Chapter 58: Zhi Wan, As If Scalded

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Zhi Wan, As If Scalded

Lu Zhan paused. He glanced back at the young woman behind him, his thin lips pressing into a line. When his gaze fell on Xuanyuan Jing, it turned glacial. "Commandery Princess, are you certain you want to cause a scene in front of my Duke Dingguo Mansion?" With that, he drew the sword from Chen Jiu’s waist.

SHIING!

Xuanyuan Jing, who had been about to charge forward, froze at the sight of the sword tip aimed at her. Heart pounding, she stared at the man opposite her, his face a mask of frost.

"You—you dare point a sword at me?" Xuanyuan Jing was both shocked and furious.

"And what of it? If you dare take another step, this sword in my hand might just slip and plunge right into a vital spot," Lu Zhan said slowly and deliberately, but his icy tone made it clear he wasn’t joking.

A look of terror on her face, Xuanyuan Jing stumbled back two steps.

But she was the type to argue even when she was in the wrong. Now, with a sword held to her by the man she admired, she became hysterical. "She was insolent to me! Am I, the Commandery Princess, not allowed to teach her a lesson?"

"You were the one who was insolent first, Commandery Princess! Besides, what my cousin said was the truth. If you have any sense of shame, you will stop this now and leave immediately!" Lu Zhan’s voice was ice.

Seeing how merciless he was, Xuanyuan Jing stomped her foot hard and snarled, "Lu Zhan, you’ll regret treating me like this!" With that, she ran off crying.

Lu Zhan tossed the sword back to Chen Jiu. When he looked at the young woman behind him, the chill in his eyes quietly vanished. "It’s alright now."

Zhi Wan let out a breath of relief, only then realizing she was still clutching tightly to her cousin’s sash.

She froze, then peeked at Lu Zhan, only to meet his ink-black eyes.

Her eyelashes trembled, and as if burned, she snatched her hand back and properly took two steps away. But with a blush staining her cheeks, she was utterly mortified.

Thankfully, Lu Zhan was tall, so no one had seen her small act of grabbing his sash while she was hiding behind him. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to explain.

Even so, she still felt deeply ashamed.

"I’m sorry... Thank you, Cousin," she said in a small voice.

Lu Zhan’s sharp brows arched slightly. "What?"

Zhi Wan also felt she had spoken strangely. Composing herself, she tried again. "Thank you for helping me just now, Cousin. Also, I didn’t mean to grab your..." She was too embarrassed to say the word "sash," so she left it unsaid.

"You don’t need to thank me. Today’s incident happened because of me. As for..." Lu Zhan paused, then said in a gentle voice, "You are my younger sister. You don’t have to be as reserved as an outsider."

Zhi Wan was taken aback.

’Younger sister?’

She bit her lip, her eyes shining as she looked at him with adoration.

Lu Zhan was taken aback.

’Does being his younger sister make her this happy?’

The fingers of the hand at his side twitched. He wanted to pat her on the head but felt it would be inappropriate, so he restrained himself.

"Let’s go inside," he said with a light cough, then led the way through the mansion gates.

As she watched the man’s tall figure disappear through the gates, Zhi Wan came back to her senses, a warmth filling her heart.

’So Cousin has long seen me as his younger sister.’

"Miss, that was terrifying! Who was that lady? Why was she so aggressive?" Shuang’er stepped forward to support Zhi Wan, carefully checking her over. "Thank goodness you’re alright."

"With Cousin here, I knew nothing would happen," Zhi Wan said with a smile.

"That was the Commandery Princess from Prince Gao Yang Mansion. She’s been infatuated with the Princely Heir for a long time and constantly pesters him. The Princely Heir is completely fed up with her. I can’t believe she chased him all the way to the Duke Dingguo Mansion today," Chen Jiu said with a frown from the side.

"I’ve never seen such a shameless woman," Shuang’er huffed. "She almost hurt you, Miss! It would be strange if the Princely Heir ever took a liking to someone with that kind of character."

Chen Jiu nodded in agreement. "Prince Gao Yang even petitioned the Emperor for an imperial edict of marriage before. Fortunately, the Emperor didn’t agree."

"In that case, the Emperor must think very highly of our Princely Heir," Shuang’er remarked.

"Our Princely Heir is exceptionally capable and deeply trusted by the Emperor. He’s worthy of a Princess. A mere Commandery Princess can only pester him in private," Chen Jiu said in a low voice.

Zhi Wan looked at him in surprise. "A Princess?"

"Yes, Princess Chang Le, the Emperor’s youngest daughter," Chen Jiu confirmed with a nod. "But Princess Chang Le isn’t unreasonable and belligerent like the Commandery Princess. Even though she admires the Princely Heir, she is very measured and has never done anything to trouble him."

Shuang’er covered her mouth as if she had just heard an incredible secret, looking at Chen Jiu excitedly. "Chen Jiu, is that really true?"

Chen Jiu cleared his throat and warned, "I’m only telling you this. You mustn’t spread it around."

"I promise I won’t say a word," Shuang’er immediately assured him.

Zhi Wan grew thoughtful.

’The Emperor didn’t agree to Prince Gao Yang’s marriage petition, and Princess Chang Le is interested in Cousin... Does this mean the Emperor intends to save Cousin for Princess Chang Le?’

At this thought, her eyes twinkled with a hint of excitement.

’Aunt is still worried that Cousin isn’t married yet, but she has no idea he’s already caught the eye of Princess Chang Le.’

She had heard before that her cousin was the man all the young ladies in the Capital were desperate to marry. So, learning today that even figures like a Princess and a Commandery Princess wanted to marry him didn’t come as much of a surprise.

Her cousin was noble, peerless, and exceptionally talented; it was only natural that a Princess would admire him.

However—

She remembered that rumor.

’Faced with the interest from a Princess and a Commandery Princess, Cousin remains unmoved. Could it really be true that he...’

Thinking of this, she looked at Chen Jiu, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Noticing her expression, Chen Jiu quickly asked, "Is there something you’d like to say, Miss?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Zhi Wan’s eyes before she shook her head. "No, nothing."

’Chen Jiu is Cousin’s man, after all.’

’He’s only helping me now because Cousin instructed him to.’

’If I ask that question and Chen Jiu turns around and tells Cousin, it would probably anger him. I’ve only just managed to gain his acceptance; I’d be right back where I started.’

With that in mind, she changed the subject. "Ah Jiu, do you know any carpenters? I’d like to find one tomorrow to renovate the shop."

Chen Jiu immediately replied, "I do. You can leave this matter to me, Miss. I can find some for you."

"Thank you, then," Zhi Wan said, delighted.

With Chen Jiu’s help, she wouldn’t have to search everywhere like a headless chicken.

After entering the mansion gates, Zhi Wan and Shuang’er were about to head toward the rear courtyard when Lu Jun walked toward them.

"Sister Zhi Wan."

"Second Brother Lu," Zhi Wan greeted him with a curtsy.

"Xin’er is preparing for her wedding, so my mother has her confined to her rooms. She can’t go anywhere and is probably bored. She asked me to come find you and see if you’ll go chat with her. Are you free right now?" Lu Jun asked in a gentle voice.

Hearing this, Zhi Wan gave him a surprised look.

Although they hadn’t interacted much, she knew Lu Jun was different from Lu Xin. He had never spoken harshly to her and would always greet her whenever they met.

But hearing Lu Jun mention Lu Xin now, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of vigilance.

She and Lu Xin had long since torn all pretense of civility. For Lu Xin to suddenly summon her, her motive was surely not simple.