After Reincarnating, the Ice-Cold Prince Won't Leave Me Alone

"Fourth Miss hasn't eaten or drunk for two days…"

"Sigh, what a pitiful person…"

"Isn't that so? Fourth Miss lost her parents a long time ago. She also has that personality. It wasn't easy for her to make it to her adulthood. Who would expect Young Master Pei to recognize the wrong person on the spot when her fiancé's family came to discuss the marriage? When he knew about the truth afterwards, he still insisted on marrying Third Miss instead…"

"That's not all. The Marquis and Madam would never agree to let Young Master Pei marry our Third Miss because he is a guilty minister. The truth is indeed so. As soon as the Pei family left, Madam hurriedly ordered people to open the storeroom to calculate the dowry. She wanted to marry Fourth Miss over as soon as possible…"

"Unexpectedly, only a few hours later, news of the Saint's decree to avenge the Jing Public House spread. It turns out that the Pei family's so-called exile was just to help the imperial court recover the power in Tong City…"

In a remote courtyard near the northwest corner of the garden in the Marquis of Yong Chang Residence, a few old women who were sweeping fallen leaves glanced at the quiet courtyard opposite from time to time. They looked at each other and whispered.

However, at this point, they tactfully shut their mouths. Their eyes clearly expressed the same meaning: Seeing that the family of the former sinner had become a new noble in the imperial court, the few masters in the residence could not sit still anymore.

One of them straightened his back and walked back. When he looked up, his gaze suddenly stopped. He said in surprise,

"Fourth… Fourth Miss…"

He saw a woman of indistinguishable age leaning against the rockery in the small courtyard. The reason that he said this was because of the woman's clothing.

She was wearing a glossy dark green spring shirt and an indigo colored traditional dress. The dark dress was wrapped around her body like a large cloth bag and it was not tightly fit. Her thick black hair was tied into a simple bun, and her forehead was covered by a thick fringe that covered most of her eyes.

With her old-fashioned clothes, if not for her fair skin and slender figure, one would have thought that she was a nanny from some courtyard and not the Fourth Miss in the residence.

They bumped into the person in the conversation while they were talking behind her back. The few of them hurriedly bowed and left resentfully.

But the lady was leaning against the rockery with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. When she heard the sound, she only tilted her head lazily.

When they saw this, they couldn't help but mutter in their hearts: Everyone in the residence knew that ever since the Fourth Miss learned calligraphy from the female teacher, her personality had become old-fashioned and introverted. She had almost engraved the doctrine of the 'female morals' and 'female lessons' which restricted women into her bones, causing everyone in the residence to keep a respectful distance from her. But looking at the Fourth Miss's appearance just now, why did she seem like a different person?

Shen Mingjiao stood up and glanced at the letter in her hand.

Tsk! Her handwriting was not bad, it was just that she was a little silly.

The letter was crumpled into a ball. She raised her hand and threw it gently. The ball of paper landed firmly on the sycamore tree opposite her, startling the birds on the tree.

Satisfied, she clapped her hands and whistled at the flock of birds she had startled.

Her actions were clean and neat.

Shen Mingjiao walked through the garden corridor and arrived at a pavilion that led to the outer courtyard.

Through her thick bangs, she could vaguely see a tall figure standing in the pavilion.

Shen Mingjiao pulled back the thick bangs on her forehead in discomfort. She took out a wooden hairpin from her pocket and stuck it behind her head. She instantly looked ten times prettier.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, the man in the courtyard turned around. He was dressed in a white scholarly robe and had a handsome appearance. The jade tree at his fingertips was a beautiful sight.

Shen Mingjiao glanced at him and sat down casually. She pointed at the recliner opposite her. "Have a seat."

Pei Ji sized her up in surprise and was stunned. He could not hide the amazement in his eyes.

Although the woman in front of him was slightly pale, her face was indescribably gorgeous and charming.

Not to mention the natural laziness and indifference in her every move, which reminded people of the tributary Glazed Cat that their family raised when they were young.

Pei Ji was stunned for a moment before he quickly retracted his gaze. He was doubtful. That day, he had taken a quick glance and remembered that Fourth Miss Shen had her head lowered the whole time. She seemed to be a dignified and introverted girl. However, when he saw her today, she seemed different.

He retracted his thoughts and bowed deeply to Shen Mingjiao.

"Fourth Miss Shen, I know it's my fault this time. I shouldn't have rashly proposed to break off the engagement…"

He told her everything that had happened between him and Shen Mingyan.

He basically said that when he was studying in the academy three years ago, he met Shen Mingyan, who was disguised as a man. Shen Mingyan helped him teach his classmates a lesson, and the two of them became good friends.

Later on, Shen Mingyan's identity as a woman was exposed and she was sent out of the academy. He found out from Shen Mingyan's maidservant that she was a girl from the Marquis of Yong Chang Residence, so he naturally thought that Shen Mingyan was his fiancée that he had never met before. Thus, the two of them often communicated and treated each other as confidants.

It was not until that day when he came with his mother to propose marriage that he realized that he had recognized the wrong person.

Shen Mingjiao listened quietly. After being reborn, she was no longer filled with unwillingness and despair like in her previous life. Instead, she found it funny.

She glanced at Pei Ji's handsome face and said,

"Don't you know that the one who was engaged to you in the beginning was Third Sister Shen Mingyan? But later on, your family met with trouble. Uncle's family was afraid of being implicated, so they replaced her with me."

She smiled and asked, "Do you think Third Sister knew about this back then? Then why is she like this now?"

Pei Ji was speechless for a moment. It was obvious that he had deliberately neglected this matter. He thought of something and shook his head firmly. "No, Third Miss Shen was still young at that time. She might not know about this…"

Shen Mingjiao shook her head and looked down.

"Now that things have come to this by a freak combination of factors, humans are not plants. Three years of feelings can't be retracted just like that. Now that I have Third Miss Shen in my heart, it won't be fair to you either if I get together with you…"

"Don't worry. My mother has already agreed to acknowledge you as her goddaughter. In the future, I'll help you find a good husband. The Pei family will definitely add a generous dowry for you and send you off to get married."

His tone was sincere, and his eyes were full of seriousness. Shen Mingjiao knew that this was indeed Pei Ji's heartfelt words at this moment, and it was not just polite words to break off the engagement. It was precisely because she knew that, so she felt especially embarrassed and helpless in her previous life.

If he was really a materialistic villain who despised the poor and loved the rich, she would accept it.

Just as she was about to speak, a crisp female voice came from afar.

"Young Master Pei…"

Shen Mingjiao looked in the direction of the voice and saw a woman in a light yellow dress walking quickly from the corridor in front of the pavilion. She had a round face and half-curled almond-shaped eyes. She was full of vitality.

Shen Mingjiao curled her lips. She was not used to such a young and energetic Shen Mingyan.

Shen Mingyan walked up to Pei Ji and took a deep breath.

"Young Master Pei, I'm sorry! If I had known that you were Fourth Sister's fiancé, I wouldn't have disregarded the seniority of men and women and exchanged letters with Young Master just because I admired Young Master's talent. As a result, Young Master treated me as Fourth Sister."

She paused for a moment. "Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, everything that happened before will be written off. Young Master, you can't let Fourth Sister down because of this."

After saying that, she looked at Pei Ji, her almond-shaped eyes filled with honesty.

Pei Ji's expression froze and he blurted out, "What about you?"

Shen Mingyan lowered her eyelashes to hide the disappointment in her eyes. She raised her head and tried her best to smile brightly.

"Just treat me as one of your classmates. In a few days, Mother will be marrying me away. What a pity. I might not be able to go out and wander around casually in the future!"

Pei Ji looked at her. The once energetic girl seemed to have grown up overnight, but her eyes were no longer as bright as before. Was it because of him?

Seeing that Shen Mingyan was about to turn around and leave, Pei Ji grabbed her sleeve in a hurry.

"Miss Shen, but I only admire you now…"

Shen Mingyan flung his hand away and interrupted him in a deep voice.

"Young Master Pei, don't say such things in the future. Fourth Sister's life hasn't been easy. No matter what you think, you should treat her well."

"No, now that I have someone else in my heart, how can I marry Fourth Miss Shen? This is unfair to Fourth Miss Shen."

Shen Mingjiao said coldly, "I think it's quite fair!"

"?"

The two people who were putting on a sadistic act looked over at the same time.

Shen Mingjiao said, "You're now the Crown Prince of the High Duke's Public House. After I marry you, I'll be the wife of the Crown Prince. When you inherit the title in the future, I'll be a Duchess with a superior rank. I'll enjoy endless wealth and glory. How is such a good marriage unfair?"

Both of them were stunned. Shen Mingyan's eyes darkened. Pei Ji stared at her in disbelief and blurted out, "But I don't like you!"

Shen Mingjiao shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Is that important? There's wealth and glory, I don't need love!"

Pei Ji could not help but look disgusted. He would never marry such a superficial and vain woman.

Shen Mingjiao glanced at him and stretched lazily.

"Tsk! Look at how scared you two are. You can't take a joke!"

With that, she took out a piece of yellowed rice paper.

Fortunately, she had taken away their marriage contract just in case. Otherwise, Aunt would have canceled the marriage as an elder.

She handed the marriage contract to Pei Ji.

Pei Ji's expression softened and he raised his hand to take it.

However, Shen Mingjiao retracted her hand and said with a smile, "Young Master Pei, if you want the marriage contract, at least show some sincerity!"

Pei Ji frowned. His dislike for Shen Mingjiao grew. "Tell me, what do you want?"

Shen Mingjiao suddenly stood up. She stopped smiling and said seriously,

"It's very simple. It's been eight years since I received the marriage contract. Knowing that your family is poor, I took out five taels of silver from the money I earned from copying books and imitating paintings every month and sent it to your mother. Now that you want to break off the engagement, shouldn't you return these taels of silver?"

"Five taels a month. That's 480 taels in eight years. On account of the mental damage you've caused me by rashly breaking off the engagement, please give me five hundred taels, Young Master Pei!"

Her voice was very calm. She was not as pitiful as she had imagined to deliberately behave, but it stunned Pei Ji. Thinking of what he had just done, the usually calm Young Master's face turned red for the first time. He did not know what to do.