“Could it be that Your Highness rushed over upon hearing either about His Majesty bestowing the Mandarin Duck Jade Pendant or about Lord Song’s visit?”
Jiang Rumin murmured to herself before turning to plead with Song Yun Chu once more.
“Lord Song, I know you have no interest in me. We must find a way to annul this engagement as soon as possible.”
Jiang Rumin gazed at Song Yun Chu with an apologetic expression. “Someone of your exceptional caliber ought to marry a more distinguished noble lady. My heart belongs to another, and I know I’m unworthy of you. I hope you can persuade His Majesty…”
Song Yun Chu interrupted her, “How do you know I can influence His Majesty?”
The Dog Emperor took pleasure in making her life difficult, deliberately creating complications for her. If she went to persuade the Dog Emperor to revoke his decree, she would only become his laughingstock.
“Lord Song, you are His Majesty’s right-hand man. Perhaps you could broach the subject tentatively when His Majesty is in a good mood. There might be a chance of success. If His Majesty becomes angry… you can place all the blame on me.”
Jiang Rumin bit her lip, as if steeling her resolve. “It’s my fault for being too stubborn, unable to let go of my feelings for Prince Yi. I’m willing to bear His Majesty’s wrath alone.”
Song Yun Chu was left speechless.
Since transmigrating into Minister Song’s body, she had been determined to change her tragic fate and had resolved to avoid entanglement with the male and female protagonists. Unfortunately, the Dog Emperor kept meddling with the red strings of fate.
Given that she would inevitably have ongoing interactions with Jiang Rumin, if she couldn’t distance herself from this tragic heroine yet needed to ensure her survival, the best approach might be to break up the official pairing of Jiang Rumin and Jun Tianyi. If Jiang Rumin could join her faction… wouldn’t that be more beneficial for her future plans?
According to the novel’s core premise, if the male and female protagonists joined forces against her, their protagonist aura would ensure her defeat as the antagonist.
As Song Yun Chu pondered this, Jiang Rumin’s plea sounded in her ears again: “To preserve your reputation, Lord Song, you could be the one to propose breaking off the engagement. You can tell everyone that I’m willful and disagreeable, that I don’t meet your standards. I won’t refute any of it. In short, the fault lies with me, not with you.”
Song Yun Chu frowned slightly. “Do you truly care so little about your own reputation?”
This world was not kind to women. Once a woman was rejected in marriage and gained a notorious reputation, she would inevitably become an object of ridicule and scorn.
The original Minister Song had disguised herself as a man precisely because she lamented the world’s injustices, seeking better opportunities. Doing things with a male identity was indeed much more convenient.
“Compared to reputation, I’d rather follow my heart.”
Jiang Rumin’s sincere words made Song Yun Chu’s head ache. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone striding briskly toward them. Turning to look, she saw the cold-faced Jun Tianyi.
She already detested this man intensely. Seeing his unpleasant expression now, she snorted inwardly and spoke with deliberate coolness: “Greetings, Your Highness Prince Yi. Please don’t blame this official for speaking out of turn, but Miss Jiang no longer has any connection to you. For you to freely enter and exit her courtyard like this is rather improper.”
Hearing this, Jun Tianyi’s gaze toward Song Yun Chu grew even colder. “This prince has come to retrieve an item from Miss Jiang. It has nothing to do with Minister Song.”
His eyes then shifted to Jiang Rumin. “Miss Jiang, you recall the wooden carving I previously gifted you, don’t you? That object holds no meaning for you now. Please return it to me.”
Listening to this, Song Yun Chu rolled her eyes skyward.
The wooden carving that Jun Tianyi mentioned was a small figurine he had personally carved from premium Huanghuali wood in the likeness of Jiang Rumin. It was a birthday gift he had given to Jiang Rumin, which she regarded as a token of their love.
The Dog Scumbag demanding it back at this moment was clearly an act of pique. If he truly wanted to sever their past ties, he wouldn’t care at all about what happened to that gift.
Jiang Rumin’s expression stiffened. “That carving was a birthday gift from you, Your Highness. How can one give a birthday gift and then ask for it back?”
“If it were a gift bought from a merchant, I naturally wouldn’t ask for it back. But I made that with my own hands—it holds a different meaning. Now that we are both to marry others, what use do you have keeping it? It should be destroyed.”
Hearing Jun Tianyi’s cold words, a trace of bitterness flickered in Jiang Rumin’s eyes. After a moment of silence, she replied, “That carving… I find it quite beautiful. There’s no harm in keeping it as a memento.”
“You may see no harm, but Lord Song might take issue with it. If you wish to build a life with Lord Song, you must let go of objects that could easily cause misunderstandings. Go retrieve it and burn it—consider it a farewell to the past.”
As Jun Tianyi finished speaking, he shot a glance at Song Yun Chu.
Song Yun Chu thought to herself, Just as I disliked him when reading the original novel—this affected, pretentious act makes me want to kick him hard.
When the Dog Emperor arranged the marriage earlier, he clearly had a chance to resist. Yet Jiang Yuxi’s appearance made him accept the emperor’s decree. Now, feeling discontent, he comes seeking attention. On the surface, he’s asking Jiang Rumin to destroy his gift, but in reality, he wants to see her take a stance and display her deep affection for him in front of his “rival.”
He never considers how his actions put Jiang Rumin in a difficult position.
With his aggressive pressure, if Jiang Rumin doesn’t produce the carving, it would seem as though she’s betraying her current fiancé, appearing unfaithful and likely giving petty individuals an opportunity to accuse her of lacking virtue. But if she does bring it out to destroy it, given Jun Tianyi’s temperament, he would probably erupt in anger on the spot.
Unwilling to let Jiang Rumin be humiliated, Song Yun Chu said expressionlessly, “It’s merely an object. Since it belongs to Rumin, she can dispose of it as she wishes. If she treasures a friend’s gift, why should I mind?”
Jun Tianyi had not expected Song Yun Chu to respond this way. After a stunned pause, his face turned ashen.
A friend’s gift?
Realizing that Song Yun Chu was helping her out of a tight spot, Jiang Rumin cast a grateful look her way.
That glance, falling into Jun Tianyi’s eyes, only fueled his rage further.
That Song dog is just putting on a show of magnanimity in front of everyone, and this foolish woman is actually moved by it.
When he asked Jiang Rumin to destroy the wooden carving he’d given her, there was undoubtedly an element of pique involved.
He didn’t understand what was wrong with himself. Clearly, the person he cared about most was Jiang Yuxi; clearly, he had already accepted the emperor’s arrangement. But when he heard that the emperor had bestowed a pair of Mandarin Duck Jade Pendants upon Song Yun Chu and Jiang Rumin, a wave of resentment surged within him.
Especially when his subordinate reported that Song Yun Chu had gone to Jiang Rumin’s residence, he could no longer sit still.
Could it be that I’ve truly developed feelings for Jiang Rumin?
He didn’t want to admit it, but his feet seemed to have a will of their own. By the time he came to his senses, he was already standing outside the Guogong Residence.
Originally seeing Jiang Rumin’s reluctance to part with the wooden carving he had gifted her, a flicker of delight had stirred within him. Yet Song Yun Chu’s interference swiftly turned that delight into fury.
As if oblivious to Jun Tianyi’s icy glare, Song Yun Chu spoke with deliberate calm, “If Your Highness truly wishes to go your separate ways, the best approach would be to cease contact with Rumin altogether, rather than clamoring to force her to destroy the gifts you once gave her. With such affectations, aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?”
“How dare you!”