Being able to stay alone with Tao Sheng on this snowy night made everything beautiful and meaningful.

He didn’t see it as a compromise.

Tao Sheng also smiled and nodded.

The King of Chu had put in a lot of effort to arrange such a place; otherwise, it would be difficult to find a quiet spot to rest tonight. She felt as grateful as Ji Yanming.

Now it was night in the capital, and except for a few palaces where banquets were held, the entire palace had become quiet.

Tao Sheng sat there, resting her cheek on her hand, gently tuning the strings of the long harp on her lap. The sound of the strings and bamboo music coming from outside mixed with the gentle crackling of the flames in the stove, creating a long-lost sense of tranquility and peace of mind.

Ji Yanming boiled water and made a pot of tea. He held the jade cup with his slender fingers and poured the tea steadily.

The temperature in the room rose, and Tao Sheng’s face gradually flushed. She looked at Ji Yanming with sparkling eyes. When she took the teacup, their fingers brushed against each other, adding a touch of intimacy to the quietness of the room.

But this moment of intimacy was short-lived. Just as Tao Sheng was about to drink the tea, she saw the King of Chu rushing in.

Ji Yanming frowned and asked, “Why is Your Highness here?”

“Oh, don’t mention it.”

The King of Chu reluctantly explained his situation.

He had just been enjoying himself in Changle Palace, drinking and listening to music. He didn’t know what had happened to Prince Rui, so instead of enjoying the performances, he came over to talk, even asking about Tao Sheng’s marital status.

He didn’t want to deal with his troublesome brother. Chu Shen also heard that the environment here was good. Although there was only one room, it was unexpectedly quiet and warm. Lord Luo had even brought a zither, and he might play a few songs later. The King of Chu was excited and quickly left Prince Rui to come over and listen to a song.

When Ji Yanming saw the King of Chu coming, his face immediately turned bad.

The King of Chu’s hands were frozen from walking all the way, so he sat down to warm himself by the fire and didn’t notice anything unusual.

Tao Sheng noticed the subtle change in Ji Yanming’s expression and felt a little strange. He seemed fine just now; why does he look so gloomy now? What happened while she was going to the tea room to get the tea set?

_ 

Now that the Central Palace is vacant and the Emperor has not yet appointed another Empress, Princess Rui, as a member of the royal family, must attend banquets at the Imperial Concubine’s place in the harem on such occasions. She will not come out to meet Prince Rui until the banquet in Changle Palace is over, and then return to the palace to rest for a while.

Prince Rui had been thinking about taking Tao Sheng as his concubine tonight. After meeting the princess, he felt that his idea was mature, so he talked about it with the princess.

Since Tao Sheng has become very famous in the capital recently, and she also has a cousin who won the sixth place in the imperial examination, she has become very popular in the court recently.

As soon as Princess Rui heard it, she knew who this girl was, and she understood why Prince Rui wanted to win over Ji Yanming and ask Tao Sheng to marry him.

“It’s good that Your Highness wants to give Miss Luo dignity, but I don’t know how Your Highness plans to handle this matter next? After all, she is taking a concubine, not an ordinary concubine or maid, so it can’t be taken lightly. Does Your Highness want to report to your father first to grant the marriage? Or do you want to ask the girl’s opinion first?”

Prince Rui was immersed in the huge benefits that marrying Tao Sheng would bring him. He didn’t think too much about it at this time, so he said bluntly: “I just had this idea in my mind. Let me tell the princess first. After all, the harem is under the jurisdiction of the princess, so let the princess know what’s going on.”

“Father is now optimistic about Miss Luo and cannot leave her easily. Miss Luo is still young, so there is no rush for her to get married. I think it is natural for Miss Luo to agree first before we can talk about other things. It is better to take things step by step.”

Princess Rui also roughly understood her husband’s thinking.

The emperor now has high hopes for Tao Sheng. Although he has no intention of taking her into the harem, Tao Sheng is, for the emperor now, a close minister, even if she is not a beauty. He cannot let go of her for a while.

But because of what happened tonight, Prince Rui believes that Ji Zhuangyuan has a bright future and wants to establish a relationship with Ji Zhuangyuan through marriage. He is unwilling to let Tao Sheng go.

Therefore, this matter is not urgent. Prince Rui means to tell Tao Sheng the truth first so that she will know what is going on and will be willing to marry into Prince Rui’s palace on her own initiative.

When the emperor gets over the novelty of the affair and Tao Sheng has also passed the limelight, then he can report to the emperor and marry Tao Sheng as his concubine, which will be a good story.

Tao Sheng would not have any problems in this matter. After all, no young girl of this age would refuse the honor of being a prince’s concubine. Many daughters of famous families in the capital were eager to be a prince’s concubine, not to mention that Miss Luo was just a girl from a small town. Therefore, the biggest variable and resistance in this matter now still came from the emperor.

The situation in the court is already complicated. Anything involving the Xuanzheng Hall and the emperor will become a troublesome matter. When Princess Rui thought that this matter might touch the emperor’s sensitive nerves, she began to shrink back in her heart.

Princess Rui thought for a while and said to her husband tactfully, “There is no need to make such a big fuss. Anyway, Lord Ji has not married yet, and I heard that there is no beauty around to serve him. If Your Highness really wants to establish a relationship with this number one scholar, why not help Lord Ji find a good marriage, or give him two concubines?”

Anyway, Prince Rui has a pretty good relationship with King Chu, and Ji Yanming is King Chu’s man, so why not ask King Chu to help with the matchmaking?

After hearing this plan, Prince Rui disagreed and said, “The choice of Ji Zhuangyuan’s wife naturally needs the approval of my elder brother. If we only send two concubines, if they are not favored in the mansion, nothing will be accomplished. And Miss Luo is Lord Ji’s only cousin, who is the most valued by Lord Ji. It is better to start with her.”

Having said that, Princess Rui finally understood the other party’s plan.

Prince Rui said all this in a roundabout way. On the one hand, he wanted to use marriage to establish a relationship with Ji Zhuangyuan, but the more important thing was that he had long had ideas about Miss Luo and wanted to use this reason to bring her into his palace.

Men are like this; they look serious and speak in high-sounding words, but it’s just to cover up their lustful nature.