The accompanying palace servant got off the carriage and went to the shop next door to ask. After coming back, he whispered a few words to the Seventeenth Prince.
The seventeenth prince looked around inch by inch, feeling cold and depressed.
…
Before Jiang Rao came, she borrowed the small kitchen in Concubine Yun's Shuxiang Palace and stewed a bowl of pigeon soup with ginseng and angelica. It was a medicinal recipe she got from the imperial physician, suitable for nourishing people who have just recovered from a cold.
The white porcelain stew pot was opened, and hot steam filled the air. Jiang Rao wanted to put the spoon into Rong Ting's hand, but his right hand was injured. Jiang Rao's hand that was handing the spoon paused slightly in the air, changed direction, and gently stuffed the spoon into his left hand.
His hands were not as handsome as his face. They were a pair of hands that had been through a lot of hardships. Although their bone structure was excellent and their fingers were long and straight, there were too many scars on the palms of their hands. The calluses covered the blood color, and the calluses were thickest at the base of their palms.
Jiang Rao found this strange. She had seen those calluses when she was bandaging his wound just now.
Would a person who has missed a whole year due to injury and had no chance to practice martial arts have such thick calluses on his palms?
Even if the calluses were from archery, he held the bow with his left hand when shooting, so the calluses would not fall on his right hand.
But at that time, Rong Ting's fingers quickly clenched into fists because of the pain. She didn't have time to look carefully. A girl who had never practiced martial arts could not think clearly about these things.
Rong Ting's left hand was shaking as he picked up the spoon. Jiang Rao sighed when he saw this.
She took the spoon back and said, "Let me do it."
If this injury happened to someone else, it wouldn't make people feel so sorry for him. But she didn't know how he looked. He usually had a sluggish and distant face, but when he stared at you, small lights would gather in his beautiful eyes, like stars dissolved in a lake, just like a child who was in pain but didn't say a word, making people feel distressed for no reason.
Jiang Rao quickly forgot about the calluses and fed him the ginseng soup.
Ming Shao, who was standing guard outside the house, peeked into the house through the gap in the curtains and saw that her daughter treated Rong Ting as well as her own brother. She frowned and sighed.
Like a real brother, but not a real brother.
If other people saw this scene, the girl's reputation would be ruined. If this continues, even if a good marriage partner comes to you in the future, knowing that you are so close to the Ninth Prince, and misunderstanding that you are disrespectful, it will definitely be bad.
Ming Shao stared at the door like a little door god, lest any uninvited guests suddenly break in. After a while, she said to Huai Qing beside her with some displeasure: "Eunuch, I am sorry to ask you a question."
Huai Qing looked at her.
"You should take care of the Ninth Prince and pay more attention to him. Don't let him get sick today and tomorrow." Ming Shao stood up for Jiang Rao. "If he is sick, you will always be worried about him. When you go to visit your aunt, you will have to worry about him. It's not good for both sides. Why bother?"
Huai Qing just sighed.
He had no other choice but to persuade her: "Go back and persuade Miss Nine to be more ruthless."
The Ninth Prince was really not that weak. The days when he claimed to be sick were no different from usual. He just let out the news that he was sick so that he looked like he was not sick. However, Huai Qing didn't know the truth and didn't dare to ask more questions, so he just assumed that he was really sick.
There was no shortage of things in the mansion. The people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were always able to judge the situation. Seeing that Emperor Zhaowu valued his ninth son more and more, they no longer dared to neglect him blatantly and gave him things according to the quota. Silks, silvers, flowers, plants and plaques in the mansion, palace lanterns in the corners of the corridors, and furnishings in the house, everything is available and has been arranged.
Compared to when he was just assigned from Jingshifang to Shouhuai Palace, when the Ninth Prince was misunderstood and bullied, the situation today is different.
However, the things sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs were pawned by the Ninth Prince at a pawnshop. After exchanging them for silver, he hired craftsmen to carve out a secret room and increased the monthly salary for the servants in the mansion. He killed two birds with one stone. On the one hand, he reassured the palace maids who were dissatisfied because the mansion they moved out of was too remote, and on the other hand, he seemed to be living a miserable life.
When he arrived in front of the Fourth Girl, he could not carry anything on his shoulders or lift anything with his hands. He was so weak that he looked like he would step into the underworld in the next step.
He is truly cunning and flawless.
If he had not heard the screams of the spy imprisoned in the dark room in the mansion, and only looked at the pale and sickly appearance of the Ninth Prince, he would have believed it and thought that he had just recovered from a serious illness.
It's God's fault that he was blessed with such a good face.
Huai Qing said it seriously.
He sincerely felt that the Ninth Prince's bad habits were all caused by the Fourth Lady.
Ming Shao rolled her eyes at him and said, "My girl is soft when she needs to be soft, and hard when she needs to be hard. There's nothing wrong with her."
To her, Huai Qing's statement was completely an attempt to shirk responsibility. She asked him to take good care of his master, but he instead picked up trouble with her girl.
Ming Shao was snorting.
Huai Qing spread his hands helplessly.
…
After Rong Ting left the grain shop, Ming Shao lifted the curtain and went in.
Jiang Rao was holding a makeup box in her hands and looking at it carefully.
Last time she asked Rong Ting to make a hairpin for her, he was very obedient and made a very simple and plain hairpin.
But this makeup box was made with great care, and she couldn't tell whether it was made by him or bought by him.
The wooden and white jade makeup box looked very valuable, but there was only a small hairpin inside. It was a bit funny that it was top-heavy and it was hard to tell which was the gift.
Although she had never looked at the accounts of his house, sometimes when she had nothing to do after sorting out the accounts of the shop, she would use an abacus to do some calculations and roughly estimate that this makeup box should not cause him any difficulty in buying it.
Jiang Rao did not shy away and took the makeup box and hairpin generously.
Rong Ting was living a smooth life now, and although it was due to his own skills in archery and strategy, she also made a small contribution. Jiang Rao did not mind flattering herself and accepted the gifts with a clear conscience.
After Rong Ting left, she fumbled with the small makeup box.
The small makeup box looked like it had been exposed to the sun and had contained osmanthus flowers drying inside. When it was opened, there was a pleasant osmanthus fragrance.
She opened and closed her eyes, looked inside and outside, and in a flash several cups of tea passed without stopping.
Ming Shao came over and saw Jiang Rao playing with her makeup box with a smile on her face. She couldn't help but make a "tsk" sound in her heart.
I thought that after the Ninth Prince left, the girl would no longer think about him.
Who would have thought that, although he was gone, he left behind a beautiful makeup box.
Ming Shao serves Jiang Rao personally and knows her preferences best. This kind of delicate, small and beautiful things are what girls like most. She might have to put them on the dressing table when she goes back home, and face them when she dresses up every day. I'm afraid that every time she sees them, she will think of the person who gave her the gift.
Ming Shao had a headache for a moment. The Fourth Master and his wife had just come to see her two days ago and asked her to take good care of the girl.
Not to mention that the Fourth Master and his wife didn't want their daughter to marry the Crown Prince, even a maid like her didn't want to see the girl she served end up marrying a disabled person, and she always felt sorry for the girl.
Ming Shao walked forward, took the makeup box from Jiang Rao's hand, put it aside, and said to Jiang Rao: "Miss, I heard that Wenhe Tower has received new jewelry. It's not dark yet, shall we go take a look?"
Add something new so that the girl won’t always have to look at the one given by the Ninth Prince.
Thinking that her aunt's birthday was approaching, it was time to prepare a generous gift. Jiang Rao nodded, asked the grain shop owner for last month's account book, and asked Ming Shao to accompany her to Wenhe Tower.
…
The seventeenth prince's carriage stopped at the entrance of the alley.
There are many shops and heavy traffic along the Qinhuai River.
The seventeenth prince's carriage was hidden among the other dozen carriages.
Inconspicuous.
His eyes were fixed in the direction of the backyard of the grain shop.
It was not until the two red doors were pushed open and Rong Ting and Huai Qing came out that the Seventeenth Prince's eyes immediately became sharp.
At this time, Rong Ting's eyes flickered towards him vaguely.
The seventeenth prince quickly retracted his head in alertness. After confirming that Rong Ting had not seen him, he heaved a sigh of relief and stuck his head out again.
He kept waiting until Jiang Rao came out of the grain shop. He took a closer look to make sure he was not mistaken, and a faint joy arose in his heart.
In the city of Jinling, at the foot of the imperial capital, etiquette and morality are particularly strict.
It is a shameful thing for a man and a woman who have not yet discussed marriage to have private contact.
If this matter were to be exposed, Rong Ting's reputation would be ruined.
Only one thing
"Is that really the daughter of Fourth Master Jiang?"
The attendant nodded, "She is the legitimate daughter of the Fourth Master Jiang, Jiang Rao. I recognize her appearance."
The seventeenth prince frowned angrily.
A few days ago, all of Jinling was talking about what happened in the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion.
Fourth Master Jiang has long been famous for his calligraphy and painting, but his reputation was very bad when he was young. He was a top-notch playboy in the imperial capital, and only his eldest brother could control him.
Everyone knew that he and his eldest brother had a deep relationship, but no one expected that just because his eldest brother concealed the fact that his daughter was almost abducted many years ago, Mr. Jiang Si, now in middle age, would turn against his eldest brother.
This shows how much he dotes on his daughter.
If this matter were to be exposed, the woman's reputation would be the most damaged rather than the man's. If Jiang Rao wants to save her face, she can only marry the man who ruined her reputation.
The seventeenth prince suddenly felt very suffocated. He had finally found something to hold against Rong Ting and thought he could finally vent his anger. But if he held on to it, it would be like arranging a good marriage for his ninth brother.
He was also unhappy after returning to the palace. After hearing what he said, Empress Jiahe said coldly, "Don't tell anyone about this for now."
"Jiang Xingchuan is doomed. Jiang Xingzhou will be the one who speaks in the Ning'an Marquis's mansion in the future. If we let that cripple marry Jiang Xingzhou's daughter..."
When Empress Jiahe thought of Concubine Yun's arrogance and complacency after the incident at the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion, she felt a bit uncomfortable.
The Ning'an Marquis's Mansion is not worth much, but if the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion and the Qin family join forces and want to support Rong Ting, even if her father has been secretly recruiting troops and building up power over the years, he may not be able to resist.
The only thing that could comfort her was that Rong Tinghuan was a cripple. No matter how powerful the forces behind him were, Emperor Zhaowu would not choose a disabled son to inherit the throne.
But even if Rong Ting could not become emperor, but just grew strong, she would still be unable to sleep or eat.
She said: "What you see is just the surface. Maybe things are not what you think."
"How is that?"
Empress Jiahe held her forehead in pain, "I will try to find out how Jiang Xingzhou planned his daughter's marriage."
What parent who truly loves their child would be willing to let their daughter marry a disabled man?
"Just let that cripple go?" The Seventeenth Prince was obviously not satisfied with the result.
Although he didn't want to help Rong Ting find a good marriage, he was unwilling to let go of this opportunity after finally catching Rong Ting's handle.
"I won't let you go." Queen Jiahe raised the corners of her lips and smiled slowly, "What happened today has given me a wake-up call."
…
Yan Nanxun knew that Rong Ting would join the Ministry of Works in the future, so he spent a long time looking for books on water conservancy, military farming, agronomy, etc. for him, and told Rong Ting to read more. It took quite a while to sort all these out, and it was already late at night when I returned home.
A cold wind blew at night, and the palace lanterns under the eaves of the pavilion were blown around, with the lights flickering.
Huai Qing was carrying a heavy basket of books, which was swaying in the wind and making his steps unsteady.
The figure sitting in the wheelchair in front was not affected by the wind at all and moved forward steadily.
The figure walked forward a few steps and suddenly stopped.
Rong Ting lowered his arms, picked up a palace lantern that was blown down onto the corridor steps, raised his finger, and brushed off the dust on it.
In order to make the yard look more lively, Jiang Rao picked out some beautiful colorful glass lanterns, but the glass of the fallen palace lantern was shattered and cracked, and the lantern paper also cracked.
Rong Ting looked at the place where the lamp paper was torn, and when he lowered his eyes, his gaze was dark and he seemed to be thinking about something.
The crack was smooth, not like a natural break, but rather like being cut by a sword.
There were the sounds of footsteps at the other end of the corridor. Chang Xing hurried out and saw Rong Ting. He knelt down in front of Rong Ting and said, "Your Highness."
With scars on his face, he said, "At 3:30 pm, someone came to the palace. I wanted to stop them, but they were carrying the Empress's decree, so I couldn't stop them at all."
Rong Ting was not surprised that Empress Jiahe would send someone over, and motioned for Changxing to continue.
"The Queen Mother arranged for a maid to sleep with His Highness, and she has already sent her to Beishen Courtyard. Wu Que and his subordinates wanted to stop them, but they were outnumbered, so they were accused of being unruly and were beaten. Wu Que was injured."
Rong Ting turned around and told Huai Qing, "Go and ask
husband. ”
Huai Qing frowned, "The palace maid that was sent here..."
Rong Ting's eyes were like knives. "I'll go take a look."
At the Moon Gate of Beishen Courtyard, there was an old maid, followed by dozens of palace maids, waiting there.
When the nanny saw Rong Ting coming, she glanced at his legs vaguely. Her tone was respectful, but also full of contempt. She announced the imperial decree of Empress Jiahe and said, "Your Highness, the Empress is thinking about you and is worried about you."
Rong Ting smiled, but his smile looked elegant under the light. "Excuse me, Madam, where is that person?"
"In the west wing."
The nanny received some reward money and returned to Queen Jiahe, reporting her conversation with Rong Ting to her.
Empress Jiahe was shocked and a little bit unbelieving that Rong Ting accepted the palace maid she arranged so easily.
Rong Ting had long reached the age where he should have known about human affairs. Most of the princes in the palace had palace maids who were in charge of the curtains and accounts to sleep with them when they were twelve or thirteen years old.
She should have arranged a palace maid to be his curtainkeeper long ago, but was delayed because of his injury.
His body might not be able to do it now, but if such a broken body were to be immersed in it, it would surely become an empty shell soon.
The nanny said: "His Highness the Ninth Prince did keep the person and gave me a reward in exchange for silver. He seems to be in a good mood..."
Queen Jiahe was a little surprised.
When Rong Ting was young, he hated strangers and would get annoyed if someone touched him. With this kind of personality, she originally thought that he would not be interested in women when he grew up, but she didn't expect that to be the case.
Queen Jiahe touched the Seventeenth Prince's head and said, "Thanks to Yuan'er for reminding me of this."
The palace maid sent over was not an ordinary woman. Not only could she help him keep an eye on Rong Ting, she also had the charm she had trained in brothels, which made her very attractive. She also took the sterilizing soup, so there was no need to worry about her giving Rong Ting any offspring. When he really indulged in women, let's see how he would maintain his reputation.
…
The palace maid in the west wing heard the noise outside and knew that she was kept, and she was overjoyed.
The light in Rong Ting's study was on until midnight. Normally, he didn't like being approached by anyone, so Huai Qing Changxing wouldn't let anyone come over. He stayed alone in the study, reading by light at night.
The study door suddenly opened.
The palace maid in the west wing rushed in, wearing a thin gauze, which neither revealed nor covered anything, with an attitude that showed both refusal and welcome.
Her face wasn't the most pretty, but she was very pitiful, the kind that could easily draw pity from men.
Even when I was kneeling on the ground
When doing this, the body will be twisted into a charming and seductive curve.
She knelt down in front of Rong Ting with a plop, "If Your Highness doesn't want me, Your Majesty will blame me when we get back."
She sobbed and kowtowed to the ground several times, her body shaking.
This palace maid said she was a palace maid. She was a woman that Empress Jiahe found from a brothel. She was not clean, so she changed her identity. She got a palace maid tag from the Jingshifang in the palace and was given the name "Lianqiao". She was taught the rules for a few days and was told what to do, and then she was sent here.
Lian Qiao has an alluring fragrance on her body, and all the men she has served cannot control themselves.
She knew her own advantages clearly. Seeing Rong Ting flipping through a book with an unlit palace lantern in front of him, she wondered what he was doing. She secretly memorized all the furnishings in the study, waiting to report to Empress Jiahe later, and took two more steps in the direction of Rong Ting.
Men are always greedy for new things, so how can they refuse a woman who throws herself into their arms?
"I don't make noises or quarrels. I can sing Jiangnan songs and entertain Your Highness. I don't ask Your Highness to give me much. I only ask Your Highness to let me stay with you and share your worries."
The person on the other side was unmoved and didn't even look at her.
Lian Qiao was anxious. The fragrance on her body clearly had aphrodisiac effects, and she had been kneeling here for quite some time, so why was he completely unmoved? This was unreasonable.
The Queen Mother told her that Rong Ting's injury was to his calf, and although it was inconvenient, it should not be impossible. She said anxiously: "If Your Highness has a social event, you can bring me with you. I can dance and sing for you to entertain you. I am pretty and will not embarrass Your Highness."
"He has a good appearance."
Finally spoke.
Lian Qiao was delighted, and after hearing what Rong Ting said, she was even more surprised.
She didn't expect it to be so smooth.
"Your Highness." She raised her chin slightly so that the person in front of her could see her tearful face more clearly.
The next moment, a lazy and laughing voice came into my ears.
"It just so happened that I was short of a piece of lantern paper. I picked this human skin, which is just right for making a lantern."
The laughter was pleasant to hear, but it sounded like a drumstick hitting the eardrum heavily, causing Lian Qiao, who was kneeling on the ground, to stiffen and feel numb and cold on his back.
The man under the lamp had slender bones. He twisted the thin lamp paper of the glass lamp slowly and methodically, and was very elegant and beautiful. But once you think about what he just said, his action has a terrifying and meaningful meaning. "I thought I would go find you after I finished reading, but I didn't expect you to come here by yourself."
His crescent-shaped smiling eyes reflected the light of the candle, revealing a violent and bloodthirsty madness. He suddenly put down the lantern, took out a dagger from somewhere, and twirled it in his hand, emitting a cold light.
"You said you could sing a little song? How about I skin you alive and make a lantern while you sing a little song to entertain me?"
"Can you do that?"
"If you can't do it, get out!"
…
He looked as if he had died, with a dejected look on his face.
However, this man who looked like he was about to die was Rong Ting, who frightened Lian Qiao so much that she screamed and told him to get out of the house.
When they met in the backyard of the grain store the next day, Jiang Rao couldn't help but feel strange when she saw Rong Ting like this. She asked Huai Qing, "What happened to His Highness the Ninth Prince?"
Huai Qing replied, "Last night, the Queen sent a maid from Si Wei to serve His Highness the Ninth Prince."
Jiang Rao didn't understand it at first, and only figured it out after a while.
As soon as she figured it out, the smile on her face disappeared instantly.
I had no idea what was going on and suddenly felt unhappy. My first reaction was to disbelieve it.
He wouldn't let anyone touch him, so how could it be possible for him to sleep with him?
Huan hadn't figured out why she felt this way and was just trying to suppress the discomfort in her heart when she suddenly heard Rong Ting calling her by her nickname.
"Year after year."
Rong Ting's eyes were quietly locked on Jiang Rao's face. When he saw her smile fade, it was as if a small flame was lit in his pupils, with some surprise and unexpectedness.
But he was neither anxious nor impatient, and raised his chin slightly without leaving any trace, so that the fear and bitterness on his face could be seen more clearly by the person in front of him.
His face showed an expression of extreme self-hatred, and he said with a sad face, "I am not clean anymore."
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