Transmigrated as the Treacherous Official's Childhood Sweetheart-Chapter 417 - 416: Clearing Up the Misunderstanding

After pausing, he looked at him with a clear gaze: "By the way, congratulations on passing the exam. You need to work hard for the autumn examination, and be careful of Crown Prince Li Changnian. His power is immense, and you should avoid him setting traps for you."

Shen Chen nodded in agreement. Whether it was the lingering effects of the alcohol or not, he seemed a bit more obedient under the moonlight, with less of his usual aloofness.

Ye Zhi naturally detected a faint scent of alcohol and remarked, "Did you drink tonight?"

He admitted, "A little, it’s no big deal."

"Then you’d better go back and rest. Don’t strain your eyes reading at night; save it for daytime," she said, hastily urging him to leave as she moved to close the lattice window, avoiding his gaze.

A slender, jade-like hand landed with a "tap" on the carved lattice window with a floral motif.

The night was silent, save for the sound of frogs in the lake at the back of the courtyard.

Ye Zhi glanced at the hand on the window, then back at his face, her eyes shimmering with confusion: What does he want?

Shen Chen asked, "Are you upset about what happened on Lingyang Street?"

Without waiting for a reply, he continued speaking.

"There was a crowd at the time; she wasn’t your match. I was afraid you would trouble her and get a bad reputation from it. If the place had been empty, I certainly wouldn’t have stopped you."

Who was Ye Zhi? She was someone who bore grudges. The anger from that day had been bottled up until now, and she could no longer contain it. Angrily, she retorted, "Pah! That’s not what you said. You talked about the freedom to make friends, and if you were pushed you’d move out of the Ye Mansion. I just don’t like you mingling with Liu Qingxi. Go ahead and move; I never want to see your face again."

"Moreover, she was the one who attacked me first. When you weren’t around, she spread rumors at the Imperial College saying I offended the Crown Prince, causing others to ostracize me. Earlier at the restaurant, she even threatened Qinglian. Now my reputation in the Capital is bad. Does she think I don’t know it’s partly her doing?..."

Everyone in the Capital knows the Third Miss of the Minister’s Mansion wields weapons and has no resemblance to a proper lady, though it is true...

But there’s no shortage of Liu Qingxi’s mischief in this.

Ye Zhi rambled on a lot, finally saying, "She also banded with other noblewomen in the Capital to badmouth me. That Gu Xinxin, what a loyal minion she is. And the other day at the Phoenix Pavilion Residence, she, relying on the backing of the Crown Prince, snatched my hairpin..."

Ah, finally finished speaking, and she felt much relieved.

Yet, he remained silent.

She cautiously glanced at his calm, unperturbed expression, secretly regretting, wondering if it was right to slander the main female protagonist in ’Concubine’s Favor’ like this.

She touched her smooth, jade-like neck and looked towards the direction of the side room.

Fortunately, she hadn’t woken Ming Yan.

Shen Chen gazed at the girl with almond-shaped, watery eyes and asked, "Are you finished speaking?"

A delicate, soft voice quietly replied, "Yes, I’m done."

Shen Chen spoke brightly, "During an outing at Dragon Tiger Mountain, by chance, I encountered the Sword Casting Master Gongsun Ye who was being pursued by enemies and helped him. In gratitude, the Master gave me a sword named Chengque. The Master was erudite and fond of strategy games; he wasn’t merely a warrior dueling swords. We slowly became acquainted afterwards."

Ye Zhi, puzzled, looked at him with her shimmering eyes, wondering why he was telling her this.

"Through Master Gongsun Ye, I had the opportunity to meet with Gongsun Chi, a former schoolmate. His skills in mechanical devices are superb and flawless, making him an outstanding figure in the Gongsun Family. That day, because the Master came to the Capital, I went to visit him with Chi, and we ran into Miss Liu, who approached us. Brother Chi, upon seeing Miss Liu, started chatting with her, and that’s when you appeared."