roccoschili Chapter 92 My Wish is You
Chapter 92 My Wish is You
The following day, all the items destroyed in the Jiang residence had been inventoried.
This fire caused quite a stir.
After all, it was the residence of an important official of the imperial court, so the government treated it as a major case and investigated it very thoroughly.
To save face, Jiang Xun made up a lie to cover up the fact that the fire was started by an insider.
Jiang Li's ruthless scheme of using her own mother to take the blame pleased Wen Yin.
But besides Wen Yin, there was another person.
......
In the backyard of the Wen residence, two young ladies, their heads adorned with jade hairpins and exquisite makeup, sat before Jiang Li.
She rose respectfully to pour tea: "...Yue Mei's family is poor, and we used to rely on her for everything. It's all thanks to the gold you gave me, Miss Chi, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to persuade Yue Mei."
Chi Yu laughed and said, "The young mistress is even more ruthless than I imagined, daring to burn down her own family home."
Jiang Li smiled awkwardly: "To be honest, you two ladies are probably aware of my situation."
Wen Yin and Chi Yu exchanged a glance, then Wen Yin continued, "But Jiang Wan is incredibly lucky to have survived. What are your plans for the next step?"
Before Jiang Li could speak, Chi Yu said, "The Jiang residence was just burned down. If we attack again, it will likely be noticed. Let's wait a while..."
“Sister Yu’er.” Wen Yin interrupted her with a dark expression, “Are you very happy that Jiang Wan has moved into the Prince’s mansion? If she and the Prince get together, then no one will bother you anymore, right?”
Chi Yu's smile froze, and she explained, "I... I was thinking that if I kept attacking her, it would inevitably go unnoticed..."
Wen Yin glanced at her, intending to get angry, but then she thought that harming the General's Mansion was a serious crime. If this matter came to light, she would need Chi Yu to cover for her, since she had the Empress's backing. No matter what, she was determined to drag Chi Yu down with her.
So she softened her tone: "I know you mean well, but I won't have peace of mind until Jiang Wan is gone. Would you be willing to help me, Sister Yu'er?"
Chi Yu looked into her intense gaze and nodded.
In the past few days, the Prince's mansion has been receiving visitors. Some are bringing congratulatory gifts for Xiao Hengzhi, some want to visit Jiang Mian, and some are Jiang Xun's former subordinates.
However, Xiao Hengzhi refused to see them at the door, and Li Zhijing and Wen Qian were also turned away several times.
Helpless, Jiang Mian could only send word that everything was fine.
Jiang Xun had no choice but to go to the palace for several days in a row, staying for a whole day at a time, treating it as receiving guests.
The letter from the Crown Prince today was the third one, and Xiao Hengzhi read it without saying a word.
Every word in the letter expressed his concern for Jiang Mian, and he said that if the prince hadn't been so forceful in preventing him from entering, he would have wanted to be by her side immediately.
He got angry just looking at it, and he tore it up the first two times. This time, he couldn't help but write a reply.
But he had nothing to say to Ning Zhi, only writing two short words—
"Don't disturb."
Sure enough, it became quiet, and no one bothered him anymore.
These past few days, Jiang Mian has been unusually obedient, staying quietly in the Prince's residence and not mentioning Ning Zhi again.
Xiao Hengzhi had no idea what she was planning, but even if she was just pretending to be obedient, it made him very happy.
After dinner that evening, he decided to take her out of the mansion for a stroll.
When Jiang Wan heard the news, she jumped up with joy, overjoyed.
Xiao Hengzhi thought she was happy to finally be able to leave the manor, but little did he know that Jiang Wan was happy because she finally had the opportunity to send a letter to Duan Zhi'an.
She has made up her mind to accept Duan Zhi'an's proposal, but she needs Duan Zhi'an to buy her some time.
The Emperor hasn't bestowed a marriage these past few days because of the reconstruction of the Jiang residence after the fire, but given Xiao Hengzhi's personality, he'll probably find a way to propose marriage soon.
Therefore, in addition to needing Duan Zhi'an to buy her some time, she also needed him to tell Ning Zhi to wait for her a little longer.
It seems that Ning Zhi and Chi Yu's marriage is about to be finalized.
......
After dinner, the two boarded the carriage together.
Jiang Mian leaned quietly against the window, watching the bustling market, unable to hide her excitement.
She had a note hidden under her belt, and she was thinking about how to take advantage of this short trip out to send a letter to Duan Zhi'an.
Soon, the carriage stopped at the entrance of an alley. Xiao Hengzhi said in a low voice, "Get out and walk around."
Jiang Mian pursed her lips, then nimbly jumped out of the car.
Before me lay a bustling market, its atmosphere both sultry and vibrant. Pedestrians hurried by, the sounds of people, horses' hooves, and vendors' shouts blending together in a cacophony. Shops were decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, and stalls were set up in rows.
Jiang Mian's gaze followed the crowd, finally settling on the lantern stalls by the river.
She couldn't help but recall the lantern festival from last time, and asked softly, "Your Highness, do you remember that day at the lantern festival, when I released a lantern by the river and made a wish?"
Xiao Hengzhi nodded: "I remember."
"Does Your Highness wish to know what I wished for?"
Xiao Hengzhi's eyes darkened slightly: "If it's related to the Crown Prince, then I don't want to..."
Jiang Wan smiled slightly, her eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as a painting: "My wish is that Your Highness can be a good person." She paused, then added, "And it would be even better if you would listen to me."
A gentle night breeze blew, and under the bright lights, Jiang Wan smiled sweetly at him, her sparkling eyes captivating Xiao Hengzhi's heart.
Xiao Hengzhi couldn't tell whether she was lying or not.
"Your wish is for me?"
Jiang Wan nodded vigorously, blinked, and smiled even more brightly: "Your Highness is my wish."
Perhaps because it was true, her emotions overflowed from the bottom of her heart, and Xiao Hengzhi's face softened considerably.
Jiang Wan fiddled with the small lantern in front of her, then pouted and said, "But that lantern doesn't seem to work very well. The Prince is still the same as before..."
“It works.” Xiao Hengzhi interrupted her.
Then he took her hand and looked into her eyes, capturing her smile: "Your wish will surely come true."
Jiang Wan smiled mischievously and said deliberately, "How about Your Highness buy me a sugar figurine?"
Xiao Hengzhi turned his head to look at the sugar figurine shop not far away and said, "Come with me."
"No!" Jiang Wan wrinkled her nose and said coquettishly, "Didn't Your Highness say it was effective? You're not listening to me, so how is it effective?"
Xiao Hengzhi's gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds before he said, "I'm afraid you'll run away again."
"Will not."
Jiang Wan smiled and moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his and swaying them slightly, with a hint of coquettishness in her voice: "Where could I run to? Even if I did, wouldn't you just catch me and bring me back?"
Her words carried a soft, helpless tone, which seemed to bewitch Xiao Hengzhi.
He looked around, squeezed her fingers, and said softly, "Then you wait here for me to come back."
"Okay, I'll wait for you here."
Xiao Heng kept turning back to look at her, afraid that she would slip away in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Mian knew he had been watching, so she turned her back and pretended to be choosing lanterns.
She looked at the child beside the lantern shop and whispered, "Little one, do you like this lantern?"
The child nodded: "I like it."
"Then do me a favor, I'll take you there, okay?" Jiang Wan said with a smile.
The little boy approached her, said something, and then danced around happily.
From Xiao Hengzhi's perspective, Jiang Wan was simply choosing lanterns with the children.
Just as he turned to get the sugar figurine, a group of river workers carrying wooden planks passed by him, instantly blocking Jiang Mian completely.
After the river workers left, Jiang Mian was no longer there.