Eating a meal from the imperial kitchen in the palace was once an unattainable dream for Jing Zhe. He had several opportunities, but Su Mochen turned him away each time.
He was quite excited to finally have the opportunity to dine at Fuchen Palace today, but who would have thought he would run into Su Xiaoxiao?
When Guizhi brought the food, Su Xiaoxiao naturally stayed to eat with them, showing no awareness of being a third wheel.
Moreover, during the meal, she vividly described to Su Mochen the intimate scenes Jing Zhe had with her senior sister and Mu Qingren and others when they were in Jinxi.
Although the newspaper and Jing Zhe had both told Su Mochen the story of Jinxi, Su Mochen had never heard of such a scene between a man and a woman before. So she listened with great interest, gritting her teeth and glaring at Jing Zhe with a fierce look, and several times she seemed about to say something but then stopped herself.
At this moment, Jing Zhe was thankful that Su Xiaoxiao was there. If she hadn't been there, Su Mochen would have definitely pressed him about his relationship with Qiu Qianqian, Mu Qingren, and the others…
Clearly, today is not a good day.
It is better to flee than to confess.
So the food in the imperial kitchen tasted bland to Jing Zhe. He wolfed it down quickly, and then, taking advantage of the two women's lively conversation, he took his leave and slipped away.
Watching Jing Zhe disappear quickly into the snow-white world like a dog with its tail between its legs, Su Xiaoxiao pouted and said, "Royal sister, it's a good thing I came, otherwise how would you have discovered how shameless he is? You might have been fooled by him!"
There was a hint of smugness in his expression, as if he were taking credit for something.
"Yes, thanks to Xiaoxiao!"
Su Mochen clenched her fists and frowned as she spoke.
The footprints left on the ground were slowly covered by the wind and snow, and soon there were no traces of anyone walking on them. Only the howling north wind could be heard passing by one's ears.
Jing Zhe originally planned to go straight home, but he stopped in his tracks when he passed by the entrance of Wenxiangju.
The wind and snow outside were getting heavier and heavier. After entering the city, he asked Hanhan to drive home first. He left the palace alone and was covered in snow when he arrived at the entrance of Wenxiangju.
He also knew that apart from Hanhan, there was probably no one else at home. Zhu Xinning had to settle Murong Xi's accommodation, and Zhang Xiaoyu had to watch the shop, so they were most likely at Wenxiangju.
He didn't want to go in at this time. If he ran into Murong Xi and the other women again, who knows what would happen without the constraints of the court!
But for some reason, he just couldn't move his feet.
His woman was inside. After getting so worked up over Su Mochen, he was a little impatient—he wanted to sneak in quietly, as long as he didn't run into Murong Xi.
Jing Zhe comforted himself in this way, and then walked into Wenxiangju.
...
On the second floor of Wenxiang Residence, Zhu Xinning had already arranged accommodations for Murong Xi and the others, and now she arrived at Zhang Xiaoyu's room.
Zhang Xiaoyu and Yu Xiangrong then surrounded her.
They knew that Zhu Xinning went to court to see Empress Yueyao, but they didn't expect that Empress Yueyao would follow her back to Wenxiang Residence. However, Zhu Xinning's expression was not good, which made them even more curious.
"Second sister, why do you look so pale?"
Yu Xiangrong asked with concern.
"Second sister, you came with Empress Yueyao, did you ask her about her young master?"
Zhang Xiaoyu still had Jing Zhe on her mind.
Hearing this, Yu Xiangrong chimed in, "This Empress Yueyao... truly lives up to what the common people say, she is an absolute beauty, so stunning that it's enviable..."
"Pretty? What's so pretty about her? She's just a vixen!"
Upon hearing the name Murong Xi, Zhu Xinning became angry and immediately retorted, "If you ask me, Second Sister, what kind of beauty is she? She's nowhere near as pretty as our Xiang Rong and Xiao Yu!"
Compared to Murong Xi, Yu Xiangrong and Zhang Xiaoyu are both on her side, so Zhu Xinning will definitely praise them and belittle Murong Xi.
The two girls were stunned when they heard this. Yu Xiangrong's face turned bright red, her head drooped, and her hands were clasped together.
Zhang Xiaoyu's cheeks also flushed slightly as she waved her hand and said, "Second Sister, don't say that. I'm not as pretty as Rong, and I can't compare to Empress Yueyao at all!"
"If I say it's possible, then it's possible!"
Zhu Xinning crossed her arms and spoke with a firm voice.
Zhang Xiaoyu found her behavior even stranger and asked curiously, "Second Sister, what exactly happened? Why do you hate this Empress Yueyao so much? And—is there any news about the young master?"
"Don't mention him! Just thinking about him makes me angry!"
Zhu Xinning was initially delighted to see Jing Zhe unexpectedly in the court, but then the matter of Murong Xi arose, and the two engaged in a verbal battle. However, due to Murong Xi's status as an empress, Zhu Xinning did not gain the upper hand and was filled with resentment, which she naturally vented on Jing Zhe. It was one thing to be a womanizer, but what was the meaning of being a womanizer like an empress?
When she told Zhu Xinning about Murong Xi, Yu Xiangrong was alright, but Zhang Xiaoyu also joined Zhu Xinning's army of condemnation. However, her target was only Murong Xi—how could she bear to part with such a good young master?
"Second sister, blame it all on that empress!"
"I knew she wasn't a good woman the moment I saw her!"
"Those eyes are like hooks; how could any man resist them?"
"Young master is so outstanding, she must have feelings for him!"
"So, Second Sister, this isn't Young Master's fault!"
"..."
Zhu Xinning wasn't really angry with Jing Zhe. After being prompted by Zhang Xiaoyu, she nodded in agreement.
"Young Master!"
Shy Yu Xiangrong went to the window and saw that the wind and snow outside were getting stronger and stronger. Sometimes the wind would blow the snow into the house. So she reached out to close the window. Just then, she saw Jing Zhe lingering outside the Wenxiang Residence.
Although the wind and snow were heavy, and his head and body were covered in snow, Yu Xiangrong recognized Jing Zhe's figure at a glance.
Where?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaoyu and Zhu Xinning immediately ran over.
At this moment, Jing Zhe downstairs was engaged in a fierce internal struggle outside the entrance of Wenxiangju, debating whether or not to go in. Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he stepped into Wenxiangju...
"Young...Young Master...he...he's come in!"
Having spent the time with Zhu Xinning and Zhang Xiaoyu, Yu Xiangrong rarely stutters when she speaks, but when she sees Jing Zhe again, she still gets nervous and her old habit kicks in.
Zhu Xinning and Zhang Xiaoyu exchanged a glance and smiled happily.
"When he arrives, do you think we should pay him any attention?"
After Zhu Xinning finished speaking, she looked at Yu Xiangrong.
"I...I don't know..."
"I...I'll listen to my second sister..."
Zhang Xiaoyu, like Yu Xiangrong, twisted her hands, feeling embarrassed.
"Alright, then we'll do as I say!"
After saying that, Zhu Xinning said quietly, "Do you think he will come here first, or next door?"
"No way?"
Zhang Xiaoyu and Yu Xiangrong both stared wide-eyed.
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