Jiang Zhuoying remained with her head buried, unmoving.
Qi Fan let out a breath of stale air, took two steps forward, and bent down to pick up the cloth bundle from the ground.
It was small and delicate, light as a feather with almost no weight at all.
As he straightened up holding the bundle, two pieces of lightweight fabric unexpectedly fell out.
The man casually reached for them, initially thinking they were handkerchiefs. But when his gaze inadvertently swept over them, the attached ties made him pause.
Jiang Zhuoying kept her head down waiting for a while, but there was no sound from behind her.
Afraid she might have overacted, she slowly turned around and secretly glanced at the situation behind her.
If the Second Prince disliked her behavior and simply turned to leave, she would lose more than she gained.
But what did she see?!
Jiang Zhuoying’s face flushed bright red in an instant. Staggering to her feet, she rushed toward the man.
“What… what are you doing?!”
The young girl was both embarrassed and angry, her entire face suffused with crimson. Her tear-filled eyes glared furiously at him.
She had only asked Xiangyue to pack her bundle with some handkerchiefs and loose silver coins.
When had this undergarment been put inside?!
Jiang Zhuoying rushed over, attempting to snatch the bundle from the man’s hands.
Whether it was because she pulled too forcefully or the man simply didn’t let go, the ties on the thin fabric tore with a sharp rip.
Clutching the piece of pink fabric in her hand, Jiang Zhuoying fell backward uncontrollably…
“Hel…”
Before she could even cry out, a long arm encircled her waist.
Jiang Zhuoying stumbled forward again, this time directly into the man’s embrace. The intertwined sweet and cool scent of sandalwood instantly filled her senses.
“I, you… wuwu…”
This time Jiang Zhuoying was truly crying, feeling utterly humiliated!
The petite figure in his arms wept with soft sobs, making Qi Fan’s head ache.
He pressed his lips together and said sternly, “I didn’t see anything.”
“See what?” the girl asked with a hoarse, tearful voice.
“Your dudou.”
The soft body in his arms clearly stiffened, then began crying even more bitterly.
The man closed his lips tightly, his mouth forming a straight line…
He stood frozen in place, both arms hanging at his sides, realizing he had spoken without thinking.
His perpetually cold expression showed a flicker of regret.
He waited a few moments, but the girl in his arms seemed to be made of water, sobbing without any sign of stopping.
“Stop crying.”
The words came out somewhat stiffly, but he didn’t know what else to say.
This was his first time experiencing such a situation.
Jiang Zhuoying covered her face as she withdrew from his embrace, still sniffling, her thin shoulders trembling.
“If you have nowhere to go, you can stay at my separate residence for now.”
The man frowned, his tone indifferent, not sounding particularly sincere in his invitation.
Jiang Zhuoying bit her lip. “That won’t be necessary. Since Your Highness doesn’t like this servant, it’s better not to force it.”
Hearing this, Qi Fan’s expression darkened even further. He pressed his thin lips together and said nothing more.
Jiang Zhuoying lowered her head and turned to gather her handkerchiefs.
She casually raised her hand to touch the single pearl flower in her hair. As her sleeve fell back, the whip marks on her arm were revealed.
Red welts crisscrossed haphazardly across the young girl’s arm, some darker and some lighter in color.
At first glance, the injuries spanned both recent and distant years, yet they had never ceased entirely.
Jiang Zhuoying had only revealed them briefly—too short a time and the Second Prince might not have noticed, too long and he might have detected her artifice.
The man had indeed noticed. His expression sharpened, and his gaze shifted to the young girl’s face.
She had been crying earlier, and now her delicate features were still flushed, tear tracks streaking her cheeks, with occasional droplets continuing to fall.
Pretending not to notice the movements of the person behind her, Jiang Zhuoying focused solely on bending down to pick up her handkerchief…
Suddenly, her arm was seized. Without a second thought, she struggled, trying to pull away. “Don’t—don’t hit me!”
“Who hit you?”
The icy tone made Jiang Zhuoying freeze instantly. She cautiously lifted her head, meeting a pair of deep, dark eyes.
“Who hit you?” the man repeated, his face impassive, lips pressed thinly together.
As if suddenly realizing her mistake, the girl shook her head vigorously. “No—no one hit me. This is what I deserve. I failed in my duties.”
With that, she lowered her head again. “Didn’t Your Highness once say that servants should be treated strictly?”
Qi Fan remained silent.
“Your Highness should let go. This servant must hurry into the city.”
“If I’m late, these handkerchiefs won’t sell.”
Her voice was soft yet hoarse—the softness natural, the hoarseness from prolonged crying.
Hearing this, Qi Fan was reminded of her betrothed, who likely resided within Luo Jing.
His expression cold, the man released her arm.
Jiang Zhuoying gathered the handkerchiefs from the ground, carefully dusted them off, folded them neatly, and returned them to her bundle.
Catching sight of the dudou inside with its broken ties, her fair ears slowly flushed crimson.
Biting her lip, she finished packing her bundle, then stood and curtseyed. “This servant takes her leave.”
Head bowed, she turned away. Unexpectedly, the man before her did not stop her.
Secretly frowning, Jiang Zhuoying reached up as she turned, adjusting the pearl flower in her hair.
Once again, her sleeve slipped down, revealing the scars on her forearm…
She wiped her tears again but still heard no call to halt from the man.
How could he be so unmoved when she appeared so pitiful?! Was his heart made of stone?!
Fuming, she took two steps forward. It seemed she would have to rely on her next stratagem.
Originally, her plan had been to feign fainting at the first sign of trouble.
But now she had a new idea.
The man had clearly hesitated earlier, which meant his resolve had wavered. Yet he seemed to have reconsidered, indicating her efforts had been insufficient.
She needed to earn the Second Prince’s trust. Merely being reluctantly taken back to his residence would not suffice.
Today’s opportunity must be seized.
The delicate figure in his vision gradually moved farther away, walking slowly but steadily forward.
From behind, she appeared exceedingly fragile, yet an unyielding stubbornness was unmistakable.
Chu Yixin had been standing not far away, observing the scene. When he saw his master take hold of the young lady’s arm, he gripped his horsetail whisk tightly.
But in the end, the girl still walked slowly into the distance…
While his master remained rooted in place, gazing after her retreating figure, lost in thought.
After a moment’s contemplation, Chu Yixin could no longer restrain himself and approached. “My lord, why didn’t you escort Miss Jiang?”
“A young lady like her, walking all the way to Luo Jing on her own two feet—who knows how long it would take.”
The man shot him a cold glare. “She doesn’t need me to escort her.”
At these words, Chu Yixin immediately fell silent.
Jiang Zhuoying walked slowly, partly because she still had to go back to meet Xiangyue—the farther she walked now, the more she would have to backtrack later, wouldn’t she?
And partly because she was genuinely tired.
The dust kicked up higher and higher, and the sound of hooves and rolling wheels grew louder behind her as the Second Prince’s procession swiftly swept past.
Chu Yixin watched the young lady through the carriage window until her figure shrank to a tiny dot in the distance…
He glanced sideways at his master’s expression, opening his mouth to speak but ultimately swallowing his words.
……
As soon as Jiang Zhuoying saw the carriage disappear from sight, she turned around and headed back. After just a few dozen steps, she encountered Xiangyue rushing toward her.
“Miss, why didn’t you leave with the Second Prince? Did something happen again?”
Xiangyue hurried over to take the bundle from her shoulder, supporting her arm while eagerly asking.
Jiang Zhuoying let out a sigh, then gritted her teeth. “The Second Prince is too difficult to approach.”
“Ah? Then… should we go back, Miss? We can think of another way. Shall I have the kitchen heat some osmanthus wine for you tonight?”
At the mention of osmanthus wine, Jiang Zhuoying licked her lips, but soon narrowed her eyes. “That won’t do. Today, I must make him take me back to his residence!”
Seeing her young mistress’s confident expression, Xiangyue pouted. “But… you said the same thing before leaving this morning.”
“And it didn’t work out, did it?” she muttered in rebuttal.
Jiang Zhuoying shot her a glance and pinched her cheek. “You little rascal, Xiangyue! How dare you undermine your young mistress!”
“I haven’t even settled accounts with you yet—when did you pack that dudou into the bundle?”
“Miss, no, no, I was wrong…”
Xiangyue dodged while apologizing, but before she could explain properly, the faint sound of galloping hooves echoed from behind.
Jiang Zhuoying’s expression turned serious. She was still facing away from the direction of the hoofbeats.
She quickly signaled to Xiangyue, “Take a look—is it the Second Prince’s carriage returning?”
Xiangyue peered into the distance and, after a few moments, nodded gravely. “Yes, indeed! It’s the Second Prince’s carriage!”
She had been hiding not far away earlier, so she had gotten a clear look at the Second Prince’s procession.
Jiang Zhuoying pushed her urgently. “Go, quickly! Ride away on the horse—don’t let them catch up to you later!”
“…Huh?”
Suddenly shoved, Xiangyue staggered back two steps, seemingly grasping a hint of the plan.
Clutching the bundle in her arms, she asked, “Miss, do you have another scheme?”
Jiang Zhuoying nodded vigorously. “No matter what I do later, don’t look back. It’s all part of your young mistress’s strategy!”
Xiangyue: “…”
“I understand.”
Of course, she couldn’t ruin her young mistress’s grand plan.
Xiangyue hugged the bundle, turned, and ran. She mounted the horse not far away and urged it into a swift gallop, quickly disappearing into the distance…
Jiang Zhuoying collapsed onto the ground. Listening to the approaching hoofbeats behind her, she only needed a moment to conjure tears welling up in her Peach Blossom Eyes.
The hoofbeats halted nearby, followed by hurried footsteps.
“Miss Jiang, what happened to you?” It was Chu Yixin’s voice.
He had just spent the journey trying to persuade his master again—after all, Miss Jiang was the one who had saved Zhuozhuo, and moreover, she had won Zhuozhuo’s affection.
Simply sending a young lady to Luo Jing was no great matter.
Wasn’t that why they had turned back?
Jiang Zhuoying seemed deaf to all words, as if she could no longer hear anyone, and simply buried her head in weeping.
The sound of her crying was utterly heart-wrenching. Chu Yixin sensed trouble and turned to seek instructions from his master inside the carriage.
But the master had stepped out on his own!
The man lifted the carriage curtain and, in just a few strides, reached the young woman’s side.
Jiang Zhuoying felt the light before her eyes replaced by a shadow.
“Weren’t you determined to walk to Luo Jing?”
“Changed your mind? Planning to cry your way there instead?”
The man’s voice remained cold.
Jiang Zhuoying choked abruptly, coughing violently from her own saliva.
She seemed to have grasped a little of this man’s temperament.
Could it be that he had flown into a shame-fueled rage because of her refusal earlier?
Yes… Jiang Zhuoying suddenly had an epiphany—he preferred gentle, obedient, understanding, and submissive women!
Her earlier display of stubbornness had backfired.
With this realization, she quickly made up her mind. Since she had veered off course, she must correct it.
Jiang Zhuoying covered her mouth as she coughed. When she finally stopped, she lifted her tear-filled peach-blossom eyes: “Your Highness, I—”
She broke off mid-sentence, lowered her head again, and pinched the hem of her skirt with her fingertips, as if deeply conflicted and anxious.
“Speak.”
The young woman seemed to have mustered her courage at last. Raising her swan-like slender neck once more, her voice brimmed with despair.
“This servant… has nowhere to go…”
The man swept a glance around her: “Where is your bundle?”
The young girl seemed to have reached the depths of despair, sitting resignedly on the ground.
She sobbed, “The young lady sent someone to take back the handkerchiefs I embroidered, saying that since I had done wrong, I deserved punishment.”
“The needles, thread, and embroidery patterns used for the handkerchiefs were only for the servants of the estate. Since I have left, I cannot use them to make a living.”
“But… but those handkerchiefs were all stitched by my own hands… sob…”
Tears began to stream down her face once more.
The man frowned and glanced at Chu Yixin beside him.
The latter bowed: “This servant was at a distance earlier and indeed saw a figure snatch Miss Jiang’s bundle!”
Qi Fan instantly recalled the thin, soft fabric inside the bundle, and his face darkened abruptly: “Pei Yun, go after them.”
“Yes!”
Pei Yun cupped his hands in salute and rode off on horseback.
Jiang Zhuoying hung her head nervously, rubbing her fingertips. She could only hope Xiangyue was clever enough not to be caught.
“Come back to the residence with me first. We will decide after Pei Yun returns.”
Jiang Zhuoying breathed a sigh of relief. This time, she could not afford to willfully refuse again.
The young woman bowed low to the ground: “Thank you, Your Highness, for being willing to take this servant in.”
She pushed herself up from her knees.
Perhaps because she had walked too much earlier, her legs gave way as she rose from the bow, and she uncontrollably started to collapse to the ground…
The man moved too swiftly. Before Jiang Zhuoying could even feel panic, she was already swept up into a horizontal carry.
“…Your Highness?” she murmured weakly.
Author’s Note:
Regarding the nonexistent fiancé, Qi Dog’s evaluation: Incompetent.
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