Chapter 172

Later on, he went to the Bo mansion in the middle of the night and saw the words she had written down.

He had thought she was just pretending to be clumsy...

But now it seems that it wasn't her deliberately pretending to be clumsy... but that she was full of secrets.

Zhao Changdu's features were profound, as deep as the sea, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Su He tasted a mouthful of the food from the small kitchen at Changfeng Pavilion. It was delicious indeed. He picked up his chopsticks and ate heartily, saying as he ate, "Well, Jiang Yin is not very settled nowadays. He has secretly met with Prince Shu."

"Oh?"

"Brother Du, you need to be wary of him. That guy Jiang Yin... is a bit strange."

"What's strange about him?"

Su He swallowed a piece of fish and pondered for a moment. "Ever since your grand wedding, he's been a little weird, especially after something happened recently. The banquet at the palace is coming up soon, isn't it? The young lady from the Ning family, the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, has come back from her hometown Yueyang. On the way, she met with an accident and happened to be saved by Prince Shu."

Zhao Changdu knitted his brows. "Happened to?"

"Yes, the coincidence lies in this 'happened to'." Su He said solemnly, "Prince Shu was under house arrest by His Majesty for a period of time earlier. Later, it was Concubine Wan who pleaded on his behalf before His Majesty lifted Prince Shu's house arrest. Since then, Prince Shu had been quite well-behaved, neither going out nor causing trouble, just staying in his manor to read every day. However, on the day when the Ning girl had her accident, Prince Shu inexplicably appeared on the official road outside the city and happened to save Miss Ning. I also heard that at that time, Miss Ning's carriage overturned and she almost fell off a cliff. It was Prince Shu who carried her up in front of everyone."

He emphasized the word "carry", implying deeper meaning that made one ponder.

Miss Ning Ning from the household of the Minister of Personnel was the future daughter-in-law that the Empress in the inner palace had long ago taken a liking to. Behind the Ning family was the powerful Ning clan, a century-old prominent family.

The struggle in the Eastern Palace was also manifested in marriages.

However, the Ning family did not look favorably on Prince Shu, and was more inclined towards Prince Duan. Therefore, Miss Ning's marriage had always been up in the air.

But if this incident occurred, I'm afraid the current Minister of Personnel's household would be in turmoil.

Zhao Changdu's expression was stern. "Did Prince Shu deliberately make his move?" Su He held up a finger, his eyes slanted sharply, also revealing some gloom in them. "The strangest thing is that it wasn't."

"It was after Jiang Yin met with Prince Shu that Prince Shu made such a move. He was also present at the scene that day."

The undercurrents were surging in Zhao Changdu's eyes. He felt that things were becoming more and more confusing.

Although confusing, it seemed to have intricate connections with his little wife.

Ah Rong's hatred for Jiang Yin had reached an extreme extent. So was that hatred really just because she confessed her feelings to him and he slapped her in the face?

After finishing the meal, Su He supported his belly, fully satisfied. "Jiang Yin knew about the snow disaster in Yueyang even earlier than I did. Brother Du, could Jiang Yin really foretell the future?"

Zhao Changdu raised the teacup, his gaze sinking. "Across the entire Dong Li, whose information could be faster than your Fuyun Building."

Su He raised his brows arrogantly. "That's true."

And that was exactly why Jiang Yin was becoming more and more inscrutable.

...

Dinner with Su He lasted until dusk.

As dusk fell, Zhao Changdu sent Su He back and the courtyard was empty again, the former feeling of loneliness and bleakness permeating once more.

There was a flash of gloom in the man's eyes as he forcefully suppressed his emotions, his heart turning colder by a few degrees.

Just as he was about to snap at the servants, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

He turned to look and saw his Ah Rong and several maids returning from outside.

Somehow, when he didn't see the little girl, his heart felt empty, as if there was nothing to anchor it.

But as soon as he saw her, it felt like something gently knocked against his heart, instantly filling it up.

He strode over and pulled her into his embrace, pressing down the restlessness in his heart. His voice low and hoarse, "Where did you go?"

The servants attending at Changfeng Pavilion were long used to their young master's unrestrained doting on his wife. Still, the heir's open affection made them blush.

Gu Ying clasped her small hands around the man's sturdy waist, feeling his broad physique enveloping her almost like a mountain. A strange feeling arose in her heart.

She hesitated for a moment before smiling and saying, "Mother sent someone to call me out to see a guest."

The flurries of light snow outside and the cold wind prompted Zhao Changdu to simply carry her into the room.

Displeasure clouded the heir's face and his eyes were icy cold, seemingly unhappy.

Yin Lan and the others hurried to add more coal to the fire, fearing they might have displeased the young master in some way. The warmth enveloped the room. Gu Ying hooked the man's long neck, the faint smell of wine on him teasing her nose.

She raised her eyes slightly to meet his deep, pitch-black pupils. She thought to herself, how could there be such a handsome man? Every part of his face and body was perfectly to her liking.

People get drunk by themselves even without the help of wine. She stared at him unblinkingly, losing herself in the abyss of his eyes. Her body also softened involuntarily.

Zhao Changdu lowered his eyes to hold her gaze, then casually pressed her onto the bed. His large hand stroked a few strands of black hair that slipped from her temples, his voice turning hoarse and murky.

His fingers slid down her cheek and further down. "Who did you meet?"

Gu Ying's chest heaved up and down, her breathing somewhat chaotic. "I met the Huo family's people."

The man kissed her jawline, pressed against her neck. "The Huo family?"

Gu Ying closed her eyes. His soft yet cool lips blocked hers, making it extremely difficult for her to breathe. "Mm... it was my auntie and Miss Huo Qiyan who came."

Zhao Changdu's gaze chilled slightly. His actions halted briefly. "What did they come to do?"

Gu Ying took a deep breath, heat still steaming on her flushed cheeks. She sat up and tidied her loosened clothes. "Nothing much. After all, it was the first time they saw me after the grand wedding. They said they came to see how I was and also, Huo Qiyan wants to enter the household to serve the heir..."

Zhao Changdu's expression instantly turned ugly. "Preposterous!"

Seeing the woman didn't speak,

He turned back and sank his gaze at the figure leaning against the pillow. "Did you agree?"

Gu Ying pursed her lips. "I figured the heir is a precious treasure, so naturally he would need three wives and four concubines."

Zhao Changdu let out a cold laugh. "Oh? You're quite thoughtful about me."

Gu Ying didn't detect the sarcasm in the man's tone. In her previous life, she had been irritated beyond measure because of Jiang Yin's concubines and made herself ill over it, eventually even incurring Jiang Yin's disgust.

In her perspective, which son of privilege and power in Bianjing didn't have three wives and four concubines?

She didn't marry into this household for love in the first place. As his principal wife, what she ought to do was not only managing the affairs and property accounts of the back residence, but also find ways to bring in beautiful concubines for the heir and propagate offspring for the Duke's residence

Wasn't she already magnanimous enough as his wife?

What else could he be unsatisfied about?

The man sneered. His big hand gripped her chin, staring straight into her clear eyes, hating so much that his teeth itched. "I have no need for women, do you know that?"

"Huh?" Gu Ying was astonished.

With the heir's stamina, he had no need for women?