GTB Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Sister-in-law, is the Seventh Prince easy to talk to?

Chapter 48: Sister-in-law, is the Seventh Prince easy to talk to?

In the mid-afternoon, the sky suddenly turned gloomy.

Jiang Jiuchu sat by the window, watching the dark clouds slowly gather in the sky, feeling a sense of oppression in her heart, an inexplicable bad feeling.

“Luo, have someone wait at the gate. If sister-in-law returns, report to me immediately.”

“Yes.” Green Luo responded and withdrew.

Perhaps it was the inexplicable anxiety that made Jiang Jiuchu start recalling the past. It seemed she had always been very fortunate growing up, and even if something happened, it was always a narrow escape.

This time should be the same. Besides, she and Brother Fu were destined, otherwise, how could they have met again? So she and Brother Fu must be a predestined fate.

Thinking this way, she felt that her family background was just to make up the numbers, and she had no chance of being chosen at all.

Moreover, her brother had already married a princess. How could she, as his sister, also marry a prince by such a coincidence? She had never heard of such a thing anyway.

Suddenly, a few drops of rain fell on the windowsill. She got up and just closed the window when she heard hurried footsteps approaching the door.

She turned her head and saw them, her face immediately lighting up with joy. She quickly went to greet them, “Sister-in-law, Brother.”

Looking at the two of them, she suddenly felt relieved and laughed, “I was wondering why sister-in-law came back so late. It turns out you were waiting for brother to return to the mansion together!”

As she spoke, she led Shí Qingya to sit at the round table.

“The Empress Dowager asked me to stay for lunch, so I simply waited for your brother to finish his official duties and come back together.” Shí Qingya finished speaking and glanced at her husband, unsure how to begin.

They had been shocked by Jiuchu’s matter these past two days. Now, it was even better; Jiuchu was probably going to be shocked along with them.

Jiang Jiuche received his wife’s look and then sat down, uttering the words he had been brewing in his heart: “Jiuchu, do you believe in fate?”

Jiang Jiuchu was about to ask Shí Qingya about the selection of consorts when she heard Jiang Jiuche’s words.

She nodded, somewhat confused, not understanding the intention of her brother’s question. Was he planning to help her and Brother Fu, or was he saying that her relationship with Brother Fu was unreliable?

However, the next moment, Jiang Jiuche’s words shattered all her thoughts in an instant. In an instant, all that remained in her ears was the sound of rain pattering outside.

“Today, the portrait that your sister-in-law deliberately dropped was picked up by the Seventh Prince.”

“So… you were chosen.”

Jiang Jiuche’s words were like a heavy hammer, slamming her heart into the abyss.

Shí Qingya looked at Jiang Jiuchu’s pale and stunned face and thought for a moment before speaking, “I deliberately dropped two portraits, and they were both picked up by Seventh Brother.”

She said this, firstly, to say that Seventh Brother might not have chosen her simply because he picked up her portrait, and secondly, because she was worried that her sister-in-law would blame her for being too clever for her own good.

She was even wondering, if today’s plan had succeeded and there was no Jiuchu in the portraits, would her Seventh Brother still have chosen someone?

The two of them saw that Jiang Jiuchu remained silent, only looking down at the teapot on the table, not knowing what she was thinking.

“Jiuchu, it’s all sister-in-law’s fault. Sister-in-law didn’t…”

Before Shí Qingya could finish speaking, she saw Jiang Jiuchu raise her eyes to look at her, “No, it’s not sister-in-law’s fault. Sister-in-law has already tried her best. This method was very good in the first place. Maybe I’m just unlucky! Such a good method didn’t succeed.”

She knew that it was already quite difficult for her sister-in-law to agree to help with this matter, so how could she blame her?

So… her encounter with Brother Fu, could it be a joke played by God?

Or was it that beautiful love must, like in storybooks, go through hardships before finally being together?

“Sister-in-law, is the Seventh Prince easy to talk to? Can I tell him that I have someone I like and ask him to choose another one? Anyway, he’s just choosing randomly. He’s never even met me. It wouldn’t be a big deal for him to choose another one, right?”

The calm inquiry made Shí Qingya feel that Jiang Jiuchu was truly afraid. Her tone of reply also became cautious.

“Sister-in-law doesn’t know him too well either. I feel that his personality is a bit unpredictable. If you go and talk to him like this, I really can’t say what he will do.”

As soon as Shí Qingya finished speaking, Jiang Jiuche’s serious voice rang out, “Jiuchu, don’t be impulsive. He is a prince. Do you think everyone is as easy to talk to as your sister-in-law?”

“Moreover, men are inherently competitive in this regard. Since he has chosen you, he must have taken a liking to you to some extent. At least, among so many portraits, you are the one he chose, and the Empress Dowager is also involved in this. How can he easily change his mind?”

Although Jiang Jiuche was not familiar with the Seventh Prince, he had heard about him. A pampered, arrogant, and dissolute prince, how could he tolerate his chosen consort saying that she admired someone else?

He continued, “I am a man. I understand some men’s minds better than you. If you rashly go and say that, maybe he will not only refuse to break off the engagement but also feel that his self-esteem has been insulted and cause trouble for the person you like, or he may become rebellious and insist on marrying you. Then, not only will you not be able to break off the engagement, but you will also create resentment. How will you be able to live in the future?”

Jiang Jiuchu was obviously frightened by these words and dared not have such thoughts again. But what was she going to do? Was she just… going to marry someone she had never even met?

That was not the main point. The main point was that she wanted to marry Brother Fu. She wanted to travel all over the mountains and rivers with Brother Fu and be the most enviable couple.

“Then is there any other way?” She looked at her brother, her eyes full of helplessness.

The heavy rain turned into a drizzle and finally cleared up after four consecutive days.

That morning, a rainbow appeared in the sky, and the cleansed sunlight fell in the courtyard, as if even purer. Although a few petals of the flowers in the yard had been knocked off by the rain, they had transformed and become even more vibrant and delicate.

In the room, Jiang Jiuchu was about to pull open the cabinet, take out men’s clothing to change into, and go out to find Song Fuge when Ji Shutíng’s voice came from outside the house.

“Jiuchu.” Ji Shutíng stepped over the threshold and smiled, “The weather is nice today. Let’s go out for a walk!”

“Okay!” Jiang Jiuchu closed the cabinet door that she had opened. She was worried that her parents and brother would not let her leave the house. Now that Shutíng had come to find her, they should not stop her anymore.

She asked Green Luo to bring two veils over and handed one to Ji Shutíng, “Lang, do you want to cover up your stunning beauty?”

She had to cover up a bit when she went to see Song Fuge now. Not only did she have to wear the veil, but Green Luo had to wear it too.

“Sure, I’ll wear one with you.” Ji Shutíng took it very righteously.

In the front yard, Madam Ye saw her daughter and Ji Shutíng leaving the house together. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not stop them. After all, Jiuchu had not left the courtyard for seven or eight days.

In the carriage, Ji Shutíng saw Jiang Jiuchu looking listless, “Jiuchu, what’s wrong with you! Could it be that all the rain these past few days has fallen on you? Why do you look so dispirited?”

Hearing this, Jiang Jiuchu turned her body to the side. Without anyone to share her feelings with, she asked Ji Shutíng, “Shutíng, if you had someone you liked, but you had to marry someone you had never even met, what would you do?”

Hearing this, Ji Shutíng’s expression froze instantly, her eyes staring straight at Jiang Jiuchu, “Are you talking about yourself?”

Looking at Jiang Jiuchu’s appearance, it was obvious that she was talking about herself, but she still couldn’t believe it. They hadn’t seen each other for only a short time, and Jiuchu was already engaged and even had someone she liked?

“Tell me, if it were you, what would you do?” Jiang Jiuchu did not answer her question, stubbornly waiting for her friend’s answer.

Ji Shutíng endured the shock in her heart and thought for a moment before saying directly, “If I had someone I liked, I definitely wouldn’t marry! I would cry, make a fuss, and threaten to hang myself. I don’t believe my brother wouldn’t feel sorry for me.”

“Is that so? Then what if the other party is of noble status and won’t allow you to break off the engagement, nor will your family allow you to break off the engagement?”

Jiang Jiuchu smiled bitterly to herself. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried to do that before, but this time, it couldn’t be resolved by crying, making a fuss, and threatening to hang herself.