Shen Zaiyi looked up impatiently to glance at her but then paused.
Usually, Jiang Taohua wore makeup in the household, making her appear very vibrant. Today, however, her face was clean and fresh, and her dress was elegant and proper, looking very much like the girl next door.
Jiang Taohua’s features were naturally soft and pure, pleasant to look at, and approachable. But she often preferred heavy makeup. While still beautiful, the thick makeup was like wearing a mask, always keeping people at a distance.
After looking at her for a while, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why don’t you dress like this normally in the household?”
“Does my lord like it?” Taohua was surprised. “Don’t all you men prefer women with makeup? All those poems about ‘lightly biting rouge-stained lips’ and ‘cheeks brushing fragrant brows’ were written by men, weren’t they?”
The corner of his eye twitched as Shen Zaiyi’s gaze darkened. “You’ve been reading those lewd poems?”
“…” Taohua gave a dry laugh and pretended to look out the window. “The weather is so clear and warm today, perfect for an outing!”
Before she could step back, her collar was grabbed, and she found herself lifted onto the soft couch and placed in Shen Zaiyi’s arms.
“Don’t always try to dodge when faced with questions,” the Viper said, holding her while gently stroking her hair. “When I ask, you must answer. Understand?”
Shivering, Taohua hugged him tightly and buried her face, saying, “This concubine understands.”
“To be honest, when my master was teaching the art of seduction before, he would have me read these poems to understand what men find alluring in women. So I’ve read many of them, and they naturally come to mind.”
“I see,” Shen Zaiyi nodded, finding it somewhat reasonable. However, when he came to his senses, he realized she was hugging him so tightly his body was going numb.
“Why are you hugging me so tightly?”
Taohua, still burying her head, replied, “Master said this is a defensive posture. You can’t hit my head this way.”
Shen Zaiyi: “…”
What on earth was this foolish woman thinking? Did she believe that he, the grand Chancellor, would strike a woman?
Laughing from exasperation, he picked her up and set her down on the floor in front of the couch. “Stop fussing. Prince Nan will be here soon. Go wait at the main gate.”
“Yes, sir!” Taohua nodded and ran off.
Was he really that frightening? Clicking his tongue, Shen Zaiyi stood up irritably, adjusted his robes, and walked out.
The weather today was indeed lovely. The sunshine falling on people made them want to go out for a spring outing.
“Let’s go for an outing!”
Standing at the gate of the Chancellor’s mansion, Mu Wuxia said these words. His clear eyes looked at Taohua with warmth.
Jiang Taohua was stunned. She blinked, looking at him and then back at Shen Zaiyi behind her.
“An outing?” Shen Zaiyi frowned slightly. “You and Jiang shi?”
“Yes,” Mu Wuxia smiled, his small hands behind his back, his spine still perfectly straight. “Today happens to be the Spring Festival. There are peach blossoms on Yingxian Mountain. This prince would like to borrow Jiang shi for a day from the Chancellor, to see whether the peach blossoms or the person is more beautiful.”
The household had prepared for half a day, and now the Prince Nan wasn’t even coming in? What was the point of her staying in Lingwu Court for so many days?
Sighing inwardly, Taohua still smiled brightly on the surface. “It would be improper for just this concubine to accompany Your Highness. Why not bring the Chancellor along?”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Mu Wuxia glanced at Shen Zaiyi. “This prince has brought guards, and you can bring your maid. That should be enough to avoid suspicion.”
Hearing this, Taohua had no choice but to turn and look at Shen Zaiyi.
The Chancellor’s expression wasn’t very pleasant, but he forced a smile. “Is Your Highness dissatisfied with this humble official in some way?”
“Not at all,” Mu Wuxia said very seriously. “The Chancellor does everything extremely well. This prince has no complaints whatsoever.”
“Then today is…”
“Today, this prince simply wants to chat with Jiang Shi. With the Chancellor present, it might be a bit uncomfortable. Why not let her have a day of leisure to accompany this prince for some fun?”
He paused, then added with a serious look, “Don’t worry, I’ll return what I borrow. This prince absolutely won’t take anything that belongs to the Chancellor.”
Shen Zaiyi fell silent, his hands behind his back gently pinching, his gaze softening as it fell on the Prince Nan.
A warm breeze blew through the gate, making Jiang Taohua’s fairy dress flutter slightly. Prince Nan waited quietly, his gaze stubborn.
After a long while, Shen Zaiyi finally spoke with a light laugh, “If that’s what Your Highness wishes, then go ahead. Although Jiang Shi is just a concubine in the household, she is still a few years older than Your Highness. Your Highness need not look after her. On the contrary, if Your Highness suffers any loss, this official will hold her accountable.”
Prince Nan’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked Shen Zaiyi up and down, saying very seriously, “Chancellor Shen, behaving like this will make you very unpopular with women.”
“Your Highness, don’t worry. The Chancellor just has a sharp tongue. He wouldn’t punish this concubine,” Taohua turned and smiled coquettishly at Shen Zaiyi. “Thank you for your grace, my lord. This concubine will be leaving now.”
Shen Zaiyi narrowed his eyes, wanting to ask where she got the confidence to say he wouldn’t punish her. However, with the Prince Nan present, he could only nod along and watch as the two of them got into the carriage.
Prince Nan was becoming smarter, knowing that some truths could only be learned away from his presence. However, this tactic might work with other women, but with someone as clever as Jiang Taohua, who was as cunning as a little fox, she wouldn’t risk her life even out of his sight.
As the carriage went far away, Shen Zaiyi turned to go back into the mansion to continue dealing with official business.
This time was truly the first opportunity to see the scenery of Great Wei outside the mansion. Taohua sat in the carriage, in an excellent mood, looking at the Prince Nan with extreme tenderness.
Mu Wuxia was a bit stunned by her gaze and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have a younger brother at home?”
“Oh?” Jiang Taohua was surprised. “How did you know?”
“Because my sister used to look at me like that,” Mu Wuxia said with a light laugh. “No wonder I always felt you were familiar. You’re so much like her.”
“I see,” Taohua nodded, smiling as she thought of Chang Jie. “This concubine’s brother is somewhat similar to Your Highness – righteous, stubborn, and persistent.”
“Am I stubborn?” Mu Wuxia was surprised by this evaluation. “Others always say I’m foolish.”
“If Your Highness were truly foolish, you wouldn’t have brought this concubine out today,” Taohua smiled, looking at him. “You wanted to ask something that couldn’t be asked in the Chancellor’s mansion, right?”
Prince Nan’s expression became serious as he nodded. “I brought you out to ask if the Chancellor has continued to mistreat you.”
“Not at all,” Taohua said. “As you saw earlier, the Chancellor just has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Since returning last time, he has been very good to this concubine. This concubine must thank Your Highness.”
“There’s no need to thank me,” the young prince’s eyelids lowered, his hand on the cushion gently clenching, as if struggling with something.
Taohua waited patiently, knowing the Prince Nan wouldn’t have brought her out just for this one matter. There must be other questions.
“Have you… been staying in Lingwu Court all this time?”
“Yes, the lord has been unwell recently, so this concubine has been in the courtyard taking care of him.”
Nodding, Mu Wuxia cleared his throat and asked solemnly, “Then do you know who he has been meeting in the mansion recently?”
He’s asking about this? Taohua raised an eyebrow, blinking as she looked at him. “Why is Your Highness asking about this?”
“Recently, I’ve felt the Chancellor’s actions have been a bit strange, so I wanted to ask,” Mu Wuxia smiled, his young face looking particularly nervous, with a hint of guilt in his eyes. “I shouldn’t be asking you this, but besides you, no one else in the Chancellor’s mansion would tell me a word.”
I see, Taohua thought for a moment. There was an unusually close connection between the Prince Nan and Shen Zaiyi, but on this basis, the Prince Nan was guarding against Shen Zaiyi.
Should she tell him or not? Shen Zaiyi had only instructed her to make the Prince Nan believe he was treating her well. This matter was beyond that scope, and he hadn’t given any specific orders.
He probably hadn’t anticipated the Prince Nan would ask such a question.
Looking up into the young prince’s eyes, she saw no schemes or calculations there, but also no naive innocence. At sixteen, the Prince Nan already knew the ways of the world but chose not to follow along with others’ worldliness.
Feeling moved, Jiang Taohua’s inner balance couldn’t help but tilt a bit towards him. She spoke softly:
“In the past few days, the lord only met a fat man in the middle of the night. He came wrapped in a cloak. This concubine doesn’t know who he is, but… it might be related to the Meng family.”
“A fat man? The Meng family?” Mu Wuxia was startled, then thought for a moment. “The fattest person in the court is Lord Meng, the Minister of Stables.”
Meng Zhenzhen’s father? No wonder Meng Shi was cleared of the poisoning incident the next day. Lord Meng must have paid a hefty price. Taohua thought, unable to help but purse her lips. However, she looked at the Prince Nan with even more curiosity and asked:
“Does this matter affect Your Highness in any way?”
“It does not affect me at all,” Mu Wuxia came back to his senses and smiled at her. “But I still must thank you for being willing to tell me.”
“There’s no need for thanks. This concubine’s life was saved by Your Highness,” Taohua said seriously. “If there’s anything this concubine can help with, I will always be here to assist. Your Highness need only ask.”
Slightly taken aback, Mu Wuxia tilted his head and said with feeling, “You are like my sister, willing to stand on my side even under the pressure of Chancellor Shen.”
His young face was so tender, with long, thick eyelashes, and when he smiled, two small tiger teeth showed, making Taohua want to reach out and pinch his cheeks. However, due to their difference in status, she could only respectfully bow her head. “If Your Highness doesn’t mind, this concubine would be willing to look after you like a sister.”
“Don’t listen to Chancellor Shen’s words,” Mu Wuxia suddenly became serious, straightening his back as he looked at her. “Earlier, when he said for you to look after me, that was wrong. Men should look after women. No matter how much older you are than me, you should stand behind me. You don’t need to think about how to take care of me.”
Look at how manly this child is! Jiang Taohua was deeply moved and couldn’t help but reach out to pinch his cheek, her eyes full of affection as she said, “But Your Highness, you’re only sixteen, not yet of age. You’re not considered a man yet.”
(End of Chapter)