Chapter 342: Drafty

Chapter 342: Loose Lips

Xie Liuzheng: “...”

Xie Liuzheng: “!!!”

Man, this little sister of his really couldn’t keep a secret, could she?

Even so, Xie Liuzheng went ahead and told Ji Yuntang why.

“They do know me, that’s true, but they’re not my close buddies. We’re just acquaintances.”

“Yesterday, didn’t I book the entire Shiding Tower to celebrate for you?”

“You got called away by your husband at the last minute and didn’t make it for the meal. I figured the money was already spent, and with all that food, it’d be a shame to waste it, so I invited them in to eat.”

“After they finished eating, they were super grateful to me and said they wanted to repay me. I thought, what could they possibly repay me for? At most, they could come and have my back if I ever got into a fight.”

“Then I thought, wait—aren’t you the one who needs me to have your back?”

“So I brought up the idea of them wearing qipaos. I didn’t really expect them to agree, but surprisingly, most of them were willing.”

Ji Yuntang: “...”

Ji Yuntang: “!!!”

Leave it to Xie Liuzheng.

He’d won them over with a single meal—what a guy!

At this moment, outside Qianqiu Tower, two magnificent carriages were parked. They were decorated with golden wind chimes reserved for the royal family, making it obvious at a glance that the occupants were extremely high-ranking.

Luo Qianxue sat in the front carriage, having watched everything unfold over there clearly.

She rolled her eyes and sneered, “This princess never imagined that Xie Liuzheng would be the kind of person he is. Is he out of his mind?”

“If he can do something like this, then he’s probably not right in the head either. Thank goodness this princess came to her senses in time and didn’t insist on marrying him. Otherwise, it wouldn’t just be him losing face—this princess would lose face too!”

Her personal maid, Qiu Tong, chimed in, “The Tenth Princess is right. Even though Heir Xie has a noble status, he’s never been dependable, and he’s caused plenty of trouble for Duke Rong’s estate.”

“He’s already twenty now. Other people his age have settled down and made something of themselves, but he’s still accomplished nothing. How could someone like him be worthy of Your Highness? How could he compare to Your Highness’s consort, Young Master Xue?”

Speaking of Luo Qianxue’s consort, Xue Cheng, she was a hundred percent satisfied with him.

Ever since Emperor Jingyang had arranged their marriage, Luo Qianxue had heard many rumors about Xue Cheng.

Things like being emotionally unstable, lecherous, and indulging in drinking, gambling, and womanizing—mastering them all... In short, all the rumors were negative.

Even Consort Li had said the same things about him.

After Emperor Jingyang demoted Consort Li to Concubine Li, she was confined to Weiyang Palace.

The only person she could see regularly was Luo Qianxue.

When Luo Qianxue was in a good mood, she would go visit Concubine Li.

But every time she went, Concubine Li would badmouth Xue Cheng in front of her.

She felt that Xue Cheng, just the son of a Grand Master of Remonstrance, was not worthy of Luo Qianxue at all.

The gap in status between the two was too great. If Luo Qianxue married him, she would only have a rough time.

To put it bluntly, this situation was like a fresh flower stuck in a pile of cow dung, or a toad lusting after swan meat.

Most importantly, Luo Qianxue marrying into the Xue family would be marrying below her status. Not only would she get nothing out of it, but the Xue family couldn’t help Luo Jingshen with anything either.

This marriage couldn’t compare to one with Xie Liuzheng at all.

Even if Luo Qianxue didn’t marry Xie Liuzheng, she should have had a better husband candidate, rather than marrying a nobody like Xue Cheng.

Every time Concubine Li saw Luo Qianxue, she would urge her to find a way to break off the engagement with Xue Cheng!

Not only that, she even advised Luo Qianxue to use some tricks if necessary and find a way to catch Xue Cheng doing something wrong.

The best approach was to bring people to catch him in the act, like catching him having an affair or something.

That way, breaking off the engagement would be a natural and logical move.

Even Emperor Jingyang couldn’t say anything against Luo Qianxue, and all the blame could fall entirely on the Xue family.

However, in Luo Qianxue’s eyes, Concubine Li’s well-intentioned efforts just came across as bitterness.

She felt that her mother was unhappy in her own marriage and didn’t want her to be happy either.

Besides, what people outside were spreading were just one-sided opinions about Xue Cheng from common folks. How many people had truly understood Xue Cheng?

Could such absurd rumors be trusted?

The best way to disprove the rumors was to verify them personally and see what his character was really like.

After making up her mind, Luo Qianxue decided to get a read on Xue Cheng herself.

She arranged to meet Xue Cheng at a garden party.

Along the way, Xue Cheng was constantly attentive and courteous—buying her food when she was hungry and giving her his outer robe when she was cold.

None of this crossed any boundaries at all.

This made Luo Qianxue like him a lot more. If he was this considerate in small things, then he’d surely be someone she could have a good life with.

After several interactions, Luo Qianxue was convinced about Xue Cheng.

She felt that he was polite and refined, and handsome to boot—nothing like the terrible person the rumors made him out to be.

On the contrary, she believed Xue Cheng was her destined one, and marrying him would surely bring her happiness.

Now, hearing Qiu Tong compare Xue Cheng to Xie Liuzheng, the sarcasm in Luo Qianxue’s eyes was impossible to hide.

She scoffed, “What does Xie Liuzheng have to compare with this princess’s consort?”

“He still lives off Duke Rong’s estate, while this princess’s consort manages all of the Xue family’s businesses. Is there even any comparison between the two?”

Thinking of Xie Liuzheng now, Luo Qianxue ground her teeth in anger.

The love that once existed was gone, leaving nothing but hatred behind.

“That day, Xie Liuzheng threw up all over me in front of Father and Mother. This princess will definitely get revenge for that!”

Not far away, Xie Liuzheng let out a huge sneeze. “Ah-choo!”

He rubbed the tip of his nose and called out, "Who's badmouthing this heir? Get out here right now!"

Ji Yuntang glanced at the two carriages on the street and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe it's not insults—maybe someone's singing your praises?"

She'd just said it offhandedly, never imagining it would actually come true.

Luo Qingge sat in the other carriage, doubled over laughing, tears streaming down her face!

"Hahahaha, Xie Liuzheng is so funny! How did he ever come up with the idea of having so many men wear qipaos to cheer for my third sister-in-law? I'm dying laughing!"

Linglan was stunned. "Princess Ninth, so many people are mocking Young Lord Xie, yet you find him amusing?"

Luo Qingge pouted. "Let them mock him, what do I care?"

"In my view, they're just sour grapes—jealous because they can't have it."

"If the one Xie Liuzheng came to cheer for today were them instead of my third sister-in-law, they'd probably be laughing into their pillows tonight!"

Linglan watched Luo Qingge acting all smug, and a sudden idea struck her.

She probed cautiously, "Princess, could it be that you've taken a liking to Young Lord Xie?"

That was like stepping on Luo Qingge's tail—she instantly bristled.

"What are you talking about? There's no way I like him!"

Linglan didn't have the heart to call her out.

"If the Princess doesn't like Young Lord Xie, why do you keep staring at him?"

"You've been watching him nonstop for almost half an hour since we got here—without blinking once, right?"

Luo Qingge: "..."

Her face turned bright red, and she was completely speechless.

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