Xie Jin thought for a moment, and promised her with great care: “Shu’er, the person beside me will only be you. Wait for me for a while, and I will definitely handle the marriage between me and Wang Yujin properly.” Fearing that she would misunderstand, he quickly added: “Wang Yujin is also innocent, I can’t hurt her.”

Zhao Shu looked clear-headed and resumed addressing Xie Jin as she usually did. “Cousin Jin, have you noticed that you have been thinking about how to handle this matter so as not to hurt Wang Yujin, but have you ever thought that your actions will also hurt me?”

Zhao Shu pulled down the hands that were on her shoulders: “Cousin Jin, have you ever thought that maybe the person you really like is not me.”

After saying this, Zhao Shu walked away without looking back. Xie Jin stood motionless in the night, the expression on his face so gloomy that it was difficult to see clearly.

Xie Jin said to the dark night: “Come out.”

There was a rustling sound coming from behind the rockery, and after a moment, a pretty figure walked into Xie Jin’s sight.

Wang Yujin kept pinching the handkerchief in his hand and looked at Xie Jin anxiously: “Brother Jin, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

Xie Jin: “Did you hear what Shu’er and I said just now?”

Wang Yujin quickly said, “Brother Jin, I don’t mind you making Sister Shu’er your co-wife. You can continue to live your lives in love, and I will stay in the yard quietly and not bother you.”

Wang Yujin’s voice started to sob: “Brother Jin, please, please don’t abandon me!”

It is difficult to have both in this world. If he softens his heart and agrees to Wang Yujin’s request today, he will not only hurt Wang Yujin but also Shu’er. He does not want to cause tragedy for three people in the future because of a momentary thought today!
Xie Jin shook his head in the darkness: “Sorry.”

Wang Yujin burst into tears at this apology. She stumbled towards Xie Jin and pulled his sleeves with both hands: “Brother Jin, I don’t want your apology. Can you take it back?”

Wang Yujin didn’t know why, but this feeling of superiority only lasted for one day before she had to ask for it to be taken away. She said helplessly: “Brother Jin, I will be very obedient after we get married. I won’t come out to bother Sister Shu’er!”

She couldn’t wait to give Xie Jin some advice: “Maybe, maybe, after we get married, Brother Jin, you can send me to another courtyard, so that Sister Shu’er won’t see me anymore.”

She sobbed and cried, “I just beg you not to leave me!”

Xie Jin also knew that she was innocent, but who among the three of them was not innocent? She was innocent, Shu’er was innocent, he was the source of this crime, but he was also the victim of this crime.

Xie Jin brushed away the hand that was pulling his sleeve: “Sorry.”

Wang Yujin looked at Xie Jin as she walked away in a daze. She was finished, her life was over. After tonight, she would become the laughing stock of the whole of Shangjing, a laughing stock that everyone would know!

Wang Yujin’s whole body was trembling slightly, and her eyes were misty in the darkness.

Although Xie Jin and Zhao Shu entered the hall one after the other, no one paid much attention to them because they entered the hall quite a long time apart. There was one exception, and that was the king, Qin Su, who was sitting on a high seat and toasting with the ministers.

Qin Su sighed leisurely while drinking. When he looked up again, he was looking towards Xie Jingrong’s position with a smile.

“As the old saying goes, you should start a family first and then a career. Xie Bujunxiao has made great achievements in his career, so he should catch up with starting a family. The right thing for the Duke is to put aside the things he has on hand for the time being and put Xie Bujunxiao’s marriage on the agenda as soon as possible.”

Xie Jingrong bowed: “I obey your order!”

Wang Qizhang’s eyes were closed due to laughing, while Lin Yin just smiled calmly, showing no sign of being surprised by the praise or criticism.

Xie Jin frowned, his eyes involuntarily looking at the girl in the light blue dress opposite him.

Zhao Shu reached out and picked up the lotus root box on the table, biting it one bite at a time. Zhao Xueying leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Did you hear what His Majesty said just now?”

Zhao Shu buried her head in eating lotus root: “What did you say?”

Zhao Xueying was not annoyed by her indifference and continued to speak enthusiastically, “His Majesty is urging Cousin Jin and Yu Jin to get married!”

Zhao Shu swallowed the lotus root box in her mouth, picked up the tea beside her and drank it, then said, “Hmm.” Zhao Xueying was very excited about this matter: “What do you think we should give them as a gift when they get married?”
eye
He looked at Zhao Shu meaningfully: “After all, Cousin Jin and I have known each other for a while.”

Zhang Lanyin turned her head and frowned at Zhao Xueying: “So much food can’t stop you from eating?”

Zhao Xueying pursed her lips but didn’t say anything else.

Zhang Lanyin fed a mouthful of cheese to Yang Ge’er in her arms and asked casually, “Did you see Bao’er when you went out just now?”

Zhao Shu paused while eating, then put down her chopsticks, wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, and said respectfully, “I’m going to reply to my mother. I saw it.”

Zhang Lanyin wiped the milky white cheese on Yang Ge’er’s mouth with a handkerchief: “Have you said everything you should say?”

Zhao Shu paused and said, “Yes.”

Zhang Lanyin nodded: “That’s good. After all, Bao’er’s last name is Xie, not Zhao. If she cries and looks for you again in the future, you don’t have to pay attention. The people in the Xie Mansion will coax her. Over time, her deep feelings for you will fade. The right thing to do is to live your own lives behind closed doors.”

Zhao Shu listened obediently and said, “Yes.”

The banquet was still going on. Lin Xun was toasting with his friends around him, and occasionally making some dirty remarks.

The ministers and their wives around knew the character of Lin Xun and his group. Even though they couldn’t stand their shabby behavior, they didn’t teach them a lesson because they were concerned that this was a royal banquet.

Lin Xun drank the wine in his glass intermittently, his eyes always looking at the position below the main seat.

Li Yanrong had been secretly observing the every move of his good friend Lin Xun since the beginning of the banquet. At this moment, he moved closer to Lin Xun as if he had discovered a new road.

“Do you like Zhao Shu?”

Lin Xun paused while drinking, then continued drinking as if nothing had happened: “What bullshit are you talking about!”

Li Yanrong felt that he was saying one thing and thinking another: “If you don’t like me, why do you keep staring at me like this?”

Lin Xun said calmly: “Don’t you think she looks like a beautiful lady?”

They all knew that Jiao Niang looked alike with Zhao Shu. When Lin Xun was grooming Jiao Niang, they even wondered privately whether Lin Xun liked Zhao Shu, otherwise why would he groom Jiao Niang, who looked somewhat similar to Zhao Shu?

But later they didn’t think so. After all, if Lin Xun really liked Zhao Shu, he would definitely come to her house to ask for her hand in marriage. If he really married Zhao Shu, wouldn’t it be obvious that bringing up a beautiful bride now would cause trouble for Zhao Shu?

This group of perfect friends all agreed that no one would do such a stupid thing, and Lin Xun was obviously not a fool, so it was just a coincidence that Lin Xun picked a woman who looked similar to Zhao Shu, and he did not like Zhao Shu.

And why did Li Yanrong feel that Lin Xun liked Zhao Shu again just now? It was because the look in Lin Xun’s eyes when he looked at Zhao Shu just now was so unclear. There was nothing but naked greed and hatred in his eyes!

Because of love comes sorrow, because of love comes hatred!
When he looked at Lin Xun’s eyes, he thought of these two sentences!
(End of this chapter)