I'm Competing With The Male Lead For A Woman - Chapter 33

“Did you forget?”

Xiao Jin was silent for a moment. The system did it. It has nothing to do with me, right?

And that famous statement, “Love means the downfall of the country,” no one with any self-respect would be able to say it.

System: “…”

Xiao Jin met Chu Shao’s smiling eyes. Unable to speak the truth, she could only bite the bullet and say, “This Prince has not forgotten.”

“Oh, really? But whether Your Highness forgets or not, it makes no difference. Just like this box of Chunshankong and the rain that Miss Bai hates, they are all things of the past.”

Chu Shao closed the box of Chunshankong.

The mist and rain fragrance filling the bamboo curtain immediately dissipated, leaving only the light that faintly leaked in through the gaps in the bamboo slats.

Chu Shao’s tone was still peaceful, with a lazy, slightly tired lilt at the end.

Xiao Jin agreed deeply with this statement.

After all, these matters were all messes left for her by the original owner after he was already dead. She was just an innocent victim.

Unexpectedly, Chu Shao slowly moved closer, picked up her hand, and her slightly cool fingertips stroked the red mark on her wrist, saying with a smile, “You can forget all the past, but you cannot forget your covenant with me.”

“Because we are partners in crime, you must remember me now.”

Xiao Jin looked into Chu Shao’s eyes and was stunned for a moment.

Chu Shao’s touch was very light, but it was slightly itchy, making Xiao Jin subconsciously want to withdraw her hand, but she finally didn’t.

Because Chu Shao’s eyes were very beautiful, and when they curved, they were like a slightly rolled bamboo curtain, revealing an inch of moonlight.

Bewitched by such a gaze, it took a long time for Xiao Jin to withdraw her hand, and she nodded indifferently.

Of course, a large part of the reason was that… she knew Chu Shao was abnormal, so agreeing with her was undoubtedly the best choice.

Moreover, it was easy to remember Chu Shao’s face, and it wasn’t a lie against her conscience.

Although Xiao Jin withdrew her hand, which slightly reduced Chu Shao’s cheerful mood, she was satisfied and smiled after hearing her words.

“After getting His Highness’s answer, I can now concentrate on listening to the show.”

The play downstairs was still being performed, but neither the people in the play nor those outside could quite figure out what was in it.

When Bai Zheng brought up the formidable Prince of Yan, the Fourth Prince’s face inevitably became extremely unpleasant.

What should he thank Xiao Jin for? Thank him for stealing his bride?

In fact, the Fourth Prince did not like Chu Shao.

The fact that the Emperor of Qi had forced the woman the Crown Prince didn’t want onto him to appease the remaining people of the Yao Kingdom was already enough to anger him and make him feel humiliated.

As a result, Xiao Jin suddenly appeared halfway through and snatched his bride in public, which was a humiliation piled upon a humiliation.

The Crown Prince knew the Fourth Prince’s temperament but felt that the other person’s recent actions were getting too arrogant, and it was time to suppress him.

So he said to the Fourth Prince, “Fourth Brother, apologize to Miss Bai, and then come back to the palace with me. Consort Mu has been missing you recently. Furthermore, Aunt Zhaoyang is about to return to the capital, so don’t make her worry.”

Although the Crown Prince’s words were gentle, after bringing up Consort Mu and Princess Zhaoyang, the Fourth Prince’s arrogance immediately dissipated.

Considering that the person was about to return, the Fourth Prince gritted his teeth and reluctantly bowed to Bai Zheng, saying, “Miss Bai, today’s matter was all caused by me. I apologize for the offense.”

Bai Zheng, knowing when to stop, also said with a smile, “It was I who was a poor hostess. Please forgive me, Fourth Prince.”

The matter was thus concluded, and Xiao Jin, who was watching the show upstairs, was somewhat surprised.

She only knew that Princess Zhaoyang was extremely powerful in the original novel, but she didn’t know that this title was so useful. Even the usually arrogant Fourth Prince had to back down at this moment.

Moreover, the Crown Prince’s words were very clear: Aunt Zhaoyang is returning to the capital. If you cause trouble everywhere, she will inevitably be displeased.

It was only “displeased,” but the Crown Prince made the consequences sound so serious.

It showed that Princess Zhaoyang truly deserved to be the Lord of Seven Cities. Her status was so high that she was even more intimidating than the Emperor. No wonder the Emperor of Qi only scolded the original owner mildly after the bride-snatching incident.

Xiao Jin secretly sighed, How lucky was the original owner to have such a powerful backing.

At the same time, she was a little confused, not quite understanding why the two princesses, Zhaohua and Zhaoyang, wanted to protect the original owner.

But no matter what, the outcome was good.

The farce ended, and the Fourth Prince left with a team of guards, his face gloomy.

In the hall, although Su Tan had tried her best to minimize her presence.

Before the Crown Prince left, he looked around the Yanyu Pavilion, then turned his gaze to Su Tan, and looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.

Perhaps he felt that staring at a young woman was impolite. The Crown Prince then withdrew his gaze, politely spoke with Bai Zheng for a while, and then left with his guards.

However, as the Crown Prince brushed past Su Tan, Su Tan smelled a faint scent of mint on him.

She instantly remembered the dozens of pots of mint that Xiao Jin had placed at the entrance of the pharmacy and couldn’t help but narrow her eyes.

But on the surface, Su Tan still had to put her thoughts aside and follow the crowd in shouting, “Respectfully send off the Crown Prince.”

After the Crown Prince left, the smile on Bai Zheng’s face gradually faded.

She turned around, her gaze sweeping over every private room on every floor, as well as the bamboo curtains hanging in front of the corridor, and she sighed almost imperceptibly.

Bai Zheng looked at Su Tan, who was sitting in the wheelchair, and stared at her for a long time. Finally, she slowly said, “The weather is very good today. It is not raining outside. You can leave safely.”

Su Tan was slightly stunned, and then she bowed her hands and said, “Thank you, Miss Bai.”

…

Liangqiao Street South Side, Yangjiao Alley.

It was rumored that this street had been haunted in earlier years, so it was colder and quieter than other streets.

Su Tan slowly pushed the wheelchair and arrived here.

Seeing Chu Shao standing in the shade of a tree, and then seeing Xiao Jin being lifted by the other person, she was not surprised at all.

It would be truly strange if Xiao Jin dared to appear in such a posture in the bustling north side of Liangqiao Street.

Seeing that the true owner of the wheelchair had arrived, Su Tan no longer pretended to be disabled. She very decisively got up from the wheelchair and gave the seat to Xiao Jin.

To Su Tan, there was nothing wrong with this action.

However, it completely stunned the scholar who was selling calligraphy and paintings. He subconsciously rubbed his eyes, thinking he had seen incorrectly.

Xiao Jin left Chu Shao’s embrace and sat back in her own wheelchair, instantly feeling comfortable and relaxed all over.

Su Tan was contemplating the events that had just transpired, and her thoughts were a bit muddled for a while.

There were too many doubts and mysteries, and the phrase, “The most respected person in Great Qi,” was even more meaningful. It would be too absurd if the Emperor of Qi wanted to assassinate his own son.

After thinking about it, Su Tan realized that all of this seemed to have nothing to do with her. She only thought about it because Chu Shao was now Xiao Jin’s Princess Consort.

However, she also wanted to know Xiao Jin’s opinion and couldn’t help but ask, “Your Highness, what do you plan to do next?”

Since Xiao Jin’s clothes were stained with some wine, and considering the cold weather in the capital and the person’s serious illness.

At this moment, Chu Shao was holding a moon-white outer robe that she had somehow managed to procure, and she very thoughtfully put it on Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin did not answer immediately. Instead, she spread her hands and leaned on the wheelchair, allowing Chu Shao to put the clothes on her. Su Tan couldn’t help but fall silent at the sight.

For a moment, Su Tan didn’t know whether to sympathize with Xiao Jin’s legs or admire her strong state of mind.

Ever since she witnessed Chu Shao breaking the door with a fan at the Yanyu Pavilion, Su Tan felt that Xiao Jin was truly impressive.

Xiao Jin destroyed the Yao Kingdom and was considered the Yao Kingdom’s greatest enemy. Chu Shao, as a princess of the Yao Kingdom, had such high martial arts skills and was kept by her side. Xiao Jin could still remain as steady as Mount Tai, which was truly admirable.

After Chu Shao tidied Xiao Jin’s collar and covered the dark wine stains on the snow-white robe, Xiao Jin finally answered, “Next, let’s go eat.”

Su Tan almost thought she had misheard.

However, Xiao Jin’s tone was very serious.

She glanced at the sky, which was about to darken, and felt that eating at this time meant combining lunch and dinner.

Then she looked up and found that Su Tan was staring at her with an extremely complicated expression.

Xiao Jin met Su Tan’s gaze and was a little confused inside.

No way.

Is it true that paper people don’t get hungry?

…

The facts proved that paper people also get hungry.

However, Su Tan never expected that after a thrilling half-day, Xiao Jin would still be in the mood to eat.

If it were her, she would have investigated the “Chunshankong” that Bai Zheng gave her multiple times. And she would also investigate the guards involved in the incident and who exactly tipped off the Fourth Prince.

However, Xiao Jin had a very good state of mind. She felt that these things couldn’t be figured out right away, so she became more and more indifferent.

She was so calm that she just put on an outer coat and went looking for food on Yangjiao Alley in her wine-stained snow-white robe.

Fortunately, ordinary people rarely saw the true face of the Prince of Yan on weekdays, and even if they had the chance, they wouldn’t dare to look closely.

Otherwise, if she were recognized at this moment, Xiao Jin would be very embarrassed.

The three of them walked for quite a while.

The wheels rolled over the thin snow on the ground. Chu Shao slowly pushed the wheelchair and felt that the further they went toward the end of the alley, the darker the sky became.

It was only when she saw the row of lanterns hung up on the bamboo poles by the food stall owner that Chu Shao was slightly stunned, realizing that it wasn’t that she had walked far, but that they had walked for a long time.

The business in the shop was not bustling, but there were a few scattered customers inside.

Seeing the customers arrive, the girl in the food stall was scooping noodle soup with a spoon while smiling and waving to them, shouting, “Young ladies and gentlemen, please come in and sit.”

Xiao Jin nodded, thinking, Sure enough, no matter what era, the way to attract customers is “please come in and sit.”

There were other customers in the shop. It was harmless, but Xiao Jin glanced at Chu Shao and finally chose to sit outside.

After all, the shop owner looked very kind. If the customers inside accidentally offended Chu Shao, there would probably be a bloodbath today, and the business would not be able to continue.

They ordered three bowls of tofu pudding. Xiao Jin sat in the wheelchair and waited boredly, her hands feeling a bit cold.

She wanted to pick up the cup to warm her hands, but as soon as she touched it, she found that it was made of pottery. The heat transfer was slow, and it couldn’t warm her hands at all, so she could only put it down dejectedly.

Chu Shao saw Xiao Jin pick up and put down the cup and stared at the pottery cup curiously, wondering what the mystery was.

She stared for a long time but didn’t see anything unusual. However, when she raised her head with a smile, she found a hand and a steaming bowl of tofu pudding had appeared in front of her.

The tofu pudding was in a blue and white porcelain bowl, clean, bright, and delicate like warm jade.

A spoonful of gravy was poured on top, and a little chili oil was drizzled, along with chopped green onions and salt. Although it wasn’t exquisite, it was palatable on a snowy winter day.

The delicious food was right in front of her, but Chu Shao seemed to be in a daze.

Seeing her lost in thought, Xiao Jin dismissed the idea of letting Chu Shao hold a hot bowl to warm her hands and placed the porcelain bowl directly in front of the other person. “Eat it while it’s hot.”

Xiao Jin was still very confident in this tofu pudding shop.

This was because in the original novel, the male lead had brought the female lead to eat tofu pudding at this shop. From the author’s description, it was clear that the male lead thought it was very delicious.

One must know that the male lead was the Crown Prince of Qi. He usually ate delicacies, so if he thought it was delicious, it must be good.

But she didn’t expect that Su Tan frowned slightly when she saw the bowl of tofu pudding on the table and asked in surprise, “Is the tofu pudding in the Qi Kingdom really savory?”

Xiao Jin: “…”

She was silent because she remembered the North-South debate on the internet about “tofu pudding being sweet or savory.”

So, the Qi Kingdom is in the North, and the Yao Kingdom is in the South—Yao people only eat sweet tofu pudding?

Xiao Jin had considered everything, but she hadn’t expected such an old-fashioned historical fantasy novel to have such regional characteristics. So the question was, Did the female lead really enjoy the tofu pudding when the male lead took her to eat it?

Recalling the scene in the original novel, Xiao Jin vaguely remembered that it was written as follows:

“

It was snowing, and Xiao Yu brought Chu Shao to Yangjiao Alley.

It was his favorite alley when he was young. No matter the season, he would always come here for a walk, drink a cup of clear tea, and eat a bowl of tofu pudding.

Today, Chu Shao, the person destined to be his, the future Empress of Great Yao, and the future Empress of Great Qi, was sitting beside him.

So Xiao Yu placed his favorite dish in front of Chu Shao.

The other person’s eyebrows and eyes were very beautiful under the snow lantern. She nodded gently and began to eat the tofu pudding.

The snow in Northern Qi was heavy.

Chu Shao listened to Xiao Yu talk about his childhood memories while eating the tofu pudding in the bowl. It was only when the bowl was empty that she put down her chopsticks and wiped her lips with a white handkerchief.

Xiao Yu finished his story and asked, ‘Is it delicious?’

Chu Shao looked at the thin snow on the lantern and smiled, ‘It’s very delicious, but I’m more curious about the story you told, Your Highness, and the final ending of that person.’

Xiao Yu shook his head, ‘There is no ending. It’s just a heavy snow.’

To this day, Xiao Jin still didn’t know what story the male lead told. But she did know that the female lead probably found that meal difficult to swallow, like a fish bone stuck in her throat.

It was truly hard for Chu Shao. She ate a meal that didn’t suit her taste at all and could still smile and continue the conversation.

At the time, she didn’t understand how fake the relationship between the male and female leads was. Now, Xiao Jin finally understood.

After understanding, she felt embarrassed not only for the male lead but also for herself.

She was thinking about how to get the shop owner to change the savory tofu pudding to sweet tofu pudding, but she didn’t expect Chu Shao to come back to her senses and actually start eating with a smile.

The effect of the cutesy voice had not yet worn off. Xiao Jin could only hide her embarrassment with a cough and say to Chu Shao, “If you’re not used to it, you don’t have to force yourself.”

There was still soft and tender tofu pudding on the spoon.

Hearing this, Chu Shao slightly raised her eyebrows, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

Perhaps she felt it was inconvenient to say the title because there were other people in the shop, so she deliberately leaned close to Xiao Jin’s ear and whispered, “Why does Your Highness think I’m forcing myself?”

The voice was very soft, but in the cold winter, the warmth of her breath felt a little hot.

Xiao Jin felt a little uncomfortable, so she turned sideways and coughed again. “Tastes vary. If you don’t like it, you can change it to another flavor.”

Chu Shao looked at Xiao Jin and laughed. “But I seem to like this taste. It’s very novel, and it makes me look forward to it.”

Xiao Jin was wondering if Chu Shao had changed her nationality or if she had a different person inside her shell.

Su Tan ate two spoonfuls, and her expression became somewhat complex.

She was determined to defend the dignity of sweet tofu pudding, so she said to Chu Shao, “If you eat a few more spoonfuls, you might not look forward to it anymore.”

Xiao Jin agreed deeply. “How about we change it to sweet?”

Chu Shao held the tofu pudding bowl and refused with a smile. “No, I like savory.”

Xiao Jin: “…”

She stopped struggling and couldn’t figure out Chu Shao’s way of thinking. In the end, she just said, “As long as Princess is happy.”

The girl scooping the tofu pudding on the side smiled and thought that today’s customers were very strange. She couldn’t quite understand what they were saying.

The sky was completely dark. The lanterns outside the food stall were lit one by one.

After eating the tofu pudding, Xiao Jin felt warm all over. She temporarily stopped thinking about her life expectancy of less than a day and the cutesy voice effect that had not yet ended.

It started snowing at night. Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, the girl from the food stall moved a stool and hung a brightly colored lantern on the bamboo pole.

The colored lantern was close to the snow lanterns. Although there was no candle inside, the colors were vibrant and beautiful enough.

Xiao Jin wiped the corners of her mouth with a silk handkerchief. She looked up at the dim colored lantern and casually asked, “Girl, when will this colored lantern light up?”

The food stall girl stood on the stool and smiled at her. “It will light up when the New Year comes. It won’t be long. On New Year’s Eve, these lanterns will light up everywhere. Then you can go up the mountain and look down. It will be like the stars in the sky pouring down. It’s very beautiful.”

As a transmigrator, Xiao Jin also felt a little longing for the scene the food stall girl described.

It was a pity that in the original novel, the lanterns in the Northern Qi Imperial Palace were all decorated with silk tassels. They were gorgeous and precious palace lanterns that were engraved and gilded, not these simple colored lanterns.

Moreover, the original owner’s identity was that of a prince. When the New Year came, she would definitely have to spend it in the palace.

The colored lantern would probably be beautiful when lit, but she probably wouldn’t have the chance to see it again.

Xiao Jin felt a little regretful. When she shifted her gaze, she found that Chu Shao was still staring at the dim colored lantern.

The moonlight and the candlelight in the lanterns merged into one. Chu Shao turned around. The curve of her lips remained, but her eyes and eyebrows were so beautiful that they seemed ethereal.

While Xiao Jin was stunned, Chu Shao smiled gently. “It’s time to go back.”

Xiao Jin came back to her senses and nodded. “Let’s go back.”

But when Chu Shao held the cold bamboo joint of the wheelchair, Xiao Jin said to her indifferently, “There’s still a chance. Let’s come back next time.”

The wheels paused for a moment.

A moment later, a smiling voice came from behind the wheelchair. “Okay, I believe you.”

Chu Shao knew this was a lie, so she also told another lie.

This was fair.

…

The snow in the capital grew heavier at night.

Palace maids and eunuchs shivered outside the palace. Their hands were numb with cold, but they couldn’t go back to their rooms to warm up. Because Princess Zhaohua was still standing in front, draped in a fox fur coat, they didn’t have the courage to leave first.

They were waiting for two people to return.

It should be said that everyone in the capital was waiting for one of them to return.

It wasn’t until the flying snow almost covered the surface of the eunuch’s umbrella that a sound of horse hooves came from outside the palace gate.

No one could count how many galloping horses there were. The palace maids and eunuchs also didn’t dare to look up at Princess Zhaohua’s smile.

They knew that the roofs of the two carriages were adorned with a gleaming silver pearl. That was the power and glory that they could never achieve in this lifetime.

So the only thing the palace maids and eunuchs could do was kneel on the stone bricks covered with white snow and shout at the two carriages:

“Welcome Princess Zhaoyang back to the palace! Welcome Consort Shu back to the palace!”