Qi Zhen Emperor nodded, then took a sip of his tea. “Since you have so much faith in that man, we are somewhat curious about him.” He pondered for a moment. “Concubine Xiao’s birthday just happens to be in two days. We have prepared a banquet in the palace. Bring that person, so we can take a look at him and understand why you have so much faith in him.” When the emperor finished his words, Jing Rong became somewhat hesitant.

Ever since he thought about bringing Ji Yunshu to the capital, he expected that one day she would need to enter the palace, but it was out of his expectations that the day would come so soon! He could not decline the emperor, thus he could only accept the order. “Yes, your son will do as you order.”

The emperor harrumphed, then made a hand gesture. “Go back to your estate. You have just returned and should rest more. Your loyal and filial heart, we clearly understand.”

“Yes, Imperial Father.” Ever since he came in, Jing Rong had barely said more than a few words and, most of the time, he only said ‘yes’. He had barely left Fuyang Hall when Jing Hua chased after him.

“Jing Rong!” shouted Jing Hua.

Jing Rong halted. He stood unmoving under the eaves before turning back and watching Jing Hua’s smiling face. “Is there anything, Crown Prince?”

“It’s fine to call me Jing Hua. We are blood brothers after all. Is there a need to alienate each other?”

“You are the heir to the throne and I am your vassal. Therefore, there should be a distinction between us.”

Jing Hua felt elated when Jing Rong pointed out he was the ‘heir to the throne’. He raised his hand and lightly patted Jing Rong’s shoulder while saying, “What Imperial Father said is correct. You are someone with loyalty and filial piety. Amongst our brothers, you’re also the only one who doesn’t vie for or contend for anything. One day, if I become the emperor, I hope that you will be my right-hand man.”

‘The emperor is not dead yet, but you’re already thinking about becoming the emperor?! Preposterous!’ thought Jing Rong. It’s alright to say those words in front of him, but spouting such nonsense elsewhere can only attract disaster. ‘You won’t even know what hit you even after you die! He better not say such words in front of Jing Yi. Although he currently might not overthrow you, it’s hard to say if he would use this conversation to grab onto your weakness and let you suffer a crushing defeat.’ Jing Rong faintly smiled and spoke, “Crown Prince, if there is such a day when you can ascend to the peak, I will naturally do my best to assist you.”

“You deserve my high regards.”

“…” Jing Rong remained silent.

Once again, Jing Hua patted Jing Rong’s shoulder. “Alright. I have to return to East Palace and delve on court documents. Recently, Imperial Father had ordered people to bring many documents to East Palace.”

‘I know! I know! You just want to say that Imperial Father strongly cares about you! As if! He merely hates your lack of culture and wants to fill your brain a bit.’

Jing Hua proudly walked away with his hands behind his back, followed by six eunuchs. Behind him, Jing Rong coldly sneered, “Idiot!”

Jing Hua grew up at the emperor’s side. Although he was an idiot and incompetent at handling matters, he was a smooth talker. Still, in the end, he was just an idiot who was lucky to be born well and had a father who spoiled him, earning him the title of crown prince. If he was born in a common household, his idiocy would cause him to die many times without him even knowing what hit him!

In Jing Rong’s mind, if Jing Hua remained this idiotic as the heir and, even in the event he ascended to the throne later on, as long as he schemed a bit, he would undoubtedly be able to dethrone that idiot. The only reason why Jing Yi had yet to deal with Jing Hua is probably due to the latter being of no threat and having almost no fighting capability, not to say zero fighting force. Therefore, Jing Yi was planning to deal with the other princes before eliminating him and securing the crown prince’s position. During fights for the throne, counting chickens before they hatched was pure folly! Jing Rong was unintentionally involved into that throne fight. Some matters truly don’t go as one desires.

When he returned from the palace, Jing Rong changed into dark blue clothes. He did not take the time to eat before setting off to the East courtyard in a hurry.

Meanwhile, in the East courtyard, Wei Yi had already gone to bed. Wrapped in a quilt, he slept like no tomorrow! After traveling for such a long time in a carriage, truth be told, Ji Yunshu also felt tired, but sleep did not come easily to her. Thus, she went out and stood under the eaves with her face angled upward, looking at the rain dripping down from the roof. Yet, her clear and cold eyes were laden with grief.

Her hand tightly clasped the tassel which had a blue and smooth pearl hung on. Under the light of the lantern, the pearl was especially vibrant. She gently pulled up the tassel from its red thread, letting it dangle in front of her, swaying to and fro under the cold wind.

Jing Rong saw her as soon as he entered the courtyard. Despite being dressed in male clothing and wearing a half-mask, she still made his heart palpitate.

This woman remained unsullied from the mud that covered her. It made people unable to pin the word ‘profane’ on her. She should belong to the peaceful southern regions, growing up near the river banks without having to worry about anything until her life expired.

At this moment, Jing Rong truly doubted his decision to bring her to the capital. Did he make the right choice or was this a mistake? His heart grew heavy at the thought. His steps were light as he walked towards Ji Yunshu. “This tassel is beautiful.” He stated.

Looking toward the direction of the voice, Ji Yunshu clenched the tassel and her mouth slowly curled into a smile. “This is a present from Ji Pei. He said that if I miss him just wear it.” When she mentioned Ji Pei, she smiled, yet only pain could be seen.

Jing Rong knew that no one could replace Ji Pei in her heart. “Do you really think that he is dead?” asked Jing Rong.

The question stirred Ji Yunshu’s heart and surprise could be seen in her eyes. She asked him, “Why is your Highness asking such a question?”

“For no reason… The question suddenly came to my mind.”

She shook her head. “I stopped hoping for too much. I don’t want to delude myself. For the past two years, I incessantly wished that Ji Pei was still alive. The more I hope, the more bitter the disappointment. This kind of unreasonable hope can truly erode someone’s wisdom.” When she spoke, she made a bitter smile.

Jing Rong watched her and saw the change in her expression when she spoke of Ji Pei. “Yunshu.” He suddenly called her.

“Hm?”

“Never mind.” He lightly shook his head before changing topic, “In two days, we will go to the palace.”

She certainly was not mishearing, right? Was she going into the palace? “Aren’t I only here to investigate the Lin Capital Case? Why do I need to go to the palace?”

Jing Rong explained to her, “You must know that the Imperial Duke is a member of the imperial family. You should understand how important the case is. But rest assured, you only need to attend the banquet to celebrate Concubine Xiao’s birthday. After my imperial father nominates you, if you want to leave the palace, I will arrange someone to immediately send you out.”

“Can I not go?”

“I’ve already agreed to it.”

‘Hey! Hey! Hey! I’m the concerned party. How can you make the decision in my stead?!’ But when she thought about it again, Jing Rong had no power to refuse the emperor’s order.

Jing Rong hurriedly said, “If you want to bring Wei Yi, it’s also possible.”

“No.” She quickly vetoed the idea. “He has already entered the capital. There’s no need for him to get involved with the imperial palace.”

“Rest assured, when we enter the palace, I’ll order some people to watch over him. Doesn’t he like eating meat? I will order people to bring him to the best place to eat meat.”

With this promise, Ji Yunshu felt moved.

If Wei Yi was awake, he would certainly rush to Jing Rong and give him a big hug!