GTB Chapter 112

Chapter 112: The Reason for Repeating What You’ve Heard

Jiang Jiuchu returned to her room, feeling her breathing was much smoother, but she was somewhat worried. She worried if that man would come out and hold her accountable!

She thought for a moment, then placed the chessboard on the table, thinking that when he came out, she would promptly change the subject.

If it really didn’t work, she would argue with him. Humph! She wasn’t his tool for amusement. If he wanted to find pleasure in teasing her, he was mistaken.

She covered her gradually calming heartbeat, feeling that she had to quickly send Madam Li away and then get her own separate courtyard, or even just a room. She couldn’t continue like this forever.

A quarter of an hour later, Shí Yan walked out of the bathing room, seeing Jiang Jiuchu waiting for him to play chess, just as he had expected.

A hint of calculation flashed in his eyes. He walked to the table and sat down. Before Jiang Jiuchu could invite him to play chess, he took out the ring and asked:

“Yesterday, I saw this ring’s mechanism was very ingenious. I originally wanted to ask your brother where it was made. Guess what your brother said?”

Jiang Jiuchu’s heart skipped a beat. How could she have forgotten about this?

She gave an awkward smile and said, “That… my brother definitely said he’s never seen it and doesn’t know, right!”

Shí Yan nodded, watching Jiang Jiuchu leisurely, wanting to see how she would make up excuses.

Unfortunately, the question came too suddenly, and Jiang Jiuchu couldn’t think of a good reason for a moment.

She said somewhat guiltily, “It wasn’t my brother who gave it to me, but I didn’t deliberately lie to you. Actually, I… I found it on the road…”

Jiang Jiuchu stopped talking immediately after she finished speaking. No, no, she couldn’t really use the excuse her father casually mentioned. It was a bit fake. After her thoughts raced, she immediately came up with a good excuse.

“I was strolling on the street and met an old man who was about to faint at the entrance of an alley. I went up and asked him, and I learned that he had anemia and needed to eat sweets to recover. I happened to have bought a package of pastries, so I gave them all to him, so…”

Before Jiang Jiuchu could continue, Shí Yan picked up the conversation, “So that old man gave you this jewelry and hidden weapon to thank you, and he gave you so many. Could it be that old man is a person who specializes in studying mechanisms and hidden weapons!”

Jiang Jiuchu didn’t expect this man to develop the plot himself, and she nodded quickly, “Yes, yes, Your Highness is indeed smart, that’s exactly it.”

“Heh!” Shí Yan couldn’t help chuckling, “Father-in-law said you have good fortune, it seems that’s indeed the case!”

“I just don’t know which alley the Princess Consort met him in? Why are there always old men with anemia fainting, and each of them has an extraordinary identity, and you happen to meet them all. One gave you a painting, and this one gave you a hidden weapon.”

As Shí Yan spoke, he leaned lazily against the back of the chair, looking at Jiang Jiuchu’s stiff face, and sighed, “I also wonder… what will the next fainting old man give you?”

Jiang Jiuchu’s face was a little ugly. She didn’t expect that the reason she used repeatedly had also been heard repeatedly by Shí Yan.

Without thinking, it must be her father showing off the painting by Yun You Gong Zi in front of this man, but showing off is showing off, there was no need to say it so clearly, right?

Alas! What a father who is a pit for his daughter. If she had known, she might as well have said she found it on the road!

Shí Yan didn’t seem to intend to let her go and continued to ask, “This Prince is a little curious, which of these two old men is real? Could it be that they are both fake!”

As soon as Jiang Jiuchu heard this, she immediately retorted, “How could that be? The painting is real.”

Shí Yan nodded thoughtfully, “Compared to giving hidden weapons, giving paintings is indeed more real, but tell me, why did you lie to this Prince about just one hidden weapon, could it be…”

He deliberately lengthened his tone, looking at Jiang Jiuchu’s nervous expression, and was satisfied in his heart, knowing that nervousness was a good thing.

He continued, “Could it be… ill-gotten wealth that you picked up on the road!”

After Jiang Jiuchu heard this, the heart she was holding up fell heavily, but she couldn’t think of any reason for a moment, so she had to follow Shí Yan’s words:

“Who said that what you pick up on the road is ill-gotten wealth? I also asked the maid to wait for the owner for several days, but no one came to claim it.”

Shí Yan had an expression as if he had guessed correctly, “It really is so. Go and bring your jewelry box.”

“What for?” Jiang Jiuchu didn’t quite understand what Shí Yan wanted to do?

Shí Yan looked casual, “Bring it over and let me see, maybe I know the owner!”

As soon as these words came out, Jiang Jiuchu couldn’t refuse to bring it over, but this one of hers wasn’t picked up at all! There was no owner at all, how could he know him?

She turned and walked towards the dressing table. After taking the jewelry box, she had a bad premonition in her heart. She wanted to take it back immediately, but Shí Yan stretched out his long arm and directly moved the box over.

Then he carefully rummaged through the box, picking up this one and then picking up that one, and finally successfully picked out all the hidden weapon jewelry.

He looked at the several pieces of jewelry in front of him and said, “Well… I really don’t know who lost these? However, as the Seventh Princess Consort, how can you wear things you picked up? Wouldn’t people laugh at you? If the owner sees it one day, they will also slander you for theft.”

“I…” Jiang Jiuchu was a little annoyed, feeling that her lie was so terrible.

“I picked these up in An Yang County. It’s been so many years. No one will recognize them. Your Highness doesn’t have to worry.” As she spoke, she reached out to take the jewelry back.

Seeing this, Shí Yan grabbed the jewelry in his hand and leaned against the back of the chair, “It’s unlucky to wear them no matter where you pick them up. After all, you don’t know who lost them.”

After he finished speaking, he immediately shouted outside, “Mu Feng.”

“What is your order, Master?” Mu Feng’s voice came from outside the house. Shí Yan got up and walked outside.

Seeing Shí Yan taking her hidden weapons and walking outside, Jiang Jiuchu was shocked and immediately raised her foot to chase after him.

Hearing Jiang Jiuchu following behind him, Shí Yan quickly opened the door and threw the things directly at Mu Feng, “Find a place to throw them away.”

“Don’t, I won’t wear them, at worst.” Jiang Jiuchu grabbed Shí Yan’s arm, but it was too late. Her jewelry and hidden weapons had already fallen into Mu Feng’s hands.

Before she could step over the threshold, Mu Feng, who had received the eyes of his master, immediately flashed and disappeared into the courtyard.

Shí Yan closed the door and looked at Jiang Jiuchu, “If you don’t wear them, there’s no need to keep them.”

Jiang Jiuchu was anxious and angry and glared directly at Shí Yan, “Those are my things, what right do you have to throw them away?”

Shí Yan ignored her angry expression and corrected her, “Those are things you picked up, they are not yours, and you don’t know who lost them. It’s unlucky to keep them.”

“What I pick up is mine, it’s none of your business. If you like meddling so much, why don’t you become a county magistrate and manage all the lost chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep?”

Jiang Jiuchu was really angry, and her eyes were red. She never expected Shí Yan to throw her things away, and he kept saying unlucky this and unlucky that, making her speechless.

Those were given to her by Brother Fu and saved her life, how could they be unlucky?

This was the second time Shí Yan had seen Jiang Jiuchu speak frantically in front of him. The last time was when she was drunk, which was completely different from her usual respectful and taciturn appearance in front of him.

He suppressed the discomfort in his heart and asked Jiang Jiuchu, “Do you like those jewelry and hidden weapons very much?”