Chapter 381: Kissing the Heir

Chapter 381: Kissed the Heir

"Now that Qingge and my brother are a couple, I think we really owe Consort Li a big thank-you for this."

"If it weren't for her help, my brother and Qingge wouldn't have gotten together this fast. We have Consort Li to thank for all of this."

Ji Yuntang felt that Luo Qianxue and Consort Li were practically guardian angels for Xie Liuzheng and Luo Qingge's love life.

Previously, when Xie Liuzheng vomited all over Luo Qianxue, it made her give up on him, and her years of feelings for him died on the spot.

It also made Luo Qingge see Xie Liuzheng in a new light.

Now Consort Li had gone and gotten an imperial edict, bringing the two of them together. Those two were practically matchmakers sent from heaven.

If their motives weren't so shady, Ji Yuntang would have really thought Consort Li and Luo Qianxue were trying to set the two of them up.

Just then, Xuan Bing came in to report, "Your Highnesses, Heir Xie is outside asking to see you."

Ji Yuntang was surprised. "My brother's here?"

"Hurry, bring him in."

When Xie Liuzheng entered, he saw Luo Junhe in his wheelchair, peeling shrimp for Ji Yuntang.

While Ji Yuntang was feeding Luo Junhe a drink of water.

The two of them—a gorgeous couple, totally in love—were a sight for sore eyes.

Xie Liuzheng instantly felt like he'd just been fed a big dose of PDA.

He stood at the door, looking a bit awkward, and said, "Am I, uh, interrupting something?"

Luo Sinian walked over from behind and slung an arm around his shoulder.

"What's a bad time? I'm here too, aren't I?"

Ji Yuntang set down her teacup and asked Xie Liuzheng, "Brother, have you eaten? If not, come eat with us. I'll have Tao Zhi set another place."

Xie Liuzheng shook his head. "No, I already ate. Sister Yuntang, I came because I need your help with something."

Ji Yuntang raised an eyebrow. "Is this about the marriage the emperor arranged?"

"You guys already know?" Xie Liuzheng asked, then realized that was a dumb question.

The emperor hadn't kept the betrothal of him and Luo Qingge a secret, so word had already spread all over the capital.

How could they not have heard?

Xie Liuzheng walked over and sat down, looking at Ji Yuntang. "Sister Yuntang, since you all already know, I'll cut to the chase. I want you to help me get Princess Jiu to meet up with me. I've got some things I need to ask her in person."

Ji Yuntang totally got where he was coming from, so she agreed right away!

"Okay, I'll write to Qingge right now and have her come over to the mansion."

Ji Yuntang wrote the letter and arranged for it to be delivered. Sure enough, Luo Qingge showed up not long after.

The second she and Xie Liuzheng saw each other, they both looked awkward, like they had something to say but couldn't get it out.

Ji Yuntang smiled softly. "Brother, Qingge, why don't you two go talk in the garden? We'll leave you alone!"

Xie Liuzheng looked at Luo Qingge and gestured in a direction. "Then... how about we go for a walk over there?"

"Alright." Luo Qingge nodded, and the two walked all the way to the back garden of the Prince's mansion.

The place was full of all kinds of flowers, and the greenhouse was packed with fruits and veggies. Xie Liuzheng and Luo Qingge found a cool, shady spot to sit.

He hemmed and hawed for a bit before finally speaking up. "The marriage the emperor arranged wasn't something our Duke Rong's estate pushed for. I and my parents only just found out about it ourselves."

"I asked you here to tell you I respect whatever you want. If you don't want to marry me, I'll find a way to call the whole thing off. I promise it won't mess things up for you."

Luo Qingge rolled her eyes at him. "You idiot, you think a marriage arranged by Father is that easy to get out of? This is an imperial decree—turning it down means the whole family gets executed. Do you want to bring the whole Duke Rong's estate down with you?"

Xie Liuzheng frowned at her, somewhat urgently. "The marriage might be hard to get out of, but don't you hate me? I..."

"Who said I hate you?"

Luo Qingge cut him off, and her words surprised Xie Liuzheng.

Before he could even ask, he heard Luo Qingge lift her chin and say, "You might be a little full of yourself and a bit of a show-off, but you're still quite loyal. At least when I'm in danger, you actually step up to help me."

"So honestly, I think you're a pretty decent guy—not as bad as the rumors say."

Xie Liuzheng could tell Luo Qingge was complimenting him, and he couldn't help but feel a hint of joy.

He turned to look at her, his eyes full of expectation. "But... don't you hate guys who are good-for-nothing? I'm the biggest playboy in the capital."

Luo Qingge raised an eyebrow, a slight smile curling at the corner of her lips. "So what if you're a playboy? Does that automatically make you a bad guy? Sure, you were a slacker before, but who says you won't change?"

"People have two sides. After getting to know you, I realized you can't judge a book by its cover—you gotta look at what's inside."

Then she suddenly leaned in, hooked her finger under his chin, and gave him a teasing look.

"Besides, with your track record, who else would even dare to take you besides me?"

Xie Liuzheng: "..."

Luo Qingge wasn't wrong, but he couldn't shake the feeling she was gloating—what was that about?

The next second, Xie Liuzheng grabbed her wrist, spun her around, and pinned her down on the stone table.

"So is Princess Jiu feeling sorry for me, thinking I'll end up alone forever?"

Luo Qingge was stuck and couldn't move. She looked up and met his playful, teasing eyes, and her face went bright red.

"Who's feeling sorry for you? Let go of me!"

Xie Liuzheng didn't let go—he leaned in even closer until their noses were almost touching.

"If it's not pity, then has Princess Jiu fallen for me?"

Luo Qingge was mortified and annoyed, so she just glared at him. "Yeah, that's right, I've fallen for you!"

Xie Liuzheng's eyes widened, but he suddenly let her go, sounding a bit down. "Figures—beautiful women always lie."

But the next second, Luo Qingge actually lunged at him, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

Xie Liuzheng: "..."

Xie Liuzheng: "!!!"

He stood there in disbelief, his folding fan dropping to the ground, too stunned to even react!

His mind was completely blank, but the soft touch on his lips told him this was no dream.

Luo Qingge gave him a quick peck before pulling back.

She looked at him with bright, clear eyes, "According to the books, kissing someone you like makes both your hearts race."

"My heart's racing—how about yours?"

Xie Liuzheng's mouth hung open slightly, and it took him a moment to snap out of it.

Even so, his throat felt like it was frozen solid, unable to produce a single sound.

"If you're not going to say anything, I'll just feel for myself!"

With that, Luo Qingge reached out and placed her hand directly on Xie Liuzheng's chest.

Even through the fabric, she could feel the firmness of his chest and the heat radiating from it, the firm, lean feel of it making her reluctant to let go.

Xie Liuzheng: "!!!"

He felt his heart pounding even faster, like a little rabbit was trapped inside, thumping wildly as if about to leap out.

His dark eyes burned intensely as he stared at Luo Qingge, grabbing her wandering hand and moving it from the right side of his chest to the left.

"Princess Jiu, you're feeling the wrong spot. This heir's heart is on this side."

Luo Qingge's face flushed crimson. Embarrassed, she tried to pull her hand away, but his grip pressed down firmly, refusing to let her go.

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