Chapter 45
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Salted fish meeting salted fish, a pleasant surprise.
Jiang Juan often felt out of place because he was too much of a salted fish. Now, after just a nap, a wild salted fish appeared nearby. He couldn’t help but marvel, “What a coincidence.”
Gu Puwang: “Indeed, it is.”
Today, Gu Puwang was supposed to compete in archery at the Imperial Academy with his fellow students. However, Guangye Hall had many unruly troublemakers, so the dean expelled them all to prevent any incidents, forcing the group to find a new place for their competition.
Gu Puwang was too lazy to move and used fishing as an excuse, borrowing a fishing rod from a nearby villager and spending the morning napping here.
When he arrived, he saw the carriage parked there and recognized it as the one from the Prince Li Residence, though he didn’t expect anyone to be inside.
If not Prince Li, then the person’s identity was self-evident.
Gu Puwang asked, “Are you Prince Li’s Royal Consort?”
Jiang Juan responded with a “Hmm” and accepted the title generously. Then he asked Gu Puwang “And you?”
Just as he finished speaking, a shout came from not far away.
“Gu Puwang—!”
“Stop fishing and come back to shoot arrows!”
Gu Puwang smiled slightly, “I am Gu Puwang.”
He paused, then said sincerely, “Yesterday, the Sixth Prince said you were an interesting person. Seeing you today, he was right.”
He looked at Jiang Juan with full admiration, the mutual recognition almost overflowing. If it were someone else, being appreciated by the aloof and talented Gu Puwang would be a great honor. But Jiang Juan, hearing his self-introduction, was not honored but shocked.
Jiang Juan was completely stunned.
Huh???
Gu Puwang? Why is it Gu Puwang?
How could he be here?
Jiang Juan was incredibly shocked, but no matter how shocked, it didn’t change the fact that he had unknowingly interacted with another member of the main characters group, and even gained his admiration because they were both salted fish.
Jiang Juan: “…”
This was too absurd.
Jiang Juan felt a bit distressed. At this moment, the person who had just shouted for Gu Puwang also arrived, “Gu Puwang, why are you still dawdling? Come on—” Jiang Qingliang stopped mid-sentence when he saw Jiang Juan leaning out of the carriage window. He asked, “Why are you here too?”
After asking, Jiang Qingliang figured it out. With his extensive experience in being forced into the lake, he looked around and confidently said, “You must have come with His Highness. Where is he?”
Jiang Juan also wanted to know where His Highness was. He had been sleeping for so long and still hadn’t returned. Jiang Juan replied, “His Highness is busy.”
“Perfect,” Jiang Qingliang said, “We have an archery competition later. You should join us.”
Jiang Juan: “…”
How did it come full circle back to the beginning?
He was about to shake his head, but Jiang Qingliang didn’t give him a chance to refuse, “Get out of the carriage, hurry up, if I win the competition, I’ll share half of my Autumn Dew White wine with you.”
Jiang Juan still didn’t want to move, but then Gu Puwang said quietly, “The Sixth Prince set up a resting area with people fanning and holding umbrellas, as well as iced drinks and snacks.”
Indeed, only a salted fish understood another salted fish best. Jiang Juan immediately changed his mind, “I’m coming.”
Jiang Qingliang, not hearing their conversation, called Jiang Juan to join purely because he had a newfound respect for him after their last encounter in the palace.
But after a few steps, Jiang Qingliang realized a big problem.
—Gu Puwang had a calm nature, so pulling Jiang Juan along was no big deal. But the Sixth Prince was a firecracker, always itching for trouble after Brother Nian fell into the water. Seeing Jiang Juan might set him off.
Jiang Qingliang didn’t want another dip in the lake. He turned back to Jiang Juan and said, “If the Sixth Prince acts up later, remember to hide behind me.”
Jiang Juan was puzzled, “Huh?”
Jiang Qingliang’s prediction was spot on. As soon as Xue Congyun saw Jiang Juan, he exploded.
He was raising his bow, pretending to aim at Jiang Qingliang, but then his peripheral vision caught sight of someone who should have been sleeping at Prince Li Residence. Xue Congyun immediately lost it. He questioned Jiang Juan, “Why are you here?”
Jiang Juan blinked, “I…”
Jiang Qingliang feared that Xue Congyun would do something to Jiang Juan, which might result in him being punished by Prince Li. He quickly explained, “I brought him here to have some fun.”
Xue Congyun: “???”
His explanation made Xue Congyun’s eyes widen in disbelief. He asked Jiang Juan incredulously, “He brought you here? Why?”
Xue Congyun’s tone was indignant, and Jiang Qingliang, thinking he was defending Jiang Nian, started to formulate a response, like— I think he’s a good person.
There might be a misunderstanding between him and Brother Nian.
But before he could say anything, Xue Congyun’s next words came out furiously, “Why do you come when he asks you to, but not when I ask you?”
Jiang Qingliang: “?”
Jiang Juan replied guiltily, “I didn’t want to come at first, but then…”
He paused, thinking about the ice drinks and snacks he was promised.
After a few seconds of contemplation, Jiang Qingliang realized what was going on. He glared at Xue Congyun and slowly said, “Oh, you hypocrite. You always talk about standing up for Brother Nian, but you’re secretly trying to get close to Prince Li’s Royal Consort!”
Then, with a smug look, Jiang Qingliang added, “But he didn’t care about you and came with me instead.”
Xue Congyun: “…”
Feeling wronged, Xue Congyun turned back to Jiang Juan and asked again, “Why did you come with him?”
Jiang Juan: “…”
Truth be told, he had come with Gu Puwang, but his instinct told him that the truth might escalate the situation. So he just blinked and kept silent.
Luckily, Jiang Qingliang, with his contrarian nature, joined the fray, “Why can’t he come with me?”
Xue Congyun retorted angrily, “He’s my fifth brother’s Royal Consort, my sister-in-law according to the family records!”
Jiang Qingliang, not backing down, shouted, “Your fifth brother is my cousin too, so he’s my cousin-in-law!”
“Cousin?” Xue Congyun sneered, “He’s my blood sister-in-law.”
“So what if he’s your blood sister-in-law,” Jiang Qingliang went all out, “He’s still my father!”
Jiang Juan: “???”
Xue Congyun: “???”
Jiang Juan, shocked, said, “No, I’m not. You can’t just go around claiming people as your father.”
Jiang Qingliang reminded him, “That day at Miaoling Temple, I said if you pushed me into the water, I’d call you father.”
Jiang Juan: “…”
Damn, that did happen.
Jiang Juan was speechless. Xue Congyun cursed, “Father, my foot! If you dare call him that in front of the General, he’ll knock your head off!”
Jiang Qingliang remained unfazed, “Anyway, I brought him here, and he likes me best!”
Xue Congyun, unconvinced, spat back, “You’re lying! He likes me best; I even bring him treasures to play with now and then!”
The two glared at each other, neither willing to back down. As the stalemate dragged on, Gu Puwang spoke calmly, “How about you two settle it with an archery match? Whoever has the best aim will be the one Prince Li’s Royal Consort likes the most.”
Xue Congyun: “Good idea.”
Jiang Qingliang: “Deal?”
The two accepted Gu Puwang’s suggestion, stopped bickering, and hurried off to get their bows and arrows, ready to compete for Jiang Juan’s favor.
Jiang Juan: “…”
What are these two behaving like elementary school kids?
“Finally, some peace,” Gu Puwang turned to Jiang Juan and asked, “Want to go for some iced drinks?”
He extended an invitation to Jiang Juan, who happily accepted, “Sure.”
Xia Gonggong retrieved a jug of sour plum juice from an ice container and respectfully presented it. Jiang Juan took a few sips; even though it wasn’t summer yet, the cold drink felt a bit too chilly. He decided to hold it in his hands for a while to let it warm up.
Gu Puwang, on the other hand, didn’t mind the cold. He downed the sour plum juice in one gulp, leaned back against a tree, and told Jiang Juan, “Do as you please.”
With that, he lowered his head and started dozing off again.
Jiang Juan: “…”
Though he embraced his lazy nature, he still had some standards. This wasn’t like being on a carriage where he could just lie down and sleep. Feeling a bit restless, Jiang Juan decided to find something to occupy himself with.
After looking around, Jiang Juan picked up a bow and arrow. Although he didn’t know how to shoot, he imitated the others, raising the bow and fumbling around with it.
Suddenly, a pale hand with distinct knuckles reached over. A deep, calm voice spoke as a man leaned down beside him, “Your position is wrong.”
“This finger, and this one—” The man’s cold fingers adjusted Jiang Juan’s hand, guiding him to position it correctly on the string. He didn’t let go but kept their fingers intertwined.
“Your Highness, you’re back.”
Jiang Juan perked up, wanting to turn his head. However, another hand grasped his jaw, preventing him from looking back. Xue Fangli, behind him, said, “I’m teaching you how to shoot.”
He almost enveloped Jiang Juan in his arms. After releasing Jiang Juan’s jaw, his hand moved to cover Jiang Juan’s hand on the bow, applying gentle pressure to draw the bowstring.
Jiang Juan wasn’t really focused on learning. Not allowed to turn his head, he tilted it back slightly and asked softly, “Your Highness, where did you go? I waited for you for so long.”
When Jiang Juan tilted his head back, the line of his neck looked especially alluring. Having just woken up, his hair was slightly disheveled, and he appeared irresistibly languid.
Xue Fangli glanced at him, suppressing his displeasure, and asked nonchalantly, “Did you forget what I told you before I left?”
Jiang Juan tried to recall but couldn’t remember, “What did you say?”
Xue Fangli lowered his gaze, “I told you to wait for me in the carriage.”
Jiang Juan responded with an “oh,” “I was in the carriage, but I woke up several times, and you still hadn’t returned.”
Xue Fangli asked with a faint smile, “Are you blaming me?”
Jiang Juan looked at him innocently, saying nothing but clearly implying;
——Who else?
Always acting spoiled.
Xue Fangli gave him a sidelong glance but didn’t respond. He simply released Jiang Juan’s hand and said, “Try it yourself.”
Jiang Juan: “Huh? I can’t do it.”
Xue Fangli replied calmly, “I just taught you how to hold the bow and draw the string.”
Jiang Juan, justified, said, “But we were talking, I wasn’t paying attention.”
Xue Fangli: “I’ll teach you again.”
Jiang Juan: “Can I not learn?”
He was just fooling around with nothing better to do, and the thought of actually learning made Jiang Juan’s hands hurt. Seeing him shake his head, Xue Fangli asked, “If you don’t want to learn, what are you doing here?”
Jiang Juan: “It’s ——“ he initially wanted to say he was called over by someone, but seeing how His Highness seemed particularly upset about him leaving the carriage, he decided against it.
Xue Fangli asked again, “Hmm? What is it?”
Jiang Juan was still thinking of an excuse when, in the distance, Xue Congyun and Jiang Qingliang finished their competition. It seemed Jiang Qingliang had won, and he shouted, “Brother Juan, I won! Just wait, I’ll win the rest of the Autumn Dew White for you too!”
Xue Congyun, having lost the archery contest, wouldn’t admit defeat verbally. “Who said you could call him brother Juan? He’s my brother Juan! Even if you win, I’m still his favorite. You just get lost!”
It was obvious how Jiang Juan had ended up here—it was connected to these two.
Xue Fangli laughed lightly and said slowly, “I wasn’t aware that you had gotten so close to them.”
Jiang Juan sincerely replied, “I’m not familiar with them.”
Xue Fangli: “Is that so.”
Jiang Juan was about to nod when Xue Fangli grabbed his hands again, drew the bowstring, and let an arrow fly with a “whoosh.”
The sound of the arrow cutting through the air made Xue Congyun jump. With a “thud,” the arrow grazed his face and hit the bullseye.
Xue Congyun was stunned. After a while, he snapped back to reality and jumped up, ready to curse. “Who did that, are you blind—” He looked up and saw it was his fifth brother. He shivered and swallowed the words “eyes,” forcing a smile as he greeted, “Fifth Brother, you’re here.”
Rubbing his face, Xue Congyun held back but finally couldn’t help asking resentfully, “Fifth Brother, I didn’t do anything. Why did you shoot an arrow at me?”
Xue Fangli lifted his eyelids and said flatly, “You step with your left foot first.”
Xue Congyun: “???”
As the words fell, Xue Fangli glanced at Jiang Qingliang, who stiffened and looked at the stream beside him. This scene was too familiar to him. Without needing Xue Fangli to say anything, Jiang Qingliang spoke up on his own.
“Your Highness, is it possible that you lost your prayer beads here? I’ll go look for them in the river.”
With that, he jumped into the water with a splash, following the familiar routine with practiced ease, which made one’s heart ache.
Xue Fangli’s lips curled slightly in a cold, thin smile. After settling accounts with these two, he was about to take Jiang Juan away, but then their eyes met.
Jiang Juan frowned slightly, as if pondering something.
After a while, Jiang Juan asked Xue Fangli, “Your Highness, were you deliberately scaring the Sixth Prince just now?”
Xue Fangli responded indifferently, “He’s too noisy.”
Jiang Juan nodded and then slowly said, “Then before—on our wedding day, when I had just gotten out of the carriage, you also shot several arrows at me. Were you deliberately trying to scare me then too?”
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