Chapter 27 Not Suitable for Lady Jiang
Hearing her daughter's words, she tugged at her daughter's little hand, "Fu'er, you mustn't be rude. Your brother might not be able to find his family."
The little boy immediately declared smugly, "I deliberately shook them off!"
As he spoke, he pointed at Jiang Shiyao, "Take me out to play today."
Then he pointed at Fu'er, "You little one, play with me."
Fu'er: "I'm not called Little Dot, I'm called Fu'er. What's your name, big brother?"
The little boy said, "My name is Xiao Lin."
"Brother Xiaolin, let's be friends." Fu'er smiled and her eyes crinkled.
In the mansion, she only had her mother, Shuangjiang, and Aunt He to play with.
It's great to go out, and there are cute guys to play with.
Xiao Lin nodded proudly, "Alright, since you're so cute, I'll play with you for a while."
He took two steps forward and took Fu'er's little hand, "There are rabbits over there, I'll take you to see them!"
"Okay, okay!"
The two children ran very fast, and Jiang Shiyao quickly chased after them.
It turns out there's a small pavilion behind the artificial hill behind the pavilion.
Before even entering, I could hear the roar of a tiger inside.
Jiang Shiyao's hair stood on end.
The two children, however, showed no fear and climbed directly up the outer side of the building.
She quickly went up to stop them, saying, "There's a big tiger inside, it will eat children!"
Xiao Lin raised her chin, as if mocking her timidity.
"It won't eat children, it only eats bad people."
As he spoke, he took Fu'er's hand and continued walking forward, "Come on, Fu'er, brother will take you to see the little rabbits."
"Okay!" Now that she has Brother Xiaolin, Fu'er has completely forgotten about her beloved mother!
The attic is not tall, only two stories, and you go up one step of the stairs.
Jiang Shiyao followed behind the child and discovered that the small attic was hollow in the middle.
In the middle is a huge iron cage, which is built in the shape of an attic, and the outer ring is connected.
The tiger in the cage seemed to smell the presence of a stranger, and stood up warily, occasionally letting out low growls.
Eyes glowing green were fixed on the figure on the second floor.
Jiang Shiyao, enduring her trembling legs, said, "Fu'er, Xiao Lin, let's go downstairs."
Xiao Lin, seemingly imitating someone else's tone, curled her lips and scoffed, "Pathetic!"
He led Fu'er straight to the end of the road, where there were more than a dozen cages against the wall, all filled with rabbits.
Fu'er's eyes lit up when she saw the bunny. "Wow, so many bunnies!"
Xiao Lin raised her little face and asked, "Brother didn't lie to you, did he?"
Fu'er's almond-shaped eyes immediately crinkled with laughter, "Can I take Fu'er home?"
Xiao Lin waved his hand dismissively, "They're all yours! Where do you live? I'll have someone carry them back for you!"
"My family is English..."
Jiang Shiyao rushed forward and covered her daughter's mouth, saying, "Thank you, Xiaolin, but we don't need so many rabbits."
As she spoke, she leaned close to Fu'er's ear and said, "We can't say that. Have you forgotten Grandma's rules? We all have to behave well so that we can come out to play again in the future."
Although disappointed, Fu'er still nodded.
She likes rabbits, but she likes going out to play even more.
"Brother, I don't want it anymore, thank you."
Xiao Lin's face flashed with disappointment when he heard Fu'er's rejection, but he immediately cheered up and pulled off the tiger-shaped jade pendant from his waist.
"Do you like this? My third brother gave it to me! If you like it, I'll give it to you too!"
The tiger, carved from the finest, clear yellow jade, is incredibly lifelike.
Jiang Shiyao dared not accept it.
This child's status is definitely higher than she imagined.
They not only knew about keeping such a giant beast in such a secluded place, but they were also very familiar with it.
This is the residence of the eldest princess. I wonder if these are children from the eldest princess's household, or children from other princesses or princes' families.
Jiang Shiyao quickly picked up Fu'er, "Young Master Lin, we have to go, the first banquet is about to begin!"
Xiao Lin's smile quickly vanished as she watched the two children run rapidly towards the stairwell.
Only Fu'er, perched on her mother's shoulder, waved to him with a smile in her eyes.
"Brother Xiaolin, I'll come find you to play again next time!"
Xiao Lin's face lit up after hearing those words.
He stood on the second floor of the small attic, watching the two figures disappear behind the artificial hill below the small pavilion.
He sat down dejectedly.
Clutching the jade pendant, she angrily wanted to throw it away, but then she remembered what her third brother had said: he could give it to whomever he liked in the future.
He still can't throw it away. He likes this little one. He'll definitely give it to her next time he sees it!
Thinking of this, he tied the jade pendant back to his waist.
"Oh dear, my little darling, you've come here again!"
"It's been so hard for this old servant to find you!"
Five or six eunuchs appeared at the top of the stairs, all sweating profusely. Seeing him was like finally seeing their living ancestor.
Xiao Lin jumped up and made faces at the eunuchs.
"If you've got the guts, then capture me!"
There are hardly any people left in the garden now; everyone is heading towards the banquet hall.
Jiang Shiyao hugged Fu'er tightly, recalling the direction they had come from.
As soon as she stepped into the upper corridor, a man who looked like a manager stopped her.
"Could it be Lady Jiang from the Duke of Ying's mansion?"
Jiang Shiyao looked at him hesitantly, without answering immediately.
The steward didn't bother to check if she agreed or not, and directly led her in another direction, saying, "My master invites you, Madam Jiang, this way."
Jiang Shiyao understood; the person who wanted to see her was the one who had sent her the invitation.
She pursed her lips. Who would go to such lengths, even using the Princess's banquet as a cover?
She hesitated for a moment. "Steward, the banquet has begun, and Madam is waiting for me."
The steward chuckled, "The banquet at the front is not suitable for Lady Jiang."
Jiang Shiyao knew there was no way to avoid it. She had gone out with Zhao Shi today, and they even had name cards when they entered. They were in the Princess's garden.
That person wouldn't have gone to such lengths to kill her.
Just as the others left, two people stepped in through the door.
"Brother Xian, is the spies' corpse really that of Consort Shu, who died mysteriously in the palace last month?"
Zhou Congxian was thoroughly annoyed by the noisy people around him and glanced at them casually.
I was stunned for a moment.
The woman who just turned the corner looks just like Jiang Shiyao.
He then chuckled at his own sudden thought; how could she possibly be here?
He must have been feeling down lately, making everyone he sees look like her.
What are you looking at?
Chai Baiwen followed his gaze, but saw nothing.
"It's nothing." Zhou Congxian turned and walked away.
"Hey, wait for me!"
The small lake was dug out by man and is shallow enough to see the bottom.
Every now and then, a group of beautiful koi carp swims by.
When Jiang Shiyao, holding Fu'er, saw the person in the pavilion, she immediately recognized him.
"This humble woman, Jiang, greets you, sir."
The steward exclaimed, "How dare you! This is King Cheng!"
Jiang Shiyao lowered her head even further, "Greetings to Your Highness, please forgive me, I was blind."
Xiao Shu was playing chess with himself in the pavilion.
He looked up at Jiang Shiyao and said gently, "It was I who was being presumptuous, Lady Jiang. Please forgive me."
Jiang Shiyao breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing his words.
The first time was at the carriage and horse market, the second time was at the White Horse Temple, the third time was at Huaiyue Tower, the fourth time was on the street, and this is the fifth time.
As rumored, King Cheng was indeed gentle and courteous.
"Your Highness is too kind. If I may be so bold as to ask, what brings Your Highness here to summon this humble woman?"
Xiao Shu pointed to the stone bench opposite him. "I am not a harsh person. Lady Jiang has a child with her, so please sit here."
Jiang Shiyao helped Fu'er to her feet. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Fu'er followed her mother step by step into the pavilion, her curious eyes looking around.
She saw the birdcage hanging from the beam, raised her hand, and said in a childish voice, "Mother, there are little birds."
Jiang Shiyao immediately withdrew her daughter's small hand, saying, "Fu'er, you mustn't be rude."
Xiao Shu: "It's alright."
He gestured to the steward standing to the side.
The steward stepped forward, took down the birdcage, bent down, and handed it to Fu'er. "Miss Zhou, would you like me to take you over there to feed the birds?"
Fu'er looked up at her mother.
Jiang Shiyao nodded, and Fu'er followed the steward to a stone bench not far from the pavilion.
Xiao Shu then spoke, “Young Master Zhou has misunderstood me. I was in a hurry to seek medical help, and I didn’t want to tarnish Lady Jiang’s reputation, so I took the opportunity of my elder sister’s banquet to meet Lady Jiang.”
Jiang Shiyao never expected that a prince she had only met a few times would not only treat her with courtesy, but also be so considerate and thoughtful.
However, there was nothing she could do to help.
“Your Highness, I am but a concubine, and my voice carries little weight. If it concerns the young master, I have no power to influence his words or actions.”
Xiao Shu smiled and said, "Madam Jiang, please don't be impatient. I'm just asking about a small matter, not trying to make things difficult for you."
"That day at Huaiyue Tower, I picked up Lady Jiang's jade pendant. It was on that day that Prince Zhou and I had a slight misunderstanding."
"The next day, I wanted to find Prince Zhou, but he was neither at home nor at the Yanwei camp."
Jiang Shiyao immediately tensed up.
Zhou Congxian appeared suddenly that day while injured.
Her eyes darted away for a moment. "That day, I stayed in the side room the whole time and never left. If there is any estrangement between the young master and the prince, I am not aware of the details."
Xiao Shu said, "Misunderstandings are minor matters. I lost something and actually wanted to ask if the young master had seen it."
"I'd also like to ask... if Lady Jiang noticed anything extra on Prince Zhou's body that day?"
Jiang Shiyao subconsciously felt that this thing was not something that could be exposed to light.
She shook her head. "I have never seen anything like it before."
Xiao Shu suddenly looked into Jiang Shiyao's eyes, and after a long while, he gave an apologetic smile.
"It was my fault. I have disturbed Lady Jiang today. Please do not tell anyone else."
He paused for a moment, then added, "Including Prince Zhou."
Jiang Shiyao glanced at Xiao Shu subconsciously. Although he had a humble smile on his face, a chill ran through her.
As she stepped out of the pavilion, the steward brought Fu'er over.
Xiao Shu watched Jiang Shiyao's figure disappear around the corner, and a dark figure landed beside him.
"Master, Zhou Congxian has arrived."
Xiao Shu stood up. "Have someone keep an eye on him. Prince Zhou is quite an unexpected person."
"Have someone remind Song Yitang that while he's on guard against others, he shouldn't forget to be wary of those around him."
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