Chapter 665: Chapter 664: I’m Helpless Too
Yi Zixuan actually felt a sense of relief, this was good, at least things wouldn’t spiral further out of control.
The Seventeenth Princess entrusted this task to her, and if she truly caused someone to lose face, that would be her failure.
She glanced discreetly at the Seventeenth Princess, who was also gleaming with interest, seemingly enjoying the spectacle.
Yi Zixuan couldn’t help but smile wryly, it seemed the Seventeenth Princess wasn’t planning to intervene, did she not realize she was watching her own joke unfold?
However, it wasn’t just the Seventeenth Princess observing from the sidelines; Shen Yuncong was also watching.
Although Shen Yuncong was struck by Xia Wenjin’s beauty at first sight and felt his heart stir, as the son of the Grand Scholar and one of the three noble sons in the Capital City, he knew the importance of his own status and wouldn’t act recklessly at the Seventeenth Princess’s gathering.
Thus, when Xia Wenjin took the stage and the mocking voices arose from below, he was already thinking about how to comfort the beauty later.
But he never expected that Xia Wenjin wasn’t planning to step down just yet?
Xia Wenjin cast her gaze across the people below the stage, her smile was graceful and cheerful: "In the Xia Mansion, we have always upheld the family tradition: do not be ostentatious, do not be arrogant, do not seek to outshine others. Therefore, I have always been humble and low-key, not contending with anyone. Today, I originally just wanted to quietly enjoy the flower-viewing and make a few friends at the Seventeenth Princess’s gathering. However, some people won’t let me lay low, which is quite frustrating to me!"
The crowd: "..."
Someone below the stage snickered, "You speak quite grandly!"
"Why don’t you show us your high-profile manner then!"
"Don’t just boast without any action! Everyone’s watching!"
"Exactly, and you say you’re frustrated? Ridiculous!"
...
Xia Wenjin proudly smiled, "May I borrow a sword?"
Yi Zixuan couldn’t help but stammer, "A sword... what do you need a sword for?"
Xia Wenjin smiled, "Piano, calligraphy, painting, and dancing have all been demonstrated by others, so I’ll offer something different! Let me perform a sword dance!"
A sword dance was quite a novelty.
It wasn’t that they hadn’t seen a sword dance before, but only men had performed it while women rarely did.
Because with weapons like knives and swords, when wielded well, they are undoubtedly crowd-pleasing; however, any slight mishap could make one seem inept and foolish.
Huangfu Yuxuan narrowed his eyes again, a sword dance? Well, considering Haotian Village’s place in Jianghu, even if Xia Wenjin’s martial arts were average, she could still put on a good show with a few tricks.
Such flashy tricks might not hurt anyone, nor have the power to kill, but they suit occasions such as these perfectly.
She was indeed clever to think of showcasing this.
Huangfu Yuxuan watched with great interest. Prince Xin’s son said, "Where is Jingchen?"
Prince Lu’s son replied, "He was just here, seems he needed some fresh air! That girl is interesting, a sword dance, with that figure, the dance must be spectacular!"
Suddenly, a "splash" was heard from not far east, followed by water splashing everywhere.
Prince Lu’s son looked over, puzzled, "Huh, isn’t that Jingchen?"
Prince Xin’s son and Huangfu Yuxuan looked over, and by the railing, stood with his hands behind his back, his face cold and unapproachable, wasn’t that Huangfu Jingchen?
Who was that struggling in the water?
Someone sharp-eyed had already shouted, "Isn’t that Young Master Zhan?"
"Yes, it’s Zhan Jinlei!"
At this moment, Zhan Jinlei, who was floundering in the water, was utterly befuddled. Just moments ago, he was derisively mocking the beautiful but unfamiliar young girl on stage.
Usually in the Capital City, those whose names he knew but held lower official ranks were just people he would tease on sight.
A young girl he had never seen before, he felt no hesitation.
Then, as he was joyfully speaking, he saw the recently infamous Prince Cheng’s Heir, who gained notoriety in the Capital City after a recent assassination attempt, smilingly walking toward him.
Zhan Jinlei was first stunned, then thought to himself, although Prince Cheng’s Heir had some discord with Prince Zhuang, it had nothing to do with him.
Since Prince Cheng’s Heir approached him amicably, of course, he wouldn’t refuse, and he responded with a smile, "Prince Jing, what brings you here, please, have a seat!"
As he said this, he nudged the person beside him, indicating they should give up their seat.
The person quickly stood up to make room.
Huangfu Jingchen said, "No need, Mr. Zhan, let’s have a word in private."
Zhan Jinlei’s eyes lit up; not only had Prince Cheng’s Heir come to him, but he also wanted to have a private conversation? It surely must be something important.
Even if it wasn’t something significant, just befriending Prince Cheng’s Heir would afford him prestige and recognition among the noble circles in the Capital City.
At home, his elder family had Prince Zhuang as a son-in-law and looked down on the second and third branches of the family, arrogant with eyes above their heads, often chiding them for not being upstanding. But if he had a significant friend, he would hold both face and substance in esteem.
Zhan Jinlei, somewhat smugly, glanced at the few people sitting with him, catching their envious glares, before walking toward Huangfu Jingchen enthusiastically, "Prince Jing, you’re too kind, if there’s anything you need, just say the word!"
He eagerly walked towards Huangfu Jingchen, grinning so wide it almost reached behind his ears.
Huangfu Jingchen turned to the side, and he immediately followed.
Turning a corner, out of sight from others, Zhan Jinlei immediately asked, "Prince Jing, what can I do for you?"
Huangfu Jingchen was very friendly, "I have something interesting to show you!"
Zhan Jinlei’s eyes shone, eagerly leaning closer, ingratiatingly, "It is my honor!"
Huangfu Jingchen pulled a pouch from his waist, opened it, and took out a token.
Zhan Jinlei took it and saw it was dark gold, carved with dragon-like patterns, and was surprised. Hastily, he tried to give it back to Huangfu Jingchen, but his motion was too large. He felt he hadn’t used any force, yet unexpectedly bumped Huangfu Jingchen, causing him to lean sideways and almost fall out.
Zhan Jinlei panicked—if he accidentally knocked Prince Cheng’s Heir into the river, he couldn’t bear the charge of harming an Imperial Grandson. He didn’t have time to return the token, instead rushing to support him, resulting in chaos, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his leg bone. Off-balance, he slipped, his body tilted, and he fell into the water.
The token he was holding, along with Huangfu Jingchen’s pouch, naturally fell into the water as well.
Zhan Jinlei gulped a few mouthfuls of water before surfacing, looking at Huangfu Jingchen, soaking wet. Huangfu Jingchen’s gaze was cool as it swept over him, "Mr. Zhan, you threw my stuff in the river, so you’ll have to retrieve it yourself. But the water here is clear enough; drinking a few more mouthfuls shouldn’t be much trouble for you!"
Zhan Jinlei was utterly bewildered, how was it that Prince Jing nearly fell, seemed to be the one about to plunge into the water, yet he ended up in it?
Moreover, the pouch was a trivial matter, but Prince Jing’s token was significant—anything carved with a dragon couldn’t be simple! It belonged to the Imperial Palace.
He knew enough to recognize that it was an identity token given to the Imperial Grandsons by the palace.
This was why he had wanted to return it promptly.
Now, the identity token signifying an Imperial Grandson had been lost in the water by him. Even if it took drinking all the water here, he had to retrieve that token.
He was truly unlucky, but what choice did he have? He could only dive and resign himself to retrieve the dark gold token.
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