Chapter 3
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Jiang Juan pondered for a long time.
The disparity in character settings is so vast, could he have been given a fake script?
As he was contemplating, when someone entered Prince Li Residence. He was young, dressed in fine clothes, and without even greeting, he was shouting, “Put it here, all these boxes go here—be gentle, you idiot!”
Once the boxes were all on the ground, he turned around and said, “Fifth Brother, Imperial Father sent me to observe the ceremony, and by the way, to bring you the gifts he privately prepared for you. Am I too late?”
He was calling out to Fifth Brother, indicating his identity.
The Sixth Prince, Xue Congyun.
Xue Fangli: “Not too late.”
Xue Congyun chuckled. As a prince like Xue Fangli, there was no need for any formalities between them, but it was different for others. Those accompanying him respectfully said, “This servant pays respects to Prince Li.”
“Your Highness, here is the list of gifts.”
With a sharp and slender voice, along with the Sixth Prince Xue Congyun, came Zhang Gonggong*, who served in front of the emperor. Xue Fangli glanced at Steward Gao, who hastily took the gift list and stepped aside again.
Note: Gonggong is used to refer to enuch.
Though Zhang Gonggong’s face remained unchanged, he understood it all too well.
Prince Li didn’t care much about this newly married wife. Otherwise, the gift list should have been handed to him.
But then again, it’s understandable.
Zhang Gonggong smiled and spoke, “Just now in the palace, His Majesty was still mentioning the Third Young Master. Seeing him today, it’s really…”
What exactly it was, remained unsaid.
Xue Congyun, upon hearing this, also turned his head. He was close to Jiang Juan, so he naturally knew that Jiang Juan had been involved in some trouble recently. He remembered that his Brother Nian was pushed, pushed by this bumpkin—
Xue Congyun looked at Jiang Juan’s face and froze.
The young man’s features were delicate and evenly proportioned, with his black hair loosely falling down.
The color between his eyebrows and eyes, a shade between dense and faint, was comparable to the unique hues of moonlight and snow, not to mention his exceptionally pure temperament. He seemed nothing short of otherworldly, as if he hailed from the Jade Pool.
Xue Congyun was stunned, almost unable to look away.
Was this Jiang Juan? The same guy from the countryside?
How come I never noticed how good-looking he is before?
Zhang Gonggong’s reaction mirrored his own astonishment. He hesitated for a moment, abandoning the polite phrases he had prepared, and instead couldn’t help but praise, “…. Truly a snow-white beauty, with extraordinary grace.”
How could this Third Young Master differ so much from the rumors in the capital city?
They didn’t know there was such a phrase — “appearance reflects the heart.” The original Jiang Juan, in fact, had a good foundation, but he was extremely self-conscious. He hardly dared to raise his head when meeting people, and his demeanor was timid and hesitant, to the point of being annoyingly timid. Naturally, no one would even notice his face.
The current Jiang Juan had been well nurtured by his family. His every move and gesture no longer carried that air of a timid child. He even exuded a natural, innate sense of being, as if he was born with it. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had undergone a profound transformation.
Xue Congyun nodded absentmindedly at first, but after shaking his head a few times, he suddenly snapped back to reality.
Wait a minute, wasn’t he here to stand up for Brother Nian?
No matter how good-looking this country bumpkin was, he couldn’t compare to Brother Nian’s kindness and integrity.
Unlike this person, who only had a good appearance, they were as different as heaven and earth.
With that thought, Xue Congyun glared angrily at Jiang Juan.
His gaze was too unfriendly, and Jiang Juan certainly noticed. However, recognizing the person’s identity, he wasn’t surprised at the intense hostility directed toward him.
The Sixth Prince was one of the central figures in the story.
Being a part of the favored group, naturally, they had to support the protagonist shou together. In the original plot, the Sixth Prince was the youngest prince and highly favored by the Emperor, which made him develop an extremely domineering personality. He was disliked by everyone, both inside and outside the palace.
Later, he encountered the protagonist shou. Under the gentle persuasion of the protagonist shou, the Sixth Prince was influenced and restrained his true nature. He followed the protagonist shou around all day, becoming the number one fanboy of the protagonist shou.
Perhaps he came to stick up for him.
Jiang Juan guessed right. Xue Congyun specifically took on this task. After glaring at him enough, he snorted coldly and turned to Xue Fangli, saying, “Fifth Brother, Imperial Father really sends all sorts of people to your residence.”
Xue Fangli glanced casually, “Huh?”
Normally, Xue Congyun wouldn’t dare to be so presumptuous in front of him, after all, Xue Fangli was terrifying when he went mad, and he had always been afraid of him since childhood. But the situation was different now.
Xue Congyun had to stick up for Jiang Nian, and he knew that this marriage, which Xue Fangli had never approved of, was only proceeding to save face for his Imperial Father. So, Xue Congyun rarely had a sense of confidence.
He vented his grievances, “Just a few days ago, this Jiang Juan pushed Brother Nian—his own brother—into the lake over some trivial matter. Brother Nian got frightened and caught a cold, and he still hasn’t fully recovered.”
After saying this, Xue Fangli glanced at Jiang Juan, hoping to see some trace of shame on his face. But as his gaze fell upon Jiang Juan’s face, Xue Fangli himself became momentarily distracted, forgetting his original intention, until Jiang Juan innocently looked back at him.
Xue Congyun: “?”
What was this person pretending for? Who gave him the right to look so innocent?
How could there be such shameless people in the world!
In reality, Jiang Juan was not only innocent but also very confident.
What did the past actions of the old Jiang Juan, who pushed Jiang Nian into the lake, have to do with him now?
Seeing this, Xue Congyun became increasingly annoyed, but he still had some sense of propriety. He only said to Xue Fangli, “Fifth Brother, his intentions are so malicious, you have to be careful.”
At this point, Xue Congyun couldn’t help but mutter, “He looks like a celestial being, detached from the mortal world…”
Note: he wanted to insult Jiang Juan.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Fangli suddenly lifted his eyelids, staring at him with a smile that was not quite a smile. Xue Congyun’s heart tightened, his hairs stood on end, and he almost bit his tongue. He nervously continued, “If… if you ask me, Fifth Brother, if this marriage doesn’t happen, it’s fine. After all, Imperial Father has said, it’s up to you.”
Of course, those weren’t the Emperor’s exact words. His actual words were:
“Go take a look at your Fifth Brother’s residence. If the ceremony is successful, these are the gifts. But if it doesn’t happen, be smart and don’t anger your Fifth Brother.”
Like father, like son. Even the current Emperor understands Xue Fangli’s temperament, so he probably didn’t expect this marriage to happen, let alone Xue Congyun. He arrived only to find that the two had already finished the ceremony, much to his surprise.
“All according to my will?” Xue Fangli chuckled, knowing full well that those weren’t the original words, but he couldn’t be bothered to investigate further. “I understand.”
Xue Congyun had gone through all that trouble purely to intimidate Jiang Juan, but hearing it in Jiang Juan’s ears, it sounded quite different.
Divorce advice? Wasn’t that what he meant?
Jiang Juan wasn’t initially going to engage with Xue Congyun. After all, they were part of the noble protagonist group, and he couldn’t afford to provoke them. But if Xue Congyun kept complaining and even talked about ending the marriage, he couldn’t just sit idly by.
Jiang Juan asked softly, “Has the Sixth Prince ever heard a saying? ‘Ruining someone’s marriage, invites divine retribution.'”
Xue Congyun paused, “I-I haven’t?”
Jiang Juan nodded, “Well, now you have.”
Xue Congyun: “?”
He didn’t immediately grasp the situation and stammered, “How did I ruin any marriage? I just told Fifth Brother about your character. Someone as malicious as you should be chased away directly—”
Xue Congyun’s voice faltered, finally understanding.
He opened his mouth, thinking about divine retribution, but closed it again. However, Xue Congyun wasn’t one to back down. Unwilling to appear weak, he retorted, “Fine, let’s forget about that. But did I say anything wrong about you pushing Brother Nian into the lake?”
As long as Xue Congyun didn’t advocate for their separation, Jiang Juan would agree with whatever he said. Resuming his indifferent demeanor, he replied, “Hmm, you’re right.”
Xue Congyun: “…”
Why was he even more enraged?
Taking a deep breath, Xue Congyun had to turn the tables on Jiang Juan. “Since you admit it, isn’t it only fair for you to apologize?”
Jiang Juan glanced at him, adeptly adaptable. “…Sorry?”
He might as well have written “just kidding” on his face. Xue Congyun was about to explode, “What are you apologizing to me for? I meant for you to apologize to Brother Nian!”
Nothing seemed to be going right. Jiang Juan sighed and explained slowly, “Apologizing to His Highness isn’t wrong either. If I had known earlier that His Highness had such a strong desire to win, I would have just listened obediently to whatever you said and not argued back.”
Afterwards, Jiang Juan sincerely apologized to him again, “I’m sorry.”
Xue Congyun: “…”
Xue Congyun: “???”
What is this country bumpkin talking about? What does he mean by saying I have a strong desire to win?
Xue Congyun was so frustrated he felt like stomping his feet, but the other guy was as soft as cotton, and he couldn’t muster any strength. He was filled with anger, “I don’t have it, stop talking nonsense! You did it yourself, I just…”
Seeing the situation, Zhang Gonggong comforted him softly, “Your Highness, don’t worry about it. The servant heard that Third Young Master was only recently brought back to the capital by Minister Jiang, so he probably doesn’t understand the rules of the capital yet. Third Young Master didn’t have any bad intentions, just…”
He implied Jiang Juan didn’t understand the rules, both directly and indirectly.
People in the palace were used to flattery and belittling others. Leaving aside the handling of the gifts, Xue Congyun’s obvious provocation wasn’t stopped by Xue Fangli. His attitude couldn’t be clearer. Zhang Gonggong was delighted to take a dig at Jiang Juan to please Xue Congyun.
After a pause, Zhang Gonggong continued, “Speaking of which, Your Highness, on such a joyous occasion, is it appropriate for Third Young Master to dress so plainly?”
Xue Congyun paused for a moment, realizing that was indeed the case. Feeling a surge of satisfaction, he arrogantly questioned Jiang Juan, “Which family dresses in plain colors for a wedding?”
Jiang Juan: “?”
Was that even a thing?
“Are you doing this on purpose?” Xue Congyun seized the opportunity, “Don’t you know my Fifth Brother’s health condition? Even if the wedding was rushed, why choose such a color to provoke? Isn’t it inauspicious?”
Xue Congyun went on with his tirade, incessantly criticizing, but after waiting for a while without hearing a peep from Jiang Juan, he felt a sense of victory. With each rebuke, his frustration eased, leaving him feeling quite refreshed.
In reality, Jiang Juan had no intention of engaging with him.
He felt so wronged, incredibly wronged.
This outfit was the initial appearance set by the book. What could he do?
The world is vast, and the rich are the most significant. Jiang Juan couldn’t care less about teaching fools; he was thinking about how to explain to Xue Fangli.
“I… I didn’t think about it that much.”
Jiang Juan said, unconsciously grabbing Xue Fangli’s sleeve as he spoke. Xue Fangli lowered his gaze, his brows furrowed, appearing somewhat displeased and even a bit regretful. This made him lose some of his ethereal aura, but his facial expressions became more vivid.
And Xue Fangli’s sleeve, wrinkled by his grip, contrasted against the rich black-gold color, making the youth’s fingers appear exceptionally white, almost like porcelain.
It seemed like a gesture of grievance, yet also of coquetry. Xue Fangli watched him without saying a word.
Seeing him like this, Xue Congyun couldn’t help but inhale sharply, then immediately covered his mouth.
How could someone dare to lay hands on his Fifth Brother?
Was he not afraid of losing his hand, or perhaps even his life?
Xue Congyun was annoyed with Jiang Juan, but he didn’t actually wish him any harm. He wanted to offer a few reminders but felt somewhat hesitant. It was Zhang Gonggong who maliciously added fuel to the fire, “Third Young Master, on such a joyous occasion, if only you had a little more insight, then——”
After flattering Xue Congyun, he tried to please Xue Fangli again.
Before he could finish his sentence, Xue Fangli’s hand landed on Jiang Juan’s wrist. The slender, pale strip of skin revealed from beneath his sleeve.
Sure enough, his Fifth Brother was about to take action.
Xue Fangli grasped Jiang Juan’s wrist, tightened his grip, and then— gently released it.
At the same time, Xue Fangli spoke slowly, “That’s enough.”
Xue Congyun: “?”
The bloody scene he had imagined didn’t occur, and he stared wide-eyed in surprise.
“Thank you for your hard work today,” Xue Fangli said to Jiang Juan in his usual tone. “Go back to your room and rest.”
Jiang Juan didn’t really want to leave. He was afraid that the Sixth Prince and the court eunuch would cause trouble again, especially the eunuch, who was very cunning. If he left, he would be the scapegoat. Jiang Juan hesitated, saying, “I…”
Seemingly understanding his concerns, Xue Fangli smiled slightly. “I trust you.”
Hearing him say that, Jiang Juan blinked. “Really?”
Xue Fangli responded with a simple “Hmm.”
Jiang Juan looked at him for a while, feeling that Xue Fangli wasn’t just trying to placate him. He immediately lay back happily. “Okay then.”
Xue Fangli nodded, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. He didn’t even spare a glance at the other two, simply instructing, “Someone, escort Royal Consort back to his room.”
He said ‘Royal Consort’, not Jiang Juan, and certainly not the Third Young Master. Xue Fangli’s words made Xue Congyun’s eyelids twitch suddenly.
As Jiang Juan was led away, Xue Fangli withdrew his gaze, and calmly stated, “Sixth Brother, have you forgotten what I hate most in my life?”
There was a pause in his words as he glanced towards Zhang Gonggong. Xue Fangli’s face still bore a smile, his demeanor relaxed, and his tone casual, as if he were just engaging in casual conversation. “In front of me, you dare to say that my people lack manners?”
Xue Fangli’s expression remained calm as he remarked, “You have quite the audacity.”
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