Chapter 68: He Was Majestic in Armor and Graceful Out of It

Chapter 68: He Was Majestic in Armor and Graceful Out of It

Ancient people were most fearful of being accused of being unfilial.

Moreover, if the Zheng family backed out of the marriage, wouldn't they be slapping the Imperial Princess in the face? They dared not do that.

"Jinyu, I'm afraid we don't have the final say on whether this engagement should be called off or not," said Lady Zheng.

Zheng Jinyu understood. She turned to her mother and asked, "Then, would you agree if I could negotiate with the Imperial Princess and she also consents?"

Lady Zheng replied, "If both the Imperial Princess and Prince Chen agree, and you're still unwilling to marry, then it's naturally best to call off the engagement."

With her consent, Zheng Jinyu said, "Mother, I'll be going to the princess residence now. The Duchess has invited me."

"Alright, go ahead."

Zheng Jinyu had guessed correctly. There was no Duchess involved in the invitation at all. It was Xie Peiyu who had once again used the Duchess's name to lure her here.

"You've arrived. Please have a seat."

Xie Peiyu was at it again, displaying his sophistication. Last time it was with a flute, this time it was with a zither.

Upon her arrival, the melody of the qin fell silent.

Donning his armor, he cuts a dashing figure, resplendent in vibrant attire and mounted on a furious steed.

Out of his armor, he transforms into an elegant and refined gentleman, as graceful as a willow in the breeze.

Indeed, both in terms of his personal qualities and family background, he was top-notch.

Regrettably, Zheng Jinyu was not one to be ruled by her romantic inclinations. She was rational and understood that marriage held the key to a woman's future, thus it demanded a sensible approach.

"Has the princess become your pawn?" Zheng Jinyu's eyes held a tinge of mockery.

Xie Peiyu's brow subtly furrowed, his intuition telling him that this was not a compliment, but likely another jab at calling him a liar.

"Not seeing you, yet desiring to, I had no choice but to resort to this stratagem."

Zheng Jinyu looked utterly perplexed. "Why me?"

Xie Peiyu replied with a faint smile, "It would either be you or Zheng Jinxiu. You know I don't fancy Zheng Jinxiu, so it has to be you."

"Nonsense. You could have chosen to break off the engagement."

"Break off the engagement?" Xie Peiyu was slightly startled. "You want to do that?"

Zheng Jinyu nodded. "I've thought about it. I still don't wish to be too far away from my parents. I don't want to marry into a distant land, so... Prince Chen, let's call off the engagement."

"You don't want to be too far from your parents?" Xie Peiyu suddenly laughed. "I don't believe that's the reason. You said before that you don't have deep feelings for them. If you wanted to break off the engagement, it wouldn't be because you can't bear to part with them."

Xie Peiyu rose to his feet and slowly approached her. "Can you give me a reason that would convince me?"

Zheng Jinyu secretly found this difficult. She couldn't fathom why Xie Peiyu would take a liking to her.

"I don't want to be scolded. If the future Princess Chen changes from Zheng Jinxiu to me, Zheng Jinyu, how will others perceive it? I don't wish to leave the bustling capital where I can get anything I want. Why suffer in the frontier? I'm not foolish. Besides, I don't like you. Is that clear enough?"

Xie Peiyu was taken aback, pondering over her reasons repeatedly.

"I see," Xie Peiyu murmured.

After a moment of thought, he continued, "Resolving those issues is actually straightforward. First, we just need to let it slip that Zheng Jinxiu is an adopted daughter. When the elders arranged the marriage, they were referring to the child in Lady Zheng's womb. Who would dare force me to marry an adopted daughter?"

Zheng Jinyu replied, "…"

"If that information gets out, Zheng Jinxiu will be ruined. Didn't you have feelings for her before? Can you bear to do this to her?"

Xie Peiyu immediately refuted, "Who said that? Nonsense, I never had any affection for Zheng Jinxiu."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. Do you know how the Zheng family found out about the switched children?"

Zheng Jinyu was taken aback. "How did they find out?"

It was a secret in the original novel.

"It was me who sent the anonymous letters to the Zheng family," Xie Peiyu said with a faint, enigmatic smile.

Zheng Jinyu's heart skipped a beat as she exclaimed, "You? It was actually you?"

Xie Peiyu replied with a gentle smile, "Yes, it was me. I sent those anonymous letters to reveal that Zheng Jinxiu isn't truly of the Zheng family. My motive was to call off the engagement. Do you really think it's possible that I like Zheng Jinxiu?"

Well... that was genuinely impossible.

In the original story, Zheng Jinyu had believed there was some affection between them, but alas, the Imperial Princess had intervened, and for Xie Peiyu, his career always came first. No matter how much he liked her, his ambitions took precedence. Their fans had even lamented their failed romance. Now, she understood the true backstory.

No wonder the author didn't dare to reveal the truth. How could they write something that would ruin the heroine's virtuous image and break the hearts of their shipping fans? The author would surely be vilified by this segment of readers.

"I see," Zheng Jinyu murmured, still in disbelief.

Xie Peiyu continued, "At present, apart from my trusted aide who assisted me, only you know this secret. You must help me keep it concealed. If it were to be exposed..."

His gaze turned ominous.

Zheng Jinyu hastily shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm not one to gossip. I promise I won't breathe a word of it."

Xie Peiyu nodded in satisfaction. "Good, that's a relief. There are so many secrets between us now, and I wouldn't entrust them with anyone else. So let's just forget about calling off the marriage, shall we?"

Zheng Jinyu's mouth hung open, unable to close for a long while.

Who would want to know your secrets anyway?

"No, if it's a secret, why did you tell me in the first place?"

"You're the one asking me," she replied elegantly.

"Nonsense, I didn't ask you anything."

"Earlier, you asked me how I knew, didn't you?"

Zheng Jinyu: "..."

What gentle jade-like gentleman? Shameless.

"I've heard that you're skilled at playing the qin, and rather proficient, isn't that so?" Xie Peiyu noticed her awkward expression and swiftly changed the subject.

"I have a fine ancient zither here. Why don't you give it a try?"

She had no idea about the quality of the zither, but... "I don't know how to play."

"Can't? Didn't they mention that..."

"Cough, cough, you must have misunderstood. I don't play the zither; I play the Qin Zheng. They may look similar, but they shouldn't be confused, right?"

In reality, this was something his mother had said. It seemed like her subordinates were incompetent – they had even gotten this wrong.

"In that case, let's switch to the Qin Zheng." Xie Peiyu strode to the door and called out, "Someone, fetch a Qin Zheng from the music room."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Hey, Xie Peiyu, I didn't say I wanted to play."

Xie Peiyu smiled and replied, "Your third reason is that you don't particularly like me, correct?"

Zheng Jinyu shot him a withering glance.

"We can strive for that together, let's first attempt to harmonize our musical talents and become soulmates."

Pfft, who wants to be soulmates with you?

Don't think that being handsome excuses you from improper advances.

She mocked, "Wouldn't that be an injustice to Prince Chen? How could the esteemed Prince Chen possibly harmonize with a coarse village girl in music?"

Xie Peiyu narrowed his eyes. "So, you still hold a grudge over that. You're the noble daughter of the Zheng family, while I'm the crude brute. I apologize for what happened last time, please don't be angry."

He slightly bent his waist, lowering his stature as he apologized to her softly and gently.