"May I ask which family's son this gentleman is from?"
After Li Xuan and Jiang Hanyun left side by side, Lady Jiang watched them leave with adoration, "Such exceptional grace and elegance!"
"That's Li Xuan, the second son of Earl Chengyi." The one answering was a young girl standing behind Lady Jiang. She frowned slightly, confused, "But rumor has it that he's a good-for-nothing wastrel who's all style and no substance, indulging in all sorts of vices."
If Zhang Taishan and Peng Fulai were there, they would recognize this girl, who's beauty rivals Jiang Hanyun. This is the Miss Xue, Xue Yunrou, they've been longing to propose to.
"Really?" Lady Jiang was shocked, her gaze perplexed, "I've heard those rumors about Earl Chengyi's second son too. But he seems to possess a majestic and gallant demeanor. He doesn't look like a wastrel at all. And that poem he wrote—"
"'Clouds want to dress, flowers want to look beautiful, the spring breeze strokes the railing, bringing heavy dew.' I, Yunrou, question whether he's really knowledgeable and has a strong memory, but I've never heard this poem before. I can hardly believe it was his own creation, but nothing is absolute."
Xue Yunrou also looked towards the departing pair, her eyes filled with intense curiosity, "Just now, observing his demeanor, he didn't seem like an idler or a libertine at all. Could there be some hidden truth? My aunt might want to deploy someone to investigate."
"We should indeed investigate, but even if he turns out to be a libertine, as long as he's not a thoroughly bad person, with no unforgivable faults, we shouldn't rule him out."
Lady Jiang sighed heavily, feeling very melancholic, "My demands really aren't high. He can't possibly be any worse than those few the matchmaker recently introduced to me."
Then, she looked at her niece with caution, "Yunrou, it's not easy for someone to show interest in your cousin. Don't you dare compete with her."
Xue Yunrou laughed involuntarily, shaking her head and looking away. How could she possibly be interested in this wastrel?
At this moment, Lady Jiang noticed her close maidservant who had a hesitant expression on her face.
"What is on your mind? Speak quickly!"
"Mistress," the maidservant timidly cast a glance at her, "This Master Li is actually the subordinate of young Miss, they both serve in the Liudao Division's Zhuque Hall and they've known each other for a while."
"There's such a thing?" Lady Jiang momentarily froze, then not only did she not get angry, but she actually started to smile, "No wonder something felt strange. But if this young man passes character examination, it's not necessarily a bad thing."
※※※※
Li Xuan, who had already walked to the lakeside, spotted Zhang Taishan and Peng Fulai in the distance. These two buddies were staring at him dumbfounded with a mix of amazement, sadness, and sympathy.
Li Xuan guessed that the two must think he was seeking his own doom for daring to provoke this female demoness.
Jiang Hanyun was examining him as if she was seeing him for the first time: "'Clouds want to dress, flowers want to look beautiful.' Did you make up this poem?"
"What if I did? Surely, Lieutenant General didn't hear this verse before?" Li Xuan countered before answering, "The sight of your honorable self being as beautiful as a fairy under the moon inspired me to write."
He had read numerous time-traveling novels, in which the protagonist typically plagiarized classical poems to impress others.
With so many prestigious predecessors' works in front of him, Li Xuan felt perfectly justified in doing the same. He wasn't planning to get famous by using the classical poems he knew; he just thought they'd be good for flirting - no, rather, rescuing people.
The moonlit appearance of Jiang Hanyun was indeed stunning; her gorgeous face, clear eyes, and bright teeth exuding effortless charm, outshone any filtered social media influencer.
The priceless part was that she didn't even wear any makeup, just with her natural beauty alone was enough to captivate. The ponytail swinging behind her head was particularly adorable.
"Clouds want to dress, flowers want to look beautiful" —— Li Xuan felt that even this line was not enough to describe the beauty of Jiang Hanyun.
"A fairy in the moonlight?" Jiang Hanyun's face reddened slightly: "I am not as beautiful as you say."
But then her gaze became icy cold: "Wait, what's this about love at first sight? Isn't this just a trick you use in the brothel? Are you using it on me now?"
"This wouldn't work in the brothel, in all my years, I have never met a woman who would be worthy of this poem."
Li Xuan, feeling guilty, shook his head and then changed the subject: "I thought Xiaowei Jiang Hanyun would first thank me for saving your life."
He was never this frivolous before. Even up to the point of crossing over, he was still a virgin and he had never had a girlfriend.
Li Xuan thought that this was mostly due to the influence of the original body — who, although young, was an old hand at being a player.
Jiang Hanyun let out a cold humph: "You've got the nerve to say that? I did not ask you to go this way. What if my mother really believes it?"
Thinking about it, Li Xuan also felt some regret: "At that time, I didn't think too much, I acted instinctively, and instinctively thought of this poem."
"Instinct?"
Jiang Hanyun muttered quietly, her eyes somewhat flustered. She wondered if this man had really fallen for her? After all, people's subconscious reactions are the truest emotions.
Li Xuan did not notice Jiang Hanyun's anomaly, and he continued to speak without a care: "But I've thought about it, the aftermath should not be serious. After all, my reputation is bad, perhaps aunt Jiang is regretting the matter now."
Under normal circumstances, no one would let a idler that indulges in women and drinks, without any accomplishments, get close to their beloved daughter. Also, this person's family is now caught up in the storm of the royal prince gone missing case.
However, Jiang Hanyun just gave a forced laugh and glanced away, replying uncertainly, "Regret? Possibly?"
At this point, Li Xuan became serious again and spoke seriously: "I still need to ask for your help, Xiaowei. Can you please help me keep tabs on the missing prince case? If there are any updates, please inform me."
As for the matter of the missing prince, he is still very concerned as it pertains to his own future and the rise and fall of the Earl Chengyi's mansion.
However, it seems that Li Chengji and his son Li Yan didn't want him to be involved in this. When Li Xuan asked about it again this morning, they avoided his questions.
All this is because the original body had been too extravagant and frivolous, causing him to lose the trust of his own family.
After much thought, all Li Xuan could do was to turn to Jiang Hanyun for help.
As a superior official of the 5th rank Fumo Xiaowei, she could access many secrets within the Liudao Division. Additionally, her family was a slay demons family with a thousand-year heritage, well-informed with extensive connections.
"The missing prince? I can help you inquire about it." Jiang Hanyun seemed to let out a sigh of relief: "The latest news is that the Second Prince and Princess Changle are still alive. Our Liudao Division found a large amount of evidence of a battle near Dashu Mountain in Luzhou (Hefei), which confirmed as left by the prince and his guards. It seems that the Second Prince was intending to seek refuge in Luzhou, but was intercepted by the attackers, so they had to head south to Chao Lake instead. Chao Lake spans over three thousand miles with endless waves and dense surrounding forests, so it's a bit difficult to find them now. However, this also gives the Second Prince and his entourage more places to hide. Moreover, the guards trusted by the Second Prince are still safe and sound."
Li Xuan understood that although the physical dimensions of this world are similar to his previous life's ancient China, the area is actually several times larger, thereby Chao Lake has expanded to three thousand miles.
His mind finally relaxed a bit and he was silently praying in his heart, hoping that the two of them could escape danger and return safely soon.
He knew that as long as the Prince was okay in the end, then the problem at the Earl Chengyi's mansion would not be serious, at most, Li Chengji would lose his position and live a life in retirement.