The Supporting Female Character Enters the Game, the Crazy Crown Prince Slowly Falls Deeply in Love - Chapter 78

Xie Yunian pondered for a moment. “On the day of the hunt, I will ‘fall off a cliff.’ You need to make a big commotion about it.”

Jiang Qingyan raised an eyebrow. “Then you can ask Xingye to do it. He specializes in causing trouble; he’ll definitely cause a sensation throughout the capital.”

Xie Yunian rubbed his temples helplessly. “…That’s true. Then you think of a reason.”

“Oh, right,” Jiang Qingyan suddenly remembered something. “I ran into a cousin today.”

Xie Yunian raised an eyebrow, slightly confused why he suddenly brought this up. “What? Telling me this, aren’t you afraid your wife will get angry?”

Jiang Qingyan was a year older than him and had married last year. His wife was currently pregnant.

“What does this have to do with my wife?” Jiang Qingyan glared at Xie Yunian. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

His wife had been suffering from severe morning sickness these past few days. Not even a dog in the entire manor dared to bark loudly.

Xie Yunian continued to draw his bow and shoot. “Then why bring it up?”

Seeing his indifferent demeanor, Jiang Qingyan spoke casually. “Her surname seemed to be Jiang.”

The sound of archery abruptly stopped. Xie Yunian slowly lowered the longbow and turned to look at Jiang Qingyan. “Who?”

“It seems to be the Third Young Miss of the Jiang Manor,” Jiang Qingyan said lightly. “What a coincidence.”

“Since when did she become your cousin?” Xie Yunian was surprised.

Jiang Qingyan explained, “My mother’s maiden name is also Shen, and she belongs to the same clan as Madam Jiang.”

Xie Yunian scoffed. “That hardly makes her a cousin.”

Jiang Yao is not Madam Shen’s biological daughter.

“What does it matter,” Jiang Qingyan said with a smile. “She called me ‘Cousin’ today, anyway.”

“When you two get married later, won’t you have to call me ‘Cousin’ too?” Jiang Qingyan teased. “Come on, say ‘Cousin’ to me first, let me hear it.”

“Who said I’m going to marry her?” Xie Yunian recalled something and spoke coldly.

Jiang Qingyan looked confused. “You’re not marrying her? The rumors about you two have been known throughout the capital for the past two months.”

Xie Yunian knew, of course. Many of those rumors were his doing.

Jiang Qingyan asked again, “Don’t you like her?”

“No.”

Xie Yunian quickly dropped the word and turned to re-nock an arrow.

“That’s fine too,” Jiang Qingyan said slowly. “She’s about the same age as Xingye. I think my mother likes her quite a bit.”

The bow in Xie Yunian’s hand suddenly froze. The arrow veered off course, embedding itself diagonally on the edge of the target.

This was the first time he had missed today.

Xie Yunian slowly put down the longbow and turned to look at Jiang Qingyan. “What did you say?”

He stood in place, holding the bow in one hand.

On his defiant face, the corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, and his gaze was as clear and cold as a winter pool.

It’s only been a few days, and she’s already climbed onto a new connection?

Jiang Qingyan saw his expression and chuckled softly. “You still say you don’t like her?”

When he mentioned Xie Yunian’s name in front of Jiang Yao today, he felt that Jiang Yao’s expression was slightly off.

So, the two of them must have had a fight.

Xie Yunian didn’t answer, just silently drew another arrow. “What if I do like her? She lied to me.”

Jiang Qingyan was stunned. “She lied to you? About what?”

Xie Yunian frowned and remained silent, unconsciously gripping the longbow tighter.

Jiang Qingyan suddenly laughed. “Did she trick you out of money? Or did she use you?”

Xie Yunian’s expression was complicated. Money, of course not. Aside from that rabbit fur scarf, Jiang Yao had never asked him for anything.

Used…

Jiang Yao certainly couldn’t be described as using him. On the contrary, he was the one who used her for a lot of cover.

Xie Yunian shook his head, speaking with difficulty. “But…”

Jiang Qingyan spread his hands, interrupting him directly. “The girl didn’t want your money, didn’t want your status, and rushed to your manor when she heard you were unconscious. She hasn’t used you for anything, so it must be you, the person, that she wants, right?”

Xie Yunian looked up, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

Wants him, the person?

Jiang Yao lied to him because she wanted him, the person?

Xie Yunian felt that something was wrong, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“But she…” Xie Yunian stopped himself.

Jiang Qingyan continued, “In this life, who doesn’t have a few unavoidable difficulties? Furthermore, she hasn’t harmed you, hasn’t used you, and hasn’t betrayed your trust.”

“Besides, given your temperament, who could truly deceive you?”

When Jiang Qingyan finished speaking, Xie Yunian remained silent for a long time. Jiang Qingyan turned his head to find him still standing there, his mind clearly elsewhere.

Xie Yunian’s thin lips were tightly pursed, feeling his breathing pattern disrupted.

The wind on the hunting grounds gently swept past, carrying a few dead leaves.

After returning to the capital, the Emperor’s suspicion forced him to act cautiously. His mother also hoped he would settle down and marry soon.

Initially, Jiang Yao was just a superficial necessity.

She was clever, yet held a touch of innocence, like a chess piece that appeared at just the right time.

She could help him stabilize the situation without attracting too much suspicion.

But he didn’t know when he started losing control.

As long as she appeared in his line of sight, he couldn’t focus on anything else, instinctively placing his attention on her, and even starting to care about her every move.

That first embrace when they met was like a sudden splash of color, breaking the black and white world he once knew.

Perhaps it was the cunning in her eyes when she dragged him to climb the wall, or the way she looked when she reluctantly called out “Xie Lang” repeatedly, or maybe… it was the painting she personally delivered.

He had many chances to doubt her, to carefully consider her true intentions, but the moment the thought arose, he instinctively suppressed it.

He was born in Shuobei and was a respected young general by his teens. He harbored grand ambitions.

He thought his life would be spent in political schemes and calculations, never imagining he would be tangled up in romantic affection.

But the joy in his heart couldn’t be faked.

Though she deceived him, he was the one who permitted it.

He allowed her to approach, allowed her to test him, and even allowed the feelings that quietly sprouted in his heart for her.

And so, she became the emotion pressed deep within his heart.

Xie Yunian laughed at himself, raising a hand to rub his temples. “You’re right.”

“Right about what?” Jiang Qingyan asked, confused.

What did he say?

Which part?

“Nothing,” Xie Yunian calmed down slightly, then looked up again. “So why was she with my aunt today?”

“Want to know?” Jiang Qingyan raised an eyebrow, holding up an arrow. “You have to beat me first.”

An incense stick’s time later, Xie Yunian learned the reason for the Duchess of Rongguo’s visit to the Jiang Manor today.

Xie Yunian put down the longbow and, breaking custom, offered a comforting remark. “You should practice more. Compete with me after you surpass Xingye.”

Jiang Qingyan heard this and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

That wasn’t comfort; it was clearly telling him his archery was worse than his younger brother’s.

“Not everyone is like you, hitting the bullseye every time,” Jiang Qingyan said resignedly.

Xie Yunian didn’t reply, just quietly put away the longbow.

Archery practiced on a hunting ground could not compare to that of someone who had truly been on the battlefield.

In Shuobei, every arrow was a matter of life and death; there was no room for error.