Chapter 26

After they went out, Liu Da analyzed this matter with Jin Wang again. He talked about the Crown Prince's disfavour and the possibility of the Grandson of the Emperor replacing the Crown Prince.

In the past two years, the attitude of Emperor Hong Jing was indeed ambiguous. The Crown Prince was incompetent, and it didn't seem to be impossible for the Grandson of the Emperor to replace him. The problem was, besides the Crown Prince, several other young princes were in the prime of their life and were not weak in their military prowess.

Such as An Wang, Yong Wang, and Jin Wang.

Would these princes be willing to watch a little boy pass over themselves to sit on the throne? The Crown Prince was the firstborn of the Empress and was also the eldest among the princes, so he was well-deserved to get the throne.

But the Grandson of the Emperor? After all, he was merely a grandson, not a Crown Prince. Even if he was talented, it would not be enough to convince the public.

Maybe the Grandson of the Emperor also knew that his uncles were not willing to watch him ascend the throne, so he took action earlier on. He first dealt with Jin Wang and Yong Wang who were the most powerful among the princes. With a few tricks, the two princes fought each other, and he sat on the mountain to watch the two tigers fight. His deep thoughts made people dumbfounded.

Then the old question came again. Why did the Grandson of the Emperor do such a shameful thing? Was he sure that he could provoke Jin Wang and Yong Wang successfully?

What was he relying on?

This was an unavoidable question. Liu Da knew the reason, but he ignored it and discussed something else.

Before leaving, Liu Da said one word to Jin Wang which was that he should have a son. Not only does Jin Wang need to have an heir, but he must also do everything well. Yong Wang and An Wang had more than one son, but Jin Wang had no one. This was his biggest weakness.

After Liu Da left, there was complete silence. Only then did Jin Wang reveal his face full of icy coldness.

He tapped the table, and a person appeared in front of him in a blink of an eye.

It was a man in tight clothes with an ordinary face.

"Let my people in the Capital City do something. I remember that the Crown Prince is obsessed with beauty and has not stepped into the Crown Princess' room for a long time. The Crown Princess is at a young and passionate age, so she must be lonely without anyone to accompany her. Find her a man to enjoy. Also, The Grandson of the Emperor seems to be ready for a wedding. Is he going to marry the daughter of the Chen Family? Don't make it so easy to hold a wedding and stir him up. As for the antidote, let others find it from the Grandson of the Emperor."

"Yes."

The man disappeared, and the inner study became quiet again until Fucheng came in.

"Your Highness, the rewards have been sent to the small courtyard."

Actually, he didn't need to report it to Jin Wang. It was merely a reward for a servant, and the master does not need to pay attention to such details. But this was not the same. Given that the person was Yaoniang, Fucheng naturally took it seriously.

Jin Wang's face was as cold as water. After hearing this, his eyes moved.

He suddenly wanted to see the little wet nurse and was intrigued to know whether she could understand his words and would not be afraid of him. Especially now that he was not in a good mood, he wished to go out and get a breath of fresh air.

At the same time, Jin Wang also realized that it would be too obvious to go find Yaoniang now. He could only look down at the secret letters on the table until it was almost noontime. Then, he went to the small courtyard with Fucheng.

It was lunchtime in the small courtyard. The maids and madams had lunch in batches. The lunch for Yuyan and Yaoniang was prepared. The little princess was playing, so Yaoniang asked Yucui to eat first. Anyway, she was not hungry at the moment.

The little princess was playing on the bed. At her current age, babies were very active. The weather was hot, and there was no ice in the room, so Yaoniang had the little princess wear only a dudou as she played on the bed. She stayed at the side and watched her ensure that she didn't fall off the bed.

Looking at the little princess with a smile, Yaoniang's heart softened and she thought of Xiaobao. Xiaobao was about the same age as the little princess, so maybe he could turn over now.

Yaoniang missed Xiaobao so much and became sad. She wished she could grow a pair of wings to fly back to Liuyun County immediately to see Xiaobao and Huiniang, her sister.

Yaoniang immersed herself in her thoughts and naturally ignored the movement behind her. Only once Jin Wang came to her, did she belatedly realize that someone had come into the room.

She looked out of the window subconsciously and found no one in the courtyard. She thought that since it was time to eat at moment, the gatekeeper was lazy again. As a matter of fact, people would rarely visit a small courtyard, much less one at a prince’s residence. So the servants were relatively relaxed, and the two girls, Yuyan and Yucui, were also not the kind to deal with harsh treatment. It was inevitable that some would try to shirk responsibility.

Yaoniang bent her knees to salute and did not dare to look up.

She thought about the reward from the morning and wasn't sure about what Jin Wang wanted to do.

"I come here to see the little princess." Jin Wang coughed softly and said.

Yaoniang nodded quickly.

According to the rules, she should serve tea when the master comes. But at this moment there was no one in the small courtyard, and Fucheng wasn't there either. Yaoniang was skeptical as to whether Jin Wang could look after the little princess, so she could only stand there nervously and gloss over it.

It was very quiet. They seemed to be looking at the little princess, who kept turning over on the bed, but their attention was scattered.

Yaoniang thought a lot and whispered, "Thanks for your reward, Your Highness."

Jin Wang gave a faint sound of acknowledgment. He paused before he said, "You have served the little princess well. This prince should have rewarded you earlier."

Did he mean to let her off like this?

Did he mean to forget what had happened that day?

Yaoniang understood. Once she heard the words of Jin Wang, she was relieved.

She felt a little joy for her success. Maybe she could really stay safely until the little princess got older, and then go home with the money she earned.

At the thought of this, Yaoniang couldn't help but glance at Jin Wang.

Jin Wang was tall and his back was straight. He clasped his hands behind him and looked at the little princess. Obviously, that handsome face was still the same as before, with almost no extra expressions. But because the eyes were soft, the sharpness of the entire face was reduced.

Yaoniang had never seen Jin Wang like this.

She even faintly envied the naive baby girl on the bed.

She thought that only the little princess could let Jin Wang shed his coldness, and take good care of her in this world.

Jin Wang thought that this little wet nurse was a bit silly. He has been here for a long time, but she didn't mention anything about bringing him snacks or even a cup of tea.

He wondered who taught her rules.

After that, Yaoniang found Jin Wang frowning.

Even when he frowned, he was handsome nonetheless.

Yaoniang had seen many people frown before, but some looked very vicious. Others would have wrinkles on their forehead and the shape of their eyes may even change.

He was the only one with long, smooth eyebrows, neither thick nor pale, like an ink wash painting shrouded in smoke and rain. His brow was not too sharp but appeared gentle. When he frowned, he hadn't wrinkles but a crease between the eyebrows. It was more appropriate to describe it as knitting his brows.

Yaoniang suddenly remembered a poem. ‘How beautiful she looks, opening the beaded drapes, how quiet she sits with troubled brows. Seeing her tears, don’t know who she hates.’

After thinking about it, she felt that she was too bold. How could she compare Jin Wang to a woman? But looking at him carefully, Jin Wang was really more beautiful than a woman.

Yaoniang felt that she finally understood why Jin Wang always kept his face stern. He was too good-looking. If such an appearance was seen by others, how could he intimidate those in the Mansion and lead the border soldiers to fight the barbarians?

Yaoniang’s mind wandered off. Jin Wang had watched her for a while and had noticed that the little wet nurse was peeking at him.

Jin Wang was not unused to this kind of eyes. Actually, he had been seen by many people like this. But there was never a person who gave him such a look.

There were not any thoughts, ulterior motives, or complicated things in her eyes, but they were very pure. She seemed to look at him, not Jin Wang.

Such a look made Jin Wang momentarily dazed, but he was interrupted before he could think any deeper.

Fucheng didn't come in with Jin Wang just now. He was self-aware and he also had to call the maids.

Yuyan and Yucui came in and knelt on the ground.

The two of them came from the palace and knew that the rules from the palace were the most strict. They served in Zhaohui Hall before, and the rules were similar to those from the palace. But after they were transferred to the small courtyard, they became idle. Moreover, there was no one on duty at the door, so they didn't know that Jin Wang was here.

According to Jin Wang's rules, both Yuyan and Yucui would be whipped more than ten times. But this time he only said lightly to not let it happen again, and then allowed them to stand up.

Yuyan and Yucui were still scared. Looking at their pale faces, Yaoniang didn't understand why they looked so scared.

In fact, Yaoniang was also afraid of Jin Wang, but she knew that Jin Wang was not a person who would lose his temper and transfer his anger onto others at random.

Jin Wang hadn’t had lunch, so Yuyan went to arrange it.

The servants prepared quickly in the kitchen. The preparations only needed a few minutes before lunch was served.

They placed the dishes on the table in the East Room, and then Jin Wang moved forward.

Yaoniang was very hungry now. As a wet nurse, it was easy to get hungry and her stomach was crying out for food.

She thought that since Yuyan and Yucui were all here now, they could look after the little princess, so she could go eat lunch. She quietly told Yucui her plans and was about to leave.

She thought that her behaviour was not noticeable, but everything was in the sight of someone.

"Since Nanny Su is free now, then you serve the meal for Jin Wang," Fucheng said.