Chapter 31 – Prince Jing

Outside, a covered corridor led to the garden. Ning Zhaorou hadn’t gone far—she was merely standing under the corridor for a while.

She thought to herself: His Majesty had indeed never mentioned anything to her about An Yunwei entering the palace—but then again, why would he?

Even if An Yunwei truly were to enter the palace, there was nothing she could do.

Stop her from entering the palace?

Ning Zhaorou laughed bitterly in her heart. She couldn’t even make decisions about her own marriage—how could she possibly interfere in whether An Yunwei entered the palace or not?

Lost in thought, she didn’t notice a few figures appearing at the far end of the corridor.

Shuangwu gave her a gentle nudge and whispered, “Miss, someone’s coming.”

Ning Zhaorou lifted her head and saw the group had already rounded the corner and were walking toward them.

One of them was clearly a male guest from the banquet in the front hall. He seemed a bit drunk, his steps unsteady. Yet even so, his entire demeanor reeked of indulgence—drunk on wine, lust, and debauchery. The moment he spotted Ning Zhaorou, his gaze became lewd and unrestrained.

Seeing this, Ning Zhaorou instinctively tried to walk away, but the servant beside the man suddenly barked, “How dare you! You see His Highness Prince Jing and yet you do not pay your respects?”

“Hey now, don’t scare the young lady,” Prince Jing said, straightening up. His eyes practically glued themselves to Ning Zhaorou as he scrutinized her from head to toe. “Which family are you from?”

Ning Zhaorou took two steps back, her back breaking out in a cold sweat. She forced herself to stay calm and replied, “This subject greets Your Highness. There are still many ladies inside—Your Highness appearing here like this might offend them.”

Prince Jing was already getting impatient. He had rarely seen such a delicate and charming girl—far more beautiful than any of the pretty concubines in his own residence. Just one look at her made his heart itch with desire. He took another step closer.

“This prince asked, which family are you from?”

Before Ning Zhaorou could respond, the servant beside him seemed to recall something and whispered, “Your Highness, this is the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anping. She’s the same one who fought with the Third Prince at Mount Eshan last time.”

At that, Prince Jing suddenly understood.

He nodded and his smile became even more lewd. “Ah, so it was you…”

Ning Zhaorou’s face went pale with fear. She clung tightly to Shuangwu’s arm, just about to say something, when another person appeared ahead.

And it was someone she knew.

Chu Changfeng looked momentarily stunned when he saw Ning Zhaorou. He hadn’t expected to see her in such a situation. The words she’d said back on Mount Eshan still lingered in his mind, and now that they’d crossed paths again like this, something about it felt very wrong.

Prince Jing had a poor reputation—he was a useless noble who did nothing but drink, consort with prostitutes, and indulge in pleasures. It was only after the current Emperor ascended the throne that he had restrained himself somewhat. Otherwise, he would’ve long caused even greater trouble.

“Hm? You two know each other?” Prince Jing quickly noticed how Ning Zhaorou seemed a bit more at ease once Chu Changfeng arrived. His gaze flicked back and forth between them before asking the question.

Chu Changfeng immediately shook his head. “Your Highness jests. I do not know this young lady. Someone in the front hall is looking for you—please, Your Highness, come with me.”

Prince Jing clicked his tongue in annoyance. He clearly wasn’t pleased, but given Chu Changfeng’s rising influence, he still had to show some respect.

Turning to Ning Zhaorou, he gave a smirk. “Miss Ning, this prince will see you again.”

With that, he strode away.

That one sentence drained most of the color from Ning Zhaorou’s face.

Chu Changfeng seemed to glance at her again, but unable to stay any longer, he turned and left.

Ning Zhaorou fled quickly, pulling Shuangwu with her as they returned to the banquet hall. Inside, the young ladies were still chattering noisily, making it hard for her ears to find peace.

At some point, Ning Wanqing approached her. Seeing her pale face, she felt quite satisfied inside, though on the surface she said, “You went outside just now? This isn’t our estate—don’t wander too far.”

No one knew better than Ning Zhaorou herself that she had simply stood under the corridor outside and had not overstepped any bounds. It was just unfortunate that Prince Jing had shown up at that moment.

Ning Zhaorou was about to speak when An Yunwei walked over.

Her features were delicate, and she wore a polite smile that made her seem cordial to everyone. Upon noticing Ning Zhaorou’s pallor, she even asked with apparent concern if she wasn’t feeling well.

Ning Zhaorou gave a slight bow. “I do feel a little unwell—must’ve caught a chill from the breeze. I haven’t yet thanked Miss An for hosting today’s banquet. But I’m truly exhausted and would like to take my leave.”

An Yunwei looked slightly surprised that she wanted to leave, but quickly agreed and instructed a maid to escort her out.

Ning Wanqing didn’t follow them.

The news Ning Zhaorou had received today had already shaken her quite a bit. And on top of that, she had a direct encounter with Prince Jing. Though the Emperor had spoken to reassure her, still, as long as she hadn’t entered the palace, she couldn’t truly rest easy.

Not even a few days after returning from the Minister’s residence, Ning Zhaorou really did fall ill from the cold.

Thankfully, the medicine from the imperial physician that she’d been taking for a while had strengthened her body, so the illness wasn’t as severe as before.

Even so, she was still sick. Soft coughs echoed from her courtyard, sometimes persisting late into the night.

Meanwhile, Madam Wu was beginning to feel annoyed.

The banquet at the Minister’s residence that day had originally been arranged to let Ning Zhaorou and the third illegitimate son of the Marquis of Chengyang meet. The idea was for that son to be so smitten by Ning Zhaorou that he’d resort to underhanded means. If something happened to her, well, that would no longer be their concern. But who could’ve predicted that not only did the plan fail, but things had somehow gone awry and caught the attention of Prince Jing instead?

In the past few days, people had already begun quietly inquiring about Ning Zhaorou. If not for her illness, she would’ve been receiving visitors already.

“Look at you. You can’t even handle something this simple,” Madam Wu scolded Ning Wanqing, sounding quite displeased.

Ning Wanqing was also feeling regretful. She had seen Ning Zhaorou rush back into the room looking like she’d seen a ghost and assumed the scheme had worked. Who would’ve guessed she had run into Prince Jing?

And acting like that after meeting Prince Jing? Ning Zhaorou sure could put on an act.

“Prince Jing already has a princess consort. If he really brings Ning Zhaorou into his household, she’d be nothing more than a concubine at best,” Ning Wanqing said with some disdain. “Who knows what chaos awaits in Prince Jing’s inner residence—she might not even make it in.”

Madam Wu glanced at her. “Whether she makes it in or not, Prince Jing already has his eye on her. Unless something unexpected happens, she’ll end up in his household sooner or later.”

Ning Wanqing lowered her head, still feeling indignant.

“That’s enough. Stop meddling in this matter. Don’t let anyone catch wind of what you’ve been up to.”

“But Ning—”

Madam Wu shot her a look, cutting her off. “What do you think Prince Jing’s residence is? Some grand and noble place? Whether this ends well or not, it’s still a ‘good’ outcome for us. What are you in such a rush for? Just wait quietly.”

Ning Wanqing, stifling her frustration, walked off with resentment simmering in her chest.