“What plan?”
Facing Taohua, the young prince’s attitude softened considerably. His eyes grew gentle as he asked obediently.
Taohua scooted over to sit beside him, smiling as she said, “Your Highness seems unwilling to step on others to climb up. Prince Jing is innocent, and you’re reluctant to harm him. This is right. The Prime Minister is too ruthless.”
Starting by affirming him, the prince’s expression immediately became even more gentle: “So you think so too.”
“Yes,” Taohua nodded and said softly, “This concubine’s idea is that you can firmly insist you never went to the snake courtyard, but we don’t need to pin the blame on Prince Jing either. The current struggle for succession has already begun in the court. Your Highness can completely use this conflict as cover to extricate yourself from the situation.”
Slightly stunned, Mu Wuxia didn’t quite understand: “If this prince shirks responsibility, won’t someone inevitably suffer?”
Taohua shook her head with a smile: “Not everything in this world is either right or wrong. There’s always room for maneuvering in between. For example, no one knows how Your Highness’s jade pendant ended up in the snake courtyard, nor does anyone know who exactly Prince Jing was having people chase.”
Growing more confused as he listened, Mu Wuxia looked at her blankly: “What does this mean?”
“Does Your Highness trust this concubine?” Taohua looked at him with sincere eyes. “If this matter is left to this concubine to handle, I will surely follow Your Highness’s wishes while also ensuring you receive less blame.”
Could there be such a perfect solution? Prince Nan was very puzzled, but looking at Jiang Shi’s eyes, clear and pure, she shouldn’t be as treacherous and cunning as Shen Zaiye, right?
Can she be trusted?
Seeing his hesitation, Taohua didn’t rush him. She just sat quietly beside him, waiting, her gaze always filled with kindness as she looked at him.
Prince Nan had indeed become a man in terms of taking responsibility, but when it came to tactics, he was still a pure sixteen-year-old boy. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand or couldn’t do it; he just didn’t want to. Such a person might seem foolish in the eyes of clever people like Shen Zaiye, but to her, he was precious.
Those who always take shortcuts and climb up by stepping on others will eventually fall. Being a bit foolish and taking a more solid path isn’t necessarily bad.
He still had a long time to grow slowly and learn to counter dark schemes with upright integrity. However, now, with his wings not yet fully grown, naive, and innocent, he indeed needed someone like Shen Zaiye by his side to protect him.
“Alright.”
After a long while, Mu Wuxia finally spoke, his eyes full of sincerity as he looked at her and said, “This prince will listen to you. I hope the final result of this matter won’t disappoint me.”
“Thank you, Your Highness!” Taohua smiled and respectfully stood up to curtsy to him.
Mu Wuxia sighed lightly and muttered softly, “If not for the difference in status, this prince would truly like to call you sister.”
She was so similar to his sister, not in appearance, but in the aura she exuded – the kind that made him feel safe and warm.
Taohua heard him and felt a slight stirring in her heart. She lowered her head to look at him: “To receive such a thought from Your Highness, this concubine is truly content.”
Qingtai, listening outside, felt her mouth twitching. She thought to herself that these two had been betrothed after all, yet now they were acting like siblings so naturally. She wondered what expression the Prime Minister would have if he heard this.
Having reached a common understanding, Taohua had Qingtai invite Shen Zaiye out.
“What did you talk about?” Shen Zaiye asked.
Taohua winked at Mu Wuxia, then smiled and said, “The prince has agreed to say he never went to the snake courtyard.”
“Really?” Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow and looked at the person opposite him.
Mu Wuxia pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and nodded: “Let’s do it this way.”
“Good.” Glancing at Taohua, Shen Zaiye said, “Then this minister will go prepare.”
Hearing this, Mu Wuxia still looked at Jiang Shi with some concern.
After all, she was a woman. Could she influence matters of the court?
No, but she could influence Shen Zaiye. Taohua looked at him confidently and mouthed: “Your Highness, don’t worry.”
Pursing his lips, Mu Wuxia nodded and didn’t say more. After paying his respects to Shen Zaiye, he returned to his residence through the side door.
The two people in the pavilion remained seated. Shen Zaiye pursed his lips and asked in a low voice:
“How did you manage it?”
“As a subject, one naturally needs to act according to the master’s wishes. Otherwise, how can one gain the master’s approval?” Taohua smiled and said, “Has the Prime Minister never reflected on why you’ve never been favored by Prince Nan?”
Shen Zaiye fell silent. Everything he did was right; what was there to reflect on? Prince Nan just had that temperament; could he forcibly change it?
However…
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he stared at the woman in front of him and said, “Who told you the Prince Nan is my master? If this gets out, your life will be forfeit.”
“That’s why this concubine won’t let it out, and only says it in front of you, my lord,” Taohua smiled, her eyes curving. “You’ve always been planning for the Prince Nan, protecting him. If this concubine couldn’t see what you’re doing, wouldn’t that make me a fool?”
His heart sank, and Shen Zaiye’s gaze darkened: “I protect him possibly just because he’s young and I’m fond of him. It doesn’t necessarily mean I want to support him.”
“Then why do you address yourself as ‘this minister’ in front of the Prince Nan?” Tilting her head, Taohua looked at him playfully. “If it’s just out of fondness, given your position as Prime Minister, it wouldn’t be inappropriate to refer to yourself as ‘Shen’ or ‘I’ in front of the Prince Nan. But every time you see him, you call yourself ‘this minister.'”
For the dignified Prime Minister to address himself as a subject to a young prince – this must be rare even among the Three Kingdoms, right?
His body stiffened, and Shen Zaiye’s face darkened: “Jiang Taohua, are you forcing me to kill you?”
Couldn’t women just live quietly within the four walls of their courtyard? Why did she need to know so much?
“No, no, no!” Taohua quickly wagged her tail. “This concubine isn’t seeking death! What I mean is that you don’t need to guard against me. Even if I know all your secrets, I will only help you and the Prince Nan, without a shred of betrayal in my heart!”
A judging gaze fell on her, and Shen Zaiye smiled without humor: “How can I be sure?”
“Are you stupid?” Jiang Taohua looked at him with shock. “In the current court, your influence is the greatest, and you’re deeply hidden and cunning. Who else could I betray you for? Wouldn’t that be seeking death?”
Shen Zaiye: “…”
The logic was sound, but hadn’t this reckless woman just insulted him again in a roundabout way?
“Jiang Taohua.”
“This concubine is here!”
Hearing her full name called, she knew the lord was angry. Taohua quickly and nimbly jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, smiling like a flower: “This concubine just completed your orders. Aren’t you going to reward me? Why are you so fierce…”
“Reward?” Shen Zaiye laughed in extreme anger: “You dare to insult me and still want a reward?”
“My lord, you shouldn’t misunderstand me like this.” Taohua instantly became aggrieved, her small mouth pouting, her eyes watery: “This concubine is full of admiration and respect for you. How could I insult you? Some words were just said casually. You’re so magnanimous, surely you won’t hold a grudge against a woman for a couple of words?”
Listen to her, every sentence closing off his options. If he continued to fuss over it, wouldn’t he become a petty man who can’t let go of small matters with women?
Snorting with laughter, Shen Zaiye glanced at her and said: “I’m very curious to know just how many sweet words you have in your belly, and how many disasters they can ward off for you.”
Sitting on his lap, Taohua smiled charmingly: “This concubine still has to accompany you for a long time, so I can’t die early. You’ll just have to make do and be more tolerant.”
With that, she quickly planted a kiss on Shen Zaiye’s lips.
The movement was so fast that Shen Zaiye didn’t even have time to react. He only felt a softness on his lips, and a fragrant scent instantly enveloped him.
“…”
“Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s quickly go back and prepare. You must have many things to attend to, my lord.” Taohua thought her plan was perfect – kiss and run. After this sneak attack, any man shouldn’t dwell on it anymore.
But she miscalculated one thing: Shen Zaiye was not just a man, but a man known for his lustfulness.
Reaching out to grip her waist, Shen Zaiye exerted a slight force and pulled her back. Looking down at her, he chuckled softly: “You think you can get away with just that?”
Taohua was stunned, feeling him slowly pressing down on her. She couldn’t help but shrink her neck: “My lord?”
Wasn’t he supposed to dislike kissing? Hadn’t he found her dirty that night with Fengwu?
Looking at her darting eyes, Shen Zaiye’s aura became very domineering. He opened his mouth and captured her lips, kneading and caressing.
Her heart heated up, and Taohua instinctively turned her head away, exposing her fair neck. Her collar also loosened slightly in the struggle.
“Don’t move.” Reaching out to pinch her chin, Shen Zaiye smiled: “I just want to reward you properly. Put away your seduction techniques; I don’t fall for that.”
Discovered again? Taohua’s mouth twitched, feeling quite dissatisfied.
If she had known earlier, she would have studied harder and learned more from her master. Then she wouldn’t be so helpless when encountering this viper.
Her lips were captured again, and Shen Zaiye’s tongue pushed in, roaming freely in her domain. His deep eyes looked down at her, appearing exceptionally affectionate.
Taohua was dumbfounded, allowing him to press down and kiss her, her gaze locked onto his eyes, unable to look away.
Could it be that he also knew seduction techniques? Otherwise, how could he be so attractive?
The air around them became ambiguous. Qingtai and Zhan Lu each retreated, leaving the two masters to entangle intimately in the pavilion, causing even the moon that had just peeked out to hide back behind the clouds.
Shen Zaiye felt… that Jiang Taohua was indeed a rare beauty, worth treasuring well. As long as she didn’t fall into someone else’s hands, everything was negotiable.
Jiang Taohua felt… that Shen Zaiye was very heavy, with half his body pressing down on her, making it hard for her to breathe.
“My lord, although it’s quite a mood killer, this concubine still wants to say,” she said, panting slightly, her face flushed like a peach blossom, “This is a pavilion. Do you plan to favor this concubine here?”
His movements paused, and Shen Zaiye looked at her with displeasure: “You are quite a mood killer.”
However, if she hadn’t spoken up, he might have truly not stopped.
Reaching out to lift her from the table, Shen Zaiye adjusted her clothes and carried her directly into the room next door.
(End of Chapter)