This time it was Jiang Rao who remained silent for a long time.

Jiang Jinxing tilted his head to look at her, and seeing her gloomy face, he said, "You also think I saw it wrong, right? Although he is similar in stature, he came from Huaizhou. How could his secret guards appear in the inn where we are staying?"

Jiang Rao bit her lower lip and rubbed her fingers together a few times, but in the end she didn't say what was in her heart.

What if...she thinks she is not seeing things?

…

In the imperial prison, the seventeenth prince was making a fuss as if the world was turned upside down.

Rong Ting watched from the side, almost losing all his patience.

If Jiang Rao hadn't been there, he wouldn't have planned to use those methods that were unacceptable to the world, and would have always abided by the rules and been gentle and patient. Otherwise, he should have massacred the entire palace when he returned from Huaizhou and killed those who had made him suffer. With the military power of Lingnan in his hands, even if there was a bit of gambling involved, it was either win or die, and he was never afraid of death, and he wanted to win.

Now I am greedy for life and follow the rules step by step.

At yin hour, before dawn, Rong Ting came out of the imperial prison and went to the palace to meet Emperor Zhaowu.

Emperor Zhaowu was ill and had been bedridden for several days, like a withered leaf falling in autumn. After hearing about the seventeenth prince, he kept coughing. Rong Ting ordered the imperial physician to check Emperor Zhaowu's pulse and said, "I know what your father is worried about. If I were to interrogate the seventeenth prince, I would be caught in a dilemma and it would be unfair, as on one side there is a brother who grew up together and on the other side is my wife."

"It's just that I can't make up my mind. This case should be handed over to Pei Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. Or it should be handed over to Lord Qiao. Please let your father make the decision."

Emperor Zhaowu coughed for a long time, and finally said, "Qiao Zhi."

Rong Ting lowered his eyes, his expression extremely calm, "I understand."

He waited until he walked out of the Golden Palace and into the bright sunshine, then he lowered his eyes, and a shadow slowly fell under his eyelids. He ordered his subordinates beside him: "Let Lord Liao talk to Lord Qiao."

…

He returned to Sui'an Courtyard at 2:30 am. When it was almost time for lunch, he did not see Jiang Rao in the yard.

When the maid in the yard saw him coming back, she hurried over and said that Jiang Rao had gone back to the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion. Before Jiang Rao left, she was worried that Rong Ting would not be able to find her when he returned halfway, so she specifically instructed the maid to tell him when Rong Ting came back that she had returned to the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion and would not be back for lunch.

Rong Ting lowered his eyes slightly, looking down at the ground under his boots.

He did not look at the maid who reported the news to him. He looked nonchalant, as if he was not listening. After the maid finished speaking, he nodded slightly. He was still too lazy to raise his eyes, but his cold expression was added with a touch of gloom. Sitting by the stone table in the yard, his back looked a little lonely.

He remembered what Jiang Rao said last night, that the palace was his home.

But once he stepped into the imperial city, nothing he could remember was good.

His father was seriously ill and very old, but he was still thinking about his little Seventeen. He said he wanted fairness, and he actually followed his words and wanted to give Rong Yuan fairness.

No matter how much he disliked Queen Jiahe, he was always partial to his own children.

Especially the seventeenth prince who I watched grow up day by day.

Given the relationship between Pei Songyu and Qiao Zhi, and between Pei Songyu and the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion, if the case were handed over to him for decision, even though Pei Songyu had a reputation for being impartial, people would still worry that he would favor the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion.

Qiao Zhi is much more suitable.

Unfortunately, what his father didn't know was that Lord Qiao and Liao Qiubai had been good friends for many years.

He would mention Qiao Zhi in front of him at the same time, because he wanted to take the life and death of the seventeenth prince into his own hands.

Rong Ting raised his fingers and lightly supported his temples, looking a little bored.

When it came time for lunch, he had no appetite.

Rong Ting had never been greedy for food, and he even had an instinctive fear of all delicious things. Over time, he became less and less particular about food, clothing and other expenses. When he had a higher salary and the capital for fine clothes and delicious food, he had a plundering desire in his bones to take all the delicacies in the world for himself. He tried his best to make up for himself for having suffered so much in the past. However, when the delicacies were placed before him, he had no intention of picking up his chopsticks.

Boredom, to put it bluntly, means boredom. No matter whether the food in front of him is simple or exquisite, he is bored.

Jiang Rao was completely the opposite of him. She had developed a picky taste for food early on and was very particular about her daily meals. Although she had no skills in the kitchen, she knew what ingredients to use in each dish and how many spoons of sugar to put in it. She could tell whether a dish tasted right just by tasting it.

Rong Ting himself had little appetite, but he enjoyed watching Jiang Rao eat.

He knew her preferences and tastes very well, but he always liked to put things she didn't like into her bowl. Seeing her finish the food even if she didn't like it, the bad nature in his heart would be filled up for a while.

However, no matter how much he liked to do such little tricks, he wouldn't do it too often. He could just pretend that he didn't know and get away with it once or twice, but if he did it too often, she would sooner or later notice something.

When he thought of these things, he lost even less appetite for the food on the table in front of him.

He found the maid and asked, "Did Madam mention when she would be back?"

The maid shook her head.

She answered whatever Rong Ting asked and didn't dare to say anything extra. Rong Ting looked too cold and always had his hands behind his back, looking unapproachable. Compared to the male owner, the maids in the palace were more willing to serve the female owner.

If for no other reason, Jiang Rao had never lost her temper since she got married, and she was generous with rewards. When the maids gathered together privately to chat, they all liked her a little more.

Rong Ting stood up and walked out.

As he was walking down the corridor, his steps suddenly stopped.

From a distance, he saw Jiang Rao.

His little girl.

He stopped at this moment, and Jiang Rao also saw him.

Her steps suddenly became lighter and she trotted towards him.

Rong Ting immediately opened his arms and caught her as she jogged over.

His arms were very long, and when he opened them, it seemed as if he was blocking the entire corridor. Jiang Rao rushed over, rubbed his arms twice with a smile, and raised her smiling face, "Did you have a good meal?"

She had planned to have lunch at the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion before coming back, but for some reason, when she reached the dinner table, her left eyelid kept twitching. She felt a little uneasy, so she had lunch early and came back first.

She had dreamed of how picky and difficult he was to please when it came to meals. No matter how carefully the food was prepared, he would easily get angry after taking just one or two bites with his chopsticks.

Although these words were expressed with concern, there was also a hint of temptation in them that Jiang Rao herself was not aware of.

Because of some kind of judgment in her heart, she began to use what she had dreamt about to judge Rong Ting's likes and dislikes.

Rong Ting nodded. He looked at the deep dimples on her lips and his stern eyebrows curved.

Because he hadn't slept all night, the bottom of his eyes were dark blue, and when his eyelashes blinked slightly, the shadow mixed with the dark blue, making the color appear extremely strong.

After Jiang Rao saw the dark blue in his eyes, she slowly put away the smile on her face, raised her finger, gently touched his eyes, and asked, "When did you leave last night?"

"You haven't woken up yet."

Jiang Rao was a little helpless. He said this obviously because he didn't want to tell her the exact time.

He wanted to bear the bitterness alone, so she didn't ask any more questions and just assumed that he hadn't slept the whole night.

She held his hand and walked towards Sui'an Courtyard, wanting him to take a nap during the day and make up for the sleep she had. On the way back, she asked him, "Have you dealt with the Seventeenth Prince?"

Rong Ting followed her obediently and replied calmly, "My father didn't allow me to interfere. The case was eventually handed over to Lord Qiao for judgment."

Jiang Rao actually thought this was a good idea. If this case was really handled by Rong Ting, there would probably be some people who would scold him for being heartless and ungrateful. The story of brothers killing each other has been the favorite gossip among the people since ancient times. It would definitely become more and more outrageous in the end. It would be better to let him get out of this matter completely. Otherwise, no matter he was kind or cruel, people's words would be scary and he would not get a good reputation in the end.

Jiang Rao took a quick glance and saw Rong Ting looked tired, not as open-minded as she was. She had no idea why the case was handed over to Qiao Zhi, but looking at Rong Ting's expression, she felt that he was not very happy, so she asked softly, "Are you worried that Mr. Qiao will not be able to solve the case?"

"If the Mr. Qiao you are talking about is Mr. Qiao Zhi from the Dali Temple, you don't have to worry about this." Jiang Rao had some impression of the Qiao family and said, "It is enough that those who hurt me deserve what they get."

She is open-minded. It turns out that she can be open-minded about anything.

Rong Ting gritted his teeth slightly, his brows knitted together in an almost unnoticeable frown.

When he couldn't see her in the mansion, he just wanted to catch her back so that he could see her whenever he wanted.

But he also knew that if he wanted to keep her admiration, he couldn't act like this.

My head started to hurt slightly.

Jiang Rao listened to Rong Ting for a long time without saying anything, then raised her head and glanced at him again.

His skin was extremely cold and pale, and he looked as sad as snow on normal days. Now with the dark circles under his eyes, he looked even more sickly.

"Are you sick?" Jiang Rao frowned.

Rong Ting paused for a moment, then quickly continued her words, nodded and said, "I'm sick."

He said in a low voice, hooking her finger, "I'm sick, so don't go back to the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion for the next few days."