s name.
——How could someone as celestial as him push someone into the lake?
Jiang Qingliang pondered this puzzle, but Jiang Juan was eager to leave. “I really need to go.”
Jiang Qingliang: “Wait a minute, I’m not finished yet.”
He was being argumentative again, and Jiang Juan didn’t want to hear it. He threatened Jiang Qingliang, “Do you believe I’d push you into the lake too?”
“By yourself?” Jiang Qingliang eyed him skeptically, then lifted his chin. “Go ahead, try. I’ll just stand here and let you push me. If I end up in the lake, I’ll call you dad.”
Jiang Juan had never heard such a strange request before, and whether or not he wanted this son didn’t matter to him. He just wanted to indulge Jiang Qingliang a bit. So, Jiang Juan gave him a push, but Jiang Qingliang didn’t budge an inch.
Mocking him, Jiang Qingliang said, “With this little strength of yours, you think you can push me down?”
After pondering for a few seconds, Jiang Juan turned to the guards and said, “Help me throw him into the lake.”
Jiang Qingliang: “???”
Jiang Qingliang was left dumbfounded as the guards obeyed the order, swiftly overpowering him and tossing him into the lake. Despite Jiang Qingliang’s martial arts training since childhood, the palace guards were formidable opponents.
With a splash, water sprayed everywhere as Jiang Qingliang resurfaced, laughing in exasperation. “You’re still playing dumb, huh?”
Ignoring him, Jiang Juan asked slowly, “Can you start calling me that now?”
Jiang Qingliang looked embarrassed. “I asked you to push me, not your guards.”
Jiang Juan said: “But you said if you could get down into the lake, you’d call me dad. You didn’t say I had to push you into the lake.”
After a moment of silence, Jiang Qingliang wiped the water off his face and extended his hand towards Jiang Juan. “Then pull me up first. My clothes are soaked, and I’m too heavy to swim.”
Jiang Juan didn’t think much about it and reached out to pull him up. Jiang Qingliang smirked triumphantly, about to pull him down with force when suddenly, with a splash, he was kicked back into the water.
Jiang Qingliang: “???”
Jiang Juan was also stunned. When he turned around, he saw that it was Xue Fangli.
“Your Highness…”
Xue Fangli nodded, staring coldly at the rippling lake surface, seemingly indifferent to how long he had been there or how much he had heard.
With a splash, Jiang Qingliang surfaced, startled to hear Jiang Juan call out “Your Highness.” He tried to remain composed as he looked over.
Xue Fangli asked from a high vantage point, “If I hadn’t been here, would you still have wanted to pull him into the water?”
Jiang Qingliang felt wronged. “He moved first, so I wanted to trick him into coming down too.”
At Xue Fangli’s inquiry, delivered in a calm tone but with a hint of displeasure that Jiang Juan could discern, Jiang Juan remembered Jiang Qingliang’s earlier mention that Beauty Yu was his aunt, which made His Highness his cousin. It seemed His Highness was genuinely unhappy.
Jiang Juan had intended to explain, but after some thought, he decided to be honest instead. “I did. I shouldn’t have…”
“You shouldn’t have.”
Jiang Juan hadn’t finished speaking when Xue Fangli had already gently interrupted him.
Jiang Qingliang, upon hearing this, looked at Jiang Juan with a mixture of awkwardness and satisfaction.
Over the years, although Xue Fangli had never been close to the General Residence, he had never caused any trouble for them either.
His cousin, His Highness, was probably going to back him up and take charge.
Just as he was enjoying himself, the next moment, Jiang Qingliang heard Xue Fangli displeasingly saying, “He’s been practicing martial arts since he was a child, with a strong body, tough skin, and not afraid of pain. You’re different from him.”
Xue Fangli lowered his gaze and asked Jiang Juan, “Is your hand hurting?”
Jiang Qingliang: “???”
He had been assaulted, and yet His Highness was concerned about whether his Royal Consort’s hand was hurting?
Is there any justice left in this world?
Jiang Juan blinked, a little surprised himself.
Xue Fangli grabbed his hand. Jiang Juan’s push earlier had indeed caused a small red mark on his palm. Xue Fangli rubbed it a few times, then lifted his eyes to look coldly at Jiang Qingliang.
Jiang Qingliang: “…”
Damn it, he had a bad feeling about this.
And as it turned out, his intuition was right.
Xue Fangli casually remarked, “Since you love being in the water so much and even tried to pull the Royal Consort into the water with you, why don’t you do something useful for me?”
“My little sandalwood bracelet accidentally fell into this lake. How about you find it for me?”
Jiang Qingliang: “…”
He hesitated to speak.
Xue Fangli smirked, “What’s wrong, are you unwilling?”
Even though Jiang Qingliang was reluctant, he could only say what he didn’t mean, “No, I’ll go look right away.”
Just as he was about to dive into the lake, Jiang Juan hurriedly said, “Wait a moment.”
Jiang Qingliang paused, raising his head hopefully, thinking Jiang Juan had a change of heart and was about to speak up for him. But Jiang Juan said, “Did you forget something?”
“If you were to fall into the lake, what were you supposed to call me?”
Jiang Qingliang: “…”
He was just a helpless and pitiful troublemaker, how could he be like this?
Jiang Qingliang felt utterly hopeless, he moved his mouth but couldn’t bring himself to speak, feeling extremely distressed.
Jiang Juan glanced at him, feeling satisfied with the situation, then said, “Alright, I knew you couldn’t say it. I was just teasing you.”
“Stop talking nonsense all the time.”
Jiang Juan looked at him seriously and said, “Don’t speak ill of His Highness anymore. You already can’t take it being like this, His Highness has it even worse than you.”
“…He’s really a good person.”
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