GTB Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Are you always this considerate of others?

Jiang Jiuchu stole a glance at Shí Yan. Seeing that he wasn’t looking at her but had gotten up to wash, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn’t want to push the responsibility onto him, but if she took it upon herself, she couldn’t find a suitable reason.

She picked up her boots, ready to get out of bed, but saw that her little toenail was bruised and purple. No wonder it hurt so much last night.

“Miss, are you getting up now?” Lu Luo walked in and asked.

Jiang Jiuchu nodded, “Yes, go get me some socks.”

Lu Luo went to her young lady’s rosewood chest, took out a pomegranate red dress and a pair of socks, and handed them to Jiang Jiuchu.

Just as she helped her young lady put on her clothes, she saw Jiang Jiuchu’s bruised toenail. “Miss, how did your toe get hurt?”

“I accidentally bumped it. It’s nothing.” Jiang Jiuchu said as she put on her socks.

The pomegranate red dress with gold embroidery looked less solemn and more charming on Jiang Jiuchu than a scarlet wedding gown, but it was still stunning at first glance.

Shí Yan finished washing up and sat at the round table, looking at Jiang Jiuchu in front of the dressing table. His eyes narrowed slightly, and no one knew what he was thinking.

At this moment, a middle-aged woman, with a young maidservant, brought breakfast. The young maidservant put down the breakfast and hurriedly retreated, as if she dared not stay for a moment longer. The middle-aged woman said to Shí Yan:

“Your Highness, should this old servant help you change the bedding?” Aunt Xing thought that after a night, the bedding probably… needed to be changed.

“No need, change it in a few days!” Shí Yan picked up the porcelain bowl in front of him and scooped the red date and longan porridge in front of him, spoonful by spoonful.

“Yes.” Aunt Xing looked at her prince, who was actually actively helping the princess consort with porridge, and a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes.

She turned her head and looked at Jiang Jiuchu, who was dressing up in front of the dressing table, thinking that her prince had finally married a princess consort, and there was finally some life in this mansion. If her young lady knew in the afterlife, she would be at ease.

She happily retreated, never expecting that this Miss Jiang could win her prince’s favor. It was really not easy.

You should know that although her prince appeared unrestrained on the outside, he was very wary and never easily opened his heart to others.

Now, being able to marry a princess consort who cared about her prince was really an unexpected good thing. It seemed that the Empress Dowager had good judgment and understood her prince.

Seeing that Jiang Jiuchu was ready, Shí Yan picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

Jiang Jiuchu was a little surprised to see this. She didn’t expect this impolite person to wait for her to eat together. Then, she thought that there must be servants present, so he was deliberately putting on a show.

After the two finished breakfast, they got into the carriage that had already been prepared in front of the mansion and headed to the palace.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Jiuchu looked at the luxurious decorations that were all complete and sighed again. Last time, it was dark, and she didn’t see it clearly. She only remembered that the tea table in front of her hit her forehead, causing a painful bump.

Shí Yan leaned against the inner wall of the carriage, his eyes falling unreservedly on Jiang Jiuchu, who was sitting upright on the other side, making Jiang Jiuchu feel uncomfortable. She turned slightly and looked out the window.

After a while, her neck was sore from twisting, so she turned her head back, but she saw Shí Yan still looking at her. Although there was no romantic interest in this person’s eyes, it was as if he wanted to see through her. She couldn’t hold back and asked, “Your Highness, why are you staring at me?”

“Nothing.” Shí Yan opened his folding fan, somewhat casually.

“I was just thinking, what reason are you going to use to prevaricate the Empress Dowager tomorrow? You can’t… say I was drunk again, right?”

Jiang Jiuchu’s face turned red, and then she said embarrassedly, “That… tomorrow, there’s no need to find a reason. When the time comes, just put some… blood on it.”

Her voice became very soft as she spoke, and her face flushed red. She cried inwardly, what kind of sin had she committed! To talk about this kind of thing with a man she had only met two or three times.

Shí Yan looked at Jiang Jiuchu, who was blushing, and was a little surprised. He thought this girl had thick skin, but he didn’t expect her to blush so easily.

“Oh, so you’re deceiving the Empress Dowager, which is no small crime.”

Jiang Jiuchu was slightly startled. She was a little unhappy with Shí Yan’s words, which made it sound like it was her business alone.

Besides, although it was a deception, no one would know about it except the two of them. Why did he have to scare her like that?

“If you don’t say it, and I don’t say it, how would the Empress Dowager know?”

Shí Yan closed his folding fan, “So you want me to deceive the Empress Dowager with you?”

As he said that, a look of embarrassment appeared on his face, “But I have always been the Empress Dowager’s good grandson, and I have never deceived my grandmother.”

Jiang Jiuchu stared at Shí Yan in shock, her eyebrows slowly furrowing. What did this person mean? He wanted to be a fake couple, but he wasn’t willing to put in any effort or take any responsibility?

Besides, that was his grandmother. She wasn’t afraid, so what was he afraid of? A good grandson? How come she didn’t see it that way?

But then she thought, the current Empress Dowager was famous for spoiling him. Could it be that he was really a good grandson from head to toe in front of the Empress Dowager?

“Then what do you say? Listen to you?” Humph, don’t even think about putting all the responsibility on her. She wasn’t a fool.

“Alas.” Shí Yan sighed, as if he hadn’t expected it. “I didn’t expect Grandmother to care about… this. In that case, let’s forget about yesterday’s agreement.”

Jiang Jiuchu was shocked. Forget about it? How could that be allowed?

She looked at Shí Yan suspiciously, thinking, how filial was this person? For the sake of the Empress Dowager, he could even accept someone he didn’t like? Just for that piece of Yuan silk?

Thinking of this, she felt a little angry in her heart. This person was responsible to the Empress Dowager, but what about her! Just for his filial piety, just for that bit of blood, she would do that with him? And then what? He would abandon her? Throw her into the Cold Palace?

No way, she thought fiercely in her heart, and then put on a flattering expression.

“Your Highness, don’t be so stubborn. You still have to think about yourself. Don’t wrong yourself.

Shí Yan looked thoughtful, but he was wondering inwardly, could it be that his questioning last night had such a big impact on her?

Seeing that he didn’t say anything for a long time, Jiang Jiuchu said again, “Also, if you meet someone you like in the future, it will be easier to explain, won’t it?”

“Explain? Explain to whom? You are now my lawfully wedded Seventh Princess Consort. Isn’t consummating the marriage a matter of course? Besides, it’s normal for men to have three wives and four concubines. Who do I need to explain to?”

Shí Yan sneered in his heart. Here it came again, always acting like she was thinking of him, but she was clearing herself of any involvement.

He sat up and moved directly closer to Jiang Jiuchu, “Are you always this considerate of others? Or is it that…”

As he spoke, he paused deliberately, his phoenix eyes staring straight at Jiang Jiuchu with a dangerous glint.

“Is it that you don’t want to, and you want to wait until I meet someone I like in the future, so you can leave with a clear conscience?

“Could it be… that you have someone you like?”