"You're not feeling envious and eager because my second brother is getting married at the end of the year, are you? You're the same age as my second brother, isn't it too early for you to be considering these things?"
Upon looking up, Xie Jiang saw Xu Hengyi's face flushed with budding affection, and for some reason, her already stunning face became even more lively as she thought of something.
"You, you, you haven't taken a liking to a girl, have you? Who is it you like?"
Xu Hengyi's expression was a little displeased.
Yilan Pavilion was here. Tian Kangtai led the two over, "This way."
Xu Hengyi followed absentmindedly, quickly sifting through all the women Xie Jiang had interacted with since arriving in the capital.
For noble families like theirs, marriage was a matter of parental arrangement and matchmakers; one couldn't marry whomever they pleased.
Xie Jiang was alone in Da Yu, with no elders by her side, so it shouldn't be the case that she was seriously considering marriage.
It was entirely possible for Xie Jiang to take a few concubines before marrying a wife.
Therefore, her two sisters could be ruled out first.
Her sisters would absolutely not become concubines.
Not even Xie Jiang.
Suddenly, the image of Song Xun's young face, which already showed unparalleled beauty, flashed in his mind.
"Although the Duke of Dingguo's mansion is not what it used to be, I still advise you, don't be so… I see you have a pretty good relationship with Young Master Song as siblings; you wouldn't be so insane, would you?"
"What?"
Xie Jiang was immersed in her pleasant fantasies of having women on both sides. She hadn't heard a word of what Xu Hengyi was saying. When Xu Hengyi asked her, she looked at him blankly.
"Oh, nothing…"
It was good that she wasn't planning to lay her hands on Miss Song San.
Then who was Xie Jiang leering at with such a lecherous expression?
"You haven't taken a liking to Lan Meng, have you? I advise you to quickly give up that thought. Lan Meng is already taken, and not everyone can covet her. Lan Meng is the woman of the Sect Master of Cui Shan Sect. You can pick any other woman to fight over, but why must you fight the Sect Master of Cui Shan Sect for a woman!"
As they spoke, they entered the viewing hall on the second floor of the water pavilion.
The Duke of Qian and the Marquis of Yongxin and the Marquis of Yongchang were all present.
Xu Hengyi quickly covered his mouth, trying to minimize his presence.
The three old gentlemen had sharp hearing and eyesight, and Xu Hengyi had not intentionally lowered his voice when he spoke. How could they not have heard?
The Duke of Qian glanced at the two entering, his gaze falling on Xie Jiang. "Did you go to the pleasure house to snatch a woman again?"
Xie Jiang said, "What do you mean 'again'? Don't believe rumors. Do I need to snatch women?"
The Marquis of Yongxin and the Marquis of Yongchang were playing chess, with the Duke of Qian sitting in the middle observing.
Hearing Xie Jiang's words, the Marquis of Yongxin turned around. "Are women snatching you?"
He sized up Xie Jiang and had to admit that Xie Jiang possessed a handsome appearance. "It's not surprising if they snatch you."
Xie Jiang rolled her eyes. "You're all grown up, can't you be serious?"
Xu Hengyi respectfully paid his respects to the three elders and then quietly retreated behind Xie Jiang, acting like a good child.
The Marquis of Yongxin chuckled. "Everyone in the capital knows that you and the Hao family kid had a big fight over a courtesan. What are you pretending to be innocent for in front of us? Who hasn't been hot-headed in their youth? It's not like we can't understand."
Xie Jiang: "What big fight? Hao Wei was simply overestimating himself and was crushed by me."
Marquis of Yongxin: "Heh…"
Xie Jiang walked to the window and stood there, speaking with a hint of disdain. "For a useless person like Hao Wei, would I need to fight him? Who spread this rumor? How much money did they take from Hao Wei? They're really flattering him."
Marquis of Yongxin: "…"
The Duke of Qian said, "You're proud of defeating Hao Wei? At such a young age, you're indulging in drinking, gambling, and whoring. Is it because there's no elder around that your mind has become so wild?"
The Duke of Qian's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
Xie Jiang suspected she had misheard. Generally, only close elders would speak like this. She had only met the Duke of Qian a few times.
Xie Jiang withdrew her gaze from the window and saw the Duke of Qian's furrowed brow, his wrinkles exuding sternness.
Although the Duke of Qian was stern and serious, and his scolding made his eyebrows seem to emit killing intent, this old man had a very warm heart.
He also hoped for her well-being.
"I didn't…"
As Xie Jiang began to speak, the Duke of Qian, thinking she was denying it, immediately raised his voice.
"Who in the capital doesn't know that you're a frequent visitor to Chun Se Man Yuan? You've only been in the capital for a few days! Out of ten days, eight or nine are definitely spent fooling around in Chun Se Man Yuan!"
Xie Jiang was stunned. "Who spread this rumor again? Is it that outrageous!"
Although she had a close relationship with Chun Se Man Yuan, how many times had she actually been there?
Xie Jiang looked back at Xu Hengyi. She had been away from the capital for several months, and this was the reputation she had left behind?
Xu Hengyi nodded with a strange expression. Everyone did spread rumors like that.
Was there something wrong?
Even a blind person could see that Xie Jiang and Lan Meng were involved.
The Duke of Qian said, "Why are you looking at him? It's already reached our ears. Who doesn't know your reputation as a philanderer?"
Xie Jiang put on a righteous face. "No rumors, don't believe rumors!"
The Duke of Qian snorted. "Before, you said that the sweet potato yield of five thousand catties per mu was a rumor, but the facts proved that it was understated."
Following this line of thought, the Duke of Qian's brow furrowed even tighter. "Could it be more than eight or nine days? I thought you'd at least rest for a day or two out of ten. You haven't rested at all, have you? Have you been living in Chun Se Man Yuan?"
Xie Jiang looked shocked. "Your logic is wrong!"
"You even tied Hao Wei up and took him to Shuntian Prefecture. What's wrong with that?" the Marquis of Yongxin said as he made a move, sighing, "You're not learning good things at such a young age!"
The Duke of Qian frowned. "You must be aware of the Emperor's intention in enfeoffing you as the Marquis of Nanhai. Young people should learn to cultivate themselves and not let down the Emperor's expectations."
The Emperor's enfeoffment of Xie Jiang as the Marquis of Nanhai and the bestowal of the former residence of Prince Qing showed how much he valued the Xie family.
Xie Jiang, with her own efforts, had easily wiped out the bandits in Huanglan Mountain and, in a short period, had brought tens of thousands of mountain people to submit to the court. Even if she wanted to hide her abilities, it was not difficult to see her strength.
The Emperor would eventually entrust her with important responsibilities.
The Duke of Qian truly did not want to see a good seedling go astray.
"That night, Xu Hengyi and Xia Ze Shi were with me the whole time. Xu Hengyi, tell the Duke and the Marquises, did I only borrow Liu Yingying's bed to sleep?"
Seeing how concerned the Duke of Qian was, Xie Jiang decided to salvage some of her reputation.
"I can testify that that night…"
As soon as Xu Hengyi opened his mouth, the Marquis of Yongxin interrupted him. "How dare you ask Xu Hengyi to testify? Who doesn't know that you, along with the Fifth Prince, entered Liu Yingying's room together? You're not old, but you play quite wildly. No wonder Hao Wei wanted to fight you to the death."
Xu Hengyi was stunned. It wasn't like that. "We didn't do anything! We just went to sleep!"
The Marquis of Yongxin said, "Sleeping isn't enough, what else do you want to do?"