After learning Qin Yan’s identity, the people nearby immediately began whispering among themselves. They all had some understanding of the love and hatred between the three involved, so seeing Qin Yan dressed as a waiter now only made them feel that Princess Changning’s decision to divorce him had been absolutely correct. Just comparing Qin Yan and Ji Yuanyi standing side by side was like a pheasant standing beside a phoenix—there was simply no comparison.
“You’re not really working here as a waiter, are you?” Xiao Wanyu frowned deeper as she heard the murmurs behind her and turned to question Qin Yan.
“Princess, this doesn’t really have anything to do with you, does it? Whether or not I’m a waiter has nothing to do with you.” Qin Yan had heard the crowd’s comments and glanced at Ji Yuanyi, but he had no interest in explaining. Since their divorce and his departure from the princess’s residence, he and Xiao Wanyu had nothing to do with each other anymore, so why bother?
In fact, Qin Yan found it a bit unlucky to run into Xiao Wanyu again so soon. The Capital wasn’t that big, but it wasn’t small either. How could they cross paths again this quickly?
“You really are working here as a waiter?” Xiao Wanyu’s expression darkened further as she asked again.
“Yes,” Qin Yan replied, somewhat helplessly.
“Why are you working here as a waiter?”
“Why?” Qin Yan gave a bitter smile and said, “Your Highness, what kind of question is that? You’re a noble princess, with stipends and lands to support you. But I’m just a commoner. Naturally, I have to work hard to eat. Is there something wrong with being a waiter here?”
He couldn’t help but find it laughable. He had always known she was naïve, but he didn’t expect her to be so foolish as to ask something like that. Did she think everyone in the world could live without working?
“But I clearly gave you plenty of gold, silver, and jewels, along with settlement money. Why didn’t you take it with you that day? That money was enough to keep you clothed and fed for the rest of your life. You didn’t take it, and instead, you came here to be a waiter?” Xiao Wanyu glared at Qin Yan, displeased. When he left, he had returned all the rewards and settlement money from the past three years. And now, seeing him work as a waiter, she found it incomprehensible. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
“That was never mine to begin with. Princess, you yourself said it—‘a dream of yellow millet.’ You told me not to give rise to greed or delusion. Things that don’t belong to me, I shouldn’t yearn for. So it was only right to leave them behind and return them to you.”
“As for whether or not I work as a waiter, that’s none of your concern.” Qin Yan smiled bitterly. He had done that only to make a clean break, which was better for everyone involved.
“You…” Xiao Wanyu was briefly at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say. Indeed, she had said those words herself, telling him not to harbor delusions. But she hadn’t expected Qin Yan to be so proud and resolute, returning everything to her without a second thought. It was clear he didn’t want even the slightest tie to her.
“Young Master Qin, could it be that you’re doing this on purpose to embarrass the Princess?” Ji Yuanyi suddenly spoke up, his gaze falling on Qin Yan.
Hearing Ji Yuanyi’s words, Qin Yan frowned and looked at him with confusion.
“On purpose to embarrass me?” Xiao Wanyu was stunned. She turned to Ji Yuanyi and asked, “Brother Yuanyi, what do you mean?”
“Princess, Qin Yan was your former Prince Consort. Even though you two are now divorced, he once held that title. And now he’s working here as a waiter. If word of this spreads, won’t it become a joke across the empire? People will say you mistreated him so badly that a dignified former Prince Consort was forced to become a waiter.”
“How would that reflect on Your Highness? Qin Yan’s actions here are… quite questionable,” Ji Yuanyi didn’t finish the sentence, but the implication was obvious—he was trying to say Qin Yan was being petty.
“Oh, I see.” Xiao Wanyu blinked, and then suddenly nodded, “Brother Yuanyi, I hadn’t thought of that, but now that you mention it, it does make sense.”
“You’re really something, Qin Yan. You did this on purpose, didn’t you? You wanted to make me look bad!” Xiao Wanyu glared furiously at Qin Yan and questioned him, “You became a waiter just to let everyone know that a former Prince Consort had been reduced to this, to make them think I mistreated you. You refused to take the rewards and settlement money just to get back at me, didn’t you?”
Flushed with anger, Xiao Wanyu had completely fallen for Ji Yuanyi’s manipulation. She stared at Qin Yan as if he were some lowlife, thoroughly convinced by Ji Yuanyi’s words. Get faster updates on novelping dot com.
“This Ji Yuanyi… deliberately throwing mud at me, trying to make this fool Xiao Wanyu hate me?” Qin Yan immediately saw through Ji Yuanyi’s intentions. He was intentionally twisting the story to redirect Xiao Wanyu’s anger toward him.
And truthfully, his reasoning did sound convincing. If Qin Yan hadn’t known he wasn’t actually working as a waiter and hadn’t meant to upset Xiao Wanyu, even he might have thought he was doing it out of spite.
Qin Yan also understood why Ji Yuanyi was doing this. The man was narrow-minded and afraid there were lingering feelings between him and Xiao Wanyu, so he wanted to create a rift between them to prevent any chance of rekindling old ties.
But to that, Qin Yan could only scoff. Ji Yuanyi was overthinking it. He was judging a gentleman with the heart of a scoundrel. Not only did Qin Yan have little affection for Xiao Wanyu to begin with, even if he had, once he chose to let go, he would never look back. A good horse doesn’t eat grass it’s already passed. Qin Yan wasn’t a love-struck fool.
“Seems like Ji Yuanyi isn’t as noble as he appears. Just as I thought—few scholars are decent people.” Qin Yan had no ill feelings toward Ji Yuanyi at first. In fact, upon learning of their past, he had even felt a little sympathy. But now, Ji Yuanyi clearly wasn’t the flawless gentleman Xiao Wanyu had described. If anything, he was a hypocrite hiding behind a veneer of courtesy.
His actions now exposed his true character—a pretentious gentleman but a petty villain underneath.
But none of this concerned Qin Yan. He had no intention of getting involved in their business any further.
“So that’s how it is. Who would’ve thought Qin Yan was so calculating?”
“Right? If Young Master Ji hadn’t said anything, we wouldn’t have realized it. Turns out Qin Yan is so despicable, trying to embarrass the Princess on purpose.”
“Truly heartless. The Princess let him be Prince Consort for three years, and this is how he repays her?”