Chapter 63 Xie Nai Jealous, Four-Person Stalemate

Chapter 63: Xie Nai Jealous, Four-Way Standoff

Qin Jiao glanced at Xie Nai, his voice cold and flat. "I see him. Stop shaking me." It wasn’t just Xie Nai—Luo Bei and Luo Yue had come along too.

Jiang Qingrong didn’t notice Qin Jiao’s indifference. He tried to pull Qin Jiao toward Xie Nai, but suddenly realized that the usually frail young man seemed as if rooted to the spot, impossible to budge.

"Aren’t you going to say hello to the Prince of Lingnan?" Jiang Qingrong asked in confusion.

Qin Jiao raised his eyes slightly and met Xie Nai’s gaze.

They had argued at Taiyu Temple earlier, and Qin Jiao was still resentful. Right now, he didn’t want to deal with Xie Nai, so he just turned his head away, ignoring both Xie Nai and Jiang Qingrong’s question.

Qin Jiao’s reaction only deepened Jiang Qingrong’s confusion. Hadn’t Qin Jiao met the Prince of Lingnan in Nanzhou before? Why were they acting like strangers now? Just as he was about to press further, the boat owner’s piercing voice suddenly rang out:

"This gentleman has excellent taste! Our Exquisite Hundred-Flower Palace Lantern is one of a kind in the capital—you won’t regret buying it!" The owner paused, then looked at the veiled youth, who had bid three hundred taels of gold. "Young sir, would you like to raise your bid?"

The crowd watched the veiled youth, amused, but he shook his head lightly. "No. Since this gentleman likes it, I’ll let him have it."

Xie Nai glanced at the veiled youth but said nothing.

"Anyone else bid over five hundred taels of gold?" The boat owner swept his gaze across the crowd. When he was sure no one intended to raise the bid, he began a new round of announcing the bids.

"Five hundred taels once, five hundred taels twice..." Just as the boat owner was about to call "five hundred taels... three times!" a purple-clad servant named Tongsheng appeared: "My master bids one thousand taels of gold."

Tongsheng’s shout was like adding fuel to the fire—the already lively crowd erupted even more! After all, although the Exquisite Hundred-Flower Palace Lantern was beautiful, it wasn't worth anywhere near a thousand taels of gold. "One thousand five hundred taels of gold." No sooner had Tongsheng spoken than Xie Nai raised the bid again.

"Wow! One thousand five hundred taels of gold—how much would that pile up to?"

"Look at the boat owner—his whole face is crumpled up from smiling."

Lin Wen appeared out of nowhere. He now stood beside the veiled youth, his chin slightly lifted, his gaze sharp and intense.

"I’ll add another five hundred taels of gold."

A lively breeze lifted the hem of Lin Wen’s robe. His eyes met Xie Nai’s in the air, and Lin Wen arched a brow over his fox-like eyes, curling his lips into a mysterious smile.

Qin Jiao watched coldly as the two faced off, tension crackling in the air.

"Is this lantern worth two thousand taels of gold?"

"This isn’t a palace lantern—it’s a second sun in the sky!"

"Why does it feel like these two young gentlemen are locked in a rivalry?"

A noisy mix of shocked voices filled the air, excited clamor.

Seeing the crowd growing, the veiled youth gently tugged at Lin Wen’s sleeve. "Come on, let me buy you a different lantern."

Lin Wen looked down at the veiled youth for a long moment, then finally gave in. "Fine, whatever you say."

He shot a cold, blank glance at Xie Nai, then stopped his confrontation. But just as Lin Wen was about to lead the veiled youth away, Qin Jiao suddenly stepped in front of them to block their path.

"Hey, Qin Jiao, what are you doing?"

Jiang Qingrong didn’t notice Qin Jiao’s movements at all. By the time he realized, Qin Jiao had already grabbed Lin Wen’s hand! No, he missed—Lin Wen was too fast—Qin Jiao only caught his sleeve.

Jiang Qingrong’s eyes widened in shock. Lin Wen jerked back violently, the veiled youth also froze mid-step... and Xie Nai’s gaze turned sharp as a blade, sending chills down everyone’s spine!

"Let go!"

Lin Wen glared at Qin Jiao, shaking his arm back. "Let go now, or don’t blame the Chancellor for being rude."

Qin Jiao completely ignored Lin Wen’s anger and Xie Nai’s piercing stare. He smiled sweetly, his voice syrupy and sweet:

"Brother Lin Wen, do you want that Exquisite Hundred-Flower Palace Lantern? I can give it to you too."

"Shut up." Lin Wen’s beautiful fox-like eyes flickered with gloom. Glancing at Xie Nai beside them, his voice was icy and biting: "Get him away from me, now!"

Xie Nai’s gaze burned dark and deep. He grabbed Qin Jiao’s arm firmly, pulling the young man off balance, but Qin Jiao still refused to let go of Lin Wen’s sleeve.

The three remained locked in a standoff.

"Qin Jiao, let go."

Xie Nai’s voice was low, his eyes cold.

Qin Jiao’s grip didn’t budge. His gaze toward Xie Nai was equally casual and indifferent. At that moment, Jiang Qingrong rushed over to persuade Qin Jiao. "Let go! Qin Jiao, are you crazy?"

Qin Jiao stopped looking at Xie Nai. He turned his gaze to Jiang Qingrong and smiled. "I have a marriage contract with Brother Lin Wen. I’m just tugging at his sleeve—what’s all the fuss about, Qing Rong?"

Jiang Qingrong gritted his teeth. "I’m not fussing—I’m afraid you’ll die here!"

The look in Chancellor Lin and the Prince of Lingnan’s eyes right now was enough to eat someone alive. Who wouldn’t be scared?

Qin Jiao smiled cheerfully. "No, I won’t."

"Yes, you will." Lin Wen’s voice was frigid. Qin Jiao chuckled softly. "Brother Lin Wen, you said before that there’s no feelings between us. But I’ve thought it over—feelings can be cultivated. How about we start with giving gifts?"

"Stop putting on an act. I don’t need your gift."

"But you helped me gain my freedom the other day. I should return the favor."

"Unnecessary. That was just a transaction." With that, Lin Wen glanced at Xie Nai.

It wasn’t just a transaction—it was one where Lin Wen had been schemed against and came out at a loss.

"How could it be just a transaction?" Qin Jiao said, deliberately looking at the veiled youth beside Lin Wen. His beautiful eyes blinked flirtatiously, like a seductive demon. "Brother Lin Wen clearly felt sorry for me."

"Nonsense!"

Qin Jiao’s ambiguous remark finally enraged Lin Wen. He shook his sleeve angrily, sending Qin Jiao stumbling back a step, and his grip on Lin Wen’s sleeve was finally broken.

"He’s trying to sow discord, Mingjia. Don’t listen to him."

Although the veiled youth seemed unaffected by Qin Jiao’s words, Lin Wen still spoke softly to soothe him. But somewhat surprisingly, Xie Nai also glanced at the veiled youth.

"It’s fine." The veiled youth patted Lin Wen’s hand gently, while subtly nodding toward Xie Nai.

"You really have no fear of death!" Jiang Qingrong was starting to think Qin Jiao had gone mad.

Qin Jiao’s smile deepened. Seeing Lin Wen and the veiled youth’s intimate gestures, a "wicked thought" rose in his heart. Taking advantage of Lin Wen comforting the veiled youth, Qin Jiao grabbed Lin Wen’s sleeve again!

Lin Wen sensed Qin Jiao’s movement. This time, without any hesitation, he spun around and drew the short sword tucked at Tongsheng’s waist!

The cold blade slid out of its sheath, sharp enough to cut iron like mud. "Watch out!" Jiang Qingrong cried out. The veiled youth beside Lin Wen also rushed to stop him: "Chancellor Lin, no!"

A raw nerve had been struck. Lin Wen flew into a rage. The short blade whistled through the air straight at Qin Jiao. In the blink of an eye, Xie Nai yanked Qin Jiao to the side. The next second, the sound of fabric tearing under the blade echoed through the air!

----------------------------------------