Chapter 10 Embarrassment "Could it be that you're pregnant with Ning Xian's child?"...
The Duke of Dingguo's mansion is located in the most prosperous area of Liudu, and is one of the mansions of the Ji family outside of the capital.
After a spring rain, the two stone lions beside the vermilion gate were stained a bluish-green color, and in the center stood a beautiful young woman in a lotus-colored dress, surrounded by several maids and servants, looking very noble.
"Look, young lady, His Highness is back!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the girl's slightly furrowed brows finally relaxed. Seeing the carriage slowly approaching through the bustling crowd, she straightened her skirt and jogged down the steps to the carriage.
"cousin!"
The coachman lifted the curtain, but the girl's smile froze on her face. Inside the spacious carriage, Ning Xian saw a woman in a lake-blue dress lying on her lap.
She buried her face in Ning Xian's arms as if she had fallen asleep. Ji Changhuan craned his neck to look, but the girl was well protected by Ning Xian, with only her forehead slightly showing, making it difficult to see her true face.
Ji Changhuan's voice trembled slightly: "Cousin, who is she...?"
Ning Xian carried the unconscious person off the carriage. As if he had just seen Ji Changhuan, he turned around and revealed Ruan Yang's small face, smiling, "Oh, it's you. Long time no see. I picked this up on the way. What do you think? Don't you think it's cute?"
"So cute."
"Do you think you're cuter, or is she cuter?"
Ji Changhuan was stunned. Asked this question, she was so embarrassed that she almost cried: "She's cute."
Ning Xian narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, forcing a smile: "It's good that you know. Cousin must be tired standing in the wind for so long. Go back inside and have some tea to warm yourself up."
As Ji Changhuan watched his figure recede into the distance, she grew increasingly uneasy. Surely her cousin wouldn't just spot a woman on the street, knock her unconscious, and steal her home?
She grabbed Ning Xian's attendant and demanded, "Who is that woman?"
The attendant stammered and dared not speak, because Ning Xian had instructed him not to reveal Ruan Yang's true identity to anyone.
Everyone knows that the eldest daughter of the Ji family is in love with her cousin. She has asked the Duke and the Emperor several times to grant them a marriage. Unfortunately, her feelings are unrequited, and Ning Xian has never thought of marrying his cousin.
The servant knelt down, trembling, and said, "It's His Highness's mistress..."
"A mistress?"
Ji Changhuan took a deep breath. How dare Ning Xian?
She glanced at the maid and said, "Keep a close eye on them, don't let them find out."
...
In the main room, the Duke of Dingguo had been waiting for a long time. After the servants poured tea and laid out low cushions, they withdrew.
"How has Your Highness been these days?"
Ning Xian helped the man up: "Your Excellency, no need for formalities. I am perfectly fine."
"Your Highness's special visit to my humble abode must be related to Bashu, right? Now that Bashu and Lizhou have joined forces, their military strength has greatly increased. However, no matter what, it's just a mantis trying to stop a chariot."
Ning Xian smiled and said, "The Duke is so confident; it seems he has been conserving his strength all these years."
"Your Highness is joking. If it weren't for you pleading with His Majesty and sacrificing the elite troops you trained to turn the tide, the entire Ji clan would have been wiped out long ago."
"Therefore, we hope that Your Highness will personally lead the troops and Zhonglin on the expedition at that time."
Ning Xian raised an eyebrow: "You want me to personally lead the expedition?"
"Who doesn't know that Your Highness was sent on a distant expedition to the Northwest by His Majesty when you were seventeen? In just half a year, you brought peace and stability to the border. Your bravery, skill in battle, and resourcefulness are evident to all."
Ning Xian guessed his meaning and sneered, "Oh, you're right. I am very good, but I'm getting old now and really don't want to go through all that trouble."
Ning Xian's words had a hidden meaning; she was using herself to advise him not to cause trouble.
The Duke of Dingguo laughed and said, "Look at what you're saying. What should I, an old man nearing sixty, do? I know you hate the Ruan family and want to avenge your mother. This is a good opportunity to kill Ruan Xishan."
"What if I don't agree?"
"Your Highness is weak and powerless in the court. If I were to end our cooperation now, how would Your Highness survive?"
Ning Xian secretly clenched the sandalwood beaded string in his hand. The other party only wanted to create an accident to get rid of him so that he could then ascend to the throne.
Although he disliked the Ning family and hated the royal family, he would never hand over the Ning family's empire to outsiders.
He pondered for a moment, picked up his teacup, calmly took a sip of tea, and smiled, "The Duke is right. Without the Ji family, there would be no Ningxian. I agree to the war."
The Duke of Dingguo closed his eyes and sneered: "Your Highness is a wise man who knows when to yield. You are indeed Wan'er's child. Your Highness, please stay at the manor for the next few days."
......
The attendant picked up the shawl from the table and chased after her, saying, "Your Highness, should we still hand her over? General Lu treasures Miss Ruan; she might come in very handy this time."
"He treasures her, but don't I?"
Ning Xian frowned and glanced at this fool: "What do you mean by 'give'? She is my concubine, and she should stay by my side for the rest of her life. Remember, no one is allowed to go in and disturb her, especially Ji Changhuan."
"yes....."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Ji Changhuan, polo mallet in hand and armbands strapped, trotted over from under the eaves.
"Cousin! Why are you leaving so soon? The weather's nice today, can you come with me...?"
Ning Xian glanced at the man studying under the pavilion not far away: "No, I have important matters to attend to. Let your brother accompany you."
“My brother…”
"Zhong Lin!"
Upon hearing this, the man under the pavilion put down the book he was holding and slowly walked over to them.
Seeing her brother interrupt, Ji Changhuan hesitated, then glared at him and said, "It's all your fault!"
What's wrong with me?
"Couldn't you just pretend you're deaf? What are you doing here? You made it so I couldn't play polo with Brother A-Xian..."
"I caused this? You can't force things. You should let him go. Be careful not to piss him off. If he tries to mess with you, even Dad won't be able to stop him!"
Ji Changhuan retorted defiantly, "Does my cousin really intend to kill me?"
"Alright, he's the Crown Prince, stop calling him cousin."
"If it weren't for Father and the Ji family's troops..."
Ji Zhonglin's expression changed, and he said sternly, "Shut up! If you talk nonsense again, be careful I'll punish you with family law!"
Outside the courtyard, the attendant following Ning Xian broke out in a cold sweat. He glanced at Ning Xian's face, which showed no change, but he still felt a chill down his spine.
"Your Highness..."
Ning Xian curled her lips into a cold smile: "It doesn't matter, let them talk."
...
Ji Changhuan played a rather boring polo game with the girls in the courtyard. After a few games, she broke out in a light sweat. Dejected, she took the water jug handed to her by a maid. After a few sips, she felt much better.
Ji Changhuan glared at the little maid kneeling in front of her: "Have you found out properly what time your cousin usually comes back?"
"His Highness the Crown Prince only returns late at night."
"Did you manage to get your hands on the medicine I asked you to prepare?"
The maid nodded timidly, handed over a small bottle of medicine, and whispered, "I specially obtained this from the madam of Zuichunlou. It's very potent, so please be careful with the dosage, Miss..."
"I understand, no need for you to worry."
Although the method to obtain Ning Xian's favor is shameful, so what can be done about it?
The Crown Princess who died tragically before even getting married, didn't she use such a despicable method to get into Brother Ningxian's bed?
Why can't she?
She walked towards Ji Zhonglin: "Brother, it's been a long time since you and Brother A-Xian have gotten together. This is some wine I brewed a few days ago. You can have it and drink it."
The young man took the wine jug, sniffed it lightly, and said, "It is indeed good wine. I understand."
Seeing that the person had left, Ji Changhuan turned and walked towards the inner courtyard: "Let's go, let's meet that little hussy. I want to see what tricks she can use."
...
When Ruan Yang woke up, she found herself lying in an unfamiliar place. There was no Lan Rong or the other maids serving her, only a few drunken guards at the door.
She had just stepped into the courtyard and squatted down to wake the person when a pair of butterfly-patterned embroidered shoes came into view.
Ruan Yang looked up, bewildered, and asked, "Who are you? Where is this?"
Ji Changle glanced at Ruan Yang, the little girl squatting in front of her with her knees drawn up, her innocent, doe-like eyes staring at her.
She seems to have an extremely simple and innocent personality.
So cute!
Ruan Yang frowned, recalling what Ning Xian had told her: "Are you Yuanbao's legal wife...?"
Seeing her dejected look, Ji Changhuan laughed and said, "That's right, I am my cousin's lawfully wedded wife, while you are his mistress without any status. You should be the one kowtowing to me when you see me."
Although Ruan Yang was unsure whether what she said was true, the maids surrounding Ji Changhuan seemed to be terrified of her.
Ji Changhuan lifted her leg and pressed her shoe against Ruan Yang's chin. When Ruan Yang dodged, she was about to get angry, but then she suddenly remembered that she had important business to attend to. So she turned to her personal maid and said, "Go and tell the kitchen to prepare some good food. It's the first time I've met this young lady, and I want to have a word with her."
Looking at the dishes on the table, Ruan Yang felt uneasy, but seeing several burly women standing outside and Ning Xian not yet back, she knew that direct resistance would be futile.
But what exactly does she want to do to me? Is it because of Ning Xian that she wants to kill me?
She was all alone here, and her only hope for safety was her husband.
It's already dusk, so we should stall for time and deal with her until Ning Xian returns.
"These look a bit too sweet. I haven't had much of an appetite lately, so I made some sweet and sour Jiaqingzi myself. Would you like to try some, Madam?"
Seeing the man take out a few candied fruits coated with honey from his purse, Ji Changhuan asked suspiciously, "You... how come you like to eat such sour things? Could it be that you're pregnant with your cousin's child?"
After she finished speaking, she felt a tingling sensation all over her body. She pulled Ruan Yang up and pinched her slender waist.
Ruan Yang was taken aback. It was true that Jiaqing Li was something that pregnant women often ate, but she just liked to eat very sour things and treated Jiaqing Li as a snack.
Ji Changhuan calling Ning Xian "cousin" is a bit strange for a married couple.
Ruan Yang's eyes shifted slightly, and she grabbed Ji Changhuan's wrist, placing it on her lower abdomen. She smiled shyly and said, "That's right, it's just that I'm still in the early stages of pregnancy and haven't shown yet. Otherwise, my husband wouldn't have brought me back. Sister, please be careful. I'm fine, but it would be bad if the baby in my womb got hurt."
After speaking, Ruan Yang saw that Ji Changhuan's face was ashen and knew that she believed her. She picked up a Jiaqing fruit and put it into Ji Changhuan's mouth, saying, "The wine is fragrant and rich, but it's easy to get drunk if you drink too much. I'll go get you some hangover soup to prepare."
The taste of the Jiaqing fruit spread rapidly on her taste buds, and Ji Changhuan couldn't help but tear up. Her cheeks felt as if they were soaking in vinegar, and saliva kept oozing from the back of her tongue.
Ji Changhuan was stunned. When she came to her senses, Ruan Yang had already walked away, leaving only her back. She forcefully spat out the residue and sour water. Just as she was about to speak, she found that something was blocking her throat. She took a step, but the world started spinning before her eyes.
In the last second before she lost consciousness, she vaguely glimpsed the hem of a girl's skirt and the pair of eyes staring straight at her from under the curtain, beside the pillar.
Seeing that the person had fainted, Ruan Yang went over and gently kicked Ji Changhuan, squeezing out the fruit pit that was still in her mouth.
To protect herself, she made these Jiaqing fruits by hand in her courtyard. The white powder on them was not ordinary icing, but a kind of drug-like powder.
Only half an hour has passed. Those outside will become suspicious when they see that there has been no movement inside for a long time. This can't go on forever.
She quietly walked to the window, but saw no one; it seemed the people outside had left.
Ruan Yang was completely confused. In her mind, Ji Changhuan should have knocked her unconscious and then sent someone in to secretly sell and kill her, but now it seemed that was not the case.
At this moment, a strange fragrance wafted into her nose, and she suddenly felt extremely hot. Ruan Yang put her hands in cold water, trying to calm herself down, but the unfamiliar sensation below her waist made her feel extremely ashamed.
She knew it was something like an aphrodisiac, and if she didn't find someone to exchange it with in time, she would soon die suddenly.
No wonder she sent all the bystanders away; it turns out Ji Changhuan had her eye on Ning Xian. Well, now she's done for. She "cleverly" knocked someone unconscious, and she'll be the one suffering next!
She collapsed weakly onto the couch, panting slightly. She then took off her heavy coat, leaving her only in a plain white nightgown.
Ruan Yang bit the back of her hand, her chest heaving. She closed her eyes, and her mind was filled with images of Ning Xian with bare arms, completely naked.
She bit her handkerchief, her face flushed with shame, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had never seen any man's private parts before! Let alone Ning Xian, how could this be! Had she really become so lewd?
Just as I was wondering what to do, the door suddenly opened.
A note from the author:
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My next book for pre-order is "The Fake Playboy Meets the Real Romantic".
The story of a naive young nobleman who gets involved with a black mamba princess, thinking he has the upper hand, only to find himself the prey. Those interested can check out the column! [Sprinkling flowers]
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