Chapter 64 Then I Will Go

Qi Shaoyang subconsciously stepped forward to snatch the bead, but was blocked by Cui Yanran raising her hand.

"Young Master Qi, what are you doing?" Cui Yanran asked with a frown.

Seeing that the surrounding young men and women were looking at him with mocking gazes, Qi Shaoyang broke out in a cold sweat.

When he stole that bead to frame Jiang Luan, how could he have anticipated this current predicament? Right now, he was literally riding a tiger and unable to dismount.

Qi Shaoyang glanced sideways and discovered that the Emperor and Empress were standing far away and hadn't noticed this side. That little wretch Jiang Luan was happily playing with his foolish elder brother, looking entirely unconcerned with their surroundings.

Qi Shaoyang calmed down slightly and forced a smile at Cui Yanran. "As long as the young lady likes it... But please remember to keep it safe, and be careful of malicious people coveting it."

"How could there be malicious people in the Imperial Palace?" Cui Yanran found this utterly absurd and almost laughed out loud.

Yet, considering that this short, stubbly Qi Shaoyang had after all given her such a precious gift, Cui Yanran didn't want to deliberately embarrass him, so she softened her tone. "Thank you for the reminder, Young Master Qi, Yanran will be careful."

Though she said this, Cui Yanran turned around and immediately showed off the night-glowing pearl to her girlfriends.

Sweating profusely with anxiety, Qi Shaoyang had no choice but to follow closely behind Cui Yanran to keep a covert watch.

Just as he was walking on thin air with anxiety, someone patted him on the shoulder, giving him a genuine fright.

The person who patted him was Xiao Qing.

"Young Master Qi is truly generous," Xiao Qing said. "This humble person is convinced."

Xiao Qing was originally a penniless scholar who only caught the Emperor's eye after meeting an expert guide. Now, keeping his hands clean without having embezzled any money, he naturally could not be mentioned in the same breath as Qi Shaoyang.

At this moment, Qi Shaoyang had no heart to compete with Xiao Qing. He smiled absent-mindedly, "Not at all, not at all." His eyes continued to dart toward the night-glowing pearl Cui Yanran was flaunting.

Seeing that Qi Shaoyang ignored him and instead "stared" fixedly at Cui Yanran, Xiao Qing gave a soft "hum." "As for the young lady of the Cui family, this humble person is determined to win her. Young Master Qi, we have a long way to go; let's wait and see."

With that, he flicked his fan and walked away.

Unaware that he had provoked a major trouble, Qi Shaoyang continued to whisper warnings to Cui Yanran not to flaunt her wealth and to quickly put away the night-glowing pearl.

Cui Yanran only felt that Qi Shaoyang lingering around her, bowing and scraping like a eunuch, made her look down on him even more.

The garden party soon ended. The female relatives of noble families and daughters of officials gathered in groups to tidy up their makeup and clothes in the halls arranged by the Empress, preparing for tonight's grand imperial banquet.

Qi Shaoyang had originally wanted to follow close on Cui Yanran's heels, but he was firmly barred from entering the inner hall designated for female relatives.

Squatting outside, he scratched his head in frantic anxiety, terrified that Cui Yanran would show off her night-glowing pearl to every woman she met.

Seeing this, Jiang Luan deliberately strolled over to Qi Shaoyang and asked softly, "Just now I saw that young lady receive a gift from younger brother Yang and look so overjoyed. I wonder what younger brother Yang bestowed upon her?"

Hearing this, Qi Shaoyang's heart skipped a beat, and he awkwardly smiled, "Nothing much, just some cheap playthings."

"Oh."

Jiang Luan nodded and made to walk into the inner hall, only to be stopped by Qi Shaoyang with a terrified shout, "What are you going in there for?!"

"Just to freshen up and wash my face," Jiang Luan turned back and asked with a puzzled look.

"..."

Only then did Qi Shaoyang remember that Jiang Luan was a male consort and was permitted to enter the inner hall... Damn it, he had been so used to this little wretch's usual formidable demeanor that he had completely forgotten about this detail.

Terrified that Jiang Luan would run into Cui Yanran holding the night-glowing pearl, Qi Shaoyang hurried forward to block him. "Little sister-in-law, stay your steps! I have something to tell you!"

"有什么话待会儿再说吧," (Let's talk about it later,) Jiang Luan said deliberately, "I'm in a rush to go in and wash my face!"

Qi Shaoyang was sweating profusely with anxiety. "Wait—this is very important!"

"Fine then, I'll give you three seconds," Jiang Luan smiled like a fox, counting on his fingers. "One, two..."

Qi Shaoyang didn't have a damn thing to say to Jiang Luan; it was merely a stalling tactic to keep him here!

If he couldn't come up with a plausible excuse, Jiang Luan would still head into the inner hall.

Yet, being pressured by Jiang Luan, Qi Shaoyang's mind went entirely blank, unable to conjure up a single suitable reason as he simply glared fiercely at Jiang Luan's detestable face.

"...Three." Finishing the last finger, Jiang Luan nodded at Qi Shaoyang. "Since younger brother Yang has nothing to say, I'll be leaving first."

Deliberately ignoring him, Jiang Luan turned around and walked toward the inner hall.

To his surprise, Qi Shaoyang blurted out, "Little sister-in-law, actually, I have adored you for a long time!"

"..."

Jiang Luan thought to himself, what a tragedy, look what kind of state this child has been driven to!

Just as he was about to turn around to enjoy Qi Shaoyang's performance, he froze slightly upon seeing the person standing behind Qi Shaoyang.

Unaware that Jiang Luan's gaze wasn't on him but rather fixed on someone behind him, Qi Shaoyang clenched his teeth and continued talking nonsense, "All my previous antagonism toward you was merely because I loved you from afar without being able to have you, turning love into hatred. I wonder if little sister-in-law might give me a chance to resolve this knot in my heart..."

Jiang Luan coughed lightly. "It's really not that I won't give you this chance... Younger brother Yang, take a look at who is standing behind you?"

Hearing this, Qi Shaoyang spun around abruptly to find that Qi Yuheng had arrived behind him at some point.

"Grand... Grandfather..." Qi Shaoyang turned pale with fright. "Just now, I..."

Furious, the old man's beard trembled as he raised his cane and swung it down at Qi Shaoyang's head. "I'll beat you to death, you unfilial little beast!"

Frightened out of his wits, Qi Shaoyang turned tail and ran, shouting, "Yang-er was just joking with my little sister-in-law, Grandfather, you've misunderstood!"

"When is it still time to lie to me? You little beast, get over here!"

Watching this scene, Jiang Luan laughed so hard his stomach hurt.

With the obstacle removed, Jiang Luan generously entered the inner hall.

The hall was luxuriously decorated, spacious and bright, furnished with numerous soft couches.

Noble daughters and consorts, exquisitely groomed, sat about applying fragrant powder and combing their hair with small mirrors.

As soon as Jiang Luan stepped through the door, his eyes locked onto the conspicuously tall Miss Cui.

Just as Qi Shaoyang had feared, having acquired the treasured night-glowing pearl, Cui Yanran was indeed showing it off everywhere, displaying it to her acquainted girlfriends.

After listening to Cui Yanran boast for a while, Jiang Luan formulated a plan, walked up slowly, and said, "A precious pearl is rare, but a beauty is even harder to come by. A precious pearl paired with a beauty—truly magnificent."

Hearing such an abrupt and glowing praise, Cui Yanran was not surprised; instead, she felt quite pleased and turned her head to see whose mouth was smeared with honey.

However, when she saw Jiang Luan's alluring appearance, she couldn't help frowning. "It turns out to be you?"

Jiang Luan asked with mild curiosity, "The young lady knows me?"

"No..." In truth, Cui Yanran didn't know Jiang Luan's name; she only had a deep impression of him because he had stood alongside Qi family's handsome and towering foolish young master.

Originally, Cui Yanran didn't care for someone with Jiang Luan's bewitching looks, but this male consort's flattery had put her in an exceptionally good mood, so she replied with a faint smile, "I merely saw you in the imperial garden just now, so you looked familiar, Young Master."

Jiang Luan nodded and asked Cui Yanran, "Is the young lady preparing to perform a Spring Drum Dance before the Emperor?"

Hearing this, Cui Yanran was slightly startled. "How did you know?"

*You said it yourself while showing off that bead just now!*

Though Jiang Luan complained internally, he fabricated an excuse outwardly. "I saw the young lady wearing a gold-threaded pearl-adorned dance dress, hence the guess."

The Spring Drum Dance was a dance used to pray for blessings in the Tianqi Dynasty.

Dancers wrapped red silk around their waists, wore pearl-adorned dance dresses, and tied silver bells around their ankles. With every step and sway, their bodies rustled like wind blowing through leaves. The dancers would also strike drums with red silk amidst the dance to simulate rolling thunder and rain, praying for favorable weather.

This dance was extremely popular among the common people, so Cui Yanran was not surprised that Jiang Luan guessed it. Instead, she smugly spread out her wide skirt before Jiang Luan. "My skirt is not an ordinary gold-threaded pearl-adorned dance dress; every single gold thread has a piece of pure gold leaf dangling from it, solid gold. It looks even more graceful when dancing."

"The young lady is indeed ingenious and talented," Jiang Luan praised first before pivoting, shaking his head with a sigh, "What a pity..."

"What a pity?" Accustomed to pride, Cui Yanran always believed everything about herself was the best, making her extremely sensitive to Jiang Luan's word "pity."

"The dance dress is fine, but it lacks supreme accessories to set it off," Jiang Luan said with a look of regret, "losing a few shades of brilliance."

Prompted by Jiang Luan, Cui Yanran instantly felt that the jewelry she wore lacked magnificence.

However, with the grand imperial banquet fast approaching, returning to her residence to change now would mean missing the time.

Yet, being a perfectionist, Cui Yanran couldn't bear to stand still once she realized she wasn't "perfect" enough. She muttered to herself, "It seems I must borrow more jewelry from the others..."

"There's really no need to go to such trouble," Jiang Luan said. "The night-glowing pearl in your hand, Young Lady, is rare in this world. If you string it into an accessory and wear it around your neck, it will surely eclipse everyone else present."

Hearing Jiang Luan's suggestion, Cui Yanran felt as if she had been enlightened, finding the idea exceptionally good.

"I truly thank you for bumping into you here, Young Master," Cui Yanran beamed with joy. "I will immediately find a palace servant to string this pearl for me to wear!"

"As long as the young lady is happy." Watching Cui Yanran, Jiang Luan curved the corners of his lips upward into a cunning smile.

...

On the night of the grand imperial banquet, various families were guided by palace servants to find their seats and sit down.

Although the Prince of Suiping was the Emperor's cousin, the Emperor had countless uncles and cousins alike, rendering the Prince of Suiping utterly unremarkable. Consequently, the Qi family's seats were not at the front, but rather tucked away in an obscure corner where even seeing the Emperor's face clearly was a challenge.

Even so, Qi Yuheng still attached great importance to it, repeatedly admonishing his family that under no circumstances should they make fools of themselves during the banquet.

At this moment, Qi Shaoyang had undoubtedly become Qi Yuheng's least favorite person, receiving the most lectures. Yet Qi Shaoyang only muttered perfunctory "yes, yes, yes" while anxiously scanning the banquet for Cui Yanran.

Needless to say, the Cui Prime Minister's family occupied seats closest to the front. Having acquired the night-glowing pearl, Cui Yanran had indeed ordered it strung and hung across her chest for display, having long since thrown the person who "gifted" the pearl to the back of her mind.

The Prince of Suiping paid no attention to the strange atmosphere within his household, only frequently turning his head to gaze at a certain person seated opposite him.

After all these years, he had finally returned.

A mixture of joy and anger surged in the Prince of Suiping's heart as he secretly clenched his fists.

Harboring his own agenda and eagerly anticipating the "spectacular" performance slated for tonight's banquet, Jiang Luan repeatedly raised his teacup to drink heartily.

"Wife, drinking too much tea, be careful of frequent trips to the latrine later," Qi Shaolong murmured from beside him.

At the grand imperial banquet, each household shared a single table, with heads of families occupying individual desks. As a married couple, Jiang Luan naturally sat together with Qi Shaolong.

Hearing this, Jiang Luan put down his teacup and muttered, "Don't jinx me."