Chapter 660

Chapter Twenty-One — The Three Little Ones: Niannian 21

A frivolous male voice rang out from outside the carriage.

For some reason, the moment Niannian heard it, her brows drew together.

Li Mingyue peeked through the gap in the carriage curtain and saw that the person outside was none other than Wei Herui.

“Cousin, the man outside is Young Master Wei,” Li Mingyue whispered to Niannian.

“Young Master Wei?” Niannian thought for a moment. She seemed to have some impression of him. He was probably the one who was always at odds with her elder brother.

She had heard that their father had even gone to the palace because of the two of them.

Still, she had never heard that the Wei family had any connection with them, and Niannian had no intention of paying him any attention.

“Wei Herui, if you know what’s good for you, leave at once.” Jiang Yu frowned at the man before him.

Wei Herui was no longer the little chubby boy he had once been. Instead, he had grown into a handsome and elegant young man, which made Jiang Yu feel somewhat threatened.

What if Mingyue took a liking to that detestable Wei Herui?

At the thought, Jiang Yu stubbornly blocked Wei Herui’s path.

“Oh, Jiang Yu, don’t tell me you’ve taken a fancy to Xu Qingshi’s Ugly Little Sister?” Wei Herui asked with a smug grin. After all, everyone knew that the Third Prince had once looked down on Xu Qingshi’s younger sister.

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Jiang Yu rolled his eyes. In his heart, he thought that if Niannian could be called ugly, then there wasn’t a single beautiful girl left in the entire capital.

“Nonsense? Who in the capital doesn’t know that the Young Commandery Princess of Prince An’s household is an ugly freak? The Third Prince himself said so.” Wei Herui’s smugness grew even more pronounced.

The Third Prince, who had been standing nearby, hurriedly stepped forward and reprimanded him.

“Enough! What nonsense are you talking about?”

The Third Prince was both angry and annoyed.

Would Niannian misunderstand him after hearing that?

At the thought, the Third Prince secretly glanced back at the carriage.

“Your Highness!” Wei Herui was startled when he recognized him. He had not expected the Third Prince to be there.

Moreover, judging by the Third Prince’s attitude, it seemed that he was protecting the people in the carriage.

The Third Prince had always been close to Xu Qingshi. Perhaps he was only defending the people in the carriage because of Xu Qingshi.

This made Wei Herui even more curious about who was inside.

He wondered just how ugly Xu Qingshi’s younger sister really was.

When they were young, Xu Qingshi had guarded his sister so carefully that none of them had ever seen this so-called ugly girl. His mother, however, had seen the Young Commandery Princess of Prince An’s household.

Still, Wei Herui only ever believed half of what his mother said. He absolutely refused to believe that the Young Commandery Princess was beautiful.

“Young Master Wei, you certainly have quite an attitude. Could it be that you’re dissatisfied with me—or with Prince An’s household?” the Third Prince asked coldly.

“Your Highness, although what I said may sound unpleasant, it’s still the truth.” Wei Herui could not understand why the Third Prince seemed unhappy.

“Hmph. Who told you that it was the truth?” the Third Prince sneered.

He could not help thinking that Grand Tutor Wei’s grandson was remarkably thickheaded.

“Your Highness, weren’t those your words?” Wei Herui asked, looking at the Third Prince in confusion.

The Third Prince had originally intended to reprimand him, but he was rendered speechless.

How was he supposed to respond?

Besides, back then, Niannian had only been a few days old. It was true that she had not looked very pretty at the time.

But Niannian had grown beautiful later.

The more he thought about it, the more the Third Prince regretted his careless words. Why had he blurted them out in the first place?

“Cousin, ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‍they’re slandering you!” Li Mingyue said unhappily.

“People can say whatever they want. Their mouths are their own.” Niannian did not care. After all, in Jiangnan, she had heard things far worse than this, even if those words had not been directed at her.

It had taught her to treat other people’s words as though they did not exist.

Besides, what they said would not make it true.

Perhaps those rumors would even help her avoid some unnecessary trouble. Why should she object?

“But those words are simply too nasty. What right do they have to call you ugly?” Li Mingyue protested on Niannian’s behalf.

Niannian said nothing. She merely tugged at the corner of her lips and smiled.

“Wei Herui, didn’t Grand Tutor Wei ever teach you not to believe hearsay?” Xie Yanzhi looked at Wei Herui with undisguised contempt.

“Hah. You’re all defending Xu Qingshi’s younger sister so fiercely, but he can’t even see it. Why bother?”

Wei Herui was indignant. Why were these people still taking Xu Qingshi’s side when he was not even in the capital?

“They’re my elder brother’s friends. If they don’t take his side, are they supposed to take yours?” an unhappy voice rang out.

Niannian, who had been perfectly calm until then, happily lifted the carriage curtain when she heard the voice. Looking at the person outside, she called out, “An’an? When did you arrive in the capital?”

“Mind your manners. You should call me Third Brother!” Xu Qinghui was delighted to see Niannian, but he was still displeased that she never called him brother.

“Father and Mother said you have to call me Sister.” Niannian rolled her eyes. After all, the three of them were triplets.

“You… you…” Wei Herui was stunned by the dazzlingly beautiful young woman who stepped down from the carriage.

So this was Xu Qingshi’s younger sister?

They had said she was ugly.

How could this be an ugly girl?

She was an absolute beauty!

At last, Wei Herui understood why the Third Prince had objected to his words.

“Your Highness, I was blind and slandered the Young Commandery Princess,” Wei Herui said ingratiatingly to the Third Prince, all the while gazing obsessively at Niannian.

“Hahaha, Wei Herui, you’re finally getting what you deserve!” Jiang Yu said triumphantly when he saw Wei Herui surrender.

“Who’s that?” An’an asked with a look of disdain as he glanced at the man.

“He’s Grand Tutor Wei’s grandson. You still haven’t told me when you came back. Did Father, Mother, and Big Brother come back too?” Niannian hurriedly asked.

“They’re back. Father and Mother sent me to bring you home.” An’an had only learned after returning that Niannian had been staying at the Li residence these past few days, so he had come especially to fetch her.

“Greetings, Cousin!” Li Mingyue quickly bowed to An’an.

“Mingyue!” An’an was delighted to see Li Mingyue as well.

“Cousin, did you come to take my cousin home? Has Aunt returned?” Li Mingyue asked with a smile.

Li Mingyue missed Li Zhiwei very much too.

“She has. Mingyue, why don’t you come back to Prince An’s residence with me and visit Mother? She’s been missing you terribly,” An’an said with a smile.

Not far away, Xie Yanzhi watched the two of them chatting so happily, his eyes filled with displeasure.

Why did they have to act so intimate while talking?

Of course, he did not dare say that aloud.

“Since Qingshi has returned, I’ll go to the residence to pay him a visit,” the Third Prince said with a light cough, finding himself a perfectly reasonable excuse.

“Oh, Third Prince, you’re here too! I’m sorry—I was so focused on Niannian that I overlooked you.” An’an only noticed the Third Prince then and hurriedly bowed.

“Since that’s the case, we’ll go and see him too.”