Chapter Nineteen: How About You Say It Again?

"Song Jue?"

Xu Lan, who had been huffily preparing to leave, turned back instinctively at the sound. Her eyes fell upon several familiar figures, and she froze for a moment.

"Li Qianlin? What are you doing here?!"

Inside the teahouse, near a window, sat a group of young men dressed in fine silks and elaborate brocades. At the head of the table sat a young man of about twenty, with refined features and a calm, indifferent expression, clad in a robe of crimson-patterned jade silk.

Upon seeing Xu Lan, a smile flickered across his face. "Miss Xu, it has been a long time!"

Xu Lan stared at him, stunned for a moment before her brow furrowed. "Li Qianlin, what are you doing all the way from the capital in Linjiang City?!"

Li Qianlin smiled faintly. "My father entrusted me to deliver some items to an old friend in Linzhou, and I thought I would stop by Linjiang City to pay my respects... It has been years, Miss Xu, and you are as radiant as ever."

"Spare me the flowery nonsense; I have no interest in it." Xu Lan curled her lip and glanced at Lin Jiangnian beside her, only to find him looking completely indifferent.

At this moment, Li Qianlin shifted his gaze to Lin Jiangnian, the corners of his mouth curling upward. "You must be the Heir of the Prince of Lin? I have long heard of your reputation; seeing you today, you are truly extraordinary!"

Lin Jiangnian frowned at the man. From the capital? He didn't recognize him at all.

Lin Jiangnian’s gaze remained flat. "Who are you?"

"I am Li Qianlin, from the capital." Li Qianlin chuckled. "I have often heard of the Heir’s reputation back in the capital and have long admired you!"

"Are you sick?"

Lin Jiangnian gave him a strange look.

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding area fell into a dead silence.

Xu Lan, who had been waiting to watch the drama unfold, blinked in confusion. Why was he insulting him?

Li Qianlin’s smile stiffened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "Your Highness, why the insults?"

"I'm not insulting you; you are genuinely sick!" Lin Jiangnian sneered. "Do you think I don't know what kind of reputation I have in the capital? You admire me? Are you mocking me, or are you truly ill?"

The silence deepened.

Li Qianlin’s smile was becoming difficult to maintain, and a trace of gloom flickered in the depths of his eyes. He had not expected this Heir to disregard social conventions so completely—not even offering a diplomatic exit, but tearing the mask off in public! He had merely spoken a few polite formalities; was he really going to latch onto them? Was this man crazy?

No wonder the world said the Heir of the Prince of Lin was unhinged—a savage son of a backwater land. It was clearly true. If not for his father, did he really think he would be worthy of marrying the Princess?

The gloom vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Li Qianlin regained his calm and said smoothly, "Your Highness, you misunderstand. While the capital’s opinion of you may be poor, I truly admire your courage to live without fearing the judgment of others. Seeing you today, I simply wished to make your acquaintance. What does Your Highness think?"

Lin Jiangnian looked him up and down, then shook his head. "You are not worthy."

A gasp rippled through the room.

As the saying goes, one should never hit a man in the face. Lin Jiangnian’s words were a stinging slap to Li Qianlin’s dignity. No matter how much he tried to restrain himself, his expression darkened.

"Oh, giving up on the act?" Lin Jiangnian sneered.

From the first moment he saw him, Lin Jiangnian had sensed the malice in the man. The look in Li Qianlin’s eyes was one Lin Jiangnian knew all too well—it was the exact same look he had whenever he was planning to harm someone himself.

"Your Highness, isn't this going a bit too far?"

At this, the young man sitting next to Li Qianlin sneered. It was the same fop who had called out to Lin Jiangnian earlier. "Master Li merely wanted to befriend you; is there any need for such humiliation?"

Lin Jiangnian glanced at him. "And who are you supposed to be?"

Song Jue’s face turned mottled with anger. He snorted coldly, "I am Song Jue, the second son of the Song family of Zhongzhou."

"Oh, never heard of you."

Lin Jiangnian’s dismissive words carried such weight that they left Song Jue feeling deeply humiliated. His family held influence in Zhongzhou and a presence in the capital; was he really being ignored like this? A savage from the wilderness, relying on his father's shadow—did he really think the world belonged to him?

"Let’s go."

Lin Jiangnian, having no interest in bickering with these nobodies, turned to leave. Seeing that he was being ignored, Song Jue nearly snapped.

But Li Qianlin held him back with a wave of his hand. "Forget it. The Heir has just survived an assassination attempt; it is only natural that his mood is poor. Do not take it to heart."

Song Jue said indignantly, "Brother Li, he insulted you to your face—you can tolerate this?"

Li Qianlin watched Lin Jiangnian’s retreating back, his eyes narrowing. "After all, the Heir has never been properly disciplined since childhood. It is no surprise his temperament is wild..."

Lin Jiangnian, who had already reached the stairs, suddenly stopped. He turned back to look at Xu Lan. "What did you say his name was?"

Xu Lan blinked. "Li Qianlin?"

"What is his background?"

"His father is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice..."

"That's it?"

"I heard he is quite close to the Third Prince in court..."

Xu Lan seemed to realize something. "What are you planning to do?"

"Vice Minister of Justice? Third Prince?" Lin Jiangnian nodded. All the pieces were in place. He turned and walked back toward the group.

The crowd watched in surprise as Lin Jiangnian returned. Li Qianlin narrowed his eyes, watching as the Heir stood before him, looking down at him with an expressionless face.

For some reason, a strange sense of... oppression flooded Li Qianlin’s heart. How could this be? The man before him was nothing but a fool with no ambition, a spoiled brat who was useless without his father’s status. How could he possibly pose any threat?

Lin Jiangnian looked at him. "What did you just say?"

Li Qianlin’s eyes narrowed. "Your Highness, what... is the meaning of this?"

"Answer my question first. What did you just say?" Lin Jiangnian remained calm, as if asking an idle question.

Li Qianlin seemed to recall something and the corners of his mouth curled up. "Is Your Highness... angry?"

"Not really." Lin Jiangnian shook his head. Angry? Likely not. He wasn't the real Heir, so he couldn't feel the same resentment. "However, I truly find you an eyesore."

As Li Qianlin’s eyes flashed with a hint of triumphant excitement, he began to speak.

*CRACK!*

Lin Jiangnian grabbed the wine pot from the table and smashed it against Li Qianlin’s head.

It was completely unexpected!

"AAAH!"

A scream tore through the air, and blood began to flow. The entire room stood frozen in shock, staring at the scene in utter disbelief. What had happened? The Heir of the Prince of Lin had actually attacked him?

The event happened so fast that no one could react. Li Qianlin was dazed, his head spinning from the blow, the intense pain causing him to look up in shock. He dared to strike him?

"Lin Jiangnian? What are you doing?!" Song Jue finally regained his senses and, suppressing his shock, shouted, "You—you dare hit Brother Li—AH!"

Before he could finish, Song Jue received a sudden, unexpected blow to his own head. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his skull and screaming in agony.

"What am I doing? You tell me what I'm doing!" Lin Jiangnian sneered, dropping the broken wine pot and grabbing a wooden stool from nearby, slamming it hard into Song Jue’s body.

"You’re the one who had so much to say, right?"

Howls of pain echoed as Song Jue curled into a ball on the floor, scrambling to protect himself. The other young men and women who had been with Li Qianlin scattered, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

They stood at a distance, staring in disbelief. In their sight, the most notorious playboy in Linzhou stood holding a blood-stained stool, stepping slowly toward the huddled Li Qianlin.

Li Qianlin was covered in blood, looking pathetic and terrified. Lin Jiangnian stopped before him, looking down with the same calm gaze. "You just said... I’ve had no discipline since I was a child?"

"Why don't you say that again?"