ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 58
“The Grand Princess wants to see me?!”
The sudden rise in the boy’s voice attracted the attention of the tea guests around, and Pei Yanchuan quickly lowered his voice, asking the handsome young man in front of him, “What’s going on exactly?”
Xiao Yan leisurely poured tea, narrating the ins and outs of the matter. Pei Yanchuan fell into silence, and Xiao Yan looked at him with some amusement. “What’s your reaction? Isn’t this good news?”
Pei Yanchuan rubbed his face and said, “It is good news, but I… I’m a bit nervous.”
His tone was like he was dreaming, “I haven’t even had a few words with her, and now I have to meet her adoptive mother?”
Xiao Yan thought for a moment and corrected, “Not adoptive mother.”
Pei Yanchuan looked puzzled, “Hmm?”
Xiao Yan pointed to the table with his fingertips. “The Grand Princess treats her like a biological daughter, not an adoptive mother’s relationship.”
Pei Yanchuan was dumbfounded, murmuring, “Oh no, even more nervous now…”
Xiao Yan couldn’t help but be speechless. He sipped his tea, watching Pei Yanchuan scratch his head and fidget uncomfortably. Suddenly, he asked, “Should I inform my mother?”
Xiao Yan froze, “Inform your mother?”
“Yeah!” Pei Yanchuan stammered, “For such a big matter, in case… I mean, just in case Miss Li is willing…”
He spoke with a reddening ear, his eyes bright, probably already envisioning the future. Xiao Yan couldn’t help but pour cold water on him: “What if she doesn’t agree?”
The light in Pei Yanchuan’s eyes immediately extinguished, but soon he became defiant again, saying, “Your Highness is not Miss Li, how do you know she won’t agree?”
Xiao Yan calmly reminded him, “So far, you two have only met twice, and one of those times was a deliberate encounter on your part. It’s already good if she can recognize who you are.”
After all, when he sent the coming-of-age gift, he wrote the character ‘Chuan’ on the letter, and it seemed that Li Zhizhi didn’t even remember Pei Yanchuan. It was evident that she had no impression of him.
To be honest, Xiao Yan didn’t have much confidence in the infatuation between Pei Yanchuan and Li Zhizhi. He couldn’t quite articulate why, but he just felt that the two of them standing together seemed… not quite compatible.
Of course, it wasn’t easy to speak such words directly. The Crown Prince felt he had already been very tactful, but Pei Yanchuan still suffered a considerable blow. He had barely exchanged a few words with his beloved, and even after passing the test of the Grand Princess, if Li Zhizhi didn’t like him, there was nothing he could do.
Pei Yanchuan sighed deeply, saying, “If only I could see her again.”
Suddenly remembering something, Xiao Yan asked, “Have you been to Mingyuan recently?”
Pei Yanchuan shook his head, regretfully saying, “Even if I go, it’s useless. Even if I see her, I won’t be able to speak. Approaching her rashly would be inappropriate.”
He continued, asking Xiao Yan, “Your Highness, do you have any way to help me talk to Miss Li?”
Xiao Yan smirked, saying, “What can I do?”
“Indeed,” Pei Yanchuan thought for a moment and said, “Speaking of which, you two aren’t actually acquainted.”
Not acquainted? Xiao Yan recalled yesterday when he went to the princess’s mansion to pick up Xiao Ruyue. The young girl stood gracefully in the corridor, with a cluster of hibiscus blossoms beside her, blooming luxuriantly. She smiled and looked over, her eyes mischievous and lively, saying, “Thanks to the Crown Prince for the coming-of-age gift, making the Crown Prince spend money.”
The two “Crown Prince” titles rolled off her tongue very naturally, with clear articulation, without any hesitation or ambiguity. It was even more natural than when Xiao Ruyue called him. Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly and asked her, “Do you like it?”
Li Zhizhi smiled with narrowed eyes, very candidly saying, “Who wouldn’t like gold? Especially for a commoner like me.”
The lingering sunset glow shone through the eaves, outlining graceful lines on the girl’s cheeks. Her long eyelashes resembled butterfly wings, and the slightly upturned tips looked surprisingly cute, tempting one to touch them.
Almost involuntarily, he asked, “If you were to compare Su Er’s painting with gold, which one would you prefer?”
For ordinary people facing such a question, they would hesitate more or less. Even if they truly preferred the latter, they wouldn’t show it. Only Li Zhizhi, without any hesitation, said immediately, “Gold.”
She was so straightforward… it was hard to describe.
Xiao Yan couldn’t help but smile, and Pei Yanchuan thought he had said something wrong, feeling a bit puzzled. He asked, “Your Highness, what are you laughing at?”
Only then did Xiao Yan come back to his senses. He looked at the other person and suddenly asked, “Why do you like Li Zhizhi?”
Pei Yanchuan scratched his nose, smiling, and said, “Didn’t I tell you last time? When I saw her at the Spring Festival, I accidentally shook the tree, and the petals fell all over her. She didn’t get angry. At that moment, I thought she looked pretty…”
Listening to this, Xiao Yan suddenly had an indescribable feeling. He thought, “You find her good-looking with just one glance, and you like her? Maybe she was cursing your recklessness in her heart at that time.”
Pei Yanchuan is still talking about something, mainly about how he finds Li Zhizhi attractive and her personality gentle. Xiao Yan didn’t pay much attention and suddenly asked, “Do you know what she likes?”
“Huh?” Pei Yanchuan was taken aback, shook his head honestly, and said, “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to her much. How would I know what she likes?”
Xiao Yan felt a subtle sense of superiority. He thought that it’s not just Pei Yanchuan, but also Lin Xuqiu, Su Qingshang, and others who probably don’t know that Li Zhizhi is just a common person who likes wealth and power.
Even if Su Qingshang’s paintings are interesting and beautiful, what does it matter?
…
Grand Princess’s residence.
Li Zhizhi is watching Princess Yongning make tea. Suddenly, a maid comes in carrying a box and respectfully says, “Your Highness, Miss, the Crown Prince’s residence has sent something.”
Princess Yongning is grinding tea leaves finely, and upon hearing this, she asks, “What is it?”
The box is not large, engraved with peonies and cloud patterns. Li Zhizhi opens it and utters a soft exclamation. Princess Chang looks over and says in surprise, “Nine-linked Rings? Why would Xiaowu suddenly send this?”
To be precise, it is a set of nine-linked rings made of gold, shining brightly in the sunlight. Princess Yongning asks the maid, “Did the person who sent it say anything else?”
The maid answers, “His Highness said that this was originally made for the Seventh Princess to play with. However, they made an extra set, and it’s useless to keep it, so he sent it to Miss to play with.”
Li Zhizhi looks surprised, and Princess Yongning chuckles, saying, “Is Xiaowu treating you like a child?”
Lí Zhizhi picked up the set of nine interlocking rings. It felt heavy in her hands, and the golden sunlight illuminated it, creating countless sparkling dots that looked very beautiful.
A hint of confusion arose in her heart. Earlier, it was Xiao Rulei who mentioned that her brother had made her a set of nine interlocking rings to play with. However, Zhizhi had seen her set, and it was clearly silver. So, what was the story behind this golden set of nine interlocking rings?
…
“Brother!”
Xiao Yan was sitting by the window reading a book, and the black cat was curled up on his lap, fast asleep. Xiao Rulei rushed in from outside, looking displeased, and said, “My set of nine interlocking rings is missing.”
Xiao Yan didn’t lift his eyelids, saying, “If it’s lost, it’s lost. Find it yourself.”
Xiao Rulei reached out to cover his book, preventing him from reading, and said, “What about the prettier one?”
Xiao Yan finally raised his head, raised an eyebrow slightly, and knowingly asked, “What’s the prettier one?”
Xiao Rulei became anxious, “The one made of gold, the really beautiful one. Didn’t you say you’d give it to me later?”
Xiao Yan paused for a moment before asking her, “How many sets of nine interlocking rings did you ask me for?”
Xiao Rulei held up a finger, “One.”
Xiao Yan nodded, “How many did I give you?”
Xiao Rulei: “One.”
Xiao Yan nodded, “You asked for one, I gave you one. Where would the second one come from?”
Xiao Rulei immediately looked dumbfounded. Xiao Yan smiled and patted his sister’s head, saying, “Be good, A’yang, either go find it yourself, or don’t play with the nine-linking rings.”