Chapter 27-Part 1

In theory, as long as the staff had some harmless hobbies, there should be tolerance for someone in his position as the Crown Prince. However, at this moment, Feng Liwu’s heart felt a subtle resentment.

He couldn’t help but think that this young master was not as sincere as he appeared, and he wondered if such a person could be loyal in the long run.

In addition, Jiang Xiurun hastily bid farewell to several minor officials in the gatehouse. Because she had made an appointment with Ji Binglin to tutor her brother Jiang Zhi for an exam the day after tomorrow, she hurriedly grabbed a piece of bamboo charcoal from the gatehouse and wrote down the address of the mansion on the table before leaving.

Initially, everything seemed fine, but when he witnessed the young man grasping the bamboo charcoal, leaving the address for the youth, and giving countless reminders before finally leaving, Feng Liwu’s anger surged.

Ignoring Jiang Xiurun, who followed him, Feng Liwu went straight to the Ministry of Works to inquire with the head official.

Jiang Xiurun, on the other hand, didn’t realize that the Crown Prince found her displeasing.

She thought Feng Liwu might have been upset about his father, the unreliable emperor, during the court session and thus didn’t speak much. She planned to return to the mansion after reporting to the Crown Prince and, if not needed, find some peace and quiet.

However, upon returning to the mansion, when she asked the Crown Prince for permission to return to her courtyard, he seemed to ignore her, coldly sitting and reading a book.

It was then that Jiang Xiurun vaguely sensed that the Crown Prince’s displeasure might be directed at her.

Seeing that Feng Liwu seemed to want her to kneel in the study, Jiang Xiurun licked her lips and decided not to succumb to this unnecessary annoyance.

She cut to the chase and asked, “Your Highness, is there anything unsatisfactory about me?”

Feng Liwu asked coldly, “Oh, where do you think you’ve let me down?”

This kind of questioning was particularly insidious. Anyone with a fragile mind would feel uneasy, wondering if she had exposed her feminine identity or if someone had discovered embezzlement of the funds for the banquet.

However, Jiang Xiurun was not an ordinary person. Although her emotions surged inside, she remained calm on the surface and said, “I am dull-witted. Please enlighten me, Your Highness…”

Feng Liwu wasn’t deliberately being mysterious; he was genuinely unable to express the frustration in his heart at that moment. He couldn’t say, “You used to have a preference for men like me; why the sudden change!”

Faced with Jiang Xiurun’s counter-question, Feng Liwu also knew that his anger towards Young Master Jiang earlier was somewhat inexplicable.

However, unable to withstand the discomfort in his heart, he said, “Today at the Ministry of Works, who were you chatting with so animatedly?”

Jiang Xiurun blinked and thought, “Does the Crown Prince also know that Ji Binglin is an extraordinary talent? Does he think I know him but haven’t recommended him, harboring jealousy?”

With this in mind, she quickly responded, “Your Highness, that clerk is named Ji Binglin, a talented person from Huaixi. I just got acquainted with him today. However, from his conversation, not only is he knowledgeable about water engineering, but he also has a good understanding of the local customs in the northwest. I remember that Your Highness asked if any of the mansion’s staff understood the water system management during the rainy season in the northwest. If Your Highness has time, please consider this person; he is indeed worthy of being employed.”

Ji Binglin was a talent promoted by Emperor Duanqing in her previous life, and he had always been at odds with the Crown Prince’s faction. Jiang Xiurun had no intention of recommending any outstanding talent to Feng Liwu.

However, when Feng Liwu asked, she didn’t want to appear secretive; otherwise, the overly suspicious Crown Prince might start doubting her again.

Upon hearing this, Feng Liwu raised an eyebrow, but his expression didn’t soften.

He said, “Oh, just because he looks handsome, you think he possesses strategic insight?”

Jiang Xiurun looked at the Crown Prince with mild surprise and hesitated before saying, “Your Highness, perhaps you were standing too far away and couldn’t see clearly. Mr. Ji has some acne scars on his face from recent inflammation. I’m afraid he falls a bit short of being considered handsome.”

However, as soon as she said this, Jiang Xiurun regretted it. This nitpicking about people’s beauty or ugliness, this obsession with discussing appearances, was truly a woman’s fault.

The Crown Prince just casually praised someone, but she stubbornly insisted on distinguishing between true beauty and false beauty. It was as if she had eaten too much and was now suffering from indigestion!

Yet, as soon as she spoke, the gloom that had accumulated in Feng Liwu’s eyes and brows throughout the afternoon gradually dispersed. He stood up and walked closer to Jiang Xiurun, the icy tone in his words softening slightly as he said, “I merely asked casually yesterday, yet you remember it so clearly. You’ve gone to great lengths, tutor, but rest assured, I will have Ji Binglin come to the mansion another day.”

With Jiang Xiurun’s remark, Feng Liwu also belatedly recalled that the man’s facial complexion was indeed not very smooth, far from being considered handsome.

With the inexplicable knot in his heart loosened, the prince, who valued talent, kindly said to Jiang Xiurun, “You’ve accompanied me throughout the day, surely feeling tired. Go and rest.”

Both thunder and rain are signs of a sovereign’s favor. Although Jiang Xiurun didn’t understand the Crown Prince’s fluctuating mood today, since his mood had finally improved, she quickly left the study.

Upon returning to her room, after being attended to by Bai Qian for grooming, Jiang Xiurun took out the plans from the Ministry of Works, calculated the wood and soil quantities, and assessed how much profit she could make.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t fully indulge in this fat opportunity. Considering the journey of the new envoy from Bo State, she needed to plan her departure from Luo’an City promptly.

Jiang Xiurun’s plan was simple: when the envoy from Bo State arrived, she would ask the Crown Prince for permission to travel a hundred miles out of the city to greet them. The Crown Prince would surely agree.