Chapter 11
Cui Lingyan ran away crying.
Xiao Ji saw her embarrassed and panicked, stumbling around, her back no longer as graceful as before, and sat back with a slight sneer.
Now if she sees him again, she should know to take a detour, right?
Click.
Suddenly, a slight crisp sound came from the rockery behind him. Xiao Ji, who was about to continue blowing the wind to avoid laziness, was startled, straightened up and looked over: "Who is there?"
No one answered.
Xiao Ji had a gut feeling that there was someone behind him. He frowned and stood up, and while carefully walking towards that place, he warned coldly: "I count to three, come out, or I will call someone."
The person behind the rockery frowned slightly and stared at the dead branches at his feet with slight annoyance: "..."
This rockery was built next to the lake. The terrain was uneven. It could be used as a hiding place but not easy to escape, so she could only appear helplessly after a moment of silence: "Your Majesty, please calm down. The little girl didn't eavesdrop on purpose. She was just here all the time." Take a rest, this is... But don't worry, the little lady didn't hear a word of the conversation between you and the girl just now."
She was a girl in a goose-yellow dress with a simple silver magnolia hairpin on her head. She looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, with her head lowered and her gait smooth as she walked out from behind the rockery. She was very dignified and beautiful. .
Because she was much shorter than him, and she had her head lowered when she walked out, Xiao Ji couldn't see her face clearly. He could only see her jade-white complexion, and her eyelashes that looked extremely long and dense because of her drooping eyebrows. .
"You don't look like a maid in this house, nor do you look like a female family member who came to attend the banquet..." He looked her up and down, and inexplicably felt that she looked familiar, but when he thought about it carefully, he had no impression. Xiao Ji frowned even more tightly, "Raise your head and tell me, who are you and why are you here?"
The maids in wealthy families all wear uniforms, and most of the female family members who come to the banquet are wearing rings and are brightly dressed. The girl in front of me was dressed simply but not like a maid. She avoided everyone and hid behind the rockery alone, which was really strange.
Jiang Wu paused slightly when he heard these words, and raised his head as he was told, revealing an extremely beautiful face: "Replying to the prince, the little girl's father is a musician invited by the house, and the little girl came with her father to help. , because I am not familiar with the road conditions in Fuzhong, so I got lost and came here."
Xiao Ji didn't expect that this girl was quite good-looking, especially her eyes, which were clear and bright. He was a little surprised, but he was only a little surprised before he doubted: "How do I know whether what you said is true?"
"Everyone who came to perform at the house today is registered. If the prince doesn't believe it, he can take the little girl to the housekeeper to verify." Jiang Wu said with helplessness on his face, "To be honest, after finding out that I was lost, the little girl wanted to I am looking for a maid sister to ask for directions. Just as I was about to leave here, I saw you entering the pavilion. The little girl was afraid that she would rush into the noble man rashly, so she retreated behind the rockery, thinking of waiting for you to leave before going out. But Unexpectedly, I accidentally disturbed you..."
The girl's voice is neither fast nor slow, clear and pleasant, and her attitude is generous and not flinching. Xiao Ji looked at her much more favorably than Cui Lingyan. After thinking about what she said, he felt that there was nothing wrong with it, so he stopped embarrassing her.
"I'm sorry you don't dare to lie to me, but let's forget it this time." Xiao Ji loosened his brows and turned around, took two steps and then looked back, "But don't go out and talk nonsense about the words you heard just now. If you dare If you go out and talk nonsense, what will happen...heh, I don’t need to say more, right?"
Although exposing Cui Lingyan and Cui Ang could bring trouble to them both, Xiao Ji never thought of doing so, nor did he want others to do so. Because those two people being unlucky will not do him any good, but may prompt the original plot to happen again.
So at this time, he just wanted to stay away from them, to be on the same page with them, and from the bottom of his heart, he hoped that the two of them could fall in love well, lock themselves in place, and never come out to harm other people - especially him.
Because of this, when he said the last sentence, Xiao Ji narrowed his eyes deliberately and fiercely, and his tone was quite unkind and took on a threatening tone.
He looked nothing like the gentle, courteous and courteous fairy boy in the rumors. Thinking of the sharp words he had just spoken and the way he scolded Miss Cui San and ran away without mercy, Jiang Wu's heart moved slightly, he retracted his peripheral vision and responded respectfully: "Yes, little girl understands, Prince, don't worry. , and thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty."
It is said that three people make a tiger. There are many false rumors in the world, but it is indeed true.
Xiao Ji didn't know that the girl in front of him was the one who rescued him from the lake that day, and he didn't know what she was thinking. Seeing that she was on the right track, he nodded with satisfaction and left.
However, after taking a few steps, he suddenly thought of something and turned back. He looked around in the rockery behind Jiang Wu. After making sure that there was no one else around except her, he waved his hand and left with confidence: "Remember Don’t forget what I said to you.”
Jiang Wu: "..."
Jiang Wu looked at his cool back, and for some reason, suddenly felt like laughing.
The true character of this King Duan is really unexpected.
*
After watching Xiao Ji leave, Jiang Wu also found a path and left the garden.
She just said that she was not familiar with Cheng'en Palace and therefore lost her way. This was false.
Cheng'en Gong He Lian was a person who loved music. He always respected her father very much. The two had been friends for many years. Because of this relationship, she had some friendship with several girls from Chengen's residence. She also helped an acquaintance of the rouge shop owner sell things to them, so she had been to Chengen's residence several times before.
But she was indeed not invited to the banquet today - the guests invited by the Cheng'en Palace today were all high-status royal family members and powerful families. The Jiang family was in decline, and its status was very different from that of Cheng'en Palace, so it was not on the officially invited guest list.
This is not to say that Duke Cheng'en does not really regard her father as a friend, but that nobles from aristocratic families have their own rules. If they invite everyone from any background to a serious upper-class banquet like this, they will offend the rest. Those of distinguished guests.
Even though Jiang Wu's father, Jiang Baichuan, was a famous person who was good at music and well-known, not everyone liked him because the Jiang family was so depressed nowadays. So today, Jiang Wu and his daughter were invited as special performers at the banquet.
Jiang Baichuan was proficient in music, especially the guqin. Many people praised him as "a piece of heavenly music that is difficult to find in this world." Therefore, when powerful and noble families held banquets at their homes, they would often invite him to come and play to show their elegance.
But Jiang Baichuan has a wild temperament and does not want to compromise his identity like a singer to perform and compose music for a group of people who are just arty and don't really like music at all, so he usually refuses. Only when he encounters a situation that he really can't refuse, or when his family's money is running out and it's almost impossible to open the pot, he will reluctantly agree.
Today's Duke Cheng'en's Mansion is in the former situation - Duke Cheng'en has known him for many years regardless of the difference in status. Jiang Baichuan regards him as a confidant, and is naturally willing to support him who has a son in his old age.
So he came.
As for why Jiang Wu was brought along, it was not because she was here to help as Jiang Wu said, but because of Jiang Wu's marriage - Jiang Baichuan really couldn't stand being talked about by Jiang Wu's maid Baoxiang. Thinking that there were many guests in Cheng'en Palace today, and if her daughter came, she might be able to meet the fate and find a suitable husband, so she coaxed Jiang Wu to try her luck on the pretext of helping him.
Jiang Wu was speechless about this and didn't want to come at all, but her father saw that he couldn't persuade her, so he ran to hug her mother's memorial tablet, burst into tears and said that he was sorry for her, and even fell to the ground and started playing Scoundrel.
Jiang Wu had nothing to do with this old naughty boy, so he could only respond in a dumbfounded way. But she really had no idea of getting married, so soon after arriving at the Duke Chengen's Mansion, she relied on her knowledge of the Duke Cheng'en's Mansion to hide in the deserted pavilion.
She originally wanted to wait until the banquet was over before going out to find her father and go home with her, but who knew that after hiding for a while, she saw Prince Duan, who she had rescued from the water a few days ago, walking over alone? .
To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, Jiang Wu hid in the rockery, but he didn't want to stumble into a good show...
Fortunately, although Prince Duan was different from others, he was still reasonable. Otherwise, there would be no solution to this matter today.
Thinking about what Xiao Ji said to Miss Cui San and the Duke of Qing's Mansion behind Miss Cui San, Jiang Wu walked out along the path while shaking her head in her heart. Sure enough, she shouldn't have gone out today. .
Because something like this happened, she had no intention of waiting for her father to go back together. She walked out of the alley and found a maid nearby who was bringing wine and water. She smiled and stuffed a small piece of broken silver into her hand: "Sister, I am the daughter of Mr. Nanyin Jiang Baichuan. I have to go home first because of family matters. Could you please find an opportunity to inform my father for me?"
This is a very small matter, and the maid accepted the money happily: "Don't worry, girl, I will definitely bring the message to you."
There were arrays of silk and bamboo in the hall, and singing and dancing continued. People came and went near the hall where the banquet was held, and it was very lively. Jiang Wu smiled and thanked the maid, then turned around and prepared to leave the house.
Just as he walked to the front corridor, he was blocked by a person who suddenly appeared at a corner: "Hey, Miss Jiang, I can meet you here, you and I are really destined!"
He is a young man in rich clothes and a golden crown. He is dressed very richly and even a bit coquettishly. Looking at his appearance in his early twenties, he looks fair and handsome, but his expression is carefree and he looks quite handsome. For frivolity.
This man's name is He Dinghong, he is the eldest son of Cheng'en Palace and he is twenty-one years old this year. Before today's young master, who was just one month old, was born, he was the only male in the generation of Duke Cheng'en, so everyone in the family loved him very much. As a result, this man grew up into a playboy who was completely different from the upright Cheng'en Gong. He spent all his time playing with cats and walking dogs instead of doing serious things.
As soon as Jiang Wu saw him, he felt even more regretful - as expected, he really shouldn't have gone out today.
She sighed secretly, took two steps back, bent down and saluted him: "I have met the Crown Prince."
"Excuse me, why do you and I need to be so polite?" He Dinghong waved his folding fan handsomely, stared at Jiang Wu's lips and said with a smile, "We haven't seen each other for many days, and Miss Jiang looks even prettier. Today I painted The color of this lipstick is also very beautiful, it is simply delicious.”
Jiang Wu: "..."
Jiang Wu didn't want to get entangled with him and attract the attention of others, so she ignored his teasing, raised her head and smiled at him: "Your Majesty, there are vegetable leaves on your teeth."
