TL: Hua
Su Hanfeng’s hand at his side trembled, and the usual gentle smile on his face was on the verge of faltering. He just barely managed to say, “Yanqing, if you can see things clearly, I’m naturally happy for you, but I wonder about that night…”
He was somewhat forcibly trying to salvage his dignity, so he deliberately brought up the topic to poke at Xu Yanqing’s wound, wanting to see how Xu Yanqing would react.
However, Xu Yanqing was ultimately going to disappoint him. With Xu Yanqing’s lazy nature, he would never spend time wallowing in self-pity. So, even if it was the real him who had experienced what happened that night, he wouldn’t be distraught due to embarrassment.
“Cousin, you’ve seen how I am now, so you can report back to my mother. I didn’t sleep well last night, so I won’t keep you any longer.” Raising his bright little face, Xu Yanqing directly sent him off.
Having lost face once again, Su Hanfeng had no reason to stay. He gave Xu Yanqing a deep look, stood up, and left.
“So, Young Master Xu called this princess over just to watch Su Hanfeng try to curry favor with you?” Once Su Hanfeng left the courtyard, Princess Jing’an emerged from the room behind Xu Yanqing, chin raised haughtily.
Hearing this, Xu Yanqing chuckled: “Does that Su Hanfeng even deserve for this young master and the princess to fight over him!”
Princess Jing’an gracefully walked over and sat down on a cushion beside Xu Yanqing. Without ceremony, she raised her hand to pour herself some tea: “Then what does Young Master Xu mean?”
“What if I said I found the princess pleasing to my eye!” Whether she was pleasing to his eye or not was another matter; the main thing was that he rarely felt such a strong urge to meddle.
Princess Jing’an took a small sip of tea, then looked up at Xu Yanqing: “What, has Young Master Xu changed his mind and wants to be this princess’s consort?”
“That’s quite unnecessary,” Xu Yanqing said bluntly: “Who in the capital doesn’t know that I, Xu Yanqing, like men?”
“You are honest, at least.”
“Although I may act recklessly as a playboy, I am not a heartless and ruthless person. Given the princess’s straightforward nature, I just think that a hypocrite like Su Hanfeng doesn’t deserve you.” Explaining himself was truly exhausting. Xu Yanqing swore that next time he would absolutely never do such a draining thing again.
Princess Jing’an didn’t mind Xu Yanqing’s bluntness. Having overheard his conversation with Su Hanfeng from inside the room, she naturally understood that Su Hanfeng wasn’t as virtuous as he appeared. She chuckled, “Su Hanfeng seems to have a small hold over you?”
“Hmm, if it counts that I intended to drug him but it backfired on me, then yes, he does have a hold over me.” Xu Yanqing lazily sat up from the reclining chair, stretching his aching shoulders and back: “If news like that got out, people would just say that I, Young Master Xu, am unrestrained and dissolute.”
Though he said that, if the matter truly was revealed by Su Hanfeng, Xu Yanqing’s reputation in the capital would plummet. In the future, probably no noblewoman would marry into Marquis Wu’an’s manor, and even his elder brother, Xu Xianzhi, the heir to Marquis Wu’an, would have his marriage affected.
Princess Jing’an was lost in thought. Xu Yanqing propped his chin with one hand, tilting his head to her, and said, “Princess, would you like to make a bet with me?”
“Bet on what?” Xu Yanqing’s thought process was truly erratic; Princess Jing’an really couldn’t figure out what he wanted to do.
“Based on my understanding of Su Hanfeng, having hit a wall with me, he will next go to the princess to curry favor,” Xu Yanqing habitually raised his hand to touch the slightly warm skin on the back of his neck: “What does the princess think?”
“This bet isn’t fair.” Princess Jing’an stared at Xu Yanqing’s delicate and refined face. “However, regardless of who wins or loses this bet, this princess will owe you a favor.”
These past few days, the food she had sent to Yunshui Courtyard was merely to test Xu Yanqing. As a result, he had helped her see Su Hanfeng’s true colors, and that was not something a few meals could repay.
Princess Jing’an left Yunshui Courtyard and immediately asked Yin Yuancheng to send people to investigate Su Hanfeng.
Yin Yuancheng was somewhat puzzled: “Are you truly taken with Su Hanfeng, so eager to investigate his background?”
“Brother, you wouldn’t understand because you’re just a bookworm.” Princess Jing’an scoffed, “But I’m also quite blind to have fallen for the scheme of a hypocrite like Su Hanfeng.”
Yin Yuancheng was a bit confused: “What happened?”
To her elder brother, Princess Jing’an recounted everything that had happened in Yunshui Courtyard: “Now, thinking back to the rumors about Young Master Xu in the capital, most of them were probably spread by Su Hanfeng.”
Yin Yuancheng was furious upon hearing this. Su Hanfeng was merely an impoverished scholar, yet he dared to scheme against his sister. He was practically tired of living and seeking death.
“Alright, Brother, you don’t need to interfere in this matter. I have my own plans.” Princess Jing’an waved her hand, calming down the indignant Yin Yuancheng.
As Xu Yanqing had predicted, within two days, Su Hanfeng came to visit Princess Jing’an with the Chu siblings.
Chu Yulin pulled Princess Jing’an and chuckled, “How about it? I’ve brought the person you’ve been longing for.”
Princess Jing’an glared at her close friend, then pulled Su Hanfeng aside to talk.
Su Hanfeng had always acted shy and modest in front of Princess Jing’an, yet he obediently allowed Princess Jing’an to tease him. In the past, Princess Jing’an felt that such a charming scholar was simply destined to be hers.
Now, looking at his face, feigning shyness but with a hint of calculation, Princess Jing’an lost all interest, listening only to Su Hanfeng’s stammering attempts to please her.
In the adjacent courtyard, Xu Yanqing, having finished breakfast, was pacing to aid digestion. He happened to be by a high wall when he overheard Su Hanfeng’s overly sweet and insincere words to Princess Jing’an from the other side.
Xu Yanqing stopped his steps, simply leaning comfortably against the wall to eavesdrop. Su Hanfeng was truly too interesting; if he had been born in later generations, he would probably have won an acting award.
Mu Yu, however, was hearing Su Hanfeng try to please someone like this for the first time. Thinking back to how his own master had been utterly compliant with Su Hanfeng, only to be cruelly schemed against, he felt like he was about to explode with anger.
Xu Yanqing raised his hand and lightly tapped Mu Yu’s forehead. These days, even storybooks are getting incredibly boring. This was a rare “soap opera,” and he had to listen carefully.
“I heard from Yulin that the prince from Marquis Wu’an’s residence bothered you again?” Princess Jing’an’s eyes flickered, and she deliberately leaned closer to Su Hanfeng, asking softly.
Su Hanfeng’s face turned a little pale, looking extremely pitiful. He said it had nothing to do with Xu Xianzhi, but secretly and openly smeared Xu Xianzhi in front of Princess Jing’an.
His plan was brilliant. As a relative of the Marquis Wu’an family, he was dependent on them, so naturally, he couldn’t completely suppress the Xu family. However, he could use Princess Jing’an to achieve his ambitious goals.
Princess Jing’an, however, didn’t defend him like before. Instead, she nodded, echoing his words, “That’s right, I’ve long heard that the heir of Marquis Wu’an is a straightforward person. It seems all those rumors outside are false.”
“Princess…” Su Hanfeng was a little taken aback, seeing that Princess Jing’an wasn’t falling for his tricks like she used to.
Princess Jing’an deliberately twisted his meaning, “Don’t worry, I know you’re the kindest, and you’ll definitely help Marquis Wu’an’s residence clear these rumors.”
Su Hanfeng never expected that after only a few days of not seeing Princess Jing’an, she would be like a changed person. But her demeanor was so natural that he couldn’t tell if her words were intentional or not.
For the first time, Su Hanfeng didn’t get his way with Princess Jing’an and could only leave somewhat dejectedly. Princess Jing’an, however, seemed not to notice his disappointment and handed a letter she had written beforehand to Chu Yulin. “I’m afraid I’ll have to stay in Qingling Mountain for a while longer. You must help me deliver these letters to them.”
Chu Yulin, though puzzled, still nodded. “Don’t worry, we’ll wait for you to come back to the capital, and then we’ll get together again.”
Su Hanfeng’s gaze fell on the stack of envelopes in Chu Yulin’s hand, a faint sense of unease stirring within him.
Later, Su Hanfeng finally understood why he had felt that uneasiness. The young masters he was familiar with would still invite him to banquets as before, but at several of these banquets, those young masters, just like Princess Jing’an, deliberately twisted his words and spoke only good things about Marquis Wu’an’s residence.
At this point, how could Su Hanfeng not understand what was written in the letters Princess Jing’an gave to Chu Yulin? He was shocked, unable to comprehend why Princess Jing’an had undergone such a drastic change.
But what awaited him was more than just this. Rumors even spread that Su Hanfeng’s personal attendant, while drunk, personally revealed his young master’s hypocritical true colors.
It turned out that Xu Yanqing’s persistent entanglement with Su Hanfeng was all a result of Su Hanfeng’s deliberate inducement and indulgence. Su Hanfeng’s goal was to tarnish Xu Yanqing’s reputation and then make Marquis Wu’an’s residence be indebted to him so he could continuously gain endless benefits from them.
However, now that Marquis Wu’an’s residence had whetted his appetite, he became increasingly dissatisfied with his current situation, attempting to please and manipulate Princess Jing’an to achieve his goal of suppressing and exploiting Marquis Wu’an’s residence.
These rumors spread too quickly. When Xu Xianzhe first heard the news, he slapped his thigh with joy and then secretly found someone to make the rumors spread even more fiercely.
By the time Su Hanfeng heard the news, the young masters in the capital all looked at him with caution and disdain. Let alone clearing his name, he didn’t even have a chance to speak with them.
Then came the news that the academy expelled him, and Marquis Wu’an’s residence also slammed its doors shut on him. For a time, Su Hanfeng looked around and found he didn’t even have a place to stay.
He wanted to go to Yunshui Courtyard to find Xu Yanqing or Princess Jing’an to sell his sorrow, but he was dragged into an alley by street beggars and beaten, eventually thrown out of the capital.
Xu Xianzhe clapped the dust from his hands and walked out of the alley casually, only to see Yin Yuancheng outside. He bowed respectfully, “Young Marquis.”
Yin Yuancheng glanced at the strong and robust Xu Xianzhi, a satisfied smile on his lips. “This marquis hasn’t seen the prince here before.”
The bro-con and the sis-con met each other’s eyes, sharing a knowing smile.
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rip cousin su
I’m glad that scumbag was well punished but I can’t help feeling apprehensive… we’re still at the beginning of the story