The man's jade-like slender hand turned the pages of a newspaper.
Beneath the cold white skin, a faint hint of blue veins could be seen, and his well-defined hand carried a sickly pallor.
Like a piece of cold jade that could not be warmed.
Not even a charcoal brazier could warm it.
The little eunuch whispered, "Your Highness, it's time to take your medicine."
"Just leave it for now!"
The man's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. More medicine again.
A bitter taste involuntarily rose in his mouth. He drank it every day, and yet his body was still half-dead?
The little eunuch urged him.
"Your Highness, your illness is not yet healed. The Imperial Physician said to drink it while it's warm. This servant begs you."
"Fu An, you have overstepped."
"This servant deserves death! I beg you, if anything happens to you, this servant's death would not be enough to compensate..."
The little eunuch knelt on the ground, kowtowing and crying at the same time.
"Forget it, bring it over."
The man reluctantly picked up the medicine bowl and downed it in one go. The bitterness exploded on his tongue—so bitter.
Fu An quickly handed over some candied fruit.
The man's brow gradually relaxed, and his exquisitely crafted face gained a few traces of vitality, like a magnolia under the moonlight, so beautiful that one could not look away.
Fu An was stunned.
The Fourth Prince was simply too good-looking.
Too bad he was a sickly person.
Sensing Fu An's gaze, Pei Zhuo's face cooled again.
"Withdraw."
"Yes..."
Fu An quickly kowtowed, bowed, and withdrew.
The room fell silent once more, with only the sound of Pei Zhuo turning the newspaper pages.
Sunlight from the window fell on him. His face was pale, making his eyes appear even darker.
"Jinghua Times? Quite interesting."
Pei Zhuo tapped his fingers on the newspaper.
His gaze fell on the article titled 《On Capital City Public Safety》.
Official family member encounters danger at night; public safety is unsafe.
Victims cannot rest easy.
Family members cannot rest easy.
The common people even less so.
What should the law do?
Every sentence was a question.
Yet it only questioned the law, not the officials behind it.
Not a single word of abuse, yet every question struck at people's hearts.
He suddenly understood why this newspaper drove people crazy—it was truly too interesting.
The Jinghua Times aimed to speak for the common people and cry out for the victims.
It did not curse people, did not curse officials, and did not cross the red line.
This damned sense of proportion... was perfectly handled.
Pei Zhuo suddenly became very curious about whose hand this article came from.
Such an article was not something an ordinary person could write.
At the very least, it required a veteran with over ten years of experience in officialdom.
Who understood the limits.
This person behind the scenes used public opinion as a blade.
Used the Capital City as a chessboard.
Those who read the newspaper were all his chess pieces.
Stirring people's hearts, stirring the current situation. If the influence was great enough, it could even affect the court.
Pei Zhuo's hand tapping the newspaper paused slightly.
"Zhui Feng, go investigate the person behind this newspaper."
Pei Zhuo did not turn around; his gaze was still on the newspaper.
Wind blew in from the window, lifting his moon-white robes.
His voice was not loud and betrayed no emotion, yet carried an inexplicable sense of intimidation.
"Investigate thoroughly. Don't beat the grass to startle the snake."
"Yes..."
Zhui Feng withdrew, and the dark shadow disappeared.
Pei Zhuo continued flipping through the newspaper, not missing a single section. Every section was explosive and eye-catching—very interesting.
Who could possibly run such a newspaper?
The Capital City was about to get lively...
Song Ci had no idea she was being targeted. The inaugural issue was a huge hit, selling wildly and getting off to a great start.
Song Ci waved her hand and granted three days off. Rest well to fight better.
Everyone cheered.
Awesome.
Shen Huaizhou specially booked a restaurant and treated all the staff to a big meal.
Everyone raised their glasses to celebrate together.
Toasting and drinking.
They talked and drank to their hearts' content. This night was destined to be a sleepless one.
Song Ci couldn't even remember how she got back to the Marquis's Mansion.
When she woke up again, it was already the next day.
As usual, Song Ci went to the Old Madam's courtyard to pay her respects.
She had been feigning illness for a month. If she didn't go, her grandmother would definitely find trouble with her.
Walking to the courtyard entrance, Song Ci happened to see Song Qianqian approaching, surrounded by maidservants.
Today, Song Qianqian wore a warm yellow flowing cloud brocade dress and a dazzling gold step-sway hairpin, making her exceptionally eye-catching.
Compared to her, Song Ci looked quite shabby, wearing only a plain long skirt and having only Amber as her maidservant.
Unlike Song Qianqian, who flaunted about with four senior maidservants.
The old woman at the gate immediately beamed with a full smile: "Second Young Lady is here! The Old Madam was just talking about you this morning."
When she saw Song Ci, she gave a fake smile: "Eldest Miss, long time no see."
Song Ci couldn't be bothered with this old woman who judged people by their status.
She was curious why Song Qianqian had come.
When had she started receiving guests again?
Had she reconciled with the Old Madam?
Carrying a belly full of questions, Song Ci entered the room.
Old Madam Chang was sitting on the couch. When she saw Song Qianqian, she immediately showed a loving smile.
"Qianqian, come sit down."
When she saw Song Ci following closely behind, the Old Madam's face instantly dropped.
"What a rare guest. So Miss Ci actually has time to come see this old grandmother of hers?"
Song Ci bowed in greeting.
"Grandmother, forgive me. I've been unwell lately and was afraid of passing on my contagious illness to you, so I came late."
Ignoring the sarcasm in the Old Madam's words,
The Old Madam's smile froze on her face.
That excuse again.
Was this girl addicted to feigning illness?
So annoying.
Hmph!
"You're so precious, even putting on more airs than Qianqian, who is a legitimate Marquis's Daughter."
"Elder Sister, you should apologize to Grandmother. Making her angry is unfilial of you."
Song Ci was speechless. Song Qianqian really knew how to seize the moment to stab her in the back.
Unfortunately, she wasn't falling for that.
Just then, a stewardess rushed in hurriedly.
"Old Madam, great joy..."
"What is it?"
The Old Madam frowned.
The old woman quickly stepped forward and whispered a few words in the Old Madam's ear.
The Old Madam stood up abruptly, her voice trembling with excitement.
"Let me see it quickly."
The General's Mansion was a top noble family, with status and prestige far above the Yong'an Marquis Manor.
How could she care about Song Ci?
Song Qianqian was also full of astonishment.
Grandmother and her elder sister had never gotten along. What was going on?
Looking at the engraved invitation, she couldn't help thinking about what her mother had said—to get her an invitation so she could meet the top nobles of the Capital City circle.
Song Qianqian also wanted to infiltrate the aristocratic circle and make further progress.
Then, when the time came, how could that fake, Song Ci, compare to her?
Song Qianqian stepped forward and said, "Grandmother, can I take a look at this invitation?"
The Old Madam was about to refuse, but when she saw Song Ci, she changed her mind.
"You open it!"
Song Qianqian looked smug, deliberately glancing at Song Ci.
She excitedly broke the wax seal, her heart racing. She was finally going to step on that fake, Song Ci.
When she saw the contents of the invitation, her expression changed.
"How is that possible? There must be a mistake." The smile on Song Qianqian's face slowly froze.
"What's the matter?"
The Old Madam looked at the flustered Song Qianqian and snatched the invitation away.
After reading it, she was also stunned.
The General's Mansion had invited Song Ci?
Why her?
Song Qianqian came to her senses after a long while and looked at Song Ci with an unfriendly gaze.
She said sarcastically, "Eldest Sister, when did you get acquainted with the General's Wife? Little sister didn't know."
Song Ci's gaze flickered.
This invitation was sent by the General's Mansion. Was her mom inviting her?
She estimated that the flower appreciation was a pretext; the real purpose was to make it convenient for her to run the newspaper. She didn't expect the Old Madam's stewardess to intercept it.
Was Song Qianqian trying to snatch her things again?
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