He gave Jiang Tian an excellent status; she deserved the position of concubine.
Since Jiang Tian wanted to help him manage the harem, she naturally needed to have a sufficiently intimidating identity.
If others treat her like a servant, who would obey her orders?
He told Jiang Tian about it, but Jiang Tian didn't react emotionally at all. Instead, she said to him, "You've thought this through very well. Anyway, it's just a fake identity. After I pass away, you can marry someone new. Don't worry, I won't covet your wealth and status."
Yuan Ye's expression turned ugly.
Before he broke off relations with Jiang Tian, he had already considered giving her the position of a concubine.
His wish from back then has now come true—he wanted to hear a few kind words from her.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Tian's first thought was how to extricate herself from the situation.
"Where are your sweet talk skills? I gave you this position not so you could think about what to do next, but so you could be the most powerful person in the harem and not have to bow and scrape to others."
His tone was angry.
Jiang Tian chuckled and tiptoed to ruffle his hair: "Your Highness, have you noticed how childish you've become in front of me?"
He remained silent on the night of the Lantern Festival.
He was very angry, but when Jiang Tian touched him a couple of times, he felt less angry.
How could he possibly admit it?
"Alright, I understand your intentions perfectly, which is why I thought of a way out immediately. One shouldn't only care about the present. But I'm still very happy that you're willing to give me this concubine position, which shows that you care about me. Although I know that the other women in the harem are just a smokescreen to cover me up, you can't touch them. If you dare to enter their rooms, I won't let you off the hook."
At first, Jiang Tian spoke gently and kindly, but then her tone changed drastically, and she began to grit her teeth.
Yuan Ye suddenly felt completely relaxed.
He looked at Jiang Tian with a speechless expression: "Why do you always think such wicked thoughts? If I wanted to touch other women, I would have done it long ago. Don't forget, I am the crown prince of a country."
"Who you are is none of my business. You are my man now, and no one is allowed to touch my man. Protect yours—"
Jiang Tian didn't say anything more, but suddenly clenched her fist!
Caught off guard by the sneak attack, Yuan Ye let out a muffled groan, and his eyes suddenly changed.
The spring night is warm under the tent, and the Lantern Festival night is hot with sweat pouring down.
He stared intently at Jiang Tian.
"Jiang Tian, do you even have feelings for me?"
He didn't know why, but his suspicious nature always seemed to creep in.
Jiang Tian's voice was soft and sweet, her eyes unfocused: "Yes."
"Will you leave me?"
Jiang Tian bit her lip, wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked at him with longing in her eyes.
Yuan Ye gripped her waist tightly: "Speak!"
Jiang Tian said softly, "I won't leave when you need me..."
Yuan Ye nibbled at her snow-white skin: "I remember everything you said. Don't forget, you've always been mine—"
Suddenly, a torrential downpour struck.
The news that the Crown Prince had a concubine spread throughout the capital, but it did not cause a great sensation.
Grand Tutor Chen's illness was the real focus of attention. After all, he was one of the most powerful officials in the capital. If anything happened to him, the various factions in the capital would be reshuffled.
As for the Duke's mansion, it was completely protected from the storm.
The family is preparing to pay respects to Lu Zhixing's late wife.
When Jiang Tian was the wife of the Duke's heir, she was a model of a noblewoman, without a single mistake in etiquette, which everyone admired.
Now that Zhao Zhen's name has been cleared, although he is currently recuperating in the capital, the situation will be very different if he returns to the border and regains power.
Even though Jiang Tian has passed away, the Duke's Mansion and Zhao Zhen are still related by blood—Jiang Tian had at least two more children.
With Zhao Zhen around, they dared not mistreat Jiang Tian, and even though it was just a death anniversary, they still held a grand celebration.
Zhao Zhen is currently preoccupied with his own problems and has not inquired about his niece's passing.
But once he came to his senses, the Duke's Mansion still had to give him an explanation.
If they fail to show their care for Jiang Tian now, it will surely displease Zhao Zhen and create potential problems for the future.
Aside from being able to sleep until eight in the morning, Jiang Ruoqing didn't enjoy any special benefits in the entire Duke's mansion.
Her mother-in-law was never good at managing the household, so Jiang Ruoqing was prepared when Lu Zhixing married her.
But the Duke's mansion had too many affairs to handle, and Jiang Ruoqing was really tired.
You can't have your cake and eat it too. Since she's chosen this path, she has to keep going.
Jiang Ruoqing spent a long time preparing for the six-month anniversary of Jiang Tian's death.
The Duke's mansion hosted a banquet for many guests, and even her father came to offer incense to Jiang Tian.
In addition, Jiang Ruoqing also plans to go to the temple to pray for blessings, donate money, and pray that her elder sister can enjoy happiness in her next life.
As for Lu Zhixing, he also copied several volumes of scriptures and burned them for Jiang Tian.
In short, they did an excellent job at everything that was just for show.
The guests were very accommodating; everyone who could come showed up.
On the surface, everyone appears glamorous and noble, but who can know that behind the scenes, they each have their own troubles?
The Duke's mansion appears to be a place of great wealth and power, but in reality, the Duke holds no official position and, apart from his title, has no say in the court.
The sons of the powerful and wealthy were either given sinecure positions or had to take the imperial examinations on their own.
Lu Zhixing took the exam for several years but didn't achieve much.
He barely managed to pass the imperial examinations.
He now holds a position in the court and has gained some influence, but being at the center of the power struggle, everyone there is shrewd and calculating. Lu Zhixing is still too inexperienced to play mind games with them.
He has been suppressed for the past few years.
Why did he choose to marry Jiang Ruoqing? Besides wanting his wife's younger sister to take care of his two children, he also wanted to continue to work closely with Lord Jiang.
After all, Jiang's father was a civil official and held more influence in the capital than he did, so their marriage was a win-win situation for both of them.
Jiang Ruoqing wasn't stupid; she understood the ins and outs of the situation and wasn't so afraid of the Duke's mansion. Otherwise, she would have had a very hard time living under such high pressure every day.
Just as Jiang Ruoqing was about to relax and rest after the six-month mourning period ended, new news spread from the capital—
The Crown Prince's concubine is inviting the families of various households to the Hundred Flowers Banquet.
The concubine has only been in the palace for a short time, and now a banquet of a hundred flowers is being held. Perhaps it is the Crown Prince's arrangement.
As for the intention behind this, no one can guess.
But they all knew very well that if anyone didn't go, wouldn't that be giving the Crown Prince a handle to use against them for no reason?
The emperor was becoming increasingly confused, and the crown prince was the rightful heir apparent. If he didn't want to be criticized, he had to attend this banquet.
So, before she could even catch her breath, Jiang Ruoqing dressed up again and went to the Hundred Flowers Banquet.
She originally thought that as an unknown nobody, it would be enough for her to just go through the motions, admire the flowers, and go home.
But she never expected that she would see an incredibly familiar face there!
In that instant, Jiang Ruoqing couldn't control the complex emotions welling up in her heart and suddenly screamed!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
