Ning Hong leaned back on the chaise lounge, her eyes fixed on the book in her hands.

Hearing Zhao Qingqi's words, she finally looked away and turned her attention to his face.

"Princess Shangyin sent you as an intermediary? What is your relationship with her?"

"It's not that great. To be honest, this is the first time she's ever come to see me in all my life," Zhao Qingqi chuckled. "Otherwise, I wouldn't even know what she looks like."

"You are the Empress's legitimate son, the future ruler, and she doesn't even try to please you?"

"She admired Consort Hui's son more."

"That's true. Consort Hui's son is indeed more outstanding than you." If it weren't for Zhao Qingqi's protagonist aura, to be honest, he would be the weakest of the four princes.

But at the same time, he is also the most soft-hearted one.

"Hey, I'm telling you, you should at least give me some face."

Zhao Qingqi puffed out his cheeks in displeasure.

"To be honest, you may also have some strengths that he doesn't."

"For example?"

Are you dumber than him? More naive than him?

"Enough! Where is your praise? You're clearly just playing with me!" How could he possibly expect Ning Hongze to say anything nice?

Ning Hong chuckled softly. In truth, he was telling the truth. It was just that this person didn't believe him.

However, a shadow crossed Ning Hongze's eyes when she thought of Shang Yin.

“My mother said that my adopted aunt is no good, and she told me to stay away from her.”

“Indeed, your mother is right. This woman is ruthless. You can’t outmaneuver her, at least not now.”

Fortunately, he now holds a prestigious position as the Crown Prince, so even if Shang Yin has ideas, he will have to think twice.

However, in this lifetime, he didn't want her to die so easily; at the very least, he wanted her to die in regret and pain.

Ning Hong thought to herself silently.

"Hey, I heard you're looking for someone?"

"Yes." It wasn't a secret that he was looking for someone.

On the contrary, many people helped him find people in order to curry favor with him.

"Is he your enemy? Or your relative?" Zhao Qingqi asked, leaning closer.

"Your Highness is so curious about me?"

Ning Hong then reached out and pinched his face.

"Don't pinch my cheeks, they've gotten bigger." Zhao Qingqi slapped his hand away and rubbed his own face.

That damned eunuch, he never holds back when he strikes.

Without even looking in a mirror, I know my face is probably bright red.

Seeing Zhao Qingqi rubbing his face in grievance, for a moment, he strangely overlapped with Acha.

"My God, no way!" Ning Hong suddenly jumped up.

"Your Excellency, what's wrong with you?" Zhao Qingqi tilted his head and looked at him.

"Hey, are you sure you don't have a nickname?" Ning Hong clutched her wildly beating chest, her feelings a mix of emotions.

If he really is Acha, is the plan for their lives to be a love-hate relationship?

He glanced down at his crotch. Well, it was still a sadomasochistic relationship.

"Your Excellency, you seem a bit strange. I don't think I have a nickname." Zhao Qingqi shook his head. "Oh, right, back then, my maternal grandfather used to call me Acha, does that count?"

My maternal grandfather loved drinking tea. He once stayed at the Jiang family's house for a while, and to avoid suspicion, he casually named the tea house "Jiang Tea".

"Just because my grandpa likes to drink tea, I became Acha (tea drinker). If my grandpa liked to drink alcohol, wouldn't I become Ajiu (alcohol drinker)?"

Zhao Qingqi found it rather amusing.

As he laughed, Zhao Qingqi couldn't help but feel sad again. "It's a pity that Grandpa passed away last year."

If you were to ask who in the world doted on him the most, it would undoubtedly be his maternal grandfather.

"Now my uncle is in charge of the Jiang family, and he's really fierce."

After Zhao Qingqi finished speaking, he noticed that Ning Hong remained silent, so he couldn't help but look up at her. "Your Excellency, why does your expression look so strange?"

Ning Hong wiped her face, concealing the complex and conflicted emotions in her heart.

Damn it, given his situation and Zhao Qingqi's situation, it seems they're destined to be apart in this lifetime.

"Nine thousand years old?"

"It's alright, you can continue reading your book."

Ning Hong walked slowly out of the room with her hands behind her back, leaving Zhao Qingqi completely bewildered.

Did he do something wrong?

That's not right. If we're talking about the Ninth Prince's personality, if he makes a mistake, he'll probably ridicule him until he doubts his existence.

Forget it, eunuchs are always weird and eccentric, let him be. He'll just finish reading this book first.

However, Ning Hongze is Ning Hongze after all. After being sad for a day, she returned to normal the next day.

He then brought a lot more books for Zhao Qingqi, urging him to familiarize himself with them as quickly as possible.

Shang Yin's plan naturally failed.

Ning Hong had already intended to dash her hopes little by little, so why would she give her any chance?

He directly promoted Consort Hui's people to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

This person is a relative of Consort Hui.

However, he was a man of the Crown Prince and valued legitimacy the most.

After all, his father favored his concubine over his wife, and not a single member of his family was willing to step forward to help them.

He is still able to stand here thanks to the help of his classmate Jiang Yuhua.

Of course, Consort Hui's own family wasn't fully aware of these intricacies, and Shang Yin was even less so. She only knew that the position she wanted had been snatched away by Consort Hui's people. This inevitably created a rift between her and Consort Hui.

"Tell me, what does he mean by this?" Consort Hui picked up a grape, and with her slender fingers, peeled off the skin little by little, revealing the crystal-clear flesh inside.

She swallowed it in one gulp, then took a handkerchief and wiped her fingers.

Every move she makes exudes charm and allure.

The two eunuchs standing nearby were practically stunned.

"I'm afraid they're just captivated by the Empress's charm and want to curry favor with her."

Consort Hui is a natural beauty; just a few glances at her makes one's heart race.

"Yeah?"

Consort Hui's face suddenly turned cold. If that damned eunuch were really bewitched by her, that would be good, but clearly, that wasn't the case.

Last month, she summoned Ning Hongze to Huining Palace.

She used every ounce of her power to seduce him.

She even allowed him to leave marks on her delicate skin.

But at that moment, the dead eunuch just chuckled, pulled up the curtain, and wrapped her up.

She had no doubt that if this were his house, he would throw her out the next moment.

That guy is crazy.

But unfortunately, he was an extremely powerful and madman, someone she couldn't afford to offend.

·······

"Shang Yin, did you go and tell them?"

"I told you, I don't quite understand why this official position fell to someone else." In a corner private room of the largest restaurant in the capital, Princess Shangyin was embracing Liu Zhishan.

After the two men had poured out their hearts to each other for a while, Liu Zhishan finally spoke up and asked a question.