Soft and crispy waist

I sold everything that could be sold, and all I got was less than four hundred taels of silver, which was really not enough.

Xia Zheng could only hope that the food store would have new food, but from the news that Chef Yang brought back yesterday, it was even worse than she expected.

What she gave to the Yang family were the novel snacks in the cookbook. She tried to use other ingredients to replace those that were missing from the recipe. The taste was still good, but perhaps it was too novel. Because of the war, many people tightened their purse strings and were unwilling to spend money to try something they had never seen before.

Sure enough, doing business was not as easy as she imagined.

But the money is still far from enough.

"Aunt, the Crown Princess invites you to Fanghuayuan." Frost's voice came from outside.

Xia Zheng glanced at the clepsydra in the corner, and when Shuangjiang came in, she asked, "Are you inviting just me, or are you inviting everyone?"

"I don't know about this, but I glanced outside the courtyard and it seems that someone from Concubine Chun's place has also gone there."

It seems that everyone went there.

Could it be...

Without thinking about the result, Xia Zheng asked Shuangjiang to take the cloak and took Shuangxue to Fanghuayuan.

It is winter now. The temperature has dropped sharply after the winter rain last night. The wind makes her cheeks hurt. Xia Zheng regretted that she should have brought a hot water bottle, but she had already walked most of the way, so she could only gather her cloak and quicken her pace.

Fortunately, there was enough charcoal burning in the main room of Fanghuayuan. As soon as the curtain was opened, the hot air blew away the coldness that Xia Zheng had brought along with her along the way. After warming up, her hands and feet were no longer so stiff.

When she walked into the room, only Aunt Huan arrived. When she saw her come in, she stood up and greeted her.

"The Crown Prince's wife is still changing clothes. Aunt, please sit down and have some tea first." Nanny Niu greeted her and went into the inner room.

Xia Zheng sat opposite Aunt Huan. She still kept her head down and remained silent. It had been almost half a year since she entered the mansion, and she had not spoken a word to Aunt Huan.

She was silent, not fighting or competing, just like the wandering soul of her previous life. But she had no choice. Why should she be a living dead?

If she knew the news about Gu Yizi, would she have no reaction?

Just as I was wondering, I heard a noise outside.

I knew it was Wei Qingqing from the sound of footsteps. Only she could walk so fast.

But when he walked in, he didn't have his usual arrogance. His eyes were slightly red, and it looked like he had just been crying.

Xue Wuyang took two steps behind her, and her mood was also very depressed. Her eyes were swollen, which showed that she had cried even harder.

Only Chunzhi, who walked in last, looked bewildered and shrank her head. After the two people in front of her sat down and bowed along with Xia Zheng and Aunt Huan, she immediately slipped over to sit next to Xia Zheng and whispered, "Did something happen today?"

Xia Zheng shook her head. It was not natural for concubines of their status to know about this matter.

Just when Chunzhi was scratching her head in confusion, Tao Yurong walked out from the inner room.

Compared to the red eyes of Wei Qingqing and Xue Wuyang, Tao Yurong's eyes were pitch black. Even with several layers of makeup, they could not be completely covered. Her face was pale, probably because she did not sleep all night.

"Greetings, Princess."

Except for Wei Qingqing, everyone stood up and saluted.

Tao Yurong waved her hand for them to stand up, and she took the first seat. After scanning everyone, she said in a low and hoarse voice, "There's something I've been thinking about all night, and I've decided to tell you all."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression became solemn.

"I think Sister Wei and Sister Xue should have heard the news from their mother's family, so I won't go into details. I'll just explain to the three of you, Xia Zheng, that there are rumors that the prince died on the battlefield, but there's no concrete evidence. Therefore, we, the Zhenguogong Mansion, must protect our home and not give outsiders any opportunity to take advantage. Do you understand?"

The words fell, but no one answered.

Chunzhi's mouth was open, clearly stunned. Xia Zheng lowered her head, her peripheral vision falling on Concubine Huan across from her. She seemed to have heard nothing, her expression unchanged as she simply uttered four words, "I understand."

Hearing her voice, Chunzhi hurriedly followed.

Only Xia Zheng had not yet answered.

"It seems that you are too scared to speak. Yes, if the prince is gone, you will lose your backer, and you will not be able to seduce others in the future. Don't you think that your face is wasted?" Wei Qingqing said sarcastically, but there was no usual piercing joy in her eyes, and it seemed more like she was venting her anger.

"Sister Wei, the Crown Prince's life or death is still uncertain, so don't talk nonsense."

"No conclusion? Then what are you going to confess? Aren't you just afraid that they'll get the news from outside and be used by others? Why use them? Tao Yurong, you and I both know that you're after the position of Crown Prince's Consort. You should be happy now. Now that you're gone, no one can surpass you. Unfortunately, I'm carrying a boy. A position that's only in name may not be easy to sit on."

"I don't want to argue with you." Tao Yurong turned her head and stood up, ordering: "You are all the prince's women, belonging to the Zhenguogong Mansion. You will remain loyal to each other in life and death. Stay in your own courtyard honestly and don't say a word to anyone. If you don't, don't blame me for not cherishing our friendship."

After saying that, Tao Yurong walked straight back to the inner room.

Unable to vent her anger on Tao Yurong, Wei Qingqing turned to Xue Wuyang who stood up and was about to leave.

"You ran fast, but how could you possibly run back to the Xue family? The Xue family put so much effort into getting you in, and now you've been treated like this before you've even slept with the prince. You're going to be a widow for the rest of your life. How pitiful."

This hit Xue Wuyang's sore spot, and the already desperate Xue Wuyang was so angry that she completely lost her mind and slapped him backhanded.

But Wei Qingqing was quite skilled. She turned her head and grabbed her wrist, then tossed her to the ground with a smooth motion. She stood up and snorted condescendingly, "Hit me? You're not qualified now. We'll be worlds apart in the future. A concubine with children is much different from one without a partner."

As if it was not enough, Wei Qingqing simply raised her foot and stepped over Xue Wuyang.

Xue Wuyang's face turned red due to her humiliation. She stood up and was about to grab her, panting. The maid beside her hurriedly hugged her and said something. She suddenly lost her temper. She turned around and looked at Xia Zheng's belly. Her eyes turned red with jealousy. She flicked her sleeves and rushed out angrily.

Aunt Huan, who was completely out of the matter, nodded and said goodbye to Xia Zheng and Chun Zhi before leaving. Xia Zheng still kept her head down and walked out the door with the support of Chun Zhi.

"Tell me, is the prince really dead? Or am I still asleep? Pinch me quickly." Chunzhi had not yet fully recovered from the shock, and even suspected that she was dreaming. She pulled Xia Zheng's hand and was about to put it on her face.

Xia Zheng pulled her hand back and said solemnly, "Maybe, he's really dead."