Chapter 124 The Prince's Newly Acquired Concubine

"careful!"

Yao Shisan was startled by Xiao Shu. If Zhou Congxian hadn't been behind her, she would have fallen flat on her face!

Once she was standing still, Xiao Shu withdrew his hand that had been hovering in the air.

Zhou Congxian looked at Xiao Shu in front of him, his eyes full of wariness.

"His Highness Prince Cheng has only recruited a little over ten thousand vassal soldiers, whose numbers are almost equal to those of the Prince of Han in Linzhou. The affairs in the camp must be very busy, yet he still has the leisure to come to Ding County for sightseeing."

Xiao Shu was a man of deep thoughts. Without taking a single soldier out of the capital, he managed to win over a large number of vassal troops in just over half a year.

They must have found out that the Jiang siblings are descendants of the Meng family.

He then set his sights on the Meng family's Northwest Camp.

He gritted his teeth; a mere vassal king dared to dream of an army of two hundred thousand!

Xiao Shu did not miss the wariness in Zhou Congxian's eyes, and smiled.

"Lord Zhou seems to have a great deal of opinion against me."

Zhou Congxian's eyes narrowed slightly. "Your Highness is overthinking it. I was ordered to stay and guard Ding County, but there are many people and things going on in the county. I'm afraid it might disturb Your Highness's carriage."

"Oh, there's a beauty waiting in the carriage." He glanced outside. "She must be a newly acquired concubine of the Prince's mansion. It wouldn't be good to offend her."

Wen Xi has entered the manor?

Yao Shisan was surprised for a moment. She had always thought that Wen Xi, like her, would break through the shackles of convention for her own desires and thoughts.

Unexpectedly, now that she has left the capital, Wen Xi has entered the Prince Cheng's mansion.

Xiao Shu's expression remained unchanged; he merely smiled and said, "Noble? In my eyes, you are nothing more than a lowly concubine."

“From the moment she voluntarily entered the manor, her past value became worthless.”

Yao Shisan frowned slightly. "Your Highness is mistaken. Wen Xihuai is talented. Regardless of whether she is one of Your Highness's people or not, her past cannot be erased."

Xiao Shu's gaze fell on Yao Shisan. "Yao'er seems to pity her a lot. If you like her, I'll give her to you."

Wenxi knelt upright on the carriage, the half-open door revealing her entire body.

Anyone passing by could see the woman in the carriage, dressed in fine clothes, yet kneeling obsequiously to serve him.

She lowered her eyes and waited quietly, unaware that she had already become an object that could be transferred at will through a few words from others.

"The county government office is old and cramped. It would be more appropriate for Your Highness's beauty to stay in the Prince Cheng's residence."

Zhou Congxian refused before Yao Shisan could speak.

He knew she was soft-hearted; by then, the Dingxian County government office would have to become a charity hall.

Yao Shisan glanced at Zhou Congxian, who was blocking her way, and realized that he had already spoken, so she said nothing more.

Xiao Shu said, "I'm just glad that when Yao'er was in the palace, Wenxi always served her. If she likes her, she's just a servant girl, and I'm happy to give her up."

One sentence, one bite, Yao'er.

He raised his chin slightly and glanced at Zhou Congxian's face.

The provocation was obvious.

Zhou Congxian slightly lifted his eyelids, his face calm and composed, but his eyes seemed to be filled with frost.

Xiao Shutian's natural status gave him an advantage. Seeing Zhou Congxian's angry but unable-to-speak expression, his smile widened.

Suddenly, a faint sound came from behind.

Zhou Congxian's ears twitched, and then he glanced discreetly at the roof beam directly above the two of them.

A hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. "This humble official believes that Your Highness would be much safer staying at the Prince Cheng's residence."

Upon hearing this seemingly random remark, Xiao Shu frowned.

Then a wisp of dust fell from above.

The next moment, a loud "crack" rang out!

Zhou Congxian had already grabbed Yao Shisan and leaped out of the corridor!

With a loud crash, the dilapidated corridor collapsed!

"Your Highness!"

Xiao Shu's accompanying guards ran as fast as they could, but were still hit on the forehead by a shard of debris.

Yao Shisan stared palely at the collapsed eaves, "No one can live here anymore!"

The people inside the house were startled out by the loud noise.

Little Fatty, who was sleeping, was also frightened and burst into tears.

Everyone withdrew from the county government office.

Jiang Xingyao looked around. "Is anyone injured?"

Everyone looked around at the people next to them, and they were all frightened, but thankfully no one was injured.

Xiao Shu, sitting in the Prince of Cheng's carriage, had a dark and gloomy expression.

Wen Xi dared not breathe loudly and carefully treated the wound on his forehead.

People outside the car breathed a sigh of relief; no one was injured.

Everyone overlooked Xiao Shu, who was treating his wounds in the carriage.

Jiang Xingyao looked at the dilapidated county government office and frowned. "It will probably take more than a month to get approval from the Ministry of Works."

Zhou Congxian smiled and said, "Lord Jiang, there is no need to be anxious. The officials from the Ministry of Works will arrive soon. Just let them conduct the on-site survey and issue their instructions."

"With them watching with their own eyes, we have no fear of neglecting this project under any pretext."

Jiang Xingyao glanced at his sister, who had a family to support, and said, "It's alright. I've saved up some money, and we'll rent a house later."

"No need, I've rented a house, a three-courtyard house, it's spacious enough, you can stay there."

Zhou Congxian's gaze swept over Yao Shisan before turning to Jiang Xingyao.

Jiang Xingyao's focus, however, was elsewhere. "You have a house, why are you still loitering here?"

Zhou Congxian didn't feel embarrassed at all. "What's the point of an empty house? It's naturally better to live together."

Yao Shisan rolled his eyes at him. "Who wants your house? We'll rent one ourselves."

He joked, "Why distinguish between you, me, and him? It's very spacious there, perfect for Fu'er and Xiuzhou to play together. And when Xiao Pangxi starts running around, he'll have fun too."

Before she could say anything more, he turned around and ordered several constables to quickly retrieve all the important items before the house collapsed!

The group dispersed again, each busy with their own tasks.

Xiao Shu's carriage remained in the same spot.

His hands, resting on his knees, were clenched into fists, and his face was icy cold.

He was used to sycophants and disdained the friendships of such lowly people.

But ever since he met the Jiang siblings, he couldn't help but subconsciously get closer to them.

Yet, neither of them showed the slightest sycophancy towards those in power.

He had to personally visit each time.

In the end, I still felt like an outsider, unable to get in.

Wenxi squatted down beside Prince Cheng and said, "Your Highness, in order to prevent your appearance from being damaged in the future, you should return to your residence and have the royal physician treat you."

Xiao Shu suddenly released his hand from his knee.

His voice returned to its lazy tone, "Guo Ziyu and Guo Fang have already set off."

Wenxi replied, "Yes, we have already set off."

Xiao Shu's lips curled up slightly. Since they couldn't come in, he would let them come in with maximum value.

He's not a stingy person; he'll sweep the floor to welcome guests and treat them to a wonderful meal.

The carriage from Prince Cheng's residence creaked and groaned as it drove away.

Silence.

Just like when we arrived, no one lined the road to welcome us.

The county government office was really dilapidated.

While everyone was cleaning up, the least frequently used torture chamber collapsed.

For safety reasons, Yao Shisan asked Zhang Saozi and the children to stay at the house temporarily.

Fu'er took the lead, directly leading Xiuzhou, who was three years older than her, and they began to run around the house with great curiosity.

Xiulian followed the two children, looking worried.

Zhang's wife was cleaning up the kitchen, while Shuang'er and Yao Shisan were tidying up the room.

The house wasn't particularly dirty; it was just that no one lived there, so there was a lot of dust.

Shuang'er glanced at her sister and said, "Sister, the young master has even prepared a house, which means he has been making long-term preparations."

Without turning his head, Yao Shisan replied, "It's just a rented house, what kind of long-term preparation is that?"

"Besides, I will pay him every penny of the rent. Stop saying such irrelevant things. I will not go back to the capital, nor do I want to go back to the capital."

Shuang'er shrugged and pursed her lips. "Sister, don't be angry. I'm just seeing how fawning the young master is; I almost don't recognize him anymore. I thought you were..."

"Trying to curry favor?" Yao Shisan closed the trunk and turned to Shuang'er. "Trying to curry favor and expect me to turn back?"

"So all my suffering was for nothing?"

"Besides, whether he tries to curry favor or not, I'm here, not for any other reason than because my brother and you are here, and therefore my home is here."

Yao Shisan never felt that he had truly understood Zhou Congxian. The harm he caused in the past was easy, and the harm he caused in the future will also be easy.

She didn't want to gamble her future on a man.

Thinking of this, she smiled slightly. "He is the heir of the Duke of Yingguo, and he will eventually return to the capital. He doesn't belong here."

He used her before, so why can't she be a little more cunning now?

She doesn't need a husband, but she can't do without her father.

The world is tough, and Fu'er's life is still long. With a father who feels guilty and holds a high-ranking position, how could he not become a protective talisman for her in the future?

Zhou Congxian now acts more like a father than he did in Beijing.

Now the father and daughter are spending more and more enjoyable time together.

If Fu'er ever comes to us in trouble in the future, this father will be even more important.

*

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

General He was furious to see his daughter dressed as a man. It would be one thing if they were in the camp, but she was doing the same thing here.

"Look at yourself! What a mess you look in!"

He Ran stared at his father with his neck stiffened. "You said it yourself, if I win, you won't interfere with my marriage anymore!"

"I only like bookworms, and if I'm going to marry someone, it'll only be him!"

"Nonsense!" He Wenting slammed his hand on the table in anger. "Did you win?! They surrendered voluntarily!"

"Look at yourself now! It's all because your mother spoiled you. What right do you, an unmarried daughter, have to say things like 'like' or 'dislike'?!"

He Ran's eyes reddened.

Whether she practiced martial arts or wore men's clothing, her parents would say something, but they never stopped her.

Even though her two older cousins ​​in the mansion might secretly mock her, neither of them didn't envy her unrestrained freedom.

But in the end, she still couldn't escape the fate that had been arranged for her.

Just like an older brother.

Arranged marriage.

The elder brother and sister-in-law had been bickering and fighting for so many years, almost falling apart several times, until now they are finally able to stay together in love.

This became the reason her parents tried to persuade her.

No matter how big the gap is, bickering and joking will naturally improve the relationship, just like an older brother and sister-in-law.

Isn't the suffering that my elder brother and sister-in-law went through a warning?

Why would she go through it again?

She clenched her fists and roared, "I'm not your boss, I won't let you control me!"

He Wenting's face darkened. "Guards, lock up the Third Miss. Anyone who lets her escape..."

"Discipline them according to military law!"