"His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, has arrived!"
When Song Yanran heard the palace servant's announcement, her heart skipped a beat with a mix of surprise and joy.
Xiao Wang never came to her courtyard.
She immediately stood up, tidied her hairpin, and smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt.
A shy smile spread across her face as she stepped forward to greet him.
"Your Highness, what brings you here today?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she caught a glimpse of a piece of emerald - green robe behind Xiao Wang.
Her willow - leaf eyebrows knitted together instantly.
When she recognized who it was, her smile froze on her face.
Ruan Jiu poked her head out from behind Xiao Wang and waved at Song Yanran.
"Why are you here too?" Song Yanran exclaimed.
Displeasure was evident on her face. But due to Xiao Wang's presence, she forced a smile.
She looked rather comical.
Ruan Jiu moved from behind Xiao Wang to his side and bowed respectfully to Song Yanran.
In a soft voice, she said, "Greetings, Crown Princess."
This gesture from Ruan Jiu confused Song Yanran.
She couldn't help but think to herself, since when had this woman been so respectful to her after returning to the capital? And when had she ever addressed her as the Crown Princess?
Seeing the confusion on Song Yanran's face, Ruan Jiu continued, "I've had many misunderstandings with the Crown Princess. So today, I've come with His Royal Highness to explain everything clearly."
After hearing this, Song Yanran looked blankly at Ruan Jiu and then at Xiao Wang.
Misunderstandings?
Explanations?
What did it all mean?
Seeing that Xiao Wang still looked expressionless, Ruan Jiu secretly tugged at his sleeve and said with a smile, "Right, Your Highness?"
Xiao Wang gave Ruan Jiu a cold look and replied in a deep voice.
After all, he had promised Ruan Jiu before coming that he would follow her instructions and try to be a silent bystander.
Song Yanran still looked suspiciously at Ruan Jiu and said impatiently, "What do you have to explain to me?"
"Crown Princess, look at what you're saying. First, dismiss your maids, and then I'll explain everything to you properly." Ruan Jiu pointed at the maids beside Song Yanran.
Although Song Yanran was puzzled, she still ordered the maids to leave.
At this moment, only the three of them were left in the closed room.
Suddenly, Ruan Jiu knelt on the ground out of the blue and looked up at Song Yanran with an innocent face.
"Crown Princess, it was actually His Royal Highness who asked me to come and explain to you!"
"Wh...what?" Song Yanran looked even more confused.
Xiao Wang, standing beside them, was equally shocked.
He frowned and thought to himself, when had he ever asked her to explain? And what was there to explain?
For some reason, a sense of unease welled up in his heart.
He felt that the words Ruan Jiu was about to say would surprise him even more.
Ruan Jiu continued, "Actually, I'm not Song Qingyu. I just look similar to Miss Song. All of this was His Royal Highness's plan to make you jealous.
I've offended you before. Please forgive me, Crown Princess!"
After saying that, Ruan Jiu wished she could bury her head in the ground.
Without even thinking, she knew that at this moment, Xiao Wang was glaring at her back with cold and fierce eyes.
Xiao Wang gasped.
"?!"
Was this woman crazy?
Did she know what she was saying?
After hearing Ruan Jiu's words, Song Yanran almost lost her balance.
If she hadn't held onto the table, she might have fallen to the ground.
Her eyes were filled with disbelief as she looked at Xiao Wang.
"Your...Your Highness... Is what she said... true?"
Xiao Wang squinted his eyes and let out a heavy breath.
He had already cursed Ruan Jiu a million times in his heart.
Was this the great idea she had come up with?!
But since he had promised to follow her instructions, he gritted his teeth and replied again.
After hearing this affirmative answer, Song Yanran glanced at Ruan Jiu kneeling on the ground and tightened her fingers.
No wonder she had seemed much smarter after returning to the capital.
So she wasn't Song Qingyu!
But what did she mean by making her jealous?
Before Song Yanran could voice her doubts, she heard Ruan Jiu continue, "Crown Princess, His Royal Highness has always had feelings for you. He asked me to pretend to be Miss Song to test his position in your heart."
Xiao Wang was so angry that he could barely keep his teeth from shattering.
"?!"
This crazy woman was talking more and more nonsense!
He couldn't help but roar, "You..."
Before his anger could be vented, Ruan Jiu interrupted him.
"Your Highness, I know you're embarrassed. After all, it's not easy to confess your feelings that you've hidden for so many years in front of your beloved.
But you asked me to come and explain to the Crown Princess today. Isn't it because you want to reconcile with her?"
To prevent Xiao Wang from ruining her plan, Ruan Jiu had to look up and meet his murderous gaze. She blinked her eyes.
Xiao Wang immediately understood what Ruan Jiu meant.
His throat tightened, and he managed to utter an "um".
Ruan Jiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Xiao Wang cooperated, or she would have had to put in a lot more effort.
However, Xiao Wang didn't want to listen to Ruan Jiu's nonsense anymore. He was also afraid that Song Yanran would pester him because of this.
He immediately said, "I still have some government affairs to attend to."
After saying that, before Song Yanran could react, he quickly stepped out of the room and left without looking back.
Looking at Xiao Wang's departing back, Song Yanran felt a little disappointed.
"Crown Princess, His Royal Highness is just shy." Ruan Jiu said.
Hearing this, Song Yanran remembered that Ruan Jiu was still kneeling on the ground.
"What are you still kneeling for? Get up quickly."
As she spoke, Song Yanran walked towards the soft couch.
Then she motioned for Ruan Jiu to sit down.
"Tell me properly. What's going on here?" Song Yanran asked in confusion.
She had been completely bewildered just now, as if she was in a dream. It didn't seem real at all.
Xiao Wang had feelings for her?
All of this was to make her jealous?
Ruan Jiu patiently elaborated on the story she had just fabricated.
In essence, it was all about how Xiao Wang had been in love with Song Yanran for a long time and how she was just someone he had found to make Song Yanran jealous.
Surprisingly, Song Yanran was so charmed by her words that she believed every word and even invited her to have dinner.
If it hadn't been getting late, Song Yanran probably would have wanted to hear more about Xiao Wang's deep affection.
Before leaving, Song Yanran ordered the maids to open her private treasury and let Ruan Jiu pick out a lot of jewelry.
Ruan Jiu patted the large box in her arms. At the thought of the treasures inside, she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning up.
Song Yanran was really generous with so many treasures.
But just as she was about to get on the carriage with the large box in her arms, a gloomy voice suddenly came from behind.
"Stop!"