Chapter 63-Part 1

How could such a thing be admitted?

His death alone would be no great loss, but if he implicated Concubine Tian, wouldn’t that mean she’d have no chance of ever recovering?

At this moment, Gongsun Wuyan firmly refused to confess.

Feng Liwu, feeling it was a waste of words to reason with such a lustblinded fool, looked at him coldly and said, “Didn’t you notice you left something behind on the bed that night? For someone like you, betraying your master and being disloyal, I don’t even care to whip you. What difference does it make whether you confess or not?”

At these words, Gongsun Wuyan’s face turned deathly pale.

He had indeed left in a hurry and had forgotten an undergarment in Concubine Tian’s room…

All the household staff’s clothing was sent to the outer courtyard to be washed together, and to distinguish them, names were embroidered on the inner lining.

The maidservants around Concubine Tian were all spies for the Crown Prince, and someone must have quietly collected the undergarment, immediately identifying him.

Now the evidence was undeniable, and there was no need for any interrogation…

Overcome with shame, Gongsun Wuyan prostrated himself on the ground, weeping over his betrayal of the Crown Prince’s kindness.

It had been a momentary lapse of judgment on his part, and Concubine Tian was unaware of it.

He begged the Crown Prince to show mercy and spare her.

Feng Liwu had some free time today, and he found it amusing to drag things out with this adulterer, Gongsun Wuyan.

Rather than being angry that his newly wed concubine had been with another man, it was more that he was deeply disappointed in this advisor he had once relied upon so heavily.

“She didn’t know?”

Feng Liwu sneered, ordering someone to bring the letters found in Gongsun Wuyan’s room.

Pointing at them, he said, “It seems the two of you have been exchanging feelings for quite a while, and by now you’re deeply in love. Sharing a bed was only a natural progression, wasn’t it?”

Gongsun Wuyan was chilled to the bone and found himself unable to defend against the accusation.

He could only bang his head against the ground, crying with snot and tears, “I alone deserve to die; I beg Your Highness for mercy, please spare Concubine Tian, please have mercy!”

Feng Liwu hadn’t expected that the usually slick Gongsun Wuyan was, in fact, a true romantic.

He had always believed that no one was perfect and that knowing someone’s flaws made it easier to use them.

If Gongsun Wuyan had feelings for Tian Ying, perhaps he could still be of use.

With that thought, he softened his gaze and said, “Your sincerity is touching, but I wonder if you can grasp this lifeline I’m offering you and Concubine Tian…”

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Wuyan looked up sharply, his voice trembling as he said, “If the Crown Prince is willing to spare my life, I will serve you like an ox or a horse, even to my death.”

After his conversation with the former advisor, Feng Liwu ordered Gongsun Wuyan to be secretly imprisoned for later use.

Slowly, he left the secret chamber.

As he stepped out, his trusted spy came to report that Tutor Jiang had spent the entire afternoon drinking with his old schoolmates.

Feng Liwu frowned upon hearing this, thinking that this woman was acting up again, taking his words as if they were just wind in her ears.

He had expected her to dawdle until after the usual dismissal time to come see him, but to his surprise, not long after the report, she arrived—with the signature grilled fish from a restaurant in hand.

This grilled fish was famous, marinated with numbing Sichuan peppercorns, and roasted with bamboo, imparting a light bamboo fragrance.

As Jiang Xiurun carried the grilled fish wrapped in lotus leaves to the Crown Prince’s study, she happened to run into Concubines Cao and Tian, who were strolling in the garden.

Once inside the Crown Prince’s residence, the women were no longer as free as before; even if they wanted to go out, they needed his permission.

Neither wanted to give the impression of being too fond of outings, so they silently endured their confinement.

With no acquaintances in the household, they reluctantly formed a false sisterhood, passing their time together.

Since the night of the ceremony, when the Crown Prince had stayed in Concubine Tian’s room, both concubines had received no further attention.

The Crown Prince had married three concubines in one go, but he didn’t seem eager to indulge in their beauty, maintaining an air of calm abstinence.

Although Concubine Tian had been favored first, she was eager to secure his affection and hoped he would visit her again soon.

So she invited Concubine Cao for a walk in the garden, hoping for a chance encounter with the Crown Prince and giving him a flirtatious smile.

As for why she didn’t invite Concubine Yao, it was because Concubine Yao was rumored to have caught a cold and was sweating it out in her room, avoiding visitors.

Also, Tian Ying wasn’t foolish; she wasn’t about to invite someone more beautiful than herself!

Standing next to her, Concubine Cao, who was slightly plain in comparison, served to highlight her own charms.

Concubine Cao, on the other hand, had resigned herself to fate.

She knew she couldn’t match Concubine Tian’s sweetness or Concubine Yao’s seductive allure and just hoped that the Crown Prince would treat them all fairly, visiting her room after staying with the other two.

Luckily, her aunt had hinted that those two vixens, no matter how much favor they gained, were wasting their efforts.

They had already consumed contraceptive medicine, so hoping to bear a child was a pipe dream!

With this in mind, her anxiety subsided, and she coldly observed the antics of Concubine Tian and Concubine Yao from the sidelines.

No matter how favored they became, it was meaningless.

The one who bore the Crown Prince’s dragon seed would have the last laugh.

With their own agendas, the two concubines momentarily set aside their sharp words and, like sisters, strolled through the garden, laughing and chatting.

Then they encountered Young Master Jiang, who was carrying the grilled fish.

Perhaps due to her dislike for the Crown Prince’s preferences, Concubine Tian felt the brother and sister both had a seductive, fox-like charm in their looks.

In another situation, this lively young man might have been fun to flirt with during her idle hours.

But now, given that she and Jiang Herun had been caught together in the Taoist temple by the Crown Prince, she naturally wanted to avoid suspicion.

Furthermore, she suspected the Crown Prince secretly favored this young man, which only added to her dislike.

With a glance to her maidservant, Jiaoyue, the maid deliberately tripped Jiang Xiurun.

Fortunately, Jiang Xiurun had been practicing self-defense recently.

Sensing the trick, she instinctively used the ruthless moves Feng Liwu had taught her, jumping and dodging while kicking out with her foot, causing the maid to fall to her knees in pain, accidentally knocking into Concubine Tian behind her.

Concubine Tian took the opportunity to collapse, clutching her ankle and crying out in pain, “Ah!”

In that moment, both mistress and maid appeared gravely injured by Young Master Jiang’s clumsy actions.