Ch 56: I’ll Be A Dog If I Tell

Under Princess Luo Jia’s orders, the accompanying guards one by one unveiled the treasures she had carefully collected while touring various countries.

The guests at the banquet were all captivated by these rare and precious treasures.

Only a few gazes lingered on two people in the corner.

“Crown Princess.”

Princess Luo Jia’s eyes shone brightly, her gaze towards Meng Tingyue filled with focus and eagerness, as if she had finally found a long-awaited treasure. Her words revealed an undeniable warmth and closeness.

Meng Tingyue was somewhat flattered, “Princess.”

“Crown Princess, no need to be so formal. Just call me Luo Jia, like Imperial Brother does.”

“Luo Jia.”

“Yes, Crown Princess~” Princess Luo Jia’s reply was crisp and pleasant.

Meng Tingyue’s expression remained calm, but ripples arose in her heart, an indescribable sense of unreality spreading subtly.

Everything I’ve experienced and witnessed in this life is so different from my past memories?

First, the Renxin Hall incident, then the Empress and Princess Luo Jia’s attitudes.

Princess Luo Jia affectionately linked arms with Meng Tingyue, her smile gentle, her actions showing closeness.

This scene, falling into Meng Qingjiao’s eyes, made her jealous until her eyes turned red.

Why, why did Meng Tingyue so easily win Princess Luo Jia’s favor? Why? Surely, Princess Luo Jia is also someone who judges people by their appearance and looks down on her origins.

Prince Qing, seeing the two getting along harmoniously, felt a surprise, surprised that Luo Jia, such a picky person, would be so close to Meng Tingyue.

Prince Qing noticed Meng Qingjiao’s unusual demeanor and gently called out, “Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao.”

Meng Qingjiao seemed to awaken from her thoughts, quickly putting on a gentle and graceful smile, “Husband.”

“Are you also worried about the Crown Princess and Imperial Sister?” Prince Qing’s gaze was probing.

Meng Qingjiao forced a smile and nodded, “I didn’t expect Elder Sister to be so close to Princess Luo Jia. If it weren’t for previous contact, perhaps it’s just that they have similar temperaments.”

Prince Qing nodded, his gentle gaze shifting from her to the front, “Since they are getting along well, it has nothing to do with us. Let’s focus on the treasures.”

Meng Qingjiao’s smile stiffened, forcing herself to stop paying attention to what was happening there. Gradually, she was drawn to the treasures above.

“Husband, what do you think of that pearl? This is the first time I’ve seen such a large pearl,” Meng Qingjiao leaned against Prince Qing, her gaze fixed on the pearl, her eyes full of love.

“It’s beautiful.”

Prince Qing gazed at the glittering pearl, secretly calculating its value, then his thoughts drifted to his current predicament, a deep sense of guilt rising in his heart.

He blamed himself for being unable to give Jiaojiao a good life.

Recently, his illness has been frequent, costing a lot of silver on medicine, so much so that he can’t even afford a pearl right now.

“Crown Princess, are there any treasures you like?” Princess Luo Jia’s voice carried a hint of flattery.

Meng Tingyue looked at the dazzling array of treasures, many of which she had never seen before.

These treasures, selected and brought back by Princess Luo Jia, are naturally carefully chosen.

To say Meng Tingyue had no reaction would be impossible, but she shook her head slowly when she met Princess Luo Jia’s gaze, “They are beautiful, but they are not what I need.”

Many people like these treasures, and there will inevitably be a scramble. Wherever there’s a scramble, there’s a lot of silver needed. She hasn’t earned much silver yet, and she can’t spend it casually.

Hearing this, a faint disappointment arose in Princess Luo Jia’s heart, followed by a wave of regret.

She shouldn’t have held such a large banquet; she should have privately invited the Crown Princess to her residence, showing her the treasures she had collected over the past two years and letting her choose whatever she liked.

She had finally waited for the plot to return to the right track. Even if the Crown Princess wanted everything, she would grit her teeth and give it up. She didn’t want to go down the path of a political marriage again; she hadn’t had enough fun yet.

Seeing that Princess Luo Jia’s mood had become low again after her words, Meng Tingyue was about to say something comforting when she saw Princess Luo Jia’s almond-shaped eyes lift again, twinkling with light.

“Crown Princess, I’ll tell you a secret, about my Imperial Brother… about when my Imperial Brother was young… um…”

Princess Luo Jia’s voice stopped abruptly.

“What happened to the Crown Prince when he was young?” Meng Tingyue listened attentively but received no answer.

“No, nothing.” Princess Luo Jia shook her head, looking somewhat discouraged.

She still couldn’t say it. Every time she tried to change the plot, she was stopped by a force, unable to speak or act; she could only watch as the plot unfolded, watching it go from glory to ruin.

Meng Tingyue increasingly felt that Princess Luo Jia’s emotions changed rapidly, making her unpredictable.

She probed, “If you feel stuffy in this room, why don’t we go out for a walk to get some fresh air?”

Princess Luo Jia looked up, her eyes full of joy, “Okay, okay, I’ll go for a walk with the Crown Princess.”

It must be because the Crown Princess felt stuffy and wanted to go out for a walk and wanted her to accompany her.

“You continue, don’t mind us.”

Leaving this sentence behind, Princess Luo Jia took Meng Tingyue’s hand and left the room.

Inside the room, incense swirled; outside, the breeze blew, carrying a faint floral fragrance.

The two strolled casually in Crane Wind Pavilion.

During this time, Princess Luo Jia repeatedly started to speak then stopped, and Meng Tingyue went from initial curiosity to eventual indifference, and her impression of Princess Luo Jia changed as well.

Princess Luo Jia has a strange temperament and likes to keep people waiting.

After walking for a while, they both felt a little hot, so they found a shady spot to rest.

Through this interaction, Princess Luo Jia realized that she couldn’t say anything about the plot, so she decided to try a different approach to advance the plot.

“Crown Princess, what do you think of Imperial Brother?” she asked softly, her eyes filled with inquiry and expectation.

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue almost blurted out, “The Crown Prince is very good, wise and valiant, handsome, and deeply loved by the people…”

Princess Luo Jia found this increasingly unsatisfactory and quickly stopped her, “No, no, Crown Princess, that’s too perfunctory. Anyone could say that. If you didn’t know you were talking about Imperial Brother, you could be talking about Father Emperor.”

Meng Tingyue looked embarrassed.

“Crown Princess, do you think Imperial Brother is like a stone, smelly and hard? You must answer me seriously. It’s just the two of us here; no third person will know, and you don’t have to worry about Imperial Brother hearing a word.”

After speaking, she patted her chest and said confidently, “I’ll keep my mouth shut. If I reveal a single word to Imperial Brother, I’ll be a little dog.”

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded, yet gently shook her head.

The Crown Prince is indeed like a stone; it seems that any tricks are useless against him.

But if you say smelly, he’s not really smelly. That Dragon Scale Incense, the scent is elegant and pleasant, quite nice.