Five Years After My Death, the Mad Emperor Still Summons My Spirit

Chapter 207: Chapter 207: The Trap

With Zhang Sifan stepping in, inviting Xu Qian was much easier.

This young master was the type who loved a good spectacle and wasn’t afraid of things escalating. The moment he heard it was about causing trouble for Qin Lingzhi, he grew even more excited and agreed on the spot.

Not long after Ming Lingyi and her three companions passed through the gates of Qinglong Temple, Jiang Yuchuan appeared with Cai Jie.

The two of them headed directly for the spot where the Xie and Qin families had arranged the meeting.

Since it was a formal matchmaking meeting, these great families, not wanting to appear cheap, usually chose fairly public places. If the young couple hit it off, it wouldn’t be too late to find a more secluded spot together, like a pavilion on the mountainside.

Qin Lingzhi had long heard of Jiang Yuchuan’s reputation. He was the youngest Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice and remarkably handsome. She had never imagined she would have a matchmaking meeting with him. After all, in her years in Shangjing, she had come to understand that these old, established families were not exactly welcoming to "newcomers" like hers. And in the circles of Shangjing City’s elite, her Grandpa was no longer considered a sought-after figure, likely because his hand injury meant he could never return to the battlefield to win glory.

Fortunately, her brother was very capable, so she could act as she pleased in Shangjing City, and few dared to truly cross her.

Except for that one time she ran into a nasty old geezer.

But she hadn’t gotten the worst of it that time. Afterward, she had given him a harsh "welcome."

If the Xie family hadn’t needed a favor from her Grandpa this time, she figured she would have never had anything to do with Jiang Yuchuan.

Qin Lingzhi was in high spirits.

’If she really became Jiang Yuchuan’s wife, she’d like to see who in Shangjing City’s elite circles would dare to look down on her then.’

After all, Jiang Yuchuan was the ideal husband in the eyes of many of Shangjing’s noble ladies.

’When the time came, she would parade Jiang Yuchuan around and let all those noble ladies who had once looked down on her get a good look at who his real wife was.’

In such high spirits, Qin Lingzhi soon arrived outside the Great Hall.

Jiang Yuchuan was off to the side, offering incense and drawing a fortune stick.

Qin Lingzhi did not rush over. She stood where she was, taking a good, long look at the Dayan Dynasty’s youngest Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

It had to be said, Jiang Yuchuan truly lived up to his reputation as a top choice for a husband among the noble ladies of Shangjing City.

His physique alone made him stand out in the crowd, like a crane among chickens, exceptionally conspicuous.

Smoke from the incense and candles swirled around his slender, upright figure. He wore a simple, pale cyan robe, its wide sleeves swaying gently in the wind, lending him an air of refined detachment.

His jet-black hair was loosely pinned up with a simple white jade hairpin. A few strands escaped, trailing along his neck, which, far from looking messy, lent him the roguish charm of a renowned scholar. ’What a handsome gentleman indeed.’

Qin Lingzhi gently tucked away the stray hairs framing her face, then gracefully glided over to Jiang Yuchuan’s side.

"Mr. Jiang." As she spoke, Qin Lingzhi motioned for the young maidservant beside her to bring her three sticks of incense, which she then lit and placed in the censer before them.

Jiang Yuchuan asked, "May I ask who you are, Miss...?"

Qin Lingzhi replied, "My surname is Qin." She was slightly displeased. ’Could there be someone else here to meet with Jiang Yuchuan today?’

Realization dawned on Jiang Yuchuan, and he cupped his hands in a polite salute.

Qin Lingzhi’s mind was now completely filled with triumphant images of herself on Jiang Yuchuan’s arm, appearing before everyone. Subconsciously, she already saw him as her property.

"The weather is lovely today. Would you care for a stroll on the back mountain, Mr. Jiang? The Endless Summer should be in full bloom this time of year," Qin Lingzhi said.

For the woman to extend the invitation first usually meant a matchmaking meeting was a sure thing.

However, with Jiang Yuchuan, it seemed things were about to take an unexpected turn.

Jiang Yuchuan began, "My apologies, I came here today..."

Before Jiang Yuchuan could finish, a woman’s voice called out from behind them, "Brother Yu Chuan..."

In that instant, the cold austerity on Jiang Yuchuan’s face melted away, replaced by a much gentler expression.

"Dan Niang."

Dan Niang was the pet name Cai Jie’s family used for her.

Cai Jie came forward to stand beside Jiang Yuchuan. She looked at Qin Lingzhi with an air of curiosity. "Brother Yu Chuan, who is this young lady? Do you know her?"

The moment Cai Jie appeared, Qin Lingzhi’s gaze fixed on her, sharp and scrutinizing.

And when she heard the intimacy with which Jiang Yuchuan said the other woman’s name, Qin Lingzhi’s expression instantly turned cold.

A moment ago, she had been fantasizing about appearing before the capital’s noble ladies with Jiang Yuchuan on her arm, and now, here he was with another woman.

For Qin Lingzhi, who already considered Jiang Yuchuan her property, it felt like being betrayed and slapped in the face in public.

Jiang Yuchuan first shot Cai Jie a reassuring glance. "This is the Miss Qin I told you about before I left. My uncle insisted that I come meet with her." After explaining this to Cai Jie, he turned back to Qin Lingzhi. "My apologies, Miss Qin. I truly could not refuse this meeting today. I have to obey the request of a family elder. However, I also came today to be frank with you. I... already have a fiancée."

As he said this, his gaze naturally fell on Cai Jie beside him.

Qin Lingzhi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

If it had been any other high-born lady from Shangjing City standing beside him, that would have been one thing. But was Jiang Yuchuan actually telling her that this woman was his *former* fiancée, the one he had already broken his engagement with?

’Was he toying with her?’

"Your fiancée?" Qin Lingzhi’s brow furrowed. "But wasn’t your engagement to your previous fiancée broken off long ago?"

’If the engagement hadn’t been called off, the Xie family would never have approached her family about this marriage.’

Outsiders might not have known the truth, but since Xie Jupu wanted to unite the Xie and Qin families through marriage, he had already explained all the complicated details.

Otherwise, she would never have come to Qinglong Temple.

Jiang Yuchuan’s expression remained unchanged. "That’s not true. If Dan Niang weren’t my fiancée, how could she have been living in the Jiang Mansion all this time? This was a marriage contract arranged by my elders when they were still living. I cannot defy a match set by my ancestors. To do so would be utterly unfilial."

’In any case,’ he thought, ’his eldest uncle had spread so many rumors about him in the Capital City. Now that he had made his choice, those same rumors, once a detriment, had become an asset.’

’If he was determined to go through with the marriage to Cai Jie, there was truly nothing his uncle could do.’

Qin Lingzhi cried, "How is that possible?! If she’s really your fiancée, why would your uncle come to my family to propose marriage?!"

At her words, Jiang Yuchuan looked slightly embarrassed.

"Miss Qin." This time, it was Cai Jie who spoke up. "It is because my family is of humble status. The master of the Xie family felt I was unworthy of Brother Yu Chuan, which is why he wanted our families to break the engagement. But... but Brother Yu Chuan and I are truly in love..."

Cai Jie hadn’t even finished her rehearsed speech before Qin Lingzhi cut her off.

"Who do you think you are? You think you have the right to speak to me?"

Qin Lingzhi whipped her head around, snatched a whip from the hand of her maidservant, and raised it as if to strike Cai Jie.

As the daughter of a military general, she was far more aggressive than the noble ladies of Shangjing City who spent their days composing poetry.