On the Horse Carriage (2)

“w.a.n.gye……” Jing Wan lifted her, looking to him in somewhat disbelief.

Li Hong Yuan couldn't help but laugh, “Could it be that this prince's life can't even compare to a marriage that no one is happy with?”

“Many thanks w.a.n.gye, just this matter will probably trouble w.a.n.gye.”

“Can't be counted as trouble, nothing more than just being a b.a.s.t.a.r.d one more time. This prince has done plenty of foolish things, one more isn't going to make a difference.” Li Hong Yuan rather self-mockingly said.

Jing Wan's lips moved, feeling rather guilty.

Li Hong Yuan, this big-tailed wolf, was smugly wagging his tail inside. This was already part of the plan originally anyways, so be able to obtain an unexpected harvest now, can also be considered a small compensation for him. “However, there is one thing that one needs to remind Miss Luo. This prince has a reputation of cursing wives. The women that have been engaged to this prince, not one has ended well. Afraid, before this prince can have this matter resolved, that good sister of yours will have already met with mishap.”

Jing Wan unconcernedly smiled, “Those are all pure nonsense. This subject doesn't believe them, and even if there really is such a thing, it is probably because one still hasn't encountered that fated person.”

Indeed. To have not encountered that fated person. In the past life, you didn't encounter your fated person, that's why you died so tragically. This prince didn't encounter one's fated person, thus suffered deception and betrayal. The two of us should've been together! “Have a seat.”

“w.a.n.gye, if there's nothing else, this subject wishes to withdraw first, after all……….”

“Miss Luo is planning to throw me away after using? Not willing to accompany this prince for a while at all?”

Jing Wan was speechless, what did he mean ‘throw away after using'? Saying it as if she was like that something…..speechless! But since he already said it like that, Jing Wan could only sit back down.

For a moment, the inside of the horse carriage fell into silence. Jing Wan looked to her nose with her nose pointed to her chest, while Li Hong Yuan just stared at her the whole time.

With such an indiscreet gaze, it was very difficult for Jing Wan to even pretend to not notice. She finally couldn't bear it any longer and looked towards Li Hong Yuan, “Is this subject really that similar with that miss?”

“En?” Li Hong Yuan was somewhat baffled by her question, and momentarily didn't respond.

The result of Jing Wan's deduction was that this Jin Qinw.a.n.g originally had a true love, just don't know for what reason she ended up leaving him, and perhaps because of this, he thus turned l.u.s.tful and corrupt. Originally she thought that he was confused from the fever that night and thus grabbed the person in front of him. But just now, he clearly was very awake, yet still did the same thing. Then that can only mean that she and that girl shared similarities, and moreover, probably quite a bit of similarities. Although saying it out loud might expose one's scars, or even anger him, but getting stared at like there was a blade at one's back was very uncomfortable. Thus, Jing Wan decided to be daring for once.

Seeing him not understand, she added, “That Miss ‘Wan Wan' you spoke of.”

How could Li Hong Yuan still not understand. This was her thinking that he had confused her with someone else. His face immediately darkened. He'd done that much, yet this was the result he got? He very much wanted to directly have her dragged over, and then tell her, who exactly he was calling!

Jing Wan felt she might have lit an explosive barrel. Jin Qinw.a.n.g looked as if he wanted to choke her to death.

Jing Wan was vexed. Why did she momentarily go dumb, daring to stroke the tiger's whiskers? Could it be because this man before her was presently too gentle? Or was she relying on the fact that she resembled his ‘beloved', and relying on the fact that she was his ‘benefactor'? Actually, Jing Wan herself didn't notice. She has always been a cautious person, but on matters regarding Li Hong Yuan, she's been brazen more than once.

“w.a.n.gye, please quell your anger.”

“Who told you?” Li Hong Yuan practically said it through clenched teeth.

“Is that not the case?” Jing Wan weakly asked in reply.

Li Hong Yuan was quite stifled by her words. Normally, it was always him suffocating others. Was Jing Wan specially sent here to subdue him? In actuality, one can't blame Jing Wan for thinking like that. There was no way of explaining this matter after all. “You, shut up.”

Jing Wan obediently did as told. After all, this living Enma had only let her shut up, and not directly choke her to death. This was already very benevolent.

Li Hong Yuan frowned, firmly closing his eyes, and covered his eyes and brows with his hand.

Jing Wan never thought that this insufferably arrogant man was actually feeling this painful. As expected, no matter how ruthless, how dark, a person was, they would all have a tender side in their heart.

By the time Li Hong Yuan moved his hand away, he'd already regained his composure, as he just gloomily looked to Jing Wan.

Jing Wan pursed her lips, “This subject is very sorry.”

“Over with by just apologizing? Since Miss Luo feels that way, then why don't you give yourself to this prince as compensation.” Li Hong Yuan coldly said.

“w.a.n.gye, please have dignity.” Jing Wan although felt guilty towards that matter just now, that didn't mean that she would just obediently get insulted like that.

Tsk, still this amendable to coaxing but not coercion. In his past life, for her to have ended up that miserable, this personality more or less held some responsibility. Under the imperial power, it can be said, if one didn't have power, then there was no basis for one to be proud, and was further likely to get that pride snapped in half. In reality, if Wan Wan had chosen him, and abandoned her husband's family, she at least could've lived, but she just had to be lofty and unyielding. Since her husband's family had yet to wrong her, then she'll neither leave nor abandon, choosing the most difficult and also most tragic path.

“This prince just doesn't have the word ‘dignity' here, what will you do?”

Jing Wan looked to him face to face with furrowed brows and cold eyes, “w.a.n.gye holds a high position and heavy power, this subject in your eyes, naturally isn't anything at all……….”

“Luo family…….”

With just two words, Li Hong Yuan made Jing Wan shut her mouth. Actually, her weakness was very obvious, and very easy to grasp as well. People like them definitely would hit at every shot.

“w.a.n.gye doesn't need to use the Luo family to threaten this subject, this subject will take responsibility for one's own actions………”

“To rather be a shattered jade, than an intact tile[1], to self-perish for the Luo family?”

A trace of astonishment flashed in Jing Wan's eyes. This man really was terrifying, having everything all seen so thoroughly.

As expected, when encountering something that would threaten the Luo family, she still would make the same choice.

Li Hong Yuan laughed, “This prince isn't someone that won't implicate just because you've cut off all relations. Enough, this prince isn't that petty of a person, and wouldn't go as far as to do something like seizing the home and exterminating the clan because of such trivial matters.” Seeing Jing Wan still frowning and somewhat annoyed, “A family's daughter should just dress prettily and live out one's days carefreely, without worries. Don't think of this and that all day. Being overly anxious and worried, careful not to wither too quickly, or your future husband will heartache.”

Jing Wan once again raised her eyebrows. Was this really something Jin Qinw.a.n.g would say? And also the speed of this face change………..

“Just take it as this prince treating you as her. However, you don't need to worry, this prince won't do anything to you.” This wasn't necessarily not an excuse for him to have a reason to be rightfully good to her[2]. As for this misunderstanding, since it has already been created, he'll just have to slowly think of a way to resolve it after they get married. By that time, the person will already be in his mouth anyways. There will be plenty of time to slowly convince her, plenty of time to let her see the truth clearly. “You can go now, return home quickly.”

Jing Wan just felt this Jin Qinw.a.n.g's att.i.tude was particularly weird, and really like he said, had her treated as ‘her', but her intuition tells her this wasn't really the case. However, being alone with an outside male for this long was indeed very inappropriate. Since he allowed her to leave, Jing Wan didn't stay any longer. “This subject bids farewell.”

An Yi very perceptively lifted open the curtain from the outside, having placed a stool next to the horse carriage, and invited Jing Wan down from the carriage in a respectful manner.

After coming down from the horse carriage, Jing Wan turned back and glanced at Li Hong Yuan. Li Hong Yuan was sitting upright, faintly smiling as he nodded at her. Faint tenderness showed in his eyes, yet it also wasn't like he was looking at someone else through her.

Seeing their family's miss finally come down, Gong mama and the servant girls hurriedly went forward. The servant girls' faces were full of worry, and seeing that Jing Wan's complexion wasn't very good, even thought that something had happened. Even Gong mama was slightly frowning. Because the two horse carriages were separated rather far apart, she too only faintly heard a little and wasn't able to link everything together. “Miss……..”

“I'm fine, let's go back.” Jing Wan waved her hand.

Seeing her not wis.h.i.+ng to say more, Gong mama also didn't ask any further and just glanced at Li Hong Yuan in the horse carriage from far away.

Long after the Luo family's horse carriage left, Li Hong Yuan was still just sitting there as before, silently without a word. Since he didn't say anything, An Yi couldn't do anything either, remaining just like a shadow.

Actually, An Yi had heard Jing Wan's words and rather sympathized his own master.

“An Yi, are you thinking that all this is the retribution from this prince's usual evil deeds?”

An Yi instantly was startled into a cold sweat. This kind of feeling of instantly getting seen through really was very terrifying. “This subordinate doesn't dare.”

“Return to the manor.”

“Yes.”

After returning to the Jin Qinw.a.n.g Manor, Eunuch Mu informed him of two things. One was that the Chen family's third branch people have reached the capital, and two, Kang Qinw.a.n.g has entered the palace.

“Wan Wan is about to get engaged?” Although this was part of the plan, he still felt very annoyed inside.

As expected, master only cares about this. Clearly the second matter was more pressing, alright!

[1] Idiom meaning to rather die in dignity than to live in shame.

[2] There were a few other adjectives that I couldn't squeeze in so the sentence may lose a bit of the original meaning, but he means being good to her in a justified way, since he needs a reason to be good to her, or she'll get suspicious of him.

T/N: I swear to G.o.d this topic is going to be the death of me. On my first read through of this novel, I had this s.h.i.+t figured out by the third chapter. And there was even an explanation from the author in chapter 29 that I translated. I DREW A TIMELINE FOR ANYONE STILL CONFUSED ABOUT THE TIMELINE. IT'S LIKE A BRANCHING PATH. I'm going to go cry in a corner somewhere now.