Chapter 222: Chapter 218: Does the Crown Prince Know She’s Going to Liangzhou?

Gu Yuan came with the official matchmaker.

Upon meeting, they hadn’t even finished exchanging greetings before Tang Jiaojiao pulled him aside and questioned, "Whose idea was this?"

Gu Yuan smiled slightly, "It was decided after discussing with my grandmother."

Tang Jiaojiao sneered, "A favor delivered so eagerly, do you think I care?"

First, sacrificing a career, then coming to propose, thinking that this would intimidate her?

Gu Yuan was momentarily stunned, then laughed, "Cousin, you’ve misunderstood. Going to Liangzhou was my idea," he paused, "Actually, I no longer wish to join the government through the imperial exams, and it just so happens that I’m needed in Liangzhou now."

Tang Jiaojiao didn’t believe him.

Benefiting from connections is ultimately not as stable as joining through the imperial exams. Gu Yuan had been on this path for over ten years, and now he changes just like that?

"Times have changed." Gu Yuan said with a smile.

Tang Jiaojiao frowned, letting this part go, and asked, "Then what does the proposal mean?"

"I heard Aunt previously planned to arrange a marriage for Cousin, but now... I’m afraid—"

"I’m not desperate enough to need anyone’s pity!" Tang Jiaojiao sneered.

Gu Yuan chuckled.

The Gu family’s children were all born with gentle and handsome features, as beautiful as Jiangnan, and so was Gu Yuan.

Only, Gu Yuan lost his mother at a young age, and despite his gentle demeanor, there was an aloofness about him, as if he didn’t know how to connect with people.

But at this moment, his smile was somewhat different from usual.

As if the cold plum blossoms from the branches had fallen into his hands.

"How do you know I’m pitying you?" he smiled, "Can’t it be taking advantage of an opportunity?"

Tang Jiaojiao’s eyes widened suddenly.

What did he mean?

Gu Yuan smiled again, "And Wang Jian—"

"Excuse me!" A head peeked out from the corner, with a ponytail swinging lopsidedly, revealing half of a charming and fair face, with big round, shiny eyes.

Tang Jiaojiao blushed red as a beet: "Tang Xiaobai, how dare you eavesdrop!"

"No, no!" Tang Xiaobai hurriedly clarified, "I came to inform you of something!" Of course, he also happened to overhear some things.

Click, click!

Gu Yuan, truly a top student taught by an aristocratic family, asked calmly, "What is it?"

"Oh..." Tang Xiaobai gradually couldn’t control the excitement bubbling up from watching the commotion, "Wang Jian also came to propose!"

...

After sending off Wang Jian and Gu Yuan, Tang Jiaojiao let out a long breath.

She didn’t expect it would be so exhausting to handle two men.

What’s wrong with these two?

Tang Jiaojiao muttered a few times to herself, planning to go back to her room to rest.

Returning to her room, she sat down and took the drink offered by a maid, her eyes inadvertently glancing—

"Crash!"

The cup in her hand shattered on the ground.

The maid quickly stepped forward to clean up.

"Out! Everyone out!" Tang Jiaojiao’s pretty face turned blue as she drove them away, "Close the door!"

The door closed, and the room also darkened.

"Jiaojiao..." a low, slightly hoarse voice, seemingly with a hint of grievance.

"Shut up!" Tang Jiaojiao glared viciously at the ceiling beam, "Who allowed you to call me that!"

A figure floated down to the ground.

The person was still tall, but much leaner, and in the dim light, his face full of stubble was discernible, appearing quite down and out.

Tang Jiaojiao thought of his experiences over the past half year, her heart suddenly aching: "You—"

"Didn’t you say you’d wait for me? Why are you discussing marriage with someone else?" He was aggrieved again.

Despite his height, he acted like a pitiful puppy, and Tang Jiaojiao gritted her teeth in anger, "I said I’d wait for you to return my golden sparrow hairpin!"

She extended her hand rigidly, palm up.

In the dim light, it was whiter than snow, gleaming like jade.

Li Xingyuan stared at it for a moment until she impatiently urged him, only then did he reluctantly take out a small cloth bundle from his chest, holding it with both hands, and placing it in her palm.

As he put it down, he couldn’t resist pinching her fingers.

Tang Jiaojiao pulled her hand back sharply, glaring fiercely at him before opening the cloth bundle.

Upon opening it, she saw the golden hairpin broken in two.

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

Li Xingyuan was slow to realize something was wrong, quickly saying, "Let me explain—"

"Get out!" She hurled the broken golden hairpin at him forcefully.

Li Xingyuan quickly caught it in his hands.

"It wasn’t me, I was poisoned at the time... it’s me! It’s me! It’s my fault for not protecting the golden sparrow hairpin you gave me!"

"I didn’t give it to you! You tricked it from me!" Tang Jiaojiao’s anger was dispersed by the news of his poisoning, but upon hearing the latter half, she was ashamed and furious again.

Li Xingyuan listened to her, blankly looking at the golden hairpin in his hand, murmuring, "Then the words you said about waiting for me..."

Tang Jiaojiao restrained her anger, stepped closer, and took the golden hairpin from his hand.

As she pulled her hand back, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Tang Jiaojiao, I want to marry you!" His eyes seemed to burn with intense fire.

Tang Jiaojiao looked at him steadily, answering with utmost seriousness, "I can’t wait for you for three years."

Li Xingyuan frowned, "But your father is currently missing—"

"Shut up! Don’t curse my father!" The beauty’s expression was ferocious, baring teeth and claws.

How adorable!

Li Xingyuan almost laughed, but suddenly noticed a hint of teary light in her eyes, hurriedly restraining his smile, and solemnly said, "I came specifically for this reason!"

When collecting the powers of the Changshan Prince Mansion in Zhenzhou, he discovered Li Mingyi’s arrangements in Liangzhou and the capital city, only then realizing that his father’s ambitions had long existed.

Although Li Mingyi is now dead, the plans he set in motion are still ongoing in the northwest.

"... I only found out upon arriving in the capital that Duke Yan and his son have already gone missing."

"You came to the capital for this matter? Why didn’t you go directly to Liangzhou?" Tang Jiaojiao asked suspiciously.

"I—" Li Xingyuan gritted his teeth, "If I didn’t come, would you really get engaged to someone else?"

Tang Jiaojiao snorted, "What right do you have to interfere?"

Before she finished speaking, a force suddenly pulled at her wrist, drawing her forward, crashing into Li Xingyuan’s arms.

As she was pulled in, Tang Jiaojiao instinctively pressed her hand against his chest, feeling the shape of his sternum.

She paused, instinctively tracing down along his sternum.

Li Xingyuan gasped, grabbed her hand, and whispered, "What are you doing? Not now..."

"How did you lose so much weight?" she mumbled softly.

Li Xingyuan suddenly felt an ache in his chest, tightly enfolding her in his arms, burying his face in her neck, taking a deep breath, and hoarsely said, "I’ll go to Liangzhou to find your father and brother, you wait patiently for me, don’t discuss marriage with anyone else, alright?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Tang Jiaojiao remained silent.

He held her even tighter, "If I find them, wait for me for three years, okay?"

"Isn’t it a problem that you ran off from Zhenzhou like this?" Tang Jiaojiao finally spoke.

He let out a short, unsteady laugh, "It would be a problem, but I have Su Shunqing and Liang Junji covering for me for now. If I really lose Zhenzhou, I’ll come join your Duke Yan Mansion as a son-in-law, how about that?"

She struggled in his arms, "Dream on!"

Li Xingyuan’s mind wavered, he couldn’t help but lower his head to seek a kiss, "Jiaojiao’er..."

Tang Jiaojiao hurriedly turned her face away, making him land his kiss on her cheek, which instantly burned hot, unconsciously clutching at his sleeve, her voice quivering, "You, you go to Liangzhou, and, and protect Xiaobai—"

"Xiaobai?" Li Xingyuan looked up in surprise, "Second Miss? She’s going to Liangzhou?"

Does the Crown Prince know?!