Zhou Zhicheng raised his head and saw the woman. He put down the account book with a smile.
"Princess... It’s you!"
Princess Huizhen entered the room, followed by her maid, Cuilian.
Princess Huizhen fell in love with Zhou Zhicheng, but the emperor disapproved of their marriage. For one thing, he had an official wife, and for the other, the Zhou family was not rich.
Zhou Zhicheng was so handsome that Princess Huizhen fell in love with him at first sight. But the emperor looked down on him, and he did not consent to the marriage. Even though Zhou Zhicheng's wife, Rong Qiyue, had been killed by thieves, the emperor did not change his mind.
"Zhicheng, I have good news for you!" Huizhen said with a smile. Zhou Zhicheng helped her to sit down. The two of them had been together for a long time and they simply ignored the moral rules between men and women.
Cuilian lowered her eyes, not daring to look at them.
"What good news? Princess Huizhen, it’s my fault. I can't get the emperor to change his prejudice. I wasted your youth…" With a guilty look, he gently pulled up her soft hands and held them firmly.
Feeling his tenderness, Huizhen giggled, "You haven't been out for a while, have you? Do you know that Hua Qiyue is going to adopt a son? You’d better send your mute son to the Hua's Mansion. If he was adopted, you would become a relative of the Hua family. Maybe the emperor will agree to our marriage! "
Zhou Zhicheng's eyes lit up, but then his face darkened. After Rong Qiyue died, his son, Tianci, was poisoned by Princess Huizhen. He became a mute and led a miserable life. If other people saw the child, they would say that he had abused his son.
More importantly, Zhou Zhicheng wanted Tianci to stay. He was the son of Rong Qiyue and the mystery man. As long as the child was here, there was a chance that man would come back one day.
What a man hated the most was being cuckolded. There were only two wishes in his life. One was to marry Princess Huizhen, and the other was to chop the man who took away Rong Qiyue's virginity into a thousand pieces!
Seeing Zhou Zhicheng's uncertain face, Huizhen angrily shook off his hand. "You don’t want Tianci to go? Hmph, Zhou Zhicheng, I knew it!"
Zhou Zhicheng smiled apologetically, "Princess, you got me wrong. I'd be glad to send that bastard away."
"Look at you! Call me Huizhen. Don’t call me princess. In private, we can try to be more agreeable." Princess Huizhen laughed. Seeing that Zhou Zhicheng was trying to defend himself, she could not help but feel sweet.
"Yes! I’ll do as you said! I just want to keep him and wait for the adulterer."
"Zhicheng, if we buy a maid, we will know all the news about him after he becomes the foster son of the Hua family. We will know who is looking for that bastard." Princess Huizhen took a light sip of tea.
Zhou Zhicheng patted his head, "How stupid I am! I didn’t think of that. Fine, I will have his wet nurse bring him to sign up for the selection."
Princess Huizhen nodded with satisfaction. Her Mr. Right would not be a talented man, but a handsome, considerate, and obedient man like Zhou Zhicheng.
Princess Huizhen grew up in the palace; she was arrogant and unruly. Many high-born young masters didn't like her, but Zhou Zhicheng was crazy about her. Huizhen felt she was respected and loved by Zhou Zhicheng, so she did not hesitate to kill Rong Qiyue to get him.
She was the princess of this country and could marry whoever she wanted. But it would be difficult for her to find someone who would treat her with sincerity.
Zhou Zhicheng told the butler to go home. The butler ordered the wet nurse to take Tianci to sign up for the selection. Of course, she had to cover up the wounds on his body. If he had been selected, they would say that a vicious maidservant had abused him.
Zhou Zhicheng prayed that Hua Qiyue would choose his son. In that case, they would become relatives, and it would be much easier for him to get the princess.
"Pa!" Hua Qiyue slapped a stack of letters on the desk and startled Youshui and the servants next to her.She’d received a letter telling her everything about Tianci. His mother, Rong Qiyue, had been killed by some thieves in her room, and Tianci had been poisoned, rendered mute, and abused by a maid.She never thought that just a few days after her death, the ferocious Princess Huizhen would cruelly mutilate Tianci! Hua Qiyue's eyes were ablaze. Lvxin remained silent, not daring to say a word."Wang... thank you. " Hua Qiyue's voice was a little husky. She had been entering the green jade gourd to cultivate the Qi Art these past few nights. She practiced so hard that even Tianpi, the handsome man, was surprised.She had to be strong to protect her son and avenge her parents."Miss..." Lvxin called her softly. Hua Qiyue came back to her senses and the anger in her eyes was replaced by calmness."The thieve
“It should be. I hadn't been to her courtyard for a long time. But the seeds were planted the day before yesterday, how could it grow so quickly? " Butler Wang asked.Hua Mengshi had made some achievements in Qi Arts, and she was now at the second level, the Soaring Cloud. She should know more than the Second Concubine.But Hua Mengshi also shook her head, "I don't know what the herb is. Let him do as she said… we need more information before we act. "The Second Concubine agreed with her daughter and told the butler to sell the herb.The more Butler Wang thought about it, the more confused he got. Why did the Miss want him to sell the herb for her? Of course, it was not proper for a young lady to go out and do such things.When it was done, Butler Wang handed over a bank note for fifteen thousand taels of silver to Hua Qiyue. The two servants were shocked! Hua Qiyue only glanced at Butler Wang indifferently and did no
Hua Qiyue's voice turned a little nasally, as though she was about to burst into tears. Lvxin and the others assumed that she was just too overwhelmed with pity for the child due to her kind nature."Quick, call her ‘Mother,’" Youshui said gently as she patted Tianci's shoulder. However, the child was so terrified, he reacted like a surprised rabbit. He shot a terrified glance at Hua Qiyue, and then hid behind Youshui.Hua Qiyue's heart sank.Youshui heaved a soft sigh and said, "After all the suffering this child has been through, he has naturally developed a fear of strangers. You must be patient."Hua Qiyue nodded and slowly approached the child. Each step she took felt extremely heavy, as though she bore the weight of the heavens on her shoulders and in her heart.She approached him and took Tianci's hand in hers. Frightened, the child struggled with all his might but she refused to let go of his hand.
Soon, Lvxin arranged for someone to send lunch over and there were fruits, fish, congee as well as a wide variety of food.Tianci's eyes lit up when he saw the impressive spread laid out in front of him. He had been fed dog food or worse over the past four days.He looked up at Hua Qiyue, as though waiting for permission.Hua Qiyue stroked his head tenderly and said, "Go ahead, son. But you mustn't be too anxious… if you eat too quickly, you’ll make yourself sick, understand?"Tianci was delighted. He had not known Hua Qiyue for a long time but the tenderness in her eyes made him feel safe. Then, he started to gulp the food down.Hua Qiyue's heart ached when she looked at him, and Lvxin and Youshui couldn't help but wipe at their eyes.The most important thing right now was for Tianci's throat to be healed, and Tianpi of the Mysterious World was undoubtedly the best person to do that.Hua Qiyu
Tianpi recovered from his laughing fit and could not hold back a smile when he saw Hua Qiyue staring at him. "Why, am I so strikingly handsome that I've taken your breath away?""Taken my breath away?"Hua Qiyue laughed softly and said, "Master, I think you should be a trumpeter.""Why?""Because this is how the phrase, 'Blowing one's trumpet' came about!" Hua Qiyue shot back, and Tianpi was enraged."You wicked girl…""You may choose to beat me or kill me, I don't mind, either way." Hua Qiyue sat down once more and continued to cultivate.Tianpi was left speechless.It was around midnight by the time Hua Qiyue left the jade gourd, and she was surprised to see Tianci sitting quietly on the pallet, looking at her.Hua Qiyue quickly sat up. "Tianci, what are you doing here?"Lvxin said awkwardly, "Miss, young master didn't want to leave with us. I wanted to
Along the way to Prince Nan’s residence, Hua Qiyue heard many people discussing the same topic."I heard that Princess Huizhen has been seen in public together with Zhou Zhicheng. Tsk. I can't believe that haughty princess has fallen for someone as poor as him.""Exactly. The Zhou family are mere commoners. Tsk, it's a miracle that the princess could fall for someone like him.""Ha, Zhou Zhicheng is rather handsome, but it has only been a few days since his wife passed away. This is really indecorous of Princess Huizhen.""Princess Huizhen has always been rude and bratty. Why would she care about what the world thinks of her?""Shh, stop it. Walls have ears."Hua Qiyue held Tianci's hand and her eyes flashed coldly.How dare that cheating couple head out in public together so soon?The child beside her fretted anxiously. He was probably afraid when he heard others mention Princess
Prince Nan looked at her and saw that her eyes were lowered. She looked earnest and sincere and it did not seem like she was putting on an act.Huangfu Xuan's eyes widened in disbelief.This rude girl wasn't here to see him? He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the thought of that."Humph! Hua Qiyue, you must have heard that Prince Nan and I are good friends and that we often meet at his residence to play chess and drink! Was this why you deliberately adopted that—""Your Excellency, I sincerely hope that you would grant my request!" Hua Qiyue repeated, interrupting Huanfu Xuan.Prince Nan's eyes narrowed slightly. He had heard about Hua Qiyue and was surprised to see that she seemed so different from the quiet, insecure woman that the rumors made out her to be.Yun Shimo remained unmoved and said coldly, "Sorry, I'm not going to treat him."Hua Qiyue held up the silk box that con
"You think that just because I have no interest in you, you can throw yourself at Brother Yun?"Huangfu Xuan shouted angrily.The two pharmacy apprentices were shocked. It was improper for men and women to touch each other's hand in passing objects. Yet, this maiden had just flung herself upon their master. They had no idea what to do.Hua Qiyue's body clung to Yun Shimo's. Her perfume drilled into his nose and her hanging hair tickled Yun Shimo's face.He raised his gaze to her face, only to see Hua Qiyue's surprised eyes, as clear as a crystal spring without any lust.Hua Qiyue took a head-on look at Yun Shimo's luminous eyes and jumped up with fear, saying, "I am so sorry. I did not expect... I did not expect... "Huangfu Xuan rushed over and pulled up Yun Shimo, hovering over him like a hen protecting its chicken. "Hua Qiyue, how dare you!"Hua Qiyue was embarrassed — she’d never meant for