Chapter 270 The lotus lantern given as a gift broke Su Tingwan's defenses.

Xie Shang glanced at the vermilion gate. The plaque had changed from "Prince Heng's Residence" to "Crown Prince's Residence," but everything else remained the same.

He took Jiang Fenghua's hand and walked forward, "Ruan Ruan, do you still remember this plan number?"

Jiang Fenghua smiled, "Of course I remember. This was established when the Crown Prince was the Prefect of Jingzhao. At that time, His Highness redressed many grievances for the people. His Highness was a brilliant judge, and the people praised him highly."

Xie Shang said, "This idea was actually suggested by the Crown Princess. Back then, I was so busy taking on cases that I didn't have a moment's rest. I really miss those days sitting in court!"

Jiang Fenghua blinked. "Isn't it all to give you more things to do, so you and Su Tingwan won't be so busy being all lovey-dovey? I've put a lot of thought into breaking them up."

When men get busy, they tend to forget about women. When women are too idle, they feel lonely and start causing trouble, like Su Tingwan.

She feigned agreement, "Your Highness will still be sitting in the courtroom, just in a different place. You'll be busier and more revered by thousands."

Xie Shang thought about it and realized it was true; he was indeed very busy right now.

Butler Cheng came over and said, "Should this table be removed? No one lives here anymore. But Your Highness, don't worry, this old servant will keep it in good condition. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess can come here for a short stay whenever they want to leave the palace."

"I will not withdraw, and I will continue with the old system. Although I have entered the palace, I can still listen to the people's voices. Steward Cheng will regularly organize documents and send them to the palace, and I will take the time to review them."

"Yes," Butler Cheng replied respectfully.

Xie Shang then pulled her into the Heng Prince's mansion, heading towards Lan Yue Pavilion. Jiang Fenghua's fingers were held in his palm as she looked at the man who was decisive and ruthless in the court. When he was clingy, he was like a child.

If Xie Shang had clung to her like this in her past life, she would have been head over heels in love with him. Unfortunately, no matter how much he loves her in this life, she will never love him back.

What would he do if he knew that from the beginning he loved Jiang Fenghua, who was all pretense and full of scheming?

Xie Shang led her to Lan Yue Pavilion, a childlike smile on his face. "Ruan Ruan, have you forgotten that there's something you haven't given me yet?"

Jiang Fenghua was stunned. Was there something she hadn't given him yet? What was it?

Oh no, what does Xie Shang want?

She stared at Xie Shang's face with her big, clear eyes and said evasively, "Of course I remember, but during my more than one month of postpartum confinement, I also..." She was busy conditioning her body and exercising every day, making sure to get her body back to its pre-pregnancy state within a month.

"I know Ruan Ruan has been recuperating. Now, before you enter the palace, give me my birthday gift!" He spread his hands towards her.

Jiang Fenghua thought he had forgotten, but in fact she was the one who was really busy and forgot. However, she had prepared it before her birthday, so even if she forgot, she could just make up an excuse.

She took his hand and led him to the lotus pond in the backyard. It was the height of summer, and the lush green lotus leaves covered the pond, with flower buds about to bloom. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Xie Shang asked, "Are these lotus flowers the gift Ruan Ruan gave me?" He seemed somewhat disappointed.

Jiang Fenghua smiled, and His Highness closed his eyes.

Xie Shang obediently listened to her.

Soon, Jiang Fenghua produced an exquisite lotus lamp from somewhere. "Your Highness, you may open your eyes now."

When Xie Shang opened his eyes, he saw a lotus lantern in front of him that was so exquisite that it was beyond words. The lantern was shaped like a blooming lotus flower, with a delicate and beautiful pink color, and various blessings were written on the petals.

Jiang Fenghua did something again, and the lotus lantern transformed into a fresh and adorable peach shape.

What's ingenious is that the scattered blessings from before, when put together, transformed into individual characters for "longevity," not written with a pen, but embroidered stitch by stitch with silk thread, demonstrating the ingenuity of the embroiderer and the exquisite craftsmanship.

Jiang Fenghua slowly unfolded the longevity peach, revealing a delicate lotus flower that seemed to be in full bloom. It was exquisite and ingenious. "It can not only be made into a lotus lantern, but also into a lantern. However, it is not very practical. If it is at night, I can light it and make a wish with Your Highness. I wish Your Highness good health and longevity every year."

Xie Shang felt it was particularly meaningful and thoughtful; it must have taken a lot of effort to make. He hugged her tightly. "Ruan Ruan, thank you. It must have taken you a lot of time to prepare this birthday gift for me! This is the most thoughtful gift I have ever received. I will take it back to the palace and keep it safe."

Jiang Fenghua didn't actually put any effort into it; this was something she had painstakingly developed in her previous life, and it was indeed prepared just for him.

Praying for him with lotus lanterns was the most important thing in her heart, and this was the only way she could send him her blessings.

She raised silkworms and spun silk by hand, and personally wove and dyed exquisite silk threads. She passed the time by stitching, embroidering various ornaments and clothes for her children, and making birthday gifts for the person who never cared about her.

It's ironic that he's so happy to receive such a gift for the first time.

If he had known about the existence of lotus lanterns in his previous life, he would have wanted to crush them and throw them away, and he wouldn't have given them a second glance.

Unfortunately, although she designed the lotus lantern in this life, she did not embroider it herself. She only made a few stitches; the rest was embroidered with the help of Hongxiu and Granny Xu.

In her previous life, she didn't even last two years. Ever since Lianye was killed by them, she never made lotus lanterns for him again, nor did she ever secretly celebrate his birthday. In fact, she gave up on him from that time on, and gradually, she stopped hoping for that ethereal love.

At this moment, Jiang Fenghua saw Su Tingwan hiding in the distance. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She smiled, put her arms around Xie Shang's neck, and kissed his cheek. "This is my second birthday gift to my husband."

Xie Shang was aroused by her teasing and couldn't resist. He hadn't touched her for almost a year. He hugged her slender waist and kissed her lips passionately. Jiang Fenghua responded to him, which made him very happy.

At this moment, Jiang Fenghua shyly pushed Xie Shang away and whispered in his ear, "Husband, someone is coming."

"The mansion has been emptied out, who's here?" Xie Shang persisted, determined to continue.

Jiang Fenghua said softly, "It's Consort Su." She wanted to test how much Su Tingwan knew about her past life.

Xie Shang stopped and caught sight of that figure again. His eyes were cold and devoid of any affection.

At the same time, Su Tingwan quietly followed them in. Jiang Fenghua was shamelessly seducing Xie Shang in broad daylight.

She was completely stunned when she saw Jiang Fenghua take the lotus lantern out of the crack in the artificial hill.

Isn't this the lamp from her dream? The exact same lotus lamp, the exact same design. In her dream, Jiang Fenghua made this kind of lamp for Xie Shang every year. Why did her dream become reality?

Jiang Fenghua really did give birth to a son and a daughter. The girl was named Yan'er, and the boy in her dream was named Nanfeng. Now the emperor has bestowed upon him the name Hongyou.

Now she has made another lotus lantern with the character for longevity on it, exactly the same as the one in her dream...

what is going on?