PDLP Chapter 32: Building Up the Prince's Appetite
Chapter 32: Building Up the Prince's Appetite
On the way back to Yuhua Courtyard, Lianye was a little uneasy: "Master, Consort Bai has revealed all her plans like this. Could it be a trap?"
Xu Jiaojiao said calmly, "It's right to hold back a little, but from the bottom of my heart, I still hope she can hold back completely, after all..."
She gave a meaningful chuckle: "I really want to make a true friend in this unpredictable inner court."
As for Xu Jiaojiao, she wasn't afraid of Bai Yiru being bad, but she was afraid of Bai Yiru not being bad.
The more wicked Bai Yiru becomes, the more murky the waters of the Prince Chen's mansion will be, allowing her to better profit from the situation.
She's not a good person, so naturally she wouldn't see others as good people either.
She was really looking forward to the autumn hunt three months from now…
As they were walking, Lu Hai, a eunuch from Yuhua Courtyard, rushed over and exclaimed, "Oh dear, Master, where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!"
Xu Jiaojiao hesitated: "What happened?"
Lu Hai wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said hurriedly, "The prince came and found you were not here, so he ordered me to come out and look for you!"
Xu Jiaojiao handed Lu Hai a handkerchief: "How long has Your Highness been here?"
Lu Hai accepted the handkerchief, flattered and grateful, saying, "Thank you, Master. In response to your question, the Prince has been here for about 15 minutes."
Two quarters of an hour...
That's still early, no need to rush.
Prince Chen doesn't usually come to Yuhua Courtyard this early. They just had sex yesterday, and he's already here so eagerly today. So she should naturally keep Prince Chen in suspense.
Xu Jiaojiao found a shady spot to rest: "Lianye, go to the storeroom and get the silk I mentioned the other day. I'll wait for you here. Luhai, sit here with me for a while, and we'll go together when Lianye arrives."
Lu Hai was so anxious he almost jumped up: "My master! The prince is still waiting, how can you still be sitting here waiting?"
Xu Jiaojiao looked at Lu Hai and gently comforted him, "Don't rush, you must remain calm in all things."
Lu Hai was already hot from searching all the way, and now he was sweating profusely from anxiety.
Seeing Xu Jiaojiao so calm and composed, he instantly lost his temper.
Master Xu has only been favored once, yet he dares to be so arrogant and make the Prince wait in the courtyard. If he is promoted in the future, will he be able to walk around the mansion with impunity?
He sighed inwardly, thinking that although Master Xu was beautiful, he was ultimately short-sighted and arrogant.
After sitting for a short while, Lianye came running back carrying a bolt of spring silk.
She was panting as she ran, and as soon as she got closer, she began to complain: "The people in the storeroom are so unfair! They said that because of your low rank, Master, you can only receive spring silk instead of the finest silk! Spring silk is far inferior to silk!"
Xu Jiaojiao reached out and touched the spring silk in Lianye's arms, and said lightly, "It's alright, let's go back to the courtyard first."
At that time, Zhao Yunzheng had already finished a cup of tea.
It's almost dinnertime, why hasn't Xu Jiaojiao returned yet?
He got up and walked around the yard, looking slightly annoyed.
"Meow~"
As he was walking, he heard a cat meowing coming from the flowerbed in the corner.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the little kitten that Xu Jiaojiao had bought for him that day.
The kitten's belly was bulging as it frolicked in the flowerbed, showing how well Xu Jiaojiao treated it.
Zhao Yunzheng has always loved cats, and he immediately felt an urge to take out the kitten and pet it.
But the little kitten was incredibly clever; sensing someone approaching, it darted away to a deeper area.
When Xu Jiaojiao returned, she saw Prince Chen crouching down and crawling around in the flower garden.
Xu Jiaojiao: "?"
Seeing that Prince Chen was catching a cat, she couldn't help but laugh.
I never imagined Prince Chen would be so childish!
Hearing the noise, Zhao Yunzheng, who was in the flowerbed, was slightly startled and immediately crawled out.
He said sternly, "I haven't seen you all afternoon. Where have you been?"
Although he had a strong presence and looked fierce, there was no anger in his eyes. In addition, his hair was messed up by tree branches and his clothes were covered in yellow mud, making him look quite disheveled. Xu Jiaojiao couldn't help but smile and her eyes crinkled.
When she smiled, Zhao Yunzheng noticed that Xu Jiaojiao's eyes were a little wet and her eyes were red.
He frowned, losing all interest in teasing Xu Jiaojiao: "You cried?"
Xu Jiaojiao's face paled, and she visibly panicked: "No, no..."
Zhao Yunzheng knew that Xu Jiaojiao was a person who was good at enduring things, so he looked at Lianye and asked, "Tell me, what happened?"
Lianye knelt down with a "plop," her eyes red with grievance, but she dared not utter a sound.
Zhao Yunzheng's patience was limited, and he immediately frowned.
Seeing that Prince Chen was about to get angry, Xu Jiaojiao also knelt down: "Your Highness, it was because I was ignorant of the rules that I went to the storeroom to get the silk that was not available to concubines. Please punish me."
"It's just a piece of silk." Zhao Yunzheng bent down to help Xu Jiaojiao up. "If you like it, I'll have someone send you a whole box of it. Why are you crying?"
Lianye pouted and said, "It's really because the people in the storeroom said such hurtful things that they upset our master."
Xu Jiaojiao looked at Lianye reproachfully: "Lianye, watch your words!"
She looked up at Zhao Yunzheng with eyes full of apology: "Your Highness, this was because I was ignorant of the rules. The storeroom manager was just telling the truth and did not make things difficult for me. It is such a small matter, Your Highness need not take it to heart!"
For Zhao Yunzheng, a piece of silk was nothing, but he never expected it to make Xu Jiaojiao so sad.
However, as a prince, his residence had a strict hierarchy. Xu Jiaojiao liked Liaoling, and he could bestow her as a private gift, but he could not openly break the rules.
Otherwise, if the rules are broken, the stability of the inner quarters will be disrupted.
Fortunately, Xu Jiaojiao is honest and kind, and not the type to be arrogant or spoiled, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble she would have caused.
Zhao Yunzheng tenderly stroked Xu Jiaojiao's soft, dark hair: "My Jiaojiao is still the most magnanimous."
Upon receiving the praise, Xu Jiaojiao stopped crying and smiled, her cheeks flushing red, like a blooming rose, delicate and beautiful.
Zhao Yunzheng's heart began to burn.
He swallowed hard, picked up Xu Jiaojiao, and strode toward the main house.
Xu Jiaojiao gasped in surprise, her soft, boneless hands immediately hooking around Zhao Yunzheng's neck, her ears blushing red...
The fierce battle ended, and it was already dark.
After serving their master and helping him to wash up, the servants brought out the dinner that had been prepared.
As they ate, Zhao Yunzheng noticed that Xu Jiaojiao would occasionally pick out a piece of meat, rinse it in water, and then put it in a separate bowl.
He asked, puzzled, "What is Jiaojiao doing?"
Xu Jiaojiao's gaze unconsciously fell on the little kitten frolicking in the yard: "The kitten is young and can't eat strong flavors, but it can't just drink milk, so I thought I'd cook some meat for it."
Zhao Yunzheng chuckled: "There are servants in the manor who will prepare food for it, why bother?"
Xu Jiaojiao lowered her head shyly: "I used to feed cats and dogs I found like this. I'm sure Your Highness will find it laughable."
Zhao Yunzheng didn't think it was anything shameful; he just thought Xu Jiaojiao was really kind.
He picked up a piece of meat and gave it to Xu Jiaojiao: "Eat more, you're too thin."
Xu Jiaojiao thanked him and said, "Your Highness, how about you give the cat a name?"
If the prince personally names the kitten, he will develop an emotional bond with it and will often think about it.
Even if she and the prince develop some minor disagreements in the future, the prince will still be more tolerant of her because of his love for the cat.