After Xiao Yuzhang left, the crowd gradually dispersed, intimidated by Xiao Jing’s icy expression.
Especially Madam Yan and her daughters, who dared not stay any longer.
Today, the reputation of their branch of the family was utterly ruined. In the future, it would be difficult for Jiang Yao and Jiang Lin to arrange marriages.
Madam Yan tasted bitterness in her mouth but dared not vent her anger on the Xiao family. Instead, she redirected her fury toward Jiang Fu, determined to punish her severely once they returned home.
Xu Yun stood beside Jiang Fu, watching as Xiao Jing approached.
She felt the young girl beside her shrink back, hiding behind her. Xu Yun’s gaze toward Xiao Jing was indescribably complex.
If Ah Fu was this afraid of him, what would happen if she knew of Xiao Jing’s feelings for her…
Xu Yun suddenly dared not think further.
Once she returned, she would definitely have Chunyu search for some novels about forced love and domineering behavior. If Third Master Xiao were to torment Ah Fu physically and emotionally like those princes or swordsmen in the stories, she would do everything in her power to protect her.
Xiao Jing stopped in front of the two of them. Ignoring Xu Yun’s gaze, he untied a jade token from his waist and handed it to the young girl.
The girl was trembling with fear, her courage completely shattered. Xiao Jing’s anger flared, his expression as cold as ice.
Jiang Fu, chilled by the icy aura surrounding him, clutched Xu Yun’s sleeve, too afraid to accept the jade token.
“Take it!”
Xiao Jing’s voice was not loud, but the hall was filled with people, and their interaction had already drawn everyone’s attention.
Jiang Fu bit her lip and shook her head gently. “I don’t want it.”
She refused to accept anything from Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing’s brows furrowed, making him appear even more formidable.
“The Xiao family wronged you by breaking off the engagement. Keep this token. If anyone troubles you in the future, don’t endure it—fight back directly…”
He slightly raised his voice, his gaze sweeping across the hall with a mix of threat and warning. Only after seeing the others tremble did he finish his words.
“I’ll take care of the aftermath.”
No one around them suspected that Xiao Jing had feelings for Jiang Fu. They simply thought he was cleaning up Xiao Yuzhang’s mess.
A man like Xiao Jing, as unattainable as a flower on a high peak, would never be interested in women.
Even Madam Yan didn’t consider the possibility.
She was now seething with resentment over Jiang Fu’s good fortune, unable to vent her anger.
“Mother, are we just going to let her off like this?”
Jiang Yao couldn’t swallow her anger. Why did Jiang Fu have such good luck while they were publicly humiliated?
Madam Yan gritted her teeth, her voice filled with hatred. “Let her be smug for now. Once we return home, I’ll have your father invite Scholar Lin to a banquet.”
That little wretch must be married off as soon as possible.
“Yes!”
Jiang Fu was not foolish. Xiao Jing’s words were meant to support her. Though she didn’t want to accept anything from him, the jade token could shield her from many troubles. Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, she reached out and took it.
“Thank you.”
Her voice was so delicate and soft that Xiao Jing’s breathing grew heavier.
“Go upstairs.”
He feared that the longer he stayed near the young girl, the harder it would be to control himself—to stop himself from pulling her into his embrace.
Xu Yun, holding the young girl’s arm, inwardly cursed Xiao Jing as a beast as she passed by him.
Ah Fu might not understand, but she had seen it all.
The way Xiao Jing had looked at Jiang Fu earlier, as if he wanted to devour her whole—what else could that be but the gaze of a beast?
The commotion downstairs had been observed from the second floor. Xie Chan crushed a teacup in her hand, startling the little maid who knelt to bandage her wound.
“Get out!”
Xie Chan coldly snapped, kicking the maid onto the shattered porcelain. Only when she saw the maid’s palm stained red did the malice in her heart begin to ease.
“Young lady, there’s no need to be angry over those lowly things. Miss Jiang Fu may be beautiful, but her family background is humble, and her temperament is weak and pitiful. Third Master would never take a liking to her. The one destined to spend a lifetime with Third Master is naturally a woman like you, who possesses both beauty and talent.”
Xie Chan’s wet nurse knew her thoughts and quietly advised her.
Xie Chan lowered her head, clenching her handkerchief tightly. The pain in her palm gradually sobered her. “Mm.”
She naturally looked down on Jiang Fu, but that didn’t mean she could tolerate women from insignificant families daring to dream of clinging to Xiao Jing.
Jiang Fu must be eliminated.
A flash of coldness passed through Xie Chan’s eyes, so fleeting that even her wet nurse failed to notice.
Outside the Yujing Pavilion, the dragon boat race had already begun.
The Crown Prince’s dragon boat was far ahead, followed by teams formed by various noble families.
The Crown Prince was still young, lacking the strength of an adult. Although he stood at the dragon’s head, the effort was exerted by the other team members.
Xu Yun stood by the window, waving her handkerchief and cheering loudly, for three of her brothers were on the dragon boat below.
“Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, row faster! They’re catching up from behind!”
Xu Yun leaned against the window, her eyes fixed intently below, even more nervous than those on the dragon boats.
Even Jiang Fu was swept up by her excitement, leaning against the window as well and clutching her handkerchief tightly.
Xiao Jing looked up and saw the girl’s charming face.
The June sun was scorching, and though she was far away, Xiao Jing could still see her flushed cheeks.
It wasn’t just him—the young masters on the dragon boat also noticed.
Even the surrounding area erupted with gasps of astonishment.
“Ah! Whose young lady is that? How can she look so enchantingly beautiful?”
“Bah! What enchantress? She’s clearly a fairy maiden! How come we’ve never seen such a beautiful girl before?”
“Exactly! If I had known earlier, I would have sent someone to propose marriage long ago. My mother has been urging me to marry these days…”
“You spend all your time drinking in brothels, your body already worn out. How dare you think of marrying such a beauty? Hmph! This girl is mine for sure… Ouch!”
Before the speaker could react, he was knocked into the water. Struggling and cursing, he steadied himself by clinging to the dragon boat, only to see Xiao Jing’s dark, stormy face.
“Xiao… Third Master Xiao?”
What had he even done to earn Third Master Xiao’s attention?
The young master felt like crying but had no tears.
Xiao Jing had overheard the young masters’ disrespectful remarks about Jiang Fu, and an inexhaustible surge of strength coursed through him.
Everyone who had coveted Jiang Fu was violently knocked into the water by him, his reckless intensity leaving even the Crown Prince dumbfounded.
“Th-third cousin, there’s no need to be so fierce. Father Emperor said friendship comes first, competition second.”
This was the Crown Prince’s first dragon boat race, and he thought he was holding the team back. He didn’t dare say anything about Xiao Jing’s actions.
But Xiao Jing’s ferocity ignited the fighting spirit of the team members. Together, they rowed their oars, overtaking one dragon boat after another, and seized first place.
“Third Master Xiao is truly incredible! Him joining the race is practically bullying. Thankfully, my three brothers are on his team, or they would have been knocked into the water too—that would have been utterly humiliating!”
Those upstairs couldn’t hear the conversations below, assuming Xiao Jing was simply taking the competition seriously.
Xu Yun jumped up and down excitedly, sweat beading on her forehead from the heat, but it couldn’t dampen her exhilaration in the slightest.
Jiang Fu clung to the window, her legs trembling slightly as she watched below.
So Xiao Jing was this formidable. To think she had fantasized about him night after night—she truly had nerves of steel.
She was afraid she could no longer dream in the future.