Taohua remained silent, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Shen Zaiye.
Shen Zaiye kept his gaze fixed ahead, his expression calm, though he felt somewhat uneasy inside. “Do you think I’m heartless?” he asked.
“Hmm?” Taohua raised an eyebrow. “Why would you be heartless?”
“Those women were my concubines in name, yet I treated them this way,” Shen Zaiye glanced at her. “Don’t you think I’m a bad person?”
Taohua looked at him, puzzled. “My lord, when were you ever a good person?”
“Jiang Taohua,” Shen Zaiye said, displeased. “I’m being serious.”
“So am I,” Taohua smiled. “Whether it’s your methods of harming others or your attitude towards people, you’re not exactly a good person.”
Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together and snorted. “If I’m not a good person, why are you willingly coming with me?”
“I’m with you not for any other reason, but because you ultimately have my best interests at heart and have placed me in your heart,” Taohua smiled sweetly. “Everyone is selfish, and I’m a very selfish person too. What does it matter to me how you treat others? As long as you’re good to me, that’s enough.”
Her time was limited; where would she find the compassion to sympathize with other women? Besides, the women in the Prime Minister’s residence were all there for their benefit, and few likely had genuine feelings for him. Thinking of it this way, the end of the banquet was fitting, and it was indeed Xu Yangui’s responsibility to take care of them.
Had Shen Zaiye calculated this from the beginning as well?
Taking a deep breath, Shen Zaiye chuckled and pulled her into his embrace. “I thought…”
He had expected her to reproach him for being too cold-blooded, then worry if he might treat her the same way in the future, eventually creating a rift between them. But instead…
“Don’t think too much,” Jiang Taohua pouted, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I’m no better than you, my lord. Let’s not pretend to be righteous. You want me to live well, so you must do the same. If I always have a gloomy person sleeping beside me, how will that not affect my mood?”
Shen Zaiye pinched her nose gently and softly replied, “Alright.”
Taohua closed her eyes, feeling that his response was somewhat perfunctory. However, to her surprise, after his agreement, their carriage suddenly changed direction, separating from the long convoy.
“What’s happening?” Startled, Taohua quickly lifted the curtain to look outside.
Zhan Lu and Qing Tai were driving the carriage. Ahead lay a lush forest, while the convoy behind continued on its way as if this detour had been planned all along.
Looking back at Shen Zaiye, Taohua asked, “Where are we going?”
“Do you like peach blossoms?” Shen Zaiye asked instead of answering.
Taohua paused, thought for a moment, and then nodded.
The man behind her smiled, holding her in his arms to cushion the bumps, and said, “I like them too.”
“…”
Taohua’s face reddened, and she stuttered, her heart suddenly racing. Foolish girl, he was talking about the peach blossoms that bloom in spring, why was her heart fluttering?
Having left the convoy, the carriage moved much slower. The four of them would stop to rest whenever they encountered beautiful scenery.
Standing on a large rock, leaning against Shen Zaiye, Taohua looked at her commoner’s attire, then at Shen Zaiye’s black robe, and couldn’t help but say, “It feels like we’re about to retire to the mountains.”
“You don’t like it?” Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow.
Taohua shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t like it. I’m just thinking of you, my lord. With so many important matters, can you let go of everything?”
“What does it have to do with me?” Shen Zaiye lowered his eyes, his face calm. “His Majesty can handle things on his own now. Even without me, the court officials can assist him.”
“Then,” Taohua looked at him, “what about the matters in Wu?”
Shen Zaiye sighed and pinched her cheek. “There’s nothing to worry about now. Ask whatever you want to know, and I’ll answer you.”
This was a question she had wanted to ask for a long time, but he had never allowed her to. Taohua smiled and reached into his clothes. Shen Zaiye’s body stiffened, his eyes flickering. “What are you doing?”
Ignoring him, Taohua focused on searching until she pulled out a handkerchief.
Bai Chun Hua.
“In Wu’s custom, men carry Bai Chun Hua in spring to pray for a peaceful year,” Taohua looked at him sideways. “You are from Wu.”
“You knew all along?” Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow.
“There were too many clues. I’d be a fool not to notice,” Taohua turned to gaze at the scenic view ahead, sighing. “I pity the officials of Wei, still being deceived by you and His Majesty.”
“There are many ways to rule the world,” Shen Zaiye calmly followed her gaze into the distance. “The struggle for imperial power has never been about reason or justice. In my view, a ruler who can bring prosperity to the people is a wise emperor.”
“So you can’t leave a legacy of virtue,” Jiang Taohua said. “Then I’ll just follow you into infamy.”
Chuckling softly, Shen Zaiye rested his chin on top of her head, gently caressing her.
As they set off again, Taohua nearly was attacked by her poison, but Qing Tai noticed in time and quickly gave her the antidote, followed by medicine to protect the fetus.
Lying in Shen Zaiye’s arms, Taohua frowned. “Why has it come earlier this month?”
Qing Tai, with reddened eyes, said, “You’re too tired, my lady.”
Shen Zaiye felt a dull pain in his heart and bit his lip as he held her. Taohua reached up to embrace his neck, chuckling softly. “I’m not dead yet. Why are you all acting like this?”
“Don’t say such inauspicious things, my lady,” Qing Tai shook her head repeatedly.
“Alright, I won’t,” Taohua released Shen Zaiye and asked, “How much further until we reach our destination?”
“We’ll reach Wei’s border in three days,” Qing Tai replied. “After two more days of travel, you can rest properly.”
Taohua nodded, about to suggest they continue, but Shen Zaiye said, “Find a house ahead to rest. Her body can’t take it.”
“Yes,” Qing Tai agreed and continued driving the carriage with Zhan Lu.
Due to her pale complexion, the carriage remained silent for a long time. Unwilling to endure the quiet, Jiang Taohua sat up and pinched Shen Zaiye’s cheek. “My lord, smile for me?”
Shen Zaiye forced a slight smile and took her hand, holding it gently in his own.
Sensing his low mood, Taohua planted a kiss on his cheek, then another on his forehead. “Didn’t we just say we’d live well? How can we have a good life with that frown between our brows that could trap a mosquito?”
Shen Zaiye sighed lightly, smiled, and hugged her. “Sleep for a while. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
“Alright,” Taohua nodded, obediently resting in his arms and falling asleep.
There was only one small town within ten miles, with no suitable residences in town. However, there was a nice-looking mansion on the outskirts. Qing Tai went to knock on the door, and a frail-looking woman answered. Upon hearing that a pregnant woman needed rest, she immediately made her way.
But when Taohua and Shen Zaiye alighted from the carriage and saw the woman’s face, they were stunned.
“Princess Consort?”
Li Shi froze. It had been a long time since she had heard that title. Seeing Jiang Taohua’s face, she trembled and instinctively took two steps back.
“What’s wrong?” Someone inside asked, and receiving no answer, came out to look. Dressed in simple white robes, with a much gentler expression, it was none other than the former Crown Prince, Mu Wuyin.
Jiang Taohua felt a chill run down her spine and glanced at Shen Zaiye, cold sweat breaking out all over her body.
How could it be such a coincidence to arrive here? Shen Zaiye probably didn’t know that she had saved the Crown Prince and his consort. If he were to find out now…
“It’s been a while,” Shen Zaiye supported Taohua and smiled at Mu Wuyin. “I trust you’ve been well?”
Mu Wuyin was startled and instinctively shielded Li Shi behind him. Li Shi paused and looked at him, and her eyes softened.
“How did you find this place?” Mu Wuyin asked, pressing his lips together.
Taohua quickly covered Shen Zaiye’s eyes and said, “We must have stumbled into a dream! We’ll leave right away!”
Shen Zaiye removed her hand, amused. “If you wanted to hide it, you should have done so earlier. Now that I’ve seen everything, what’s the point of covering up?”
Mu Wuyin frowned, utterly confused. Of the two people before him, one had tried to kill him, while the other had saved his and Li Shi’s lives. Now they appeared together before him – what did it mean?
“Is there something you want to tell me?” Shen Zaiye asked Taohua.
Taohua laughed nervously. “It’s exactly as you see, my lord. The Crown Prince didn’t die; he’s just living peacefully as an ordinary citizen. That’s not a problem, is it?”
Snorting lightly, Shen Zaiye turned to look at Mu Wuyin, his eyes deep and unfathomable. “Being able to live as a common person is indeed a good thing.”
Mu Wuyin’s face turned slightly pale.
At first, he had been unwilling to accept this fate. But after coming here, Li Shi had constantly persuaded him to settle into a peaceful life, and all his potential allies had cut off contact. Left with no choice, he could only forget his past and live as a commoner.
Seeing Shen Zaiye now, he still felt some resentment. However, noticing Jiang Taohua’s belly, he frowned and asked, “You’re pregnant?”
Is it that obvious? Taohua looked down at herself and then replied, “Yes, we’re on a journey and looking for a place to rest. We didn’t expect to end up here.”
“… Come in,” Mu Wuyin said. “Don’t stand outside.”
Li Shi paused, then lowered her eyes and went to prepare tea. Taohua tugged at Shen Zaiye’s sleeve, and after a moment’s hesitation, he followed them inside.
This courtyard was the one Mu Wuyin had bought for Taohua before. It looked spacious but had no servants; Li Shi did everything herself. She had changed a lot too, losing her former sharpness and appearing gentle and virtuous.
(End of Chapter)