Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play

Chapter 799 - 777 Overthinking

"""

Although Han Ziqi went carousing with Lin Xiao, Zhang Boxin, and others, he had consistently stationed people to monitor the guest house. He was aware that Xie Jue and Fang Chuning had gone out. As Han Ziqi drank, he kept pondering—was Xie Jue avoiding him to dodge discussing Sannan’s matters in detail? These spoiled generals had remarkably tight lips; no matter how much probing he did, no useful information slipped out. Clearly, Xie Jue had instructed them well, and naturally, they dared not go against his orders. Han Ziqi could understand that. But what baffled him was how Xie Jue, gravely injured as he was, could still follow Fang Chuning on a nocturnal stroll. Truly unbelievable.

Clinking glasses with Lin Xiao, Han Ziqi chuckled and remarked, "Your General Fang and Prince Yan really have an extraordinary bond. Even when Prince Yan was severely wounded, General Fang cared for him tirelessly, without sleep—brothers by blood wouldn’t do better than this."

Lin Xiao’s smile was exceedingly genuine. "General Fang and the Prince grew up together, enduring the storms of the battlefield side by side. Their bond is naturally closer than that of ordinary brothers. Honestly, if Zhang Boxin were gravely injured someday, I would also stay awake through the night taking care of him."

Zhang Boxin nearly choked on his drink. Nonsense! When I was injured, you slept like a log, even deeper than a pig! Since when did you lose sleep taking care of me?

Han Ziqi himself had brothers with whom he got along fine, including those born from the same mother. Yet aside from his youngest brother, he didn’t share such extravagant sentiments.

"Prince Yan hasn’t been betrothed yet, has he? If this negotiation results in the Prince wed with the Sannan Royal Family, it would be quite a lovely tale!" Han Ziqi abruptly shifted topics.

Lin Xiao froze, wholly unexpecting that Han Ziqi would set his sights on Prince Yan. He blurted out, "But the Prince is the son of the Sannan Princess! How can your royal family marry him?"

Han Ziqi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That’s even more unbelievable. During the late emperor’s reign, my father was a relatively unfavored prince of our royal clan. Though related, we are not directly blood-tied brothers. By the time the lineage passed down to the Prince’s branch, it’s essentially a distant kinship. Doesn’t Beining permit marriages between distant relatives?"

"...No!"

Zhang Boxin, being straightforward, interjected, "Even if our Prince were to marry, it would most likely be a noblewoman of Beining. Just put the thought out of your minds; it’s impossible, and the Emperor would never approve."

"Are our Sannan Princesses not dignified enough? Moreover, since Prince Yan hasn’t married yet, isn’t it possible there’s some unspeakable reason..." Han Ziqi teased them deliberately.

"Stop insinuating! If anyone has an ’unspeakable reason,’ it’s you. Our Prince already has a son and a daughter!" Zhang Boxin, unwilling to hear anything negative about Xie Jue, fired back.

"Oh, what a misunderstanding. The unspeakable matter I mentioned might not be at all what you’re assuming. That... that’s what you said, not me!"

"You—!"

Lin Xiao held back the agitated Zhang Boxin, speaking coolly, "Have you drunk too much?"

Zhang Boxin’s face grew flushed from anger, glaring at Han Ziqi’s insufferable face with an increasingly itchy fist. He strongly desired to strike him, yet silently reminded himself to maintain composure for the sake of the negotiation, resisting with effort—not now, not here. For the sake of the wine and pretty women tonight, he resolved not to fuss over Han Ziqi.

Meanwhile, Han Ziqi was speculating on how Xie Jue, still unmarried, seemed devoid of significant entanglements in romance—so far unyielding to every temptation. As a backup plan, a beauty trap remained on the table. Han Ziqi had a breathtakingly stunning sister, one who could truly be called unparalleled. Since Xie Jue was unmarried yet already a father to a son and daughter, rumors of his indifference toward women seemed to lose credibility.

Han Ziqi refused to believe Xie Jue would be impervious.

Xie Jue, in rare good spirits after a satisfying meal, began to feel the weight of fatigue. The nightlife in Shuilan City gradually quieted as crowds dispersed, leaving the streets sparsely populated. Fang Chuning pushed him along leisurely back to the guest house as the Shadow Guards followed along, laden with bags. Anything Xie Jue had sampled even slightly, Fang Chuning had bought. All packed and toted in preparation for their journey to the capital, anticipating that Xie Jue might lose his appetite again on the way. The sight of Shadow Guards turned into mere porters left Xie Jue both amused and helpless.

After a circuitous walk, Xie Jue made an observation: life for the citizens of Shuilan City was notably affluent, miles apart from the struggles faced by those in the Twelve Provinces.

Abundant food, fine clothing, and even beggars were rarely seen on the streets. The cities governed by the King of Sannan were undeniably prosperous, corroborating the intelligence reported by Ying Yi.

Although the Sannan Royal Family was mired in internal strife, it had never affected the administration of national affairs.

Fang Chuning remarked, "I won’t deny the King of Sannan’s abilities as a ruler, but consider this: Sannan’s geographical location is undeniably advantageous. The land is fertile with almost nonexistent natural disasters, yielding bumper harvests year after year. Cotton, fruits, oil crops—they have it all in abundance. Their people enjoy self-sufficiency, good food, warm clothing, and peace without wars. Even a mediocre ruler could govern Sannan well under such conditions."

Such inherent advantages were something the people of the Twelve Provinces could only dream of.

Xie Jue nodded in agreement, understanding that their motives for reclaiming Sannan stemmed from the sheer allure of its resources. At the core of the matter was always resource-based exploitation. If Sannan were like the Twelve Provinces, fraught with barren lands and hardship, the successive emperors wouldn’t harbor such fervent ambitions to take it back.

Resources were key.

Beiman’s mineral wealth, Sannan’s fertile soil—all boiled down to resources!

Reaching the guest house, Fang Chuning pushed Xie Jue comfortably back on flat roads devoid of bumpiness, ensuring his complete ease. As fate would have it, the moment they arrived, they encountered Han Ziqi returning with Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin. The two parties ran into one another directly at the guest house entrance.

Unfazed, Fang Chuning greeted Han Ziqi confidently and amicably. Unprepared for the encounter, Han Ziqi assuredly wasn’t aiming to stage an intentional run-in.

"The Prince’s injuries seem to have healed well. Looks like you’ll be traveling tomorrow."

Fang Chuning wished to extend the recuperation by another day, but Xie Jue replied coolly, "We’ll depart tomorrow."

"Agreed!" Han Ziqi confirmed decisively, leaving Fang Chuning with no further room to argue. He shot a glare at Xie Jue, while Han Ziqi’s gaze flitted from the wheelchair-bound Prince to Fang Chuning standing protectively behind him. The latter’s demeanor, akin to an even more diligent Shadow Guard, struck Han Ziqi as oddly peculiar. Unable to resist a jest, he quipped, "General Fang seems remarkably attentive toward the Prince. Whoever becomes your spouse will surely count themselves thrice blessed—lucky in this life and beyond!"

"Naturally, my future spouse will indeed be blessed," Fang Chuning responded with a radiant smile, bowing slightly to ask Xie Jue, "Prince, don’t you agree?"

Unmoved and expressionless, Xie Jue offered no reply. Fang Chuning’s flirtation was akin to batting eyelashes at the blind, yet he seemed positively delighted.

Han Ziqi: "..."

Getting that pleased over compliments to a hypothetical spouse? Besides, meticulous attentiveness—while flattering—might not be such favorable praise for a man. What’s there to celebrate?

The more Han Ziqi observed the pair, the more the dynamic felt inexplicably strange.

The following morning, the envoy departed the guest house, accompanied by Han Ziqi’s escort as they headed toward the Sannan Capital. Traveling southward, the weather grew increasingly warm. When they had set out from the capital, they wore slightly thicker spring attire; now, summer clothes were a must. Even so, the heat remained stifling. Under the sweltering conditions, Xie Jue’s injuries healed agonizingly slowly, compelling the envoy to maintain a sluggish pace.

During the trip, Han Ziqi quietly observed the interactions between Xie Jue and Fang Chuning, unable to resist asking a trusted confidant beside him, "Am I imagining things, or does it seem like... Fang Chuning is flirting with Prince Yan?"

"""