coobybook Chapter 67, Your Highness, please have some self-respect.
Chapter 67, Your Highness, please have some self-respect.
At the banquet, besides enjoying the singing and dancing and the talents brought by the young ladies from various families, the rest of the event was to congratulate the Pingding Marquis's family on their marriage alliance with the royal family.
As everyone knows, Qin Wan had been pursuing Xiao Jingyu for many years, but now she was betrothed to his younger brother, which is undoubtedly an interesting story.
Their blessings were not sincere; they were mostly sarcastic, since everyone knew Xiao Jingyan's reputation.
He had the title of prince but no real power, and he was not smart. He was not only out of favor but also unambitious, spending his days playing games.
This inevitably leads to speculation that the Marquis's family may have offended His Majesty, who had bestowed his eldest daughter upon such a useless prince.
However, these were just what everyone was thinking. After all, no one dared to speak recklessly in the main hall, in front of His Majesty.
As the banquet drew to a close, Emperor Xiao grew tired and left first.
Many people who had family matters to attend to left early, and Qin Wan didn't want to stay any longer. After leaving the table, she got up and left without saying goodbye to anyone.
Su Yan'er was overjoyed to learn that Qin Wan had been betrothed. As long as her fourth sister was married and far away from her second brother, she would no longer be able to control his feelings, and his heart would belong to her alone.
Fourth Sister is so lucky, she's actually going to marry a prince and become his consort, but unfortunately he's a useless prince.
Su Yan'er smiled sarcastically to herself, watching Qin Wan's departing figure without uttering a word, and continued to follow behind Han Shu, listening to the ladies congratulating the Qin family.
After leaving Chaoyang Palace, you have to pass through the Imperial Garden to reach the palace gate.
Qin Wan walked along the palace road, holding the imperial edict in both hands, her eyes vacant. Passersby pointed and whispered among themselves.
"Look, her daydream has been shattered! She still dared to dream of marrying the Fourth Prince. Shouldn't she take a piss and look in the mirror to see if she's even worthy of him!"
"A fickle woman and a fool are a perfect match!"
"Be careful what you say. This is the palace after all. It wouldn't be good if His Majesty heard these words. But you're right!"
"..."
Faced with the ridicule of the crowd, Wan Shuang could no longer hold back and was about to retort, but Qin Wan secretly stopped her.
She didn't have the strength to argue with them. If Wan Shuang said something bad, she probably wouldn't have the energy to protect her. The Marquis's mansion couldn't even protect itself, let alone Wan Shuang.
Those who mocked Qin Wan passed by, rolling their eyes at her.
Night Frost couldn't say anything, so she could only glare back fiercely.
"Miss, don't listen to their nonsense. The Fifth Prince just seems a bit... well, maybe he really has some contact with..."
Evening Frost wanted to comfort her young mistress, but she herself didn't believe her own words.
Before she could finish speaking, a young eunuch walked up to Qin Wan.
"Greetings, Miss Qin. The Fifth Prince wishes to meet you in the Imperial Garden!"
Xiao Jingyan?
Qin Wan frowned. What did he want with her?
"What is it?" Qin Wan asked.
"His Highness the Fifth Prince didn't say what it was about, but just asked me to invite Miss Qin to the Imperial Garden!" As he spoke, the little eunuch made a gesture to lead the way.
Qin Wan thought to herself that they were just newly betrothed and knew each other well, but she couldn't escape this situation after all.
After Qin Wan handed the imperial edict to Wan Shuang, she followed the little eunuch to the Imperial Garden.
The Imperial Garden was very large, and the paths were winding and meandering. Passing through artificial hills, there were even more artificial hills. The more Qin Wan walked, the more she felt that something was wrong.
She and Xiao Jingyan had already been betrothed and could meet openly, so why did she choose such a remote and secluded place?
Just as Qin Wan was about to ask a question, suddenly, a large hand pulled her into an embrace, spun her around, and forced her into a corner.
Qin Wan was startled. Just as she was about to say that the Fifth Prince was not as good as he seemed, she looked up and saw a familiar face.
"Fourth...Fourth Prince!"
Qin Wan was stunned and instinctively tried to push Xiao Jingyu away, but the harder she tried, the tighter Xiao Jingyu pressed her.
She had already been betrothed to the Fifth Prince by His Majesty, but he was already someone else's fiancé. If this were discovered, she would only have one way out: death.
"Your Highness, please show some self-respect!"
Qin Wan turned her head away from Xiao Jingyu, but she could feel his breath very close to hers, so close that the air she breathed was filled with his scent.
"Wan'er, I know you have feelings for me. You deliberately keep your distance from me because you're afraid others will see, but now it's just the two of us here, so you don't need to be afraid!"
Qin Wan suddenly realized that the eunuch from earlier must have been arranged by him, and it wasn't Xiao Jingyan who wanted to see her, but rather Xiao Jingyu himself.
However, Qin Wan understood that his sudden admiration for her was nothing more than a feeling of loneliness due to the sudden loss of his own pursuit and the discomfort of not being admired by her.
"Both the Fourth Prince and my daughter have been betrothed. If this is seen by others, it may have an impact on the Fourth Prince."
Qin Wan spoke coldly, as she needed to find a chance to escape, otherwise she would be in big trouble if others saw her.
"Wan'er, are you still angry with me? I told you, my relationship with Shen Siyi was out of necessity. I was cold to you before because I didn't know I had feelings for you. Now I do. Give me a chance, and I will treat you well!"
As she spoke, Xiao Jingyu began to lean down, her lips almost touching Qin Wan's, when Qin Wan suddenly pushed her away.
"Your Highness, I was young and ignorant before. Now I am engaged to Your Highness, so please be mindful of your status!"
"He's just a fool, and you're actually taking this marriage seriously?" Xiao Jingyu was a little angry. Why was he taking the initiative, but she was pretending to be reserved?
"I know you have feelings for me, otherwise you wouldn't have thought of begging Father Emperor to grant you permission to be my concubine. Since we are of the same mind, why are you unwilling to admit it?"
Qin Wan's expression froze, and she was stunned for a moment. When did she ask His Majesty for mercy to become his concubine?
"Fourth Prince, stop talking nonsense. When did I say that?"
Qin Wan only wants to cut ties with them completely now; how could she possibly still be thinking about becoming his concubine?
“You didn’t say it, but you were going to say it. When Father asked you what reward you wanted, you said you had something on your mind that you wanted Father to grant you permission for. Wasn’t that about me? Everyone knows that you have admired me for many years.”
"Now that I have a principal wife, the only vacancy is for the position of concubine. I am very touched that you performed on stage to become my concubine. Even if you don't admit it now, I understand your feelings!"
Qin Wan was momentarily stunned. All she wanted was for His Majesty to grant her mercy and allow her to sever her ties with the Marquis's mansion and stay away from it forever.
I never expected Xiao Jingyu to have such complicated thoughts.
After being reborn, she no longer wanted even the position of his principal wife, let alone a concubine.
Qin Wan didn't want this farce to continue any longer, so she decided to leave quickly before anyone else noticed.
"Your Highness, you're overthinking it. What I seek is not the position of your concubine..."
"I don't believe you, so what do you want?"
"I..." Qin Wan paused for a moment. Since the matter of severing ties with the Marquis's mansion had not yet been resolved, it was better not to say anything.
“What I ask for is none of Your Highness’s business. I have already been betrothed to the Fifth Prince. All that happened before was due to my youth and ignorance. Now I understand that the Fourth Prince is a chosen one of Heaven, and not just anyone can be worthy of him. I beg the Fourth Prince to let me leave.”
The more Qin Wan refused, the more Xiao Jingyu felt that this was a ploy to get her.
He continued to press closer, "Wan'er, why are you still being so stubborn? Your hesitation just now proves that what I said is true..."
Before he could finish speaking, a voice from the side interrupted Xiao Jingyu.
What are you two doing here?