Chapter 8: The Prince is a Woman (8)

Before him sat a bowl of delicious mushroom soup. It contained several types of mushrooms, and their fresh, savory aroma wafted up, as if enticing him.

*Just like the person sitting across from me, always demanding my attention,* Ye Ji thought to himself.

His face darkened, his eyes sinking like a deep, abyssal pool.

Ye Ji gripped his spoon tightly, stopped overthinking, and took a sip of the mushroom soup. It was indeed fresh and fragrant, leaving an aftertaste that lingered endlessly. Once tasted, it was impossible to ever forget this flavor.

Beside him, the Grand Eunuch Hou Rongfa felt his heart in his throat. Although he had arranged for someone to taste the soup before it was served, the time had been too short, and the Emperor had been in such a hurry to eat that he remained deeply anxious.

After all, the Prince of Ning outside the palace was still insane.

The mushroom soup was indeed fragrant. Hou Rongfa swallowed hard, his attention shifting to A-Zhen. How had he never known before that the Heir of Ning possessed such a skill?

A-Zhen noticed his gaze, looked up, and met Hou Rongfa’s eyes. Her beautiful eyes were filled with nothing but sincerity.

This old eunuch was worrying for nothing; how could she ever harm him?

She cherished him far too much for that.

While Hou Rongfa was still pondering A-Zhen, her gaze had already returned to the person tasting the soup, her eyes crinkling with a gentle, mild smile.

Hou Rongfa even caught a hint of indulgence in her eyes?

He must have seen it wrong.

His old eyes were failing him.

"It is indeed excellent." Ye Ji stopped his movements. The bowl of mushroom soup was already finished, and the irritation he had felt moments ago had long since vanished like smoke.

A-Zhen’s expression returned to its usual state. Seeing that he enjoyed it, she felt quite pleased. She said, "Your Majesty, this humble subject will take their leave."

"Stay for the meal," Ye Ji said to Hou Rongfa beside him. "Have the kitchens send up the rest once it's ready."

It was already lunchtime, and the journey back to the Prince of Ning’s estate would take quite a while. The person across from him was thin and petite; she must not have been eating properly.

Ye Ji had a great appetite today, finding every dish to be excellent—though, of course, the mushroom soup was the most delicious.

He noticed that the person across from him was not only eating slowly but also very little, as if she held a grudge against the food. He couldn't help but stare a few extra times. By the time the meal ended, he hadn't seen her eat much at all.

"Is the palace food not to your liking?" Ye Ji asked casually. "What kind of delicacies does the Prince of Ning’s estate have that are better than those in the palace?"

As soon as he said it, he felt a twinge of annoyance. Given how thin she was, she likely hadn't eaten any delicacies at the Prince of Ning’s estate either; he knew well enough what that place was like most of the time.

"The Prince of Ning’s estate relies on you, Heir of Ning. You should take care of your health," he added, seemingly offhandedly.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty," A-Zhen said, her expression extremely earnest. "I will certainly live well."

Even if it were difficult, bitter, or lonely—even if the heavens collapsed and the sun and stars fell, even if she were the only one left—she would not die. She would live on, and live well. Her body would live, and her soul would live.

Because she still had to wait for the world to be rebuilt and for all things to be reborn.

Ye Ji felt his illness had worsened; otherwise, why would he feel as though her words were a promise made to him?

He should see this person less; she had too much of an influence on him.

He couldn't bring himself to kill her, so he could only keep her at a distance.

Whatever plans Ning Zhen might have, as long as she didn't cross his path, he would choose to be blind and deaf to it, too lazy to care.

Let it be this way. He would never see this person again.

After dismissing her, the joy Ye Ji had felt from the delicious mushroom soup largely dissipated. He returned to being that cold-blooded emperor, appearing like a heartless machine of governance.

In the Imperial Study, Hou Rongfa held his breath, silently watching his Emperor flip through memorial after memorial without a single pause. After a long while, he braced himself to remind the Emperor to rest, lest his eyes suffer.

The young emperor ignored him, not even lifting his eyelids.

Hou Rongfa sighed. Everything had been fine just a moment ago, hadn't it?

***

"Do I really not have to go back to the Hou estate?" Ning Yumei still couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that in this lifetime, she had truly escaped that abyss. Because she couldn't believe it, she couldn't help but ask several times.

A-Zhen was full of patience, her voice gentle. "Yes, Second Sister, you never have to go back there again." She held Ning Yumei’s hand, which was nothing but skin and bone. "You can live here for the rest of your life. If you have any thoughts in the future, you can tell me. Things like what happened at the Hou estate will never happen a second time."

"Father, he..." Everyone in the capital knew about the Prince of Ning’s insanity, but Ning Yumei still worried he might suddenly recover.

A-Zhen smiled at the corners of her lips. "Father is very ill."

If he ever woke up, it would just be a matter of feeding him another bowl of mushroom soup.

"Second Sister, focus on recovering your health. Nothing is more important than that." A-Zhen comforted her for a while, and Ning Yumei finally calmed down. Though she still felt a bit of trepidation, she cherished the days where she didn't have to endure beatings.

Walking out of Ning Yumei’s courtyard, A-Zhen looked around the Prince of Ning’s estate and arranged for the places where her other sisters used to live to be refurbished. Even if they didn't live there long-term, they could always come back to stay.

Her mission was to protect their safety, not to interfere with their choices or their lives. They could remarry or choose not to; they could choose whatever they liked.

As long as they were happy.

While arranging for her sisters' courtyards to be tended to, A-Zhen also redecorated her own, starting by planting a bamboo grove.

When Qingzhu and the others heard she wanted to plant a bamboo grove next to the courtyard, they didn't understand, but they followed her orders nonetheless.

Now, everyone in the Prince of Ning’s estate followed A-Zhen’s lead; whatever she said went.

Especially the guards—they were more obedient than anyone. After all, who among them hadn't been beaten by the Heir?

A few days later, a bamboo grove appeared next to A-Zhen’s courtyard. It had been transplanted in its entirety, and she could see it the moment she looked up while sitting in the courtyard. There was even a pavilion in the grove where she could drink tea in her leisure time.

Rumors about the Jiang family were everywhere in the capital. People had figured out most of what had happened, and they no longer dared to look down on this Heir of Ning.

None of this affected A-Zhen. After tidying up the estate, her gaze fell upon her Seventh Sister, Ning Yuwan. It was time to resolve her sister’s affairs.

She was very busy; she had no time to drink tea in the bamboo grove.

After the bamboo grove was planted, she did indeed sleep more soundly at night.

"Heir, Seventh Miss is going to the temple to burn incense early tomorrow morning and will return in the afternoon," Qingzhu reported.

A while ago, the Heir had planted people in the households of the Seventh Miss’s in-laws. While they weren't in core positions, they were enough to monitor surface-level movements.

The Seventh Miss had been married for less than half a year, and from what they heard, she and her husband were quite affectionate. Qingzhu didn't quite understand why the Heir wanted to check on the Seventh Miss first, especially since the situations of the other sisters sounded much worse.

But the Heir had her own calculations. Qingzhu only felt a bit of confusion internally and didn't speak further; she believed the Heir must have seen something she hadn't.

"Should we go to the Li estate tomorrow afternoon?" Qingzhu asked.

A-Zhen shook her head. "No, follow them quietly early tomorrow morning."

If they waited until the afternoon, the body would likely already be cold.

The client’s Seventh Sister, Ning Yuwan, had died less than half a year after marriage. It was said she had committed suicide, unable to bear the humiliation of mountain bandits.

Who could have guessed that there was a nauseating truth buried along with Ning Yuwan?

The mountain bandits were imposters. The man who had disguised himself as a bandit was named Li Junchang, and Li Junchang had a son named Li Bianxing.

Li Bianxing was none other than Ning Yuwan’s husband.

The Li family had originally been part of the Prince of Ning’s faction. That old bastard, the Prince of Ning, really hadn't cared about his daughter’s life at all.