Chapter 140

It's also normal; political networking—where does all this liking come from?

Mu Yuanzhi had no thoughts or interest in others' circumstances; she politely nodded and intended to leave.

"Don't go yet!" Xixi hurried forward, wanting to grab Mu Yuanzhi, but she was holding a pig in her arms and couldn't free a hand, "Let's chat a bit about the crown prince."

"I'm not acquainted with him."

"Nonsense!" Seeing Mu Yuanzhi about to leave again, Xixi hurried forward a few steps, "I'll exchange information with you! I have intel on Huangli State!" She said this while lowering her voice.

Mu Yuanzhi listened and finally stopped.

Anyway, she was idle, so she might as well chat a bit.

Xixi saw that this worked, smiled happily, found a place to sit, rubbing the pig, "Let me tell you, actually the crown prince and the prince of Huangli State are the two who came; they don't get along, they're rivals for the throne!"

Mu Yuanzhi raised an eyebrow: "You foreigner, you know this quite clearly."

"My dad may not be good at war, but he's top-notch at gathering this kind of intel!" Xixi said without hesitation, exposing her father's background.

"Don't think they appear respectful on the surface—though 'mutual respect' isn't quite right, anyway, they're basically fighting to the death behind the scenes; their sovereign even intends to replace the heir, because although both have poor private morals, they're strong in ability—one excels at war, the other at governing and winning popular support."

"Winning popular support? The Prince of Chun? How absurd!"

"Isn't it said that everyone in Huangli State knows he's no good bird?"

"Scoundrels have their own ways of redemption; he often opens granaries to relieve the people, every few days lets the mansion's physicians treat commoners for free, and frequently spends money on construction—basically, that's the method, and it works!" Xixi spoke authoritatively, as if she had witnessed it herself.

Mu Yuanzhi pondered, and felt that within the absurdity there was some reason.

"How about it, is my intel useful? I'll say this first—you can't conscience‑lessly say it's useless after listening for free!"

The information was indeed useful; Mu Yuanzhi thought that since those two love to fight, letting them fight until fish die and nets break would leave them no petty thoughts to scheme against her.

"I'm certainly not that kind of person; go ahead, what do you want to know about the crown prince?" Mu Yuanzhi appeared ready to speak fully and hold nothing back.

Xixi's eyes lit up: "I want to know everything! The more detailed the better, because I really don't want to marry him—I want to step on his landmines!"

Indeed, Mu Yuanzhi knew this girl didn't want to marry.

So she sat there and talked for a full two hours, her mouth drying out.

After leaving, Mu Yuanzhi thought about letting the Prince of Chun know what their crown prince had been up to.

She didn't believe that, with such a big handle, the Prince of Chun would remain idle.

Then she could simply wait for the fisherman's gain.

Mu Yuanzhi returned to Weiyang Palace, where piles of insincere apology gifts from Pei Yunxi had accumulated—all useless items, which she threw out outright and openly.

Palace attendants saw it, and the word reached the emperor's ears, but the emperor pretended not to have heard.

Mu Yuanzhi could so openly deny Pei Yunxi face because the emperor already knew what Pei Yunxi was up to; even if she gave no face, there was justification.

Not having to pretend feels great!

"Little miss, do you miss your husband?"

Gu Rongjin hadn't arrived yet, but his carefree voice came first.

"You've come to my sleeping quarters again?"

"What's the matter? I'm already a prince consort; would a prince consort entering the princess's quarters still be gossiped about? That would be too unfair!"

Gu Rongjin said that, yet he still didn't use the main door, sneaking in through the window.

Mu Yuanzhi thought perhaps he was habituated to sneaking like a thief.

"I know you don't want to return to the princess's manor, and Pingnan Wangfu isn't finished yet, so you keep thinking of coming back to this Weiyang Palace." Gu Rongjin sat down, poured himself tea, "I don't mind either; I'll just stay here to rest!"

"I do mind." Mu Yuanzhi smiled narrowly.

"Don't always oppose me; let's try something else fun, like making osmanthus cake by hand for me to eat." Gu Rongjin propped his cheek with one hand, acting coquettishly.

Mu Yuanzhi ignored him: "Where have you been running off to again? You're nowhere to be seen all day."

"I'm either busy with work or with my wife." Gu Rongjin supported his cheeks with both hands, looking at Mu Yuanzhi: "Lately I've been swamped with work, and I also have to attend to my wife—see, I last time achieved great merit, yet you seem not to have praised me."

Mu Yuanzhi was amused by his exaggerated plea for praise, nodded and said: "Alright, later I'll make you osmanthus cake as a reward."

"At this time you should call me husband."

"Get lost, eat it or not."

"Eat! Eat eat eat!"

Gu Rongjin chased after the rising Mu Yuanzhi: "I want the osmanthus cake with extra sugar—really pile it on!"

"You come help too."

"Of course." Gu Rongjin approached: "I'm your twenty‑four‑filial‑piety‑exemplary good husband; a husband like me is hard to find even with a lantern."

Mu Yuanzhi stopped; Gu Rongjin blinked at her: "What's up?"

"Nothing, let's go."

Indeed, even with a lantern he couldn't be found.

If it weren't for him, she might not have gotten through these days so easily.

Mu Yuanzhi touched the scar on her forehead, now faded to near invisibility; the scar‑removing gold dragon gall herb—she didn't know where he got it, but he gave it away in big handfuls as if it were free.

"You were moved just now, weren't you?" Gu Rongjin grabbed Mu Yuanzhi's hand, "Right?"

"No, you're overthinking." Mu Yuanzhi averted her gaze unnaturally.

Gu Rongjin secretly felt resentful: "Little Zhiyan, you really aren't sincerely coaxing me; I'll eventually……"

"What will?" Mu Yuanzhi's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"I'll tie you to my waistband!" Gu Rongjin gritted his teeth.

He secretly sighed.

Mu Yuanzhi thought he was about to get angry and say something, but nothing came.

She inexplicably let out a breath of relief.

In her impression, aside from the wedding day, he had never truly been angry.

He really ought to be angry about what she said and did that day.

Mu Yuanzhi kept thinking, and her mood grew heavy again.

"Little Yuanzhi, don't be upset, smile?" Gu Rongjin leaned close: "Let me give you a smile first?"

After he stopped messing around for a moment, seeing something out of the corner of his eye, his expression suddenly turned stern; he left the words "Stay put, don't run around" and in a flash leapt onto the roof.

"Gu Rongjin!" Mu Yuanzhi also turned solemn from his expression, though she didn't know what had happened.

Are there assassins?

After a quarter hour, Gu Rongjin came back, holding something extra, his expression back to normal.

"Why are you hugging a pillow?" Mu Yuanzhi asked, "What were you just doing?"

"There was a suspicious person carrying this suspicious pillow past our roof, but I took care of him."