Chapter 202: Resentment Born Out of Dissatisfaction

Su Jiu came out of the medical hall and immediately went back to Qingxin Tavern.

Princess Consort Yu had been taken away, and Li Tai knew that something was wrong. He waited anxiously.

Suddenly, Su Jiu stepped in and asked, “Where’s Li Xin?”

“Xin’er? In the backyard!” Li Tai said. When he saw Su Jiu’s agitated face, he asked nervously, “Did Xin’er do something wrong?”

“I have something to ask her, get her here right now!” Su Jiu ordered coldly.

“Yes, I will do that right away!”

After a moment, Li Tai brought Li Xin over from the account room and said carefully, “Master, Xin’er is here!”

Li Xin lowered her head, face pale. Her fingers kept rubbing and pinching at the corners of her clothes.

Su Jiu sat at the table, next to Ji Yuxian, leaning lazily in her wooden chair. Her white, slender fingers pinched the teacup, and she gave it a light squeeze.

“Brother Li, please go out first,” Su Jiu said.

“Oh, alright,” Li Tai responded.

Li Xin grabbed Li Tai’s arm and panicked. “Dad!”

“The Young Master has something to ask you, and you must tell the truth. No matter what you did wrong, as long as you repent, your father will forgive you,” Li Tai told her seriously.

With that, he bid farewell to Su Jiu, opened the door, and left.

As soon as the door was closed, Li Xin immediately turned her eyes to Su Jiu, and stuttered, “Young Master, I don’t know what happened upstairs! Lady Hu came to find the Young Master, so I allowed her to head up!”

Su Jiu got up and walked over. She gave her a cold look, then suddenly raised her hand.

Slap!

The tight slap struck Li Xin and sent her flying towards the wall.

There was a moment of disorientation in Li Xin’s brain. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, as she looked at Su Jiu in horror, pressing her body hard against the wall.

“I heard that while I was away, you went to serve the Crown Princess Consort, didn’t you?” Su Jiu looked at her with cold steel eyes.

Li Xin’s tears made her vision blurry. She shook her head frantically and said, “I didn’t want to serve the Crown Princess Consort! I was simply possessed for a while and wanted to stay with His Highness. However, when the Crown Princess Consort rejected me, I gave up on the idea and did not dare to think about it again!

“Young Master, I merely told Lady Hu that you were upstairs, I didn’t do anything else! You must believe me! I really don’t know anything!”

The girl, who had yet to turn fifteen years old, looked at Su Jiu fearfully. When her tears flowed, she used her hand to cover her face. She looked pathetic and pitiful.

“Li Xin, when I took you in, you were only twelve years old. You were a good little girl, and because of your father, I treated you like my sister and doted on you. But just because I treat you nicely, it doesn’t mean I will let you test my bottom line. What happened today, I will deem it a mere coincidence. If you dare to commit such a crime against me in the future, regardless of how many years of goodwill you’ve got, I will most definitely not spare you! “Su Jiu said slowly.

“Young Master’s kindness to Xin’er and her father, Xin’er will never forget it in her lifetime! Xin’er will never dare to betray Young Master!” Li Xin wept bitterly, clutching at her swollen face.

“Get out!”

“Yes!” Having been granted amnesty, Li Xin scrambled to her feet and rushed out.

Li Tai was waiting outside the door. When he saw Li Xin’s face, he was startled and demanded in a cold tone, “What the hell did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything! Young Master didn’t believe me, and my father doesn’t believe me either!” Li Xin cried, stomping her feet, running off into the backyard.

Li Tai sighed deeply. He knew that Su Jiu would not have hurt his daughter for no reason. His daughter was stubborn this time, and he often caught her alone, albeit in a daze. There was something obviously wrong with her.

On the one hand, he resented Li Xin for being ignorant, but on the other hand, he felt sorry for his daughter. Li Xin lost her mother very early, and he was busy with the restaurant every day. He had no time to teach her or guide her. If Li Xin made any mistakes, it was all his fault!

He was not a good father, and he felt very apologetic towards Young Master!

In the room, Ji Yuxian got up and hugged Su Jiu. He lowered his head and kissed the top of her head gently. “Don’t be angry. You haven’t been well, don’t let this make your constitution worse!”

Su Jiu pursed her lips tightly. “Ji Yuxian, I’m not afraid of Yu Long, I’m just afraid of what she will do to those around me!”

This is because, through her, she had almost implicated Nangong Bi, almost hurt her!

“You think Li Xin was instructed by Xia Yu Long?” Ji Yuxian asked in a low voice.

“I don’t know, but everything is so coincidental that I have my doubts!” Su Jiu replied with a frown.

A few days had passed since the incident with Official Lyu. Why did Princess Consort Yu suddenly come knocking on their door? In addition, Nangong Bi had not come looking for her by accident. She had been heading back to Nangong Manor and used another street to get home. However, along the way, her path was blocked, and she ended up using Zhuque Street.

On top of that, she would head to the restaurant on the tenth of every month to check the accounts. Li Xin knew this.

Of course, it might well be a coincidence.

Otherwise, Xia Yu Long was simply too accurate in her calculations. It was so precise that she could not help but have doubts!

Su Jiu closed her eyes. Her brows tightened as she frowned.

“Don’t think about it anymore.” Ji Yuxian turned her around, stretched out his arms, and hugged her.

“Ji Yuxian, you are right. No one can be trusted completely,” Su Jiu said in a low voice.

The more people that were around her, the more likely she was to receive a fatal blow from her enemy!

“How about me? Am I not worthy of your trust?”

“You are different!” Su Jiu shook her head.

“What’s the difference?” the man asked in a low voice.

Su Jiu did not answer him and merely buried her head in his arms.

The next day, Su Jiu went to visit Nangong Bi and stayed with her for two hours. Usually, Hu Dapao would most definitely be the one sending Su Jiu off. However, this time around, only one servant escorted her out.

Su Jiu’s face was somber, and she stood outside for a while, before getting on the carriage and leaving.

In a corner outside the General’s manor, a figure left as well.

Five days later, in the newly opened tea house along Zhuque Street, on a low couch in the interior of an elegant room, a naked unmarried couple was making out with one another. They appeared so intoxicated by one another that they were inseparable.

Suddenly, the door to the room was kicked open. With a loud boom, the man and the woman turned their heads in shock, bewildered by the sound. Alas, they were unable to make out who had arrived because a gust of violent wind hit the entire low couch and slammed it against the window.

The window was knocked open by the couch, and the couch, on which the two people sat, fell straight down, out of a hole in the side of the tea house.

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

Two terrified screams shook the entire tea house.

Behind the tea house was a small river, a tributary of the Huanhua River. The river was not deep and one side of it was facing the street. The side where the tea house stood had flowered plum blossoms.

At this time, the street along the river and the place the plum blossoms grew was filled with pedestrians. They turned their head in the direction of the screams when they heard the sounds. They watched a large object fall from the second floor of the tea house.

The second floor was not considered very high. The low couch fell straight into the river without turning over. The two clung to each other, still sitting on the couch. They appeared safe and sound, just merely interrupted from their sexual activities by the ice-cold water around them.

They were frightened. The two people thought they had escaped death by landing in the river. However, people on both sides of the river and from the teahouse started gossiping.

“Look! Two naked people in the river!” one shouted in horror, albeit with an imperceptible excitement in his voice.

“Oh, why does that man look like the manservant from the teahouse? Also, who is that woman?”

“These two are not married! They must be cheating and committing adultery! How dare they do the deed so openly in the river for everyone to see!”

“It seems they have fallen from the second floor!”

“Huh, how intense this can be!”

…

As they were surrounded by the crowd on all sides, Princess Consort Yu hid in the arms of the manservant, ashamed and wanting to die. But they were in the middle of the river, and they had nothing to help them reach the shore.

They had taken off all their clothes and left them in the elegant room upstairs. Therefore, they had nothing to cover themselves up with and had to put up with being naked before all the bystanders.

Princess Consort Yu was shivering with shame. She trembled hard, almost fainting. As she looked out over the river, she dared not jump off the couch.

If she died from jumping in, then she would really die a shameful death!

“My Lady, what…what shall we do?” the manservant asked with a trembling voice, watching more and more people surround them along the riverbank.

“How am I supposed to know what to do? You, hurry up and block me from their view!” Princess Consort Yu said angrily, hiding her face in his arms.

“Well, we should jump into the water!”

“No! I don’t know how to swim!” Princess Consort Yu was shaking all over.

The manservant was ashamed and scared. He hated himself for being greedy and desiring the woman’s silver taels. Now, he was even more afraid that the woman’s husband would find him, beat him up, and hand him over to the government office. There, he would certainly be convicted of adultery.

This woman had been wearing wealthy attire. With one glance, he knew that she had come from a noble family. He could not afford to offend the nobles!

“My lady, why not let your servant leave first!”

“No! You must block me from them!” Princess Consort Yu pulled him closer, holding him tightly and refused to let go.

In the teahouse, Su Jiu stood in the elegant room, just inside the broken wall. She watched as more and more people surrounded the riverbank, a bloodthirsty sneer emerging from the corners of her lips.

Finally, the manservant could not take it anymore. He pushed Princess Consort Yu away and jumped into the river, heading upstream.

“Come back!

“Assh*le! Come back!

“If you don’t come back, I will kill you!”

Princess Consort Yu burst into tears. Before, she had the manservant to shield her from the crowd. Now, she was all alone in the middle of the river, the focal point of everyone’s gaze.

The manservant ignored her pleas and swam quickly towards the riverbank.

Once ashore, he scrambled onto dry ground. He used his hands to cover his face as he hurriedly ran towards the teahouse, albeit butt naked.

“Hahaha!”

Bursts of sneering laughter sounded from all around him.

Without the manservant to shield her, some people were able to tell that the woman was a Princess Consort.

“That woman looks like Princess Consort Yu! I have seen her before!”

“What? That’s ridiculous, why would a Princess Consort commit adultery with a manservant from the tea house!”

“It seems like she’s really Princess Consort Yu!”

The whispers spread quickly until there were three rows deep of people, standing along the banks of the river trying to get a glimpse of the naked princess.

Princess Consort Yu’s personal maid was standing guard outside the elegant room door and had also been knocked over by the gust of wind. When she woke up, the Princess Consort was gone and there was a hole left in the wall.

Through the hole in the wall, the maid saw the princess sitting in the middle of the river, naked and alone. She was scared stiff for a moment. It took her a while to gather her wits before she stumbled downstairs. She hurried towards the riverbank.

Pushing through the crowd, she yelled in a panic, “Princess Consort Yu, how did you get there?”

At this call, the identity of the woman as Princess Consort Yu was now confirmed to be true. The crowd watching the spectacle became more excited, and some even began to sympathize with Prince Yu, who had been cheated on.

“I beg you, please save my Princess Consort!

“Hurry up and save her!” the maid asked, but no one answered her pleas.

What nonsense! This was not an ordinary drop into the river. The woman who fell was naked, and her identity was the Princess Consort. What if they were implicated whilst saving her?

They might be killed and beheaded too!

The woman on the river lay on the low couch, pathetic and embarrassed. She almost fainted from the cold. She trembled, and everyone could see her shivering pale body.

The maid was helpless and had to run back to the manor to get help.

An hour later, Prince Xiao Yan arrived with his guards. By this time, news of the apparent adultery of Princess Consort Yu with a manservant from the tea house had spread like wildfire. It was already halfway across Shengjing City!

After he rescued Princess Consort Yu, Xiao Yan’s face hardened into stone. He wanted to dig out the eyes of everyone standing by the shore.

By the time he wrapped the frozen Princess Consort Yu up in clothes, she had already fainted from the cold. She was quickly stuffed into a carriage. Without wasting another moment, they rushed back to Prince Yu’s manor.

Given how big the scandal had become, news of it spread into the palace.

The queen’s face turned green with anger. She immediately ordered Xiao Yan to divorce Princess Consort Yu and strip her of her title.

What happened to Official Lyu before had already caused the Emperor to be immensely unsettled. It was a blessing that Xiao Yan had not been involved. Now that another awful scandal happened, the entire reputation of the royal family was tarnished.

Emperor Zhao Ping was so angry that he skipped his royal lunch to express his anger and rage at Prince Yu Xiao Yan through bouts of scolding.

If he could not watch over his women and make them behave, how could he handle greater and more important affairs?

When Prince Yu Xiao Yan was scolded by Emperor Zhao Ping, he did not utter a single word. But after hearing that Emperor Zhao Ping wanted him to divorce Princess Consort Yu, he panicked and knelt before the queen, begging for mercy. He even cried and made a scene, refusing to give up his wife.

For Prince Yu to be so protective of Princess Consort Yu, ever after she had betrayed him, it was said to be utterly incredible. Everyone had an opinion about it. They said that perhaps Prince Yu was born with a fetish of being abused!

The queen, upon seeing what a wimp her son was, fainted.

Eventually, after Xiao Yan had knelt for a long time, Official Lye came into the palace and begged for mercy as well. In the end, the divorce of Princess Consort Yu did not take place.

However, although she had not been divorced, she had stayed out in the cold windy winter for too long. On top of being exposed to such weather, she was naked at the time and that amplified the chills she felt and made her highly ashamed. After returning to the manor, she fell seriously ill and was bedridden for the next few months. By springtime the next year, her soul had gone to the heavens.

That was not something worthy of many mentions. Even then, people continued to gossip about what Princess Consort Yu did with the manservant. Some added their own details to the account to spice up the story. It became very outrageous, and the royal family could not suppress the gossiping despite constant pressure placed on the people. It only died down on its own after some time.

Because of this, Emperor Zhao Ping disliked Xiao Yan, and removed his title of Prince Yu.

The queen tried to put up a fight, but that only caused her to lose favor with the Emperor. She was almost sent to the cold palace as a result. Everyone in the court knew that Xiao Yan was now completely out of reach of ascending the throne.

After this incident occurred, it was already the end of the cold winter months and almost the twelfth lunar month.

Nangong Bi’s body has been recovering after all this time. However, no matter how much she tried to hide it, she was a woman after all, and so she realized what had happened.

While she was bedridden, Su Jiu often accompanied her. Nangong Bi did not seem to be mentally stable, and she was often a little depressed.

Perhaps because of how sad Nangong Bi was, Hu Dapao was that much colder to Su Jiu than before. Sometimes, when he came back from outside and saw Su Jiu in his manor, he didn’t bother to greet her.

Eventually, Ah Shu also found out that Hu Dapao was in the wrong, and deliberately created an opportunity to gather those from the Dragon Conqueror Gang together to drink wine. If they had any unsettled feelings deep down in their hearts, this was an outlet for them to unravel all these tangled emotions.

The banquet was set at Qingxin Tavern. The earliest to arrive were Ah Shu and Su Jiu. Qiao An came after finishing up his work in court, but the three of them did not see Hu Dapao until much later in the afternoon.

As they were anxiously preparing to send someone to find out what happened to him, a guard entered Qingxin Tavern and informed them that General Hu had something to attend to at the barracks and had left the city. He would not be able to make it back in time and was thus unable to attend this gathering!

The look on Ah Shu’s face immediately turned black as thunder.

The gathering had been made known a day in advance. At the previous banquet held by the members of the Dragon Conqueror Gang, everyone would make sure to attend no matter what. This time around, it was clear that Hu Dapao did not want to come.

Su Jiu, on the other hand, did not seem affected by the news. She casually dismissed the guard.

The gathering had been originally organized to patch up matters between Hu Dapao and Su Jiu. Now that one side was not coming, the gathering was somewhat meaningless. The three of them drank together. The more they drank, the more depressed they felt. It ended quickly and they left soon after.

As they walked out of the restaurant, Qiao An walked behind the two and said to them, “Hu Dapao has such a complicated character but he is still the same as before. Boss, please do not take it to heart.”

Su Jiu knew how Hu Dapao felt about Nangong Bi. She nodded. “He is a fellow brother; I will not take it to heart. Master An, you need not worry!”

“Yes! When this thing blows over, Hu Dapao will most definitely understand!” Qiao An said.

Ah Shu froze in a corner of the group, not saying a word.

Su Jiu asked the two to go leave and they each took a carriage home.

Ah Shu rode a horse and headed back to the Bodyguard Agency. As he passed Jing Qin Restaurant, his eyes swept past the front of the building, and suddenly, he brought his mount to an abrupt stop.

Hu Dapao and several court officials were walking out of the restaurant. Their faces were gleaming red. Even from a distance, he knew that they had been drinking a lot of wine.

Ah Shu clutched the reins of his horse. Hu Dapao had not left the city at all.

He had lied to their Chief!

Ah Shu felt his anger rise and was about to blow. He stood there in silence, waiting for the other officials to leave before striding forward.

“Hu Dapao!” Ah Shu roared.

Hu Dapao was about to mount his horse when he heard someone call his name. He turned his head. His face showed a look of embarrassment, and his eyes flickered.

“You lied to us! You didn’t go out of town at all today! Why did you do this?” Ah Shu asked angrily.

Hu Dapao’s face flushed red. Choking, he said, “I don’t want to see Chief!”

“Why? What wrong has Chief done to you?” Ah Shu asked angrily.

“When I see her, I think of my unborn son and all the suffering my wife has gone through. Tell me, how do you think I can possibly meet her calmly?”

“But Chief did not do that intentionally! It was an accident that injured Nangong Bi! Besides, Boss has already punished the person who did it,” Ah Shu explained, a hardened look crossing his face.

“Whether it was intentional or not, my son is lost because of Chief! If she hadn’t provoked Official Lyu, would this have happened?”

“Damn you, bast*rd! Why are you speaking gibberish that is devoid of humanity? Chief punished the perpetrator of this crime and saved people!”

“Who did she save? Just a person from a brothel, that’s all!” Hu Dapao sneered disdainfully.

“Hu Dapao! Where has your conscience gone? How dare you look down on prostitutes! Have you forgotten what you used to be? Now that you are a general, you have forgotten your roots! I didn’t think of you as such a person! Well, since you despise Chief for taking your son’s life, then you might as well take away my life to pay for the loss of your son! ”

Ah Shu stepped forward suddenly, glaring at Hu Dapao angrily.

Hu Dapao returned his stare savagely. “Yes, I’m a general now and I don’t want to deal with you civilians anymore! In the future, let’s just go our separate ways! To each his own!”

Ah Shu’s body quivered as he said angrily, “You want to make a clean cut from the Dragon Conqueror Gang? Okay! Your life was saved by Chief. If you want to make such distinctions, then return your life to her first!”

With that, Ah Shu threw a punch at Hu Dapao’s face.

Hu Dapao dodged his blow and grabbed his wrist. “This is between Chief and me, for goodness sake, don’t get involved!”

“You piece of sh*t!” Ah Shu screamed and threw his other fist at Hu Dapao.

Hu Dapao managed to dodge it once again and said coldly, “If you don’t stop, I won’t hold back anymore!”

“Who the hell asked you to hold back?” Ah Shu’s attack turned fierce as he threw a flying kick at him.

Hu Dapao frowned, grabbing Ah Shu’s leg, and pushed back hard. Then, he threw himself at Ah Shu.

The two of them fought hard, throwing punches and kicks at one another.

It was the evening, and many people were walking along the street. Upon hearing the quarrel of the two people, many bystanders swarmed around them to watch the fight.

The fight between them was fierce. Both refused to yield, and the battle was intense with no clear winner. They were putting their lives on the line in this fight with one another.

The soldiers who had followed Hu Dapao wanted to step forward and intervene. However, the two were simply too fast in their attacks and the soldiers were unable to get involved. Eventually, they had to send someone to look for Su Jiu.

More and more people gathered in front of Jing Qin Restaurant, and a long line of carriages blocked up both sides of the road.

Yu Long came out of Yun Nan Manor and was on her way home. She too was stopped by the roadblock along her way back.

“Crown Princess Consort, some people are fighting up front!” Hong Xiu said.

Yu Long raised her eyebrows slightly. “Who are they?”

Hong Xiu went forward to peep, then lifted the carriage curtain and whispered, “It seems to be Hu Dapao and someone from the Dragon Conqueror Gang!”

A man in ordinary clothes quietly approached the carriage, standing just below the carriage window, and whispered a few words to Yu Long.

Yu Long’s eyes flashed, and she gave a light smile.

“Okay, I understand!”

The man went away and disappeared into the crowd.

Half an hour later, Su Jiu came quickly on horseback. She stood atop her horse and leaped across the crowd that gathered to watch the fight. She got between the two, kicking and punching them, before finally managing to separate the two.

“What is all this for?” Su Jiu’s face was hard and angry.

“Chief!” Ah Shu shouted, spitting out blood from the corner of his mouth.

Hu Dapao also had a stone-cold look on his face as he turned his head away indignantly.

“Whatever happens between us, we close the door and talk about it. What’s the point of fighting like this in the middle of the streets?” Su Jiu shouted.

“Chief! Just ask him what he said! He said he wants to have nothing to do with us in the future!” Ah Shu spat, pointing at Hu Dapao.

Su Jiu was startled. She turned her head to look at Hu Dapao. “Are you for real?”

“I said those words because I was angry!” Hu Dapao said with a solemn look on his face, but there was no sincerity in his words.

“Oh, look at that!” Ah Shu gritted his teeth, brought up his fists, ready to strike again.

“Okay!” Su Jiu stopped Ah Shu and said quietly, “Hu Dapao is still furious. What he said does not count! Let’s go back!”

Hu Dapao snorted, turned, and mounted his horse, kicking it into a run, rushing off.

“Chief,” Ah Shu frowned,

“Speak no more. Zhao Shan is still heavily pregnant. All you need to do is to just look after her well. You need not worry about anything else! Understand?” Su Jiu said firmly.

Ah Shu took in a deep breath of air and nodded. “Yes, I understand!”

“Then let’s go back!”

“Chief, then what shall we do about Hu Dapao?”

“I will find him later and talk about it! There are many people here, it is not convenient to talk now. We will talk about this later!”

“Yes!”

The two of them got on their own horses and left. With that, the lively show ended and the crowd around them soon dispersed as well.

The road was soon clear, and Yu Long’s carriage slowly passed Jing Qin Restaurant.

When she reached Crown Prince Manor, the sky was already dark, and the last streaks of daylight were disappearing.

As she alighted from her carriage, Lan Zhihui was also coming back from the outside.

Upon seeing Yu Long, Lan Zhihui stepped forward to greet her. She gave a slight curtsy. “Greetings to the Crown Princess Consort.”

The maid next to Lan Zhihui supported her as she bent over.

Hong Xiu sneered when she saw the nervous gesture of the maid. She said in a strange tone, “Secondary Consort Lan has a body made of precious gold! Someone needs to support you even while you are paying your respects!”

The maid behind Lan Zhihui was about to speak but was stopped with a gesture. She smiled and replied, “Lately, my body is not in good health. I do feel a little under the weather. May the Crown Princess Consort forgive me!”

Yu Long’s complexion remained unchanged as she let out a faint snort. Then, she walked slowly into the manor.

Lan Zhihui followed.

The two entered the backyard one after the other, and a person from Tingxi Elegant Manor rushed over to meet them. After paying her respects to Yu Long, she immediately went up to Lan Zhihui and said nervously, “Why did Secondary Consort Lan go out today? You are pregnant now and the Crown Prince especially ordered you not to go out at all! Whatever you want to buy, the servants will obtain on your behalf!”

Hearing these words, Yu Long suddenly turned around, and her eyes fell to Lan Zhihui’s stomach in shock.

Lan Zhihui’s face turned red and she threw an accusing look at the maid. “What a blabbermouth!”

With that, she turned to face Yu Long and said, “I was feeling unwell the day before yesterday, and the Crown Prince invited the doctor to check up on me. The doctor said that it has been more than a month!”

Yu Long’s mind went blank as if she had been stunned by multiple bolts of lightning. She stared hard at Lan Zhihui, seemingly unable to speak for a moment. Her face that appeared calm and composed could not keep up the facade any longer.

Lan Zhihui was pregnant?

A concubine was pregnant with Xiao Lie’s child, yet until now, Xiao Lie had not even been to her room.

Bitterness and hatred coursed through her blood. It tainted her eyes, even in the darkness, and she became unsteady for a moment.

Hong Xiu hurriedly held her shoulders, staring at Lan Zhihui with jealous eyes.

Lan Zhihui smiled shyly and pretended not to notice Yu Long’s changed expression. She said carefully, “Because it is such a big matter, I, the Secondary Consort should have told the Crown Princess Consort much earlier! However, the Crown Prince wanted me to be quiet about it and not let outsiders know. He was afraid that it will not be good for the child. Thus, I have not been out for the past two days. ”

Yu Long’s mind continued buzzing and the objects in front of her eyes began to blur. She merely saw Lan Zhihui open and close her mouth, but nothing registered in her mind.

“What are you implying? Are you saying that the Crown Princess Consort is an outsider?”

“The Secondary Consort doesn’t dare to imply that! This is merely the intention of the Crown Prince!” Lan Zhihui said innocently.

“Concubine Lan, speak no more! Since you are pregnant, hurry back to your room and rest!” Hong Xiu said angrily.

“Yes, then I shall leave first!” Lan Zhihui smiled shallowly, her face wearing a gentle and blissful glow.

The two maids helped her to back to her room.

Yu Long stood watching her, her face pale, lips trembling. As the glow of the sun fell over her, a myriad of heavy emotions flashed across her face.

“Crown Princess Consort, don’t be angry! Even if she gave birth to the Eldest Young Master of Crown Prince Manor, so what? The children of the Crown Princess Consort will be the ones who will inherit the throne!” Hong Xiu comforted her in a quiet voice.

Yu Long’s lips twitched, a trace of self-deprecation that she felt for herself rising. Her own child?

Will she ever have Xiao Lie’s child?

When Lan Zhihui gives birth, would her status as the Main Consort be given over to her?

She had always been guarding against Su Jiu and trying to kill her, she did not expect that Xiao Lie would fall for and love another woman.

An unchaste woman at that, a woman who had spent a good part of her life used and stepped on. To think that she was pregnant with Xiao Lie’s child!

This was simply slapping her across the face, trampling her under his foot!

Is she, having come from a distinguished background, not even to be held at the same level as this sl*tty woman?

“Crown Princess Consort, you must cheer up!” Hong Xiu choked out.

Cheer up?

How could she cheer up? Even God was working against her! She had harmed Nangong Bi’s child, so God made Lan Zhihui pregnant to punish her!

Yu Long’s face was full of utter defeat and disappointment. At this moment, she suddenly wondered if she had been wrong.

Perhaps she should not have married Xiao Lie in the beginning, and she should not have made Su Jiu an enemy!

No!

She was not wrong! At least, she was now the Crown Princess Consort, and later on, she will be Queen. Lord Yun Nan Manor would become more prestigious because of her.

Everything that she did had been worth it!

Yu Long straightened her back, and the light in her eyes returned again. She stepped into the inner courtyard.

The back was erect with a sense of tenacity and unyielding will—nothing could bring her down!

Having arrived at the twelfth lunar month, there were two heavy snowfalls throughout the month. The cold wind was severe and piercing. Dripping water turned into ice. Su Jiu got lazy and preferred to stay at home and not head out. She would rather laze around on Ji Yuxian’s bed.

Back in the Su residence, no matter how warm the furnace burned, Su Jiu never slept soundly. She would always wake up in the middle of the night before the day turned bright. This happened several times every night.

Thus, within a period of ten days, she spent seven to eight days straight in Ji Manor instead.

There, she had someone to warm her bed at night, prepare her favorite breakfast in the morning, and wait for her to wake up before eating it with her. All these little actions made her feel that life was good.

Occasionally, when the weather in the afternoon warmed up sufficiently, so she would head home to see her mother. However, her mother always asked her, “Why are you back?”

Su Jiu began to suspect that perhaps this woman had been wrongly attributed to her birth. She might not be Bai Jingrou’s daughter after all.

How could a mother push her daughter out of the house all day?

After the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the year was approaching its end. Ji Yuxian needed to tally the accounts for the year, and he became busier and busier.

Yet no matter how busy he was, he would always accompany Su Jiu to dinner, hug her to sleep, forbid her to drink, and refuse to let her stay up late. He watched her very closely.

If Su Jiu desired to drink wine, she had to feed it to Ji Yuxian first, then throw herself at him, greedily sucking whatever remained on his lips.

The New Year’s clothes worn by people in the palace were made in Robes Square. In addition to the numerous palace concubines, there is also a court dress specially made for Empress Dowager Xiao the wear on the first day of the New Year.

It is said that the front of the dress depicted a phoenix embroidered with nine hundred and ninety-nine different characters of the word “blessing”. In the daytime, the phoenix eyes were seen to be open. At night, when the dress is placed flat on the bed, the phoenix eyes were closed.

The court dress took thirty top-notch embroiderers from Robes Square to complete in a month. All the silk threads on the dress were polished and dyed with superior gems. It was a very expensive dress indeed!

On the twentieth day, all the articles of clothing for the palace and Empress Dowager Xiao’s court dress were personally inspected by Ji Yuxian before they could be sent into the palace.

To celebrate her twenty-third year alive, Su Jiu wanted to spend the holiday with her mother. However, early in the morning, someone from the palace came and took the two of them into the palace.

Colorful lanterns in the palace had been set up and neatly arranged. They gave the palace an atmosphere of festivity and joy. The plum blossoms in the royal garden were blooming. Between the alternating colors of pink and white, beautiful blossoms spread their fragrance over a large area. They added a unique touch to the joyful holiday season.

Su Jiu and her mother entered Fushou Palace. Yu Long and Imperial Concubine Rong, as well as other palace ladies were there as well.

Su Jiu was seen as Emperor Zhao Ping’s adopted daughter, and Empress Dowager Xiao spoiled her more than anybody else. The people in the palace understood the politics of the situation and treated the Su Family well. They came forward and showered them with warmth and kindness, completely ignoring Yu Long, who was simply cast aside.

Yu Long sat in a corner but did not appear worried in any way. She drank her tea casually.

Everyone ate tea and chatted. After some light conversation, a lady suddenly said, “I heard that Robes Square made a unique court dress for the Empress Dowager next year. I am afraid that the concubines would not be able to see it on the first day of the new year. Empress Dowager Xiao, would you please take it out today, and let us all feast our eyes on that beautiful dress!”

Empress Dowager Xiao leaned back on her couch. Two palace maids were serving her on her left and right. She smiled and said, “This court dress, I have merely only heard about it as well and have yet to see it!”

The Lady In Charge came up to her side and said, “The clothes are still in the Imperial Clothing Department, they have yet to be delivered.”

Everyone was disappointed by the news and sighed.

Yu Long noticed this and suggested, “Since the court dress is already in the Imperial Clothing Department, it would be convenient to bring it over. Would it not? We could send someone to get it now.”

“Alright!” Empress Dowager Xiao laughed and commanded, “Then someone go and take it! I also want to take a look at it!”

“Yes, I will go and get it immediately!” the Lady In Charge said aloud, then turned and left.

Yu Long smiled, holding up her tea, and sipped on it slowly.

The women in the room were talking about matters in their own homes, they were showing off, trying to one-up each other, albeit in a quiet manner. Their tones were gentle, delicate, and polite, making it difficult for anyone to find fault with one another.

Su Jiu felt really uncomfortable on their behalf. After sitting amongst them for a while, she gave Eldest Mistress a wink and left the hall.

As soon as she went out, a gust of cool air hit Su Jiu in the face. Su Jiu wore a fox-fleece brocade cape. The white fluff on the hood lined and protected her delicate white face. There was a hint of her unique charm about her beauty. She dressed simply but maintained her elegance. Even the palace maids standing by the side could not help but take a second glance at her.

Su Jiu strolled along the corridor. Both sides of the corridor were covered in plum blossoms. The plum branches protruded into the corridor through hollowed-out mahogany windows.

Sitting behind a pillar, Su Jiu reached out and picked a plum blossom. The flower was cold yet gorgeous, much like the man with whom she was so familiar.

As she was deep in her thoughts, suddenly, a torrent of footsteps and voices of palace maids came from behind.

“This dress seems to look a lot sullen than before!” one of them said.

Then, she heard the voice of the Lady in Charge who went out to get the dress. “A pearl on the dress was accidentally lost. It took three full days of stitching for them to return the dress to its former glory!”

“Oh! No wonder the Imperial Clothing Department did not immediately send it over!” the palace maid replied.

Both of them carefully caressed the dress as they carried it, whispering to one another as they made their way back to the inner hall.

Su Jiu sat in the same spot and did not move. Her body was slender, and the pillar shielded her entire body. Thus, when they hurried by carrying the court dress, none of them noticed her.

There was a slight smell of incense in the air. It must have come from that dress.

Su Jiu took in a deep breath and frowned slightly.

Amid that aroma was another smell. It was familiar to her but ever so faint that it was almost indistinguishable.

Su Jiu’s eyebrows frowned hard as she thought about what the smell could be. Then, her eyes suddenly widened.

Saltpeter!

The smell mixed with the incense was saltpeter!

While in Youzhou, she had studied about hidden weapons with Zhao Xiong, so she became very familiar with the smell.

It was only because the smell of saltpeter in the air was weak and mixed with the smell of incense, that it was hard to distinguish, much less identify it.

Why would the smell of saltpeter appear in clothing?

Also, why was it deliberately masked with the smell of incense?

The court dress was a tribute, a gift from Robes Square.

Su Jiu’s complexion changed suddenly. She stood up quickly and ran into the inner hall.

She moved extremely fast. Much like a hurricane that swept through the corridor, she jumped into the inner hall and looked up. She saw that Empress Dowager Xiao had already put on the court dress and two palace maids were helping her with the buttons of the dress.

The women in the hall stood in a circle and spared no effort in praising her appearance wearing the dress.

Yu Long approached and smiled. “The buttons are all inlaid with pearls. Very exquisite indeed!”

As she said this, she reached out to touch the buttons on her clothes. A light in her sleeve flashed slightly.

Su Jiu’s heart skipped a beat, and a look of shock flashed across her face. She turned to look at the maid who was holding a basin for the Lady In Charge to wash her hands.

The clothes were simply too expensive. Servants would only dare to touch it after washing their hands.

Su Jiu rushed over, grabbed the basin in a single motion, moved at the speed of a thunderbolt, flinging it at Yu Long.

With a “whoosh” sound, the whole basin of water covered Yu Long, drenching her from head to toe.

Time seemed to stagnate after that, the clamor and laughter in the hall momentarily coming to a halt, much like a duck being choked by its neck. Silence engulfed the place.

Everyone first stared blankly at Yu Long, who was completely drenched, then turned to look at Su Jiu.