Chapter 177: The Position of the Principal Wife, the Tolerance of the Concubine

Shen Shuangning lifted her gaze, and immediately met Prince Rui's light-colored phoenix eyes.

Prince Rui inherited the cold, striking beauty of the Wang Empress, extraordinarily handsome and aggressive; when looking at someone up close, his eyes were like a wolf's, making one feel as if they were prey.

He was not like Zhai Ji, a prince raised in the prosperity of Jingcheng; he had fought in battles, killed people, drunk blood, and even in his splendid robes, an unmistakable aura of lethal intent clung to him.

Pei Zhi stared at Prince Rui like a poisonous snake lurking in the dark.

Pei Zhi saw the fleeting fear in Shen Shuangning's eyes, was about to speak, when a voice came from behind him.

"Consort Heir, how did you come? Please come in quickly!"

The one who came was Qingyun.

Heir Consort?

Prince Rui raised his brows, first glanced at Qingyun, then his gaze fell on Shen Shuangning, his tone tinged with interest as he said plainly, "So you are the little crybaby sister of Shen Xiuci."

He spoke as if they were old acquaintances.

Shen Shuangning frowned slightly, not responding.

When Prince Rui was young, he got along well with Shen Xiuci, often visiting the Duke's manor, so he was naturally familiar with Shen Xiuci's sister; but a girl changes greatly at eighteen, so he just didn't recognize her at first.

Hearing Qingyun call her "Heir Consort," he realized the woman before him wore a married woman's hairdo, no longer a maiden from the inner chambers.

A subtle displeasure flickered in his heart.

"Prince, take your time!" Qingyun stepped forward without changing expression, ready to protect her the moment Prince Rui made a move.

Prince Rui was in a bad mood, but not so much that he would resort to violence against a woman, especially Shen Shuangning. He lowered his arm, turned slightly aside, and made way for her.

But as Shen Shuangning passed before him, he let out a slow sigh, his tone wistful, as if somewhat disappointed: "After all these years, things remain but people have changed."

Shen Shuangning's steps paused slightly; when she looked back, Prince Rui had already stepped down the stairs, one hand behind his back, strolling away leisurely.

Pei Zhi followed one step behind Prince Rui, silently trailing him.

Prince Rui ought to have noticed something, but after seeing Shen Shuangning his thoughts became scattered, and for a moment he failed to notice anything odd about her.

Xiao Jingyuan saw Shen Shuangning's expression change as she entered, and asked, "Did you see Prince Rui?"

Shen Shuangning gave a slight nod, went straight inside, poured herself a cup of tea and drank it, while Ah Heng stood to the side.

Recalling that Prince Rui just now, Ah Heng still felt a lingering unease, always feeling that his gaze toward her young lady was not quite right.

After asking that, Xiao Jingyuan said nothing more.

After suppressing the chill in her heart, Shen Shuangning asked, "How much longer until you're done?"

"Soon, go sit over there for a while."

Shen Shuangning did as told, sat at the side, lowered her eyes, and happened to see some snacks on the small side table; without thinking much, she picked up a piece of peach slice cake and ate it with relish.

After a while, Xiao Jingyuan's voice came: "Is it tasty?"

"It's delicious." Shen Shuangning felt the flavor familiar, a bit slow to respond: "Is it from Li Ji?"

Xiao Jingyuan gazed at her faintly, saying nothing.

Shen Shuangning felt a chill on her scalp, immediately thinking that Pei Zhi had been here.

Could this have been brought by him?

The peach slice cake in her hand suddenly didn't taste as good…

This was indeed brought by Pei Zhi, who even deliberately said in front of Xiao Jingyuan that the Heir Consort loved to eat it.

Among all the snack shops in Jingcheng, Shen Shuangning uniquely loved Li Ji's craftsmanship, but after she drew a clear line with Pei Zhi, she no longer patronized Li Ji.

It was as if she could not avoid it, avoiding it like a scorpion.

Pei Zhi, however, did not want her to be forced to give up even this little culinary desire because of him.

Shen Shuangning had gone a while without eating Li Ji's snacks, and felt oddly craving; probably because it had been so long, it seemed even more delicious.

She felt a bit reluctant to put it down.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Jingyuan said, "If it's tasty, eat more."

Shen Shuangning finally put it down, not because of Xiao Jingyuan, but because thinking of Pei Zhi made her feel a little unable to eat.

Seeing her set down the half-eaten peach slice cake, Xiao Jingyuan's mood brightened considerably.

Shen Shuangning, however, did not know his concubine-like appetite; her mind still turned over what she had just seen, and she couldn't help worrying: "Will Pei Zhi choose to cooperate with Prince Rui again?"

Her worry was not unfounded; after all, in his previous life Pei Zhi had been Prince Rui's lackey, the two colluding in disgrace, throwing the court into turmoil.

Although she understood Pei Zhi's feelings toward her, she had already turned against him, even stabbing him once before; it's hard to guarantee he won't become enraged, turning love into hatred.

This line of thought is a bit "measuring a gentleman's belly with a petty heart," but Pei Zhi is truly dangerous, far from being a gentleman.

Xiao Jingyuan lifted his gaze to Shen Shuangning, seeming relieved by her vigilance, yet said, "He won't."

Shen Shuangning said no more.

…

After returning, Xiao Jingyuan sent people to fetch the chef of Li Ji, personally consulting him; since the other party was the heir of the Yan Prince's manor, that chef essentially gave away all his secrets, holding nothing back.

Indeed, Xiao Jingyuan did not shortchange him, giving a large sum of silver, and let that chef return home in fine clothes.

After that, Shen Shuangning often saw various snacks appear before her, unknown where they came from.

She would pick them up and eat them casually; the taste suited her better each time, and she assumed they were made by the newly hired chef of the prince's manor.

Gradually it made her forget Li Ji, though that is a story for later.

Prince Rui's side was presently in a flurry of worries.

During the period he was detained by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, folk unknown where spread articles praising his achievements, which spread uncontrollably; moreover, local gentry spontaneously petitioned on his behalf.

It initially came from Dan Zhou; within a few days this trend spread like a prairie fire.

Dan Zhou, once the stronghold of the Black Wind Bandits, was later retaken by Lord Xie the Little Marquis.

That parcel of land was a fat piece of meat, but at that time Prince Rui was powerful and didn't think much of it; by the time he wanted to intervene, it had already been seized by other forces.

Even if Dan Zhou could be overlooked, Jiangnan Prefecture, Yunnan Prefecture, and Shu region also erupted in unrest, and these places are the territory of the Holy Heaven Sect!

What the hell do those people do for a living?!

This commotion blew up enormously, directly pushing Prince Rui into the eye of the storm; by the time the news reached the palace, the Empress wanted to respond but it was already too late.

"Who on earth is pulling strings behind the scenes?" Prince Rui paced anxiously in the palace.

Empress Wang sat in the main seat, her head aching from his shaking, she furrowed her brows: "What's there to panic about? The more times like this, the more you need to stay calm! First, don't worry about who's behind it; what's urgent now is your father's side."

Prince Rui immediately turned to the Empress, as if he had found his backbone, and took two steps forward: "Mother Empress, what should I do, your subject?"