Chapter 19: Minister Jun, You Are Presumptuous

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin found it strange that the Crown Prince's visit had nothing to do with her, yet she still came at the Old Lady's urging.

The Old Lady felt her second daughter possessed good character, a fine appearance, and was good in every way; the Crown Prince summoning her could not be anything bad. She herself was no longer of use, but if her second daughter had the Crown Prince's backing in the future, she would surely be able to protect her.

As Seeing Jun Jun Zijin passed a small flower garden, she met Jun Jun Shuyan coming from the other side of the garden.

The ten-year-old girl, lively and sweet, waved happily at Seeing Jun Jun Zijin the moment she saw her:

"Second Sister, are you going to see the Crown Prince too? What a coincidence, let's go together."

Jun Jun Shuyan loved her second sister very much; unlike the Eldest Young Lady who looked down on everyone, nor like the Third Cousin who was tyrannical and unreasonable. Those two looked down on her for being born of a concubine, and she did not like them either.

"If Auntie hadn't stopped me, I would have gone to play with Second Sister long ago," Jun Jun Shuyan chattered on without stopping.

After Zhou Zhou Yiniang's son died, she became even more timid and afraid of trouble, shutting herself in her secluded small courtyard day after day, keeping her only daughter confined there as well, fearing that something bad might happen if she went out again.

Speaking of it, that child's death was also strange. The original owner was still young then and only vaguely remembered that the child liked to play hide-and-seek with maids and nannies among the rockeries in a certain garden every day. But one day, servants found him drowned in the pond. By the time he was discovered, he had been dead for quite some time. What left people utterly puzzled was that the rockery was several hundred meters away from the pond; how could such a young child have gone there alone over such a great distance?

Thinking of this, she saw Jun Jun Shuyan smiling as she stepped forward and took hold of her arm.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin smiled and did not refuse; such a lovely child was only a few years older than her daughter in her past life. Of course, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin also had no intention of making enemies with everyone in the manor.

The two walked gracefully forward and saw Jun Jun Zhidie and Jun Jun Yiyi standing together, their eyes holding a hint of confusion. Jun Jun Zhidie snorted coldly, "Pretending." Seeing Jun Jun Zijin ignored her and led Jun Jun Shuyan straight toward the main hall.

Seeing Seeing Jun Jun Zijin enter first, Jun Jun Yiyi and Jun Jun Zhidie, unwilling to show weakness, followed in one after another.

Entering the main hall, they saw the Crown Prince seated in the main position, his face calm as water, his expression faint, showing no trace of emotional fluctuation. His eyes lowered slightly as he drank tea absentmindedly, now and then.

Although he wore ordinary clothes that seemed unremarkable, the craftsmanship of the garments was exquisite, the patterns beautiful, and the fabric used extremely refined. The material was fine and smooth, as if one could feel its silk-like texture with the slightest touch; the color was carefully blended, neither flashy nor eye-catching, yet retaining an elegant temperament, revealing a low-key luxury within the ordinary. Upon close inspection, one could even discover faint dark patterns on the fabric.

Such exquisite embroidery workmanship meant that even the top-tier embroiderers in Jingcheng would likely take several months to produce it. Seeing this, the Jun sisters all had their mouths slightly open, secretly drawing in a sharp breath, inwardly marveling in awe.

It was a pity that Seeing Jun Jun Zijin did not notice such exquisite embroidery; the moment her eyes met that handsome and cold face, she recognized him as the person she had seen at the iron shop that day. So he was actually the Crown Prince of the current court, though she did not know why he had come to the manor today.

The Jun sisters bowed slightly in greeting. The Crown Prince's gaze swept over everyone before finally resting on Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, the coldness in his eyes softening somewhat.

Seeing this, Jun Jun Zhidie's jealousy grew even stronger, and she spoke up first:

"Crown Prince, today the Jun sisters are gathered. I have heard Your Highness loves painting; why not let my daughter paint a piece right here for Your Highness to appreciate?"

Jun Jun Yiyi cursed inwardly: "Fool, do you think your painting is presentable?" Jun Jun Yiyi noticed the Crown Prince had not paid any attention to her carefully styled makeup and was naturally unwilling to accept this, but she was not as lacking in sense as Jun Jun Zhidie to recklessly throw herself at him.

The Crown Prince, however, seemed not to have heard, his gaze still fixed on Seeing Jun Jun Zijin. Then the Crown Prince slowly spoke:

"Young Lady Jun, I remember you, that day at the iron shop."

Hearing this, Xiang Xiang Junzheng glared fiercely at Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, gritting his teeth in secret; indeed, it was this troublemaker who had caused the trouble.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin ignored Xiang Xiang Junzheng's resentment, lowered her head, and replied, "Your Highness has an excellent memory."

"I heard the Second Young Lady obtained a novel object today; I am very curious and have come specifically to visit and observe it."

Just as Seeing Jun Jun Zijin was about to respond, Jun Jun Zhidie suddenly interrupted. She had been extremely jealous of the two of them chatting so warmly on their own. Seeing them completely ignore her existence, she could no longer hold back:

"She is just a country girl; how could she have any novel object? Could it be that the Crown Prince has been deceived by her?"

Hearing this, Jun Jun Yiyi secretly rejoiced; this fool was essentially saying the Crown Prince was stupid and could not distinguish right from wrong!

Seizing the opportunity, Jun Jun Yiyi gracefully moved her lotus steps to stand before the Crown Prince, bowed elegantly, and her voice was as melodious as a warbler's song:

"Crown Prince, my younger sister is young and ignorant, and her words were largely offensive; please forgive her. I have recently studied a new tune and would like to play it for Your Highness to apologize on my sister's behalf."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng, whose face had turned pale with fear and who had been trembling at Jun Jun Zhidie's insolence, calmed down upon seeing this. He was very gratified by Jun Jun Yiyi's composure in the face of danger and nodded inwardly; this daughter had not been loved in vain, as everything she did was satisfactory.

After Xiang Xiang Junzheng calmed down, he coughed lightly and said, "Your Highness, this is my eldest daughter, who has practiced music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood..."

Before Xiang Xiang Junzheng could finish speaking, the Crown Prince raised his hand slightly to interrupt.

"No need!"

The smiles on the faces of Xiang Xiang Junzheng and his daughter Jun Jun Yiyi instantly froze, and they stood there awkwardly. Jun Jun Yiyi gritted her teeth in secret: Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, that vile woman, had stolen the spotlight; how could she be willing to accept this?

Seeing Jun Jun Yiyi's embarrassment, Jun Jun Zhidie wore a look of schadenfreude, while Jun Jun Shuyan looked at Seeing Jun Jun Zijin with a face full of admiration.

Indeed, this girl's days in the manor were not very good. Quan Quan Aoyu thought of the hardships the little girl had suffered over the years, and his heart immediately became even more displeased. He turned his head slightly and said to the awkward Xiang Xiang Junzheng standing before him with implied meaning:

"I have heard the Minister Minister is very skilled in educating his children."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng's old face turned red; the Crown Prince was scolding him. Who did not know that his only son was useless and his second daughter was infamous?

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin had watched the play for quite a while, and now seeing Xiang Xiang Junzheng's fearful and ever-changing face, she could not help but let out a "pfft" sound. Xiang Xiang Junzheng was already angry at her and immediately shouted at her:

"Presumptuous!"

Hearing this, Quan Quan Aoyu did not even raise his eyelids and said faintly:

"Minister Jun, you are the one being presumptuous."