Chapter 399 Relief

He said, "I shouldn't have left you to see someone I shouldn't care about. I was wrong, so I apologize."

“Ruan Ruan shouldn’t have used this as an excuse to put His Highness in a difficult position. Ruan Ruan was wrong too,” she added.

“Actually, I went to apologize, but I turned my back and left. I was wrong too.” He continued, “In the end, wasn’t she just saying those things because she cared about him?”

The next second, the couple laughed together again.

Xie Shang pulled her hand into his palm and said, "If I were an ordinary man, I could be just as loyal to Ruan Ruan. If someone disrespects you, I will have my own way of punishing them. From now on, I will never let anyone give Ruan Ruan a hard time again."

Jiang Fenghua had never made such a demand of him to be devoted to her; his status did not allow him to be completely loyal.

Jiang Fenghua smiled, indicating her understanding, and nestled into his arms. "It's enough that my husband has Ruan Ruan in his heart." If she wanted to prevent her from being bullied, she needed to hold enough power. The palace rules and regulations were strict, and she couldn't afford to make a single mistake.

No woman in the harem could surpass the Empress.

"You haven't eaten all day, Ruan Ruan must be hungry!"

"How did Your Highness know that I haven't eaten all day?" She really hadn't eaten. It wasn't that she was deliberately abusing her body; she would never do such a thing. She genuinely hadn't had time to eat, and besides, she was waiting to eat with Xie Shang.

"Knowing that you have left the palace, I naturally wanted to find out the details, so I arranged a boat to invite Ruan Ruan to have dinner together and take you sightseeing."

He removed the veil from her face, revealing a stunningly beautiful face with crescent-shaped eyebrows and eyes. "I have never seen Ruan Ruan wear this before."

She smiled. "Does it look good?"

"You look good in anything, Ruan Ruan looks good in anything." He added, "The white dress suits you very well."

“Your Highness looks good in this mask too, so handsome!” She took off his mask and put it on her own face, smiling as she said, “I can also use it to punish evil and promote good.”

Xie Shang stared blankly at Jiang Fenghua, lost in thought. The figure in his mind seemed so close, blurry yet suddenly taking shape. "Ruan Ruan, did you ever go to the palace when you were little?"

Jiang Fenghua was stunned. "Ah!" What did he mean? She had just coaxed him, and now he was going to cause trouble again? If he found out that she had been scheming against him since she was very young, would he also banish her to the cold palace and brand her with the word "slave" on her face? The Jiang family would be finished.

She smiled and said, "No, I went to my maternal grandparents' house when I was very young and rarely returned to the capital. So even though my father was an official, I didn't know many young ladies from prominent families in the capital, and I didn't have any close friends." These things could be verified, so she wasn't lying. "Your Highness... why do you ask such a question?"

Xie Shang snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes full of affection. "If I have the chance, I would also like to meet Ruan Ruan's maternal grandparents. I want to thank them for raising my Ruan Ruan so well."

Jiang Fenghua was practically the wife that the Jiang family and her maternal grandparents had specially groomed for him, making him irresistibly fond of her.

"Your Highness, don't you think I am who I am? Even without their training, I would still look the same. If you want to thank someone, you should thank my mother. She gave birth to me and made me so beautiful."

Jiang Fenghua joked, "My mother was quite pleased with herself for this. My maternal uncles and aunts doted on me. I was like a favored child of heaven. They all liked me. My maternal grandparents even have a portrait of me when I was a child. They think it's because the Feng family members are good-looking, so it's only natural that His Highness likes me, isn't it?"

Xie Shang was amused by her, "I think I am the best looking. When I was a child, my mother was always proud of me and would show me off everywhere. My father often argued with my mother and would always bring up my appearance. My father would always lose the argument."

"Was Your Highness really handsome when you were little?" I've seen him; he was a cowardly, weak-willed crybaby.

"If you don't believe me, I have a portrait as proof. There are portraits in the palace. I'll show them to you when we get back." Xie Shang proved he wasn't lying, like a child. "Does Ruan Ruan think your husband isn't handsome?"

Jiang Fenghua quickly said, "So handsome! So handsome! The most handsome man in the world! No wonder everyone loves my husband. I want to hide him away. I love such a handsome husband so much!"

She pressed her entire body against him, whispering sweet nothings to him.

Xie Shang said, "Actually, I haven't gotten to know any young masters from prominent families. I don't like associating with them. In this respect, Ruan Ruan and I share the same interests."

He added, “Don’t think that just because I’m a prince, the emperor’s son, I actually had a worse childhood than those noble sons. Back then, my father never liked me, and you know why – it was because of my mother.”

Jiang Fenghua felt the same way, "From now on, Your Highness will have Ruan Ruan by your side for the rest of your life. Your Highness will never be lonely again, and there will always be someone who loves Your Highness, because Ruan Ruan loves Your Highness!"

Just then, someone's stomach growled, and Jiang Fenghua lay on top of him, saying, "I'm hungry."

Immediately afterwards, he gave a deep order, and servants brought up fresh food. Jiang Fenghua glanced at it and knew that it was all freshly made. It was not surprising that such a large ship had a kitchen and fresh ingredients.

Xie Shang said, "These are all foods that Ruan Ruan likes to eat."

He knew that Jiang Fenghua was particular about food, so he paid special attention to her eating habits.

Jiang Fenghua ate very slowly and carefully; thankfully, she didn't get seasick.

The boat was moving very slowly. She glanced out quietly and saw that it was quiet outside, far from the hustle and bustle, and exceptionally peaceful.

"Where are we going?" Jiang Fenghua asked.

"Now that we're out here, I'll show you the landscape of our Great Zhou." After the meal, Xie Shang led her to the deck of the ship's cabin.

A night breeze blew by, making her shiver. Xie Shang had someone bring a cloak and draped it over her shoulders. "Are you still cold?"

"It's not cold anymore." Jiang Fenghua had never taken a boat trip at night before. "Aren't we no longer at Hundred Flowers Lake?"

"I guess it's still there. The waterway and the land route are different, and the journey is also different."

Jiang Fenghua saw soldiers climbing onto the roof of the ship, seemingly sending some kind of signal. She asked, "What are they doing?"

“Send a signal.” He pointed in a direction. “Once the other side receives the signal, someone will respond, proving that it is safe to pass.”

Jiang Fenghua knew this. Just like the Feng Family Escort Agency, if they were to use waterways, they would have to report to the water transport officials, and even pay taxes or protection fees. More often than not, they would also receive some kickbacks.

"My husband studies so much every day and knows everything. He's amazing!"

"Ruan Ruan is also very capable."

“I’m just a theorist; I’m not as good as my husband.”

She looked at him with admiration; Xie Shang had indeed not wasted his time indulging in pleasure.

That night, they talked a lot, about Xie Shang's dreams and many of his ideas; it was as if they had opened their hearts to each other.

He asked Jiang Fenghua what her dreams were.

Jiang Fenghua said she wanted to establish a girls' school, a girls' school on the same scale as the Imperial Academy, where girls could learn real knowledge. Women don't become officials, so what would they do with their education? She hadn't thought about it, but she figured that what they learned would always be useful.

Although there were girls' schools in the Imperial Academy, they were only for cultivating the character of the daughters of high-ranking officials and nobles. They were not real schools at all. They were just like adding a layer of gold to the daughters of noble families. Girls' schools were meaningless if they went there to marry a good husband.

Many women in history have been very capable and have achieved great things. Anyone who says that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent is talking nonsense.

Some women learn better than men.

Xie Shang had heard her say this before, but he always just laughed it off. He never imagined that this was how she described the young ladies from prominent families in the capital.

It's a good thing she didn't grow up in Shengjing, otherwise, if she had gone to study at the Imperial Academy, wouldn't she have outshone all the men there?

I wonder if his mother would still choose her to marry him back then. In that case, he should thank his mother.