"Sister Yue'er, my brother said that even if there are three thousand rivers, he will only drink from one."
Chang Le smiled at Xiao Jingzhao as she spoke, "Brother, am I remembering this correctly?"
"That's right, Chang Le has a really good memory."
Chang Le was so happy to hear her elder brother praise her that she almost spun around in circles.
At this moment, Jiang Shuyue felt the warmth of home, and it would be impossible for her not to be moved.
In this messed-up era, few men are willing to give up a whole forest to pursue a lifelong monogamous relationship, especially those in high positions.
Jiang Shuyue did not answer Chang Le's question directly. Seeing that Qiu Ju and Lan'er had set out the food, she patted Chang Le's hand and said, "Go and call Su Nan in to eat with us. There's no one else here, so we don't need to guard those dregs."
Chang Le pouted, "He just said that boys and girls shouldn't sit at the same table."
"Mother, Sui Sui, go and call Second Uncle over."
“Let’s go together. Your second uncle is so petty. I only said a few words to him, and he got angry.”
Chang Le followed closely behind and went out.
Looking at the large table of exquisite dishes, Jiang Shuyue said, "Don't bring so much food next time, it's a waste if we can't finish it."
Jiang Shuyue developed a habit of never wasting food. Even when Xiao Jingzhao came to the mansion for a meal, she would instruct the kitchen to prepare only two extra dishes.
"Moon Lady, I should have taken you to a restaurant today. I think you prefer being at home. Happy birthday."
As Xiao Jingzhao spoke, he magically produced a brocade box from behind his back and handed it to Jiang Shuyue.
"you……"
A warm feeling washed over Jiang Shuyue. She never celebrated her birthday because it was the original owner's birthdate, not her own. Only Qiuju knew her birthday.
She had no idea how Xiao Jingzhao found out.
"Thank you." Jiang Shuyue's hand trembled slightly as she accepted the brocade box.
"Open it and see if it's the style you like. If not, I'll have it remade."
Jiang Shuyue opened the brocade box as instructed, inside which was a phoenix hairpin inlaid with rubies.
Under the light, the gemstones shone brightly, and the feathers of the phoenix hairpin were made of pure gold, as thin as cicada wings.
Jiang Shuyue said honestly, "It's very beautiful, I like it, but it's too elaborate."
She stored away the Vermilion Bird hairpin that the Empress Dowager had given her, and she always wore plain makeup unless there was a major holiday.
A hint of joy flashed in Xiao Jingzhao's phoenix eyes. Yue Niang was willing to accept the phoenix hairpin. All his preparations over the years had finally paid off.
It seems that what Prime Minister Lin said was quite effective. Being near the water tower, one gets the moon first. If he comes to the Jiang residence every day, the Moon Lady will see his good qualities.
"I never celebrate my birthday, so don't bother preparing gifts for me in the future." Jiang Shuyue got up and put the brocade box away.
“Hmm, let’s celebrate birthdays in a different way next time.” Xiao Jingzhao’s lips curled slightly, his gaze following Jiang Shuyue’s figure.
As long as there's a future with her, I'll let him do whatever he wants.
...
At this moment, in the Liang Kingdom's palace, Mo Zixuan lay reclining on a soft couch in his sleeping quarters. His loose-fitting nightgown was spotless, with the collar slightly open, revealing his muscular chest.
He was holding a storybook and reading it intently, sometimes with a smile on his lips, sometimes with a slight frown.
My emotions rose and fell with the plot of the book, and I was completely immersed in the joys and sorrows of the protagonist.
The palace maids serving him couldn't help but lower their heads and chuckle as they watched the rich and varied expressions on his face.
The prince is really interesting. During the day he studies serious things, but every night he reads the romance novels that only girls like to read, and he reads them with great interest.
Mo Zixuan had excellent hearing; he could clearly hear even the palace maid's soft laughter.
He glanced at the group and said in a calm tone, "Go to the outer hall. You don't need to serve in the bedroom anymore."
"Your Highness, please forgive us. We did not mean to offend you." The palace maids knelt down in unison, begging for forgiveness.
His Highness the Crown Prince appears gentle and refined, but in court he is ruthless and decisive; a single careless word can cost someone their life.
The palace maids were filled with regret. It was all because His Highness the Crown Prince was too handsome that he gave them the false impression of a gentle and refined young master.
Seeing how frightened the palace maids were, Mo Zixuan raised his hand and pinched the space between his eyebrows.
His father was unwell, so he quickly took over the affairs of the court. With the assistance of veteran ministers and the absence of any major events recently, he was able to handle the political affairs quite well.
Holding the list in his hand, he spared the ministers who had tried to curry favor with him.
He would seize any opportunity to attack and eliminate those who tried to take advantage of his newfound status as a member of the royal family.
In a short period of time, his reputation for being cold-blooded and ruthless had spread.
In his own palace, he never uttered a word of reproach to the palace maids.
Seeing the palace maids trembling, he said calmly, "I do not like people to serve me when I go to bed, so there is no need for you to keep watch from now on."
"Thank you, Your Highness. We will wait in the outer hall."
Even though the Crown Prince didn't need them to keep watch at night, they didn't dare to actually fall asleep.
The palace maids rose, bowed, and withdrew.
He had already read these storybooks twice, and considering his own situation, Mo Zixuan felt deeply moved.
If he hadn't watched so many palace dramas, he wouldn't have survived more than half a month after returning to Liang.
To prevent others from succeeding, he didn't eat a single bite of the food sent by the imperial kitchen.
He had his fellow apprentices catch rats and put them in cages, then fed all the food and pastries sent from the imperial kitchen to the rats.
As expected, someone had tampered with his food.
He didn't want his mother to go through the trouble of investigating, as there were many people who could poison his food.
If everyone from the purchasing manager to the imperial kitchen staff, and even the palace maids who delivered the meals, were thoroughly investigated, nearly a hundred people would need to be investigated.
From the day he saw the rat die, he made the palace maids who brought him food taste the dishes, and even deliberately revealed to them that someone had poisoned his food.
So far, no palace maids have been poisoned, but to be on the safe side, he still hasn't eaten the food sent by the imperial kitchen.
Zichen Palace has its own small kitchen.
He continued to eat from the same pot with his fellow students every day, just as before.
The purchasing and cooking were all done by the senior apprentices themselves; only the palace maids who served him closely knew about this.
He originally intended to keep it a secret from the palace maids, but since the few who served him closely took care of his food and clothing, it was really difficult to keep them in the dark.
Although these people were all personally trained by the Empress Dowager, it was inevitable that there were spies planted by others among them.
Mo Zixuan only felt comfortable using them after testing them several times.
After reading for a while, my eyelids started to droop.
He yawned and walked to the bed.
Suddenly, a dark figure silently entered the inner hall.
Hearing the commotion, Mo Zixuan quickly reached for the sword on the clothes rack.
"Your Highness, it's me."
A familiar voice came from inside.
Mo Zixuan turned around abruptly and saw Nangong Jun, dressed in black, pull off the black mask from his face.
"Senior Brother, why are you dressed like this? Is there an assassin coming tonight?"
Nangong Jun glanced into the bedchamber and, seeing no palace maids on night watch, lowered his voice and said, "Something's up. Quickly change into some night clothes and come with me to watch the show."
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