flstandardbreds Chapter 67 His wife was being judged on stage.
Chapter 67 His wife was being judged on stage.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Chi Yu bowed.
"Miss Chi Yu... Miss Jiang..."
"Greetings, Your Highness." Jiang Mian also bowed slightly in greeting.
The two of them suddenly became polite and uncomfortable, and the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Jiang Wan couldn't help but break the silence and asked, "I heard from the Crown Princess that you weren't coming, so why did you suddenly come?"
"I didn't want to come, but I felt it would be impolite for the Crown Princess to come alone..." He spoke softer and softer, his voice growing increasingly guilty.
Chi Yu covered her mouth and chuckled to herself.
Who doesn't know that the heir of the Marquis of Pingnan used to follow Miss Jiang around all day? Li Zhijing clearly just wanted to take this opportunity to see Jiang Wan.
If even she could see it, how could Jiang Wan not see it?
She remained calm and composed, a polite smile on her face, and said lightly, "In that case, why doesn't the young master go and find the young princess? Miss Chi and I still have some things to discuss."
Li Zhijing had a lot to say, but he swallowed it all back.
Seeing that Jiang Mian turned her head away as if to shoo him away, he had no choice but to walk away listlessly.
After he left, Chi Yu gave a meaningful smile: "If Miss Jiang remains unmarried for a long time, I'm afraid the young master will never forget her."
"Miss Chi is too kind. The young master and I are just old friends."
“Oh, Miss Jiang, there’s no need to be nervous. I’ve heard everything. You and the young master are childhood sweethearts. Although he’s married, everyone knows his heart is still with you.”
She paused for a moment, then said, "It's just a pity for that Crown Princess."
"how do I say this?"
"Think about it, she's stuck with a husband who doesn't love her, and his sweetheart is still unmarried. How can she not be on guard every day? That's why she's sitting next to you today, specifically to keep an eye on you."
Jiang Mian thought to herself, "What a clever scheme to sow discord."
Her words stirred up trouble among the three people. In her past life, she was used to spreading rumors and embellishing stories in the harem; it seems she had already learned this skill even before entering the palace.
Seeing that she remained silent, Chi Yu covered her mouth and pretended to apologize, saying, "I just said it casually, so please don't let it cause any rift between you and the Crown Princess."
Jiang Mian saw Wen Yin walking over from the other end of the covered corridor.
An idea came to her mind, and she replied with a light laugh, "How could that be? I'm not one to fuss over small things."
I am a person who retaliates in kind.
Seeing that she hadn't taken the bait, Chi Yu wanted to say a few more words.
But Jiang Wan had already turned around to look at the other side: "Is Miss Third Cousin going to the front yard?"
Wen Yin approached and casually replied, "Yes, there's a good show about to start in the front yard. Why is Miss Jiang here instead of waiting to watch it? Don't wander around aimlessly, or you might get lost and complain that my household hasn't been hospitable enough."
"No, how could I get lost with Miss Chi leading the way? She just said that we hit it off immediately and had a long and pleasant conversation."
Wen Yin turned her head and paused in her steps.
She and Chi Yu had been close friends for many years, sharing everything. Jiang Wan's words clearly caused a subtle change in their relationship.
"Little sister Yu'er, what did you talk about with Miss Jiang? Can you tell me?"
Jiang Mian chuckled and answered before Chi Yu could, "I didn't say anything, just that I'm of marriageable age and it's better to get married sooner rather than later, so I don't end up waiting to be married and waste my youth."
She deliberately emphasized the words "waiting to be married" a little more.
Wen Yin frowned slightly and chuckled, "I never realized before that Sister Yu'er would care about these things."
Jiang Mian knew that Wen Yin and the Empress Dowager's grandson were betrothed since she was in the womb, but Wen Yin had reached marriageable age and the grandson had not yet been found.
The Wen family, concerned about saving face, didn't want to initiate the annulment of the engagement, so Wen Yin decided to force the Empress Dowager to dissolve the marriage by having sex with him. She had finally set her sights on Li Zhijing from among the scions of prominent families, but Wen Qian snatched him away.
Now that she has been waiting to get married for a long time, she is most sensitive and suspicious of such remarks.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Chi Yu quickly explained, "Sister, please don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything by it..."
Jiang Mian added fuel to the fire, saying, "Yes, Miss Chi Yu was talking about me, not you."
Wen Yin's face immediately turned ugly, and her voice became colder: "I suppose Sister Yu'er is happy to be the Crown Princess, which is why she's interfering in other people's affairs. But don't worry, my marriage will be taken care of."
She left as soon as she finished speaking, giving Chi Yu no chance to explain further.
"Miss Chi, did I say something wrong just now?" she asked, blinking her eyes and feigning innocence.
"You! Just wait for me!"
Chi Yu glared at her angrily and strode towards Wen Yin.
Jiang Wan chuckled to herself, thinking, "They dare to show off such a small trick?"
In her previous life, she only dared to act arrogantly in the palace because she had the Empress's backing. After the Empress died, she was immediately pushed out of the position of Crown Princess.
In the end, she was just a spoiled little princess. Without the empress, she couldn't handle many situations, and besides, she was still just a young girl at this age.
Jiang Mian returned to the front yard alone, deliberately avoiding Li Zhijing's direction.
She sat back down and looked around with a hint of confusion, but she couldn't see Wen Qian or Xiao Hengzhi.
She asked the maid beside her, "Have you seen your fifth young lady return?"
The maidservant extended her index finger and pointed to the round platform in front of her.
Jiang Mian looked in that direction and saw a person standing alone on the stage in the center of the banquet. The person was dressed in a light dancer's dress, with a thin veil covering their face, and was shivering in the cold wind.
Although her face was partially obscured, she still recognized Wen Qian at a glance.
The Crown Prince's consort actually performed a dance in public?!
Jiang Wan was startled; so this was the show Wen Yin had been talking about.
Such a humiliating method not only embarrassed Wen Qian but also caused the Pingnan Marquis's mansion to lose face, yet not a single elder of the Wen family stepped forward to stop it.
She just couldn't understand why Wen Qian, who was always so cautious and afraid of embarrassing Li Zhijing in public, would be willing to show her face in public for people to enjoy.
She turned her head to look at Li Zhijing, then kept drinking with her head down, not even glancing at the stage.
A gong rang out, interrupting her thoughts.
The person in the center of the stage moved with the music, graceful and elegant like an orchid swaying in the wind. As she turned, her gauze skirt fluttered, and her beautiful figure was like a butterfly falling from the sky.
"Feeling light and airy, like a fairy descending to earth~"
Hearing the voice, Jiang Mian turned her head and saw Wen Ziyuan, the second young master of the Wen family, walking back and forth among the guests with a wine cup in his hand.
He was leisurely watching Wen Qian on the stage, with a slightly approving smile.
He was Wen Yin's older brother, the young general of the Wen family. At the age of sixteen, he bravely broke through Fengyu Pass and was subsequently appointed as a general.
His troops always suffered the fewest casualties, which earned him great prestige among his soldiers.
In her previous life, it was thanks to him that the Fengyu Pass was kept stable. Everyone said he was loyal and courageous, but Jiang Mian inexplicably felt that this person was very cunning.
Perhaps noticing Jiang Wan's gaze, Wen Ziyuan looked at her and asked, "Miss Jiang, why are you staring at me? Do you want to have a drink with me?"
As he spoke, he moved closer to Jiang Mian and poured wine into her glass.
The smell of alcohol wafted over her. Jiang Mian frowned slightly in disgust and called to a maid: "Your young master is drunk, take him away quickly."
Wen Ziyuan laughed loudly, "I'm not drunk! Who dares to touch me?"
None of the maids dared to utter a sound; instead, they all took a step back.
Most of the guests around were captivated by Wen Qian's dance on stage, and no one noticed what was happening here.
Just as Jiang Mian was about to dodge, a hand suddenly grabbed Wen Ziyuan's wrist and said, "Brother, why don't you have a few drinks with me?"
Wen Ziyuan recognized the person who had come and was slightly taken aback. He then smiled and said, "Young Master? Very well, we haven't sat down to drink together yet."
Li Zhijing pulled Wen Ziyuan to sit down to the side.
However, Jiang Mian felt inexplicably resentful at Li Zhijing's actions. His wife was being criticized by everyone on stage, while he was taking care of her here.
what is this?
Jiang Wan hurried over, somewhat displeased, and said, "I can handle this little matter myself; there's no need for the young master to interfere. Instead of wasting your time, why don't you take a closer look at who's on the stage!"