He dismissed his spies and stayed in the study, lost in thought.

He now knows who are all the people in Beijing who have assassins under their control like his grandfather.

He had already got the list and visited everyone one by one.

He holds the power over these people, and they are in the same boat with his grandfather, whether he is in good or bad times. If anything happens to his grandfather, they will not be able to escape unscathed, and will naturally be used by him.

Rong Ting is investigating his grandfather, which is to go against those people.

Now, he is not the only one who wants to deal with Rong Ting.

As long as Rong Ting was eliminated, everything would return to the way it was in the past. His mother would be the only mistress of the six palaces, and he would still be cared for and loved by his father.

The seventeenth prince lowered his eyes and looked at the list on the table, his gaze slightly fixed, and finally Huo Dezhan stood up and walked out.

The attendants came up and chased him all the way to the stables. The Seventeenth Prince ordered someone to lead the horses out and said, "Let's go to the martial arts arena."

…

On the third day of March, the Shangsi Festival, Emperor Zhaowu ordered a banquet to be held by the water, and all the powerful and wealthy families were welcome to participate.

In previous Shangsi Festivals, Jiang Rao always accompanied her parents to attend the Linshui Banquet. This year, she went with Rong Ting, which was quite new.

She just sat in the carriage, but she didn't intend to pay attention to Rong Ting who was also in the carriage.

She lowered her neck slightly, supported her cheek and looked out the window, with goose yellow and light green overlapping in her eyes.

The scenery in March is just perfect, and the breeze is cool yet brings a touch of rejuvenating warmth.

A few strands of Jiang Rao's hair fell on her shoulders, fluttering in the wind, revealing her slender neck.

The back of her neck was so pink and white that it was a little unusual. If you looked closely, you could see that it was covered with several thick layers of powder.

Even with several layers of powder, you can still vaguely see the crimson kiss mark underneath.

Last night, Jiang Rao thought about the bite marks on Rong Ting's shoulder that she had left. She felt guilty and soft-hearted, and indulged him a little, allowing him to go further and do whatever he wanted. He even called for hot water several times throughout the night.

Jiang Rao felt so embarrassed and angry that she wanted to hit someone just thinking about the mischievous look the maid would give her when she woke up in the morning.

She was determined to give Rong Ting a cold shoulder, so when the carriage stopped, even though she saw him reaching out his hand to help her down, she didn't give him any face and dodged, jumping off the carriage herself.

After living together for a long time, she gradually understood what Rong Ting liked.

——Nothing I like.

He was not concerned with food, nor did he like noise or bustle. He did not listen to operas, watch music, or play chess. Apart from accompanying her, he would lock himself in the study every day.

If there is only one thing I am obsessed with... it is probably when I am in love, I cling to her too much, without any self-control or sense of propriety.

She was afraid that he would waste his body like this, so she went to find a doctor to check him out. The doctor said he was doing fine, so he became even more confident.

Jiang Rao was furious when she thought of this and decided to ignore Rong Ting. She was afraid that she would be soft-hearted so she simply didn't look at his face. She got off the carriage and walked forward without looking back. It was useless even if the man behind her acted pitiful and innocent.

Jiang Rao saw Hu Tang waving at her.

Hu Tang was wearing a goose yellow skirt and looked very well-behaved and cute.

Jiang Rao covered her face with the round fan in her hand and smiled slowly.

When she saw Hu Tang dressed so formally, with her hair and accessories not dressed casually at all, she knew that she must have made a mistake. She felt insecure and obeyed Mrs. Hu's discipline.

I went over to ask, and found out that it was true.

Hu Tang was wearing a goose yellow skirt and lowered her head. She would pull at the belt around her waist and grab her sleeves. Without her saying anything, one could tell that she was feeling uncomfortable.

She tugged at her fingers and muttered in dissatisfaction, "I just ruined the marriage my mother arranged for me, and this is how she punishes me."

"If you don't wait until you get married, there will be no end to this punishment."

Jiang Rao joked with Hu Tang for a while, then looked at the figure that appeared not far away, frowned, and pulled Hu Tang's hand, "Did the Seventeenth Prince come with you?"

"Pah, who's with him?"

Hu Tang's tone became urgent, and he shivered as if something dirty had stained his body. "I saw his carriage when I first went up the mountain. I don't know why he has been following behind my carriage, and I can't get rid of him."

Seeing the Seventeenth Prince looking over, Hu Tang glared back fiercely, then pulled Jiang Rao around to behind a willow tree, and whispered in Jiang Rao's ear, "I guess he saw that you and I have a good relationship, so he wanted to find a way to get close to you from me. You just got married to his ninth brother, and who knows what he might be thinking. You must follow me closely at this banquet, and don't give him the chance to use any despicable means."

Jiang Rao frowned. The Seventeenth Prince looked at her unkindly. She was aware of the need to distance herself from him. She smiled with her eyes curved and responded to Hu Tang's words.

The two walked to the table where the female guest was supposed to go. It was called a table, but this kind of banquet by the water was just an outing. There were no tables or chairs. Jiang Rao and Hu Tang were strolling by the stream together. A noble lady's eyes were vaguely on Jiang Rao, always falling on her.

Hu Tang was sensitive to those gazes, and whispered shamelessly into Jiang Rao's ear, "Look at the way they look at you with envy."

She pointed at herself and said, "You must be envious of you for having a close friend like me."

Jiang Rao smiled and said, "I am so lucky."

Hu Tang chuckled twice, "You are the only one who goes along with me. They are not willing to socialize with me. You really don't know how to judge people."

"They are actually envious of your good looks and your good marriage."

Only then did Jiang Rao slightly turn her eyes and glance towards the other side of the river in the south.

There were more than a dozen noble ladies standing there, and they were indeed looking at her.

Most of them were about her age, some were married, and some were still unmarried. They looked somewhat envious of her.

Jiang Rao had never thought it was such a proud thing before because she was envied by others for finding a good husband, but now she felt a secret joy in her heart. She enjoyed the envious eyes of others, and the resentment she had felt for being tortured so badly at night suddenly disappeared.

Jiang Rao's smile deepened, and the dimples on her lips were revealed. Although Hu Tang was careless, he also saw Jiang Rao shaking off Rong Ting's hand when he went to find her just now. He had something hidden in his heart, and now seeing Jiang Rao's eyes curved when Rong Ting was mentioned, he slowly exhaled.

Her attitude caused Jiang Rao to glance at her in confusion. Hu Tang explained, "Just now I saw you avoiding your Highness's hand, so I thought you were quarreling. My elder sister told me that quarrels between husband and wife are a matter between husband and wife, and told me not to interfere. But don't listen to her. I will definitely interfere in your affairs, but..."

Hu Tang pursed his lips, "If you really quarrel with him, I really can't deal with him, so it's better not to quarrel."

Jiang Rao's eyes immediately curved. Hu Tang's temperament had always been blatantly domineering. People who were close to her could feel her good nature. She didn't know why other girls in Jinling avoided her.

Hu Tang saw Jiang Rao smiling, and leaned over to whisper, "When you meet my elder sister later, she will definitely teach you to obey your husband. Don't listen to her. Seeing her makes me even more afraid to get married."

Jiang Rao patted Hu Tang's hand and told her not to worry, but she was thinking in her heart how to give Rong Ting a chance to admit his mistake.

According to her experience, she would not need to give it. As soon as she woke up during the day, she saw him guarding her pillow, his eyes wet, and he was so sad and self-blaming that he seemed about to cry.

She fell for his tricks at first, but later she saw that he was quick to admit his mistakes and promised her that he would exercise restraint, but he failed to do so every time when night fell. She really couldn't trust him anymore.

Even though she was the one who was seduced by him first, she was the one who suffered in the end. She had no conscience and just wanted to be angry with him.

The seventeenth prince sat by the stream, but his mind was not on the rushing stream. He glanced at Jiang Rao and Hu Tang from time to time.

In the past few days, he tried every possible way to find Rong Ting's handle and weakness, but to no avail.

If you want to control someone who is hostile to you, you have to find their weak spot. This is what his mother taught him.

Rong Ting's weakness, the only thing he cherishes...

He lowered his eyes and looked at the flowing stream, but he thought of the scene he had just seen. Ninth brother, who had been his enemy all his life and had never shown mercy to him out of brotherhood, looked at his little wife with undisguised indulgence and tenderness in his eyes.

When the Ning An Marquis's Mansion was in trouble, his ninth brother stood on their side even if he didn't want anything else...

As long as they could capture the fourth young lady from the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion, it would be like they had grasped Rong Ting's weakness, Rong Ting's soft spot.

But this step is too risky.

If something happened to Jiang Rao, it would not only be Rong Ting who would be anxious, but also the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion and her grandfather's Qin family. Neither the Jiang family nor the Qin family was easy to mess with.

Besides... among the people who care about Jiang Rao, there is Hu Tang.

She only has one close friend in the capital, Jiang Rao. Everyone else despises her for not knowing the rules and avoids her.

The seventeenth prince's gaze moved slightly and looked towards the north. He did not look up at anyone, but just looked at a flash of goose yellow color swaying in the stream, gradually becoming lost in thought.

He remained silent, saying nothing, and making no movement. His followers were getting a little impatient, "Master, what are you hesitating about?"

The Seventeenth Prince frowned slightly, "Can this matter... really be done without anyone noticing?"

The attendant nodded and whispered to him, "The father-in-law has arranged everything very well. Even if Miss Jiang disappears, they will only suspect that it is the old man of the Jiang family who is seeking revenge, and will not find it out with us. As long as Your Highness agrees, I will arrange this matter immediately."

The seventeenth prince stared at the water for a long time, hesitating and struggling for a long time. Finally, he gritted his teeth, moved his gaze away from the water, and nodded.