Chapter 75

Although Princess Rui did not agree with Shen Ruojin, she had been thinking about this issue.

Even though Shen Ruojin’s character is not good, her methods are clever, especially in planning. Recently, everything done according to her advice has turned out well. The two times she did not follow Shen Ruojin’s advice, there were major problems, proving Shen Ruojin’s talent.

However, such a capable Shen Ruojin fell into Luo Taosheng’s hands, indicating that Luo Taosheng is not an ordinary person.

Shen Ruojin was right; we can’t let the relationship between her and Prince Rui develop on its own. Problems will arise eventually.

Luo Taosheng has her own abilities, and she will definitely cause a stir after becoming a concubine. But what if she cannot become a concubine?

The prince’s concubines are different from the regular concubines in society. They hold ranks and power and are registered with the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Clan Affairs.

Concubines are either brought in directly in a sedan chair with four bearers or promoted after giving birth to a child. Currently, another concubine in the household, Concubine Meng, was promoted after having a child.

Princess Rui suddenly remembered a trick her sister-in-law used in the past. Her brother loved a distant cousin who came to stay, but the cousin had a bad background; she was the daughter of someone involved in treason, and her family’s case had not been overturned yet. If her husband married her, it could affect their future careers.

The sister-in-law set a trap to make the cousin and her husband marry. After her brother got the beauty, he lost interest in her and couldn’t do without her.

Men are like this: when they can’t have something, they see it as unattainable, but once they have it, they no longer value it.

To please Luo Taosheng, Prince Rui wanted to get her as soon as possible and make her a concubine. But if she lost her virginity first, she would not be worthy of that position.

However, Prince Rui was always cautious, especially with Tao Sheng. He felt sympathetic toward women, so he was unwilling to act recklessly and just wanted to maintain some ambiguity.

As a princess, she could provide help at the right moment.

_

When Prince Rui saw that Tao Sheng had indeed been invited over, he was delighted but didn’t show it. He personally poured her tea: “Lord Luo, please take a seat.”

Tao Sheng stood still. Prince Rui smiled and said, “Don’t you want to know what happened?”

“I just walked here and got a lot of wind. It’s not suitable for me to drink tea now. Your Highness, please discuss your business.”

“Okay, let’s talk business first,” Prince Rui said. “Before the emperor left that day, he reviewed all the memorials with the Ling Kingdom and summoned two generals, one of whom was General Chang, who was famous in the northwest. Several imperial edicts from the Hanlin Academy mentioned that when Li Daxueshi mentioned Ji Yanming, the emperor’s face turned cold. I guess Ji Yanming has most likely rebelled, and the emperor rushed back to discuss matters in the northwest with the generals.”

At this point, Prince Rui smiled even more: “As long as something happens to Ji Yanming, Father will no longer trust big brother, so I am the only one who can help Lord Luo.”

Tao Sheng relaxed upon hearing this. She believed Prince Rui’s information was true, which is why he had called her here with such confidence.

But Prince Rui was not very clever. Even with clues, his conclusion was far from the truth.

If Tao Sheng had been unaware of the situation and did not know the reason, she might have believed him.

But since Prince Rui knew no more than she did, she felt no need to elaborate: “My cousin and I are not that close. My adoptive parents have returned to the capital, and I might move out of the Ji family one day. He follows His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu, but I am the emperor’s person, so even if he does something with the Prince of Chu, it has nothing to do with me.”

Prince Rui was taken aback.

He didn’t expect Tao Sheng to act so unconventionally. Despite their deep relationship in the past, she wanted to distance herself now that something had happened to those two people.

Her change of attitude was quicker than turning a page of a book. She was indeed suited for official matters.

Just as Tao Sheng was about to leave, a young maid hurried in and replaced the spices without anyone noticing.

When Prince Rui saw that the visitor had ruined his plan, he cursed softly. The maid was so scared that she quickly knelt and kowtowed to Prince Rui, then hurriedly left the room.

Before she left, Tao Sheng felt something was off.

The new spice made its presence known immediately. Its fragrance was sweet, warm, yet overpowering. It was different from any spice Tao Sheng had used before.

Tao Sheng felt slightly dizzy, and her body began to feel hot.

Although she didn’t know what was happening, since she had already talked with Prince Rui, there was no reason to stay longer.

Tao Sheng suppressed her discomfort and said, “This is where Your Highness and the Princess stay. It’s not appropriate for someone like me to be here. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait a moment.”

Prince Rui came forward and grabbed Tao Sheng’s sleeve.

Tao Sheng instinctively shrank back, but Prince Rui was strong and tore the sleeve of his robe.

Tao Sheng’s expression turned cold: “Prince Rui, please respect yourself.”

Prince Rui chuckled: “If I don’t respect myself, how will Lord Luo treat me?”

According to Tao Sheng’s understanding of Prince Rui in the original text and in this world, especially since he had been reprimanded by the emperor before, inviting her over today was likely to satisfy his desire to talk, show off his charm, and win people over with small favors.

After all, what he wanted most was the throne. He was not like Xi Shi and Chen Yuanyuan, who would let personal desires cloud their judgment.

But there’s always a gap between theory and practice. Tao Sheng felt something was wrong with his voice. She looked up and found that Prince Rui was also affected by the spice, and his reaction was almost ten times stronger than hers.

Tao Sheng said nothing and walked out with a cold expression.

But Prince Rui blocked her path.