Chapter 41 – You Must Mind Your Image

Shu Ruohua reached out to stop Xiao Che.

“I… I have something I want to discuss with you.”

Xiao Che replied, “Speak.”

Shu Ruohua hesitated. “That…”

She had intended to talk about planting vegetables in the backyard, but the words halted on her lips.

If she directly mentioned planting vegetables, Xiao Che would definitely refuse for the sake of his pride.

So she couldn’t say it outright.

Her dark eyes spun with a plan, and she flashed a sweet smile. “Will you be coming to eat tomorrow as well?”

Xiao Che immediately caught her meaning.

“Didn’t you say the vegetables you grow yourself are fresher than the ones outside?”

Hearing that—

Shu Ruohua felt a rush of excitement and nodded eagerly. “Mm! Yes, yes!”

She hadn’t expected Xiao Che to be so quick on the uptake.

Qian Ning, who stood by listening to their conversation, was filled with an emotional rollercoaster.

She actually drove the Crown Prince away and even called him “you” so casually.

Oh dear…

Qian Ning’s little heart nearly stopped.

Thank goodness the Crown Prince didn’t seem to notice.

Otherwise, her lady would’ve definitely been punished for lacking proper respect.

But later, Qian Ning felt somewhat comforted.

Her lady finally knew how to win favor—she even asked the Crown Prince if he would continue coming for meals.

It looked like their days in the Cold Palace were numbered.

…

The next morning.

As the sky was just beginning to brighten, Shu Ruohua went out for her morning run.

After finishing, she as usual soaked in a bath infused with spiritual water. She seemed to have slimmed down a little more today.

Qian Ning had already prepared the meal.

Shu Ruohua stretched as she walked over.

Out of habit, she greeted Qian Ning, “Morning, my little darling Qian Ning.”

Every time she heard this nickname, Qian Ning’s cheeks would flush red.

She lowered her head slightly and ladled out a bowl of porridge for Shu Ruohua.

Shu Ruohua gave a sweet smile. “Thank you.”

With that, she sat down and prepared to eat.

She scooped up a big spoonful of porridge, ready to drink it—

When Qian Ning suddenly called out, “My lady!”

Startled, Shu Ruohua dropped the spoon.

She blinked, dazed. “Huh?”

“My lady, you are the Crown Princess. You must be mindful of your behavior—especially when eating. You must take small, delicate bites…”

Qian Ning launched into a string of nagging.

To sum it up: Shu Ruohua’s eating habits were too unrefined—not befitting her image.

Shu Ruohua, “…”

She choked for a while, then responded with a blank expression, “Oh.”

She didn’t argue—because she knew just how naggy Qian Ning could be.

If she dared to talk back even once, Qian Ning would surely have an entire lecture waiting for her.

So she picked up the bowl and prepared to down the porridge quickly to end the battle.

But Qian Ning promptly walked over again. “My lady, you can’t eat like that…”

She ladled a new bowl of porridge and began teaching Shu Ruohua to eat—one tiny spoonful at a time.

Shu Ruohua felt like she was on the verge of mental collapse.

At Qian Ning’s pace, it would take her half an hour just to finish this one bowl.

Ignoring her lady’s frustrated expression, Qian Ning continued her chatter—

“You are the Crown Princess. You must eat gracefully and with decorum. Only then will His Highness cherish you more.”

Shu Ruohua muttered, “But I’m not the Crown Princess anymore.”

“With how much His Highness adores you now, regaining your title is only a matter of time.”

Shu Ruohua held her forehead helplessly. “…”

She honestly wanted to tell Qian Ning that she had no interest in being Crown Princess.

But she feared that saying so would only trigger an even longer round of nagging.

In the end, she could only surrender. “Okay.”

Following Qian Ning’s method, she slowly and painstakingly finished the porridge.

By her calculations, the potatoes in the backyard should be mature now. She needed to go check on them.

But Qian Ning suddenly stopped her.

Since Shu Ruohua lost her memory, Qian Ning had discovered that she’d forgotten all the palace etiquette.

Now that the Crown Prince favored her again, Qian Ning was determined to help her lady firmly win his heart.

And that started with mastering etiquette.

For the entire morning—

Qian Ning became like an old palace matron, instructing Shu Ruohua in court etiquette lessons.

That included how to refer to herself as “this concubine” in front of the Crown Prince, among other rules.

At first, Shu Ruohua didn’t absorb much of it—her heart was entirely focused on her vegetable patch in the back.

But Qian Ning insisted on teaching through physical demonstrations…

By noon—

Feeling she had explained enough and that Shu Ruohua had learned sufficiently, Qian Ning finally deemed her qualified to “graduate” from the session.

(End of Chapter)