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墨書 Inktalez
"You dare," Yun Nishang exclaimed, her proud and disdainful expression instantly shifting to one of fierce threat.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Xuanyuan Rui replied, casting her a casual glance, a mysterious smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He chuckled lightly, "The Emperor has been quite concerned about your marriage lately. I think I should remind him... it's time for you to get married!"
"Xuanyuan Rui, I hate you!" Yun Nishang shouted through gritted teeth.
"Hey, wait a moment, you two," Qing Luan said, seeing them bickering fiercely. She weakly pressed her forehead and sighed before asking, "Can you tell us what your relationship is? Miss Yun, did you come here just to argue with Xuanyuan Rui?"
Aunt—such a shocking title. Qing Luan silently prayed that she was overthinking it, but seeing them bicker like siblings only made her feel more certain about her suspicions, leaving her feeling helpless.
The two named individuals exchanged glances, realizing they had been too arrogant on someone else's turf.
Sister Yun and the others were also stunned, intimidated by Yun Nishang's identity. Everyone knew what Xuanyuan Rui's mother represented, and for him to address her as Aunt meant something significant—something even a fool could understand.
"Please have a seat," Qing Luan said as she noticed their dumbfounded stares filled with unspoken threats. She instructed, "Little Luo, bring the tea!"
"Yes!" Little Luo responded immediately after recovering from her shock, with Qin'er following to assist.
Sister Yun and A-Song stood behind Qing Luan while Yun Nishang and Xuanyuan Rui sat across from her. As neither of them seemed willing to speak first, Qing Luan tapped the edge of the table, producing a crisp sound that echoed through the room.
Yun Nishang flinched at the sudden noise, her expression tightening as she timidly glanced at Xuanyuan Rui, hoping he would come to her rescue.
Meeting her pleading gaze and then looking at Qing Luan's impassive face, Xuanyuan Rui couldn't help but smile—this girl was actually afraid of Qing Luan; that was quite amusing.
Qing Luan was unaware of Xuanyuan Rui's thoughts; otherwise, she would have retorted: What are you afraid of? I don't have three heads or six arms; why would a princess be scared of me? With just one word, she could take my life—it's me who should be afraid of her!
The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward. Since Qing Luan had spoken earlier, she had maintained silence while Qin'er and Little Luo brought in tea and snacks, placing them neatly on the table.
"Um... um, Qing Luan," Yun Nishang stammered as she spoke up, a stark contrast to the noble elegance she had displayed earlier.
"Hmm?" Qing Luan looked at her timid demeanor and sighed inwardly: Why did I ever think she exuded noble grace? Now she seemed more like a princess being bullied by a witch.
She was a princess, but she was not a witch!
"I didn't mean to hide it from you," Yun Nishang explained nervously, thinking that Qing Luan was angry with her. "I heard Xuanyuan Rui say how wonderful you are, so I was curious and came to see... and then I found myself liking your straightforwardness and confidence. That's why I came here."
"Did you figure something out?" Seeing her timid demeanor, Qing Luan couldn't help but laugh inwardly, though her expression remained calm and unreadable.
"Um, I really like you," Yun Nishang replied earnestly, assuming Qing Luan was serious. "You're so much better than my pretentious sisters, and you're not like the consorts of the emperor who wear masks around everyone and plot against anyone they meet..."
"Hahaha..." Xuanyuan Rui, unable to hold back any longer, burst into laughter.
"Pfft!" Qing Luan also couldn't contain her amusement, watching Yun Nishang's bewildered expression with delight.
"What’s wrong with you? I'm just speaking the truth!" Yun Nishang protested.
"Silly girl, they're just teasing you," Xuanyuan Rui said affectionately, treating her more like a sister than a younger sibling deserving of respect.
"Teasing me?" Yun Nishang clearly found it hard to believe.
"Is it okay for you to trick me but not for me to tease you?" Though his words were serious, the smile on his face betrayed his true feelings.
"When did I trick you?" Seeing that she was indeed being teased, Yun Nishang pouted playfully. "I told you my name; you didn’t ask about my identity. Should I have arrogantly declared: 'I am the youngest daughter of the emperor, a princess of the realm'? If I had said that, you wouldn’t have treated me kindly; you'd have kicked me out!" She felt wronged as she finished her sentence.
"Oh, so it's my fault then?" In truth, when Qing Luan first saw Yun Nishang, she sensed that her identity was not simple. So when she learned that she was a princess, it didn't surprise her much; she just wanted to tease her after seeing her true self revealed to Xuanyuan Rui.
Anyone whom Xuanyuan Rui trusted couldn't be a bad person or spoiled.
"We're not at fault; he is," Yun Nishang thought. She wouldn’t dare say Qing Luan was wrong; even a single glance from her could make her break into a cold sweat—more intimidating than her father. She directed her frustration toward Xuanyuan Rui instead.
Seeing her extend her hand in front of him, Xuanyuan Rui sighed with a wry smile. "Yes, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have told you about Qing Luan's good qualities; I shouldn't have let you know about Jade Pavilion; and I definitely shouldn’t have let you...," he trailed off, realizing that trying to trap him would require more skill than she possessed.
"Stop...," Yun Nishang interrupted him quickly upon hearing his ramblings. "Alright, stop teasing me! I'm here to tell you that the Young Marquis has asked for the emperor's permission for marriage. By the time I tried to stop it, it was already too late..." She stomped her foot in frustration, fearing that if the Young Marquis truly married Qing Luan, Xuanyuan Rui would be heartbroken.
"We already know that the imperial decree has been issued to the Chen Family, and Chen Xiaode has accepted it," Qing Luan said, not wanting to worry her too much. She could sense Yun Nishang's genuine concern, so she cheerfully shared the news.
"Did they not come to pressure you?" Yun Nishang asked in disbelief.
The Jade Pavilion had closed its doors again. She felt that something must have happened, yet she was surprised at how calm Qing Luan remained. Even Xuanyuan Rui was not anxious, which puzzled her.
"What does that have to do with me? The emperor bestowed the marriage upon Fourth Miss Chen, Chen Qingluan. I am Zhu Qingluan; Chen Qingluan has been dead for five years, and there is no record of her anymore. If you don't believe me, you can check at the government office. If you want to stir things up a bit, I wouldn't mind if you hinted at it to your father," Qing Luan suggested mischievously, curious about what would happen when the emperor got angry.
"Uh!" Yun Nishang was taken aback by this answer. She had rushed over in a panic only to receive such an absurd response, leaving her momentarily speechless.
"Isn't that deceiving the emperor? Are there really people this foolish in the world, asking the emperor for a marriage with a dead person? This is quite amusing."
"Well, it depends on whether the princess is willing to help," Qing Luan said innocently, blinking her eyes with a charming smile.
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Thank you all for your gold medals. Lazy has been unwell these past few days, and there are patients at home, making it difficult to keep up. I apologize for the lack of updates; I'm just managing to post this one now.
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