In the blink of an eye, Zhu Xingxu bumped into Pei Xie’s dark, piercing eyes.
“Be careful, it’s crowded here,” he said.
Pei Xie had reverted to his identity as the Fifth Prince, dressed in a dark gray robe embroidered with gold threads, wearing a crown set with white jade gems of the same color, his faint smile making him appear noble and aloof.
Yet his slightly feminine features added an irresistible beauty to his presence.
Zhu Xingxu lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.
“Thank you…”
Pei Xie looked at the receding prison carriage.
“Aren’t you going to follow it?”
Zhu Xingxu snapped back to reality and hurried forward.
Pei Xie stopped her. “Ride in my carriage.”
She glanced back and saw a carriage behind him, crafted from the finest wood and cloth, the Fifth Prince’s emblem adorning its front and sides.
She clenched her teeth and stepped in.
The carriage began moving in the direction of the prison carriage.
Inside, she could avoid the crowd and not fall behind.
Lifting the curtain at the front, she fixed her eyes on the prison carriage ahead.
The garbage atop it grew thicker; even from a distance, the stench was overwhelming.
The people continued throwing debris, spitting, and shouting curses.
Her hatred for Li Dong deepened.
It was all because of him that Meng Chunhe had ended up in such a plight.
Zhu Xingxu had learned that all the wealth Li Dong had embezzled was spent on private land and taking concubines.
He had not just two concubines in the residence; there were as many as ten outside.
And of course, the outside ones were free from supervision.
Meng Chunhe’s personal expenses and those of the Zen Fragrance Courtyard came solely from the profits of her dowry shops.
Thus, her courtyard had very few servants.
She could not afford more.
Li Dong had tightly controlled the Li residence finances, keeping Meng Chunhe out entirely.
In other words, she had been dragged into trouble entirely because of him.
Yet, if Li Dong had not been so greedy, she would never have obtained the dry-cypress brush.
Sitting back, her heart was a swirl of emotions.
After a moment, Zhu Xingxu asked, “Madam… where will she be sent?”
Pei Xie was silent for a moment. “Most likely, she’ll be sent to the palace for laundry or cleaning duties, a lifetime of labor.”
Zhu Xingxu looked up at him. “Is there any way… to make her life a little better?”
Pei Xie met her light brown eyes, glimmering with hope.
He looked away. “The best you can do is have those supervising her be lenient, not harsh.”
Hearing there was hope, Zhu Xingxu leaned slightly closer to him.
It was not citrus season; she would eat grapes while bathing in the evenings.
Her allowance was mostly spent on seasonal fruits.
The fruits at the Zhu residence were among the finest, only slightly inferior to tribute fruits.
She enjoyed the grapes while bathing, juice dripping into the water, leaving a faint fragrance on her skin.
As she leaned closer, the sweet scent reached Pei Xie’s nose.
He subtly leaned back, trying to avoid the aroma.
It stirred an unusual feeling within him—one he did not like.
Unaware, Zhu Xingxu continued, “What should I do? How can I give the money to the person supervising her?”
Pei Xie cleared his throat. “Just… give the money to me. I will arrange it.”
Being a prince, this was an easy task for him in the palace.
Zhu Xingxu felt reassured; Pei Xie was trustworthy.
“All right… then I’ll leave it to you.”
She stepped back, giving him some space.
Pei Xie nodded and looked out the window.
The carriage reached the Ministry of Justice prison.
The crowd was dense, so the ministry sent many officers to keep them ten steps away.
The people pressed close, watching Li Dong, dust-covered, step down.
“Spit, corrupt official!”
Seeing him like this, the crowd cheered and hurled insults.
“Go inside and suffer well!”
Li Dong lowered his head, being led into the prison.
Meng Chunhe, Li Ke, and Aunt Xiang were escorted to the palace.
Zhu Xingxu, anxious, suddenly grasped Pei Xie’s wrist.
Her burning warmth transferred through his hand, and he furrowed his brows.
“Please… find out where she’s going, okay?”
Pei Xie: “…All right.”
It was a minor matter.
Relieved, Zhu Xingxu withdrew her hand.
Pei Xie’s fingers curled slightly, lingering on the residual warmth.
Once the group disappeared and the crowd thinned, Zhu Xingxu picked up her veil, ready to disembark.
“I’ll go first, then.”
Pei Xie reached to stop her but hesitated, withdrawing his hand.
“I’ll send you back; it’s still a bit to the Zhu residence.”
Zhu Xingxu sat back. “All right.”
She had wanted him to take her back but worried he might have other duties.
He instructed the driver, and the carriage turned toward the Zhu residence.
Zhu Xingxu leaned back, eyes closed, thinking of Madam Li’s plight.
She sighed faintly. Pei Xie knew why she sighed.
Most people had no control over their circumstances.
Fate differed for each person; being good did not guarantee reward.
He clenched his fist. What he desired… he would find a way to obtain.
After a while, the carriage arrived at the Zhu residence.
The grape fragrance lingered inside.
Zhu Xingxu was used to it, noticing nothing unusual.
Pei Xie inhaled passively, helpless. He did not dislike the scent.
Seeing familiar streets, Zhu Xingxu stood to exit.
“Thank you.” As she left, the grape scent faded.
Pei Xie closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, wanting to capture it all.
The driver tapped the door. “Your Highness, where to next?”
The sweetness nearly gone, Pei Xie opened his eyes, clear and bright.
“Return to the residence.”
Zhu Xingxu’s arrival from the Fifth Prince’s carriage quickly reached Madam Xu through the servants.
Madam Xu was delighted. “Really?”
The servant nodded. “Absolutely.”
She rose. “Have the eldest miss come over.”
Her personal maid, Jin Xue, immediately went to fetch Zhu Xingxu.
Back in her room, Zhu Xingxu sipped tea before seeing Jin Xue arrive.
“Eldest Miss, Madam asks you to come over.”
She set down her cup and followed Jin Xue to Madam Xu’s courtyard.
Upon entering, Madam Xu’s eyes lit up as if seeing the God of Wealth, seizing Zhu Xingxu’s hands.
“Oh, Xingxu, you’ve grown even more beautiful.”
Zhu Xingxu felt itchy all over.
Madam Xu, usually indifferent, had changed suddenly—what was she playing at?
She seemed oblivious to Zhu Xingxu’s discomfort, pulling her to sit.
“I bought some fruit today, have some?”
Several fresh peaches sat on the table.
Zhu Xingxu’s eyes brightened, she loved peaches.
Seeing this, Madam Xu’s smile could not hide her excitement, handing one to Zhu Xingxu.
She took a bite without hesitation.
Madam Xu watched, smiling.
After finishing one, Madam Xu asked, “Xingxu, I heard you came from the Fifth Prince’s carriage today?”
Zhu Xingxu froze, slowly nodding, unsure of her intent.
Madam Xu continued, “Although the Fifth Prince was previously unfavored, he is still a prince. And now, under the Third Prince, who is rising rapidly…”
Zhu Xingxu wiped her mouth and said nothing.
Madam Xu, uneasy under her gaze, pressed on: “Since you are close to the Fifth Prince, perhaps you could introduce Ruoyi to the Third Prince?”
This was Madam Xu’s plan.
How dare she even think of it!
The Third Prince was meant to be with the heroine.
Supporting a secondary character never ended well.
Zhu Xingxu shook her head. “No, Mother. I am not close to the Fifth Prince.”
Unexpectedly, Madam Xu paused. “H-How is that possible?”
Zhu Xingxu hesitated, then nodded. “It’s true. I offended him and got down from his carriage.”
Hearing “offended,” Madam Xu jumped up.
“You offended him? What did you do?”
Zhu Xingxu shrugged. “Nothing much, just broke his favorite antique fan.”
She made it up on the spot.
Madam Xu turned pale.
Zhu Xingxu continued, “That fan was the Fifth Prince’s favorite, worth tens of thousands of silver.”
She deliberately exaggerated to frighten Madam Xu.
Madam Xu trembled slightly.
Zhu Xingxu observed and went on: “He let me go only out of respect for Father. He told me never to appear before him again.”
She hoped that if Pei Xie learned later, he would not blame her… it was all for the Child of Fortune in this story.
Madam Xu swallowed. “Why… are you so reckless?”
Her vision blurred, mind in a whirl.
Zhu Xingxu looked aggrieved. “I did not mean to… it happened suddenly… I wanted to make amends.”
Madam Xu knew about the Li residence raid, the Crown Prince faction weakened, and the Third Prince rising.
If the Crown Prince faction never recovered and the emperor passed the throne to the Third Prince…
The Fifth Prince would resent them, and the Zhu residence could suffer.
Madam Xu’s fear grew. She grabbed Zhu Xingxu’s hand. “Go apologize to the Fifth Prince’s residence!”
Zhu Xingxu sat firm. “No! He told me never to appear before him. If I go, it’s like hitting his face. What if he gets angry and targets Father at court?”
Madam Xu thought it over and agreed, but still felt apologizing was necessary.
Sitting back, she patted her chest, hoping to calm herself.
Zhu Xingxu loved trouble, but being Madam Li’s child, she could not be scolded or punished easily—it was vexing!
Madam Xu pondered long but found no solution.
She considered telling Zhu Mingli, but then he would blame her for not taking care of Zhu Xingxu.
What to do?
Send someone to apologize?
She thought it was a good plan.
But… What if it enraged the Fifth Prince even more?
Thinking of this, she blamed the Crown Prince.
Why didn’t he suppress the Third Prince?
Zhu Xingxu, noticing her pained expression, picked up a peach.
And truly, Madam Xu’s fruit was delicious.
She ate while slipping the remaining two peaches into her pocket to share with Jinzhu and Su Lan later.
Halfway through, Madam Xu made up her mind.
Looking at Zhu Xingxu: “Tomorrow, you and I will go to Zhenguo Temple to pray. We’ll ask that the Fifth Prince not trouble us and that heaven keeps you from causing further mischief!”