Chapter 32

Yuan Jin didn't understand why Duke Ding reacted so much.

She said, "This jade pendant... was given to me by someone. What's wrong with the Duke?"

Xue Rang's face changed a few times. How could he not look familiar with this jade pendant? The word "Shen" was engraved in the middle. This is His Highness Jing's personal object! How could it fall to Xue Yuanjin!

He first thought about whether Xue Yuanjin picked it up or stolen it from somewhere, otherwise she would have a ignorant expression on her face, and even the origin of this thing was not clear. For a moment, his eyes became sharp when he looked at Xue Yuanjin.

This made Xue Yuanjin frown. What's going on with Duke Ding?

But then, Xue Rang himself denied this speculation again. His Highness Jing’s personal belongings, Xue Yuanjin is so smart that she can’t get them. I’m afraid there is something else. He immediately asked: “Who gave it to you?”

Yuan Jin felt a little uncomfortable with this kind of interrogation. It was just a jade pendant. Why was Duke Ding so urgent? She said: "It's your aide, Mr. Chen Shenchen."

Aide Chen Shen... When did he have any aide named Chen around him?

What exactly is His Highness Jing doing!

Xue Rang took the jade pendant over and said, "Put this jade pendant here first." After that, he put it in his sleeve. Even Wen Yu no longer looked for it, and was ready to leave.

Yuan Jin was shocked by Xue Rang's actions. What was the origin of this jade pendant that made Duke Ding so lose his composure.

"Dude." Yuan Jin suddenly asked, "Who should this thing be?"

Xue Rang paused, and he said lightly: "This is not what you should know."

Xue Rang knew that His Highness Jing had just arrived in the capital and lived in his residence in Xizhaofang. This was His Highness's residence before the enfeoffment was still there. There were layers of elite soldiers guarding the mansion, and there were many institutions. After he reported it, he was led in. Walking through the stone path and the corridor, the guard opened the door of the study, Xue Rang walked in and knelt down, saluting: "Your Highness."

His Highness Jing nodded, and Xue Rang raised his head.

After not seeing each other for more than a month, His Highness Jing was still as he used to, wearing a simple cloth robe, reading a secret letter while drinking tea. His eyebrows were rich, and he had a gentle and handsome temperament around him, but he was as calm as a mountain.

"What's wrong? I'm so anxious to see me." Zhu Qian looked up at Xue Rang, "I looked so ugly. Haven't I sleep well recently?"

"Your Highness, there is something unknown to my subordinates, it's really important." Xue Rang said, taking out a jade pendant from his sleeve and putting it on Zhu Qi's desk.

It was exactly the piece he gave to Yuan Jin.

Zhu Qi was stunned for a moment, and then asked him: "Where did you come from this jade pendant?"

When Xue Rang saw that Prince Jing was so calm, he was a little puzzled. He said, "It is the thing in the hands of my newly adopted stepdaughter Xue Yuanjin. I was suspicious when I saw it. This is the thing that His Highness embraced, so how could it fall into her hands for no reason! That's why he took it over and wanted to ask Your Highness, but what happened?"

Zhu Qian sighed when he heard this.

Xue Rang was brave and good at fighting and was extremely loyal to him. The only thing that was not very good was... not smart enough. Fortunately, he also had a very smart mother who could help him control the Duke Ding Mansion. But the old lady always passed away one day. I hope that his new stepson could be smart enough to continue to control the Duke Ding Mansion for him.

He sat on his chair and smiled and said, "Xue Rang, have you never thought about why I asked you to make Xue Wenyu the prince?"

As soon as His Highness Jing said this, Xue Rang was stunned.

He naturally thought about it, but he thought it was because His Highness valued Xue Wenyu... Wait, could His Highness Jing not valued Xue Wenyu at all? The reason behind it was actually Xue Yuanjin?

Xue Rang suddenly remembered that when he was in Shanxi, he once went to find His Highness King Jing for some reason. At that time, a girl in His Highness was captured because of breaking in. His Highness was very anxious... Could it be that this girl is actually Xue Yuanjin!

When he went back, he only told the old lady that he had made Wen Yu the prince, thinking that His Highness Jing appreciated him. However, he knew that the real key behind this was Xue Yuanjin, and they completely ignored this point. As far as he knew, the Xue family almost changed Xue Yuanjin and wanted to replace her with Xue Yuanzhen. Later, after some trouble, it became that both of them adopted her.

If the adoptive one turned into Xue Yuanzhen at that time, he would probably really anger Your Highness.

"Your Highness is because..." Xue Rang looked unstable and asked again, "Your Highness gave her personal belongings, but she got your highness's like?"

His Highness Jing has never touched the princess's mind over the years. Could it be that he has no intention of Xue Yuanjin? But why did he allow her to become his stepdaughter and not accept it with him? His Highness really can't blame him for not guessing that he really doesn't understand what His Highness is thinking.

"Not all." Zhu Qian said, "You should actually thank her. At the beginning, she saw that there was something wrong with the map of the Aoerdu Department and saved your life. But now she is your stepdaughter, and her brother has also become your prince, which is why you repay her."

It turns out that there is still this reason in it!

Then Xue Rang had to reflect on his attitude towards Yuan Jin. He did not take Xue Yuan Jin seriously in daily life, but just adopted it to relieve his boredom. Now it seems that she had saved her life and was indeed the step-by-stop lady of the Dingguo Duke's Mansion. But how could she, a little girl, see the problem of the Zaoerdu Department's map?

Xue Rang didn't care about this for the time being, but he still felt something was strange.

Even if the reason for this incident was in it, it would not be as good as asking Your Highness to give away your personal belongings. Thinking of Your Highness's anxious expression on that day, I'm afraid Your Highness still likes Yuan Jin very much.

It’s just that what Your Highness is thinking, he just can’t guess.

Xue Rang did not mention anything else, but asked Zhu Qian: "That highness... do you want me to take this jade pendant back to her?"

Zhu Qi was a little confused.

He originally decided to stay away from this little girl. He didn't want him to fall into love or fall into this kind of political intrigue, and saw more cold faces from him. He hoped that he would be in her heart, even the aide Chen she admired, and that she would also live happily. Now that he returned to Beijing, he was determined not to see her, but if Duke Ding made such a thing, she would inevitably doubt it again.

He could not bear such flaws in the little girl's heart, nor could he bear her suspicion.

A few days ago, he also monitored some abnormal movements in the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion, which seemed to be related to her. He was still worried.

Or, just want to see her.

After Zhu Qi came back to his senses, he gently stroked the jade pendant and said, "No need, I will give it to her with my own hands. But don't tell her my identity."

After hearing what Your Highness said, Xue Rang finally solved the doubts in his heart and felt much more relaxed. He smiled and said, "No wonder I asked her who this jade pendant was. She said it was Aide Chen, and I was still surprised. It turned out that it was the little girl who didn't know your identity, so why don't you tell her?"

Zhu Qi glanced at him: "You are talking more and more now."

Xue Rang could only smile, after all, Your Highness didn't want him to ask any more questions.

On the second day of Yuan Jin, he was taken by Cui and Jiang to visit the silk shop in the western city of the capital.

There are silk shops in the capital that are specially designed for the ladies of these aristocratic families to see. They are all separated by private rooms, and they are clothed with tea and snacks. They ask the shops to take them one by one to see carefully. Naturally, the price is also quite expensive. Although Cui entered the Duke of Ding, he had no foundation, but was just a treasure of his two children. Jiang has always been rich and bought four or five pieces of good fabrics to make clothes for Yuanzhu. The taller Yuanzhu has recently grown, and the original clothes are not very good.

What made Cui feel most strange is that Zhou actually followed her. Even though Cui and Jiang didn't have a good face to her, they still talked to the two sisters-in-law with a smile. Cui was attracted by a piece of cloth and was reluctant to buy it, so Zhou even wanted to buy it and give it to her.

Of course, Cui does not have the idea of ​​being short-speakable and soft-working. Anyway, Zhou will collect it when he gives it to her, and she has taken it, so she will just talk about anything else.

But for Zhou's abnormality, she looked at Yuan Jin intently, and Yuan Jin shook his head and told him not to pay attention.

Zhou now wants to be their ally, so he naturally wants to try his best to please him and just let her go.

Until the lights came on, Jiang proposed to go to Xiangyun Building next to him for dinner.

It is autumn now, and the popular osmanthus tangerine pasta cake, sugar lotus root, sugar pear pasta and other foods in Beijing are selling hot on the roadside. However, they can't eat it on the roadside. The group asked for a private room in the restaurant and sent the mother-in-law to buy it to try it.

The west city of the capital is extremely lively and prosperous, with people coming and going. The vendors selling things are all along the streets, with more novel things than Taiyuan, making people dizzy.

Although Yuan Jin grew up in the capital, she was rarely able to come out as a county lord. She had never seen such a lively folk before. Therefore, while Cui and the others continued to eat, she walked to the corridor of the restaurant, lay on the edge of the window, and looked down at the crowd. The roofs in the distance were lined up, and the smoke from cooking floated out in wisps, and the warm red lights reflected the eaves.

She focused on her mind, as if she saw a familiar figure in the crowd.

Her tall body, a blue cloth robe, was coming out of the shop selling paper and pen, and she carried a large bundle of paper.

Is that...he?

He is really very similar to him, and his movements are extremely gentle.

Yuan Jin's heart moved and waited for a closer look. But the man flashed and disappeared into the crowd, never seen it again.

She was a little disappointed for a moment.

The jade pendant that Chen Shen left for her was taken away by Duke Ding. After taking it away, she said nothing. She thought about it for a long time and didn't understand what was going on. She wanted to ask him what was going on.

But this is not Shanxi, how could he be there?

"What are you looking for?" A voice suddenly came from behind her.

Yuan Jin turned around and saw him standing behind her. He smiled and was still tall, blocking most of the lantern light shining from the corridor.

She was a little surprised: "You, why are you..."

Why was he just thinking about him when he suddenly appeared?

The light and shadow fell on the corridor and on him, the taller he seemed.

Zhu Qi came over, put his hand on the railing and looked out, and his movements were half-circling with her. He asked her, "You have been watching for a long time, is it so beautiful?"

He turned around, but found that she was still staring at herself in a daze, her eyes astonished as a small animal. Zhu Qian smiled and said, "Let's talk in the compartment."

Why did he laugh? He had seen her a long time ago but didn't call her!

Although he was puzzled why Mr. Chen suddenly appeared in the capital, Yuan Jin was relieved of him and told Liu'er who followed her to go back and talk to Cui, saying that she would go back within half an hour, and then entered the compartment.

After the two of them entered, the two guards stood quietly at the entrance of the corridor and sealed the corridor again.

The restaurant is filled with the same furnishings, but the table is not food, but a few books.

He actually booked a restaurant and... read a book inside?

Yuan Jin glanced at the books and paused and said, "Mr. Chen... Is it because he works so hard, is he trying to take the spring exam next year?" Next year is the year of the imperial examination.

Why is she so interesting? He just waited for her for a long time, so he just reads a book.

Moreover, Zhu Qian just likes to read military books. If he really goes to the imperial examination, his foundation of going to the Imperial Study Room to make a living was probably exposed.

"I'm free." Zhu Qian said, leaning on the chair, and then continued to ask her, "What are you looking at just now?"

The subordinates told him that he knew that she had gone to a restaurant, had a snack with her family for a while, and then walked to the corridor to see the scenery. He didn't expect to keep watching it. He was as serious as a child.

Yuan Jin didn't want to say that. She sat down and flipped through the book on his table and said, "The ancients could pick walnut and eat it, but I couldn't eat it... Sir, how many dishes are you calling?"

She didn't eat anything just now, and she is still really hungry now.

Zhu Qian smiled and stood up and walked outside the door. A voice of conversation came: "What are the instructions for sir?"

"Select the food." He thought for a while and instructed, "It's time for the little girl to grow up, so she needs more meat and vegetables."

Yuan Jin also heard it, but she did not object. She did have to eat raw when she grew up.
To be continued...