The cruel little princess

Those people usually spend countless amounts of money to win a night with "Hongxiu", hoping to be able to stay with the beauty for a long time. But now, King Rui has intervened and snatched away their beloved one.

However, due to the noble status of His Royal Highness Prince Rui, even though they were full of resentment and dissatisfaction, they could only swallow their anger. No one dared to come to him to ask for an explanation or to publicly denounce him.

He could only stare longingly in the direction of Prince Rui's Palace, sighing secretly: "Such a beautiful flower of eloquence has been plucked away by someone else..."

But then I thought, after all, she had slept with His Royal Highness Prince Rui's woman, so it wouldn't be a loss to tell others about it... Tsk tsk...

In this deep and large courtyard, the Rui Wang Mansion has been in constant turmoil recently, and rumors are almost breaking through the palace's gates.

In the backyard, Concubine Zhu's maid, Lu'e, whispered to her younger sisters in a low, mysterious voice, "Have you heard? Hongxiu, the new arrival in our mansion, may be a prostitute, but she's been favored by the prince and is acting very arrogantly in the backyard, almost as if she's half the master."

The little sister's eyes widened, she covered her mouth in shock and said, "Is this really true? Can the princess tolerate this?"

Lu'e snorted softly, "The princess was also very jealous at first. After all, she was a lady from a noble family, and she couldn't bring herself to argue with the concubines all day long. But as time went by, she just pretended not to see or hear anything. As long as those noisy concubines didn't bring their dirty deeds to her door, the princess could put on her airs as the mistress of the house and pretend nothing was wrong."

"Then our concubine Zhu's life will not be easy either!..." the little sister sighed.

"Of course, the princess doesn't stand out, let alone the other concubines. Now that Concubine Hong is in the limelight, even Concubine Zhu has to endure humiliation and live in seclusion.

I just hope that when the prince gets tired of Concubine Hong, we can come forward…” The two maids walked further and further away as they chatted.

Princess Rui Zhang Yuyan sat alone under the carved window lattice, clutching a silk handkerchief in her hand, her eyes slightly red.

She recalled her mother's previous admonitions, as if her mother were sitting beside her and whispering, "Yuyan, as long as you can sit firmly on the throne of the princess, those beauties in the backyard will only be concubines after all and won't cause any big trouble.

Since the legitimate child hasn't been born yet, they wouldn't dare get pregnant easily, so you can relax."

Having said that, I couldn't suppress the bitterness and grievance in my heart.

I originally wanted to discipline those restless concubines, but then I changed my mind and felt that it was too much trouble and it was not worth it to ruin my composure for these women who were not worthy of being in the public eye.

What's more, instead of personally dealing with the situation and losing her own identity, she would rather watch the fire from the other side of the river, watching the two quarrel and the fisherman gain!

But this Hongxiu made her feel uncomfortable for no reason. Looking at her usual submissive and hypocritical appearance, she felt furious.

On New Year's Eve, the whole family should have stayed up together to celebrate the New Year, but the prince was so captivated by the red sleeves that he completely forgot about accompanying her, the mistress of the house. She could only shed tears in this cold room, watching over the flickering candlelight and enduring the long night.

At the same time, the atmosphere in Prince Jin's mansion was warm and filled with laughter.

Wang Gang and his secret guards and carpenters were busy all the time, just because His Royal Highness Prince Jin happened to mention that the princess seemed a little depressed, so he wanted to make some new things to cheer her up.

So Wang Gang thought of mahjong first, and he had to do it!

So Wang Gang decided to make it before the New Year to make Sister You smile.

He just waved his hand and gave orders in a decisive manner. He first quickly picked out the suitable wood, and personally directed the carpenter to cut it. Soon, 136 mini wooden blocks of uniform size were produced.

He handed the exquisitely drawn pattern to the carpenter and the secret guards, and explained with gestures: "Everyone, carefully carve, color, and polish it according to this drawing. Make sure it is exquisite."

Although no one understood why, they were all determined to do a good job. They followed the instructions and, with their superb skills, completed the task in less than an hour.

Wang Gang ran back to the inner courtyard with the prepared mahjong tiles in his arms, and enthusiastically taught His Royal Highness Prince Jin how to play mahjong.

Although His Royal Highness Prince Jin is usually serious and looks cold and aloof, when it comes to learning new things, his mind works very quickly and he figured out the tricks in no time.

After he got the hang of it, he became even more proficient at it, and he also tacitly fed the cards to the little princess secretly, which made the little princess smile with a carefree look, and the atmosphere in the room became more cheerful.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the sound of firecrackers could be heard sporadically outside, and every household was busy welcoming and seeing off guests, and wishing each other a happy new year.

Officials at all levels adhered to the old custom of subordinates wishing their superiors a happy new year, and sedan chairs and horse-drawn carriages were constantly shuttling through the streets.

Only here, His Royal Highness Prince Jin, the courtyard is exceptionally quiet.

In the past, the title of "Cold-Faced Prince" was too intimidating. Others felt that the prince was aloof and difficult to approach. Normally, few subordinates dared to curry favor with him. But now he has some free time.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin was sleeping soundly with the little princess in his arms. The morning light shone through the window screens onto the bed, outlining the warm silhouettes of the two people hugging each other.

It was almost noon when His Royal Highness Prince Jin slowly woke up and stood up gently, fearing to disturb the little princess who was sleeping beside him.

After finishing his wash and grooming, his expression grew serious, his mind preoccupied with the important matter. He ignored all formalities and immediately summoned An Yi, solemnly instructing him, "Hurry and send a letter to the General's Residence. Tell my father-in-law and my eldest brother-in-law that I have something important to discuss with you. I invite them to come to my residence and do not delay them."

After he finished speaking, he carefully sealed the letter he had written and handed it to An Yi, with a look of urgency and seriousness in his eyes.

Shen Duanfang was in the study of the General Zhenguo's Mansion, studying military formations on a sand table. The warm winter sun poured in from outside, making the room cozy, but his mind was full of military affairs. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his expression was focused.

Suddenly, the personal guard rushed in and presented an urgent secret letter with the wax seal intact, revealing an urgent need that could not be delayed.

When Shen Duanfang saw the familiar handwriting on the letter, which was exactly that of his son-in-law, Prince Jin, his heart skipped a beat. His daughter's pretty face flashed through his mind, and he wondered if something had happened to his daughter in the palace. His face changed drastically.

"Prepare the horses! Tell the young master to follow me to Prince Jin's mansion!"

Shen Duanfang gave an order, his voice filled with undisguised anxiety, and walked out the door in two steps.

After a while, the father and son mounted their horses, their hooves raising a cloud of dust as they galloped towards Prince Jin's mansion at lightning speed.

Along the way, Shen Duanfang was uneasy, his knuckles turned white from gripping the reins, and his heart was filled with worry about his daughter's safety.

When they arrived at Prince Jin's mansion, secret guards were already waiting there, leading them through the halls and courtyards and straight to the backyard.

As soon as I stepped into the backyard, the rich aroma of food hit me, and I saw a wide variety of dishes placed on the stone table in the courtyard.

The carved porcelain plates were exquisite and the dishes were presented with great skill. Each dish was attractive in color and steaming hot, and many of the styles were something they had never seen before.

Shen Duanfang and his son were stunned on the spot, and they rushed into the table full of delicacies with their hearts full of anxiety. They were a little at a loss for a moment, and their originally anxious steps came to a sudden halt.

"Your humble servant greets you..." Shen Duanfang had just bowed to salute, and before he could finish his words, His Royal Highness Prince Jin stepped forward and held the two of them firmly with both hands.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin wore a warm smile on his face and said earnestly, "Father-in-law, brother, now is not the time to be formal. There are no outsiders here, so our family does not need to be bound by these red tape!

My father-in-law has been traveling so fast and is so frightened, please take a seat."

As he spoke, he stepped aside politely, his attitude respectful yet friendly, quietly dispelling the awkwardness and panic of Shen Duanfang and his son.

"Huaijin, why did you rush us here? Is Youyou feeling unwell?"

Shen Duanfang's expression was filled with anxiety, with beads of sweat even appearing on his forehead. He hurried into the house without even taking off his cloak. There was a barely perceptible tremor in his voice, and his eyes were anxiously searching the house for his daughter.

Although Shen Zijin didn't say anything, his clenched fists, with white knuckles and slightly bulging veins, showed his nervousness and anxiety.

There was uneasiness in his eyes, and his pace unconsciously quickened as he followed closely behind his father.

"Daddy! Big Brother! Huaijin, why are you standing? Sit down! Today I'll let you all eat something different! I guarantee you'll be hooked and never forget it!"

Before His Royal Highness Prince Jin could answer, a crisp laugh came from outside.

It is true that you hear the voice before you see the person.

A delicate girl in a lavender dress walked in quickly. The hem of her skirt was like a blooming peach blossom, swaying gently with her movements.