The evening clouds were like burning fire, the surface of the lake shimred with broken light, and the sky’s sunset was as splendid as brocade.
Outside the Book Collection Pavilion, the bustle continued.
The books dried in the sun were moved back into the pavilion. During this, no mistakes were made. Just as Yu Tingwan breathed a sigh of relief, she saw Tan Jiang hurriedly enter.
"Madam."
Seeing her eyes wide open with high spirits, Yu Tingwan’s mood brightened considerably.
"What’s the good news?"
After thinking for a mont, Yu Tingwan asked, "Did you get beaten up again?"
"Not this ti!"
Tan Jiang: "Fu ng is causing trouble outside."
Yu Tingwan: ...
It’s causing trouble outside, why are you so excited?
Indeed, no one from the Wei Family Army is normal.
But with Tan Jiang’s words, Yu Tingwan recalled she hadn’t seen a trace of Fu ng all day.
"What happened?"
"Did it lose its temper and bully people again?"
Tan Jiang: "I received news that Fu ng was rushing back for a al and collided with the Second Prince, who was just getting into his carriage to leave."
Yu Tingwan furrowed her brows and stood up.
The Second Prince, Ying Zhi, wasn’t great, but he was still a prince. If the horse got frightened and bolted down the street, it might injure the townsfolk.
"Rest assured, madam. The horse was subdued by the Wei Family Army watching over Fu ng, and no chaos ensued. However, the carriage was overturned, and the Second Prince was embarrassingly thrown out."
Tan Jiang: "The Second Prince cursed a few tis at the beast. Fu ng knew it was in trouble, wanted to slip away, but upon hearing this, it struck the carriage to pieces in a fit of rage."
Such an ancestor, even the Wei Family Army couldn’t stop it.
Yu Tingwan: ...
"It felt its paw hurt and blad the Second Prince for it, and directly squatted at the Second Prince Mansion demanding compensation."
"And now, the Second Prince sent soone asking soone capable from the household to co over."
Yu Tingwan: ...
How embarrassing.
A troublemaker getting the parents called.
The gates of the Second Prince Mansion were tightly shut, the entrance bustling.
Even as the townsfolk hurried ho, they stopped one after another upon passing by. In no ti, the outside of the Second Prince Mansion was surrounded layer upon layer.
"What’s going on? Did soone provoke General Wei’s tiger?"
"Not really, it’s just that the White Tiger bumped into the Second Prince."
But the crowd was evidently biased.
"What’s wrong with the Second Prince? The road’s so wide, why did he let the White Tiger hit him? If he had moved over a bit, none of this would have happened."
"Exactly. Fu ng knew it was late and had to get ho to eat, and the Second Prince’s legs weren’t in great shape. Why was he going out at all?"
The crowd began to peer around.
"Where is the Second Prince?"
"In the mansion tidying his attire."
"Why doesn’t the White Tiger go inside?"
"Who dares let it in? What if it goes in and tears down the Second Prince Mansion?"
Being observed, Fu ng stood with an arrogant deanor. Hearing the chatter, it felt justified and increasingly confident.
It was all Ying Zhi, that rascal’s fault, not moving aside.
Thinking of sothing, it began banging on the door.
Seeing no response from inside, Fu ng anxiously paced back and forth.
"What does this an?"
What else could it an!
It was Fu ng’s al ti.
It was hungry!
If the rascal didn’t let him in, so be it. As a tiger who understood manners, it couldn’t force its way in!
But why wasn’t food sent to him!
Such inhospitable manners!!!
It! Fu ng, even if it went to the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Kitchen must prepare food for it!!
"Caw caw caw."
A crow flew from sowhere, circling in the sky before steadily perching on the majestic lion head statue standing outside the mansion, its tiny green bean-like eyes swiveling.
Inside the mansion, Ying Zhi, having changed his robes, entered the backyard with a dark face.
The waiting maid outside saw him approaching and hastily curtsied, but Ying Zhi walked past without a word, striding straight ahead and pushing the door open.
Inside, Yao Ru was chatting and laughing with an old woman, embroidering tiger-head shoes for small children. Hearing the noise, she looked over, and upon seeing him, the smile on her lips faded.
Ying Zhi seed oblivious, coldly asking, "Where’s Dun’er?"
"Just fell asleep."
Ying Zhi: "I’ll go have a look."
Headed towards the inner room.
Leaving a remark behind.
"I’ll have dinner here with you."
Yao Ru neither blocked nor followed him, continuing her needlework.
The old woman next to her, a loyal servant for many years, hesitated, then softly spoke into her ear: "I know you don’t like hearing so things, madam, but this old servant must gather the courage to say them."
"No matter how your lord might be, he at least has a heart for the young master. You and your lord are already estranged as a couple, but you can’t always stay cold, practically pushing him away and benefiting those concubines in the rear court."
"This old servant knows you have suffered, but after all, it’s a lifeti’s journey."
She wanted to continue, but fell silent under Yao Ru’s indifferent gaze.
At the outset, madam sought death before getting on the bridal sedan. It was her biological mother who knelt pleading desperately on the ground.
Over the years, how many days has madam truly been at ease?
Yao Ru said faintly, "His regard is only because Dun’er is the legitimate son."
If she had birthed a daughter, would Ying Zhi still co by occasionally to see?
"I, as the wife, have bore him an heir."
That’s fulfilling her duty.
With so many concubines eager to attend to Ying Zhi, what’s the point of her joining the fray?
"I never planned on relying on him to live day to day. As for Dun’er, having the status of a legitimate son, as long as his father performs his duty properly, Dun’er won’t co to harm."
But clearly.
Ying Zhi’s ambitions ran too deep.
As a mother, she didn’t want her child involved in the struggle for the throne.
But that was beyond her control.
What Yao Ru could do was to live each day well, avoiding overthinking.
Listening to these words, the old woman felt a pang in her heart. What wife doesn’t rely on her husband to live?
Footsteps echoed from the inner room as Ying Zhi erged after seeing the child.
He sat down in the sandalwood chair to Yao Ru’s left, accepting the tea brought by the old woman, not in a rush to drink, he gazed at his silent wife beside him.
"I heard you’ve been trying to teach him to roll over these days?"
Yao Ru: "Yes."
"Not bad. Once he learns, I’ll take him to the Imperial Palace for father to see."
Ying Zhi: "Dun’er is father’s first grandson after all, and he ntioned him the other day. Clearly, he is esteed."
Yao Ru put down her needlework: "How old is he? You want to use him to seek favor?"
That question was too direct.
Ying Zhi’s expression darkened at once.
"What are you saying?"
"I co to your room and you start picking at right away?"
Yao Ru didn’t want to argue with him.
"You overthink it. Dun’er was fussy during the day, I’m just tired from looking after him."
At her ntion of their son, Ying Zhi’s stern deanor softened slightly.
"It’s good when a child cries. If they don’t cry..."
He thought of sothing, disdain crossing his eyes: "In the Eastern Palace, that one didn’t cry, but turned out to be a fool."
Ying Zhi glanced again at Yao Ru.
Yao Ru was undoubtedly a beauty.
But now, without makeup to cover, unlike the concubines in the rear court who dressed brightly vying for attention, her looks were diminished. "You indeed don’t look well, I’ll have the Imperial Physician co to check on you later."
Though these words seed caring, Yao Ru remained unresponsive.
Having been forced into the palace before even her confinent was over, her body had already weakened.
Wasn’t it all thanks to this man.
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