Chapter 4 Deceiving Carp Qi Fan glanced at him and said coldly, "As soon as possible..."

Qi Fan glanced at him and said coldly, "As soon as possible."

Chu Yixin immediately changed his words: "This servant understands."

The room suddenly fell silent, but no one could know what kind of turmoil was brewing in the heart of the scarlet carp in the blue and white porcelain jar.

What did that eunuch mean just now?

Was his death suspicious?

Her mother died from a head injury after accidentally falling into the water. The doctors were helpless and said it was too late.

Those days were too dark for her. She knew that her mother was losing her appetite and crying every day because of her father's situation, but she once thought that her mother had fallen into the water because she was too sad and confused.

She never doubted the cause of her mother's death.

Was his death suspicious?

Jiang Zhuoying sank to the bottom of the water, letting the rippling currents lap at her body. She dared not think, but she had to think.

Three years have passed, and her mourning period has ended. If her mother's death was truly unusual, then she must find out the truth!

The person closest to the truth was the man standing in front of her.

He is now the second prince of Rong Kingdom.

Jiang Zhuoying suddenly exerted her strength and rushed towards the surface of the water, but the man who had been standing there had vanished without a trace.

Jiang Zhuoying swam around the inside of the porcelain jar, hoping to return to the estate as soon as possible.

But after this incident, she wanted to stay there and wait until she found out the truth before going back.

She spent a sleepless night, and when the sun was high in the sky, the fiery red carp was still lying at the bottom of the tank...

When Jiang Zhuoying regained consciousness, the eunuch's shrill voice came from above her head again.

"Master, Zhuozhuo doesn't seem to be in good spirits. Not only is her appetite not as good as before, but she is still resting even though it is already broad daylight."

Jiang Zhuoying quickly shook her head, tilted her head back, and floated to the surface.

"Hey? Look, Master, Zhuozhuo has finally woken up!"

Qi Fan clearly noticed the lively red carp immediately, and a sense of calm flashed in his clear, slender eyes.

He nodded slightly: "Okay, go to the kitchen and get Zhuozhuo's breakfast."

"Alright, this servant will go right away!" Chu Yixin swept his whisk and left with a beaming smile.

Jiang Zhuoying stopped on the water's surface, staring directly at the man's face. As a young woman, this was the first time she had ever so boldly and directly looked at a man.

I've heard that Consort Wan was extremely beautiful back then, and this second prince may have inherited that beauty.

Despite wearing an extremely understated dark blue straight-hemmed robe without any embroidery, his tall and slender figure accentuated his refined and noble appearance.

His gaze slowly moved upwards, revealing thin, sharp lips, a high and straight nose, deep-set eyes, and a profound look between his brows and eyes. His dark eyes seemed both deep and aloof, as if they could absorb everything.

Jiang Zhuoying saw the man's thin lips part slightly: "Not hiding anymore?"

The little fat carp in the water swished its tail, then turned and plunged back into the water.

So what if she's good-looking? She's still not favored by the Emperor, and he even planted spies in her Duke's mansion.

With such deep cunning and so much scheming, yet still failing to gain the Emperor's favor, one can only see how foolish one is.

Qi Fan's slightly upturned lips were suddenly smoothed out again.

The man stared at the crimson carp in the water, its tail pointing at him, his face as still as water, seemingly lost in thought.

Jiang Zhuoying only heard the steady footsteps of someone leaving, and she swam around freely under the cover of the aquatic plants in the tank.

This is the third day since she inexplicably became a red carp. She has become familiar with the environment in the tank, but the days are gradually becoming boring.

Since her father and younger brother went missing, and her mother passed away one after another, every day has been extremely difficult for her.

Half a year ago, her three-year mourning period ended, and her two beloved maids kept trying to please her day and night. With the faint hope in her heart, she managed to get through to this day.

If her mother's death was indeed due to something unusual, as the Second Prince claimed, then she would definitely seek justice for her.

When her father and brother return, she will have to give them an explanation.

...

"Zhuozhuo, it's time to eat!"

Upon hearing this sound, Jiang Zhuoying also smelled a familiar fragrance, and she began to swim upwards, paddling with her pectoral fins.

However, the person holding the porcelain spoon today was not the kind-looking eunuch, but a stern-faced man standing to the side.

Jiang Zhuoying's impression of him was not good. From rumors to the jade pendant to the spies in the Duke's mansion, not to mention that he always had a cold and indifferent expression towards her.

She naturally didn't give her a friendly look.

The hibiki remained frozen in the water, not surfacing, with its head facing Kang Yixin.

"Hey? Why isn't Zhuozhuo sticking her head out? Then we'll just have to pour the food into the water."

Before Kang Yixin could finish speaking, she saw the little fat carp raise its head and emerge from the water, just like yesterday.

The problem is, Zhuozhuo is facing him...

Did you fall ill and mistakenly choose the wrong master?

Kang Yixin coughed a few times, then heard the man calmly instruct, "Go and fetch some of its favorite items."

"Yes, this servant will go right away."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhuoying sank back into the water. What are your favorite things?

What kind of things could a red carp like?

However, as it turns out, she was short-sighted.

Kang Yixin quickly delivered the items, and Qi Fan picked and chose among them, finally picking up a wooden duck.

The man held the object in his palm and then presented it to Jiang Zhuoying's head: "It was specially made and can float in water."

After saying that, he threw the wooden duck in his hand in front of Jiang Zhuoying.

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

What a joke! She's not a real red carp, so why would she be interested in something only a child would like?

However... now that this thing is right in front of her, playing with it won't hurt.

Thinking this, Jiang Zhuoying reached out her pectoral fins to touch the duck again. The duck was pushed away by her, but the others did not make any movement.

The man above her chuckled twice, and Jiang Zhuoying immediately retracted her pectoral fins.

On what grounds could he possibly laugh at her?!

Without saying a word, the man simply reached out and pushed the wooden duck into the water.

Jiang Zhuoying opened her eyes wide and saw water flowing into the wooden duck. Then, the duck, which was originally floating on the surface of the water, sank half of its body into the water, leaving only the other half floating on the surface.

She immediately understood the principle behind it, but ultimately couldn't resist the red carp's nature. She rushed over and used her head to push the duck towards the bottom of the tank, and then the duck floated up again, wobbling...

After going back and forth once, the man put the duck away and picked up the porcelain spoon again, his intention in his eyes was very clear.

You can get this little thing by eating what he feeds you.

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

shallow!

The man's expression remained unchanged as he directly showed Chu Yixin the contents of the tray she was holding.

There were far more than five or six luminous pearls the size of a fist!

Jiang Zhuoying was truly astonished. A single luminous pearl of this size would be a rare treasure, extremely difficult to find. How could he have so many here?

She remained rooted to the spot, while Chu Yixin had a new guess: "Master, Zhuozhuo has been acting so strangely lately, could it be that..."

"Um?"

Seeing that the carp in the water seemed to be attracted by the luminous pearl, the man picked out the largest one and presented it to Jiang Zhuoying.

Chu Yixin paused for a moment, then said carefully, "Zhuozhuo is always alone, perhaps she feels lonely?"

Jiang Zhuoying: "?"

Qi Fan's expression darkened abruptly, and the aura around him sent chills down one's spine.

Chu Yixin hurriedly bowed his head and said, "It was my mistake. Looking at the whole world, Zhuozhuo is certainly no match for Li."

Jiang Zhuoying suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and found the Second Prince in front of her to be more pleasing to the eye than ever before.

In an attempt to quickly change the subject, Jiang Zhuoying moved closer to Qi Fan and bit the porcelain spoon.

"Ouch, ancestor, please don't bite your lip!"

Their attention was immediately drawn to the scene before them, and Jiang Zhuoying was satisfied.

After she finished her breakfast, three luminous pearls and the wooden duck from before appeared in her jar.

Silence returned to the room; everyone had already left. Jiang Zhuoying poked at the few luminous pearls back and forth.

If she could obtain three fist-sized luminous pearls with each meal, then given time...

This deal is a sure thing; after all, the future of the second wife's family will depend on her.

The plump carp in the blue and white porcelain jar shook its head. What was it thinking?

Even if these luminous pearls were given to her, she couldn't take them with her!

Besides, if you look closely, these things weren't actually given to her; they were given to the real red carp.

...

A day passed, and Jiang Zhuoying obtained nine luminous pearls. She piled them together and built a small hill at the bottom of the jar.

The light emitted by the nine luminous pearls made her eyes shine, but this light also made it difficult for her to fall asleep.

Jiang Zhuoying could only try to stay away, with her back to the small hill of the luminous pearl, and slowly fell asleep at the bottom of the jar.

The next day.

Jiang Zhuoying discovered that the hill she had built was gone!

She didn't have a single luminous pearl left!

She looked up at the water again, and her duck was gone!

"Zhuozhuo, it's time to eat."

The eunuch's high-pitched voice came from the water again.

Jiang Zhuoying floated to the surface, completely bewildered. As soon as she surfaced, she saw the luminous pearl and the ducks on the tray.

She suddenly turned to look at the man with a calm expression.

Jiang Zhuoying: "!"

How could he be so shameless?

Qi Fan used the same trick again, picking out the duck from the tray and letting it float on the water, swaying back and forth.

Jiang Zhuoying was furious. She turned around and sank back to the bottom of the water. This time, no matter how much Chu Yixin tried to coax her, she didn't float back up.

Did these two really think she was a carp?

She has such a good memory, she never forgets!

Chu Yixin was dumbfounded by this situation. He turned his head and asked, "Master?"

"Ha, it's really not an exaggeration to say that it has become a spirit."

The man threw down the porcelain spoon and left, and Chu Yixin hurriedly followed him.

Jiang Zhuoying calmed down after a while and even felt a little regretful, thinking that she should have eaten breakfast before losing her temper.

She tugged at the water plants at the bottom of the tank, when suddenly the door was pushed open and a series of footsteps entered. As Jiang Zhuoying floated to the surface, she pricked up her ears.

Soon she saw a group of servants gather around her water vat.

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle!"

What are we supposed to do?

Jiang Zhuoying felt a little panicked and swam downwards to the bottom of the water.

"What should we do? Last time Zhuozhuo was unconscious, but this time it won't be so easy to catch it."

Jiang Zhuoying's eyes widened. What? They still wanted to capture her?