Chapter 38

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Lan Zhihui’s hand trembled as a drop of tea sprinkled and fell on the back of her hand, burning her slightly.

He had asked twice, and this was the third time. She knew it was the last time he would ask.

But she still replied with no hesitation, “I’m sorry, I don’t want to!”

She always knew of his feelings towards her, but there was someone in her heart who she didn’t want to give up.

The man smirked self-deprecatingly, his long fingers drumming against the table. His voice was as sonorous as usual. “Well, I respect your decision, but if you do not marry me now, it may be more difficult in the future.”

The woman’s nodded and there was pride on her face. “I know!”

The man’s cat-like eyes twinkled. “But I’ll always protect you!” he promised.

Because she was a member of his family, because they had known each other for ten years. With the feelings between them, he would always protect her.

The woman’s lips bloomed with a smile, as she picked up the tea and took a sip. The faint bitterness spread, and she looked up and smiled.

“Using tea like wine, congratulations on your upcoming wedding!”

Ji Yuxian smiled slightly and raised his glass, his gaze glittering.

“Have you met Miss Su?” Lan Zhihui asked with a smile, “Is she knowledgeable, talented and beautiful?”

Ji Yuxian raised his eyebrows, and chuckled, “I have, but I haven’t found anything you mentioned!”

Doesn’t she know what kind of person this Miss Su is? he wondered.

Their first time together, she was like an ordinary woman. Shy upon seeing him, afraid to raise her head, afraid to speak, and so nervous that her hand trembled as she clutched her attendant’s hand.

The second time they met was in the small yard. Miss Su was drinking with a few attendants, stepping on the table, reprimanding her attendants… He wondered if she had drunk too much then.

When she looked up and spoke to him, she looked calm. That was the moment of change, that was what caused him to be interested in her, and agreed to the marriage.

Now, maybe he had thought too much of her. That woman may just be an ordinary woman and pretended to be dignified and gentle in front of others. Perhaps she was a willful and domineering bully to her attendants.

However, he would know what she was like after marriage!

Did she think that when she married into Ji Manor, she would be superior and live in luxury from then on? he wondered.

If she wasn’t capable, what awaited her would be a fate worse than death!

Ji Yuxian smirked coldly, sniffing the cup of tea. “Rest assured, she’s just a woman and will not have any impact on the Ji family!”

If she was obedient, he would teach her and keep her alive for a while more.

If she didn’t, she might not survive!

Lan Zhihui was stunned, raised her eyebrows and smiled. “What am I worried about? That she would dispose of my role because of jealousy?”

Everyone in Shengjing knew that Ji Yuxian liked her, and this Miss Su must have heard of her after being in Shengjing for nearly a month. Because of jealousy and hatred of her, it was not impossible that she would scheme to force her to leave Robes Square.

It was just that, in that case, she knew that Miss Su would be the one to leave Shengjing before her!

Lan Zhihui poured tea for Ji Yuxian. As the hot water trickled out, the tea fragrance emanated. She took a deep breath, and smiled, “You know, the more I drink this, the better it seems!”

—-

Later that afternoon, Lan Zhihui came out of the room, put on her fox fur cloak, and left with the servant girl.

The sky was dark, and the light in the corridor was darker than usual. She had just walked two steps, and the door at the room in front suddenly opened, and a man in black robes embroidered with silver patterns came out.

Lan Zhihui immediately stopped, her pair of beautiful eyes brightening in anticipation, whispering, “Your Highness?”

Prince Rui, Xiao Lie heard the sound and turned around. Seeing Lan Zhihui, he nodded calmly, “Miss Lan!”

Hearing the man’s polite and distant tone, sadness bloomed in the woman’s heart but the smile on her face became more and more dignified. “I didn’t expect Your Highness to be here, too.”

Xiao Lie glanced at the closed door and said calmly, “Several fellow officials asked me to drink tea with them. It snowed today and it is a rest day, so I agreed.”

Lan Zhihui nodded with a smile.

The atmosphere was silent for a moment, but it was a little awkward.

When she was a child, she went to the palace with her father to attend a banquet. She saw Xiao Lie several times, and the two went to pick plum blossoms together. On a cold winter night, in the beautiful moonlight, the handsome youth had gifted her with a scarlet plum blossom. She would never forget his smiling face.

Only later, the Lan family had fallen from grace, and she became a humble commoner. Their statuses were now very different, and they had no contact. Even if there was such an encounter like today, they were mere acquaintances.

Unfamiliar and distant.

“Your Highness…”

After a moment of silence, the two spoke at the same time and stopped at the same time

“Miss Lan, you first!” Xiao Lie said.

“It has begun to snow, and the scenery is truly mesmerizing. If you are free, could you accompany me for a walk?” she asked in a soft voice.

Xiao Lie looked down and thought for a moment, only to nod his head slightly. “Alright!”

The woman’s eyes suddenly filled with joy, “Thank you, Your Highness!”

The two walked out of the teahouse, as a cold wind swept with flying snow. The little servant girl hurriedly opened an umbrella to shield Lan Zhihui.

Lan Zhihui took over the bamboo umbrella and said softly, “I’ll go for a walk with His Highness. Just wait here!”

The little servant girl nodded with a clear smile and gave her the bamboo umbrella.

The two walked slowly along the silent long street.

A beautiful woman in a white fur cloak, a tall and handsome man, with a cold and elegant temperament, from a distance, they looked like an enviable couple.

“How are you these days, Your Highness?” Lan Zhihui walked half a step behind the man, looking at his face.

“I’m fine,” Xiao Lie said.

“After this snow, the weather will be colder. Your Highness, do pay attention to your health, and-,”

Lan Zhihui knew that since the title of Crown Prince had yet to be determined: the power struggle between different factions in the imperial court was intensifying. She wanted to ask him to be careful of those attacks by overt and covert means.

Before she had finished speaking, she felt something had gone wrong. The man had stopped and looked across the street. His aura suddenly became cold.

Lan Zhihui looked at his gaze, only to see a rouge powder shop opposite. A carriage parked in front of the door and a young man was coming down from the carriage and then turned into the side of the alley.

Through the snow, she couldn’t see the face of the young man, but he didn’t look like a rich young master.

Xiao Lie handed the umbrella in his hand to Lan Zhihui, “My apologies, I have something to attend to, I’ll take my leave!”

He rushed towards the alley where the young man had disappeared.

Lan Zhihui was stunned and turned to see the man as he disappeared in the falling snow. Holding the umbrella in her hand, the warmth on the umbrella’s handle where he was holding it disappeared gradually. The small snowflakes fell on the back of her hand and the chill pierced into her body.

——

It was Su Jiu who had come down from the carriage.

Xiao Lie saw her coming down from a luxurious carriage, and subconsciously thought that she had stolen from the carriage while the owner went to the shop to buy rouge, so he gave chase.

Su Jiu heard the wind behind her and suddenly turned around, her eyes wide in astonishment. At the sight of the fast approaching man she quickly ran off