Reborn Spoiled Girl Tames the Regent

Chapter 66 I never expected her to be so beautiful! I want to marry her!

As they approached the flower garden, Jiang Mian casually asked, "The chrysanthemums this winter are truly beautiful. Do you like them, Miss Chi Yu?"

Chi Yu's expression changed slightly as he recalled that he had originally planned to visit the Chrysanthemum Garden with Ning Zhi, but a letter from Jiang Mian made him leave without saying goodbye.

She then grabbed Jiang Mian's arm and said with a slightly coquettish tone, "What's so interesting about this garden? The Wen family has a lakeside hill behind their place, that's much more beautiful. Why don't we go take a look?"

"Okay."

Jiang Mian did not refuse and followed her to the back mountain.

Xiao Hengzhi stood in his seat. He originally wanted to go and see, but then he thought that Jiang Wan had never been at a disadvantage when facing the Empress in the harem in her previous life, so a brainless Chi Yu should not be a problem.

He has an even more important matter to attend to during his visit to the Wen residence.

He remembered that Guiye had mentioned seeing One-Eyed Zhang carrying several large boxes, suspected to be weapons, out of the Wen family home in the middle of the night.

If the Wen family truly dared to privately forge weapons, they must be backed by the royal family. Jiang Mian has already informed Duan Zhi'an of the Third Prince's secrets, and now his followers will certainly have to lay low.

The fact that the Wen family dares to hold such a grand banquet suggests they are part of the Crown Prince's faction. Therefore, removing the Wen family would be tantamount to crippling Ning Zhi's support.

If someone wanted to secretly hide weapons, there must be a secret room or mechanism hidden in the inner courtyard.

Xiao Hengzhi stood up and glanced around the inner hall. Most of the elders and juniors of the Wen family were inside. The inner courtyard should be empty at this moment.

He walked calmly down the passageway, pretending to take a stroll, and walked alone to the covered corridor, beyond which lay the inner courtyard.

There were indeed few people in the courtyard; after knocking out a few gatekeepers, they could come and go as they pleased.

However, after a quick search, he found nothing unusual.

Just as he was struggling to decide which room to start looking for the secret passage from, he suddenly remembered that Duke Wen had a hobby of collecting rare artifacts, but he had searched so many rooms without finding anything in his collection.

His intuition told him that there was still one place he hadn't found. Just as he was about to explore it further, he suddenly saw Wen Yin walking out from not far away, laughing loudly. He didn't know what she had done, but her laughter was exceptionally exaggerated.

A dark glint flashed in Xiao Hengzhi's eyes. They'd come at just the right time...

"Hahaha! Did you see her expression just now? She's just pretending to be pitiful and innocent again!"

A maid chimed in, "Third Miss's plan is brilliant. Let's see how Wen Qian handles it later."

"If she dares to steal my marriage, I'll show her what the consequences will be."

"This is all her karma..."

The two voices grew closer, and Xiao Hengzhi stood under the eaves as if admiring the scenery.

Wen Yin glanced at him; he was handsome and dashing, a man of marriageable age.

Her eyes lit up, and she took small steps forward to ask, "Young master, are you going to the banquet?"

Her voice was soft and very polite.

Xiao Hengzhi turned his head and said indifferently, "I'm just strolling around here for a while, hoping for some peace and quiet."

He spoke casually, but Wen Yin was captivated by his eyes. These days, it's truly rare to find a young master from a prominent family who is both of similar age and has such good looks!

She was secretly delighted and said, "Then why don't I lead you to the tea room to rest?"

Xiao Hengzhi did not refuse: "Then I will trouble Miss Third to lead the way."

Wen Yin, looking embarrassed, led him into the tea room, a quiet and secluded place.

As she called for someone to pour tea, she asked, "May I ask which family you belong to, sir? I've never seen you before."

Xiao Hengzhi looked at her and replied, "How could Miss Third forget? We met at the banquet just now."

Wen Yin was taken aback, then remembered that he seemed to be the man who had been sitting next to Jiang Wan earlier, but she had only seen his back at the time.

I heard that Jiang Xun has an adopted son; this must be him. I never imagined he'd be so handsome!

She laughed and said, "Look at my memory, I completely forgot for a moment, how rude of me."

“It’s alright. Miss Biao sees many people every day and has many people to remember, so it’s normal for her to forget. I see fewer people, but I can’t forget Miss Biao after just one glance.”

He held his teacup, and his seemingly ordinary words stirred a flutter in Wen Yin's heart—

That's too sweet! Although he's only an adopted son now, the General's Mansion has no legitimate son, so a formal title would suffice, and he's a good match for her.

So she mustered her courage and asked, "Young master, do you have a suitable match now?"

Xiao Hengzhi pursed his lips, shook his head slightly, and said with a hint of regret, "A good match is hard to find."

After saying that, he stared at Wen Yin and said, "I'm even more afraid that the beauty already has someone else in her heart."

Wen Yin felt the tenderness in his eyes, and her heart melted.

She was considered a bride-to-be since childhood, but she only met the Empress Dowager's grandson once when she was young and then lost contact with him. Later, in order to maintain her reputation, Lady Wen did not want to directly ask the Empress Dowager to cancel the engagement.

So she carried this burden, her youthful beauty faded, and no one dared to come and propose marriage.

She was extremely anxious, but she couldn't even have contact with men outside the family. She could only catch a glimpse of men when the family held banquets at home.

People as pleasing to the eye and as pleasant to speak as the person in front of you are extremely rare.

She felt like her heart had never been beating so fast before, as if it was about to jump out of her throat.

Seeing her stunned expression, Xiao Hengzhi continued, "Third Miss, don't overthink it. I know you have an engagement, and it's one that can't be resolved..."

He frowned, his expression showing some regret.

Wen Yin quickly replied, "If you are willing, please give me some time. I will definitely find a way to break this binding marriage."

Xiao Hengzhi was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "If the Third Miss has spoken, it must be something I've been waiting for."

His gentle smile seemed to be constantly instilling a surge of emotion in her heart, making her eager to go to the Empress Dowager to dissolve the marriage right now.

Then I heard him ask, "I've heard that the Duke of Wen has a lot of interesting things in his collection. Would you be so kind as to show me around?"

"Of course, come with me!"

Wen Yin was completely unprepared and led Xiao Hengzhi towards the main house.

Opening the back door of the main house, you enter another courtyard, where there is a separate pavilion.

Xiao Hengzhi squinted. So it was hidden so well. No wonder he couldn't find it.

Unfortunately, the door was locked.

Wen Yin sighed, "Perhaps it's because there's a banquet at home that the door was locked; it's rarely locked on ordinary days."

"This is really bad timing," Xiao Hengzhi sighed.

Wen Yin added, "I'll get the key from my brother another day. If you want to see it, come find me."

"Isn't this where the Duke of Wen's private stash is kept? How come the Third Miss's brother has a key?"

“My brother sometimes comes here to check the artifacts.”

Xiao Hengzhi nodded, and smiled thoughtfully, "It's alright, there's plenty of time in the future, no need to rush."

Wen Yin lowered her head with a smile, a sense of anticipation slowly growing in her heart.

Meanwhile, Jiang Mian and Chi Yu were walking side by side on the boardwalk behind the lake.

This is a scenic garden specially created by the Wen family, with towering artificial mountains surrounding a central lake.

Go up the boardwalk, and you'll find a narrow path connecting to the artificial hill, just wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

"Does Miss Jiang like this place?" Chi Yu asked.

Jiang Mian, leaning against the rock, slowly replied, "It is indeed elegant, and with the bright yellow ginkgo tree, it is even more charming."

"Yes, but we've walked for so long, let's go to the pavilion up there and rest for a bit."

After she finished speaking, she pretended to casually touch Jiang Mian's shoulder.

Jiang Mian became alert, stepped aside to steady herself, and said with a smile, "Miss Chi is so considerate, but my body can't withstand this little bit of fatigue."

She thought to herself, "Trying to push me down? Is that all the tricks they have? I did that when I first entered the palace."

Chi Yu was taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She covered it up by saying, "Miss Jiang is quite strong and healthy. I can hardly stand up."

“If Miss Chi is tired, why don’t you join me at the banquet? I think it should be starting soon,” Jiang Wan said.

Chi Yu tucked her hair behind her ear with a slightly embarrassed look in her eyes, glanced at the lake in the middle, and nodded.

The downhill path was quite steep. As they approached the lake, Chi Yu suddenly screamed and staggered backward, about to fall into the lake.

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Mian's eyes. She quickly grabbed her sleeve and used the force to pull her back to her feet.

“Miss Chi, this road is rugged, so please be careful. There are only the two of us here; anyone who doesn’t know better might think I deliberately pushed you into the water.”

Chi Yu's face turned pale, and she awkwardly thanked him, trying to remain calm: "Thank you for reminding me, Miss Jiang. I lost my balance and disturbed you."

Jiang Wan calmly replied, "It's alright, everyone makes mistakes sometimes."

Her words had a hidden meaning, making Chi Yu's smile less genuine.

The two returned to their seats. Chi Yu clenched his fists, feeling somewhat displeased as he looked at Jiang Mian, who seemed unharmed.

She glanced at the table and suddenly asked, "Miss Jiang, you must be of marriageable age, right? Do you have a man you like?"

"Why did Miss Chi suddenly ask this?"

Chi Yu didn't speak, but instead gestured with her chin towards a spot not far away.

Jiang Mian looked over and saw Li Zhijing walking towards them.