Chapter 42 Which Prince Has Caught Your Fancy?

Chapter 42: Which Prince Are You Interested In?

Jiang Shuning received the letter delivered by Ling Feng just as she was about to sleep.

Ling Wu told her that late at night, a man in black had silently tossed the letter onto the roof where she was patrolling.

Jiang Shuning took the letter and unfolded it. A familiar hand came into view—it was Xiao Lingchuan's script.

Having been married to him for ten years in her previous life, she was all too familiar with this vigorous and forceful calligraphy.

The letter was concise, simply stating that she must come to Jinghe Palace tomorrow for an important discussion.

What urgent matter required sending a letter in the dead of night?

Jiang Shuning felt puzzled and even a bit uneasy.

The next day, she arrived at Jinghe Palace as agreed.

As soon as she stepped through the palace gate, the black leopard swished its tail and approached, affectionately rubbing against the hem of her skirt.

Jiang Shuning crouched down, gently stroking its head, a smile unconsciously tugging at the corner of her lips.

In her previous life, she had gone to great lengths to please Xiao Lingchuan's beloved pet.

Unexpectedly, in this life, without her doing anything, this little creature had taken the initiative to be close to her.

It seems that genuine affection requires no effort at all.

Familiar footsteps sounded behind her. She looked up to see Xiao Lingchuan approaching slowly.

He was dressed in brocade robes, his appearance strikingly handsome, yet a touch of aloofness lingered between his brows.

"Your humble servant pays her respects to the Fourth Prince," Jiang Shuning stood up, her tone polite yet distant.

Xiao Lingchuan's gaze lingered on her for a moment, his voice indifferent: "Why didn't you bring anything?"

Jiang Shuning was taken aback.

Only then did she remember that every time she came to Jinghe Palace, she would always bring some pastries or soup for Xiao Lingchuan.

Sometimes it was out of reluctant necessity, other times when he was injured and she came to visit, she couldn't very well come empty-handed.

But deep down, she was resistant to it.

In her previous life, he had already eaten too many things she had personally made. In this life, she wanted to save her culinary skills for someone more deserving.

Of course, she would never let Xiao Lingchuan know these thoughts.

She lowered her head, appearing meek and obedient: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I came in a hurry and forgot..."

"No matter. The kitchen has almond flour and cheese. Making an almond cheese cake is more than sufficient."

Jiang Shuning was startled and blurted out: "Your Highness, isn't that improper?"

"Oh?" Xiao Lingchuan raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Do tell, what exactly is improper about it?"

Jiang Shuning was at a loss for words.

With him putting it that way, if she refused further, it would only make her seem unreasonable.

She still needed to rely on him to avenge her elder brother. Forget him wanting almond cakes now; even if he wanted a full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, she would have to find a way to make it for him.

Thinking this, she could only brace herself and follow him to the kitchen.

The kitchen in Jinghe Palace was spacious and bright, twice as large as the one in the Prime Minister's residence.

Recently renovated, the utensils were clean and tidy. Sunlight streamed in through the window, adding a touch of warmth.

It was remarkably similar to the kitchen in the former Prince Jing's residence.

Standing before the worktable, Jiang Shuning felt a surge of complex emotions.

In her previous life, after marrying Xiao Lingchuan, aside from the bedchamber, the kitchen was where she spent most of her time.

She had once firmly believed that "to capture a man's heart, you must first capture his stomach." To that end, she devoted herself to studying culinary arts, and indeed managed to make the picky Xiao Lingchuan favor her cooking above all others.

But what did it matter?

She had captured his stomach, but she had never managed to touch his heart.

At this thought, a wave of bitterness welled up in her heart.

If he had liked her, she wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths to please him. It was a pity she only understood this truth now.

In less than half an hour, the fragrant almond cheese cake was ready, golden in color and mouthwatering.

Just as she was about to leave the kitchen, she caught sight of a palace servant about to sprinkle chopped scallions into a pot of boiling meat porridge. Instinctively, she spoke up: "Don't add scallions. Your master dislikes the taste of scallions."

Xiao Lingchuan had always been particular, disliking pungent seasonings like scallions, ginger, and garlic, and detesting spicy flavors most of all.

The palace servant was momentarily stunned, then quickly thanked her: "Thank you for the reminder, Miss Jiang!"

Actually, the moment the words left her mouth, Jiang Shuning regretted it.

How would others perceive an unmarried young lady being so intimately aware of the Fourth Prince's preferences?

She lowered her eyelids, concealing the chagrin in her eyes, and silently brought the almond cheese cake to Xiao Lingchuan.

Xiao Lingchuan sat at the table, leisurely tasting the almond cake she had made, occasionally taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

He was truly good-looking. Even just sitting quietly and eating, his appearance was a delight to behold.

Jiang Shuning faintly sensed he was in a good mood.

He rarely showed his emotions, but now the corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, his expression gentle—this was the look he had when he was pleased.

Was there something worth being happy about?

A thought crossed Jiang Shuning's mind, recalling recent palace rumors: the military power of the Third Prince's maternal uncle, the Duke of State Stabilization, had been taken back by the Emperor.

Although there was no explicit decree stating so, this matter was undoubtedly connected to the Emperor's assassination attempt during the recent hunting expedition.

With the Third Prince's maternal clan's influence weakened, no wonder Xiao Lingchuan was so pleased.

After roughly the time it took to drink three cups of tea, she finally couldn't hold back and asked directly: "Your Highness, what matter did you summon me for today?"

Xiao Lingchuan sipped his tea, not even lifting his eyelids, and asked indifferently: "Has the Prime Minister's residence had any guests recently?"

Jiang Shuning's heart skipped a beat—sure enough, nothing could escape his notice.

"Yes, after my elder brother passed away, my second and third uncles brought their families to the Prime Minister's estate, hoping to have their sons adopted by my father." She paused briefly before continuing, "Now, Father has made a preliminary decision to choose the only son of the third branch as the heir."

"Choosing the third branch's only son—was that your idea or your father's?" Xiao Lingchuan set down his teacup and looked up at her.

"It was my idea," Jiang Shuning replied. "My parents originally favored the eldest son of the second branch because he resembled my elder brother. But I remember from my past life that he was a gambler. If the estate fell into his hands, it would eventually be ruined. That's why I advised Father to choose the third branch's only son."

Jiang Shuning suddenly realized how straightforward it was to communicate with someone who had also been reborn.

All she needed to do was share what she knew from her past life and clarify the pros and cons for this one. There was no need for the difficult explanations required when speaking to others.

Xiao Lingchuan nodded. "No wonder he arranged for people to deliberately block your carriage on the street yesterday."

Jiang Shuning's eyebrows shot up. "Were those troublemakers sent by my second cousin?"

"Yes. Fortunately, you were cautious yesterday and didn't step out of the carriage. Otherwise, they would have torn your clothes and ruined your reputation."

These words felt like a bucket of cold water poured over her, sending a chill down Jiang Shuning's spine.

She had merely suggested that her father choose a different heir, dashing Jiang Tianci's hopes. Yet he had resorted to such malicious means to retaliate against her!

But—

Jiang Tianci was simple-minded and a man. He couldn't have devised such a cunning scheme that required so little effort on his part.

Recalling how Jiang Yaozhen had waited at the entrance of the estate last night, as if waiting for a show, Jiang Shuning understood.

It seemed her younger sister was the one scheming behind the scenes.

Noticing her changed expression, Xiao Lingchuan asked, "Have you thought of something?"

"No, I'm just a bit surprised. He is my cousin. Although we didn't grow up together, we are still bound by blood. I never expected him to harm me."

Of course, Jiang Shuning couldn't mention Jiang Yaozhen. If she directly voiced her suspicions to Xiao Lingchuan, he would likely think she was maliciously slandering her.

Jiang Yaozhen was his beloved. She couldn't take that risk.

Xiao Lingchuan idly held his teacup, his tone indifferent. "You've crossed his interests. Not only would he scheme against you, but he would even take your life if necessary."

Jiang Shuning was left speechless.

She suddenly realized that Xiao Lingchuan, as a prince, was the one who had truly witnessed the coldness of familial bonds.

In their struggle for the throne, they had all, to some extent, shed the blood of their closest kin.

Compared to him, being schemed against by a distant cousin didn't seem like something worth being so distressed about.

"Your Highness is right."

Xiao Lingchuan set down his teacup, his gaze sharp as a blade, slowly settling on her. "Jiang Tianci cannot be left alive."

Jiang Shuning was startled and looked up at him. "Your Highness..."

"Yesterday, he failed. Next time, he'll go even further and continue plotting to ruin your reputation." Xiao Lingchuan's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable chill. "Or are you willing to have your reputation destroyed and lose all hope of marrying into the imperial family?"

A jolt of fear shot through Jiang Shuning.

In Daye, a woman's reputation was everything.

The Fifth Prince and his mother might not care about her family background, but they would never accept a woman with a tarnished reputation as a consort.

Jiang Shuning's fingertips tightened slightly. She took a deep breath and tentatively asked, "Does Your Highness have a way to help me eliminate this threat?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingchuan gently rubbed the rim of his teacup with his slender fingers, an inscrutable smile curling at the corner of his lips.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over her face for a moment before he spoke with a hint of amusement, "It seems you are determined to marry into the imperial family. Tell me, which prince have you set your sights on now?"

The Jinghe Palace was as warm as spring, the heated floors making one drowsy. Yet Jiang Shuning inexplicably felt a chill run down her back, as if she were being watched by some predator, leaving her uneasy and alarmed.