“What are you crying for? This prince hasn’t bullied you.” Xuan Zhan didn’t know what came over him, suddenly blurting out these words.
It would have been better if he hadn’t said anything, but his words only made Jian Junyao’s tears fall even more.
Since the tears were already flowing, Jian Junyao decided not to hold back anymore.
“Xuan Zhan, you big bad guy, and you say you haven’t bullied me… sob sob… you even choked me this morning…”
Jian Junyao didn’t know just how beautiful this body of hers was, and the sight of her crying was even more pitiable.
Moreover, she didn’t control her volume, and her voice carried directly outside the carriage.
The Ling brothers exchanged glances, finally settling their gaze on Nanny Song.
Nanny Song usually spent the most time with the Princess Consort, and they hoped she could go check on the situation.
Nanny Song was Xuan Zhan’s wet nurse, having watched him grow up since childhood. She had long known he was not the type to show tenderness toward women.
Originally, she didn’t think much of the daughters from the Prime Minister’s Mansion. Jian Shang’an and the emperor were as thick as thieves, so his daughter marrying the Prince was surely sent as a spy.
Later, upon learning that the Princess Consort was not Jian Yanran, who was infatuated with the Crown Prince, her guard lowered somewhat.
After some time of interaction, she found the Princess Consort’s nature to be very simple—just a young girl without much scheming.
Moreover, the Princess Consort had delicate features. If she gained a little more weight, she would undoubtedly be a great beauty.
Such a pretty girl—even an old woman like her couldn’t help but like her. Surely their Prince would eventually take a liking to her too.
Their Prince was already twenty-three years old, having spent years fighting battles abroad, which meant there wasn’t even a single chambermaid in his mansion.
Today, she had finally seen the two of them going out together, and now this useless Prince had actually made her cry?
Day after day, can’t you let this old woman save some worry?
Thinking this, Nanny Song helplessly walked toward the carriage.
“Princess Consort, are you feeling unwell somewhere? Would you like this old servant to take a look for you?”
Hearing Nanny Song’s question, Jian Junyao cried even louder.
“Nanny, Xuan Zhan bullied me, and he choked me… sob sob…”
Xuan Zhan…
Didn’t I only do that when I first saw you, thinking you were a ghost?
Why are you holding a grudge?
“Oh dear, the Prince is used to wielding swords and spears; he surely didn’t mean it. Princess Consort, please don’t overthink it.”
Nanny Song stood outside the carriage, trying her best to defend Xuan Zhan.
Whether it was because this body’s tear ducts were too developed or something else, the more Nanny Song tried to comfort her, the more heartbroken Jian Junyao cried.
It seemed as if Xuan Zhan had done something utterly unforgivable to her.
Seeing the young girl before him crying so sorrowfully, Xuan Zhan regretted his earlier actions.
Treating a young lady who could be of great help to him like this—he had indeed gone too far.
He was capable of wielding a pen to bring peace to the world and riding a horse to secure the realm, but he had no idea how to comfort a woman, especially one crying her heart out.
Then, Nanny Song continued from outside, “Prince, the Princess Consort is still young. You should be more accommodating. This old servant remembers you have a new handkerchief placed in the carriage compartment.”
The hint was clear enough—she wanted Xuan Zhan to wipe Jian Junyao’s tears.
If he still didn’t understand, Nanny Song really had no other ideas.
Xuan Zhan did understand and acted accordingly.
He took out the handkerchief and tossed it onto Jian Junyao’s hand.
Xuan Zhan waited gleefully, expecting to see Jian Junyao pick up the handkerchief to wipe her tears.
Jian Junyao did indeed pick up the handkerchief, but instead of using it to dry her tears, she tossed it back.
This gesture made her stop sobbing, though her tears continued to flow.
The audible crying had turned silent.
Nanny Song, no longer hearing the Princess Consort’s cries, assumed the method had worked.
Her mind even conjured up an image of their Prince tenderly comforting his delicate wife—one arm wrapped around her while the other gently wiped away her tears.
Thinking this, Nanny Song quickly retreated to stand beside the Ling brothers, not wanting to linger and disturb the young couple’s affectionate moment.
Xuan Zhan was also displeased.
I’ve personally handed you a handkerchief, yet you show such ingratitude.
Just as he was about to accuse her of being unappreciative, he met Jian Junyao’s large, tear-filled eyes, her shoulders still trembling with quiet sobs.
The words on the tip of his tongue were instantly swallowed back.
Women are so troublesome, crying endlessly over trivial matters.
Resigned, he took out a stack of banknotes from his robe.
He pulled one out and handed it to Jian Junyao.
The moment she saw the banknote, her shoulders stopped trembling, and she even lifted her sleeve to wipe her eyes a few times.
“Only five hundred taels when I was about to face soul scattering and spirit dispersing? How stingy.”
Despite her words, Jian Junyao’s heart was already bursting with joy. Who would have thought that shedding a few tears could earn her so much silver?
Seeing this, Xuan Zhan took out another banknote and handed it to her.
“Is this enough now?”
Jian Junyao nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, it’s enough.”
More than enough—what could be more delightful than a little extra money?
Right in front of Xuan Zhan, she directly sent the banknotes into her Space.
With a thousand taels in hand, the gloom in Jian Junyao’s heart vanished completely.
She sniffled and immediately put on a bright smile.
“Well, I was also at fault earlier, firing at the slightest disagreement.”
Even though I didn’t hit you, I did take action…
Jian Junyao’s self-reflection skills were quite strong. Since he had so sincerely compensated her with a thousand taels, she wasn’t one to hold grudges.
As long as Xuan Zhan never mentioned making her soul scatter and spirit disperse again, everything was fine.
Feeling cheerful, she directly purchased six packs of Luosifen from the Food Mall.
Considering how much silver she’d earned in a single day, today’s meal was on her…
After all the trouble, Xuan Zhan finally got to taste the Luosifen.
The flavor was indeed excellent—no wonder those who ate it seemed to enjoy it so much.
Even the Ling brothers, the old steward, and Nanny Song, who had the good fortune to share the meal, praised it endlessly.
By the time Xuan Zhan had eaten his fill, it was already afternoon.
The old steward came to inquire.
“Your Highness, it’s already Shen hour. Shall we continue our journey today?”
If not for the Princess Consort’s suicide attempt, they would have set off this morning.
Xuan Zhan lifted the carriage curtain to check the sky.
“We’ll rest here for another night and depart tomorrow.”
“This old servant understands.”
Having decided not to leave, Xuan Zhan had no intention of getting out of the carriage.
He braced his hands against the carriage walls, shifting himself further inside until he found a more comfortable spot to lean back.
At the same time, right in front of Jian Junyao, he opened the large chest.
Curious about what was inside, Jian Junyao craned her neck to look.
Xuan Zhan made no effort to hide it from her. When the chest opened, she saw that within its spacious interior lay only a few books.
The book was written in traditional Chinese characters. If it were the old Jian Junyao, she certainly wouldn’t have recognized them.
However, she had inherited the original host’s memories.
Nanny Cui was literate and would teach the original host to read characters whenever she had free time.
Therefore, the current Jian Junyao didn’t find these traditional characters unfamiliar at all.