Chapter 121

Tian Ying’s words were so pointed that it would have been impolite not to respond.

Just as Jiang Xiurun was about to reply, she noticed that Tian Ying had suddenly fallen silent.

She turned her head slightly and saw that Feng Liwu had appeared behind them at some point.

The Yang family’s fruit banquet was an annual event.

In addition to distributing fruits to the noblewomen of the capital, a portion was also sent to the palace for the empress to enjoy.

In previous years, the Yang family’s matriarch would lead the women of the household into the palace to present the fruits to the empress.

However, Empress Wei was now effectively under house arrest in her palace, and Feng Liwu hadn’t seen her in a long time.

A bitter, venomous woman filled with resentment was not only unbearable for the emperor but also for her own son.

Empress Wei, still grieving over Mao Yunsheng’s death, had never been able to move on.

Her behavior had become increasingly erratic, and even her father, the Wei family patriarch, couldn’t calm her down.

Under these circumstances, it was inappropriate for her to receive the Yang family’s women.

So, after finishing his official duties, Feng Liwu had come to the banquet.

Upon seeing the Yang family’s matriarch, he informed her that the empress was suffering from stomach issues and wouldn’t be able to enjoy the tangerines this year.

This was a way to give the Yang family an out while preserving the empress’s dignity.

Earlier, Feng Liwu had met with the Yang family’s matriarch alongside the family head.

After some casual conversation, he had accompanied the head of the family to the garden.

As soon as he entered the garden, he saw Jiang Xiurun and Tian Ying standing under the corridor, talking.

After parting ways with the family head, Feng Liwu strolled over and overheard Tian Ying’s words.

Tian Ying had always been one to stir up trouble, so Feng Liwu wasn’t surprised that she would try to sow discord in front of Jiang Xiurun.

However, when he followed Tian Ying’s gaze and looked at the maids beside Yang Ruxu, his brow furrowed slightly.

It wasn’t that the two maids were stunningly beautiful, rivaling Jiang Xiurun’s radiance.

Rather, as Tian Ying had pointed out, they bore a striking resemblance to Jiang Xiumei in their features.

But to Feng Liwu, this resemblance felt like a clumsy imitation, something that left a bad taste in his mouth.

Having grown up in the palace, Feng Liwu wasn’t entirely ignorant of the tricks women played in the inner courtyard.

If an unmarried young lady had exceptionally beautiful maids who outshone her, it was usually the mother’s doing—a strategy to secure her daughter’s favor in the future.

This kind of tactic was typically employed when the daughter herself was plain-looking and couldn’t compete on her own.

But Yang Ruxu wasn’t unattractive.

She was a beautiful young lady from a prestigious family.

Why, then, would she need to surround herself with seductive maids?

This raised suspicions in Feng Liwu’s mind.

If the maids had been of varying appearances, each with their own charm, it could have been dismissed as the Yang family’s wealth allowing them to hire beautiful women.

No one would have found fault with that.

But for a group of low-born women to resemble Jiang Xiurun so closely—what was the purpose of that?

The more Feng Liwu thought about it, the more displeased he became.

When Yang Ruxu saw the Crown Prince approaching, she didn’t rush forward.

Instead, she followed behind her mother, greeting him with a gentle smile, her lips closed but her eyes warm and welcoming.

Madam Yang smiled and said, “We didn’t expect Your Highness to attend the tea banquet today. We only have tangerine juice and fruit tea, no wine. What would Your Highness like to drink?”

Feng Liwu’s gaze lingered on Yang Ruxu’s maids for a moment before he finally looked away and said, “I came only to take Concubine Yao to the villa for a few days. I’ve already informed the matriarch that there’s no need to send tangerines to the palace this year. I won’t trouble you further, so there’s no need to go out of your way to entertain me.”

Madam Yang smiled and replied, “I heard from the family head earlier that the empress hasn’t been feeling well this year. We hope she recovers soon. As for the tangerines, I’ve already sent some to the Crown Prince’s residence. With so many women in the residence, I’m not sure if there will be enough to go around…”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Feng Liwu led Jiang Xiurun away from the Yang residence.

Once the Crown Prince left, the other guests also began to disperse.

Madam Yang finally allowed herself to frown slightly as she took her daughter back to their room.

Sitting down on the mat, she sighed and looked at her daughter, “You were too hasty today. Why did you bring those newly purchased maids with you?”

Yang Ruxu, unaware of why her mother was upset, replied softly, “Since there’s no summons from the palace, it’s only natural for me to have these maids by my side. It would be strange if a bunch of unfamiliar beauties suddenly appeared during the wedding ceremony, wouldn’t it?”

Madam Yang shook her head, feeling that she had miscalculated.

She shouldn’t have listened to her daughter’s suggestion to buy these maids.

Earlier, when Tian Ying had tried to provoke Jiang Xiurun, a servant delivering fruits had overheard and secretly reported it to Madam Yang.

To be honest, after hearing the servant’s account and recalling the sharp look the Crown Prince had given her daughter’s maids, Madam Yang’s heart sank.

She felt that the Crown Prince’s gaze wasn’t one of admiration but rather one of disgust, as if he had seen something foul.

To avoid leaving the impression that her daughter was scheming, Madam Yang decided to dismiss the maids immediately.

Not a single one could be brought into the Crown Prince’s residence.

Yang Ruxu, hearing her mother’s words, pursed her lips tightly.

She felt both anxious and puzzled, “The Crown Prince has always had refined tastes, unlike those frivolous young men. Why is he so infatuated with Concubine Yao? I’ve only seen Concubine Yao from a distance before, and while she was beautiful, today her heavy makeup and garish appearance were anything but appealing…”

By the end, Yang Ruxu almost blurted out that not only were her maids more beautiful than Yao, but she herself was far superior to a woman who used face powder like flour.

But she swallowed her words, feeling that such a statement would be beneath her dignity.

Madam Yang, however, didn’t share her daughter’s indignation.

She shook her head, thinking: How favored is Concubine Yao right now? The Crown Prince had personally come to fetch her after finishing his official duties.

This was clearly a message to her daughter: even if she became the official Crown Princess, she would have to show respect to the concubines who had entered the residence before her.

If she were an ordinary mother, she would never want her daughter to marry into the Crown Prince’s residence.

But given the current situation, her daughter’s options were either to marry the Crown Prince as his official wife or to enter the palace as a concubine.

Between the two, her daughter naturally preferred the young and handsome Crown Prince.

But Tian Ying’s cunning and the Crown Prince’s partial favoritism toward Yao… Madam Yang sighed inwardly.

In wealthy families, which daughter’s marriage was truly her own choice?

They could only take things one step at a time.

The Yang family needed this marriage alliance, so as the eldest daughter-in-law, she couldn’t afford to be careless.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Yang residence with Jiang Xiurun, Feng Liwu remained silent for a while before suddenly saying, “I originally brought you here just for convenience, not to reprimand you…”

Jiang Xiurun, who had grabbed two tangerines from the Yang family’s fruit platter before leaving, was now peeling one to feed Feng Liwu.

She looked up in surprise and said, “Your Highness, why are you saying this? I wasn’t thinking anything of the sort.”

But Feng Liwu knew how much this girl overthought things.

If he had noticed something amiss, how could she have missed it?

In the past, he had always thought she was prone to arrogance and acting out when favored.

But now, he was beginning to realize that she was the type to swallow her grievances without a word.

That was why he felt the need to explain himself, fearing that the two maids beside Yang Ruxu might have upset her.

But if she truly hadn’t taken it to heart, that was for the best… Just then, Jiang Xiurun finished peeling the tangerine and began feeding it to him.

To cover the sun-darkened skin on her hands, Jiang Xiurun had applied a thick layer of powder.

As she peeled the tangerine, some of the powder inevitably got on the fruit.

Feng Liwu hated the smell of face powder.

Now, seeing the powder on the tangerine segments, he hesitated. But seeing Jiang Xiurun’s eager expression, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

He frowned slightly and swallowed the tangerine whole, as if taking bitter medicine.

Jiang Xiurun, seemingly worried that Feng Liwu might choke, broke the tangerine into smaller pieces, her hands now sticky with juice, and fed him bit by bit.

Feng Liwu, by the end, simply held his breath and swallowed each piece without chewing.

Jiang Xiurun sighed contentedly in her heart: Such a handsome man! Even with his face tense and his eyes closed, the Crown Prince was still breathtakingly handsome.

After finally finishing one large tangerine, Jiang Xiurun was about to peel another when Feng Liwu quickly took it from her and began peeling it for her instead.

Jiang Xiurun, exhausted, lay back in the carriage and accepted the Crown Prince’s rare act of service without a second thought.

When they arrived at the villa, Feng Liwu, who had been suffocating from the powder smell all the way, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He ordered hot water to be prepared so that Yao could wash off the thick layer of powder.

Since Jiang Xiurun would be going directly to the morning court from the villa after resting there for two days, Qian’er had brought the male attire she would need and was waiting at the villa.

While Taohua was outside ironing Jiang Xiurun’s undergarments, Qian’er handed a folded piece of fine silk to Jiang Xiurun, who was soaking in the bathtub.

Jiang Xiurun unfolded the plain silk and held it over the steam.

Soon, tiny lines of text appeared on the fabric.

“By your command, I have selected and purchased beauties to be placed near the emperor’s inspection route in the countryside. They have gained the emperor’s favor and entered the palace. Empress Shen is gradually losing favor, and Shen Yong’s mistakes are being exposed before the emperor. The day of Empress Shen’s deposition is near…”

The rest of the message detailed the current political situation in Bo, including internal and external troubles, allowing Jiang Xiurun to stay informed about the state of her homeland.

Jiang Xiurun read the message several times, committing the important points to memory, before tossing the silk into the hot water.

The fabric dissolved, and the words disappeared without a trace.

When Feng Liwu had asked if she minded Yang Ruxu’s scheming, Jiang Xiurun’s response had been sincere.

What a joke! Sharing favor and power were tricks she had long since mastered.

How could she possibly criticize others for doing the same?

Moreover, she had used similar tactics in her past life, though she had been outmaneuvered by Empress Shen.

This time, with Ji Wujiang’s assistance, Jiang Xiurun could calmly orchestrate events from thousands of miles away.

Feng Liwu had always suspected that she might try to escape, but with her brother, sister-in-law, and unborn nephew in the picture, how could she possibly run away on her own?

If given the chance, Jiang Xiurun would have loved to give Feng Liwu a reassurance—she truly had no intention of running away again… If she were to leave, it would be openly and honorably!

After her bath, Jiang Xiurun wrapped herself in a long cloth and asked Qian’er if she had prepared the contraceptive herbal tea.

She would be staying here for two days and needed to drink it.

But Qian’er frowned and said, “Young mistress, you haven’t had your monthly cycle in over a month. The physician specifically warned that if the tea causes your cycle to stop, you must stop taking it. If the effects become too severe, you might not be able to conceive at all, and then you won’t need the tea anymore!”

Jiang Xiurun was stunned.

She had been so busy in Hanyang over the past month that she hadn’t kept track of her cycle.

Now that Qian’er had reminded her, Jiang Xiurun vaguely recalled that it had indeed been a long time since she had used menstrual cloths.

But… was the absence of her cycle due to the cold nature of the medicine, or was it… Jiang Xiurun didn’t dwell on it further.

Since Qian’er refused to prepare the tea, and if the medicine had indeed affected her, then even if she shared a bed with Feng Liwu these two nights, she wouldn’t conceive.

She would wait until she returned to Luo’an City and consult a physician in private to determine the cause.