The last ray of sunset vanished from the sky, and the lanterns along the corridor lit up one by one.
Steward Zhang returned, announcing that dinner was ready. He glanced towards the study with its closed door, then inquired with his eyes if Wen Feng was finished inside.
The commotion inside had just ceased. Wen Feng waited for a moment before walking to the door and whispering.
"Young Master Xie, Master, dinner is ready. Shall we eat now, or later?"
Wen Feng felt they could hear him from inside. He intended to ask only once. If there was no reply from inside, he would not ask again and would continue to wait. As a confidant, he had basic etiquette.
"Serve the meal."
It was Young Master Xie's voice, languid and tinged with a hint of pleasure.
Steward Zhang immediately went to the adjacent dining hall to supervise the serving of the meal.
Not long after, the study door opened. Xie Jiang emerged first, looking refreshed. Every step she took outward exuded happiness.
As Xie Jiang took her seat, she glanced at the dishes on the table. "Steward Zhang is very perceptive. You should ask your master for a raise."
Steward Zhang grinned from ear to ear. "This is all my duty. Young Master Xie and Master eating well is the greatest reward for this old servant."
Xie Jiang said, "Sensible."
Steward Zhang felt even more resigned. As long as Young Master Xie treated his master well and no longer stabbed him in the heart, Young Master Xie was his ancestor.
Yi Yan Gen also noticed that all the dishes tonight were nourishing. He shot Xie Jiang a playful glance. Did she not know how she appeared in the eyes of others, not even restraining herself!
Xie Jiang said shamelessly, "A life without romance is a wasted youth."
Yi Yan Gen asked, "So, was Young Master Xie at the Third Prince's manor this morning for romance and pleasure?"
Xie Jiang replied with a straight face, "Only you can bring me pleasure."
She would never admit what she shouldn't.
Steward Zhang and Wen Feng kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts.
Yi Yan Gen's face flushed. She simply didn't know the meaning of the word 'shy.' Did she think Steward Zhang and Wen Feng were invisible! A young lady dared to say anything!
Steward Zhang and Wen Feng dared not breathe, pretending they were already dead.
Yi Yan Gen, unwilling to be seen as thin-skinned, maintained a composed demeanor, feigning invulnerability. "So, you were being romantic at the Third Prince's manor?"
Clinging to the title of 'Third Prince' and refusing to let go, Xie Jiang knew his petty jealousy had flared up again. Considering their pleasant time earlier, Xie Jiang couldn't just leave immediately. "I was forced by the Duke of Qian and Marquis Yongxin to apologize. Who else could I be romantic and happy with besides you?"
Don't think a little coaxing will make him dizzy. "Young Master Xie, why don't you tell me properly what exactly you did to the Third Prince that required two elders to personally escort you to apologize?"
Here it comes, she knew it!
Men couldn't escape this petty jealousy!
"I don't know. I know nothing. I'm so wronged!"
Xie Jiang put on an expression of profound grief and utter disgust when the topic was mentioned.
"That night I was so drunk I didn't know anything. You were the one who sent me back to the Marquis of Nanhai's manor. How would I know what I did? I have no impression of the Third Prince at all. When the two elders suddenly came to my door asking me to apologize, I was utterly bewildered."
"Did you also hear the rumors outside?"
"I couldn't cover my ears even if I wanted to." Yi Yan Gen said with a stern face, not hiding his displeasure. He wouldn't tolerate her bad habits!
"Rumors are often one part truth and seven parts false, especially those concerning carnal desires. At most, one part truth can be exaggerated into nine parts."
"Does Young Master Xie mean that these rumors are false?"
"False!"
"Didn't Young Master Xie say you were drunk and knew nothing that night? How can you determine if these rumors are true or false?"
"Originally, I also thought they were true, at least three to five parts true. When the two elders approached me so seriously, I had no choice but to believe them. But after meeting the Third Prince, I could conclude that the rumors were untrue."
"If Young Master Xie were to conduct yourself with propriety, why would the two elders believe such rumors?"
This question sounded quite resentful. "The world misunderstands me greatly. The two elders have not known me for long and do not understand me well enough."
"Oh? Then how did Young Master Xie conclude that the rumors were untrue?"
"It's the Third Prince's attitude. If I had truly done something worse than a beast, as the rumors suggested, would he have shown me a good face? He wouldn't even let me in!"
"Haven't you done enough beastly things to me?" When has he ever not let me in or given me a good face?
Xie Jiang's spirits immediately lifted at this. Her eyes brightened. "You mean the Third Prince is also into this?"
Yi Yan Gen's original intention was that the Third Prince's attitude didn't explain everything.
Never expecting such a reaction, Yi Yan Gen wanted to strangle her. "Don't tell me you have some thoughts about the Third Prince?"
Xie Jiang quickly replied, "No thoughts, not at all. Just pure curiosity."
Under everyone's gaze, staring at Xia Rong Yu without even batting an eye, and she still claimed to have no thoughts?
Yi Yan Gen served her a bowl of soup and placed some dishes in her bowl, signaling her to eat first. He indicated that she could tell him anything or explain anything as she ate.
He wasn't insistent on dwelling on this matter and arguing with her.
She already had little in terms of character and morals. She usually behaved like a cat-teasing, dog-provoking scoundrel. What more could be expected of her when she was drunk and had completely unleashed her true nature?
What could he expect from her?
Could he expect her to change her ways after getting drunk?
He might as well expect a sow to climb a tree.
He was only bringing up this matter to argue with her and haggle over every detail, wanting her to remember it, to have a string in her mind, and to develop the habit of giving him an account of everything in the future.
She had to remember that since she had provoked him, she couldn't provoke anyone else!
He wasn't someone who could be summoned at will and dismissed at will!
If he let her off lightly this time because she was drunk and not in her right mind, then next time or the time after, he didn't know how many surprises awaited him.
"It is said that it was you, Young Master Yi, who chivalrously intervened and rescued the Third Prince from my hands. Did I do anything to the Third Prince? Young Master Yi should know best, shouldn't he?"
Based on the reactions of Xia Rong Yu and Yi Yan Gen, Xie Jiang had deduced that she must have done something to Xia Rong Yu, but she hadn't had time to do anything more excessive.
Yi Yan Gen asked, "Is Young Master Xie so confident in yourself?"
Xie Jiang looked at him with a very candid expression. "Even if I did something improper, it wasn't directed at Xia Rong Yu. Who was I looking for when I ran to the lake? Young Master Yi should know, right?"
Although he was angry that she was staring intently at Xia Rong Yu, he had seen the two hints she had given him.
She had gone to the lake to find him.
This was undeniable.
Yi Yan Gen said, "If you have a low alcohol tolerance, don't drink in the future."
"I don't like drinking in the first place. It was the Duke of Qian and Marquis Yongxin who insisted on me drinking, they wouldn't let me refuse. They promised to bear all consequences, so I only drank two cups perfunctorily."
"So, this morning, it was the two elders who personally accompanied you to the Third Prince's manor. It's rare for the two elders to care for you so much."
The two elders did care for her very much. Xie Jiang hadn't expected that the elders' care for her was just beginning.
Two days later, the care from the elders arrived at their doorstep.