Chapter 19: Minister Jun, You Are Presumptuous

Although Jun Zijin found it strange that the Crown Prince’s visit had anything to do with her, she still came under the urging of the Old Lady.

The Old Lady felt that her second granddaughter had good character, good looks, and was good in every way; the Crown Prince calling for her certainly couldn't be a bad thing. She herself was already of no use, and if the second granddaughter had the Crown Prince’s backing in the future, she would surely be able to protect her.

Just as Jun Zijin passed a small garden, she ran into Jun Shuyan, who was coming from the other side.

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

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

Jun Shuyan liked her Second Sister very much; she was not high-and-mighty like the Eldest Young Lady, nor was she overbearing and unreasonable like the third cousin. Those two looked down on her for being born of a concubine, and she didn't like them either.

"If it weren't for my mother stopping me, I would have gone to play with Second Sister long ago," Jun Shuyan chattered on without stopping.

After Zhou Yiniang lost her son, she became even more timid and fearful, spending her days behind closed doors in a remote courtyard and keeping her only daughter confined there as well, terrified that something might happen if she went out.

Come to think of it, that child’s death was also suspicious. The original owner was young at the time and only vaguely remembered that the child liked to play hide-and-seek with the maids and nannies near the rockery in the garden every day. But one day, the servants found him drowned in the pond. By the time he was discovered, he had been drowned for a long time, but what left everyone completely baffled was that the rockery was several hundred meters away from the pond. At such a distance, how could a child have gone there all by himself?

Thinking of this, she saw Jun Shuyan smiling as she stepped forward to hook her arm.

Jun Zijin smiled and did not refuse. Such a lovely child was not many years older than her own daughter from her previous life. Of course, Jun Zijin had no intention of making enemies with everyone in the residence.

The two walked over leisurely and saw Jun Zhidie and Jun Yiyi standing together, their eyes filled with a hint of doubt. Jun Zhidie snorted, "Putting on an act." Jun Zijin ignored her and led Jun Shuyan straight toward the main hall.

Seeing that Jun Zijin had gone in first, Jun Yiyi and Jun Zhidie were unwilling to be outdone and followed her in one after the other.

Entering the main hall, they saw the Crown Prince sitting upright in the seat of honor. His face was calm as water, his expression indifferent, revealing not a trace of emotional fluctuation. His eyes were slightly lowered, and he was drinking tea in a distracted, listless manner.

Although he wore seemingly ordinary casual attire, the craftsmanship was exquisite, the patterns were beautiful, and the fabric used was extremely refined. The texture of the material was delicate and smooth, as if one could feel its silk-like touch with a light brush; the color was meticulously blended, neither flashy nor lacking in elegant temperament, revealing a low-key luxury amidst the ordinary. Upon closer inspection, one could even find faint, hidden patterns on the fabric.

With such exquisite embroidery, even the best embroiderers in Jingcheng would likely need several months to complete it. The Jun sisters all had their mouths slightly agape, secretly gasping in shock and clicking their tongues in wonder.

It was just a pity that Jun Zijin did not notice the exquisite embroidery. As soon as she 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 current Crown Prince; she just didn't know why he had come to the residence today.

The Jun sisters bowed slightly in greeting. The Crown Prince’s gaze swept over everyone and finally landed on Jun Zijin, the coldness in his eyes softening slightly.

Seeing this, Jun Zhidie felt even more jealous and spoke up first:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, today the Jun sisters are gathered together. I hear that Your Highness enjoys painting; why don't I paint a picture on the spot for Your Highness to appreciate?"

Jun Yiyi cursed inwardly: *You idiot, is that painting of yours even worth showing?* Jun Yiyi realized that the Crown Prince hadn't even noticed her carefully styled makeup, and she was naturally unwilling to accept it, but she was not as brainless as Jun Zhidie to rush forward recklessly.

The Crown Prince, however, acted as if he hadn't heard, his gaze still fixed on Jun Zijin. Then, the Crown Prince spoke slowly:

"Miss Jun, I remember you. That day at the iron shop."

Upon hearing this, Jun Zhengming glared fiercely at Jun Zijin, gritting his teeth in secret. *Sure enough, it was this wicked obstacle who caused the trouble.*

Ignoring Jun Zhengming’s resentment, Jun Zijin lowered her head and replied, "Your Highness has a very good memory."

"I heard that the Second Young Lady obtained a novel object today. I am very curious and have come specifically to pay a visit and take a look."

Just as Jun Zijin was about to respond, Jun Zhidie suddenly interrupted. She had long been extremely jealous of the two of them chatting away as if no one else were there. Seeing them completely ignore her existence, she could no longer hold back:

"She is just a country girl, how could she have any novel objects? Is Your Highness being deceived by her?"

Hearing this, Jun Yiyi was secretly delighted. *This idiot, isn't she saying that the Crown Prince is stupid and cannot distinguish good from bad?*

Seeing her chance, Jun Yiyi moved with lotus steps to the front of the Crown Prince and bowed gracefully, her voice as melodious as an oriole’s cry:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, my younger sister is young and ignorant, and her words have been offensive. I beg Your Highness to forgive her. I have recently been studying a new piece of music and would like to play it for Your Highness to apologize on my sister's behalf."

Jun Zhengming, who had been deathly pale and trembling with fear at Jun Zhidie’s rudeness, calmed down upon seeing this. He was very gratified by Jun Yiyi’s composure in the face of danger. He nodded to himself; this daughter was worth the affection, as everything she did was satisfactory.

After Jun Zhengming calmed down, he coughed lightly and said, "Your Highness, this is my eldest daughter. Since childhood, she has mastered the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting..."

Before Jun Zhengming could finish, the Crown Prince raised his hand slightly to interrupt him.

"No need!"

The smiles on the faces of Jun Zhengming and his daughter Jun Yiyi froze instantly, and they stood there awkwardly. Jun Yiyi gritted her teeth in secret: *To think that this slut Jun Zijin stole the limelight; how could she be reconciled to this?*

Jun Zhidie looked at Jun Yiyi’s embarrassment with schadenfreude, while Jun Shuyan looked at Jun Zijin with admiration.

*Sure enough, this girl’s life in the residence is not easy.* Quan Aoyu thought of the suffering the little girl had endured over the years, and he felt even more displeased. He turned his head slightly and said to Jun Zhengming, who was standing awkwardly before him, with a pointed tone:

"I hear that Minister Jun is very good at educating his children."

Jun Zhengming’s old face flushed red. The Crown Prince was scolding him; who didn't know that his only son was a good-for-nothing and his second daughter was notorious?

Jun Zijin had been watching the show for a while. Seeing Jun Zhengming’s panicked, unpredictable face, she couldn't help but let out a "pfft." Jun Zhengming was already annoyed with her and immediately barked at her:

"Presumptuous!"

Upon hearing this, Quan Aoyu didn't even lift his eyelids and said indifferently:

"Minister Jun, you are the one who is presumptuous."