Chapter 29 Consort Su Invites Her to the Flower Viewing Festival

In her previous life, Jiang Fenghua had never been bowed to by Xie Shang because she was disliked by him, and the servants in the mansion made things difficult for her. In this life, Xie Shang had just come out of her room last night, and everyone had seen it, so naturally they treated her with great respect.

"Consort Su, there's no need for such formalities. We're all family now, please have a seat." She instructed in a deep voice, "Hongxiu, serve Consort Su tea."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Su Tingwan sat down gracefully and said, "I was too impulsive yesterday, I'm sorry."

Jiang Fenghua smiled gently, like a spring breeze in March. "The prince has already explained to me that Consort Su grew up on the frontier, is straightforward, honest, and kind-hearted. How could I possibly hold a grudge against you? It's all in the past."

A Shang apologized on her behalf, and Su Tingwan felt sad. Jiang Fenghua was so gentle that she felt weak and powerless. She thought A Shang wouldn't like such a delicate woman, but she was wrong. A Shang would be attracted to Jiang Fenghua just as much.

She really wishes she could turn back time; she would never have lost her temper, and she would never have given them a chance to be alone.

She glanced at Aunt Yunfang and said respectfully, "Yes, I understand."

Jiang Fenghua chatted gently with Su Tingwan.

Over here, Yunfang stood respectfully to the side. Jiang Fenghua remembered that she served by the side of Consort Su and would be leaving the palace in two years. In her previous life, Yunfang also came not long after Su Tingwan entered the Heng Prince's Mansion. Later, Su Tingwan changed her personality.

With Yunfang's guidance and help, Su Tingwan quickly gained a foothold in the Prince Heng's mansion. No matter how well Jiang Fenghua did, she could not win Xie Shang's favor, partly due to Yunfang's influence.

She was beautiful and only twenty-three years old, the prime of her life. However, two years later, Yunfang could have been freed to leave the palace and marry, but she chose to stay by Su Tingwan's side.

At that time, Xie Shang was already the Crown Prince, and Yun Fang actually climbed into the Crown Prince's bed and was barely granted the title of Lady Fang. She probably wanted to have Xie Shang's child in order to gain an opportunity, but unfortunately she never got pregnant.

She later entered the palace and became a concubine. After that, she died. No one knows how she died; everyone says she jumped into a well.

Only Jiang Fenghua knew that she had been thrown into a well, and the people behind her murder were naturally her mistress, Consort Su, and Su Tingwan.

In this life, she looked at the person before her and felt only irony.

Jiang Fenghua suddenly said, "Aunt Yunfang is very beautiful. If she dressed up, she would really be a stunning beauty."

Su Tingwan looked up at her. She had an oval face and willow-leaf eyebrows, and was indeed quite pretty. However, there was a scar on her forehead, which rendered even a beauty useless.

Yunfang said respectfully, "Your Highness is too kind. My makeup is really not suitable for formal occasions."

She brushed the hair aside, revealing the scar to Jiang Fenghua.

Jiang Fenghua didn't expose her, her expression indifferent, and she stopped talking about the topic.

At this moment, Su Tingwan smiled broadly, "Tomorrow is the annual flower viewing festival in Shengjing City. If Your Highness has nothing else to do, why don't we go boating on the lake and enjoy the flowers together? I imagine Your Highness is also a lover of flowers and will be very interested. I grew up in the border region and have seen nothing but sandstorms. I've been in Shengjing for three years now, and Your Highness has accompanied me to the flower viewing festival every year. It's really quite interesting."

Jiang Fenghua asked, "Your Highness accompanies Consort Su every year, it's inconvenient for me to go too! Let's forget about it."

Su Tingwan naturally didn't want her to come along; she was so beautiful, the prince would definitely be seduced by her again. But Aunt Yunfang told her to invite Jiang Fenghua along.

"How could it be inconvenient? If Your Highness doesn't go, it means you're still angry with me." She added, "Your Highness is from Shengjing, so you must be more familiar with the flower viewing festival than I am!"

Jiang Fenghua looked somewhat troubled. "In previous years, my older brother always accompanied me. There were too many people, and I didn't really like it."

Su Tingwan said, "Besides admiring flowers, there's also a flower-fighting competition, which is very interesting. His Highness may be busy with official duties these days, so he may not have time to accompany me to admire flowers this year."

"Alright then!" Jiang Fenghua reluctantly nodded in agreement, wanting to see what tricks they were up to.

She was originally going to the flower viewing party, but now that Su Tingwan had suddenly invited her, she could use her as a cover.

She has attended flower viewing parties in previous years, but she never goes out as a woman.

-

Today is the annual flower viewing party. When Jiang Fenghua came out, she saw that Su Tingwan had changed into a red outfit and her hair was tied up high. At first glance, she looked quite heroic.

Jiang Fenghua thought: She wasn't particularly stunning, but she was still a beauty. Xie Shang probably liked her because of her forthright and generous temperament. If she lost even that, what would Xie Shang like about her?

Su Tingwan came out early, leading a chestnut horse, and bowed to Jiang Fenghua, saying, "Your Highness."

Jiang Fenghua wore a light pink dress with a matching bow tied around her waist. Her face was veiled, and her bright eyes were as clear as autumn water, containing innocence and gentleness. "Is Consort Su going boating to admire the flowers?"

She looked at the horse next to her, somewhat confused.

“I’m used to it, I feel more comfortable dressed like this. This horse is named Hongdou, and I brought it back from the border. I’ll take it to see the world.” Su Tingwan was wearing the same outfit she wore when she first met Xie Shang three years ago.

Aunt Yunfang asked her if she had any unforgettable experiences with the Prince. She thought about many things, but only their first meeting was particularly memorable; she vividly remembered the infatuation that flashed in his eyes. Aunt Yunfang said this trick was especially effective because Consort Su had also used it on the Emperor.

Jiang Fenghua didn't say much. Hongxiu helped her up the low stool and slowly boarded the carriage. She was very careful with every step she took. Her delicate appearance made it seem as if she would cry if she stepped on an ant.

-

Meanwhile, Xie Shang had been busy with Yang Jing's case and hadn't returned to the palace for two days. He was searching for the murderer who killed Yang Jing. The coroner dissected the body and found that he had been drugged before his death. Some of the whip marks were from before his death, while others were from after. The murderer had also cut off his genitals without hesitation.

Such a brutal killing method might be revenge by the victim's family. After reading it, Xie Shang could only sigh, thinking how ruthless the murderer was.

He deduced that it was a gang crime, and that it was premeditated and had sophisticated methods. It was impossible for an ordinary person to intercept and kill the Minister of Justice without leaving a trace. Furthermore, he was able to find out so quickly that Yang Jing had harmed more than a hundred girls, and that the evidence was found during a search of Yang's residence.

As the Minister of Justice, Yang Jing had already destroyed the body and covered up the evidence after committing the crime. It was impossible for him to compile such accurate data now. He deduced that the murderer did it intentionally.

At this moment, Lin Feng rushed over, "Something has happened to the Prince."