Chapter Fifty-One: What a Huge Misunderstanding

  After leaving the city, the speed slowed down significantly.

  "Why didn't you ask me where I'm taking you?" Princess Jinglin asked.

  "When I arrive, I will know; why ask more questions?" Xu Mingjin replied with a smile.

  Jinglin princess showed a smile of appreciation, then suddenly thought of something and said seriously: "Xuanyuan Jinglin."

  Xu Mingjin didn't understand.

  "My name is Xuan Yuan Jing Lin. From now on, you are not allowed to call me Princess."

  Xu Mingjin finally understood what she meant, it turned out that she wanted him to call her name, Xu Mingjin smiled slightly and said: "Okay, Jinglin."

  Xuan Yuan Jinglin's expression was extremely pleasant. She said, "I'll take you to Fourth Brother's separate courtyard. We'll stay there for two days. Within those two days, I will definitely teach you."

  Xu Mingjin suddenly realized that Xuan Yuan Jinglin had brought her to the villa to teach her how to play the guqin. Xu Mingjin was very satisfied with this arrangement, not in the deep courtyard of the imperial palace, nor in the Shangshu Fu where people were vying for power, but in a villa outside the city. Such days, except for the few months she spent at Ze Gongzi's villa after Madam Fan's death and Xu Mingxuan's injury, had not been experienced for a long time.

  Xu Mingjin couldn't help but miss those days, she also missed Fan Yicheng whom she hadn't seen for a long time, and Yan Yuwei who had come to the capital with him. And, Ze Gongzi.

  Xu Mingjin thought for a moment, then asked in puzzlement: "Why is it to your fourth brother's villa? Moreover, your fourth brother is an imperial prince, and I am just a commoner girl, how dare I go to the villa of an imperial prince?"

  "Don't worry about this, follow me and you won't be afraid. Besides, my fourth brother rarely goes to that other villa. It's nothing, just the two of us." Xuan Yuan Jing Lin thought Xu Ming Jin was showing fear because it was her fourth brother's villa. So she spoke up to comfort her: "I have a good relationship with my fourth brother, every year I come to stay in his villa for a few days."

  Xu Mingjin still felt a bit uneasy, but seeing Xuan Yuan Jinglin's efforts to explain things to her, the fear of the imperial family in her heart finally dissipated somewhat. The two lazily chatted about other things, and after riding for about two incense sticks' worth of time, they arrived at the villa.

  The dense foliage of the trees blocked everything, and only a corner of the houses in the other village was visible. When Xuan Yuan Jing Lin slowed down, Xu Ming Jin saw that there were many flowers and grasses planted in the bushes by the side of the road, which were blooming vigorously at this time. Xu Ming Jin couldn't help but want to go pick some, but Xuan Yuan Jing Lin stopped her. There's plenty of time to play, but first finish what needs to be done.

  Xuan Yuan Jinglin rode her horse directly into the other courtyard.

  Upon arrival, Xu Mingjin got off the horse and Xuan Yuan Jinglin considerately asked her if she wanted to rest for a while. After some thought, Xu Mingjin agreed. Then Xuan Yuan Jinglin ordered the servants to bring tea and refreshments, and the two of them rested in the villa first. However, Xuan Yuan Jinglin still had someone set up the guqin.

  Xu Mingjin took one look and knew that after a short rest, she would have to practice the guqin again. Heaven knows, she really didn't like this thing, originally it was because she saw the guqin left behind by Lady Fan that she didn't want to put it away forever, also because she wanted to experience for herself the emotions of Lady Fan when she stroked the guqin, so she learned a bit, but only a bit. Now she doesn't want to learn anymore, and just seeing the guqin gives her a headache.

  Xu Mingjin watched Xuan Yuan Jinglin rest for a moment, and then enthusiastically started playing the guqin. The tune she played was "A Sigh in the Depths of the Ocean", the same one she had played at the banquet that day. Xu Mingjin knew that even if she were forced, she would still force herself to learn, and definitely show her love for the guqin. Only then would Xuan Yuan Jinglin's desire to teach her not be in vain.

  Xu Mingjin listened carefully to Xuan Yuan Jinglin's performance, and the more she listened, the more surprised she became. Xuan Yuan Jinglin had only heard it once, yet played it flawlessly. To think that she had practiced "Cang Hai Yi Sheng Xiao" for a whole month, and still hadn't played it as well as Xuan Yuan Jinglin. It's really true what they say: people can be envious to death of others. Some people always seem to effortlessly reach heights that you can't attain no matter how hard you try.

  Xuan Yuan Jing Lin finished her song, and Xu Ming Jin applauded with a big smile. However, before the applause had even died down, someone from afar sent over an even louder round of applause. Xu Ming Jin and Xuan Yuan Jing Lin were both taken aback. The two of them instinctively turned towards the direction of the applause, but Xuan Yuan Jing Lin was slightly faster. Before Xu Ming Jin could make out the face of the man standing at the entrance, Xuan Yuan Jing Lin had already exclaimed: "Fourth Brother? How did you end up here?"

  Xu Mingjin finally saw clearly the tall and majestic figure standing with his back to the light, Ze Gongzi.

  Xuanyuan Ze also saw Xu Mingjin clearly, he seemed to have not expected to see her here, and slightly revealed a surprised expression. After Xu Mingjin's surprise passed, she didn't know how to greet this former Young Master Ze, and stood there foolishly. Xuanyuan Jinglin did not notice the unusualness of the two people, she got up from the guqin in front of her and walked towards Xuanyuan Ze: "Fourth brother, no wonder mother always complains to me, I don't know what you're busy with every day, you never see anyone, who would have thought that you were hiding here being lazy?"

  Xuanyuan Ze heard this and said with a smile: "This is my villa, you ran to my villa to interrogate me?"

  Xuan Yuan Jing Lin coldly snorted and said: "You almost never come here, why did you come today?"

  Xuanyuan Zedao said: "I have been here for several days."

  Xu Mingjin listened to the conversation between the two, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

  Fan Yicheng wrote to her from Liu Cheng, saying that based on the jade pendant given by Ze Gongzi, he was probably the current crown prince. Xu Mingjin also suspected that Ze Gongzi was the crown prince after reading the letter. However, no matter what, Xu Mingjin couldn't link Ze Gongzi with the crown prince, perhaps in her subconscious mind she didn't want him to be the crown prince? But now hearing Xuan Yuan Jinglin's "fourth brother" and "empress dowager", what else didn't she understand? Everything was just her being lucky in her heart, deceiving herself! Ze Gongzi, no wonder he didn't tell her his surname, it turned out that he was Xuan Yuan Ze.

  Xu Mingjin took a deep breath and knelt down in front of Xuan Yuanze: "A humble woman pays her respects to the Crown Prince."

  Xuanyuan Ze and Xuanyuan Jinglin were both taken aback at the same time.

  Xuan Yuan Jinglin cried and laughed as she said: "Jinglin, when did I tell you that my fourth brother is the crown prince? The crown prince is my older brother. Fourth brother is Ming Wang."

  Xuanyuan Ze also furrowed his brow, looking puzzled.

  This time it was Xu Mingjin's turn to be surprised: "Ah? So that's how it is? Then why do you have the prince's jade pendant?" She took out the double fish jade pendant that Xuan Yuanze had given her at the White Cloud Temple.

  Zi Gongzi raised an eyebrow and said, "Who told you this was the prince's jade pendant?"

  Xu Mingjin then told the story of how the Xu family's matriarch had tried to forcibly take away the "Clear River and Mountains" painting on that day, and upon seeing the jade pendant, exclaimed in surprise about how he came to possess the crown prince's jade pendant.

  Xuan Yuan Jing Lin looked at Xu Ming Jin, then looked at her fourth brother Xuan Yuan Ze, and suddenly smiled mysteriously.

  Xuanyuan Ze looked at Xu Mingjin and patiently explained to her, "The prince is my own brother. We two have a pair of identical jade pendants. This is the double fish jade pendant. What's so strange about it?"

  Xu Mingjin's face turned red with embarrassment, and she didn't dare to look at the brother and sister in front of her. This mistake was too big, she hadn't even figured out who was who, and yet she had said that Xuan Yuanze was the crown prince. How humiliating! However, a surge of excitement that she herself hadn't noticed welled up inside her. A voice in her heart kept repeating: So he's not the crown prince, so he's not the crown prince. But she hadn't thought about what it would be like if he wasn't the crown prince.

  Xuanyuan Ze saw Xu Mingjin's embarrassed expression, as if she wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into. He couldn't help but feel amused. However, he really couldn't bear to see her continue to be so flustered, so he cleared his throat softly and turned to leave.

  Only Xuan Yuan Jinglin and Xu Mingjin were left in the house.

  Xuan Yuan Jinglin clasped her hands together and looked at Xu Mingjin, saying: "Speak, when did you meet my fourth brother?" Then, without waiting for Xu Mingjin to respond, she warned: "Don't think about deceiving me with lies. The jade pendant that both my eldest brother and fourth brother have, my eldest brother gave his to the crown princess, while my fourth brother originally wore his as a keepsake and never took it off. Now, he's given it to you. Speak, how did you two meet?"

  Xu Mingjin was confused by her words, what's this about Big Brother giving it to the Crown Prince's consort, Fourth Brother giving it to her? This kind of talk is like saying she and Xuan Yuanze have a very ambiguous relationship. How can she respond to that?

  Xuan Yuan Jinglin, however, was not going to let it go. Xu Mingjin had no choice but to recount everything that had happened since he saved Xuan Yuan Ze at the White Cloud Temple. After finishing his story, Xu Mingjin's mouth felt dry and parched; it had been a long time since he'd spoken so much in one sitting. He didn't even bother to look at Xuan Yuan Jinglin's expression as she listened to him, grabbing a teacup from the table and gulping down its contents before refilling it three more times. Only then did he finally put the cup down, satisfied, but what he saw on Xuan Yuan Jinglin's face was an expression that couldn't be described as anger, doubt, or worry - it was all of those emotions at once. Xu Mingjin felt a sense of wonder at seeing so many different expressions on one person's face at the same time.

  "So you met Xuan Yuan Qi Yu earlier than my fourth brother, no wonder he was bothering you that day." Xuan Yuan Jing Lin was referring to the time when Xuan Yuan Qi Yu plotted against her at the Ping Xi Wang Fu birthday banquet. She said furiously: "Next time I see him, I'll beat him until he's picking up his teeth from the ground!"

  Xu Mingjin was taken aback, what's going on here? But that Xuan Yuan Qi Yi really deserved a beating. Xu Mingjin raised both hands in agreement with Xuan Yuan Jinglin's last words.

  "But you actually saved my fourth brother, thank you." Xuan Yuan Jinglin suddenly said seriously.

  Xu Mingjin could see from her sincerity that the siblings' feelings were really good. She smiled and said, "You don't have to thank me, it's just a small effort." She was very curious about why Princess Pingxi had sent someone to kill Xuan Yuanze that night. As an inner housewife, she dared to go after a prince. However, she knew she didn't have the qualifications to ask about this matter. Besides, curiosity kills the cat. Xu Mingjin suppressed her doubts and said nothing.

  Then two people practiced guzheng seriously for a while.

  Xuan Yuan Jinglin only then realized that she had been deceived by Xu Mingjin. This girl wasn't a beginner, but because of her own stupidity, she had learned for a month and still seemed like a beginner. She taught her hand in hand for an entire afternoon, and Xu Mingjin only made a tiny bit of progress, infuriating Xuan Yuan Jinglin to the point where she cursed her as a wooden brain. Xu Mingjin smiled secretly and added more effort in private. Thus, after two days, her finger technique had become much more proficient, but that's a story for later.

  Xu Mingjin and Xuan Yuan Jinglin's first lunch in the villa was rich and interesting with a wild flavor.