Chapter 56: You Two Must Clear This Up First

Chapter 56: You Two Must Clear This Up First

Unexpectedly, he held the prize and said to the princess, "Sister Jing, I've been giving you the prize every year. How about not this time? Okay?"

The princess smiled and replied, "Sure, who are you going to give it to then?"

Xie Peiyu turned to Zheng Jinyu and said, "Second Miss Zheng, I'll give it to you."

Zheng Jinyu noticed that the prize was a bracelet. She hesitated to take it. "That might not be appropriate. My sister is watching. Why don't you give it to her instead?"

Xie Peiyu's expression darkened as he stared at her and whispered, "I thought you understood. There's no relationship between this prince and Zheng Jinxiu. Are you pretending not to know?"

Zheng Jinyu was speechless.

"But others don't know. With so many people watching, if you don't give it to her and instead offer it to me, what will they think? My mother even scolded me last time for you giving me a kite."

Xie Peiyu retracted the bracelet, lost in thought.

The princess intervened, "Second Miss Zheng has a point. Yu'er, this matter should be settled properly first, or it could harm Second Miss's reputation."

Xie Peiyu nodded in agreement and walked away with the bracelet.

Zheng Jinxiu felt a surge of excitement, only to be disappointed when Xie Peiyu didn't even glance her way.

Wang Fuzhen grumbled, "Ah, Jinxiu, what's going on with Prince Chen? If he wasn't giving it to the Princess, he should have at least sent it to you."

Zheng Jinxiu bit her lip, feeling wronged. "Perhaps he thought it wouldn't be appropriate."

"What could be inappropriate about it? You're supposed to be married next year."

Married? Haha, there was no chance of that happening now.

A bitter taste filled Zheng Jinxiu's mouth. The thought of it made her heart ache, and her eyes reddened.

Zheng Hongxu happened to pass by and noticed her distress. He asked with concern, "Jinxiu, what's wrong? Who has upset you?"

Wang Fuzhen, eager to impress Zheng Hongxu, quickly recounted the incident with Prince Chen.

"Prince Chen won the prize, and we thought he would give it to the Princess. But she refused it, and he didn't bother to offer it to Jinxiu either. Just now, he left the stage without even looking at Jinxiu. Yet, we saw him having quite a conversation with Zheng Jinyu."

"Zhen Zhen, don't say anymore," Zheng Jinxiu sobbed, feeling wronged.

Wang Fuzhen pursed her lips but remained silent.

Zheng Hongxu, fuming with anger, went straight to Xie Peiyu as Jinxiu's third maternal uncle.

"Prince Chen, please stay a moment."

Xie Peiyu halted and turned around.

"What brings Third Young Master to speak with this prince?"

With no one else nearby, Zheng Hongxu lowered his voice. "Be a little kinder to Jinxiu."

Xie Peiyu responded, "..."

"You won the game but didn't give her the prize, and she's so upset that she's crying. You should go comfort her quickly."

Xie Peiyu looked utterly confused. "Third Young Master, hasn't your sister or your mother told you?"

Zheng Hongxu was taken aback. "What?"

"The Empress Dowager, my mother, places great importance on bloodlines. If the royal lineage were to be sullied by the Xie family, our ancestors would hold it against us. Thus, we made it clear to your sister and your mother that the marriage between this prince and Zheng Jinxiu is canceled."

"Aah?" Zheng Hongxu was stunned into silence.

Xie Peiyu ignored him and turned to leave.

The next event had already begun.

On the viewing platform, Zheng Jinyu still couldn't shake off the words Xie Peiyu and the princess had just said.

What did they mean by 'a clear path'?

Zheng Jinyu wasn't stupid; she could guess their intention, but she simply refused to accept it.

Because it wasn't part of her plan.

"Princess, does Prince Chen and the Imperial Princess wish to change the marriage alliance to me?"

She couldn't resist asking.

The Princess spoke gently, "It was you all along. The mix-up between you and Zheng Jinxiu was indeed a mistake."

What was once a reluctant speculation has now been solidly confirmed by the Princess herself; there's no denying it anymore.

"Yet didn't Imperial Princess express her disdain for my rural origins?"

The princess smiled and said, "But my mother also mentioned that one can always learn what one doesn't know. Nanny Zhang praised your etiquette skills and said you don't have the airs of a young lady. You're willing to work hard and are intelligent."

Zheng Jinyu: "..."

The noble lady beckoned Zheng Jinyu, who, puzzled, leaned in closer. The princess whispered in her ear, "Initially, your mother was rather hesitant. But a few days ago, she invited your mentor, Miss Ji Ning, to our residence to learn more about you. Upon discovering that you've mastered the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and that you're an exceptional talent, my mother immediately decided to change the arranged marriage candidate to you."

Zheng Jinyu was astonished. Had her dear Little Ji Master betrayed her?

The noble lady continued with a gentle smile, "My mother says that if the father is simple-minded, the whole family will be. On the contrary, if the mother is clever, it's likely that her children won't be far behind."

Zheng Jinyu was astonished once more. The theories the Imperial Princess had mentioned, be it that dragons produce dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes, and rats' offspring know how to burrow, or that foolish fathers beget foolish children – all these seemingly crude sayings actually seemed to correlate with genetics.

"But... Prince Chen said I was vulgar."

The face of the County Princess froze, and she spoke rather awkwardly, "Surely not? Could it be that you misheard?"

Zheng Jinyu replied, "I'm only fourteen, my hearing is fine."

"Then let me ask for you."

Seeing the palette of embarrassment on the County Princess's face, Zheng Jinyu didn't push the matter further.

In the second round, Xie Peiyu emerged victorious again.

Upon returning to the County Princess's side, the lady-in-waiting was instructed to wipe his sweat and pour him tea to quench his thirst.

This time, the prize was a dagger. He waved the dagger in front of Zheng Jinyu and said, "I suppose you still don't want this."

After saying that, he casually tossed it to the maid, who expressed her gratitude profusely.

Zheng Jinyu scoffed, finding his actions overly smooth and greasy. Fortunately, he had an attractive face to salvage the situation, or else people might have been tempted to punch him.

After a brief rest, Xie Peiyu left again. This time, the princess asked Zheng Jinyu, "Don't you like Yu'er?"

"Huh? I don't know him well enough to say I like him."

"Is that all?"

Uh...

The princess was quite likable, so Zheng Jinyu decided to be straightforward with her. "I never imagined having any connection with Prince Chen."

The princess seemed relieved and smiled. "It's alright, things will unfold gradually."

During the polo match, Zheng Jinyu found herself distracted. Strangely, in the third game that Xie Peiyu participated in, he actually lost.

She glanced at him a few more times, sensing that he wasn't performing up to his usual standard.

The princess beside her chuckled. "Yu'er let them win."

Zheng Jinyu blinked. "Why is that?"

The princess said, "Given that the rival is the Crown Prince, it would be wise to discuss this with him privately."

I've heard that the Crown Prince is only thirteen years old.

Following the princess's gaze, Zheng Jinyu saw the tall, slender youth who had claimed the prize; he must be the First Prince.

Xie Peiyu returned once more, asking, "Sister Jing, do you have any cooler water available?"

"The water in that pitcher has cooled. You should have some."

"Alright."

"Drink less, it's getting colder now."

"It's fine."

Xie Peiyu took a long draught from the half-filled pitcher, and the First Prince approached them.

The noble lady hastily rose to pay her respects.

Zheng Jinyu also followed suit and bowed.

The young man, having just undergone intense physical activity, had a flushed face and beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Please rise, no need for formalities."

Afterward, he bowed to the noble lady and Xie Peiyu.

"Sister Jing, Brother Yu," he greeted them.

Xie Peiyu chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. The noble lady then invited him to sit down and rest for a moment.