As soon as he finished speaking, the noble ladies who were watching around him showed a hint of surprise on their faces.

It turns out that the little girl who had been lowering her head in the corner was not someone that no one recognized.

Is she the ninth prince's sister?

The noble ladies in the capital have all heard some rumors about the Ninth Prince.

He had a bad fate and his mother died when he was born.

Later, Empress Jiahe took pity on him and adopted him.

Rumor has it that he was a willful and disruptive child since he was young.

He is born without kindness and only does bad things.

Empress Jiahe took great pains to teach him properly.

But this young man with a vicious nature, and a disabled person with imperfect legs and feet, even if he looks decent, people will still stay away from him.

If I encounter it, I just want to stay away from it to avoid getting into trouble.

Chen Xiuying watched those noble ladies trying to avoid Rong Ting, and thought that in her previous life, she was just like them, foolishly blinded by some illusions.

I felt a little regretful, but also a little proud of having taken the initiative.

She had misjudged someone in her previous life.

When the Fourth Prince walked by, he paused for a moment and glanced at Shen Xiuying.

Just one glance reminded Shen Xiuying of all the things that this man had done to her in her previous life, and the hatred in her heart was like a raging fire. He resolutely shifted his gaze to Rong Ting.

Just watching Rong Ting walk towards Jiang Rao and hearing his words that were obviously trying to help her, her heart skipped a beat.

He asked Miss Jiang Si to call him brother.

Regardless of whether the relationship is real or not, among peers, only if the relationship between each other is good enough can one transcend the order of seniority and call someone "brother".

Just look at Miss Jiang Si's luxurious clothes, and the fact that she might have a brother who is a prince. At least the noble ladies present would no longer treat her as a country girl.

And what she just said was like a slap in the face.

Shen Qinying's face turned pale.

This is a unique tone of support and doting.

It's not like she hasn't seen it before.

That’s how he treated that little maid in his previous life.

No matter how fierce he was when facing that little maid, he was the only one who could be fierce.

If anyone else dared to displease that little maid in the slightest, the emperor would be furious, and no one could bear his anger.

Shen Qinying held her breath and stared at Jiang Rao's face.

In her previous life, she had accidentally seen Rong Ting and the little maid together when they were out for dinner.

He is using

He wiped the dust off the little maid's face with his hands.

But the little maid was so frightened that she was trembling and didn't dare to look up at all.

I missed the emperor who was cold and cruel in front of others, and the deep affection in his eyes.

At that time, she just felt that the little maid was simply unaware of the blessings she had.

The new emperor is heartless and does not show any tenderness to others.

It would be better if it was her instead.

Later, she found out that the little maid was originally imprisoned by Rong Ting in a farm for several years, and was later imprisoned in the palace.

A beautiful woman in a golden house is nothing more than this.

She had always thought that the little maid was a lowly person who came from a humble background and used her good looks to please the king.

But now facing Jiang Rao, seeing Rong Ting stop just because she was ignored, Shen Qinying held her breath.

Could it be that Fourth Miss Jiang is the little maid who will serve the new emperor in the future?

For some time now, she has been looking for the little maid with extraordinary beauty among the low-ranking servants.

That's why I haven't been able to find it.

But how could the little maid's timid and fearful appearance when she was beside Rong Ting, which was similar to her calm and proper behavior at this moment, be the slightest bit similar?

Shen Xiuying didn't know that the little maid she ran into at that time had lost her family, her father, brother, and mother, all of whom were scattered all over the world.

She went from being the innocent and doted fourth girl to a maid whose indenture was held in the hands of others.

Her status fell from the clouds to the quagmire overnight. There was no one around her whom she could trust. Instead, she was tied to a man who hated her to the core. Naturally, she became more and more haggard day by day.

But now Jiang Rao has become the fourth daughter of the Jiang family, who is pampered by her parents and watches her younger brother act foolishly in front of her. She has everything, family background and wealth; she has nothing to worry about and needs nothing. Following her dreams, she carefully avoids disasters.

…

Jiang Rao knew that Rong Ting would come in with the princes, but she didn't expect that he would come up to her.

She raised her eyes slightly.

The second prince and the fourth prince talked face to face and walked away.

She didn't care at all whether her brother was in a wheelchair and had difficulty moving. She left without even looking back and ignored Rong Ting.

It turns out that there is no family affection in heaven.

Jiang Rao looked at Rong Ting, who was completely accustomed to such things, and sighed softly, frowned, and said in a low voice, "The palace has its own rules."

Even if she was not in the palace, knowing that he was the Ninth Prince, she would not dare to call him anything.

Rong Ting tilted his head and spoke in a lazy voice

Then he whispered, "I have my own rules."

He blinked his eyes, looking mischievous and cunning, and his appearance was so carefree that it made people feel unfamiliar. Jiang Rao was a little confused when she heard whispers behind her.

——"It is said that the Ninth Prince has a bad nature. It turns out that he is really like this. He doesn't even care about the rules."

——"Who is talking to him?"

Jiang Rao suddenly remembered what the people in the palace and even the whole Jinling thought of Rong Ting: he had a bad nature, didn't know the rules, and didn't obey discipline.

She felt aggrieved for him, but looking at his current expression, why did it seem like he was going to confirm these criticisms?

Rong Ting listened to the whispers, and his guess in his heart became more certain.

As expected, they are all power-seekers. Only those with a little power will be courted by them, and others will not get the slightest favor from them.

Being used to being trampled in the mud, he knows this best.

But given her family background and her father's status, if those noble ladies knew about it, there was no way they would leave the seat next to her empty and let her be so bored that she would peel a table full of lychees.

A painting by Jiang Xingzhou is not just priceless, more importantly, his father likes it.

Everyone wants to curry favor with others.

He reached out and scooped up a few lychees, peeled them and put them in the small white jade dish in front of Jiang Rao. He said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, but just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, "Niannian, give my regards to your father, Fourth Master Jiang. His attainments in calligraphy and painting have become even deeper."

The tone he used was flattering, which was hard to hear when he spoke.

Some people were alert and reacted quickly, "Calligraphy and painting, Fourth Master Jiang? Could it be Jiang Xingzhou?"

The way he looked at Jiang Rao changed.

Everyone knows that among the calligraphy and painting masters that Emperor Zhaowu liked the most, four out of the five were dead from the previous dynasty, and the remaining one, the only one still alive, was Jiang Xingzhou.

Everyone knew that Jiang Xingzhou was an unrestrained playboy when he was young. After he got married, he had no concubines or maids. He was a good man that was hard to find even with a lantern. After he had a daughter, he seemed to have a tail that was sticking up to the sky. He showed off all over the capital and was a well-known daughter slave in the eyes of the people of Jinling.

Everyone knew that his only daughter, Jiang Rao, was the apple of his eye.

Just now I felt that Jiang Rao was pitiful being there alone, but after knowing her identity, I just felt that she was indeed a confident girl, very willful and free.

No wonder she was sitting there alone. With her status, why should she need to please others?

As for the Ninth Prince, his movements and tone seemed to be flattering, as if he was trying to curry favor with him.

There was some contempt in his eyes.

Rong Ting glanced over and saw those people mocking him.

But he looked away calmly.

But it was just as he expected.

What he wanted was for them to feel that way.

Anyway, his reputation, since he was very young, has been as dirty as a loach in a ditch.

Even if I get cursed a few more times or get some dirt on my body, it doesn't matter much.

"If it is really the girl from Jiang Xingzhou's family... then she is the niece of Concubine Yun. Concubine Yun and the Queen have always been at odds. If the Ninth Prince tries to please her like this, isn't that a slap in the Queen's face?"

"Empress Jiahe worked so hard, but she ended up raising such an ungrateful person?"

"No wonder he broke his leg. It's karma."

I heard such discussions.

Rong Ting looked at him with eyes full of hostility.

The slightly raised eyebrows made his handsome face look aggressive and cynical.

Allow others to misunderstand.

Seeing that Jiang Rao seemed a little annoyed after hearing those words, he leaned forward slightly, only for her to hear, and whispered: "Ignore it."

Jiang Rao was a little confused, not understanding why he allowed these rumors to spread, or even deliberately encouraged them.

Rong Ting pointed at Jiang Rao's table.

Still lowering his voice, he made an agreement with her: "Come to Xiaochongshan after a break in the banquet."

…

Not long after Rong Ting left.

Shen Qinying was the first to sit next to Jiang Rao.

The person who was slower than her stamped his feet in anger and said to the others indignantly: "She was the one who was talking nonsense and misleading people from the beginning, and she actually had the nerve to go over there!"

Shen Xiuying suppressed the jealousy in her heart and looked at Jiang Rao with confusion in her eyes.

Rong Ting protects her like this now, so why does their relationship seem so stiff in the future?

How did she become Rong Ting's maid?

It was obvious that more than ten years after the new emperor ascended the throne, he posthumously conferred the title of Duke on Mr. Jiang Si.

There are too many things she doesn't understand.

Build a good relationship with her first, and she will naturally find opportunities to clarify the things she doesn't understand.

Shen Xiuying thought so, pinching her palms, trying to smile friendly, and looked at Jiang Rao in a gentle tone, "Miss, why have I never seen you before?"

Jiang Rao raised her eyes and glanced at Shen Qinying.

She recognized that Shen Xiuying was the girl who bumped into her crying two days ago.

My gaze lingered for a while longer.

Shen Qinying was stared at by her.

He couldn't help but look at Jiang Rao.

The pomegranate red crepe skirt made her face look delicate and beautiful. It looked much prettier than the plainer outfit she was wearing today, which was worn by her maid. She felt a little depressed.

We were far apart just now, so we couldn't make any comparison, but now that we are sitting together, the contrast is even more obvious.

She is even more like a maid than the other maids around her.

Just looking at her clean and soft face, like a little white rabbit.

He looks easy to bully and easy to control.

She has lived two lives, how could she not be able to cope with a little girl who had never suffered any hardship and was spoiled like a brainless girl by her family.

Easy to cheat.

She cleared her throat and said, "You seem timid. Are you unfamiliar with the palace? I can take you around."

"By the way." She asked casually, "Whose family are you from?"

Jiang Rao let her speak first, without arguing or interrupting her. She listened to the end, then saw Shen Xiuying looking at her kindly and blinking. She found it funny and couldn't help but curled the corners of her lips.

With a smile on her face, she said, "I am just a girl from the countryside."

I imitated the tone of voice that Shen Xiuying used when she spoke just now. The voice was different, but 90% of it was similar.

Shen Qinying's face changed.

She heard everything she said!

Just like that, she blinked a pair of innocent eyes and let her sit beside her for so long, as if she knew nothing about the world.

It's clearly a rabbit that only bites people!

A voice mocking Shen Xiuying came from the side, "She talks bad about people behind their backs, but she thinks that others don't know. It's really funny. She really thinks that everyone is as stupid as her father who favors his concubine and kills his wife."

Her origin is an unspeakable pain in Shen Yingying's heart.

She stood up suddenly, but was unable to refute anything. She felt so angry that she couldn't vent it. She was extremely jealous and her face turned purple.

The green coat she was wearing made her look extremely ugly, which caused her to laugh at herself a few more times.

Shen Xiuying was so angry that her eyes turned red, and she looked at Jiang Rao with resentment.

She turned and left the banquet with an angry look on her back.

Ming Shao said to Jiang Rao in a low voice: "Girl, that person seems to be...crying in anger."

Jiang Rao peeled the lychees slowly, not even looking at her back, and said calmly, "If you are angry, then cry."

Not sad at all.

Just from Shen Xiuying's words that she was a girl from the country, it was enough to show her malice towards her.

She had never met her and had no hatred or grudge against her, so she really didn't know where the malice came from.

In this world, the only people who can make her tolerate even if they do something wrong are her parents.

Just the malice from Shen Xiuying that came from nowhere was enough for her to be extremely wary of her.

But the other party pretended to say nothing and came over to show his goodwill to her, trying to get closer to her?

Oh, I really put my face in her hands and let her hit me.

If we don't fight, we will be letting down the other party who has taken so much trouble to come here.

There are many people in the circle of noble ladies in Jinling, and as expected, there are many disputes and disputes.

Jiang Rao threw the newly peeled lychee shell aside, waved her hand quietly, asked Ming Shao to lean over and whispered to her, "Find someone to find out who that girl was just now. Find out if there is any dispute between her family and the Jiang family."

Otherwise, she really couldn't figure out where the other party's malice came from.

The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, which makes people feel a little uneasy.

…

Xiaochongshan is a secluded and spacious pavilion behind the Hundred Flowers Garden.

When Jiang Rao came out, Rong Ting was already waiting.

She entered the pavilion. Ming Shao and the eunuch beside Rong Ting were guarding outside the pavilion.

Jiang Rao glanced at the little eunuch.

Seeing that he was taller, she guessed that he was Huai Qing, the daughter of the two little eunuchs that the palace maid had told her about.

The palace maid aunt found out the backgrounds of the two eunuchs and found that they both had clean backgrounds. However, she also told her that Huai Qing was a bit dull, while Si Ying was much smarter.

It doesn't hurt to have an honest or clever servant. As long as they have no ulterior motives and are placed in the right position, they can play the greatest role.

Rong Ting saw Jiang Rao turn his gaze away and look at Huai Qing.

His expression remained calm, but his heart was a little heavy.

I don't want to see her go to see other people's scenes.

That day, after knowing that the drunken night was not a dream, he stayed in Shouhuai Palace, waiting for her to come to him.

But for several days, no one was seen.

Thinking about the slap she gave him at the end of that night.

She might be angry.

He was too impatient.

Being drunk, he thought it was a dream and acted without restraining his temper at all.

It’s scary to think about it. If there really were shackles at that time, who knows, she might have been locked up.

She was angry for many days just because she was bitten.

If she really allowed the barbaric acts that hid in the darkness in his heart to come out, she would probably be pushed thousands of miles away.

Rong Ting glanced at her lips carefully.

There were bite marks on the tip of the lips, and the lips were as red as cherries.

The sweetness and softness he had tasted before made his heart itch slightly.

No rush. He lowered his eyelashes.

In a pleading tone

Said: "Niannian, I will not drink anymore."

Jiang Rao shifted her gaze from Huai Qing back to Rong Ting, and snorted, "You should take medicine instead, and not drink a drop of alcohol."

“Yeah.” Rong Ting agreed.

Seeing that she had no intention of mentioning what happened that night, his heart sank.

Take the initiative to mention, "I was drunk that night, did I... do anything inappropriate?"

The look was sincere and guilty.

Jiang Rao seemed to be disconnected when she heard his tone. She thought about it and realized that she had already slapped him, the hatred had been made, and the grudge had been avenged. So she decided not to bother with him about the inhuman things he did when he was drunk.

"You are very honest." She said firmly.

Rong Ting was speechless for a moment.

Just passing it over with just this one sentence?

He waited for her to take the initiative to claim his responsibility...

After a while, he smiled helplessly, "That's good."

It turns out that you can't be too hasty.

"Why did you let others talk about you at the banquet just now? Why didn't you refute them when they said you were a scoundrel?"

He just endured the beatings and scolding without saying a word.

"If someone thinks you have bad character, then no matter what you do, they will think you are a bad person." Rong Ting said sadly, "It is better to just let them misunderstand you."

"Besides, if you act too friendly with me, it will bring you trouble. It's better to let them think that I am trying to curry favor with you."

The reputation is already bad enough, and it won’t matter if it gets any worse.

It was worth it to throw all the dirty water on him so that she wouldn't suffer the slightest bit of injustice.

Jiang Rao lowered her head in thought.

She wanted to hold on to his golden thigh.

But I also know that there is no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world.

If you want to travel with him, you will have to become enemies with some other people.

She had thought it through long ago.

The dream told her that her choice would not be wrong.

She said firmly: "But if others see that I am on good terms with you, you will be bullied less."

As it is now, the kittens and puppies are living better than him. They are so pitiful, it's really heartbreaking.

Rong Ting raised his eyes.

He looked at her deeply.

"If you decide to help me, you will be the enemy of the Queen."

He paused, suppressed the pleading and pitiful look on his face, and asked with a sullen face, "Aren't you afraid?"