Shipin Dalizheng

The gatekeeper had been instructed what to say if Minister Jin came to see the prince.

"Master Jin, the prince has been so worried about you that he went to Master Rong twice a day to plead your case. He is a prince, and you have put aside your dignity and face for Master Jin. Master Jin should be grateful!"

Jin Shizhao was thinking hard. The prince wanted to help him and had a hundred ways to kill that little thief. As long as he died, wouldn't it be all over? Why would he make things difficult for him?

Prince Rui, who was disliked by Jin Shizhao for not being loyal, also rode to Rong's house in the dark, talking with his staff along the way.

"It's not unfair to say that the Jin family is stupid. I don't know what the whole family is thinking. They all think that if they kill Rong Tang, the Bo Mansion will be theirs. If they could really kill him secretly without revealing any trace, I would admire their ability, but they just do it openly. Jin Yaoyang, that idiot, dared to chase and kill him in the street in broad daylight. Old Madam Jin is even more outrageous. She actually wanted to use her old mind to hit Rong Tang to death. She didn't even think about it. She dared to commit the crime in front of Li Dequan. Even if she succeeded, what would the emperor think? Forget about the title. Jin Shizhao wouldn't even be able to keep his official position."

The staff echoed, "That's right. Li Dequan blocked Rong Tang's attack and then went to the Minister's residence to cause a scene. This has already made clear His Majesty's attitude, which is to ask the Jin family to restrain themselves."

"The Liang family has already called off the engagement, right?"

In the evening, his uncle came to the palace and cried, saying that Madam Liang had heard rumors about the three generations of the Jin family, saying that all the women in his family were not innocent and that they would not even be concubines. If he did not cancel the engagement, she would hit her head against the wall.

Madam Liang was Prince Rui's grandmother, so what could she say? She tacitly agreed to the cancellation of the engagement. Once the engagement between the two families was broken off, many onlookers could probably guess what was going on, but they could only say that it wasn't Prince Rui's ruthlessness, but the Jin family's recklessness.

Rong Fei's villa has been attracting a lot of attention these past two days. Even after dark, many servants are still peeking in the direction of the door. They are all surprised to see Prince Rui coming for the second time today.

The palace servants went up to knock on the door, banging loudly. After a while, Rong Quan's voice was heard running towards the door, saying, "I'm coming, who is it? It's getting dark."

As soon as the door opened, Rong Quan was stunned again, "Your Highness Prince Rui, why are you here again?"

This word "又" doesn't sound so popular.

Prince Rui wanted to show his friendliness, so he certainly couldn't show any displeasure. A servant stepped forward to answer for him, "Our prince is deeply concerned about Master Rong's health and has come to visit. Why wouldn't you invite our prince into the palace and serve him tea?"

"I dare not, please, Your Majesty."

Rong Quan was feeling uneasy, so he led the group to the main hall to sit down, and then he went to report to Rong Tang.

Rong Tang had just drunk some porridge and was about to go to sleep. When he heard it was Prince Rui again, he shook his hand and said, "Just say I took some medicine and just fell asleep."

Damn it, his whole body was so soft as if he had no bones. He had to either crawl over or be carried over by someone. It was so tiring.

Chuncao said, "I'll go and greet this gentleman. It's not over yet."

Rong Quan was a little surprised. She looked like a little girl, yet she was so brave. He didn't know that Chuncao, despite her low status, had seen important people and big scenes, and was not afraid of them.

On the way, I met Aunt Cailan who was offering me tea. I held out my hand and said, "There's no need to waste good tea. Auntie, go see if there's any leftover tea from last year. Just a pinch will do. We'll drink this among ourselves."

Cailan had no choice but to go and pour tea again. This time she found stale tea, but it didn't smell very good.

Nangong Rui was waiting in the main hall, but no one came for a long time. There was only one candle lit in the whole hall, and it was pitch black outside. There was a hint of weirdness in the quietness, which made him, a man used to the hustle and bustle, feel very uncomfortable.

He asked his staff, "What's going on here? It's a big courtyard, but there's no one there. Where did all the servants go?"

The staff member reminded, "Your Highness, I heard that this villa is very poor. There are only four servants in total: a housekeeper who is also a gatekeeper, a guard who is also a repairman, a female steward who is also an embroiderer, and a cook who is also a sweeper. They all have multiple jobs. I guess they are short of money and can't afford to keep people, so they have reduced the number of candles and other things!"

Prince Rui was amazed at how shabby the property of the Earl's Mansion and the Imperial Concubine's villa were.

After a long time, two women, one old and one young, came in. He knew Cailan, but he was unfamiliar with the young one.

Cailan served tea and retreated to the hall door. Chuncao bowed and said quickly, "Don't blame me, Your Highness. My young master is seriously injured and has been feeling unwell all day. He just took some tranquilizers and went to bed. If Your Highness has any instructions, I will convey them to him."

Nangong Rui was just here to act, and it didn't matter to him whether he met Rong Tang or not. He immediately ordered someone to put the gift down, said a few words of concern, and expressed a few words of hope that the father and son could resolve their past grudges, and then he was about to leave.

Chuncao ignored what he said the whole time, and only said attentively after he finished speaking: "Your Highness, please have some tea. This is the last bit of good tea in the mansion. It will be gone next time you come."

Nangong Rui had been talking for a long time and was thirsty, so he picked up the cup and took a sip. Fortunately, he did not spit it out, as a stale taste hit his head.

Chuncao's eager anticipation immediately dimmed, and she said wistfully, "Is the tea no longer tasty? Aunt Cailan said it was the freshest, less than two years old. The mansion has run out of funds and can't even pay the monthly allowance. I'm sorry to have troubled our distinguished guest."

Nangong Rui hurriedly stood up and left, and no matter how Chuncao tried to persuade him, he was unwilling to drink another sip.

After the people left, Chuncao snorted with a cold face. She didn't add horse urine to the tea because she was afraid of dirtying the tea bowl.

Cailan shook her head. This girl really was unwilling to suffer any loss.

Besides, Nangong Rui and his group had just reached the entrance of an alley when a little child suddenly rushed out. He looked no more than four or five years old. Nangong Rui seemed to be afraid that the horse's hooves would hit the child, so he pulled the reins hard. The horse neighed loudly and stood up, throwing him off.

He fell to the ground and said, "Be careful not to hurt the child."

The child was frightened and started crying, and the woman chasing the child was also frightened and started crying. This time, they scared an important person, and they couldn't afford the punishment.

Prince Rui's men were in a rush and helped him up. They saw blood spurting from his head and one of his feet was sprained, looking like he was seriously injured.

The young and handsome Prince Rui waved his hand magnanimously and said, "I don't blame you two. Let's go. I'll take care of him for a few days."

Suddenly he fell down again and fainted.

The servants in the palace hurriedly carried Prince Rui away without making things difficult for the mother and son, which deeply moved the woman.

Rong Quan, who had watched them leave, ran over to ask and learned that Prince Rui had hit his head and twisted his ankle. He smacked his lips, saying, "This guy is really unlucky." He had come to see his own son injured, so it seemed morally obligatory for him to offer his condolences.

He went back and told Rong Tang about it. Rong Tang stroked his chin and called Rong Wu over. "Don't you know how to do carpentry? Make two crutches and send them to him."

So Rong Wu worked hard by the light of a lamp, spent half the night in a secluded courtyard, carving wood and making two crutch. After all, they were gifts for the prince, so he even carved exquisite patterns on them.