Eavesdropping on Fu Bao's inner thoughts, emptying the stored grain and fleeing the famine

When she saw her father and second brother again several months later, Lian Rongrong looked like a child who had been wronged and returned home.

If this happened on a normal day, Lian Rongrong would definitely have given him a look of disgust and replied, "Who misses you?"

But today, Lian Rongrong nodded with red eyes and a pitiful expression.

Seeing his younger sister looking like she was about to cry, Lian Yicheng felt bad.

He stepped forward, gently hugged Lian Rongrong, and softly comforted her:

"My dear sister, you must have suffered. It's alright, your second brother is back."

Lian Yicheng's embrace, coupled with his sudden, melodramatic tenderness, immediately brought tears to Lian Rongrong's eyes.

I meant to comfort my sister, but I ended up making her cry instead.

Lian Yicheng, feeling both sorry for and amused, reached out and wiped away Lian Rongrong's tears, saying affectionately:

"How old are you? Still crying?"

Just as Lian Rongrong was about to speak, she suddenly heard the androgynous eunuch upstairs shout at the top of his lungs:

"What's going on? Where are the servants? Why haven't they brought the food yet?"

Upon hearing this, Lian Rongrong immediately said to Lian Jinghuai and Lian Yicheng, "Father, Second Brother, please wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

Lian Rongrong turned to go upstairs, but Lian Yicheng grabbed her arm.

"What's wrong, Second Brother?"

"Little sister, do you know who that woman upstairs is?" Lian Yicheng's expression suddenly turned serious.

Seeing Lian Yicheng's appearance, Lian Rongrong had already roughly guessed that her second brother knew about Princess Zhaoyang's identity.

Or perhaps, Father and Second Brother came here today because they came with Zhaoyang and the others?

This seems to make sense, since the father and brother came to the capital to find the Crown Prince, and as a hostage, he must have some connection with the royal family.

"I know who that important person is. Did Father and Second Brother come here with them to find me today?"

"As expected of my sister, she's really smart." Lian Yicheng said with a proud look on his face.

"What are Father and Brother doing with them? Is it related to His Highness's matter?"

After Lian Rongrong asked this question, she noticed that both Lian Jinghuai and Lian Yicheng's expressions changed slightly.

"It seems you don't know yet." Lian Yicheng's brows furrowed with worry.

"Don't know what?" Lian Rongrong asked.

"You should have seen the person who went in with Zhaoyang just now, right?"

Lian Rongrong knew, of course, who her second brother was referring to. She didn't answer, but simply nodded slightly.

"Rongrong, Qi Yuan is the eldest prince, Li Yuanqi!"

"Second Brother, what did you say?" Lian Rongrong was shocked; this was indeed an outcome she hadn't expected.

"Isn't Qi Yuan... the imperial son-in-law?" Lian Rongrong asked somewhat awkwardly the question that had been weighing on her mind.

Lian Yicheng smiled and shook his head, replying, "No. At least not yet."

Although the Crown Prince is a hostage, he is still the legitimate eldest son of the Great Sheng Emperor. Even if he marries into the Shang Kingdom, it is a matter of state, and it is not something that the Shang Kingdom can decide on its own.

However, during my time in Kyoto, I heard quite a few stories about their romantic escapades.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, at least one thing Second Brother is certain of: this Zhaoyang is deeply in love with His Highness.

They've become somewhat obsessed. If Zhaoyang hadn't been guarding the Crown Prince every step of the way, my father and I wouldn't have been delayed here for so long.

"Never leaving his side? But he just went to Wuliang City a few days ago!"

"That's because of the crackdown on corruption and the famine relief efforts. We originally intended to take the opportunity to bring the eldest prince back."

Who knew I'd be mistaken for an assassin by his bodyguards? If it weren't for your second brother's quick thinking, you probably wouldn't be seeing me again.

What? You met him in Wuliang City?

Lian Rongrong nodded, and was about to say something more when a urging voice came from upstairs.

"Second brother, I'll go over first. You guys sit over there for a while, and we'll go home together in a bit."

After Lian Rongrong finished speaking, she carried the tray upstairs.

Outside the private room on the second floor, Lian Rongrong heard Zhao Yang's complaints even before she entered.

"It's all Father's fault. He insists that I not reveal my identity when I go out. Brother Qi, look at these shabby clothes. Don't they make me look ugly?"

"How could that be? Zhaoyang is naturally beautiful; she looks good in anything."

Li Yuanqi's voice came from inside the house. Hearing Li Yuanqi's praise of Zhaoyang, Lian Rongrong felt a slight pain in her heart.

But soon, Lian Rongrong composed herself, knocked on the door, and went inside.

"Why are you so slow?" Hu Fu asked Lian Rongrong, glancing sideways at her.

Lian Rongrong gave a slight bow, then looked at Zhao Yang and explained, "This young lady has an extraordinary air about her, so our shop naturally has to offer the best of everything."

If they were ordinary items, they probably wouldn't catch the young lady's eye. These are all the shop's signature items, which is why it took some time."

As Lian Rongrong spoke, she placed a cup of milk tea in front of Zhao Yang.

"Miss, this is our shop's signature milk tea. Would you like to try it and see if it suits your taste?"

Lian Rongrong maintained a professional smile throughout, and Zhao Yang was somewhat satisfied with her humble attitude.

Zhao Yang picked up the milk tea, held it to her nose, and smelled it. "It smells pretty good."

"I'm glad you like it, Miss," Lian Rongrong replied.

Zhao Yang took a sip, the milky aroma spreading in her mouth. She widened her eyes in surprise and looked at Li Yuanqi.

"Brother Qi, it's really delicious and sweet. You should try some."

Zhao Yang handed her cup to Li Yuanqi; it still had her lipstick mark on it.

Li Yuanqi frowned slightly upon seeing this, and then said somewhat distantly, "I don't like sweets."

Zhao Yang was a little disappointed, but still took the cup back. "Oh, I forgot."

Zhao Yang looked up at Lian Rongrong and asked, "Do you have anything that isn't sweet?"

Lian Rongrong smiled slightly and replied, "Of course."

Lian Rongrong picked up the black coffee on the tray and placed it in front of Li Yuanqi. "Young master, this coffee isn't sweet. You can try it."

Li Yuanqi glanced at Lian Rongrong, and the moment their eyes met, Lian Rongrong felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

This is the man who just gained her trust a little over ten days ago, yet now he's by the side of the Princess of Shang Kingdom.

Both were preoccupied with their own thoughts, and although they tried their best to restrain themselves, their eyes still darted away.

Although it was just a fleeting moment, Zhao Yang still managed to capture it keenly.

“You…” A smile appeared on Zhao Yang’s lips, but those who knew her knew that whenever Zhao Yang smiled with her eyes narrowed, it meant that a storm was about to break.

"Why are you looking at him?" Zhao Yang put down his milk tea, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Lian Rongrong.

Lian Rongrong calmly turned to face Zhao Yang and replied in a peaceful tone:

"Miss, I was just handing the coffee to the young master."

"Just handing out coffee?" Zhao Yang slowly stood up and walked step by step to Lian Rongrong.

All the servants in the room lowered their heads, trembling and silent.

Everyone was thinking the same thing: the maid who had been suspected by the princess of peeping at the prince consort had her eyes gouged out and thrown into a mass grave. This female boss, it seemed, wouldn't escape unscathed today either.