Lin Jiangnian remained calm as he glanced at Li Piaomiao, who was sitting across from him. Li Piaomiao's expression was calm, but when she heard Zhao Xi's words, her movements paused for a moment before regaining her composure. She glanced up at Zhao Xi and said nothing.
Lin Jiangnian turned his head and looked at Zhao Xi who was sitting on her left. She was looking at him with a smile on her face. Her bright eyes were clear and moving, like the rippling water of a spring under the moon, full of tenderness in the mist.
Smart and a little naughty.
A faint smile fully reveals Miss Zhao's elegant and lively temperament and personality.
Obviously, judging from all the signs in front of him, the person who stepped on him just now was Zhao Xi!
Why was she stepping on him?
What are you hinting to him?
still……
Is it simply intentional?
Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes slightly and looked puzzled, but saw that Zhao Xi was still smiling, and her bright eyes seemed to be filled with a thirst for knowledge.
silence!
The atmosphere at the dinner table seemed to suddenly freeze for a brief moment.
"Why aren't you talking?"
Seeing that the two did not speak, Zhao Xi spoke again. She glanced back and forth between Li Piaomiao and Lin Jiangnian, and the faint smile on her face grew wider, like a curious baby full of thirst for knowledge.
"Your Highness, when do you plan to marry Sister Piaomiao?"
Lin Jiangnian said nothing, but looked up at the princess again. Li Piaomiao remained indifferent, seemingly oblivious to Zhao Xi's words, and continued to eat.
She also completely ignored Lin Jiangnian's gaze, as if it had nothing to do with her.
It was obvious that Zhao Xi did it on purpose.
She chose to bring up the engagement between Lin Jiangnian and Li Piaomiao at this time, which seemed a bit like adding fuel to the fire.
Lin Jiangnian remained calm and asked, "Ms. Zhao, why do you suddenly ask this?"
"I'm curious!"
Zhao Xi leaned forward slightly, a smile on her face, as if she was extremely interested: "Sister Piaomiao and I are good sisters, so naturally I have to pay attention to her marriage..."
"Your Highness's engagement with Piaomiao was decided by the Emperor. Now that Sister Piaomiao has reached the age to marry, Your Highness's visit to the capital this time... isn't it to marry Sister Piaomiao?"
Zhao Xi's eyes were filled with smiles and he chuckled as he spoke.
From the smug and mischievous look that flashed in her eyes, Lin Jiangnian was certain...she did it on purpose.
Ignoring Zhao Xi's thoughts, Lin Jiangnian said calmly, "Speaking of marriageable age, Miss Zhao is two years older than the eldest princess, right?"
"Miss Zhao, are you engaged?"
The smile on Zhao Xi's face froze slightly, as if she had not expected Lin Jiangnian to suddenly turn the topic to her.
"Of course not."
Zhao Xi shook his head.
"Shouldn't it be?"
Lin Jiangnian showed a look of surprise. "Miss Zhao is incredibly beautiful, with an outstanding temperament and noble status. She's rare in this world. The number of people who want to marry her is probably so high that they can line up from the capital to Linzhou..."
"Could it be that Prime Minister Zhao hasn't found a good husband for Miss Zhao yet?"
The smile on Zhao Xi's face gradually disappeared. Lin Jiangnian's words obviously touched upon some of her...weaknesses.
Indeed, she is two years older than Li Piaomiao!
She just turned twenty this year, at the prime of her youth. But in an age where families often marry and have children at the age of fifteen or sixteen, her peers' children are already offspring, yet she remains unmarried. In the eyes of many, she is indeed a "leftover woman"!
The Zhao family naturally did not fail to look for a good husband for her. Even Prime Minister Zhao, a key minister in the court, spent his little free time, besides being busy with court affairs, selecting a 'good husband' for Zhao Xi!
However, all those carefully selected "good kings" were rejected by Zhao Xi without exception.
The reason is simple - I look down on you!
But the Zhao family hadn't given up on finding a husband for Zhao Xi. As she grew older, the Zhao family became increasingly anxious, and Zhao Xi naturally grew annoyed by this. She had no affection for the so-called sons of aristocratic families, descendants of officials, or even the famous and talented men in the capital.
A group of children from aristocratic families who grew up in a greenhouse, some dandies who only knew how to idle away their time by relying on their power, and a group of pedantic scholars who only knew how to worry about the country and the people and talk about war on paper...
It's normal for Zhao Xi to look down on him.
Now that Lin Jiangnian suddenly brought up this matter, it really hit Zhao Xi's weakness.
She had been fed up with the tedious "blind dates" and the pressure from her family for the past few years. She even hid in her house all day, not going out, and seeing no one behind closed doors.
"I look down on you!"
She said unhappily.
"Disdain?"
Hearing this, Lin Jiangnian was a little surprised and raised his eyebrows slightly: "What do you mean, Miss Zhao?"
“Literally!”
Zhao Xi obviously had no intention of arguing with Lin Jiangnian about this issue and quickly shifted the topic back to him: "I'm not in a hurry... But Your Highness, you haven't said when you plan to marry Sister Piaomiao?"
Lin Jiangnian said, "Miss Zhao is older than Her Royal Highness the Princess. If Miss Zhao isn't anxious, then the Princess and I are naturally even less anxious...hiss..."
Before Lin Jiangnian could finish his words, someone stepped on his foot again.
This time, very hard!
If the previous kick was very light, it was so light that it was even a little naughty and frivolous, as if teasing.
Then this kick was very powerful!
Lin Jiangnian's expression remained unchanged. He looked to the side and saw Zhao Xi staring at him coldly. He said with a forced smile, "Your Highness, are you saying that I'm old?"
"Of course not!"
Lin Jiangnian shook his head in denial: "However, Miss Zhao is indeed older than Her Royal Highness the Princess and I..."
In terms of age, Zhao Xi in front of him is indeed older than Lin Jiangnian and Li Piaomiao.
Lin Jiangnian is telling the truth!
But apparently, sometimes, telling the truth isn't the right thing to do.
From ancient times to the present, age seems to be a sensitive issue for women. For example, at this moment, after Lin Jiangnian spoke, he could clearly see the deep anger in Miss Zhao's beautiful eyes.
Obviously, when Lin Jiangnian said that she was old, it was tantamount to saying that she was old. She was so old and still couldn't get married. Isn't that saying that she was an old woman that no one wanted?
So, Zhao Xi, who was angry and embarrassed, raised his foot from under the table and stomped hard on Lin Jiangnian next to him again.
However, this time, Lin Jiangnian was prepared and retracted his foot in advance.
So, Zhao Xi stepped on empty air and landed on the floor.
"Bang!"
A clear, loud, and dull sound rang out, echoing in the room.
At the same time, the heavy rebound force from stepping on the floor caused Zhao Xi's feet to feel a sharp pain, which made her almost cry.
"Um?"
At this time, Li Piaomiao, who had been eating silently and not participating in the meal, raised his head and looked at Zhao Xi next to him in confusion.
"My feet are a little numb..."
The numbness and pain in the soles of her feet almost made Zhao Xi's eyes overflow with tears. She could only grit her teeth and swallow it, forcing a smile on her face.
“Eat, eat!”
Li Piaomiao frowned slightly, looked at her, and then looked at Lin Jiangnian next to her.
Lin Jiangnian looked normal. Li Piaomiao withdrew his gaze and said nothing more.
Seeing that Li Piaomiao didn't notice anything unusual, Zhao Xi took a few deep breaths. After the pain in the soles of his feet eased a little, he turned his head quietly, his eyes full of shame and anger, staring at Lin Jiangnian fiercely.
Lin Jiangnian had an innocent look on his face.
Zhao Xi felt both ashamed and angry.
He's still pretending to be innocent?!
After taking a few deep breaths and calming down, Zhao Xi let out a cold smile. "Yes, I am older than Your Highness. Indeed, I am older than Your Highness... Is that what Your Highness meant?"
Lin Jiangnian didn't know why the woman's expression could change so quickly, but he still shook his head: "Miss Zhao misunderstood. Miss Zhao is indeed older than me, but not old..."
"Miss Zhao is now in the prime of her life, at the most beautiful age of her life. How can she be considered old?"
After hearing these words, Zhao Xi's shame and anger were alleviated a little.
"You can talk."
She snorted coldly.
Seeing this, Lin Jiangnian breathed a sigh of relief. But before he could say anything, he suddenly felt a kick on his foot from under the table.
He looked up and saw Zhao Xi looking at him with a hint of provocation and arrogance.
He looked a little smug, as if he had accomplished something!
Lin Jiangnian sighed.
This Miss Zhao is so childish!
Holding a grudge and childish!
Lin Jiangnian was too lazy to argue with her and was about to continue eating.
But he felt that Miss Zhao next to him seemed to be addicted to the game. Seeing that Lin Jiangnian did not react, she kicked him a few more times.
"Your Highness, you haven't answered my question yet?"
Zhao Xi stared at him with a smile, "Your Highness has been avoiding the subject and refusing to give a direct answer. Could it be that... you don't plan to marry Sister Piaomiao anymore?"
Lin Jiangnian sighed: "Miss Zhao seems very interested in my engagement with the princess?"
"certainly!"
Zhao Xi nodded: "Sister Piaomiao and I are as close as sisters. As an older sister, shouldn't I be concerned about her marriage?"
Lin Jiangnian had no expression on his face.
He really wanted to ask Miss Zhao in front of him, so...
As an older sister, she stepped on her younger sister's fiancé's foot in front of her younger sister. What kind of frivolous and sneaky behavior is this?
Lin Jiangnian remained calm and said calmly, "You'll have to ask Her Royal Highness the Princess about this matter..."
"I listen to the princess!"
Lin Jiangnian directly threw the question to Li Piaomiao, who had not participated in the discussion. Li Piaomiao, who was eating, was slightly startled, as if she had not expected Lin Jiangnian to drag her into this. She raised her eyes to look at Lin Jiangnian, was silent for a moment, and said expressionlessly, "I don't know."
Obviously, she didn't want to answer this question.
Lin Jiangnian knew that he and the princess had already reached some kind of agreement, but they had no intention of explaining it to Zhao Xi.
But when Zhao Xi heard this, he was very surprised!
She had always known that Li Piaomiao was determined not to marry Lin Jiangnian. Every time she'd been asked about it before, she'd flatly denied it, but this time... she actually said she didn't know?
Although he still hasn't admitted it, his previous firm rejection has changed to a sudden and unclear response today.
Obviously, something is wrong!
Zhao Xi narrowed her eyes, sensing something unusual. Her beautiful eyes darted between the two people before her, trying to discern something.
"have no idea?"
Zhao Xi stared at Li Piaomiao, but the princess fell silent after she finished speaking and had no intention of continuing.
Zhao Xi knew her very well and knew he couldn't get anything out of her, so he could only turn his attention to Lin Jiangnian, his eyes burning: "Your Highness, do you have a good relationship with Sister Piaomiao?"
Facing Zhao Xi's probing, Lin Jiangnian said calmly, "Not bad!"
Zhao Xi narrowed his eyes: "Just okay?"
"What else?"
"There's something wrong with you!"
Zhao Xi spoke, looking at the two of them, his face gradually becoming suspicious: "You two, are you hiding something from me?"
It was not until this moment that Zhao Xi gradually realized something.
Although Li Piaomiao seldom spoke, for some reason, Zhao Xi inexplicably felt that there was an indescribable tacit understanding between him and Lin Jiangnian in front of him!
Something must have happened between the two of them!
Zhao Xi felt certain in his heart.
Lin Jiangnian naturally denied it: "Miss Zhao, you're overthinking it. The eldest princess and I are innocent and I haven't hidden anything from Miss Zhao."
"real?"
Zhao Xi obviously didn't believe it. She looked at Li Piaomiao, then at Lin Jiangnian, and said nothing more.
However, under the table, he kicked Lin Jiangnian again.
Judging from the feel of his feet, it was neither light nor heavy. It was as if it was… awakening Lin Jiangnian to something.
Lin Jiangnian remained calm and motionless.
Zhao Xi became more and more certain that something must have happened between this guy and Li Piaomiao that she didn't know about.
Even between the two of them, there might be...
Thinking of this, Zhao Xi felt a little indescribable... anger in his heart?
OK!
One of these two girls is her good sister whom she has known for many years, and the other is... Although they have nothing to do with each other, Zhao Xi suddenly felt inexplicably jealous when she thought that both of them were hiding things from her.
Thinking of this, and seeing Lin Jiangnian's equally indifferent expression, Zhao Xi felt inexplicably angry and wanted to kick him twice more!
So she raised her leg and kicked out again.
The kick missed!
Was this guy prepared?
Just as Zhao Xi was about to pull his leg back, he suddenly felt like he couldn't move. It was as if his left leg was clamped by something, unable to move.
Zhao Xi was slightly startled, but she quickly realized something and used her legs to try to pull it out.
However, it didn't move at all!
Zhao Xi's eyes widened slightly, as if she didn't expect the other party to fight back. She raised her eyes and saw Lin Jiangnian giving her a harmless smile.
There was something familiar in that smile... a malicious look!
For some reason, Zhao Xi's heart skipped a beat and he had a bad feeling.
Her face flushed slightly, and she glared at him in shame and anger, warning him to let her go immediately. However, Lin Jiangnian remained unmoved and ignored her threatening look.
Zhao Xi was annoyed by the other party's frivolous action as his legs were clamped. He wanted to raise his other foot and kick him a few more times in anger.
But before Zhao Xi could move, he suddenly felt a familiar hot touch covering his immobile foot under the table.
Zhao Xi froze in place, his entire body trembling as if realizing something. His face flushed visibly, and even his breathing nearly stopped.
This, this familiar feeling!
He, he actually dared to...
Zhao Xi's whole body was tense and his mind went blank at this moment.
I was stunned on the spot!
…
