He waved his hand again, signaling Zhaoyi Zhao to step back. Zhaoyi Zhao bit her lip in unwillingness and, before leaving, cast a final glance at her.
Gu Ningning knew that Zhaoyi Zhao would surely hate her even more this time. Perhaps she would find a chance to unleash the “three-part palace scheme”: poisoning, framing, or even murder to silence her.
Sigh, being cannon fodder had its downsides. Now, the more people looked at her, the sooner she could predict how she was going to “die” next.
She lowered her gaze, hiding her little schemes, then turned to Shen Que and gave him a proper greeting, “Your Highness.”
The two had just had an unpleasant quarrel that morning. Shen Que didn’t even know why he had, for a moment, lost his mind and called her over. He just stared at her for a while before finding an excuse.
“I called you for your reading. Study properly.”
Gu Ningning responded reluctantly, “Oh.”
After a moment’s thought, Shen Que added, “Chang Yue will come by every day to check on you.”
Her face fell completely, and she pouted, mumbling, “Maid-Concubine still has to learn all this. Your Highness, are you training a Maid-Concubine or a top scholar?”
Shen Que found it oddly amusing and teased her, “You won’t pass as a top scholar, and you’re not qualified to serve either.”
“……” Gu Ningning thought: the truth hurts, but in a weird way.
He continued, “Study properly. If your performance is unsatisfactory, I’ll have to find a female teacher to instruct you.”
Gu Ningning’s face twisted in despair.
Being cannon fodder meant her pride wasn’t worth much anyway. She lowered herself and looped her arm around Shen Que’s, using a soft, sweet tone to tease him, “Your Highness~”
Shen Que’s throat tightened.
They said men craved novelty, but even after pampering Gu Ningning for so long, he could not resist her teasing.
Yet today he still had state affairs to attend to. He could not waste too much time on her, maintaining a composed expression as he waved her off.
Inwardly, Gu Ningning cursed him, conjuring a thousand little demons in her mind, and turned away angrily.
Outside, Shen Que’s reputation was that of a death-bringer, his aura harsh and intimidating. Gu Ningning was the only one in the Eastern Palace bold enough to sulk at him. Chang Yue, fearing Shen Que’s anger, hurried to make excuses for her.
“Gu Maid-Concubine is only sixteen, still a child at heart.”
Shen Que let out a light snort. “A child at heart?”
He recalled that at sixteen, he had already been fighting on the border for three years, enduring serious injuries while leading his troops through the snow to find their way home.
Chang Yue fell silent, too afraid to say more.
Back at Chaoyan Courtyard, Gu Ningning received the notice: Shen Que had placed her under confinement, instructing her to study properly over the next few days, only to be released for the poetry gathering.
Though called confinement, in reality, she only went out in the morning to pay respects to the Secondary Consort; otherwise, she remained indoors.
Being confined suited her. She no longer had to make greetings and, moreover, the other women would see her as out of favor, ceasing their envious surveillance.
It was truly a rare moment of thoughtfulness from His Highness the Crown Prince, though the books themselves were incomprehensible—beyond her lifetime’s ability to understand.
Just looking at the obscure classical texts gave Gu Ningning a headache. She dawdled, first eating a meal, then taking a bath.
Ah, as long as she didn’t have to study, everything else was bliss.
Fortunately, Shen Que hadn’t been cruel enough to leave her entirely to her own devices. About an hour later, Zhaoyi Bai was sent.
Zhaoyi Bai, named Bai Tang, was the legitimate daughter of the Deputy Minister of Revenue. True to her name, she wore white from head to toe, exuding a serene and cold aura, with a face like moonlight. She spoke softly and gently. She was not particularly close to Gu Ningning, yet unlike others, she didn’t dig traps for her daily.
Unfortunately, she too was cannon fodder.
In this novel, the quality of cannon fodder was impressively high.
Zhaoyi Bai moved a chair to sit beside Gu Ningning. “Your Highness ordered me to tutor you. If there’s anything you don’t understand, tell me.”
Gu Ningning’s level of classical Chinese… it couldn’t exactly be called erudition—it was more like burning books and burying scholars.
She answered honestly, “I don’t understand anything.”
Zhaoyi Bai was silent for a moment, then truly explained everything to her, word by word.
Gu Ningning studied with her until late at night, sharing half of her snacks and toys, leaving Bai Tang both amused and helpless.
She checked the time. Shen Que had just elevated Meiren Zhou’s rank and would likely spend the night there.
She only hoped Jieyu Zhou would be cooperative, spending plenty of time with Shen Que before stepping aside, letting her own good days last a little longer.
She had no idea how far the two had progressed, and whether Jieyu Zhou’s legs would get in the way.
Sigh. She shouldn’t have plotted against Jieyu Zhou yesterday.
Meanwhile, at Luoxue Courtyard:
“Yi Qiu, do you think Your Highness will like my outfit today?”
Jieyu Zhou carefully examined herself in the vanity mirror.
Yi Qiu lowered her gaze beside her, inserting a vermilion hairpin into her hair. “Madam is exceedingly beautiful. If it weren’t for Gu Maid-Concubine, Your Highness would have already favored Madam long ago.”
Jieyu Zhou’s face was enchanting, her figure delicate. Beautiful as she was, she was overshadowed by Gu Ningning.
Her ankle still throbbed from yesterday’s fall, and her expression twisted in anger. “Don’t mention that wretched girl! The humiliation I suffered yesterday, I’ll make her pay double!”
Yi Qiu’s expression held a faint, subtle mockery, yet she soothed her, “Madam, don’t be angry. Isn’t this precisely the time for you to gain favor?”
Soon, the door opened, and Shen Que arrived.
His features were sharp and commanding, his phoenix-like eyes exuding nobility. Having just finished state affairs, his aura still carried a trace of unrestrained dominance.
Everyone knew that His Highness the Crown Prince had thunderous methods.
Such a man inspired true admiration in Jieyu Zhou. The thought that she would soon share the night with him made her heart race.
She smiled and stood to greet him, forcing her injured ankle to seem natural. “It’s cold outside, isn’t it? This concubine will help Your Highness remove your coat and warm you.”
Shen Que acknowledged with a mere “Hmm” but did not cooperate.
Suddenly, he remembered Gu Ningning.
Whenever he went to Chaoyan Courtyard, he arrived covered in snow and wind. Gu Ningning, disliking the cold, would greet him reluctantly, eventually ceasing to serve him, waiting for him to warm himself first.
Jieyu Zhou’s smile slowly stiffened.