Jiang Jinzhao was startled by his sister's sudden rapid breathing. He turned to see her staring at the ground. The sunlight filtering through the treetops cast a spot of light on her face, which flickered like tear marks.
"A month ago, the Qi family's daughter was diagnosed with pregnancy." He lowered his voice, "Now the Second Prince's Mansion is busy preparing the golden lock for the one-year-old ceremony."
Jiang Songyi's stomach suddenly churned. She thought of the crazy concubines in the cold palace in her previous life, who always loved to hug their pillows and mutter to themselves. How many unborn children had turned into wronged souls within the deep palace walls?
As Xin Yidao rode over, he saw the girl's thin back trembling slightly. He untied his dark cloak and swung it over, "The mountain breeze is cool." As the cloak covered Jiang Songyi's head, she heard the prince whisper, "The third tree on the east side of the cornfield."
Jiang Songyi's pupils shrank. That was the place where she'd stolen roasted golden pheasants in her previous life! She whipped her head around to see the Crown Prince already riding his horse towards the quarreling princes. His dark python-patterned sleeves swept across the dead branches, stirring up dappled light and shadows across the ground.
The clatter of Xin Yiwei's horse's hooves startled a few tits. He reined in the reins and looked at Jiang Songyi. His gold-embroidered sleeves gleamed coldly in the sunlight. "Jin Zhao, is this the Princess Jiaqing?" His eyes lit up when they fell on the cinnabar mole between the girl's eyebrows. "She is indeed as dazzling as the legends say."
Jiang Jinzhao calmly stood in front of his sister, "Your Highness, you are too kind." He had just been discussing the secrets of the Second Prince's residence, but now his palms were sweating. Amidst the swaying shadows of the trees, Jiang Songyi's red cloak looked like a dancing fire.
"This prince is only telling the truth." Xin Yiwei used his whip to lift the carriage curtain and caught a glimpse of Jiang Yuyao's pale face. "Just like this fake, no matter how it is decorated, it can never become a night pearl." Before he finished speaking, the Fourth Prince's whip had already broken the dead branches on the roadside.
Jiang Yuyao dug her nails deep into her palms. Watching Jiang Songyi carelessly toying with the arrow feathers, she suddenly remembered last year's Qiqiao Festival—then this village girl was huddled in a corner of the Marquis's mansion, and now she'd become the center of attention.
"Second brother is so particular about etiquette," Xinyi Zigu suddenly pointed behind him, "how come you didn't even bow when you saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Only then did everyone notice Xinyi Daoyi sitting on a pony, nibbling on freshly picked wild hawthorns. His dark casual clothes were stained with grass debris, and he looked like a young man from an aristocratic family who had sneaked out for fun.
Xin Yiwei's lips twitched, and he gave a perfunctory bow. "My royal brother seems in a good mood today." He had heard that the crown prince was farming and raising chickens in his other courtyard, and now it seemed the rumors were true. Such a loser was worthy of the throne?
Jiang Songyi looked at the hawthorn juice on Xin Yidao's fingertips and suddenly remembered her past life. On the day the Dongling army broke through the city, the crown prince had also sat leisurely on the top of the city wall, eating fruit, and then turned around and poured poisoned wine on the attacking enemy generals.
"This prince's wife loves to make friends with heroines." Xin Yiwei suddenly changed the subject, "If the county lady is free, she may come to the mansion for tea." He stared at the golden hairpin in Jiang Songyi's hair - that was the item awarded by the queen. If he could win over the Yongding Marquis's Mansion.
"Congratulations, Your Highness, on the upcoming birth of your son," Jiang Songyi answered flawlessly. She remembered how, in her previous life, when the Second Prince's wife gave birth to a stillborn baby, this man had smashed all the golden locks in the room. The bruises on the baby's neck were clearly caused by someone pinching him.
Xin Yiwei was about to persuade him again when a sudden commotion erupted from the forest. Su Sheng, dusty and dusty, galloped over on his horse, clutching a handful of colorful tail feathers. "I didn't catch the divine bird, but I did pick up these—Jiang Songyi, do you want some?"
Jiang Yuyao suddenly lifted the curtain and exclaimed, "Your Highness, be careful!" Everyone turned to see the Fourth Prince aiming an arrow at the bushes. At the sound of the bowstring, a golden pheasant fluttered high into the air, its colorful feathers cascading down, landing directly in front of Xin Yidao's horse.
The Crown Prince spat out a hawthorn seed and casually scattered a handful of golden corn kernels. A dozen equally dazzling large birds suddenly emerged from the bushes, their cries of scrambling for food startling the horses. What "auspicious sign"? It was nothing more than a flock of greedy pheasants.
The golden arrow held by the Second Prince fell to the ground with a clang. Jiang Songyi's shoulders trembled from trying to suppress his laughter when he suddenly heard a snap beside him—Jiang Jinzhao had snapped the carved bowstring. He was staring intently at the jade pendant on Xin Yiwei's waist, which was engraved with cherry blossom petals.
…
Xinyi Zigu followed Jiang Yuyao's lead and spotted the Crown Prince munching on wild fruit near a bush. Second Prince Xinyi Wei squinted and studied him for a long time—this young man, draped in a black cloak, his hems stained with grass debris, looked nothing like the sickly Crown Prince he remembered.
"My royal brother has lost weight," Xin Yiwei said, not even getting off his horse. In his eyes, the prince, who had lived in the mountains for years, should have died of illness long ago.
Xinyidao spat out the fruit core and nodded with a wooden face: "Second brother." There was still hawthorn juice on his sleeves, and he looked like a rich young man who had sneaked out to play.
Jiang Songyi chuckled. In her previous life, her master loved to play dumb. Who could have guessed that beneath this lazy exterior lay a meticulously planned mind? She spurred her horse forward, "I'll escort His Highness back to the camp."
Jiang Jinzhao immediately followed, "Young Marquis Su has asked us to look after the Crown Prince." He glanced at his sister, the Crown Prince riding side by side, his brow furrowed tightly enough to kill a mosquito. Although the Crown Prince didn't look like a lecher, it was still inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone.
Xin Yiwei stared at the three people's receding backs and suddenly sneered: "Fourth brother, your trick of sowing discord is too clumsy." He didn't believe that the sickly prince could cause any trouble, but the fourth prince's intention of killing someone with a borrowed knife was obvious.
"Second brother, you're joking." Xinyi Zigu stroked the gold embroidery on his quiver. During last year's autumn hunt, he had witnessed the prince shoot an arrow through the assassin's throat. That fierce look in his eyes, how could it be that of a dying man?
On the forest path, Xinyi Daoyi suddenly spoke, "They all hope I die." He spoke casually, as if discussing the weather. "When my father built my mausoleum, he asked me if I wanted to choose the coffin pattern myself."
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