If they were to dig deeper into things, they wouldn't be able to leave for a while.
She put down the teacup. "Lord Liang, our acquaintance was purely by chance. We probably won't cross paths again in the future. Let's bid farewell here."
Rui'er quickly grabbed the corner of her sleeve, her face full of reluctance. "Auntie, are you leaving already?"
Jiang Qianyu smiled and stroked her pink little face. "Yes, auntie has to go back. This is a gift from auntie for you."
Fang Xiao behind her handed over a beautiful brocade box.
When opened, there was a ceramic little rabbit inside, exquisitely crafted and lifelike.
"Auntie, how did you know I'm a rabbit in the Chinese zodiac?"
Jiang Qianyu had made inquiries. Rui'er was five years old this year and was born in the Year of the Rabbit.
She was a poor child who lost her mother when she was two.
A life of luxury couldn't make up for the regret of not having a mother.
But in the end, there was not much she could do. She could only give a gift as a keepsake.
"Daddy also prepared a gift for auntie!"
Rui'er happily accepted the gift and ran to Liang Wentao's side, urging him to take out the gift quickly.
Jiang Qianyu was just about to decline politely, but when Liang Wentao took out the gift, she was completely stunned.
It was a jade pendant carved with water waves and fish patterns.
It was exactly the same as the one she accidentally broke three years ago.
"How did you know... You've known me for a long time?"
Jiang Qianyu's thoughts were in a mess at this moment, like tangled ropes with no beginning or end, and impossible to sort out.
"Three years ago, at the palace banquet, you were standing beside Lu Ningzhen, serving her. An official stepped forward to toast Lu Ningzhen. He seemed very interested in the jade pendant on your waist. Just as he was about to say something, the jade pendant fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. The official hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he said nothing and left."
Liang Wentao recounted slowly. This man, who was in a high - ranking position and full of success, was humble and polite in front of her, his eyes full of admiration.
"I thought that the young lady must know that official, and that official probably had seen your jade pendant before. You were afraid that he would guess your identity, so you had the quick wits to let the jade pendant break so that it couldn't be recognized. And that official would have no reason to identify you."
As he spoke, Jiang Qianyu seemed to be back at that dangerous palace banquet.
Liang Wentao was right. That official was a fellow Jinshi of her father's in the same year, and they were also from the same hometown. In the early years of their official careers, they had supported each other and had a close relationship.
But that official had defected to Lu Ningzhen in order to take a shortcut to promotion.
That jade pendant was a keepsake her father left for her when he was demoted and left the capital.
She was determined to repay the Crown Prince, so she sneaked into the Princess Chang's mansion and became a spy.
Fortunately, that official had never met the family members of the Jiang family, so he didn't recognize her.
But he recognized the jade pendant that her father used to wear and knew that her father had a daughter of about her age.
If she had been identified on the spot, the Crown Prince's plan would have failed.
She had no choice but to break the jade pendant heartlessly, leaving no evidence.
That official was cautious. Without evidence, he was afraid that if he made a wrong identification, he would anger Lu Ningzhen.
She lost the keepsake from her father but managed to keep the secret of being a spy.
This incident had become an unhealed wound in her heart.
Looking at the jade pendant in Liang Wentao's hand, which was exactly the same as her former keepsake, Jiang Qianyu felt an indescribable emotion welling up in her heart.
There was gratitude, and there seemed to be a hint of a flutter in her heart.
She wasn't particularly good - looking. At that grand palace banquet, she was dressed as a plain maid and blended in with the crowd.
Among the haughty gazes, there was such a man who had quietly paid attention to her.
He even saw clearly the pattern on the jade pendant she wore.
At this moment, she finally believed that Liang Wentao's claim of admiring her wasn't just empty talk.
Rui'er put the jade pendant into her hand.
"Auntie, put it on."
In the soft little hand, the jade pendant was warm and smooth, making her feel at ease.
The wound left in her heart seemed to be gently smoothed out.
Jiang Qianyu involuntarily looked up at Liang Wentao.
"Thank you."
This word of thanks was sincere.
But if she accepted the jade pendant, wouldn't it mean that she accepted Liang Wentao's love?
But before she could think much, Rui'er had already tied the jade pendant to her belt.
"Auntie, you look so good wearing it."
The praise from a child was always extremely sincere.
Rui'er's enthusiasm made it impossible for her to say no.
On the way back, her mind was in turmoil, filled with all kinds of feelings.
She held the jade pendant in her hand and stroked it carefully. Every line on it was exactly the same as the previous one.
This was the first time she truly felt what it was like to be cared about.
For a long time, she had poured countless feelings into the Crown Prince, but she had never received a response.
She tried to convince herself not to mind, because from the very beginning, she knew that the Crown Prince didn't have romantic feelings for her.
She didn't regret her one - sided devotion.
But seeing the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess deeply in love with each other, the Crown Prince being so affectionate towards the Crown Princess, she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Love that only involves giving without getting a response is too difficult.
And she had only pleaded for Liang Wentao, and he seemed to know her heart and made up for her regret from three years ago.
Finally getting a response to one's efforts, one could really feel happy.
Then what was the point of her struggling to get a position beside the Crown Prince when she would never receive any favor?
Was it really meaningful to keep persisting?
A few days later, she accompanied Cheng Simian to pay respects to the Queen.
The Queen brought up a matter.
"Yesterday, the noble ladies in the capital came to the palace to pay their respects. I had a casual chat with the old lady of the Duke's Mansion. She mentioned Liang Wentao and said that he is the most outstanding man in the Liang family. It's a pity that he has had a rough life. His first wife has been dead for three years. Now that he has been promoted to the Deputy Minister of the Secretariat, he has more interactions with the noble families and high - ranking officials. But his grandmother is old, and his mother has been ill in bed all year round. There is no mistress in his mansion, and with his little daughter unattended, his life is really hard." (The old lady of the Duke's Mansion and Liang's grandmother are two different people. Liang Wentao's branch and the Duke's Mansion are from the same clan.)
Hearing Liang Wentao's name, Jiang Qianyu's heart rate inexplicably quickened a bit.
"The old lady of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion is eager to find a match for Liang Wentao. She has mentioned it several times. It seems that she is trying to win over this new court official."
The Queen stopped at the right point.
The Gao family was backed by the Second Prince. Of course, she didn't want the close official of the emperor to be won over by the Second Prince.
She had to nip in the bud any factor that might threaten the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne.
Cheng Simian followed the Queen's train of thought. "In that case, if Your Majesty were to arrange a marriage for Lord Liang, it would be the best thing."
The Queen frowned slightly. "Daiying would be a good candidate, but her family has already arranged a marriage for her. They're just waiting for her to leave the palace at the end of the year to propose marriage. It's not appropriate for me to interfere and ruin someone's marriage. I don't have a suitable candidate for the moment. I wonder if you have any in the Eastern Palace?"
Liang Wentao was a high - ranking official. The woman arranged to be his wife couldn't be an ordinary maid.
At the very least, she should be a fifth - rank female official with some family background and the ability to manage a household.
Cheng Simian was silent for a moment. "It seems there isn't anyone in the Eastern Palace either."
Jiang Qianyu had no chance to interrupt such a conversation.
For some reason, the Queen's gaze fell on her.