Chapter 51: Wanting to Teach Her a Lesson

"Xuanheng, what a coincidence?"

Li Zhengfu greeted Lu Xuanheng with a smile, then shifted his gaze to Jiang You'an, his eyes lighting up slightly. "And who is this young lady?"

Jiang You'an clenched her palms nervously. Why on earth did the Prince of Xian's heir have to see her with Lu Xuanheng?

She had almost been dealt with by the Princess of Xian previously. What if this heir decided to pick a bone with her as well?

Lu Xuanheng, however, remained completely composed. "This is my cousin, Jiang You'an."

"Ah, Miss Jiang, I presume."

Following the proper etiquette, Jiang You'an curtsied to Li Zhengfu. "Greetings, Your Highness."

"No need for such formality."

Li Zhengfu looked the fair and beautiful woman up and down from head to toe, taking a long while before finally pulling his gaze away from her face.

He turned to Lu Xuanheng, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "How is it that the two of you are together?"

Lu Xuanheng's expression was calm. "We came out for a casual meal."

Li Zhengfu nodded. "I just arrived. Why don't you join me for a few more drinks?"

With that, he stepped closer to Jiang You'an.

Lu Xuanheng took a half-step forward, placing himself right in front of Jiang You'an. "We have matters at home, so we won't intrude upon Your Highness's good mood."

Li Zhengfu did not take offense, smiling as he said, "Very well, then."

Lu Xuanheng gave Li Zhengfu a slight bow, then glanced at Jiang You'an, signaling her to walk ahead.

Watching Jiang You'an's slender and graceful figure, Li Zhengfu curled the corners of his lips.

Once they left the Hele Restaurant and boarded the carriage, Jiang You'an finally let out a sigh of relief. The moment she looked up, however, she found Lu Xuanheng wearing a sullen expression, his eyes staring coldly at her.

Was he worried that Li Zhengfu would go back and report this to the Princess, and was now blaming her for causing him trouble?

Annoyance flared up in Jiang You'an. "I didn't expect to run into Li Zhengfu here either! Besides, you were the one who picked this place. Even if Li Zhengfu goes back and speaks ill of you to the Princess, you can't blame that on me. Why are you glaring at me like that?"

Lu Xuanheng's expression remained icy.

Just now, Li Zhengfu's eyes had been practically glued to her, yet she hadn't noticed at all, and was still rambling on about this and that.

Over the past year and more, if he hadn't kept her tightly tethered by his side, heaven knows how many people would have coveted her, and she probably would have been lured away by some stray men outside long ago!

Staring intently at Jiang You'an, looking at her autumn-water eyes and her moistened red lips, a sudden surge of restlessness welled up inside him.

Why did she have to be born looking so bewitching?

Abruptly, Lu Xuanheng pulled Jiang You'an toward him, cupped the back of her head, and crushed his lips onto hers.

His possessiveness erupted at that moment. Overwhelmed by impulse, he invaded her mouth fiercely and urgently.

Jiang You'an's tongue grew numb from his suction, and she pushed at him in dissatisfaction, but he refused to let go as if he intended to devour her entirely. Only when she was nearly out of breath did Lu Xuanheng finally release her.

With her red lips slightly parted, she panted in short, shallow breaths. Her lips were crimson, her cheeks flushed, and her glistening eyes shimmering with moisture, she glared at him and snapped, "Have you lost your mind?!"

Lowering his gaze to look at her, Lu Xuanheng said nothing, silently turning his face away to the other side.

"Inexplicable," Jiang You'an muttered under her breath, a fresh wave of irritation washing over her as she gave him a kick.

Remaining completely silent, Lu Xuanheng crossed his arms, leaned back against the carriage wall, and feigned sleep.

His thoughts drifted back to the recent trouble at the refugee shelter in the west of the city. When he had sensed there was more to the incident beneath the surface, Li Zhengfu had suddenly stepped in to take over. At the time, he had assumed Li Zhengfu was merely trying to cover something up.

Later on, his investigations led him to the Earl of Zhongyuan. He had initially thought the Earl was in cahoots with Li Zhengfu, but the Earl answered to a different master, one who wasn't even in the capital. Therefore, Li Zhengfu wasn't covering for the Earl; he had entirely different motives. What on earth was he planning? Nothing unusual had happened at the refugee shelter lately...

Either way, Lu Xuanheng had a persistent, ominous premonition.

...

Only a few days after their encounter with Li Zhengfu at the restaurant, the Princess of Nanhua hosted a flower-viewing banquet and sent an invitation to the Lu family.

Upon hearing the news, Jiang You'an's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Li Zhengfu really did mention their encounter at the restaurant to Li Lianzhu, and now the Princess was summoning her to give her a dressing-down?

With her heart in her throat, she initially wanted to find an excuse to decline. However, the banquet was exclusively for young maidens, and the invitation sent to the Lu residence specifically named Lu Yun瑶 and Jiang You'an.

If she fabricated an excuse not to go, it would simply hand Li Lianzhu a legitimate reason to punish her.

Left with no choice, Jiang You'an had to accompany Lu Yun瑶. She would simply deal with whatever came her way.

This was actually Jiang You'an's first time visiting the Prince's estate. Already feeling uneasy, the massive and unfamiliar surroundings made her feel even more insecure.

The flower-viewing banquet was held in the estate's rear gardens. As it was springtime, flowers and plants of all varieties were blooming simultaneously, creating a colorful and breathtaking scene.

A gathering of brilliant young ladies stood amidst the springtime scenery, looking even more exquisite and delicate than the flowers themselves.

When Jiang You'an and Lu Yun瑶 arrived, they instantly became the center of attention, and many stepped forward to converse.

Today's hostess was Li Lianzhu, and since Lu Xuanheng was soon to marry her, everyone naturally wanted to curry favor with Lu Yun瑶, leaving almost no one to pay attention to Jiang You'an.

With no heart to socialize, Jiang You'an remained preoccupied, constantly worrying whether Li Lianzhu would make things difficult for her.

A short while later, all the guests had arrived, and Li Lianzhu made her appearance.

Along with everyone else, Jiang You'an curtsied to greet her, observing her closely, though she could not detect anything amiss.

Smiling, Li Lianzhu invited everyone to take their seats. Gathered in a warm pavilion, the guests sipped floral wine and played classical word games.

The atmosphere started off quite harmonious. Before long, one of the young ladies began to flatter Li Lianzhu. "This flower-viewing banquet is truly wonderful. Thank you, Princess, for treating us to such a lovely time."

With a smile, Li Lianzhu replied, "We are all like sisters here; we should gather more often."

Another young lady teased, "The Princess is soon to marry the Eldest Young Master Lu. The next time we gather, I suppose it will be to drink your wedding wine."

The other maidens all laughed.

Looking completely unoffended, Li Lianzhu said with a friendly expression, "Speaking of marriages, Miss Jiang and the Fourth Young Master of the Marquis of Yong'an's estate are actually betrothed even sooner than us. If we are to drink wedding wine, we shall be drinking hers first."

The conversation abruptly shifted to Jiang You'an. Her expression stiffened slightly as a vague sense of foreboding washed over her.

A contemptuous chuckle immediately rippled through the gathering.

"As expected of You'an, managing to climb up to a Marquis's estate. By what earthly method did you pull that off? Do share it with your sisters."

Suppressing her emotions, Jiang You'an offered a slow smile. "It was merely good fortune, fortunate enough to catch his eye."

"If you ask me, all merits pale in comparison to a pretty face. Someone as beautiful as You'an—even if she's just an empty vase—would still be a joy to look at when brought into the home."

Jiang You'an nodded thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case. Young Master Su perhaps took a fancy to my face. But even if I were to teach you this method, you wouldn't be able to use it anyway."

Although the young lady who spoke came from a respectable background, her appearance was rather mediocre. Stung by Jiang You'an's remark, a flush of red spread across her face.

Overcome by agitation and casting aside all restraint, she let out a cold snort. "You simply stepped in dog excrement to be able to marry into a Marquis's estate. It's truly pitiful for that Young Master Su, having to take a criminal's daughter as his wife. What else can you do besides drag him down? I honestly wonder what is wrong with Young Master Su's brain."

Jiang You'an's expression turned glacial.