Just as Murong Xi and Yu Xiangrong were chatting freely and in a harmonious atmosphere at the newspaper office, Zhu Xinning had already come out of the palace and returned directly to Wenxiang Residence. Upon seeing this, Zhang Xiaoyu welcomed her into the house.
"Second sister, how did it go? What did His Highness Mo Chen say?"
Early in the morning, Zhu Xinning and Zhang Xiaoyu each went on different missions. One went to the palace, and the other went to the Duke of Huguo's mansion. However, Zhang Xiaoyu was faster and returned in no time.
"no."
Zhu Xinning gave a bitter laugh twice, then shook her head.
"Why not?"
Zhang Xiaoyu was very surprised.
In her opinion, being with Jing Zhe should be something every woman dreams of, just like when Zhu Xinning came to talk to her about it that day. They should be so happy to be with him, so why would they refuse?
"Xiaoyu, Mochen is a princess!"
Zhu Xinning explained, "She's different from us. The palace education she received from a young age was too strict. She only agreed to consummate the marriage with Zhe'er on the day of their actual wedding. Moreover, she didn't dare to, for fear that outsiders would notice the changes in her body and gossip would follow, or that someone with ulterior motives would use it to cause trouble for Zhe'er, which would be terrible!"
"All right…"
Zhang Xiaoyu said somewhat dejectedly.
"Xiaoyu, if Mochen isn't an option, surely Xiangrong will be alright? I passed by the newspaper office on my way back just now. Although I didn't go in, I asked one of the staff members outside. They said Xiangrong went there early this morning and hasn't come out yet. I suppose your talk with her went well?"
After Su Mochen's failure, Zhu Xinning pinned all her hopes on Yu Xiangrong. Although four against one would be ideal, three against one would be acceptable as a second choice. Two against one was out of the question. Although it was supposed to be two against one, Zhang Xiaoyu's physical condition was really not good, and she made it clear that she couldn't do it today. So the actual situation would be one against one between her and Jing Zhe.
Thinking of this, Zhu Xinning quickly shook her head and looked at Zhang Xiaoyu with hopeful eyes.
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Xiaoyu gave a bitter smile and said, "Second Sister, it's not possible to go to Xiangrong's place either!"
"Um?"
"Xiangrong did agree to go to the newspaper office to keep an eye on Empress Yueyao, but she refused when we asked her to serve her husband with us at night!"
"Although Xiangrong seems simple-minded, she takes this matter extremely seriously. Her opinion is similar to that of Prince Mochen, saying that she will only agree on the wedding day!"
"So, tonight, I'm afraid it'll still be just the two of us... no, it'll be Second Sister alone..."
"..."
Zhu Xinning's expression turned sour.
At this moment, Zhang Xiaoyu spoke up: "Second sister, you think Xiangrong is so gentle, can she keep an eye on them after she goes to the newspaper office?"
Zhu Xinning frowned slightly, then shook her head.
"Xiangrong is a bit simple-minded. If Zhe'er wants to get rid of her, it shouldn't be too difficult. Besides, Xiangrong is kind-hearted, and Empress Yueyao is eloquent. I wonder if she will be bewitched by Xiangrong!"
Hearing Zhu Xinning's analysis, Zhang Xiaoyu was also very nervous. What if she tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead? What if she failed to monitor Yu Xiangrong and was turned against her by Empress Yueyao?
So she volunteered, "Second sister, why don't I go to the newspaper office and keep an eye on them?"
Zhu Xinning stopped her: "No, not now. You told them this morning you weren't going. If you go now, wouldn't that be telling them you don't trust them to go see the people?"
"But…"
"Wait a bit, go before sunset, then you can bring him back!"
"All right…"
...
Inside the newspaper office, Murong Xi and Yu Xiangrong were having a lively conversation.
Jing Zhe, meanwhile, led Chu Xia around the newspaper office, looking here and there with no interest in anything.
He was now completely certain that this was a scheme by Zhu Xinning! She said she trusted him, but she didn't really trust him at all!
The Jingzhou Women's Group, led by Zhu Xinning, consists of four members. Aside from Su Mochen, who is stuck in the palace, Zhu Xinning has made the best use of the remaining three. She herself manages things at home, Zhang Xiaoyu oversees Wenxiang Residence, and the newspaper she trusts most has been assigned to Yu Xiangrong. So far, it seems to be working well…
It seems that in these places, he didn't even have the chance to whisper anything to Murong Xi, let alone do anything with her!
Chu Xia was still agonizing over not creating an opportunity for the two of them to be alone when she came downstairs, but after visiting the various departments with Jing Zhe, she put that matter out of her mind and became completely immersed in the newspaper's operations.
Before they knew it, it was noon. Jing Zhe had someone order some food from Wenxiangju in advance, and as soon as the food arrived, he couldn't wait to bring it upstairs.
"Dinner's ready!"
Jing Zhe pushed the door open and entered—knock? No way. It was his turf, and there were two women inside. He wasn't afraid of seeing anything he shouldn't—but he did deliberately want to suddenly go in and see what the two women were talking about all morning!
Upon entering, one sees Murong Xi and Yu Xiangrong chatting happily. The two are sitting on stools in front of the table, knees facing each other. Murong Xi is holding Yu Xiangrong's hand, and both of them have faint smiles on their faces.
When Murong Xi saw Jing Zhe push the door open and enter, she wrinkled her nose.
This greatly displeased Jing Zhe: What's with that expression? Are you still not satisfied with me?
But he said, "It's noon, let's eat first!"
As she spoke, she placed the food on the table, and Chu Xia followed her in from downstairs. The four of them ate together.
During the meal, Jing Zhe said, "Your Majesty, you've been chatting all morning. This afternoon, shall I take you downstairs for a tour? And let Xiangrong review the Dream of the Red Chamber story upstairs again?"
Jing Zhe was openly inviting Murong Xi; only in this way could the two of them have a chance to be alone!
To everyone's surprise, Murong Xi refused: "No need, you can show Chu Xia around, Xiang Rong and I haven't finished talking yet!"
"..."
Jing Zhe was curious; what did the two of them have to talk about?
Chu Xia then spoke up, "Your Majesty, I think our most urgent task right now is to take advantage of the few days the newspaper is still open to visit and learn! As for chatting, if Your Majesty really wants, you can have Miss Yu stay at our place tonight!"
"no!"
Murong Xi and Yu Xiangrong said it in unison, then looked at each other and laughed.
“Early Summer, didn’t I just say that your visit is the same as mine? I saw the general outline yesterday, so you can take a closer look! Besides, Xiangrong and I have already discussed taking the Dream of the Red Chamber story to Yueyao Kingdom and putting it in our newspaper!”
After Murong Xi finished speaking, he and Yu Xiangrong looked at Jing Zhe. Yu Xiangrong asked cautiously, "Young Master, is this...is this alright?"
She was still a little uneasy, after all, the story was conceived by Jing Zhe, and she was just a ghostwriter.
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