When Tong Wanyan returned to the South Courtyard, she happened to witness this scene.
"Oh, it's rare to see you two getting along so well," Tong Wanyan teased with a smile.
Her large belly was bulging out, and even though she was wearing embroidered shoes and light jewelry, it still made Yinreng anxious and flustered.
Upon hearing Tong Wanyan's voice, the black bird flapped its wings and swept all the pine nuts from Yinreng's hand to the ground.
"My beauty, the bird brought you a flower, but he stole it," the black bird complained.
Its head was covered with a small tuft of pale yellow hair, which swayed proudly in the wind.
Yinreng bent down, picked up a pine nut from the ground, and aimed at it, throwing it at the pine nut.
The black bird flew right in front of Tong Wanyan, not daring to hide.
It ran away, which means the beautiful girl got hit.
As a bird that cherishes beauty, how could I let a beautiful woman get hurt?
The black bird, like a hero, endured Yinreng's minor retaliation. Yinreng swung it at it without much force, so it was just a show.
"Walk slowly, let me help you. Why did you go to the Empress Dowager's place? Were you bored in the courtyard by yourself? I slept on a makeshift bed on the floor last night and didn't touch anyone else." Yinreng hurriedly squeezed Xia Zhu out of his place and personally helped Tong Wanyan, while also putting his arm around her waist.
Tong Wanyan, who is carrying a little baby in her belly, is his precious darling, and he has to be extra careful in everything he does.
Tong Wanyan leaned into his arms. With her keen sense of smell, she knew that Yinreng hadn't done anything inappropriate.
“I believe in Grandpa,” Tong Wanyan said.
Just those few words made Yinreng feel as refreshed as if he had eaten an ice cube on a hot summer day, feeling extremely comfortable from head to toe.
He beamed, "I said I only wanted you, and I meant it. But the Crown Princess is truly an extraordinary person."
"Hmm? Not a beauty?" Tong Wanyan couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Yinreng twitched the corner of his mouth, and Tong Wanyan understood the meaning behind his gesture: disdain.
The Crown Princess, praised by both Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager, could still be disliked by Yinreng; there must be some inside story.
Tong Wanyan's eyes lit up: "Tell me quickly, what kind of extraordinary person is the Crown Princess that can elicit this reaction from the Prince?"
The Southern Courtyard had established a rule early on: when Yinreng and Tong Wanyan were talking together, the servants had to stay far away.
Yinreng wasn't worried about the servants overhearing him, and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "She's just a man in disguise."
"Greetings, sir. I've come to visit Miss Tong. I hope I'm not disturbing you."
Speaking of Shi Xiuzhu, Shi Xiuzhu comes to mind.
Chunque and Xiazhu stood guard in front of Tong Wanyan, but dared not go too far.
The wary and guarded demeanor of everyone in the courtyard impressed Shi Xiuzhu with Tong Wanyan's skill in winning people over.
Logically speaking, as the Crown Princess, there would always be a few people with ulterior motives coming to her for help.
As you can see, they are all loyal to Tong Wanyan.
Shi Xiuzhu likes beautiful women, but he likes even more beautiful women who are intelligent and resourceful.
When she saw Tong Wanyan from a distance, her heart started pounding.
When they got closer and saw Tong Wanyan's face clearly...
Seeing Tong Wanyan smile at Yinreng, she wished she could stand in front of Yinreng and take his place.
I only regret that I wasn't born a man, so I can't marry such a beautiful woman. What a pity!
Shi Xiuzhu was inwardly furious, but on the surface, she smiled gently and behaved with grace.
"Greetings, Crown Princess." Tong Wanyan stood up and bowed to Shi Xiuzhu.
Yinreng said with a stern face, "You've disturbed me."
Shi Xiuzhu ignored his words and smiled obsequiously.
"Sister Tong is truly a peerless beauty. Her entire demeanor is even more beautiful than the celestial goddesses. Come, come, let me help you sit down. Standing is tiring, I can't let you suffer, sister." Shi Xiuzhu quickly walked to Tong Wanyan's side, touched her small hand, and helped her sit down.
The servants in the South Courtyard imagined the Crown Princess would demonstrate her power and make a scene, or act as a virtuous woman and feign injury, but none of that happened.
Whether they were seeing things or not, the Crown Princess's demeanor seemed quite similar to that of the Crown Prince.
Could it be that they look like a married couple?
Shi Xiuzhu held Tong Wanyan's smooth little hand tightly, his smile incredibly sweet.
Tong Wanyan roughly understood what Yinreng meant; she was indeed an extraordinary person.
Shi Xiuzhu said without any formality, "Xiao Lian, bring me a stool. I want to sit with my concubine."
Xiao Lian had anticipated this and quickly moved a stool to the spot where Shi Xiuzhu wanted to sit.
Shi Xiuzhu sat down and held Tong Wanyan's hand the whole time.
Yinreng couldn't stand it any longer: "Let go."
“I’m a woman, and it’s just that I’m holding Sister Tong’s hand because we’re close. Please don’t be jealous, sir!” Shi Xiuzhu said nonchalantly.
With beauty before her, she couldn't remember anything else.
Yinreng wanted to slap Shi Xiuzhu's hand away, but he didn't have anything handy. Looking at the two soft and slender hands stacked together, he was so anxious that he broke out in a sweat.
Shi Xiuzhu noticed his eyes blazing with anger, but she didn't care.
"Sister Tong, I'm a few months older than you, but I call you 'sister' without any other meaning. Don't worry, I will take good care of you. From now on, I'll make sure everything good is for you, and I'll make sure you're happy and content." Shi Xiuzhu expressed her affection.
Unfortunately, she was a woman and could not be loved; their relationship could only be that of sisters.
Shi Xiuzhu felt both regretful and fortunate to be a woman.
If she were not a woman, how could she have married into Yuqing Palace and seen such a stunning beauty?
Every frown and smile is like a painting.
A single glance can make you intoxicated, even to the point of drowning willingly.
Yinreng finally found the flower that the black bird had just hit him on the ground. He bent down to pick it up, and holding the flower in his hand, he used the part of the flower stem to hit Shi Xiuzhu's hand.
Shi Xiuzhu released her in pain and glared angrily at Yinreng.
Yinreng looked at her expressionlessly, and she chickened out.
"If it weren't for your honest eyes, which suggest you're not a lecherous scoundrel, I would have had your eyes gouged out," Yinreng warned.
Shi Xiuzhu knew her own flaws; her feelings for Tong Wanyan were purely based on her attraction to her beauty, without any impure thoughts.
"Then I thank you very much, sir. You were just worried that I wouldn't treat Sister Tong well, weren't you? Today I met Sister Tong and we hit it off immediately. I wish I could become sworn sisters with her. Now you can rest assured. You don't need to tell me. I guarantee I'll treat Sister Tong better than my own mother." Shi Xiuzhu looked at Tong Wanyan, and every time he looked at her, he felt like he would ascend to heaven in the next moment.
Yinreng wished he could take the flower branch and hit the stone and bamboo again: "If you see this, go back and don't disturb me and Xiaoyan."
"No, please. Father and Mother would definitely like to see me and Sister Tong get along well. Besides, I can keep you company here for a while." Shi Xiuzhu said, "If you don't want to see me like this, you can leave first. I'll stay with Sister Tong and cheer her up."
Yinreng was so angry that he felt like he was about to die, and he wanted to curse Shi Xiuzhu in the face.
Tong Wanyan watched the show with a smile for a while, then said leisurely, "The Crown Princess is also beautiful."
Shi Xiuzhu covered his face and lowered his head, almost laughing out loud: "I can't compare to Sister Tong. If Sister Tong likes my looks, I'll come to you every day and make you happy."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
