Chapter 251: Becoming Her Devoted Follower

Chapter 251: Becoming Her Devoted Follower

As soon as the Secondary Consorts left, Jiang Shuning pulled free from Xiao Lingchuan's grip and headed straight to the backyard.

She had swept the snow away herself long ago, revealing the damp black soil, where several medicinal herbs she had painstakingly sought were shyly putting out tender green shoots.

She crouched down, picked up a small trowel, and began loosening the soil.

Xiao Lingchuan followed behind her, his tone still carrying a hint of self-satisfaction from having just suppressed the others. "Rest assured, with me here, they dare not do anything to you."

Jiang Shuning paused in her movements, a mocking smile flickering across her face. "You're joking, Your Highness. If it weren't for meeting me here today, they wouldn't even have considered how to deal with me. If Your Highness truly wants what's best for me, you should send me away as soon as possible, to avoid unnecessary conflicts with the Secondary Consorts."

"What do you mean?" Xiao Lingchuan's expression darkened. He stepped forward and firmly grasped her wrist. "Are you so eager to leave this place?"

Her wrist ached under his grip, and Jiang Shuning was finally forced to look up, meeting his eyes, which were filled with possessiveness and confusion.

"Your Highness, my current identity is that of a fugitive who cannot be exposed! The higher you elevate me, the more you place me on a blazing fire! Those Secondary Consorts are the rightful mistresses of my mansion. Today, they were forced to bow to me, and the hatred and jealousy they harbor will eventually turn into the deadliest poison aimed at me. If you truly want me to be safe, you should let me remain a silent shadow, not make me the most glaring target in everyone's eyes like this!"

"Absurd!" Xiao Lingchuan was angered by her words, tightening his grip even more. "You are my woman, the future Consort Jing! Those pawns used to pacify the court—how dare they compare themselves to you? Today, this prince will make it clear to everyone who holds the place in my heart in this mansion, someone they dare not offend! If anyone dares to harm you, I will make them wish they were dead!"

His words were filled with domineering authority and bloody warnings.

Seeing him like this, Jiang Shuning gave up trying to persuade him. She stopped struggling, letting him hold her wrist.

He simply didn't understand—the hidden dangers of the inner chambers were never something a man's authority could fend off.

A woman's jealousy was poison laced with honey, a silent blade that could kill you when you least expect it.

His so-called "elevation" today wasn't protecting her; it was painting a giant target on her back, then personally pushing her into the path of every arrow, visible or hidden.

From now on, the four mistresses of this mansion would all regard her as an enemy.

Seeing her remain silent for so long, her silence unnerved Xiao Lingchuan.

He released her wrist, only to see a glaring red mark on her fair skin.

"...Forgive me. I was too rough." His voice grew hoarse, carrying a hint of regret he himself hadn't noticed.

Watching her lose herself in tending the plants, he clumsily tried to make amends. "These... how about I help you?"

"No need!"

The words slipped out almost instinctively, the sharpness in her voice startling even herself.

Realizing her lapse, she quickly lowered her eyes, masking her earlier panic with a deliberately distant calm. "Your Highness's status is noble—how could you soil your hands with mud? Besides, these medicinal herbs have delicate roots that cannot withstand an inexperienced touch. It's better if I do it myself."

Faced with such blunt rejection, Xiao Lingchuan's gaze gradually darkened. He stood behind her with his hands clasped, his tone carrying a veiled probing.

"Speaking of which, I recall... in the past, your favorite flower was the peony. How is it that now you've taken a liking to these common, unnamed plants?"

Jiang Shuning's hand, gently stroking a tender shoot, paused slightly.

"Peonies are beautiful, but they are too delicate, requiring constant care, and a single storm can turn their petals to mud." Her voice was very calm. "Perhaps it's because someone who has been through death understands how hard it is to live. Compared to those showy but useless ornamental flowers, these common herbs, though unremarkable, are easy to tend and can be used as medicine to save lives. Your Highness, I now prefer tangible, real things I can hold in my hands."

These seemingly offhand words, however, pierced Xiao Lingchuan's heart like needles.

In her past life, she had been as dazzling as a peony, but also as fragile and fleeting.

How he wished she had become easier to tend to!

He prided himself on his flawless calculations, able to see through the intrigues of the court and the schemes of his enemies.

But he alone had failed to understand her.

He had calculated everyone's hearts, yet missed her despair.

Jiang Shuning didn't know how many thoughts were churning in his mind. She simply continued focusing on her small patch of earth.

She didn't notice that Xiao Lingchuan, while she was distracted, swiftly pocketed a few leaves from the plants.

Back in the study, he spread the damp leaves on the desk and ordered in a low voice, "Ling Feng, take these to Divine Physician Sun's estate right away. Have him examine each one thoroughly—identify their nature and effects!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Ling Feng accepted the order, carefully collected the leaves, and left without a moment's delay.

—

It had been less than a month since Xiao Lingchuan married his new Secondary Consorts when the emperor issued a decree for a spring banquet, requiring the attendance of imperial clan members and all court officials above the third rank.

When Prince Jing's carriage arrived, it drew nearly everyone's attention.

Unlike other married princes who brought only a Principal Consort or a favored Secondary Consort, he appeared in an almost ostentatious manner, bringing all four of his newlywed secondary consorts, daughters of aristocratic clans, by his side.

The five of them made for an imposing sight.

Xiao Lingchuan was already strikingly handsome, and with the four richly attired Secondary Consorts at his side, he stood out even more conspicuously.

For a moment, the music seemed to falter as countless gazes—surprised, probing, or envious—fixed upon them.

On the imperial seat, Emperor Xiao Zhengxian, clad in his bright yellow dragon robe, saw this scene. His already pale face, weakened by illness, turned even more ashen.

He himself had only brought the Empress by his side. Xiao Lingchuan's flamboyant display was a direct slap to the Son of Heaven's face.

"Fourth Brother, aren't you being a bit... too conspicuous today?" As they waited to be seated, Seventh Prince Xiao Qiyu slipped over to Xiao Lingchuan, lowering his voice. "Marrying four daughters of major aristocratic clans was already earth-shattering. Now bringing them all to the palace banquet—aren't you openly slapping the emperor's face?"

Xiao Lingchuan snorted coldly, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes. "If I don't keep them by my side, what do you think they'll do if left in the mansion? They'll find a way to torment Shuning. I will never give them that chance."

He paused, his gaze sweeping coldly toward the emperor on the throne, his tone growing even more disdainful. "As for Imperial Brother... if he finds it so grating, he can just take more beauties into his harem. If he gets jealous over something like this, with such a petty mindset, how can he claim to be an emperor?"

Xiao Qiyu instantly shut up.

He had been wrong to speak up in the first place. Now he had only provoked Fourth Brother into uttering even more treasonous words.

Just as everyone settled in, the Sixth Prince, who had long been at odds with Xiao Lingchuan, could no longer contain himself and stood up to launch the first attack.

"Fourth Brother certainly puts on quite a show today!" His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but clear enough for all the imperial clan and high ministers nearby to hear. "Bringing four Secondary Consorts to the banquet at once—are you showing off that you've married the legitimate daughters of the foremost aristocratic clans? Let it be known that His Majesty, the Son of Heaven, currently has only the Empress in his harem. Fourth Brother's behavior is a bit too arrogant, don't you think?"

The accusation was both heavy and sharp.

But Xiao Lingchuan didn't even lift his eyelids. Slowly, he picked up the white jade wine cup from the table, brought it to his lips, took an elegant sip, and then lazily responded, "His Majesty, as the supreme ruler, having only the Empress in his harem is far too sparse and harmful to the critical task of continuing the royal line. In your humble servant's opinion, His Majesty should soon select worthy consorts to fill the harem, for the prosperity of the nation."

At these words, the high ministers and aristocratic clans with eligible daughters in their families immediately chimed in to support him.

"Prince Jing speaks truly! His Majesty must consider the future of the empire!"

"We beg Your Majesty to expand the harem for the continuation of the Daye royal bloodline!"

Xiao Zhengxian's face went from pale to green.

He had been frail since childhood, and he already struggled with matters between men and women. Now being forced to take consorts—how was that any different from public humiliation?

At the critical moment, Empress Gu Wanying rose gracefully and tactfully to defuse the situation.

She offered a slight smile to the crowd and raised her wine glass: "It is not that His Majesty is unwilling to take concubines; rather, I am the one who is jealous and cannot tolerate others. It was I who begged His Majesty to be devoted to me alone. It is my fault. I'll drink this cup in punishment, and I beg you all to stop troubling His Majesty."

With that, she tilted her head back and drained the cup in one gulp, her demeanor resolute, preserving the Emperor's dignity and silencing the crowd's gossip.

The disturbance seemed to have settled.

Beside Xiao Lingchuan's seat, a demure palace maid bowed and stepped forward to refill his empty cup with amber-colored wine.

Having just triumphed in the verbal sparring, he felt an unrivaled sense of triumph. Without a second thought, he raised the cup and drained it in one go.

He did not notice that not far behind him, at the seat of Secondary Consort Wang Bishan, a faint smile of triumph curled the corners of her elaborately painted lips.

Her hand, hidden beneath the table, was already clenched so tightly in excitement that her nails were digging deep into her palm.

In the month since she had married into the prince's residence, Xiao Lingchuan had shown her no regard, not even letting her touch his robe.

Today, she had finally seized her chance.

After tonight, she would make this haughty Prince Jing her devoted follower!