Jiang Rao didn't have time to think about why Ming Shao said Rong Ting's return was a good thing, because she was awakened by this news.
She immediately opened the quilt, and her sleepiness disappeared. "Really?"
Ming Shao said "hmm", got up and lit the candle, and the room was instantly brightened. "I thought that the young lady must want to see His Majesty the Ninth Prince as soon as possible, so she woke her up so early."
Jiang Rao heard the guilt in her tone and sat up straight, with his feet on the edge of the bed, swaying slightly, "Thank you for waking up so early in the morning."
Ming Shao put down the flint for lighting the candle and turned to look at Jiang Rao.
Jiang Rao leaned against the edge of the bed with her head tilted, her long hair not combed yet, draped behind her, her face was well-behaved and lovely, and as bright as a picture under the light.
There was no intention of being annoyed with her at all.
So easy to coax.
"Ming Shao, where is His Highness the Ninth Prince now?"
"A Liu said that the carriages returning from Yunling went to the palace gate. The Ninth Prince must first enter the palace to meet His Majesty. If the young lady wants to see her, I will call Jiang Ping and ask him to hurry up. He may be able to stop the Ninth Prince in front of the palace gate."
"...There is no need to hurry up."
Jiang Rao coughed and said, "Go to the palace during the day and find a chance to meet him."
Jiang Rao only now noticed the change in Ming Shao's attitude and asked him softly, "Aren't you going to stop me from seeing His Majesty the Ninth Prince?"
Ming Shao sighed and said, "I won't stop you."
"I have figured it out. I have been serving the young lady from the beginning to the end. It makes no difference who is the son-in-law. I am just afraid that the young lady will be unhappy. But when I see her being with Master Pei, she is really unhappy.
Jiang Rao nodded.
When she was with Pei Songyu, she felt restrained when she thought of his belly full of sage books and his gentlemanly demeanor that was impeccable in his speech and behavior.
She didn't grow up in Jinling, a city with strict ethics, and her parents were not that strict with her. The lazy and casual character she developed was ingrained in her bones. She felt very uncomfortable around someone like Pei Songyu who was too disciplined.
"Besides..." Ming Shao glanced at Jiang Rao, feeling helpless, and sighed, "I can't stop you either."
Jiang Rao: “…”
This was probably the real reason why she didn't stop her.
"As long as the girl thinks it through, it's fine." Ming Shao couldn't understand why a man with a very likable personality, outstanding appearance and family background would be obsessed with a disabled prince. "The girl must think it through."
Jiang Rao's face was full of smiles, like a child who had received candy, and she happily hugged Ming Shao's arm, "I have thought it through."
The most important thing for her is to protect her family.
If I lose my home, I will lose her.
…
Splendid Palace.
It was still dark, the palace was covered with luxurious carpets, and the incense smoke from the four-cornered auspicious beast incense burners was wispy. Empress Jiahe was awakened by the sound of people whispering.
By the wall, several palace maids gathered together, whispering something.
Queen Jiahe raised her eyes and glanced at them. The palace maids heard her getting up and looked towards Queen Jiahe's bed.
At this time, a palace maid was pushed out.
Queen Jiahe looked at her, and her unmade-up face looked a little mean.
She glanced at the not-yet-dawn sky outside, looking impatient, "What's the matter?"
The maiden looked angrily at the person who pushed her out from behind.
She kowtowed on the ground and said, "My lady, I am afraid that what I am about to say may ruin your mood today."
Empress Jiahe's expression changed slightly, and she sat up straight. "What's the matter?"
The maid trembled and said, "His Highness the Ninth Prince is back. The plank road over at Yunling has also been repaired."
"Didn't you say it wasn't okay to change it two days ago?"
The palace maid was kneeling on the ground, frightened by Empress Jiahe's sudden sharp voice.
"Those are all fake news that came from nowhere. Today, His Highness the Ninth Prince returned to the palace to meet His Majesty with Lord Chen Bing, and only then did we know that after October, the construction of the plank road was going smoothly, but the news was blocked and not made public, so this kind of fake news spread in Jinling."
“Fake news?”
Empress Jiahe's face turned gloomy.
If there is no one behind this, how could there be so much false news?
Almost immediately, the image of Rong Ting's face, which was always smiling, emerged in Empress Jiahe's mind. She woke up from the nightmare with a start, clenched her fists and hit the edge of the bed in anger.
She was cheated!
Empress Jiahe took a few breaths before she could calm down. She pinched her palm and asked, "What's the emperor's reaction?"
"The Emperor promoted Master Chen Bing to a higher position, and gave the area around the capital, a hundred miles below Yunling Mountain, to the Ninth Prince. He said that the Ninth Prince had been there for nearly half a year and was quite familiar with it."
"That fiefdom... wasn't originally owned by the Fourth Prince?"
That was a hundred miles of land that the Xu family had tried their best to secure for the Fourth Prince. She had also put in a lot of effort, and it was not easy to get.
The maid replied timidly: "Yes."
Empress Jiahe's breathing stagnated and she almost fainted.
…
The sky gradually brightened.
Outside the Golden Palace.
Chen Bing followed behind Rong Ting and said with a smile: "This time, I am benefiting from His Majesty the Ninth Prince."
"Mr. Chen, you are too kind."
Chen Bing paused and asked, "I would like to invite His Highness the Ninth Prince to my residence for a chat. Would His Highness be willing to go?"
Rong Ting smiled faintly.
After spending nearly four months together, Chen Bing no longer regarded the innocent smile on the boy's face as a sign that he was easy to deceive and bully. However, the look he gave Rong Ting was still one of satisfaction and appreciation that others could see at a glance.
He said sincerely, "I mentioned to you before that my daughter has just passed the age of marriage. She is good at poetry, calligraphy and painting, and has a quiet temperament. From what I know about Your Highness, you two must have similar personalities. This time, please come to my house for a chat, and Your Highness can also meet her."
Huai Qing nudged Wu Que with his elbow and exchanged glances with him.
——Lord Chen wants to bring together the Ninth Prince and his daughter.
——He won’t succeed.
Huai Qing frowned.
Wu Que whispered, "Have you forgotten what happened in Yun Ling?"
Huai Qing lowered his head silently, with a slight resistance in his eyes.
Chen Bing had a kind smile on his face as he waited for Rong Ting's answer.
Rong Ting smiled awkwardly, "Master Chen..."
He was young, with clear eyes, and looked like he would never lie. "Not today. I have someone important to see today."
"If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely visit your house."
If there is a chance in the future.
Chen Bing's face darkened.
He could tell the perfunctory tone in this, and said unhappily: "Your Highness the Ninth Prince should know that there are many people who propose marriage to me."
It seems like if you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again.
He had mentioned his daughter many times in front of Rong Ting before. He thought that for a disabled man like Rong Ting with two broken legs, it would be lucky to have a marriage. He lowered his posture and cast the hook first. Rong Ting should have taken the bait immediately and was grateful to him. However, he did not expect that he would refuse every time?
He really doesn't know what's good for him.
Rong Ting did not say anything. He just kept silent, lowered his head, and looked at his own legs.
Chen Bing pondered his look, stroked his beard, and figured out something from his calm and gloomy expression - could it be that he felt that he was a cripple and out of his league?
Thinking of this, his expression softened a lot. "When my daughter was young, she had a high fever and lost hearing in one ear. She has not been cured for so many years. Your Highness, please don't despise her."
Rong Ting raised his head, the smile on his face was very faint, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
He just shook his head and did not directly answer Chen Bing's question. Instead, he said, "Master Chen must be tired after the long journey. Why don't you go back to the mansion and rest? We can discuss some things later."
Chen Bing felt a little embarrassed when he saw that Rong Ting had not agreed to meet his daughter. Even though he felt sympathetic towards Rong Ting's disability, he was more annoyed and walked away with his sleeves swung.
The road to the palace of the Grand Prince was only a hundred steps long, but Chen Bing was angry and took very big steps.
His figure quickly disappeared behind a door with hanging flowers.
The smile disappeared from Rong Ting's face at the same time.
He looked in the direction of Chen Bing, tapped the wheelchair armrest twice with his fingers, and said in a calm voice: "Wu Que."
Behind him, Wu Que understood and immediately found a stranger that Chen Bing didn't know and followed in the direction where Chen Bing disappeared.
…
On the top floor of Zhaixing Tower, Jiang Rao held Xiao Fugui and looked down.
This Zhaixing Tower is the tallest building in the palace, and it overlooks almost the entire palace at a glance.
Jiang Rao was standing on the top floor and could see people outside the Golden Palace from afar.
The Zhaixing Tower was far away from the Golden Palace. Jiang Rao stretched out her hand to measure it and felt that the group of little people were so big that they could stand in the palm of her hand.
Rong Ting's figure was easy to identify because he was sitting in a wheelchair.
As soon as he came out of the Golden Palace, Jiang Rao recognized him almost at first sight.
She took another look and saw a man wearing a bright red official uniform talking to Rong Ting on the opposite side. After thinking about it, she felt that it should be the Du Qingshui official, Chen Bing.
Jiang Rao skipped downstairs, intending to look for Rong Ting. From the empty building came the sound of her footsteps on the wooden planks of the stairs, which merged with the sound of another pair of footsteps going upwards.
Anyone?
Jiang Rao stopped and looked down, and a green dress came into her sight.
The man walking up from the bottom also noticed Jiang Rao's presence. He raised his head and his eyes met Jiang Rao's. "Hey, Fourth Miss Jiang."
He raised an eyebrow playfully, "Just happened to run into it."
Jiang Rao thought to herself, what a coincidence!
It’s the fourth prince.
She has always kept her distance from those princes who have relations with the Xu family and Queen Jiahe.
The Fourth Prince looked at Jiang Rao's face and his eyes gradually changed.
He knew that most of the girls in the Jiang family had good looks, but he had seen so many women that he didn't think much of it. Only Jiang Rao made him feel refreshed and stunning every time he saw her.
There was a kind of indifference in her eyes that was neither humble nor arrogant, neither flattering nor fawning, and she was also very beautiful.
No man can resist this kind of beauty. He just wants to drag her from the clouds to the quagmire, crush the coldness on her face, make her fall into the mortal world, and make her unable to leave him, so she humbles herself and begs him to cherish her.
The Fourth Prince became extremely excited when he thought of that scene, and his eyes became increasingly cloudy and wanton.
Jiang Rao glared at him fiercely.
When she got back, she asked her brother and Hu Tang to teach her how to use a whip. If anyone looked at her with such unscrupulous eyes again, she would just beat the person's eyes out.
She originally wanted to follow the rules and patiently talk to him, but now he was too lazy to pay attention to her and just walked down the Zhaixing Tower.
The Fourth Prince turned around and followed her. They left the Zhaixing Tower together and kept talking: "I didn't expect such a coincidence to meet the Fourth Miss in the Zhaixing Tower. Today is a good day. My ninth brother just came back from Yunling and got a reward..."
Jiang Rao paused.
Seeing that she was concerned about Rong Ting's affairs, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but smile contemptuously in his heart.
It turns out that what Brother Seventeen said was true.
I didn't expect that she, who looks so aloof and doesn't talk to anyone, would actually have private dealings with men.
He really knows how to pretend.
His gaze immediately became more irregular, and filled with a hint of disdain, and he squinted his eyes and glanced at Jiang Rao.
It is beautiful, but unfortunately he has very bad taste. He can't fall in love with anyone else but a disabled person.
"He helped Lord Chen with the Yunling Plank Road incident. I heard that Lord Chen wants to marry his daughter to him. Fourth Miss, what do you think? If Lord Chen uses his merits to ask my father for a marriage, Lord Chen's daughter is a famous talented woman in the capital. Do you think my ninth brother would be very happy?"
Jiang Rao stopped, turned around, and gave her a look with a huff.
The Fourth Prince saw the anger on her face and laughed even more viciously, feeling extremely satisfied.
How about it? Now that you have recognized his ninth brother’s true face, are you angry?
Jiang Rao pursed her lips and said nothing. She moved her fingers and patted Xiao Fugui's butt.
The Fourth Prince was admiring Jiang Rao's angry look when he suddenly heard a loud "quack" which startled him.
Then, unexpectedly, a heavy object hit his face.
It was little Fugui flapping his wings and scratching his face with his claws.
The fourth prince waved his hands hurriedly, trying to drive away the golden mynah bird with its sharp claws.
But Xiao Fugui was not afraid of cats. After being hit twice by the Fourth Prince, he became angry and pecked him hard on the forehead.
When Jiang Rao saw that the Fourth Prince's guards were coming to arrest Xiao Fugui, she hurriedly carried Xiao Fugui back.
The fourth prince covered his swollen forehead with one hand and pointed at Jiang Rao angrily with the other hand, "How did you raise a bird?"
Jiang Rao was too lazy to give him a good look. She refused to admit her mistake or apologize and just ran away.
There are few normal ones among the princes.
The seventeenth prince wanted to let the cat scratch her, but the fourth prince jumped out and said a bunch of incomprehensible things to her.
Who believes his lies!
No matter how hard you try to sow discord between them, you won't be able to deceive her.
Suddenly, Jiang Rao remembered something.
A few days ago, Hu Tang told her that the Xu family had been trying to win over the Hu family recently, and the country man had invited Mrs. Hu to the Xu residence for tea several times.
It's just that the Hu family looked down on the Xu family's hypocritical behavior, and were unwilling to have too much dealings with their in-laws, so they disdained to associate with them.
Maybe they had already tried to find someone who could deceive her, but just didn't find him.
Jiang Rao was running out of breath, but there was always the sound of footsteps chasing her from behind.
The Fourth Prince's exasperated voice came, "Catch her and the bird!"
Seeing that the Fourth Prince's men had already captured Ming Shao, they would soon come to capture her.
A cold light flashed, and a long sword blocked the purple-clothed eunuch who was chasing Jiang Rao.
The man holding the sword was Wu Que. Not far away, Rong Ting's wheelchair stopped under the hanging flower gate, his eyes were cold.
Jiang Rao ran to him immediately.
The Fourth Prince saw Rong Ting.
He learned this morning that the Yunling Mountain, which was a hundred miles in radius and originally belonged to his jurisdiction, was awarded to Rong Ting by his father on the grounds that he had mismanaged the area.
They took away his things and gave them to someone who was not even worthy of carrying his shoes, and now they are accusing him of "mismanagement"?
It is so humiliating that his ninth brother, who was inferior to him in everything when they were young, is now in the limelight.
The fourth prince was furious, "Tell your people to let go of my guards."
Rong Ting said calmly, "Call your people first and let her maid go."
The Fourth Prince's face turned pale, he clenched his fists and raised them slightly, but at the last moment when he was ready to strike, he suddenly loosened his hands.
Rong Ting is different from when he was a child.
As a child, he was weak and thin and was bullied by others. But no matter how many times he was beaten, no matter how young he was, the next time they raised their fists in front of him, he would bite them like a little mad dog, his ferocious eyes red as blood, and he would never learn to bow his head.
But this time he looked at him and raised his fist
She raised her head, but the expression on her face never changed. She looked at him lazily, with a hint of teasing expectation in her eyes.
Expect him to hit him?
The Fourth Prince suddenly remembered that his fiefdom in Yunling had just been given to Rong Ting by Emperor Zhaowu.
If he beat Rong Ting today, others would definitely say that he was holding a grudge because his fiefdom was taken away, and he beat someone in revenge, and in the end he would be known as a petty-minded person.
The fourth prince's fist fell to his side, his finger bones still tense.
There was a red mark on his forehead from the scratch by the mynah bird. He reached out and touched it twice, then looked at Rong Ting with gritted teeth and threatened, "Ninth brother, I advise you not to interfere in my affairs."
Rong Ting moved the wheelchair and protected Jiang Rao, who was holding the mynah bird, behind him.
He raised his eyelids and glanced at the Fourth Prince, "What if I insist on intervening?"
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