The Salted Fish Has Gotten Over It Chapter 54

Chapter 54

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Xue Fangli needed to rest, so Jiang Juan stayed with him for a few days.

Of course, saying he was keeping His Highness company, Jiang Juan himself was quite happy lying around. Every day he did nothing; when he got tired of lying in bed, he would move to the couch and turn over a few times. After enough activity, he would climb back next to His Highness, be pulled into his arms, and start a new round of napping together.

In a way, Jiang Juan had achieved a happy, lazy life—until one evening, when Xue Fangli lightly patted him. "Get up."

Jiang Juan had been lying down for three days. His little gadgets for passing time were scattered all over the bed. He turned a Luban lock in his hand and looked down, asking, "What's up?"

“We’re going to the Princess's residence.”

Jiang Juan lifted his head in confusion. "Which Princess's residence?"

Xue Fangli's tone was flat. "The one whose invitation you accepted."

Jiang Juan thought for a few seconds and finally remembered. A few days ago, His Highness had gone to buy him some wisteria cakes, and Jiang Juan had accepted an invitation to the Princess's residence.

Sighing deeply, Jiang Juan cast a gloomy glance at Xue Fangli.

—When he outlives His Highness, he won't have to entertain guests anymore, right?

Xue Fangli seemed to sense something and looked over. "What's the matter?"

Jiang Juan quickly shook his head, pretending nothing had happened. He had been too sleepy when he accepted the invitation. Without remembering to ask anyone or look closely at the invitation, he asked Xue Fangli, "Your Highness, which Princess?"

Xue Fangli: “The eldest Princess."

Jiang Juan: “Huh?”

Jiang Juan was startled.

His reaction wasn't exaggerated. Jiang Juan was surprised purely because the Eldest Princess and her Prince Consort had a special status and were closely related to the plot.

"After Rebirth, I Became the Center of Attention" was a feel-good story, but even a feel-good story needed some villains to stir things up and create conflict. In this novel, aside from the minor characters who were quickly disposed of, the Prince Consort and the Eldest Princess were significant antagonists.

Marquis Anping's parents died early. The Prince Consort and the Eldest Princess pitied him for losing his parents at a young age and took him in to raise him personally. To Marquis Anping, the Prince Consort and the Eldest Princess, who brought him up, were like his own parents. He respected and valued them greatly.

However, they had a disagreement regarding Marquis Anping's marriage. The Prince Consort and the Eldest Princess favored Jiang Juan, but Marquis Anping was infatuated with Jiang Nian. At the beginning of the story, the eldest Princess and the Prince Consort went out to visit old friends. Therefore, they did not know that during their absence, Marquis Anping first broke off the engagement and then went to the palace to request Emperor Hongxing to grant him a marriage.

According to the plot, after the eldest Princess and the Prince Consort returned to the capital, they held a banquet. Realizing they couldn't hide it anymore, Marquis Anping told them about breaking off the engagement. The eldest Princess was shocked, and the Prince Consort was furious. Not only was Marquis Anping severely scolded, but the protagonist shou also faced some difficulties.

Thinking about the plot made Jiang Juan a bit scared, fearing he would be held accountable. He asked Xue Fangli, "Your Highness, can I not go?"

"The invitation has been accepted. Just go and come back."

"…Alright."

No matter how reluctant he was, Jiang Juan had accepted the invitation. Moreover, the eunuch specifically mentioned that the eldest Princess wanted to see Prince Li's Royal Consort. Jiang Juan had agreed back then, so he could only say, "Let's go quickly and come back quickly."

As long as he ran fast enough, the plot wouldn't catch up to him.

Besides, the plot had already deviated so many times. This time, going to the eldest Princess's residence, according to the original story, he should have bitten his tongue and committed suicide. But now he was alive and well. Maybe this change would create a butterfly effect, altering the plot once again.

Jiang Juan comforted himself with this thought, sat up, and asked Lan Ting to comb his hair. He didn’t notice Xue Fangli leaning against the bed, watching him thoughtfully.

What was he afraid of?

At the Princess's banquet, there were no wild beasts or tigers, so why was he so scared?

If Jiang Juan really didn’t want to go, Xue Fangli could have said they wouldn’t go. But seeing Jiang Juan so frightened, Xue Fangli felt it was necessary to go and see.

His Royal Consort, whom he cherished so much, should be respected by others even more.

Xue Fangli lowered his eyes, his expression turning cold.

At the Princess's residence.

Today's banquet hosted by the eldest Princess had many guests. Jiang Juan and Xue Fangli arrived late, and when they got there, most of the guests had already arrived, and the residence was bustling.

As soon as they stepped out of the carriage, a eunuch from the Princess's residence hurried over. After saluting, he respectfully said, "Your Highness, the eldest Princess sent me to wait for you here. She has important matters to discuss with you. Please, come with me first."

Jiang Juan looked at Xue Fangli. Initially, he planned to just make a brief appearance and leave, but it seemed he couldn’t escape this time. He said to Xue Fangli, "Your Highness, please return quickly."

Xue Fangli asked, "You're not coming with me?"

Jiang Juan shook his head. "I don't feel like moving. I'll wait for you to come back."

Xue Fangli looked at him for a few moments, then nodded slightly and said in a calm voice, "If anyone offends you, don't hesitate to deal with them.”

“You're my Royal Consort; you can do whatever you want."

Jiang Juan blinked, unsure why His Highness was saying this to him, but he nodded. "Alright, I’ll remember."

Xue Fangli went to see the eldest Princess, while another servant came forward to lead Jiang Juan inside. They had only walked a few steps when someone called out to him.

“Little Brother."

Jiang Nian called softly, "What a coincidence. I ran into you as soon as I got off the carriage."

Jiang Juan reluctantly turned around, looking left and right. Fortunately, it was only Jiang Nian; his bad luck hadn’t doubled. He breathed a sigh of relief and politely greeted, "Brother."

The incident at Chengde Hall a few days ago had left Jiang Juan feeling quite embarrassed, which was why he was looking around. However, to Jiang Nian, this behavior caused a misunderstanding.

"The Marquis isn't here."

Jiang Nian looked at Jiang Juan’s face—in his dreams these past few days, he had imagined ruining this face countless times. No matter how much he resented and was angry, he had to admit his brother was exceptionally beautiful.

But no matter how beautiful he was, so what?

Jiang Juan's heart was set on Marquis Anping. Even now, when he saw Jiang Nian, he subconsciously searched for Marquis Anping. Marquis Anping would always be his unattainable desire.

Moreover, Marquis Anping would ascend the throne in the future. His brother had missed too much. Between him and Jiang Juan, the one who would lose would never be him.

Thinking of this, Jiang Nian smiled slightly. His recent discontent and resentment finally dissipated, and he felt a secret sense of superiority.

He took a few steps closer, his expression warm and friendly, with no trace of the venom from before. Jiang Nian said with a smile, "Are you looking for the Marquis? He was called away by the prince consort. The Marquis said our matters should also..."

His words abruptly stopped, and he apologized to Jiang Juan as if realizing his slip of the tongue, "I shouldn’t have mentioned this to you, given how long you've admired the Marquis."

After saying this, Jiang Nian looked at Jiang Juan with a worried expression. In reality, he was leisurely enjoying Jiang Juan’s reaction.

In the past, whenever he wanted to provoke Jiang Juan, he only needed to mention Marquis Anping in this way and then pretend to unintentionally poke at his heart. His brother, when angered, could be quite vicious.

　　

The worst time Jiang Juan bit back was when he pushed him into the lake. But it was precisely because of this push that Jiang Nian gained everything.

Thinking of this, the smile in Jiang Nian's eyes deepened.

Marquis Anping went to see the prince consort?

Was it to talk about breaking off the engagement?

The plot might change, but according to the original setup, the prince consort and the eldest Princess never really liked Jiang Nian. They were the first antagonistic characters that the protagonist shou encountered since his rebirth and were beyond his control. Jiang Juan looked at him sympathetically, "I see."

Sympathy?

What was he sympathizing with?

Jiang Nian, always closely observing Jiang Juan, naturally caught this look. He found it unbelievable and absurd.

Since when could Jiang Juan sympathize with him?

Jiang Juan's sympathy inexplicably made him angry, and Jiang Nian hated the pity in his expression. In his eyes, if there was to be any sympathy, it should be him showing it to Jiang Juan.

Jiang Nian's smile could no longer be maintained. "You..."

Jiang Juan didn't notice his change in expression and just gave a perfunctory reassurance, "It's fine. The Marquis has already entered the palace to ask His Majesty to grant your marriage."

Jiang Nian: ”?"

The words he hadn't said were swallowed back down. Jiang Nian asked him, "What? His Majesty has already granted the marriage?"

Jiang Juan: "Yes, you didn't know?"

Jiang Nian truly didn’t know. Marquis Anping had told him that the Prince Consort preferred Jiang Juan, so he planned to take advantage of the Prince Consort and the Eldest Princess's absence to ask Emperor Hongxing to grant the marriage. But when Jiang Nian later asked about it, Marquis Anping had been vague, and Jiang Nian assumed he had his own plans.

So the marriage was already granted.

But why hadn’t he told him?

Jiang Nian murmured, "I really didn't know."

Jiang Juan gave a small, guilty "ah" and said, "Maybe he wanted to surprise you, but I accidentally spoiled it."

Earlier, Jiang Nian had felt displeased by Jiang Juan's sympathy, but now that he knew the marriage was settled, nothing else seemed to matter.

Since the Emperor had granted the marriage, he and Marquis Anping were now bound together.

The obsession of his past life was now within reach in this life.

Jiang Nian beamed, and even the sight of Jiang Juan didn't bother him as much. He said, "The Marquis kept me in the dark, not saying a word... If it weren't for you telling me, who knows when he would have told me about it."

Jiang Juan dared not speak further. The more he thought about it, the more he believed that Marquis Anping had intended to give the protagonist shou a surprise by not mentioning the granted marriage. So he just nodded along.

Jiang Nian felt a sweet happiness in his heart. He wanted to say more, but then the eunuch’s announcement rang out.

"The eldest Princess has arrived—!"

"Prince Li has arrived—!"

The eldest Princess?

Jiang Nian hurriedly knelt down. With the sound of jewelry clinking, a fragrant breeze swept past. The eldest Princess, Xue Fuying, walked slowly towards him and stopped in front of him. Jiang Nian felt a surge of nervousness, gently clenching his sleeves.

—Did the eldest Princess already know about him and the Marquis and had come specifically to see him?

While he was thinking about this, he heard Xue Fuying say, "Raise your head."

Being a daughter of the royal family, her tone, though gentle, naturally carried authority, making it sound like a command.

Jiang Nian hurriedly complied. He lifted his head with a slight, polite smile, only to realize that Xue Fuying wasn’t talking to him but was looking at Jiang Juan.

Jiang Nian's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly understood.

As Prince Li's Royal Consort, Jiang Juan was not required to kneel and bow like he was. However, Xue Fuying was still a senior, and Jiang Juan should have at least greeted her. Instead, he just stood there, drawing Xue Fuying's attention.

He didn't even know how to properly greet someone. The royal family always adhered strictly to protocol. Jiang Juan's behavior would surely leave a bad impression on Xue Fuying.

Thinking this, Jiang Nian's smile widened again. Suddenly, he felt a piercingly cold, dangerous gaze fall upon him, making him feel as if he were being watched by a fierce predator, enveloped in an almost hopeless fear.

Jiang Nian stiffly turned his head.

Xue Fangli lowered his eyes, looking at Jiang Nian with a half-smile. His demeanor was lazy and superior, as if Jiang Nian were as insignificant as dust, not worth mentioning. Even glancing at him was an exception.

It was that look again.

A look that seemed to see through everything about him, full of disdain and contempt.

Resentment rose in Jiang Nian's heart. He clenched his sleeves tighter, but at that moment, he heard Xue Fuying speak again.

"What a good child, come, follow me."

Xue Fuying studied Jiang Juan for a moment. The young man had delicate features and, seeing her, his soft lips curved into a gentle smile, making him appear exceptionally well-behaved. Moreover, his eyes were clear, and his demeanor was pure, which delighted Xue Fuying.

She always preferred interacting with people who had no hidden agendas. Taking Jiang Juan's hand, she lightly patted the back of it and immediately led him to the banquet, completely disregarding the fact that he hadn’t bowed to her or considered it any breach of etiquette.

Jiang Nian was quite shocked. As Xue Fuying took a few steps, she glanced around and made eye contact with Jiang Nian. Her brows furrowed. "Whose child is this? Looking around during a greeting, how can he be so ignorant of the rules?"

Jiang Nian hurriedly bowed his head. "Replying to the eldest Princess..."

But Xue Fuying didn’t wait for him to finish. She simply walked away with Jiang Juan, leaving Jiang Nian to bite his lip in silent fury.

This was the first time he had been called ignorant of the rules.

He had performed the greeting, only getting momentarily distracted. Yet, Jiang Juan, who hadn’t greeted at all, was called a good child, while he was deemed ignorant of the rules.

Jiang Nian felt stifled, his hand clenching tighter in frustration. He had to wait for Xue Fuying to leave, but then he heard a mocking voice.

“Are you jealous?”

A black and gold robe dragged along the ground, pooling like clouds. The man's voice was cold yet had a certain quality. "I can’t be bothered to address all your schemes, but just one thing."

"Stay away from him."

Xue Fangli's tone was calm, but each word was laced with a clear warning.

Jiang Nian felt cold all over, barely able to breathe. Only when the man walked away did he slowly lift his head, just in time to see Jiang Juan grabbing Xue Fangli's sleeve. The man calmly brushed it off before gently holding Jiang Juan's hand.

Jiang Nian watched, expressionless.　　

Yes, he was jealous.

How could he not be, when he was so unwilling to accept the fact?

Why was it that his younger brother, who was inferior to him in every way, was the one who received such gentle treatment from Prince Li?

But it didn't matter.

In this life, all his hopes were pinned on Marquis Anping. No matter how unwilling he felt, there was no mistake in this choice.

Marquis Anping was upright and steady, far more suitable for him compared to the unpredictable and uncontrollable Prince Li.

Marquis Anping was truly a good match.

He would treat him well.

Xue Fuying led Jiang Juan to the main seat.

As Jiang Juan sat down, he realized a problem: sitting in this position meant he probably couldn't leave easily.

He could only start praying that the plot would indeed change.

"Don’t feel constrained here.”

Xue Fuying said, showing no airs and graces and acting very approachable. Jiang Juan nodded to her, and the more she looked at him, the more she felt he was well-behaved. She couldn’t help but sigh again, "Such a good child."

But no matter how good he was, he wasn’t her own. Xue Fuying sighed and said guiltily, "The matter of the annulled engagement, we owe you an apology."

Jiang Juan immediately became alert and shook his head quickly. "There's nothing to apologize for. I’m doing very well now."

He couldn't let the protagonist shou suffer because of the annulled engagement. Otherwise, he would definitely be resented, and it would be a huge grudge.

As soon as Xue Fangli arrived, he was called over, and Xue Fuying began discussing Jiang Juan with him. The annulled engagement and Jiang Juan being the Prince Li's Royal Consort were known to Xue Fuying at the same time, which left her astonished.

Her nephew was not an easy person to deal with.

Jiang Juan had his engagement annulled and then married into Prince Li’s household. Xue Fuying instinctively felt it had something to do with Marquis Anping, so when she saw Xue Fangli, she constantly advised him not to bully Jiang Juan.

Jiang Juan said he was doing well, but Xue Fuying still wasn’t reassured. She smiled and said, "I liked you as soon as I saw you. If His Highness ever bullies you, don’t endure it; come to me, and I’ll stand up for you."

His Highness wouldn’t bully him. Jiang Juan thought for a moment and seriously told her, "His Highness treats me very well, really well. I even have to thank Marquis Anping for annulling the engagement."

Xue Fuying was taken aback and then laughed. Xue Fangli also lifted the corners of his mouth and said in a low voice, "Indeed, it was a blessing in disguise."

Xue Fuying shook her head, still a bit uneasy, but she didn’t say much more. She just joked to Xue Fangli, "Such a good child, you’ve really lucked out."

As she finished speaking, Xue Fuying looked up and saw someone striding over. She quickly took Jiang Juan’s hand and said softly, "Feiyue, this is the child."

Feiyue? Su Feiyue?

It seemed to be the prince consort.

Jiang Juan also looked up, and Su Feiyue, like Xue Fuying, was full of guilt upon seeing Jiang Juan. "We owe you an apology."

Xue Fuying covered her mouth and laughed. "I just asked, and Juan Juan said he’s grateful for the annulled engagement. He’s doing very well in Prince Li Residence."

Su Feiyue smiled faintly. "Is that so?"

"Then that's good."

Hearing this, Jiang Juan finally relaxed a bit.

In fact, Jiang Juan had studied this part of the plot. He believed that the anger of the Eldest Princess and Prince Consort was mainly because the cannon fodder character, who shared his name, had bitten his tongue and killed himself, indirectly caused by Marquis Anping.

Now that the engagement was annulled and Jiang Juan was still fine and doing well, the guilt felt by the Eldest Princess and Prince Consort might be lessened.

Thinking of this, Jiang Juan sighed in relief and looked at the food with his chopsticks in his mouth. But suddenly, he heard a "bang." Su Feiyue put down his wine cup and said to Xue Fuying, "I heard the second young master is here today too. Let’s have him come over."

He, like Xue Fuying, had only learned of the annulment before the banquet, and Su Feiyue was furious, especially upon learning that Jiang Juan had become Prince Li's Royal Consort.

Prince Li was already renowned, and Su Feiyue, having been his tutor, knew what kind of person Xue Fangli was—violent and reckless. Although he had heard Jiang Juan was doing well, he still felt deeply angered.

Xue Fuying sighed, understanding Prince Consort’s intentions to call Jiang Nian over and knowing his worries for Jiang Juan. She didn’t stop him and signaled to a eunuch, "Go, bring the second young master over."

Jiang Juan: "?"

Why did they want to call the protagonist shou?

Jiang Juan had a bad premonition. Su Feiyue looked at him and said gently, "You must have suffered a lot these days. No matter what, we will give you an explanation regarding the annulment."

Jiang Juan: "???"

What was going on with this novel?

When he wanted to follow the plot, it turned and prevented him. Now that he didn't want to follow the plot, it returned, forcing him to face the protagonist shou being bullied.

Why was the plot so rebellious?

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