Prince’s Mansion.
The fourth prince stood by the table, looking at the Ziwei flower on the paper.
This was the third painting he had done recently. The outlines were all drawn with meticulous brushwork, but it was only a draft and had not been completed.
He had always liked Ziwei flowers.
However, every time he saw this flower, he would think of events from many years ago.
At that time, the fourth prince had just turned twelve and was playing in the imperial garden with a eunuch accompanying him.
He saw the clusters of Ziwei flowers on the branches, blooming beautifully, and wanted to pick them while riding on the eunuch’s shoulders.
Who knew that before he could pick the flowers, an extremely cold voice rebuked him, “Get down.”
Upon hearing this, the fourth prince knew who the person scolding him was.
He climbed down from the eunuch’s shoulders and looked at the face that was more beautiful than the Ziwei flowers, and said meekly, “Greetings, third brother.”
While he greeted him with his mouth, he hated the other person in his heart, itching to get revenge.
He was naive at that time and had unintentionally offended Xiao Jin with his words. This person always sought revenge and found ways to teach him a lesson afterwards.
Prince Xiao Jin looked at the Ziwei tree and then at the Fourth Prince, “Who taught you that you should pick the flowers when they bloom?”
The Fourth Prince retorted, “If we don’t pick the flowers when they’re in full bloom, should we wait until they wither before we do?”
The Third Prince snorted, “Whether they bloom or wither has nothing to do with you. Everything in the palace belongs to the Emperor. If anyone else picks flowers from the Imperial Garden, it would be a grave offense.”
“Even if the Emperor breaks the law, he would still be punished like a commoner. Do you think being a prince makes you superior? Your father would punish you just the same.”
The Fourth Prince remembered that when he was a child playing in the Imperial Garden, he had clearly seen the Crown Prince also pick flowers from there.
So he stubbornly said, “The Crown Prince also picked flowers here. You were there too! Why don’t you bring it up?”
The Third Prince was taken aback, squinted her eyes, and surprisingly laughed.
“Never mind that the Crown Prince only picked a mint plant that was meant to be cleared as a weed. Moreover, what if he did pick them? You know he is the Crown Prince and the current heir, while you… what are you?”
…
“What are you?”
Xiao Jin said this to the Fourth Prince twice.
He was clearly the son of Qi Emperor and Mu Concubine, while Xiao Jin’s mother was of low birth and far less noble than the Mu clan.
However, relying on the protection of Princess Zhao Yang, she always suppressed him since childhood, always nitpicking and finding fault with him.
Although the Fourth Prince knew that Princess Zhao Yang was powerful and that Emperor Qi would never pass the throne to Xiao Jin, he still found her extremely hateful. Knowing that she had no chance at the throne, Xiao Jin had sided with the Crown Prince and found ways to obstruct him.
The rice paper was blown up by the wind.
The Fourth Prince looked at the lightly folded Ziwei flower and felt that Xiao Jin was truly despicable, extremely despicable.
Now that Xiao Jin’s legs were completely disabled, she had no chance at the throne. She had to find a way to retaliate against him.
The fourth prince had not yet thought of a plan when the Old Wang reported to him about today’s events: “Your Highness, today Princess Zhao Yang summoned the Prince of Yan to the palace, but issued a decree that his wife was not to be seen.”
“The Prince of Yan’s wife?” The fourth prince laughed, “She’s just a pawn Father Emperor uses to appease the people.”
“The Crown Prince doesn’t like her, and our palace has no intention of marrying her. If it weren’t for Xiao Jin’s crazy stunt of snatching a bride, we wouldn’t have known how to deal with Chu Shao. “
Old Wang was puzzled, “Your Highness, if you think Chu Shao is a hot potato, why did you inform His Majesty about the snatching incident before?”
“What do you know?” The fourth prince said, “Thank Xiao Jin for the stunt is one thing, but catching him in the act and reporting it is another. This matter is extremely unbecoming, and Father Emperor will surely be angry when he knows. Then Princess Zhao Hua will intervene, and Father Emperor will be even more displeased with Xiao Jin. Isn’t it killing two birds with one stone?”
Old Wang suddenly realized, “Your Highness is wise!”
The fourth prince chuckled, and suddenly had a funny idea about the Prince of Yan’s wife.
Xiao Jin had indeed helped him solve a big problem. But even something he considered troublesome could only be picked up by someone else after he discarded it.
Even though Xiao Jin had done him a favor by snatching the bride in front of everyone, he had no gratitude or sense of relief.
Thinking of the phrase “What are you?”, the fourth prince felt embarrassed.
Since he couldn’t temporarily find a way to get back at Xiao Jin, he could only think of ways to embarrass someone else.
Since he couldn’t regain his dignity from Xiao Jin for the time being, the Fourth Prince could only think of ways to embarrass someone else. He thought of the deceased Princess of the fallen Country whom he had never met before. He picked up a pen, wrote an invitation and handed it to the old Wang with a smile: “Take this and invite the Prince Yan wife to a meeting at my residence.”
…
Old Wang led Chu Shao into the main hall. He respectfully greeted the Princess and asked her to sit down. Then he went into another room and bowed to the Fourth Prince: “Your Highness, the Princess is already sitting in the main hall. What’s next…”
The Fourth Prince frowned, adjusted his clothes in front of the mirror and casually asked Old Wang: “Old Wang, didn’t you say there was a good fragrance in the storeroom that you found?”
Old Wang was stunned and whispered to the Fourth Prince’s ear, “Your Highness, the fragrance is still there, but if Yan mansion’s residence finds out that you invited the Princess here, and something goes wrong, they might blame us…”
The Fourth Prince laughed lightly and said, “Even if something goes wrong with the Prince Yan wife, it will only happen after she leaves the prince’s residence. What does it have to do with us? Besides, do you really think Xiao Jin would fall in love with Chu Shao at first sight?”
Old Wang was puzzled and did not understand what the Fourth Prince meant.
The Fourth Prince sneered, “Chu Shao is just a puppet who is not even favored by her Aunt Zhou Yang. Xiao Jin is not stupid, she just wants something new. Could someone like Xiao Jin really fall in love with anyone at first sight? No one would believe that.”
“But if Prince Yan really falls in love with the Yao Princess, and comes looking for her, it won’t be easy to handle,” Old Wang hesitated.
“Looking for her?” The Fourth Prince put down his hand on his clothes and smiled, “If Xiao Jin sees Chu Shao as a plaything, he won’t come looking for her. If he thinks Chu Shao is still interesting, he will come looking for her… At that time, when the drug takes effect, we can use this opportunity to help Xiao Jin and she will surely thank us.”
“Thank us?” Old Wang was amazed and thought that the Fourth Prince’s plan was really ruthless.
The existence of Chu Shao made the Fourth Prince unhappy. After burning the incense, Chu Shao’s reputation would be ruined and Prince Yan would not tolerate her.Â
If the Prince Yan were to come, she wouldn’t be able to engage in amorous activities with her disabled body, which would only bring her embarrassment. Besides, Princess Zhao Yang clearly does not like Chu Shao, so she wouldn’t support her either.
The fragrance of the incense was ordinary and there was no obvious difference. After it burned out, all they needed to do was dispose of the ashes, and even if the Prince Yan wanted to cause trouble, she would not be able to find any evidence.
Old Wang’s face lit up with a smile as he flattered, “Your Highness is truly brilliant. This old slave admires you!”
The Fourth Prince snorted and tightened his belt, “Remember to bring the antidote as well and take it before entering the hall later.”
“Yes.”
…
The Fourth Prince walked out of the room.
As he walked towards the main hall, he couldn’t help but be slightly stunned when he saw Chu Shao sitting elegantly in her white clothes. He had only seen her briefly in the study before and hadn’t paid much attention.
Now, she appeared like a delicate white mountain tea. Her posture was upright, and her fragrance was refreshing, making her stand out among the flowers.
However, when Chu Shao looked up and met her gaze, the Fourth Prince furrowed his brows slightly.
Although her eyes were gentle and her smile was flawless, he felt something was off.
The Fourth Prince felt that he had no reason to fear a princess of a fallen country, so he smiled politely and said, “When I saw you in the study last time, I was amazed by your beauty. Now that I see you in person, I understand the saying ‘From now on, the king will not attend court early’ is not false.”
Although his words praised Chu Shao, comparing her to a wicked imperial concubine showed that he did not hold her in high regard.
Strangely, Chu Shao seems to not care.
She still has a slight smile on her lips and even asks, “Does the Fourth Prince also think that this humble princess has a captivating appearance?”
The Fourth Prince did not expect Chu Shao to speak so straightforwardly and was stunned for a moment.
Certainly, Chu Shao is indeed very good-looking, but he has never heard of any woman asking such a question.
After a moment, the Fourth Prince smiled and said in a relaxed tone, “Third Sister-in-law has looks that could rival those of heavenly fairies. This brother’s words are certainly not false.”
Chu Shao also smiled.
Now she finally understands why Xiao Jin fell for her at first sight.
It turns out that Xiao Jin was smitten with her appearance, so she was not deceiving her, and everything she said was true.
While the two were chatting, Old Wang, the steward, had already taken the spices from the warehouse and added a few spoonfuls of fragrant powder to the furnace.
The strong and sweet fragrance filled the air, like the faint smell of powder that permeates clothing.
The incense spread through the air and lightly touched their faces, with a delicate and smooth touch like silk.
The Fourth Prince and Old Wang had already taken the antidote, so they would not be enchanted by the enticing fragrance.
He smiled and chatted with Chu Shao, but in his heart, he was looking forward to what would happen after the spices took effect.
However, even after he talked until his mouth was dry, he felt that he had nothing more to say.
Chu Shao still sat calmly in her chair, sipping the tea that was almost cold, and said with a light smile, “Dongting Bi Luo Chun, it’s good tea.”
The Fourth Prince also took a sip of tea and chuckled, “Third Sister-in-law, you may not know, but this tea was just brought down from Dongting Mountain. With its silver-green color, it’s naturally a good tea.”
Then, the Fourth Prince went on and on about Bi Luo Chun tea.
Chu Shao listened absent-mindedly at times, and besides the fact that the smile on her lips faded a bit, there was nothing unusual about her.
Not only did Chu Shao repeatedly drift off, but in fact, the Fourth Prince was getting a little tired of talking so much.
When will this fragrance finally erupt? Could it be that what Old Wang bought is fake?
In reality, Chu Shao was immersed in her own world and had long since stopped listening to the fourth prince.
Before entering the main hall, she had been thinking about how to make this dagger useful without being detected by others.
But she didn’t expect that there wouldn’t even be a servant in such a large hall.
Chu Shao smiled and sighed, thinking that the fourth prince and Old Zhang had really considered everything for her.
To repay the fourth prince, she decided to have a little fun after she finished all his nonsense.
But she didn’t expect the fourth prince’s words to be so many and that he would still be talking after so long.
To be honest, Chu Shao was already a little impatient.
Seeing the fourth prince bring up the topic of Xinyang Maofeng tea , Chu Shao’s smile disappeared completely, and her fingers were already touching the waistband of her belt.
Rather than repay the fourth prince, she couldn’t tolerate wasting time in the prince’s mansion.
Chu Shao’s fingers were about to touch the handle of the dagger when suddenly the sound of a rolling wheel came from outside the door.
She widened her eyes and watched as a purple bamboo wheelchair rolled across the floor, slowly entering the hall and stopping in the center.
In that instant, the fourth prince fell silent.
The person who came wore a heavy cloak, and a few snowflakes drifted from the edge of the fox fur collar.
Her eyelashes were covered in fine snow, and she wrinkled her brow and coughed a few times.
After coughing, her hoarse voice echoed in the hall: “Xiao Yi, you have some nerve.”
The tone of her voice was extremely cold, and even the steward Wang standing next to her couldn’t help but shiver.
The fourth prince looked at Chu Shao, who was sitting calmly in her chair.
Seeing this scene, even if he had no basis for arguing, he was still quite angry: “Third brother, what are you talking about? Your younger brother doesn’t quite understand.”
Xiao Jin sneered: “Do you think you have guts? Inviting my wife to your mansion to chat about tea, you’re the first fool to be so foolish.”
She looked at the fourth prince with a look of disbelief and asked seriously, “Are you asking for death?”
…
When Xiao Jin asked, “Are you asking for dead?” she was being sincere.
After all, when she arrived at the door and was ready to be pushed in by Old Zhang, she had some doubts in her heart.
She thought, what if Chu Shao had already gone crazy and couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe? If she let Old Zhang go in with her at this time, wouldn’t that be sending them both to their deaths?
Xiao Jin felt that she still had some confidence in being able to survive.
However, the same could not be said for Old Zhang, so she chose to go in alone in her wheelchair.
It wasn’t until she went in and finished saying those words that the system’s prompt sound rang in her ear.
“Now releasing a new task for the host-“
Xiao Jin was slightly stunned. What kind of task was being released at this time?
Could the system have gone crazy?
The mechanical voice of the system didn’t pay attention to Xiao Jin’s complaints and said very kindly, “Please be advised that this task will reward one month of life span.”
Xiao Jin heard that the task would reward one month of life span, and her whole person was stunned.
Because there were still people around, she didn’t dare to show her emotions on the surface and still had a cold expression on her face, but her mouth couldn’t help but slightly curl up.
Finally, the system acted like a human being.
However, the system’s next words were anything but human.
“Task Event: Hehuan powder. Task Difficulty: Unable to predict. Expected trigger time, within five minutes.”
“Please be prepared for the task, host!”
The curve of Xiao Jin’s mouth that had been curling up instantly stiffened.
Hehuan… Powder?
Author’s note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution for me during the period from 23:59:04 on February 22, 2022, to 23:58:46 on February 23, 2022~”
Translator’s note: I’m tired •_•
TO BE CONTINUE…
Comment