Chapter 249: One’s Poison, Another’s Honey

Chapter 249: One Man's Arsenic, Another's Honey

The next morning, at the break of dawn.

Xiao Lingchuan, with a warm, fragrant beauty in his arms, was enjoying this rare leisure without having to attend the morning court, when a servant's trembling voice came from outside the bedchamber.

"Your Highness, Concubine Cui... is outside seeking an audience, saying she must offer you tea as per tradition."

Jiang Shuning opened her eyes in Xiao Lingchuan's arms, her gaze clear and lucid.

The Cui concubine... must be Prince Ning Xiao Huaijin's cousin. Xiao Huaijin must be feeling pretty bad to have his own cousin sent by the Cui family into the dragon’s den of Prince Jing's Mansion, don't you think?

"I won't see her!" Xiao Lingchuan's brow furrowed instantly, his tone impatient. "Tell her to get lost!"

"But... Concubine Cui says this is a matter of propriety, which cannot be abandoned under any circumstances..."

Seeing Xiao Lingchuan about to lose his temper, Jiang Shuning gently tugged at his sleeve and spoke softly, "Your Highness, it's better to see her."

Xiao Lingchuan abruptly lowered his head to look at her, his expression instantly darkening, his words laced with strong jealousy: "What, is my princess speaking for her? Because she's from the Cui family?"

Jiang Shuning lowered her eyelashes, her voice tinged with a perfectly measured tone of sadness and self-deprecation: "Of course not. I was just... thinking of my past life."

She lifted her eyes to meet his probing gaze, a bitter smile curling at her lips. "As a woman, I know what it's like to be rejected by one's husband and ignored by all. She is a noble lady from a prestigious family, and she has already suffered such humiliation yesterday... I just don't want to see another person end up like me."

These words, like a gentle barb, pierced precisely into the most guilt-ridden part of Xiao Lingchuan's heart.

The raging fire and suspicion in his chest were instantly doused by a bucket of ice water, leaving only heartache.

He reached out to caress her cheek, his voice hoarse: "Alright, I'll listen to you. As long as they know their place, I will give them the respect they deserve."

With that, he rose to change his clothes.

Jiang Shuning also sat up, but he placed a hand on her shoulder and said gently, "It's cold. Get a bit more sleep."

"Since I can't sleep anyway," she smiled as she got up to straighten his collar, casually saying, "I might as well go check on my plants."

"Are those things more important than me?" Xiao Lingchuan was annoyed again.

"Has Your Highness forgotten the mutton soup from yesterday?" Jiang Shuning blinked. "I used the leaves from one of those potted plants to de-game and freshened up the mutton soup. The plants I grow aren't ordinary ones—they can be used as medicine or in cooking. They're extremely rare and valuable."

Hearing this, Xiao Lingchuan's expression completely softened. He planted a kiss on her forehead: "Go ahead. Put on your cloak and make sure you don't catch a cold."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Xiao Lingchuan did not notice that after he turned and left, the smile on Jiang Shuning's lips slowly faded.

Her gaze fell on the potted green plants outside the window, covered in snow, and her gaze grew deep and unreadable.

Soon.

The remedy that would allow her to be completely "liberated" was almost ready.

When Xiao Lingchuan entered the main hall, Cui Zhilan was sitting there, serene and composed.

She was dressed in a simple, elegant long gown today, but her brows carried the cool, aloof demeanor of a noble lady from a prestigious family.

As he entered, she rose and performed a perfect Wanfu curtsy, her movements flawless.

Xiao Lingchuan's gaze swept across the empty hall before landing on her. A cold curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Concubine Cui is certainly more courteous than others."

"Your Highness flatters me. This is your concubine's duty." Cui Zhilan deliberately ignored the sarcasm and, with a humble demeanor, took the hot tea offered by a servant and personally presented it to him.

Xiao Lingchuan took it impassively and drank it in one gulp, then set the empty cup heavily on the table with a crisp clink.

"The tea is done. You may leave. There's no need to come again."

He turned and walked away without any hesitation.

But Cui Zhilan spoke behind him, her tone carrying a carefully measured tone of anticipation:

"Your Highness, I am new here. Might I be allowed to walk around the main courtyard? It would help me familiarize myself with the environment and avoid overstepping boundaries in the future."

Xiao Lingchuan was about to refuse when hurried, chaotic footsteps came from outside the door.

Huo Xianyue, Wang Bishan, and Zhao Ruowan strode in, their faces twisted with anger.

When their eyes fell on Cui Zhilan, their gazes nearly flayed her alive.

This bitch had dared to meet the prince behind their backs!

"Your concubines pay respects to Your Highness!" The three forced themselves to bow, but their eyes fixed on the tea tray held by a nearby maid, their intentions all too clear. Since Cui Zhilan had offered tea, they naturally had to follow suit!

Xiao Lingchuan's already gloomy face turned to frost.

"No need for formalities. All of you, withdraw!"

Seeing him dismiss them, Wang Bishan couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, you have accepted Concubine Cui's tea. If you do not accept ours, wouldn't that show favoritism and be unfair?"

"Fair?" Xiao Lingchuan laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke. He took a step forward, and the oppressive aura emanating from him made the three women instinctively flinch. "In my mansion, you dare to ask me for fairness?! What, do I look like the kind of person who gives it?"

The three were left speechless, their faces flushed red.

As the atmosphere grew tense, Cui Zhilan stepped forward gently to smooth things over: "Your Highness, please calm down. The three sisters only wish to show their respect to you; they meant no harm. Since we are all here today, why not let your concubine and the sisters take a walk around the courtyard together?"

At these words, Huo Xianyue and the others, though reluctant, had no better face-saving option and quickly echoed in agreement.

In an instant, the four women, each harboring their own schemes, linked arms as if they were bosom buddies, and sashayed elegantly into the courtyard.

Ling Feng watched this scene and said in a worried murmur, "Your Highness, the princess is currently in the main courtyard... If they run into her, it might be troublesome."

"They are bound to meet sooner or later. What harm is there in meeting now?" Xiao Lingchuan's gaze lingered on Cui Zhilan's receding figure, his eyes dark and inscrutable.

"The person Xiao Huaijin sent indeed has far more cunning than the others."

As soon as the four women left Xiao Lingchuan's sight, their façade crumbled instantly.

Huo Xianyue stopped abruptly and was the first to strike.

She stared at Cui Zhilan with icy eyes, her words dripping with undisguised sarcasm: "Yesterday you looked like someone above the fray—turns out it was all an act! Cui Zhilan, your scheming goes deeper than ours! But don't forget, the prince has always been at odds with Prince Ning. As Prince Ning's cousin, you are the one least likely to win the prince's favor!"

Facing this wave of hostility, Cui Zhilan merely gave a faint smile. In the cold winter air, that smile looked especially serene.

"Now that we are all in Prince Jing's Mansion, who among us doesn't want to catch the prince's eye? This is a matter of each one's own skill. There's nothing to argue about."

Her nonchalant demeanor only further infuriated the other three.

Their faces livid with rage, Wang Bishan couldn't help but spit out, "Overestimating yourself!"

"Let's just wait and see," Cui Zhilan said, her gaze slowly sweeping over them, her tone still calm.

"We'll see who among us can first gain a foothold in Prince Jing's mansion."

"Fine, let's compete then!"

"Do you think we're afraid of you?"

"Don't think we don't know—you're just an unloved legitimate eldest daughter. Now that your father only dotes on the second legitimate daughter born to his second wife, he shoved you into this Prince Jing's mansion! Your Cui family never intended to help Prince Jing at all! Someone like you, how dare you compete with us?"

The women's quarrel was sharp and shrill. They exchanged verbal blows as if no one else were present, every word dripping with calculation and bitterness.

Every single word drifted intact into the ears of Jiang Shuning, who was hiding behind a rockery not far away.

She pulled her cloak tighter around her, finding it absurd.

This cage she had been avoiding and plotting day and night to escape from was actually a land of wealth and honor that others were desperately trying to squeeze into, hoping to carve out a place for themselves.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

She let out a silent sigh and turned to leave quietly, when suddenly a sharp, interrogative voice rang out behind her. "Stop! Who are you?"