in2ebook Chapter 127 Rumors Spreading Through Falsehoods
Chapter 127 Rumors Spreading Through Falsehoods
Now that they have reconciled, Jiao Jiao should naturally return to his side instead of continuing to pretend to be Jia Rong's maid.
Moreover, Zhao Yunzheng didn't want Jiaojiao to get too close to that crazy girl Jiarong. Jiarong was unruly and difficult to control, and if Jiaojiao spent too much time with her, she would inevitably be influenced by Jiarong's ideas.
If Jiaojiao were to become like Jiarong, jumping around all day and constantly coming up with strange and unusual ideas, Zhao Yunzheng couldn't imagine how helpless and troubled he would feel.
Furthermore, Xu Jiaojiao's palace maid attire was quite eye-catching, and he wanted to take her for a walk around the village, but wearing this outfit made it difficult for her to move around.
Upon entering the clothing shop, the owner, seeing the two men's distinguished bearing, immediately brought out the best clothes in the shop.
Xu Jiaojiao shook her head, refusing the flamboyant and flashy clothes, and instead reached out for the simple coarse linen clothes in the corner.
It was Jiaojiao's beauty that made Zhao Yunzheng realize that even such ordinary clothes could be worn with such unique charm.
Bai Yiru prides herself on her purity and always loves to wear white, but she doesn't look nearly as elegant as Jiaojiao in this outfit.
After changing her clothes, Xu Jiaojiao came out and saw Zhao Yunzheng staring at her. She became a little embarrassed and asked, "Is there something dirty on my face?"
Zhao Yunzheng smiled and shook his head: "I'm a man too. It's inevitable that I'd be mesmerized by someone as beautiful as Jiaojiao."
In Xu Jiaojiao's mind, Prince Chen was a noble and self-possessed man who rarely spoke so bluntly.
Her ears turned red, and she lowered her head shyly: "You're teasing me, sir..."
The blush of his beloved was more powerful than any sweet words, and Zhao Yunzheng's gaze softened.
After leaving the clothing shop, it was almost dusk. Zhao Yunzheng glanced at the sky and led Xu Jiaojiao toward the plum grove on the south side of the village.
"Wenmei Village is named after plum trees. There is a large plum grove on the south side of the village. When the plum blossoms are in full bloom, the plum grove is a beautiful sight."
Walking on the cobblestone path, Zhao Yunzheng and Xu Jiaojiao talked about the history of Wenmei Village, just like a casual stroll and chat between ordinary lovers, which was very peaceful.
Xu Jiaojiao felt somewhat dazed, as if it were all unreal.
The hunting grounds and the main camp were in complete chaos due to Prince Chen's disappearance, so she and Prince Chen ended up taking a walk and eating noodles in this small village.
It’s outrageous just to think about it.
Xu Jiaojiao was somewhat confused: "But it's not the season for plum blossoms to bloom now..."
Zhao Yunzheng knew, of course, that it wasn't the season for plum blossoms to bloom: "When we were eating noodles just now, I told you that I stumbled upon this noodle stall by chance, do you remember?"
Xu Jiaojiao was quick-witted; as soon as Prince Chen said that, she already knew what he was going to say.
"So, you bumped into the noodle stall owner while admiring the plum blossoms?"
Seeing Xu Jiaojiao's intelligence, Zhao Yunzheng chuckled and nodded: "Not bad."
Undeniably, intelligent women are more likable because they know how to assess situations and act accordingly, and they won't create trouble for men unnecessarily.
As they talked, the two walked towards Merlin.
Autumn is in full swing, and the plum grove is desolate.
Looking at the bare plum grove, Zhao Yunzheng recalled the scene when he met the noodle stall owner years ago.
With such heavy snow, the world was a pure white. The noodle stall owner and his wife sat by the stove, warming themselves and cooking noodles.
The firelight illuminated the noodle stall owner's face, making it glow red—a stark contrast to his previous near-death appearance. Now, it was brimming with vitality, giving him a glimmer of hope when he had lost all hope for life.
No one knows what dark and cruel thoughts he once harbored. If he hadn't seen the noodle stall owner endure such hardship yet still maintain his love for life, the Yan Dynasty wouldn't be as peaceful and prosperous as it is now.
It was the noodle stall owner who helped him out of his predicament, and it was also the noodle stall owner who allowed him to retain a sliver of hope for the hypocritical nature of humanity.
It was this expectation that prevented Zhao Yunzheng from killing Xu Jiaojiao when he discovered she was acting and deceiving him.
He couldn't help but tighten his grip on the soft little hand he was holding: "Every time I take the opportunity to eat noodles and visit the noodle stall owner, I will also stop by this plum grove. When the plum blossoms are in full bloom, I will pick a plum blossom to put in a vase."
When I'm feeling troubled, looking at the plum blossoms in the vase helps me calm down.
Xu Jiaojiao was stunned, then suddenly seemed to realize something: "So, Master likes plum blossoms because of this noodle stall owner?"
Zhao Yunzheng was slightly taken aback, then looked down at Xu Jiaojiao beside him, his gaze probing: "What did you think it was?"
Xu Jiaojiao choked up, unsure how to answer the question for a moment.
She always thought that Prince Chen liked plum blossoms because of Su He. In her previous life, she had heard that Prince Chen had a white moonlight who loved plum blossoms very much, and that Prince Chen planted a small plum grove in the palace for her sake.
Actually, it wasn't just her who thought so; it seemed that everyone in the Prince's mansion thought so too.
Take the Princess Consort, for example. On the one hand, she planted plum blossoms all over Mingkun Courtyard to please Prince Chen, but on the other hand, she hated it when other women in the mansion had plum blossom-related items on them, such as clothes, jewelry, and hair ornaments, and even utensils used in their daily lives.
She used this to her advantage, causing Chen Xi to be rejected by the princess before she was even promoted to a concubine.
There's also Bai Yiru. On the surface, she doesn't dare to disobey the princess, but in reality, many items in her Qingxue Courtyard are related to winter plum blossoms.
Previously, when she visited Qingxue Courtyard, Bai Yiru had used a white jade cup to entertain her, which was carved with an inconspicuous plum blossom.
Every woman in the inner quarters believed that Prince Chen was so in love with Su He that he planted this plum grove. It turns out that these were all just rumors spread by mistake.
Xu Jiaojiao smiled speechlessly: "I've heard that Miss Su He also greatly admires winter plum blossoms..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Yunzheng, being no fool, naturally understood Xu Jiaojiao's meaning.
He was silent for a moment, then smiled without saying a word: "Does Jiaojiao still think that way now?"
Xu Jiaojiao shook her head like a rattle-drum: "No, no, no!"
She was too happy to think about anything else.
It seems Jia Rong wasn't lying; Prince Chen truly has no romantic feelings for Su He.
Thinking that the women in the manor always regarded Su He as Prince Chen's beloved and treated her as a rival in love, Xu Jiaojiao felt that this world was really inexplicable.
Seeing her relieved expression, Zhao Yunzheng couldn't help but laugh: "I don't know why Su He likes Hanmei, but I like Hanmei only because I admire the noodle stall owner and Hanmei for their resilience. It has nothing to do with Su He."
The more Prince Chen explained, the more embarrassed Xu Jiaojiao felt, as if she had been caught being jealous and was so ashamed that she wanted to disappear.
Seeing her blushing, Prince Chen couldn't help but tease her further: "I wonder what kind of flowers Jiao Jiao likes? If I had known that Jiao Jiao was so bothered by Su He's liking for winter plum blossoms, I should have cleared all the winter plum trees in the manor and planted them all with the flowers that Jiao Jiao likes."
Xu Jiaojiao glared at Prince Chen with annoyance, and said deliberately with her neck stiff, "I'm just a common woman, I don't like anything except money!"