Chapter 13

“Dad, Mom, I’m full and want to go to the front yard.”

After breakfast, Feng Yuanyuan patiently watched as her foster mother and father gently rinsed their mouths. Then she made her request.

Princess Huarong casually asked, “What’s interesting in the front yard?”

Feng Yuanyuan replied, “Second brother said there will be firecrackers in the mansion today.”

Princess Huarong had never been curious about such things, but seeing Feng Yuanyuan’s eager face, she didn’t stop her. “Go if you want to.”

Feng Yuanyuan smiled and didn’t wait for Zhou Wen. She ran off with Qi Xi and Baobao on her own.

Zhou Wen watched her figure and said to Princess Huarong, “This child wasn’t this lively before.”

Princess Huarong raised an eyebrow. “So what if she’s lively?”

She recognized her daughter, and she alone had the right to criticize. No one else had that privilege.

Zhou Wen chuckled and left.

To his surprise, when he arrived at the front yard, Feng Yuanyuan was already standing under the porch. When she saw him, the little girl pursed her lips, revealing a hint of resentment.

Zhou Wen asked in confusion, “What happened?”

Feng Yuanyuan frowned and said, “Dad, I have something important to tell you.”

Zhou Wen became even more curious and took Feng Yuanyuan to the study.

Feng Yuanyuan followed behind and, after entering, closed the door. Then she pulled Zhou Wen further inside.

She couldn’t stop Cao Rou from entering the mansion on her own.

Princess Huarong didn’t allow her to tell anyone about her dream, but Chen Jing actually already knew, and Chen Jing was Zhou Wen’s confidant.

“Dad, I ussualy dream. Did the guards tell you about it?” Feng Yuanyuan asked directly, looking at Prince Wen with a calm expression.

Zhou Wen was slightly surprised but couldn’t help but smile. “Hmm.”

Feng Yuanyuan asked, “Do you believe it?”

Zhou Wen asked in return, “Does Yuan Yuan want Daddy to believe it?”

Feng Yuanyuan replied, “I hope so because I had another dream last night, and it involved you, Second Uncle, and Second Brother.”

Because it wasn’t a good dream, Feng Yuanyuan’s face didn’t look good either, and she was annoyed.

Zhou Wen stopped smiling and said seriously, “Tell me about it.”

Feng Yuanyuan spoke softly.

“You can suspect that I heard about the news of the Cao father and daughter from the maidservants, or that I deliberately made up this dream to cause trouble. But I haven’t left the mansion, so I shouldn’t know what color dress Miss Cao is wearing today. Why don’t you send someone to secretly watch around the Cao family now? If Miss Cao goes out wearing a crabapple-colored embroidered with butterfly and flower dress, with a crabapple silk flower on her head and pearl earrings, then it proves that everything I dreamed of is true.”

With the conversation reaching this point, Zhou Wen already believed her.

Usually, he was as gentle as jade, but at this moment, his eyebrows furrowed, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Feng Yuanyuan probed, “Dad, you don’t really want to take Miss Cao as a concubine, do you?”

Zhou Wen smiled, “Silly child, if I wanted to take a concubine, why would I go to such lengths in my dream?”

Feng Yuanyuan said, “Since you don’t want to, why did you agree in the dream? You are a prince. Why should you be forced to do something you don’t like? If you’re unhappy, my mother will also be upset.”

The little girl looked at him with bright eyes, while Zhou Wen lowered his gaze, concealing his emotions.

He accepted Cao Rou in his dream for the sake of the overall situation in Ningzhou Prefecture. As for Princess Huarong, she wouldn’t care if there were other women by his side.

Feng Yuanyuan was too young and truly thought that they were a loving couple.

“Yuan Yuan, I can only promise you that even in the dream, I will grant Cao Rou the title of concubine, but I will never touch her, never betray your mother.”

Feng Yuanyuan didn’t believe it. “If she can force you to take her as a concubine by becoming a nun, she can continue to force you…”

Zhou Wen: “I have a way to make her dare not.”

He would send a bowl of medicated wine to Cao Rou on a candlelit night, keeping her bedridden until her death.

The cause of her illness was readily available. Cao Rou was burdened by her disfigurement, and her heartache was incurable.

Cao Mingguang could send his daughter in, but he had no right to interfere with everything in the Wang Mansion unless he was willing to break the surface harmony between the their families for the sake of his daughter.

Of course, there was no need for Feng Yuanyuan to know all this. Zhou Wen didn’t want to scare his beloved daughter.

“Alright, so what do you plan to do now?”

After all, everything in the dream had not yet happened, and Feng Yuanyuan didn’t need to pursue it further. Whether Zhou Wen had intentions towards Cao Rou would depend on his actions today.

Zhou Wen smiled and said, “In about an hour, Yuanyuan will probably find out.”

Feng Yuanyuan asked, “Can’t you tell me now?”

Zhou Wen replied, “I’m afraid you’ll reveal it in front of the guests.”

Feng Yuanyuan could only wait.

Zhou Wen added, “By the way, let’s not tell your mother about this. I’m afraid it’ll upset her for nothing. She already has poor appetite, and it’s not worth it for a dream.”

Feng Yuanyuan cared more about Princess Huarong’s health than he did. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bypassed the princess and discussed a solution with her father.

“It’s fine not to tell her, but promise me that you won’t do anything that will make Mother sad in the future.” Feng Yuanyuan huffed.

“I promise,” Zhou Wen assured her.

Feng Yuanyuan nodded and went to find Zhou Ling and Zhou Jiao.

Shortly after she left, Zhou Wen called Chen Jing over and whispered some instructions to him.

—

Cao Family.

Cao Rou was in a good mood.

Zhou Wen was the most esteemed prince in Ningzhou City and possessed the appearance of Pan An. Since she was twelve or thirteen years old, she had secretly admired him.

If Zhou Wen’s princess was someone else, perhaps Cao Rou wouldn’t dare to think too much. But Zhou Wen was destined to rebel, and Princess Huarong would eventually be abandoned. So why should she endure?

As long as Zhou Wen tasted her goodness, he would gradually hold her dear and be deeply in love with her.

Wearing the new dress in the color of crabapple blossoms, with a matching crabapple blossom silk flower pinned to her head, she truly looked stunning.

She patiently waited, and when the sun was high, Cao Rou came out of the house with her maid, walking alongside her father, Cao Mingguang, in the front courtyard.

At the corner of the alley, a middle-aged man dressed like an ordinary commoner gestured towards the distance.

The hidden guards relayed the message to Chen Jing’s side, and Chen Jing didn’t care why the prince was acting this way; he only faithfully carried out his duty.

The Cao family’s carriage set off at a steady pace.

Cao Mingguang had three daughters-in-law. One had recently returned home for a visit, one was still in her postnatal confinement, and one remained in the mansion to oversee the household affairs. Therefore, only Cao Rou was in the carriage behind Cao Mingguang.

She leaned against the carriage board, playing with her hair while mentally rehearsing what she would do at the banquet to ensure everything went smoothly.

When they passed by an alley entrance, Cao Mingguang noticed an old man pushing a cart with two large buckets of manure on it.

Cao Mingguang frowned in annoyance, but fortunately, they were still far away. After the old man left the alley, their carriage also moved further away.

Cao Mingguang quickly averted his gaze.

Just as he was about to put the matter out of his mind while riding on his horse, a cry suddenly sounded from the alley, “Hey, you blind beast!”

Amidst the old man’s angry roar, a few barks could be heard.

Cao Mingguang instinctively pulled on the reins, turning to look back, only to see two stray dogs rushing out of the alley like headless flies.

Ordinary stray dogs wouldn’t be a big deal, but these two dogs were covered in filth!

“Be careful, don’t let the dogs get close!”

Unfortunately, the stray dogs ran too fast. Just as Cao Mingguang finished shouting, the two dogs were already charging towards them. One ran straight towards the middle of the street, while the other unexpectedly pounced on the maid walking beside Cao Rou’s carriage. The maid was terrified and, driven by fear and instinct, clung to the side of the carriage, but the dog specifically targeted her and bit onto her skirt!

Coincidentally, Cao Rou had raised the curtain out of curiosity upon hearing the commotion outside.

As the stray dog lunged, it splattered filth onto Cao Rou’s fair and delicate face!

Cao Rou was still in a daze when Cao Mingguang urged his horse forward, and the strong hooves of the warhorse kicked the dog’s belly with precision.

The stray dog whimpered and staggered away.

At that moment, Cao Rou’s piercing scream erupted. The onlookers by the road could see that the young miss in the carriage seemed to have been stung by a bee, going crazy as she wiped her face. Eventually, she bent over and started vomiting.

Among the nearby residents, everyone was holding their noses upon seeing the young lady. They knew that she had dirt on her face, and it was possible that she had even been unlucky enough to get it in her mouth!

“Is that General Cao?”

“Could it be Miss Cao in the carriage?”

“Oh, this is too tragic! Such a beautiful and elegant young lady has actually eaten dog feces!”

“No, you’re wrong! It’s the dirt from the dog’s body, not dog feces!”

These gloating whispers reached Cao Mingguang’s ears. His face turned ashen, and when he saw his three sons all holding their noses and moving away from the young lady, his anger reached its peak!

“Return to the mansion!”

Two quarters of an hour later, Cao Mingguang paced back and forth outside his daughter’s chamber, his anxiety evident on his face.

“Rou’er, have you tidied yourself up properly?”

Inside the room, Cao Rou had already taken a bath and wiped her face countless times. She closed her swollen, teary eyes and asked the maid to smell her face again.

The maid replied, “It seems like there is still a little bit…”

Upon hearing this, Cao Rou burst into tears.

Cao Mingguang, not believing it, rushed in with great momentum, pushing away the maid who was in his way, and grabbed his daughter’s arm.

He wanted to smell it for himself, but when he saw his daughter’s current appearance, with her cheeks red and slightly swollen from wiping, Cao Mingguang suddenly lost all his spirit.

In this state, regardless of whether there was any smell or not, his daughter would not be able to attend the banquet at the Zhen nan mansion.

“Forget it, you stay at home and rest well. I’ll leave first.”

Cao Rou: …