novelden Chapter 191 The Young Master's Predicament
Chapter 191 The Young Master's Predicament
Song Ruozhen understood Chu Jinhuai's current predicament from his expression.
Although he no longer had to live a life of hunger, as the crown prince, he was under the spotlight and surrounded by people who were either rich or noble.
Even if no one says it openly, there must be quite a few people who laugh at him behind his back. Any jokes he makes unintentionally can become leverage against him, so he doesn't feel much of a sense of belonging in the Prince's mansion.
If he were someone who didn't care about anything and was content as long as he had food and drink, that would be one thing, but clearly he wasn't.
"Your Highness, your health still needs proper care; there's no need to worry about these things."
It was the fault of the bad guys in the first place; you were innocently implicated. If anyone laughs at you because of this, it's mostly out of jealousy. The fact that you can make them jealous is enough to prove that you are stronger than them.
Song Ruozhen comforted him, knowing that Chu Jinhuai would achieve great things in the future. He was just back and knew nothing at the moment, but even if he started learning late, he would still succeed.
Chu Jinhuai was slightly taken aback. Everyone he met after returning was trying to flatter him in various ways.
At first, he genuinely believed they meant well, but after overhearing their whispers behind his back, his opinion completely changed. He realized they were just there to laugh at him.
There's not a shred of sincerity in them.
Among them were girls introduced to him by his family, but he could clearly sense that while these girls valued his status, they actually looked down on him.
They thought he looked rustic and said that after begging on the streets for so many years, he was covered in stench. Even now that he was dressed as a prince, he couldn't hide the stench in his bones.
Only Song Ruozhen, whether then or now, has such clear eyes, and this is the first time someone has said such words to him.
The inferiority complex that had been lingering in my heart for the past few days seemed to clear up at this moment, like the sun breaking through the clouds.
"Miss Song, don't you think that someone like me has already ruined my life?" Chu Jinhuai couldn't help but ask.
"You are the Crown Prince. From the moment you were born, you have already stood at the finish line that many people cannot reach. So what do you mean by ruining it?"
Everyone says that I am already twenty years old, and even if Lin Zhiyue wants to take a concubine, I should endure it to avoid ending up unable to get married. But I still broke off the engagement, wouldn't that be even worse?
People can say whatever they want, and our lives aren't determined by their opinions, so why bother?
Song Ruozhen smiled with relief. As the leader of the Xuanmen sect, she had witnessed the fickleness of human relationships most of all.
People love to watch a spectacle; they can turn white into black. You can never change the opinion of someone who dislikes you, no matter what you do, you will still be disliked.
In that case, it's better to make the other party wary, so wary that they can only keep their dislike deep in their hearts and dare not show it even slightly!
Chu Jinhuai was silent for a moment, then a hearty smile appeared on his face.
“Miss Song is right. I will not give up. Even if I am a lump of mud, I will be the kind of mud they avoid at all costs!”
The next moment, Chu Jinhuai clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Song Ruozhen.
"Your Highness, you mustn't," Song Ruozhen said hurriedly.
Chu Jinhuai, however, was overjoyed. "Miss Song's words today have cleared up my mind. I am truly grateful to you."
The girl before him was like a ray of light illuminating his dark world. The money he had received back then was his salvation, and so were her words now.
……
When Song Ruozhen arrived at the table, she found that everyone else was already there. Her mother and other elders were sitting in the women's section, which was some distance from the younger generation's section. She then sat down in the only remaining empty seat.
However, as soon as she sat down, she noticed several gazes, one of which was none other than those from Tang Xuening.
Not only Tang Xuening, but also the girls around her looked at her with disdain, showing their arrogance.
Song Ruozhen: "..." What's with this arrogance?
"Miss Song, I just heard that you and the young master had a very pleasant conversation. Could it be that you knew the young master before?"
Tang Xuening raised an eyebrow, secretly mocking in her heart. She had previously thought Song Ruozhen was very principled, breaking off the engagement on the spot when Lin Zhiyue wanted to marry a concubine.
Now, she's first seducing the King of Chu, and now she's trying to seduce the Crown Prince. She's determined to marry into a higher social class, without even considering her own status or whether she's worthy of him!
Upon hearing this, Song Ruozhen glanced indifferently at Ke Yuanzhi. Only Ke Yuanzhi and Song Biyun knew that she had spoken with the young master earlier. Song Biyun had already been driven away, leaving only her.
It seems that Ke Yuanzhi has already spread the news in just a short time; she's really fast!
Ke Yuanzhi noticed Song Ruozhen's gaze and unconsciously turned her eyes away, feeling a little uneasy.
Even though it's only been a short time since I last saw her, why does she suddenly exude such a strong sense of pressure?
“Yes, I knew the Crown Prince before,” Song Ruozhen replied.
Tang Xuening was deliberately mocking him. Everyone knew that the young master had only recently been found, and because of his previous experiences, his health was very poor, so he had been recuperating in the mansion and had not been seen by anyone.
However, Song Ruozhen is now saying that they knew each other before. How did they meet?
Jiang Wenjing scoffed, "You can't possibly have known him since he was a beggar, can you? Song Ruozhen is really shameless!"
"To make people think that her relationship with the prince is extraordinary, she has no shame at all and is spouting nonsense," Pan Rao said.
The people next to Tang Xuening couldn't help but laugh, and Jiang Wenjing even looked at Ke Yuanzhi, "Miss Ke, didn't you just see it? Do Song Ruozhen and the young master really know each other?"
Ke Yuanzhi hadn't expected the other person to bring her up directly, and looked slightly embarrassed as she explained:
"I just happened to pass by and saw the young master and Miss Song talking. As for what they were talking about, I have no idea."
"Everyone else is here, but she's so late. Who knows if she deliberately tried to block the young master's way, thinking that if she could exchange a few words, their relationship would become extraordinary?" Jiang Wenjing mocked.
Song Ruozhen tasted the dish and found it quite delicious. She originally didn't intend to pay any attention to these guys, but their words were increasingly offensive.
"It seems you do this kind of thing often? Otherwise, how could you be so familiar with it, talking as if you've done it yourself?"
Jiang Wenjing's face darkened. "I would never stoop to doing such a thing!"
"Exactly! Our Wenjing is different from you. She would never resort to such underhanded tactics!"
"Aren't you all notorious scoundrels?"
Song Ruozhen raised her eyebrows slightly, a mocking smile playing on her lips. Her gaze swept over Jiang Wenjing and the others, her disdain evident in her expression.
"I've long heard that you're the most snobbish girls in the imperial city's social circle. You collude to smear anyone who doesn't like you, leaving them with nothing but tears. Seeing you today, I can confirm that the rumors are absolutely true!"