novelden Chapter 169 What I gave you, you are not allowed to give up!
Chapter 169 What I gave you, you are not allowed to give up!
"Miss Song, so you've been here!"
As soon as Chu Yungui saw Song Ruozhen, a smile appeared on his face. Sure enough, his third brother's sweetheart was Miss Song!
As for Tang Xuening... it must have been a coincidence, right?
Song Ruozhen bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Yun."
Upon seeing her arrive, Chu Junting introduced her, "This is my sixth sister—Chu Muyao."
"Greetings, Sixth Princess."
Song Ruozhen understood that the Sixth Princess was also born to the Empress and was the most beloved younger sister of the Prince of Chu and the Prince of Yun.
"So you're the famous Miss Song from recently!"
Upon hearing Song Ruozhen's name, Chu Muyao's eyes lit up immediately. "I've heard a lot of rumors about you in the palace recently. Seeing is believing."
"But you're so beautiful, how could Lin Zhiyue break off the engagement with you? Is he blind?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Song Ruozhen's face.
Because she had wasted two years in the Lin family and then boldly broke off the engagement, many people in the city secretly mocked and looked down on her.
I thought Chu Muyao might be the same way, but I didn't expect her to be such a straightforward person.
“He really has no eye for talent, so he’s in trouble now,” Song Ruozhen chuckled.
Upon hearing this, Chu Muyao's smile widened. "That's right, he deserves it!"
Tang Xuening felt a surge of displeasure when she saw that after the arrival of Prince Yun and Princess Muyao, they did not greet her but instead their attention was drawn to Song Ruozhen.
A woman who has broken off her engagement has long since lost her reputation in the capital. What right does she have to talk to princesses and princes?
How dare you steal her thunder!
"Your Highness, have you bought the rabbit lantern yet?"
Seeing that they were all in the shop, blocking people from coming and going, Song Ruozhen asked Chu Junting.
Once they've made their purchases, they can leave now.
However, before Chu Junting could answer, Tian Jiaojiao said, "Don't even think about it. The lanterns were bought by His Highness the Prince of Chu as a gift for Xue Ning. They have nothing to do with you!"
Song Ruozhen was slightly taken aback, and only then did she notice Tian Jiaojiao and the other person. She had thought it was just a coincidence that she bumped into them. Could it be that they were traveling with the Prince of Yun?
A name suddenly flashed through my mind.
"Tang Xuening?"
"It's good that you know! Xue Ning is the daughter of the Prime Minister's family, and she and His Highness Prince Chu are about to get engaged!"
Tian Jiaojiao had heard before that Song Ruozhen was very close to the King of Chu, and tonight she deliberately pretended to have bumped into the King of Chu by chance, so she must still be dreaming of becoming the King of Chu's concubine.
Since Song Ruozhen ruined her plans today, she will also shatter Song Ruozhen's beautiful dream!
They don't even know their own status, yet they dare to covet His Highness the Prince of Chu. It's utterly laughable!
"Jiaojiao, this matter is not settled yet, don't talk nonsense."
Tang Xuening hurriedly stopped Tian Jiaojiao, seemingly explaining, but actually also informing Song Ruozhen that the matter was indeed under discussion, but had not yet been finalized.
Song Ruozhen glanced at Tang Xuening, pondering that Chu Junting, as Qin Shuangshuang's white moonlight in the book, was perfect in every way, but unfortunately, no matter how hard Qin Shuangshuang tried, she could never catch up with him.
After that, she wrote almost entirely about her harmonious relationship with Lin Zhiyue. Although there were some jealousies and rivalries, they all contributed to the warming of their relationship.
As for Chu Junting's situation afterward, she didn't say much, and she didn't know about the emotional entanglement between him and Tang Xuening.
Chu Junting had a stern face and was about to reprimand her, but seeing that Tang Xuening had already stopped him, he gave her a reminder.
"I have no engagement with Miss Tang, so please be careful what you say."
He had already rejected the idea of a daughter of a high-ranking official when his mother first brought it up.
He hadn't paid any attention to the matter since then, but unexpectedly, he stumbled upon it today and heard these strange remarks.
After saying that, Chu Junting handed over the rabbit lantern he was holding.
Tang Xuening felt somewhat dissatisfied when she saw Chu Junting reprimanding Tian Jiaojiao, but she thought that the King of Chu was always strict and that not saying anything at this time was actually protecting her reputation.
Seeing him hand over the lantern, a sweet feeling welled up in my heart again.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Although this is not a lotus lantern, I still like the rabbit lantern quite a bit."
Tang Xuening smiled and reached out to take the rabbit lantern.
However, the moment she reached out her hand, Chu Junting suddenly raised his hand, causing Tang Xuening's hands to miss.
“Miss Tang, I am not familiar with you. What kind of lantern you like is none of my business. This lantern was specially bought for Ruozhen by me.”
The man's cold voice was devoid of warmth, and his icy eyes gleamed with a chilling coldness, as if he were on the verge of exploding with rage, sending shivers down one's spine.
Tang Xuening's face turned pale instantly. She stared in disbelief as Chu Junting handed the lantern to Song Ruozhen, clenching her fists.
"Your Highness, how could you treat me like this?"
In front of so many people, without leaving her any room for maneuver, he made her lose face completely!
"If it weren't for the Prime Minister's sake, do you think you'd still be standing here talking to me?" Chu Junting said coldly.
Chu Yungui knew his third brother's temperament best. If Tang Xuening weren't the daughter of the Prime Minister's family, she would have been kicked out long ago.
However... this girl really has no sense of propriety!
"Miss Tang, what kind of lantern do you like? I'll give you one."
Chu Yungui tried his best to ease the atmosphere, then looked at Chu Muyao, "Didn't you want to buy a lantern? Pick one, and your royal brother will give it to you."
Chu Muyao nodded, "Okay, then I'll choose a lotus lantern!"
Song Ruozhen never expected the situation to be so awkward. It turned out that the Empress intended to arrange a marriage for Chu Junting, and the person she was to be betrothed to was Tang Xuening. They just happened to run into each other!
Even though she didn't do anything, why do I have this inexplicable feeling of being cheated on?
"Your Highness, perhaps we should..."
Before Song Ruozhen could finish speaking, Chu Junting shoved the lantern into her hand.
"I bought this specifically for you, you are not allowed to give it away."
The man's voice was extremely domineering and left no room for refusal.
Song Ruozhen noticed Tang Xuening's intense gaze and felt that the rabbit lantern in her hand had become a hot potato.
Tang Xuening clenched her fists, feeling that she had never been so humiliated. What was Song Ruozhen? How could she be worthy of the King of Chu personally buying lanterns for her!
She was clearly the future Princess Consort of Chu!
"Xue Ning, could it be that His Highness Prince Chu really likes Song Ruozhen?"
Tian Jiaojiao was utterly shocked by the reversal before her eyes. One was a young lady from the Song family who had broken off her engagement, and the other was the daughter of a prime minister. Their identities seemed worlds apart.
But... King Chu chose Song Ruozhen?
"That's impossible!" Tang Xuening's face turned cold.
"I heard that Song Ruozhen recently helped the King of Chu resolve some troubles. I suppose she wanted to use this opportunity to curry favor with the King of Chu and deliberately orchestrated this to make me back down."
"His Highness the King of Chu simply hasn't seen through her plan. Once he discovers her true colors, he'll only despise her!"
Upon hearing this, Tian Jiaojiao realized that it made sense and said, "You're so smart. I almost got fooled."