She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Jiang Ruining lazily rested his chin on his hand, looking uninterested: "I overheard other people talking about it. Archery! There are so many girls cheering and screaming for him, he doesn't need me."

Chu Jin was surprised.

The man who had shamelessly pestered her for three months had also let go of her so easily.

She asked with some concern, "Are you alright?"

Jiang Ruining blinked: "Except for being a little poor, a little unlucky, and a little empty-headed, I'm fine."

Then he gave a cold snort.

"If he doesn't like me, I won't bother liking him either! I'm a beautiful woman, I have my pride too!"

Chu Jin thought about her recent changes and realized that she might not like it anymore... which didn't seem impossible.

That's what I was thinking.

A sudden silence fell over the surroundings, followed by an excited commotion that filled the entire pearl-embroidered curtain.

Chu Jin subconsciously turned around to look.

He met a pair of deep yet gentle eyes.

My heart skipped a beat.

It's him!

It was the man I caught a glimpse of in the teahouse that day!

"The Duke of Shao is truly handsome beyond compare. Wherever he stands, all the other young men become mere foils."

"To be able to support one's family at the age of fifteen or sixteen—that's truly remarkable."

"Only if I could marry him would my life be complete!"

……

Upon hearing the conversation among the people on the other side, Chu Jin's heart palpitation turned into astonishment.

Duke of Shao?

He was none other than the legendary, refined, and promising Duke of Shao!

The one Jiang Ruining has been harassing?

He turned around abruptly and looked at Jiang Ruining.

Her gaze also turned to the source of the commotion, but her expression remained calm, her eyes indifferent, showing no excitement or shyness.

Jiang Ruining pretended not to notice the shock in her eyes: "That face, it's really beautiful!"

Without affection.

It also lacks possessiveness.

Purely objective evaluation.

Chu Jin's expression was complex, and she was suspicious: "You..."

Jiang Ruining pretended not to understand her shock and raised her chin: "You haven't seen it before, have you?"

"Don't let his gentlemanly appearance fool you, he's incredibly cold to me. For every step I take closer, he has to retreat three. Tsk~ My brother and he are close friends, yet he treats me like I'm dirt on my dignity!"

"How despicable!"

Chu Jin couldn't see any reason why she would lie.

After all, she was unaware of her disordered heartbeat!

There was silence for a moment.

Amidst the shy, admiring, or sparkling excited gazes of the noble ladies, Shao Yun calmly took his seat.

When his gaze turned to the young master who had called him, it met Jiang Ruining's eye halfway through.

It flew past, then turned back.

He smiled and nodded in response.

Jiang Ruining paused for a moment, then quickly turned her face away.

Why are you looking at her?

Go see the female lead!

She glanced guiltily at Chu Jin.

As luck would have it, Chu Jin was still looking at her.

Chu Jin's eyes sharpened: "Duke Shao didn't go to the martial arts arena just now, so... you met him?"

Jiang Ruining sighed.

As expected, nothing can escape the eyes of the female lead!

Since that's the case, let's just get straight to the point.

He shifted his posture, turned to the side, and asked her in a low voice, "Tell me the truth, what were you thinking when my attitude towards you suddenly changed?"

Chu Jin spoke frankly: "I suspect you have a new scheme up your sleeve."

Jiang Ruining then asked, "Why do you think someone who used to be cold and distant towards me would suddenly become extremely gentle and proactive in approaching me?"

Chu Jin frowned and couldn't help but glance at Shao Yunting. He was talking to someone at the next table, but his eyes kept glancing at Jiang Ruining.

My heart clenched slightly.

Something seemed out of place, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the bitter taste welling up inside me.

"Did he approach you with an ulterior motive?"

Jiang Ruining shrugged: "Anyway, I don't believe it. He just suddenly discovered that I'm beautiful and kind-hearted, and fell in love with me."

Chu Jin pursed her lips and looked at her.

Her guess was quite rational.

A truly foolish person cannot articulate their past experiences and emotions.

Jiang Ruining sighed, "He told me that my brother had asked him to take care of me, but my mother has repeatedly disregarded my dignity, publicly belittling me and deliberately misleading others to despise me. So many discerning people have seen through it. Didn't he know anything about it?"

"He was back in Beijing for three months, and I approached her countless times. Did he ever care about me or comfort me? I'm not smart, but he really treated me like a fool! He thought that as long as he smiled and told a few lies, he could bewitch me."

How ridiculous!

Chu Jin remained silent.

He pondered for a moment, then leaned close to her ear: "Is his purpose the same as that of the patrol battalion? Is there really someone hiding around you...?"

She carefully refrained from saying the second half of her sentence.

But she knew that Jiang Ruining could understand her unfinished words.

Jiang Ruining was not surprised that she had guessed it.

I only glanced at her.

He didn't say anything.

Since there's still no progress between Chu Jin and Shao Yunting, and she still has to stay at the Jiang family's house, they're all in the same boat, so she's not worried about Chu Jin saying anything.

On the contrary, when faced with probing from others, she would deliberately avoid any suspicious clues.

Chu Jin remained silent, a faint mist veiling his brow.

Whether it was out of concern for the potential crisis facing the Jiang family, or simply because she herself had fallen for the same man as Jiang Ruining, she was confused.

"The eldest princess has arrived!"

The pearl-embroidered gauze curtains fell silent.

Princess Anyang arrived gracefully, dressed in luxurious attire.

His gaze swept across the room, lingering briefly on Jiang Ruining's face before quickly returning to his own. He exchanged a few polite words and chatted and laughed with Cui Jingwei and the others to demonstrate their close relationship.

Jiang Ruining was too lazy to listen to those hypocritical words and just stared blankly into space.

Finally, a gasp of surprise pulled me back to reality.

Following the gaze of the crowd.

A long table had been moved to the center of the gauze curtain at some point, and two dazzling prizes were placed on it.

A pot of roses, unlike ordinary roses, had pale gold petals, giving it a cold and noble appearance! It was a "lucky omen" presented to the palace by a local official and bestowed upon the young emperor by his elder sister.

Another item is the eighteen-bead bracelet.

The eighteen gemstones on the bracelet, each one shining with a full and dazzling light in the light filtered through the gauze curtain, are all priceless.

Both of these are rare treasures.

Some people who were initially uninterested immediately became interested.

Inside the large gauze curtain, the soft rustling of ink falling from the brush was incessant.

Jiang Ruining had no intention of participating; she simply rested her chin on her hand and watched Chu Jin put down her pen.

She whispered a reminder: "Revise it again. Cui Jingwei already knows the theme of the poetry competition. She's been secretly polishing her poem for half a month. If you submit it like this, you won't be able to beat her!"

The author designed it this way so that Cui Jingwei's lackeys would ridicule and bully the female lead, thus leading to the scene where the male lead comes to her rescue.

But if the female lead wins, will Cui Jingwei and her cronies stop making things difficult for her?

Of course not!

So, why did the female lead have to lose?

"If she wins, she'll definitely try her best to belittle you."

Her words had barely left Chu Jin's ears.

Over there, the Princess had already finished reading Cui Jingwei's poem and praised it highly: "Cold dew soaks my clothes, the moon fills the corridor, golden blossoms adorn the trees, subtly exuding fragrance. Not vying with peaches and plums for spring's splendor, it stands alone on the autumn steps, proud of the morning frost. Excellent!"

"Jingwei's talent has indeed not disappointed me; well written!"

Flattery and praise abounded.

"The princess is the most talented woman in the capital; her talent and ability are unmatched!"

Cui Jingwei smiled gently, her tone humble yet her eyes confident: "Please don't praise me so much, I just performed as usual."

Jiang Ruining pursed her lips and clicked her tongue lightly.

Listen to this!

Listen to how shameless and wicked this woman is at boasting!

It was just a normal performance.

Chu Jinwei was slightly surprised. She never expected that a proud and talented woman like Cui Jingwei would cheat in order to win!

Cui Jingwei approached gracefully.

He glanced at Chu Jin's poem, a smile playing on his lips, utterly certain. His gaze then fell upon the blank sheet of Xuan paper on Jiang Ruining's desk, his soft voice rising slightly: "Why haven't you written anything, Sister Ning? Time's almost up!"

Jiang Ruining chuckled.

That wicked woman has her eye on her again!