The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 196: Martial Arts Tournament (2)

"I was forced to study so hard, of course I lost weight. You, on the other hand, have been eating and drinking well every day, looking all plump!" Yun Qianyue smiled warmly, her expression pleasant. "Pretending, huh? Who can't do that?"

Yun Xianghe's face stiffened, and she instinctively reached up to touch her face. Was she plump? Had she gained weight?

Yun Qianyue seemed to hear a soft chuckle coming from the carriage and snorted inwardly. She ignored Yun Xianghe and walked toward Rongjing's carriage. Reaching the front, she unceremoniously reached out to lift the curtain and climbed into the carriage.

Yun Xianghe snapped out of it and only saw the edge of Yun Qianyue's clothes as the curtain fell. She still hadn't seen the man's face inside, which made her feel a mix of anger and jealousy. Why did Yun Qianyue get to sit in Young Master Jing's carriage, and why did she act so naturally about it?

Yun Xianghe was about to say something when she heard Yun Meng laughing cheerfully as he spoke to Rongjing's carriage. "Young Master Jing, you must take good care of Miss Qianyue. The Old Lord says he is reassured with her accompanying you."

"Don't worry, Uncle Meng! I'll make sure she doesn't run off and cause trouble." Rongjing's voice was warm.

"Who would run off? I don't need you to watch over me!" Yun Qianyue grumbled, dissatisfied.

"You are the least reassuring one. If I had a choice, I'd be the last person to watch over you!" Rongjing sighed helplessly, then turned to Xian Ge and ordered, "Let's go."

"Yes, Young Master!" Xian Ge cracked the whip, and the carriage pulled away from the Yun Prince's residence.

Yun Meng smiled and watched the carriage leave before turning to report to the Old Lord.

Yun Xianghe clenched her fists so tightly in her sleeves that they nearly bled. She nearly ground her silver teeth in frustration. She had been speaking in front of Rongjing's carriage for quite some time, but not a single word of response from him. Yet Yun Qianyue, acting so disrespectfully in front of him, was not only unscolded, but Rongjing's tone was warm and gentle. It was utterly infuriating. She glared at the sleek black carriage as it drove off. If her gaze could turn into a sword, she probably would've pierced the carriage by now.

"Miss..." Yun Xianghe's personal maid shivered when she saw her expression and gently called her name.

Yun Xianghe suppressed her anger, turned, and boarded the carriage. Her maid immediately followed, and the luxurious carriage made its way out of the Yun Prince's residence and headed toward the palace.

Inside Rongjing's carriage, Yun Qianyue had been staring at him ever since she got on. Noticing that he seemed to have lost a bit of weight, she pursed her lips and mocked, "Where have you been? You didn't go do anything bad, did you? You've gotten so thin! It's easy to suspect you've been to those kinds of places and come back all drained."

Rongjing glanced at her with a slight raise of his eyebrow. "I showed you the books in my study. After a month of staying up late and reading, is this the kind of dirty thoughts you get in your mind? I really doubt if you even read those books."

"Of course, I read them all! Your collection isn't that impressive. For a genius like me, it was a piece of cake! Didn't expect that, huh? I've read all of it. Want me to recite it back to you?" Yun Qianyue raised her brow proudly.

"I think you've just made a mess of it all. You wasted your photographic memory on nonsense," Rongjing said indifferently.

Yun Qianyue had already grown accustomed to his sharp tongue. She wasn't bothered by this small insult and snorted, "You're just jealous!"

"Fine, I'll admit it's jealousy. How about I test you?" Rongjing's eyes glinted as he smiled at her.

"Test away!" Yun Qianyue cracked her knuckles, confident that this guy wouldn't be able to stump her.

"Do you know who stole the hen from Mr. Zhang's household?" Rongjing asked with a soft voice.

Yun Qianyue blinked, confused. Who had stolen Mr. Zhang's hen? How would she know? Which Mr. Zhang was he talking about? She stared at him, utterly baffled, and scolded, "What kind of question is that?"

"It's written in the thirteenth volume of the 'Little People's Stories of Mr. Zhang's Fun Anecdotes,' on the last page. If you can't answer that, don't say you've read everything!" Rongjing smiled, as if amused, and looked at her with a faint smile.

Yun Qianyue felt the urge to bang her head against a wall. She glared at Rongjing, her face dark with frustration. After a long silence, she replied, "Fine, I didn't finish reading. I was almost done, just a few books left. Who knew that... Forget it. I didn't finish reading. What are you going to do about it?"

She thought back to the conversation she overheard with Rong Feng yesterday in his study, his expression, and the last thing he said, which made her feel uneasy and gave her a slight headache.

Rongjing looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. After a moment, he leaned lazily against the carriage wall, his tone turning cold. "What are you going to do about it? Hmph..."

Yun Qianyue sensed something was off with his tone. She looked up to find him with his eyes closed, his expression indifferent, as though he didn't want to talk to her anymore. She frowned and muttered a curse in her heart, leaning against the carriage wall and falling silent.

The carriage rolled on in silence, the rhythmic sound of the wheels on the ground the only sound.

The streets outside were bustling with activity. By early morning, groups of common folk had gathered to discuss the participants of today's Martial Arts Champion competition, placing bets and guessing who was most likely to become the champion. Among the people, it seemed that the highest honor was not becoming the Martial Arts Champion, but having the chance to compete against the genius Young Master Jing of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty. Even if defeated, it was an honor.

Yun Qianyue listened to the murmurs from outside, thinking about how Rongjing had lost all his martial arts abilities this year. The Martial Arts Champion could probably knock him out with just one finger. She glanced up at him and saw his usual aloof expression. She lowered her eyes and thought to herself that it would be best if someone knocked him out already. His cold, distant look was truly unappealing.

The carriage continued through the streets, and after about half an hour, it finally came to a stop.

"Young Master, we've arrived at the arena!" Xian Ge's voice came from outside.

"Is Miss Qianyue in the carriage?" Before Rongjing could respond, a familiar voice called out lightly. It was Ye Qingran, full of elegance and charm.

Yun Qianyue immediately sat up, pulling back the curtain. She saw Ye Qingran walking toward her carriage, his eyes lighting up with joy upon seeing her. He called out with a smile, "I was going to pick you up from the Yun Prince's residence, but I heard that this delicate beauty had already gone there, so I didn't bother. Instead, I came early to wait for you here. The Emperor knows you like this, so he specially allowed you to come. Little girl, the Emperor is really quite good to you."

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