Prince! The political conspiracy is not a play, the show is real

The servant led Chu Huanjun to the backyard of Zhou's mansion.

The Zhou Mansion is cleverly designed. Although the layout of the gate and the front yard looks no different from that of an ordinary mansion, the backyard holds a secret.

In the dead of winter, the courtyard was filled with the spirit of spring. In the center of the courtyard stood a pond, and in the middle of it a hot spring gushed outward, stirring the shallow waters with endless ripples.

There are weeping willows and delicate flowers planted by the pond, which never wither all year round. There is a small pavilion on the fresh green grass slope, in which the second wife Zhining is standing. She is wearing a bright-colored silk dress and leaning leisurely on a beauty chair, holding some food in her hand, which she occasionally throws into the pond, attracting schools of koi.

As if hearing the sound of someone coming, Zhining threw all the food in his hand into the pond, patted the crumbs in his palm, and stood up slowly.

Across the pavilion, amidst a field of red flowers and green willows, a person came in wearing a long dress of aquamarine color, with a graceful demeanor like a crane and a pine tree, just as the stunning sight he had seen her three years ago.

The man was just like he was three years ago, speaking with a smile and a sense of frivolity: "Second Madam, you have such a refined taste. There's a funeral going on upstairs, and you're in the backyard admiring the flowers and watching the fish."

He spoke rudely, but she was not upset. Instead, she smiled and said, "Time has changed. I never thought that we would meet again under such circumstances."

Chu Huanjun walked into the pavilion, lifted his robe, and sat down on the stone bench without any hesitation. Zhining also walked over to him with a smile, chose a seat near him, pulled a stack of paper from his sleeve, and placed it in Chu Huanjun's palm: "Everything you want is here."

"So straightforward?" Chu Huanjun smiled awkwardly and clasped his hands together, a hint of hesitation flickering between his brows. "That's not like you."

Zhining chuckled slightly in annoyance, moved an inch closer to him, and stroked his clenched fist with her soft and tender fingers, saying in a delicate voice: "The prince dared to trust me back then and arranged for me to leave Chunfeng Tower and marry into the Zhou Mansion.

Three years, just three years, and you don't trust me anymore? -- The prince has always been very forgetful. I know that he has probably forgotten who I am, so he should not trust me.

The more she spoke, the softer and more ambiguous her voice became. She boldly moved her body closer to him, almost kissing his earlobe.

Chu Huanjun looked indifferent and didn't want to be taken advantage of by Zhining. He just forcefully pulled out the hand that she was holding and moved his butt to the side, causing Zhining's movements to freeze in place and unable to continue.

Zhining withdrew her hand in a daze, feeling somewhat discouraged. She said, "Did you accomplish the deed? Why are you so eager to abandon me?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Huanjun unfolded the stack of papers in his hand, only to discover that his name was scrawled across them in meticulous, regular script or frantic cursive. Nearly hundreds of pages were covered in dense writing, demonstrating the depth of the penman's obsession.

Chu Huanjun remained silent for a while, then snorted coldly, "Boring."

After saying that, he quickly tore up all the papers with his name on them and threw them into the red clay stove next to him where he was boiling tea. In the blink of an eye, they were all burned to ashes.

"Where is the thing?" Chu Huanjun had a cold expression. He didn't want to say any more words to the woman in front of him.

Zhining smiled without saying a word, combing her carefully styled bun with her fingers as she slowly walked to the railing of the pavilion, watching the falling flowers and flowing water: "Prince, I married into the Zhou Mansion for you.

In the past three years, even if I can't say I've done anything for you, I've certainly worked hard, right? You haven't even sent me a single letter. How heartless and indifferent...

Haven't you always been able to understand people's minds and predict things with great accuracy? How come you made a mistake and fell for me now?

"But it doesn't matter." She turned her head slowly again, her face full of spring, "Mistakes can be made up for. Prince, I have always done it for you, today, it's your turn to do it for me."

As soon as she finished speaking, she fell weakly into Chu Huanjun's arms like a piece of soft silk.

She had been looking forward to this hug for three years.

Three years ago, she dominated the Chunfeng Tower with her stunning dance, and all the men in the capital were fascinated by her.

She could have followed any rich young man and become a phoenix from a sparrow to a tree, but she was so proud that she would not recognize anyone except Prince Yi, who she fell in love with at first sight.

It was a moonless night, and Chu Huanjun stood in front of her, as bright and gentle as the moon behind him.

Chu Huanjun handed the indenture back to her palm, his voice as gentle and soft as the spring breeze: "I bought your indenture from Hong Gu. I know you don't want to live a miserable life in Chunfeng Tower. From now on, you can live freely in the world."

Zhining grabbed Chu Huanjun's hand, staring at his picturesque features, and said, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll follow you."

He is so cunning that he can manipulate other people's minds at will.

For three years, she married Zhou Yan and served as his spy, secretly gathering information about Zhou Yan's dealings with the Minister of Works Zuo Di. Even though she was thinking about him day and night, she bowed down to another man, calling him her concubine and flattering him.

There were countless moments when Zhining wished she could kill Zhou Yan with her own hands to end this humiliating and embarrassing marriage.

But she knew that this marriage was the only way to tie Chu Huanjun down.

Zhou Yan and Zuo Di colluded with each other to give each other benefits, monopolize business, and withhold taxes from the people. In recent years, Zhou Yan made a fortune, and Zuo Di also took countless bribes.

Chu Huanjun wanted to obtain the receipts for the money and silver transactions between Zhou Yan and Zuo Di during his lifetime and report them to the court, so that Zuo Di would be executed and imprisoned. This would undoubtedly be a sharp arrow to strike at the power of Zuo Xiang's lineage in the court.

Zhining knew that Chu Huanjun had been dormant for many years and valued this opportunity very much.

So, she took advantage of the situation and used this opportunity to ask him for a night of pleasure. Why not? - She had done so much for him.

Chu Huanjun held down Zhang's fingers that were trying to climb up his collar, his expression unfriendly: "Madam, my patience is limited. I don't have that much time to play with you."

"No time?" Zhi Ning insisted, wrapping her arms around his slender neck again. "Your Highness, it's been so hard for you to come to Jiangnan. Don't you think it would be a shame if you didn't take a look at the beautiful scenery there?"

As she spoke, she had already boldly stepped forward, pressing her lithe waist against Chu Huanjun's. She had specially applied bright red lipstick today and used the pinewood incense he had once praised, meticulously applying every detail just to make him smile.

But the look on the man's face was so cold, even colder than the winter snow in December. She had been looking forward to this day of reunion for a long time, and the blazing fire in her heart had been burning for a long time.

But at this moment, it was as if a basin of ice water fell from the sky and drenched me completely, and my heart felt like it had fallen into an icy cave.

No matter how conceited or how little self-respect she has, she cannot stand Chu Huanjun's indifference.

Once upon a time, her smile in Chunfeng Tower could be exchanged for thousands of gold coins, but now in this cold courtyard, she is like a dog wagging its tail to beg for mercy, and cannot even be cherished for a moment.

Zhining withdrew her hand in frustration. Although the garden was filled with spring scenery, she suddenly felt a little cold and had to tighten her clothes.

A wise man changes with the times. Zhi Ning put aside her romantic thoughts, but her voice still trembled uncontrollably. "For the past three years, I've been lurking around Zhou Yan for you, and I've wasted my best years. You owe me, and since you don't want to pay me back with people, let's settle the accounts and pay with money."