Professional Ethics of a Concubine

Because they were dressed up beautifully, with lots of jewels and even their gold hairpins were sparkling.

Moreover, even from quite a distance, I could smell the sweet scent of makeup on their bodies.

Ye Qingzhi also set her eyes on those girls. Seeing that they were all looking at the prince to some extent, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, finding it quite interesting.

There's no other reason. It's just that there hasn't been any new love interest around her leader for a long time, not even singers or prostitutes.

Because all the nobles in the capital knew that the prince only favored her and was not interested in women.

Therefore, when they wanted to please the prince, they never dared to use the beauty trick, for fear that the flattery would fail and instead make the prince angry.

Even at some banquets that the prince attended, the nobles would only ask the beauties to perform singing and dancing, and they did not dare to arrange for the beauties to accompany the prince for drinking.

It is also because the prince has publicly expressed that he does not like the smell of makeup on women.

Before coming, both the Crown Princess and the Ninth Princess said that it was right for her to go with them, as she would be able to ward off those who wanted to get close to the Crown Prince.

Wow, Ye Qingzhi thought, it’s true, we just arrived and the peach blossoms are already here, four or five of them at once.

Zheng Qingyan touched the elder brother beside him, winked at him, and silently questioned him, "Is this what you said you had warned me about?"

Zheng Qinghe, ...

He did tell several of his cousins, but they were so hypocritical that they seemed to agree on the surface but did such a thing behind his back.

Zheng Qinghe frowned, curious about the prince's reaction.

The eldest princess looked at the girls of marriageable age who were dressed up in their best clothes, and her face suddenly darkened.

What this means is self-evident.

How would the prince feel about her, his aunt, who was so eager to send him a woman? !

Does she still want to save her face?!

She immediately looked at the King of England, her eyes frighteningly sharp.

The King of England met the Princess's eyes and felt a little guilty, but he still straightened his back, pretended to be righteous, and said to the Princess,

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived, and he must dress up to attend. That's why I asked them to dress up properly and not lose their manners."

"The King of England may not be aware of my habits. I do not like luxury, nor do I like the strong smell of cosmetics. It makes my nose uncomfortable."

Xie Jin smiled faintly, put on an elder's attitude, and said,

"However, the King of England means well, so there is no need to ask them to move. We can just find another place for them to dine.

Although the court now advocates an open atmosphere, not to overly restrict women, not to over-emphasize women's reputation, and not to regard everything as a stain and demonize it.

However, they are all unmarried girls after all. If they were to have dinner with me tonight, it would indeed affect their reputation if the news got out.

If they are used by someone with ulterior motives and affect the girls' marriages, it will be my fault."

After hearing what the prince said, the eldest princess' expression instantly eased a lot. She looked at the prince with appreciation and thought that his words were truly rare.

It not only saved the face of the mansion and the reputation of the girls, but also gave a clear refusal without lifting the veil.

The King of England looked at the Prince in surprise, then quickly backed down and said to the girls whose faces had turned pale,

"Why don't you thank His Royal Highness the Crown Prince quickly? Okay, you can go back to the backyard to eat."

After the girls hurriedly paid their respects to the prince, they left quickly, as if they were fleeing in a hurry.

After a small storm, it did not affect the subsequent atmosphere.

The King of England became more and more impressed with the Prince's character and became more enthusiastic towards him.

The same was true for Zheng Qinghe, whose impression of the prince became increasingly favorable, and he felt that his qualities were rare.

Perhaps other superiors, if faced with today's situation, would not accept any of these girls for various reasons.

However, they would not refuse as politely as the prince did and took full care of the palace.

He felt that he saw a gentle temperament in the prince. Or perhaps gentle was not the right word, but rather his way of doing things was like a spring breeze.

How could people not like to follow such a monarch?

"Where is the King of Qi? Why can't I see him?" After exchanging pleasantries and sitting down, Xie Jin asked.

"Your Highness, the King of Qi has observed suspicious people appearing along the border over the past month. He has been taking people to investigate and hunt them down every day. When I came back to look for him, I learned that he had gone again and I don't know when he will be back."

Zheng Qinghe stood up and clasped his fists towards the prince, with the attitude of a subordinate reporting to his superior.

"I have sent people to urge the King of Qi to come back and pay a visit to Your Highness." The King of England also spoke up.

"There's no need to rush the King of Qi back." The prince waved his hand and said, "I will go to the military camp tomorrow, and I will see him then."

Upon hearing this, the King of England immediately smiled and praised, "Your Highness is kind and tolerant, and it is a blessing for us subjects."

"If it's a blessing, cherish it and don't resort to any unpresentable means. It will be too late to regret it once you have squandered the prince's tolerance."

The eldest princess glanced at the King of England and lectured him rudely.

King of England,...

So angry!

Can't you just give him some face!

As for the King of England's nephews, they were so uncomfortable that they wished they could disappear right away.

Every time the eldest princess returned to the mansion, it was the most uncomfortable time for them. If possible, they really hoped that the eldest princess would stay in the mansion forever.

"Auntie, your words are too harsh." Xie Jin smiled and tried to smooth things over.

"We are all family. What happened just now is nothing. There is no need to mention it again."

"You will find out later that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has a broad mind like the sea, and he will not easily get angry and punish people." Ye Qingzhi interrupted with a smile.

"But don't be too moved too soon. He likes to assign people to work the most. He makes you work yourself to death and you still have to be grateful to him."

"Hahaha...really? I don't believe it. How can I work myself to death and still be grateful?"

Prince An Zheng Qingyan was amused by Ye Qingzhi's words and couldn't help but ask.

The King of England could not help but glare at his youngest son and asked, "Do you have any manners? This is for the Crown Prince and his favorite concubine. Do you think you are talking to your own brother and sister-in-law?"

"Qingzhi, tell me, I'm also interested and want to listen." The eldest princess asked her with a smile.

"Your Highness, I am going to expose your past. Don't bring up the past with me later." Ye Qingzhi smiled and looked at the prince again.

Xie Jin made a gesture to her to go ahead, and deliberately said,

"You can reveal whatever you want. Just based on my identity, I can assign them jobs. They won't dare to refuse. It doesn't matter whether they know the truth or not."

Zheng Qingyan couldn't help laughing when he heard this. He nodded repeatedly and clapped his thighs, showing his support.

"Haha, that seems to be the case! However, I want to know what the prince did to make Master Ye say that."

The eldest princess also nodded with a smile, and Zheng Qinghe became more and more interested. He thought the prince was also very interesting.

Even the King of England sensed something peculiar and wondered if the Crown Prince and Master Ye were taking this opportunity to criticize him or something.

"Since you are all so interested, let me tell you about it." Ye Qingzhi smiled and started talking about Prince Duan as if she was telling a story.

It first talks about how Prince Duan squandered the family fortune before, and how the annual income from the palace was not enough for him to spend. Then, when the Emperor found out, he was furious. He felt that Prince Duan had forgotten his ancestors, was arrogant and extravagant, and had forgotten the teachings of Emperor Gaozu, etc., and for this reason, he wanted to demote Prince Duan to a commoner.

Then he talked about how the prince discovered the potential of Prince Duan, asked him to atone for his sins, and took charge of the affairs of the manor. He also asked Prince Duan to donate all the treasures in his collection and put them in the manor.

Finally, it tells how Prince Duan worked so hard in the manor that he often did not even return to the palace. He lost a lot of weight. However, every time Prince Duan mentioned the Crown Prince, he was full of gratitude and became the Crown Prince's most loyal brother.

"You should have heard about Prince Duan taking people on a study tour to recruit talents for the court. Think about it, traveling abroad is not as comfortable as staying in the capital, but Prince Duan is still happy to do it. When he came back from the New Year this year, I saw that he was tired and skinny, and he kept talking about recruiting talents for the crown prince."

Ye Qingzhi said, shaking her head and sighing,

"Think about the leisurely and wealthy life that Prince Duan led before, where he just held banquets, drank wine, and recited poems every day. Now look at him, isn't he working himself to death, and still feels grateful to the Crown Prince?"

"...Really!" Zheng Qingyan nodded vigorously in agreement, but he was a little puzzled and said, "Why do I feel that the current Prince Duan is actually quite powerful and admirable?"

"Of course! What he is doing now is for the country and the people, and it is worthy of admiration. Compared with his previous actions, one is in heaven and the other is on earth."

Zheng Qinghe immediately poured a glass of wine and toasted to the prince.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince has a keen eye for talent. He was able to help Prince Duan turn back from his old ways and become a pillar of the country. This is truly a wise ruler. I admire you very much."

"Look, here comes another little fanboy of the prince." Ye Qingzhi immediately said with a smile, "The prince hasn't even told him to do anything yet, but he's already showing his gratitude."

Zheng Qinghe smiled, drank the wine in one gulp, and said, "I am happy to do so."

Everyone laughed.

"I heard that the second princess was really demoted to a commoner. Why did she do that? Was it really some poisonous dumpling?" Zheng Qingyan asked again.

"Yes and no." Ye Qingzhi nodded, then shook her head, and then told the story of the second princess.

"The Crown Prince thinks that the Second Princess is doing well in the manor now, so there is no rush to restore her status..."

"Master Ye, it was clearly your suggestion. I won't take the blame for this." Xie Jin said with a smile.

"Oh, is it me? I totally forgot about that." Ye Qingzhi looked confused, and then said irresponsibly, "That was also agreed by His Highness. How could I have the power to do that?"

Zheng Qingyan,...

Why does he feel that the real trap lies with Master Ye?