Chapter 41: Are You Going To Marry Soon?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Junior Duke Rong shook the fan in his hand vigorously. “Miss Qiao, I have something to talk to you about.”

Qiao Jinniang saluted Li Yun and walked up to Junior Duke Rong.

Junior Duke Rong asked, “Lin Mo told me that you are going on a blind date with Li Yun?”

Qiao Jinniang nodded. “Yes, what’s the matter?”

Now Junior Duke Rong was sure that His Royal Highness was cuckolded. “What’s the matter?! His Royal Highness…”

Qiao Jinniang said coldly, “He divorced me first. There are many women in our country who remarried after divorce, just like all the women in the royal family did. Are you implying that I should stay single for the rest of my life for him?”

“He divorced you?”

Junior Duke Rong was even more shocked. Is his seventh brother crazy?

He actually divorced Qiao Jinniang!

Apart from other things, considering the delicious food in Tasty Pavilion alone, it would be a huge loss to divorce Qiao Jinniang.

Qiao Jinniang didn’t want Li Yun to misunderstand her if she talked to Junior Duke Rong for too long, so she said, “Your Highness, you can ask His Royal Highness if he gave me a divorce letter or not. Now that he has given me a divorce letter, we have nothing to do with each other now.”

Junior Duke Rong thought if His Royal Highness really divorced Qiao Jinniang, wouldn’t he be scolded if he mentioned Qiao Jinniang to the Crown Prince?

Forget it, as long as Qiao Jinniang didn’t cuckold the Crown Prince.

Qiao Jinniang went back to Li Yun. Li Yun didn’t ask her why Junior Duke Rong talked to her but only pointed at some novels.

“I just asked the shopkeeper. These novels are the most popular among the women in Chang’an recently. You can check them out.”

Qiao Jinniang went over, picked up one of the novels and flipped through it. Unlike the novels in the South, those sold in Chang’an didn’t dare to mention any emperors or princesses.

Most of them were stories about poor young scholars and rich-family daughters.

Qiao Jinniang was a bit bored with these kinds of novels, but she didn’t want to disappoint Li Yun, so she chose two books.

Then she followed Li Yun back to the Tasty Pavilion.

Seeing Qiao Jinniang return, the Duchess said goodbye with a smile. On the carriage of the Duke Mansion, the Duchess asked Jinniang, “What do you think of Li Yun?”

Qiao Jinniang said, “He is very talented. No wonder he could win first place in the provincial imperial examination. I believe he’ll have a bright future…”

The duchess smiled. “Then are you satisfied with him?”

Qiao Jinniang thought that she should be satisfied. Li Yun was the favorite protégé of the Prime Minister. Although his father had just returned to the capital, he would probably enter the Hanlin Academy as a Hanlin Bachelor who was usually called a Prime Minister Candidate.

Li Yun had two elder brothers, so their wives would be in charge of the trivial family affairs.

Then she would be at leisure, without needing to enter the social circle in Chang’an after marrying him.

What made Qiao Jinniang even more satisfied was the Li Family’s family tradition that no man in the family shall take a concubine unless his wife couldn’t give birth to a son at forty. Besides, Li Yun’s mother was her second aunt’s sister.

With the Duke Anyuan Mansion behind her, her mother-in-law wouldn’t treat her harshly.

And Li Yun would probably have a bright future. Whichever way she looked at it, Li Yun was a good choice for her.

But for some reason, she wasn’t at all as happy as when she learned that she was going to marry Lu Chen back then…

Thinking of Lu Chen, Qiao Jinniang hurriedly replied, “Mother, I’m satisfied, but I was once married and had a son. Does the Li Family know about it?”

The Duchess said, “Don’t worry. We didn’t hide it from them. The Li Family already knows that you had once been married. Your father has ordered someone to notarize the divorce letter in the government.

“However, Mrs. Li said, if you found back Tuan’er, he can stay with you, but he cannot be surnamed Li.

“But this is not a problem. Tuan’er is the heir of the Qiao family and can keep the surname Qiao.”

The Duchess was also very satisfied with the Li Family. She didn’t expect that she could find such a good husband for Jinniang so easily.

Jinniang returned to the Jin Garden.

Nuomi waited on Jinniang to remove her makeup and hair accessories. “Miss, Li Yun is not as handsome as that jerk.”

Jinniang smiled. “It’s not easy to find someone who is more handsome than that jerk even if we searched the whole country.”

Although Lu Chen was a scumbag, he was truly handsome. If he was ugly, she wouldn’t have been willing to marry him.

Li Yun looked fine, not handsome or ugly. He had a decent appearance.

Plus, an overly handsome man would only unnecessarily attract other women’s attention.

After Hongling and Yingtao came in, Jinniang signaled Nuomi not to mention the Crown Prince again.

Jinniang wanted to take a nap in the afternoon. Thinking of the novels she had just bought, she picked one and lay on the chaise couch before she began to read it.

But she kept asking herself in her heart. Why did she feel a little uncomfortable when she thought about marrying Li Yun?

But Li Yun was much better than the jerk!

…

The coming-of-age ceremony of the two daughters of Duke Anyuan was very grand.

Although Qiao Ruoyi was born by a concubine, she was recorded as the Duchess’ daughter in the genealogy, so she was considered as the Duchess’ daughter.

And Qiao Ruofeng was born by the Second Madam. Therefore, many nobles in Chang’an came to celebrate the two’s coming-of-age ceremony.

The Duchess invited the Qin family, so she didn’t invite Princess Fulu, but Princess Fulu came uninvited and began to quarrel with Qin Miaomiao as soon as they met at the gates of the Duke Mansion.

Seeing this, Jinniang went out and said to Princess Fulu, “Princess, weren’t you worried that the Empress Dowager will force you to marry Prince Mediocre? Why do you still have the mood to quarrel with Miss Qin?”

Princess Fulu said in a relaxed manner, “Prince Mediocre had already told the Empress Dowager that he has already fallen for a girl, and he wishes to marry her. Hearing this, the Empress Dowager didn’t want to make things difficult for him, so she no longer mentioned this matter.”

When Qiao Ruofeng, who was all dressed up, came over and heard her words, she was slightly shy.

Just as he promised her, Prince Mediocre said to the Empress Dowager that he wanted to marry her.

Qiao Jinniang smiled and said, “Congratulations.”

Princess Fulu joked, “I heard that you went on a blind-date with Li Yun, who is very likely to win first place in the Imperial Examination, a few days ago? Are you going to marry soon?”

“How did you know it, Princess?” Qiao Jinniang asked.

“Lin Mo told me. They are aiming for my private room in the Tasty Pavilion. Qiao Jinniang, even if you and Li Yun are married, that room will still be mine.”

Qiao Jinniang: “…”

Qiao Ruofeng smiled. “Second Sister and Cousin are meant for each other. It’s kismet.”

Qiao Jinniang said a bit shyly, “This hasn’t been decided yet. Sixth Sister, don’t say that.”

“Prince Mediocre arrives!”

The doorman shouted loudly, and the Duke and the Duchess hurriedly came out to greet Prince Mediocre.

Although Prince Mediocre was not favored by the Emperor, he was still a prince.

Qiao Ruofeng bent to salute and then gazed at Prince Mediocre affectionately.

But to her disappointment, Prince Mediocre’s eyes were not on her at all, but on Jinniang.

Prince Mediocre asked everyone to rise and walked directly to Jinniang. “I heard that you have a tea house in Lin’an that produces very good Mingqian Longjing Tea?”

Qiao Jinniang lowered her head and responded, “Yes.”

“May I have the honor to try the authentic Longjing made by you, Miss Qiao?”

Prince Mediocre lowered his voice and asked into Qiao Jinniang’s ear.

Seeing Prince Mediocre’s ambiguous attitude towards Qiao Jinniang, Qiao Ruofeng felt very sour. Did Prince Mediocre forget her?

But they had corresponded by letter for a year, and they had even met at her grandmother’s home not long ago!

Prince Mediocre even promised her that he would marry her!

Prince Mediocre raised his eyebrows and looked at Qiao Jinniang. “Second Miss, are you unwilling to let me taste the Longjing you made?”

“Yes!” Qiao Jinniang thought in her heart but it would be rude if she rejected him in public.

She was about to say okay… when a familiar voice sounded from the door:

“It just so happens that I miss the authentic Mingqian Longjing in Lin’an too.”