She truly hadn’t managed her time well, but before leaving, she had at least asked for leave, right?
Jiang Zhuoying fell silent, but the more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt. She wondered if Zhuozhuo had eaten lunch yet?
“…This servant failed to return in time. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
The young girl was genuinely apologetic, her tone filled with trepidation.
Qi Fan pressed his lips together. Just as the stalemate continued, a young servant came running out from inside.
“Your humble servant greets Your Highness!”
That voice… Jiang Zhuoying slightly lifted her gaze to look.
It was indeed Zhao Xiping.
“What is the matter that you’re in such a hurry?” The man’s tone was steady.
“Reporting to Your Highness, Zhuozhuo is refusing to eat again for some reason, just like last time. This servant is worried there might be something wrong with the pond water, so I rushed to inform Your Highness.”
Refusing to eat again?
Jiang Zhuoying instinctively suspected the pond water as well. Last time, it was because of the crab meat that caused Zhuozhuo to behave strangely.
But this wasn’t in that small courtyard within the Osmanthus forest.
The Second Prince’s separate residence, if not guarded as tightly as an iron barrel, still had many guards stationed there.
It shouldn’t… be so easy for evildoers to enter, right?
“Why are you still standing there?” A cold voice reached her ears.
Jiang Zhuoying jolted back to reality and bowed again. “This servant will go check immediately.”
Carrying a pile of bundles, she hurried inside. Zhao Xiping walked beside her, extending his arm. “Miss Jiang, let me help you?”
Jiang Zhuoying breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. “Thank you, Brother Zhao.”
She had been carrying these bundles for a long time, and her arms were feeling weak. Besides, her arms hadn’t been comfortable to begin with.
The two quickened their pace, talking as they headed toward the backyard.
When Jiang Zhuoying handed the bundles to Zhao Xiping, a jar of ointment fell out from one of the cloth wrappings.
With a soft ‘thud,’ both of them, eager to get to the backyard, failed to notice.
But the master and servant behind them witnessed this clearly.
Chu Yixin stepped forward, picked up the porcelain jar, and turned to hand it to Qi Fan. “Master.”
“Return it—”
The man initially thought it was some kind of cosmetic powder women use, but with a casual glance, he noticed the words “Baofu Medical Hall” on the jar.
This was the medical hall where Gu Yunci’s princess consort resided…
Is she ill?
“Master?”
Chu Yixin called out again. The man reached out and took the jar into his hand. “Let’s go check on Zhuozhuo.”
“Yes.”
…
The group arrived at the pondside. On the bank, the food box contained the lunch prepared for Zhuozhuo.
Qi Fan stepped forward and, as usual, attempted to feed Zhuozhuo.
But the red carp in the water completely ignored him, eagerly poking its head toward Jiang Zhuoying’s direction instead.
Jiang Zhuoying: “…”
She lowered her gaze, feeling somewhat embarrassed. This was the red carp the Second Prince had raised for ten years!
Yet now it only wanted to stay close to her…
She didn’t dare meet that person’s profound gaze.
“Ahem, Miss Jiang, why are you still standing there? Why don’t you give it a try?”
It was Chu Yixin urging her.
Jiang Zhuoying nodded, taking small, quick steps forward. Under an unavoidable stare, she picked up the porcelain spoon reserved exclusively for Zhuozhuo.
The fiery red carp eagerly lifted itself out of the water and swallowed the food the young girl fed it.
…
Zhao Xiping escorted Jiang Zhuoying back to her room, his face showing unconcealed excitement.
“Miss Jiang, I never imagined you’d be so beloved by Zhuozhuo!”
Recalling the astonishing scene from earlier, Zhao Xiping couldn’t help but voice his thoughts: “Miss Jiang, could it be that you were the Red Carp Immortal in your past life?”
Jiang Zhuoying: “…”
She couldn’t confirm anything about past lives, but in this lifetime she had indeed experienced things beyond ordinary imagination.
Even if she spoke of them, likely no one would believe her.
“Hehe, perhaps Zhuozhuo and I are simply fated to meet. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been assigned this duty.”
Jiang Zhuoying smiled lightly. They had reached her quarters, and she was about to bid Zhao Xiping farewell when she noticed the tall figure standing at her doorway. Who was that?!
…
“Your humble servant pays respects to Your Highness.”
Though inwardly extremely reluctant, she softened her voice to feign obedience.
Having traveled to Luo Jing city today and walked such distances, she was already exhausted and had no energy for forced pleasantries.
Keeping her head bowed toward the ground, she spoke in a gentle tone: “Might I ask what instructions bring Your Highness to seek out this humble servant?”
The man remained silent, his gaze shifting to Zhao Xiping standing beside the young woman.
The latter suddenly sensed an unspoken dismissal, though he still carried all the young lady’s belongings.
“Ahem, this servant still has urgent matters to attend to. Miss Jiang, your things…”
“Brother Zhao may return them to me.”
Understanding his meaning, Jiang Zhuoying nodded and reached out to take the bundles.
A strong, muscular arm suddenly inserted itself between Jiang Zhuoying and Zhao Xiping.
Jiang Zhuoying blinked, raising her eyes in disbelief.
Was she hallucinating?
The perpetually cold Second Prince, who would remain unmoved even if she fell, was actually offering to carry her packages?
Not daring to delay, Zhao Xiping hurriedly handed all the bundles to Qi Fan before hastily taking his leave.
“…Your Highness?”
Jiang Zhuoying spoke in confusion as the man looked down at her.
The young girl’s face showed utter disbelief, with closer inspection revealing traces of apprehension.
The man’s lips tightened slightly. Why did she become so timid in his presence?
Clearly, when in Luo Jing city, she had interacted with the man beside her with complete ease, without any restraint.
“Your Highness, you’re…?”
Her petal-like lips parted slightly, releasing those soft words that instantly brought Qi Fan back from his memories.
Of course. That was her betrothed. Naturally she would feel at ease with him.
“Let’s go inside.”
“Oh…”
Jiang Zhuoying fell silent. His temperament was truly too peculiar. Could it be due to advanced age?
Whether he refused to marry or not, if some gentle, kind young lady ended up with him, wouldn’t she be weeping daily…
“Thank you for your assistance, Your Highness. You may place those bundles on the table.”
“Hmm.”
Came the terse reply. The man scanned the room and quickly frowned: “This is your cleaned quarters?”
Jiang Zhuoying froze slightly, following his gaze…
There was just a cleaning rag casually tossed on the table. The dusty Eight Immortals table had only one corner wiped clean – the corner she needed for her teapot and cup.
Only one teacup had been washed. The floor remained covered in dust, and what’s more, a spiderweb seemed to linger in one corner.
The young girl swallowed, quickly devising an excuse within moments.
Thus, in what could only be described as a filthy room, arose the young girl’s “Wah wah wah~” sobbing sounds.
They sounded utterly pitiful.
The man froze, his brows furrowing tighter. “Why are you crying?”
Jiang Zhuoying shook her head while sobbing, admitting in a small voice, “It’s my fault. Though my arm is injured, I failed to clean the room properly.”
“Having let the room become an eyesore, I’ve displeased Your Highness. I beg for your forgiveness.”
Qi Fan remained expressionless: “…”
He had come specifically to return the porcelain jar she had left behind.
So the ointment from Baofu Medical Hall wasn’t for an illness—it was for an injured arm.
Since her arm was injured, how could her fiancé let her carry so many things back alone?
Qi Fan pressed his lips together, his expression inexplicably colder than before.
Jiang Zhuoying glanced up at him, puzzled by why the man’s face had darkened again.
Biting her lip, she feigned full of fear: “I’m utterly useless—I couldn’t even catch Zhuozhuo. My strength is too weak…”
Qi Fan: “…”
“Enough.”
The girl immediately fell silent, her slender shoulders trembling with sobs.
The man frowned, his Adam’s apple bobbing several times before he spoke: “No one is blaming you.”
With a ‘thud,’ Jiang Zhuoying looked at the table and suddenly noticed how similar the small porcelain jar brought by the Second Prince was to the one A You had given her.
“Keep it safe. Don’t lose it again.”
“Yes…”
So it was originally hers—no wonder it looked so similar.
The man watched her from across the square table, looking down from his height.
There was no helping it—Jiang Zhuoying’s stature was simply no match for his.
The girl took small, hurried steps forward, clasped the small jar in her hand, then looked around, presumably searching for a suitable place to put it.
Shortly after, she actually placed the small porcelain jar back on the table.
The difference was, Jiang Zhuoying set it on the corner she had wiped clean.
Qi Fan: “…”
He pinched the bridge of his nose: “Put it away in the cabinet drawer.”
Jiang Zhuoying stiffened, hesitating. She hadn’t cleaned the cabinet at all, let alone the drawers.
But… this stern-faced deity was standing right there watching her, and she couldn’t just shoo him away.
“Yes.”
The man watched as the girl nodded, retrieved the jar, and walked to the cabinet beside the bed.
Jiang Zhuoying opened the cabinet door, her fingertips instantly coated with a thin layer of dust. Then she opened the drawer…
“Ah—”
The girl panicked and jumped back two steps, the porcelain jar slipping from her hand and landing directly inside the drawer.
Followed by a ‘crash’—the sound of shattering porcelain…
The man standing steadfastly to the side: “?”
Jiang Zhuoying gasped for breath, still clutching her chest in fright. The sight inside the drawer had nearly made her lose her composure…
The man had already approached. When he saw what was inside the drawer, he fell into abrupt silence.
Lying conspicuously in the drawer was a plump, large rat…
Scattered around the rat were messy shards of porcelain, unclear whether it had been knocked unconscious by the impact.
The man turned to look at the clearly still shaken girl, her eyes glistening with tears.
Jiang Zhuoying struggled to gather her thoughts, her voice hoarse as she spoke: “I… I didn’t mean to neglect the cleaning…”
The man remained silent.
After a few moments, he said quietly, “Come with me.”
Jiang Zhuoying looked up, met his gaze, then hesitantly nodded.
Following behind him, she asked guiltily, “Where is Your Highness taking me?”
Jiang Zhuoying quickly formed several guesses in her mind.
Have her get out of the separate residence?
Or punish her by making her sweep and clean the entire courtyard?
Surely he wasn’t going to take her out for a heart-to-heart talk, right?
…
The two of them walked out of the room one after the other, and Chu Yixin was standing not far away by the shrubs.
Seeing his master come out, he approached as well.
“My lord?”
The man glanced at him: “Have someone clean it up.”
Chu Yixin took a look at the sniffling young girl following behind his master and bowed in acknowledgment.
Jiang Zhuoying wiped the tears hanging from her eyelashes and quickly expressed her gratitude: “Thank you, Your Highness.”
The man was as cold as ever: “You were injured while saving Zhuozhuo. There’s no need to thank me.”
Jiang Zhuoying nodded. She understood—it was all because of Zhuozhuo. He was telling her not to get any ideas.
But she didn’t care at all what he thought. She had her own goals, and a few words wouldn’t deter her.
“This servant understands. Thank you, Your Highness, for your consideration.”
With reddened eyes, she timidly smiled at the man in gratitude, the two dimples at the corners of her lips making her face all the more radiant and charming.
The man turned his gaze away, expressionless.
…
Chu Yixin arranged for several servants to come, and in no time, they had thoroughly cleaned Jiang Zhuoying’s small room inside and out.
Now, when you walked in, not even a speck of dust would cling to the soles of your shoes.
Jiang Zhuoying was satisfied and thanked him with a smile: “Thank you, Eunuch Chu.”
“Hey, why thank me? You heard it—it was the master’s order.”
“If there’s nothing else, Miss Jiang, I’ll take my leave with the others?”
Jiang Zhuoying nodded: “Alright, Eunuch Chu, take care.”
Feeling a bit tired in the afternoon, she wanted to take a nap.
Chu Yixin cheerfully led the others away. She closed the door of her small room and immediately curled up on the bed.
In the main room of the separate residence.
“Send someone to Baofu Medical Hall to get another set of the medicine she picked up today.”
Chu Yixin acknowledged the order, then thought of something else: “My lord, what about the hairpin from Yuanbao Tower?”
He was naturally referring to that turquoise hairpin.
In the end, the hairpin hadn’t been bought, but judging by the girl’s expression at the time, she had been quite pleased with it.
Qi Fan gave him a cold look, and the latter lowered his head: “Then this servant will take his leave.”
With that, Chu Yixin turned and left.
Just as he was about to step out of the room, a chilly voice came from behind: “Bring the hairpin back.”
“Yes! This servant understands!”
Chu Yixin’s reply was suddenly much louder, and he left cheerfully.
Before he had taken more than a few steps, he slapped his thigh.
Hey! What was he so happy about? No matter what, she was someone else’s girl and had nothing to do with his master!
…
Chu Yixin calculated the timing for when the palace would send people over, pondered for a while, and then went to Luo Jing city himself.
Two hours later, he returned to the separate residence with an unreadable expression and went straight to the main room.
The tall, straight-backed man was sitting behind the desk, holding a military strategy book.
Chu Yixin bent over, his expression lively as he vividly recounted what he had seen.
“My lord, you should’ve seen it! That heartless scoundrel didn’t hesitate at all—he just put the hairpin right into the girl’s hair.”
“Tsk tsk, they looked like a loving couple, but there was no sign of his reluctance to spend money earlier in the day…”
Chu Yixin pursed his lips and shook his head: “Who would’ve thought that girl Jiang would run into such a man! Look at all those bundles she happily brought back—even put together, they’re not worth as much as that turquoise hairpin!”
Smack! The man tossed down the military manual, his expression unchanged. “Get out.”
“…Huh?”
Chu Yixin hesitated for a moment. “Master, perhaps you should…”
This was such a perfect opportunity. If they just exposed this matter, wouldn’t it be the ideal chance to… seize the advantage?
Bah! What was he thinking?
How could he call it seizing the advantage?
It would be showing care to a grieving young girl.
Yet despite his internal deliberations, his master showed not the slightest interest…
He tried once more, unwilling to give up. “Ahem, Master?”
“Get out.”
“Yes, sir!”
Chu Yixin immediately lowered his head and left.
But he found it strange—could it be that the master truly had no interest in Miss Jiang?
That evening, after feeding Zhuozhuo by the pond, Jiang Zhuoying was about to carry the food box back when she bumped into someone…
“Eunuch Chu?”
“Miss Jiang, finished feeding already?” He beamed, his face full of cheer.
Jiang Zhuoying nodded blankly. “Yes.”
Eunuch Chu had never initiated conversation with her before.
“Here, take this. The master specifically instructed me to fetch it for you.”
Jiang Zhuoying immediately reached out to take it. Looking closely, she saw it was the jar of ointment she had broken.
The girl curved her lips into a slight smile. “This humble servant thanks His Highness.”
“I’ll convey your thanks to the master when I return.”
Jiang Zhuoying nodded and was about to leave when Chu Yixin stretched out his arm to block her.
“Eunuch Chu?”
The girl’s tone was puzzled. “Is there something else?”
Chu Yixin coughed a few times, then suddenly adopted a grave expression, his face full of pity. “There’s something I must tell you.”
“W-what is it?”
Jiang Zhuoying was startled by his demeanor. Had her secret been discovered?
“Miss Jiang, this matter may sadden you for a long time, but I witnessed it with my own eyes. I couldn’t bear to keep it from you.”
“…Neither could the master.”
Jiang Zhuoying blinked. “?”
“Eunuch Chu, please stop speaking in riddles. What is this about?”
She couldn’t help but urge him on. What matter could possibly warrant such a strange performance?
“Ahem… Today, what you did with that man in Luo Jing—I, and the master, both know about it!”
Chu Yixin emphasized his words, making Jiang Zhuoying’s heart skip a beat. She suddenly clenched the folds of her skirt.
“W-what?”
Jiang Zhuoying instinctively furrowed her brows. Was he here to settle accounts with her over some mistake?
But his expression didn’t seem like it!
Chu Yixin coughed twice more and lowered his voice. “Miss Jiang, come with me. Let’s sit down and talk properly!”
Jiang Zhuoying swallowed hard and nodded tremulously. “…Alright, alright.”
This beardless eunuch before her seemed deeply peculiar with this expression and tone, as if he was setting a trap for her to fall into.
Jiang Zhuoying followed him into the pavilion in the courtyard.
“Miss Jiang, have a seat. Make sure you’re sitting firmly.”
Jiang Zhuoying: “…”
She placed the food box on the stone table, then carefully sat down, holding her skirt. “What exactly is this about?”
“Ahem… Earlier, the master specifically sent me to Luo Jing!”
…
“Miss Jiang? Miss Jiang?”
Jiang Zhuoying stood frozen in place. What had she just heard?
Her fiancé?
Her fiancé had another lover?
What hairpin?
And she shouldn’t be sad or upset…
Author’s note: [Dog emoji holding a rose in its mouth]