Chapter 10 Hostility

Chapter 10: Hostility

Jiang Shuning found it utterly absurd.

"Why would Your Highness say such a thing?"

After the Chrysanthemum Banquet, everyone in the capital knew that Gu Wanying, the daughter of the Censor, was the Empress's chosen bride for the Crown Prince.

Even at her most presumptuous, she wouldn't be foolish enough to flirt and seek favor before the Crown Prince.

Xiao Lingchuan's handsome face seemed shrouded in gloom. "I saw you fawning over the Crown Prince in Cining Palace and thought you harbored delusions of grandeur about becoming Crown Princess."

Jiang Shuning sneered inwardly.

So, in Xiao Lingchuan's eyes, she was this brazen climber, clinging to imperial power.

Whether in her past life or this one, his misunderstanding of her seemed never to have changed—deep as a chasm, impossible to bridge.

"The Crown Prince is the heir apparent of Daye. I merely offered a simple dietary remedy to help nourish his health. Yet, Your Highness interprets this as my coveting the position of Crown Princess? It's truly ridiculous. We have met only a handful of times. Why does Your Highness harbor such deep hostility toward me?"

"Hostility?" Xiao Lingchuan's gaze darkened, as if anger surged within. "Is that how you see it?"

"Is it not? Although Your Highness once saved my life, you have repeatedly provoked me with your words and threatened my reputation. Now, you misinterpret my good intentions with baseless speculation. Are these not all acts of hostility?" Jiang Shuning looked at him coldly, asking bluntly, "I wonder what fault I have committed to incur such aversion from Your Highness?"

In her past life, she had forced him to marry her, so his aversion was understandable.

But in this life, she had clearly never provoked him of her own accord.

"You..." Xiao Lingchuan seemed extremely angry. "Such a peculiar way of interpreting things is truly baffling!"

He snapped in annoyance, turned, and strode away, his sleeves fluttering.

Jiang Shuning was also furious. "What nonsense!"

As soon as Xiao Lingchuan returned to his carriage and before he could sit down, the Seventh Prince eagerly leaned in and asked, "Fourth Brother, how did it go? Miss Jiang doesn't have romantic feelings for the Crown Prince, right?"

Xiao Lingchuan's face was covered with a layer of frost, his tone stiff. "She insisted it was just a gesture of goodwill, not because she wants to be the Crown Princess!"

"I told you! How could Miss Jiang possibly like a sickly man? I actually think she might... have feelings for Fifth Brother."

"You mean she has feelings for Fifth Brother?" Xiao Lingchuan's expression suddenly turned extremely dark, like ominous clouds before a storm, unsettling to behold.

The Seventh Prince quickly chuckled awkwardly. "Just a wild guess, probably wrong! Who can truly understand Miss Jiang's thoughts?"

Xiao Lingchuan remained silent. He lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes concealing the turbulent emotions swirling in his eyes.

The dim light inside the carriage made the contours of his profile appear even colder and more rigid. His inscrutable eyes held ripples of emotion even he himself hadn't fully realized.

Jiang Shuning also returned to her carriage. Her maid, Dong Mei, couldn't hide her admiration, exclaiming in wonder, "Fourth Prince's looks are truly beyond compare! In all my life, I've never seen such a handsome man!"

Jiang Shuning said irritably, "He only has that face worth looking at!"

Aside from that captivating face, everything else about Xiao Lingchuan—his temperament, his thoughts—was a complete mess, not worth a second glance from her.

Dong Mei, being clever, immediately sensed the displeasure in her words and tentatively asked, "Does the young lady not like Fourth Prince very much?"

"Who could like someone like him!" Her chest burned with anger, making her restless and agitated.

Memories from her past life flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern—she had once lost her senses over that face, misplaced her affections, and even squandered ten years of her youth and her own life.

Thinking of it now, it all seemed absurd and utterly worthless.

"But he did save your life, young lady..."

Dong Mei's words reminded her.

Whether she disliked him or resented him, she still owed him this debt of gratitude.

Considering this, she composed herself, her tone softening slightly. "Enough. Let's hurry back to the manor. In a few days, I need to make some almond cheese cake as a token of thanks."

"Yes, young lady."

Jiang Shuning returned to the Jiang Manor.

Jiang Yaozhen and Madam Jiang stood together at the gate to welcome her.

Watching her descend from the carriage, carrying the brocades and jewelry bestowed by the Empress Dowager, Jiang Yaozhen's eyes were full of jealousy, though her face wore a bright smile. "Sister, why didn't you take me along to the palace? Now that I am also a legitimate daughter of the Jiang family, I can accompany you to the palace."

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Jiang Shuning's lips, though her tone was light and casual. "I originally intended to invite you, sister. But Qiu Yue told me you'd arranged to go horseback riding outside the city with the Young Duke early in the morning. I assumed you wouldn't have time to accompany me."

Madam Jiang immediately grew anxious upon hearing this. "Zhen'er, what is going on between you and the Young Duke? You are already of age. How can you be so careless, getting so close to an unrelated man so casually?"

Her words carried a note of reproach.

Jiang Yaozhen blushed, acting coy. "Mother, what are you thinking? The Young Duke and I were merely practicing horsemanship together. There are no other thoughts!"

But Madam Jiang was not reassured. She spoke solemnly, "Zhen'er, your father is currently preparing to discuss your marriage with Consort Xi regarding you and the Third Prince. You absolutely must not cause any trouble at this critical juncture!"

"I understand, Mother," Jiang Yaozhen replied in a low voice. Though her tone was obedient, a flash of smugness and disdain flickered in her eyes. Jiang Shuning watched coldly as her half-sister put on that affected display of both smugness and shyness.

This half-sister of hers was adept at using her charms. Every man who met her was utterly captivated.

In her past life, even someone as power-hungry as Xiao Lingchuan had fallen for her, proving that Jiang Yaozhen indeed possessed some seductive skills.

In this life, she had no intention of entangling with them again. She only hoped they would get what they wished for and stop bringing harm to others.

After Jiang Shuning returned to her room, Dong Mei quietly slipped into the courtyard and approached Jiang Yaozhen, who had been waiting. She bowed respectfully. "Second Young Lady."

Jiang Yaozhen got straight to the point. "Dong Mei, who exactly did sister meet in the palace today, and what did she do?"

"Second Young Lady, the young lady took me to the palace but didn't let me follow her inside. She only said she was going to deliver pastries to the Empress Dowager," Dong Mei replied in a low voice.

"Then do you know which prince sister favors?" Jiang Yaozhen asked eagerly.

The Third Prince clearly favored Jiang Shuning, yet she had actively asked their father to elevate her to a Secondary Legitimate Daughter, willingly giving up the marriage proposal.

Jiang Yaozhen couldn't understand it. Was there a prince in the palace more worthy of marrying than the Third Prince?

Dong Mei still shook her head. "I don't know. However... I do know that the prince the young lady dislikes the most is probably Fourth Prince!"

"Fourth Prince?" Jiang Yaozhen was taken aback. "Didn't he save her life?"

"It's absolutely true! The young lady said it herself!" Dong Mei lowered her voice further. "On our way back to the manor today, we even ran into Fourth Prince. He warned the young lady not to covet the position of Crown Princess. They argued over it and parted on bad terms."

"Such a thing happened?" Jiang Yaozhen pressed. "What else did sister say?"

"She said she needs to make almond cheese cake for Fourth Prince as a token of thanks!"

A shadow of malice flashed in Jiang Yaozhen's eyes.

So, the person Jiang Shuning disliked the most was Fourth Prince.

Then, as her younger sister, she would help play matchmaker for them, let them become a resentful couple!