"Why so late?" Jiang Changning asked.
"Just before leaving the government office, His Majesty called me back to the palace." Prince Jin said.
"Everything is dependent on you. Those officials in the court are just decorations." Jiang Changning complained.
King Jin smiled, "The more capable, the more work."
Jiang Changning curled his lips, "The capable ones will be exhausted to death. Are you starving? Xiulan, tell them to serve dinner quickly."
"I'm not hungry yet, but you waited for me so late, you must be starving, right?"
"I'm fine, I'm not too hungry." Jiang Changning would never tell him that she had eaten pastries and fish soup and was not hungry at all.
Even though she wasn't hungry waiting for him, she had to make him feel sorry for her after waiting for so long.
As they were talking, the maid prepared dinner and the couple sat opposite each other to eat.
Jiang Changning was used to being lazy. At Rujingyuan, he didn't like to sit upright while dining. He just wanted to do whatever was comfortable for him.
The Prince of Jin doted on her, and when the couple had their meals, they would lie on the big kang next to the window. After eating, she would just lie back and lean on the pillow, feeling very comfortable.
Jiang Changning was just about to ask the maid to bring the parrot in to play with it when suddenly a melodious sound of a piano was heard from outside.
"I wonder who is in such a good mood?" Jiang Changning smiled at Prince Jin, "Your Highness, do you want to go out and take a look?"
The King of Jin got off the kang, put on his shoes, took two steps toward the door, turned around and asked, "Aren't you afraid that I will never come back?"
Jiang Changning pulled the handkerchief and said, "The feet are on the prince's body. If the prince wants to leave, I can't stop him."
"You, woman, you didn't even try to stop him, so how do you know you can't stop him?"
Jiang Changning smiled faintly, "Then I will stop you from leaving."
"Okay, then Your Highness will not leave." Prince Jin walked over to sit beside Jiang Changning, stretched out his hand and took her into his arms, "Chang Youzhong, go see who is playing the zither? Tell her to go back to her yard and play it."
Chang Youzhong responded from outside and went out of the yard to check.
The one playing the piano was one of the ten beauties of Annan, not Ruan Lizhu who had volunteered to serve him in bed last time, but another beauty.
Jiang Changning could not remember these beauties, but Chang Youzhong could not. When he saw the person, he knew her name, Wang Jiao'e, "Lady Wang, what are you doing here?"
Although it is late spring and the weather is warm, he is still wearing such thin clothes and sitting near the wind playing the piano after nightfall. Is he trying to get sick
"I'm feeling depressed, so I'm playing the piano here to calm myself down," Wang Jiao'e replied.
"If you want to play the zither to ease your mood, go back to the courtyard and play it."
Wang Jiao'e's face changed slightly, and she asked sharply, "But the princess ordered you to come out and chase me away?"
"The princess would not care about such trivial matters. It was the prince who told you to go back to your own courtyard and not disturb the peace of the prince and princess here." Chang Youzhong said with a cold face.
"I don't believe it." Wang Jiao'e shouted.
Chang Youzhong sneered and said, "If the beauty refuses to leave, then don't blame us for having someone carry her away."
"You dare!" Wang Jiao'e said in a timid tone.
"I have served the prince for so many years, there is really nothing I dare not do."
"Beauty, please go back to your room." The maid next to her whispered.
"Go back to your room if you want." Wang Jiao'e stamped her feet in anger. "Take the piano and let's go."
"My beauty, listen to my advice. It is better for you to behave yourself in this mansion. If you are not, you will have to live in a farm in the suburbs."
Wang Jiao'e left without looking back, and when she reached the courtyard gate, she met another beauty, Fan Meizhu, who was at odds with her.
"Why are you back? Didn't you see the prince?" Fan Meizhu asked sarcastically.
Wang Jiao'e, who was filled with resentment, raised her hand and slapped her, "How dare you laugh at me?"
Fan Meizhu did not show any weakness and slapped him back.
Wang Jiao'e didn't expect that she would fight back. She covered the half of her face that was hit and stared at him in disbelief, "You dare to hit me?"
"Bitch slave." Wang Jiao'e cursed angrily.
"You are." Fan Meizhu was also angry.
The Fan family was originally a family of officials. Two years ago, Fan's father angered the King of Annan and was demoted to a lowly slave.
The two men wrestled with each other. The other beauties heard the news and came out to watch the fun. They did not try to stop them and instead stopped the maids from trying to stop them.
The three classic moves women use in a fight: pulling hair, scratching face, and stripping clothes.
The two men beat and scolded each other. Wang Jiao'e scolded Fan Meizhu, "Shameless slave, even if you put on gorgeous clothes, you can't change the smell of shamelessness on your body."
Fan Meizhu scolded Wang Jiao'e, "The horny one is called a cat, and even if she comes to your door, the prince won't care about her."
When the two were fighting fiercely, Fu Cui came and asked, "What are you doing?"
Fu Cui was one of the three maids who taught the beauties etiquette. She thought she taught the rules very seriously and managed the beauties very well.
But she didn't expect to be slapped in the face today. Someone actually dared to come to the gate of Rujingyuan to play the piano and curry favor!
Fu Cui, who was not on duty tonight, rolled up her sleeves and came over, but she didn't expect to see an even more unbearable scene.
As soon as Fu Cui arrived, the beauties no longer dared to stop the maid.
With the help of the maids, Wang Jiao'e and Fan Meizhu were finally pulled apart.
The two men had disheveled hair and messy clothes, and their faces were covered with nail marks.
"Miss Fu Cui, she was the first to start. She slapped me and even my face was swollen." Fan Meizhu complained immediately.
"You were the one who mocked me first." Wang Jiao'e refused to be outdone.
"I saw you come back, so I asked you a question out of kindness. Who mocked you? You must be guilty of something."
"You are the one who has something wrong with you."
After a disagreement, the two seemed to be about to fight again.
"Stop it now." Fu Cui roared, "I don't care who started it first, just be quiet."
"And you, who live in the same courtyard with me, instead of trying to persuade us, you just stand by and watch. It's very pretty, isn't it?" Fu Cui glared at the other beauties.
The beauties remained silent, all looking disapproving.
"Stop watching here. There's nothing interesting to see. Go back to your rooms." Fu Cui drove them away.
The beauties dispersed in a hurry, and Wang Jiao'e and Fan Meizhu rushed to say that they hurt here and there, and were injured by each other.
The two of them were still touching their cheeks, and asked in unison: "Will the wound on my face leave a scar?"
"When you were hitting me, why didn't you think about whether it would leave scars?" Fu Cui asked back unhappily.
The two glared at each other angrily. Fu Cui suppressed her anger and said, "You all go back to your rooms. I will report to the princess. The princess will ask a doctor to treat your injuries. As for whether there will be scars."
Fu Cui snorted coldly, "Then it depends on your fate."
The two of them glared at each other again, then held the maid's hand and went back to their room.
"You're really looking for trouble." Fu Cui returned to Rujingyuan angrily.
Jiang Changning knew that the two had started fighting, and chuckled, "The prince's beauty is really lively."
Prince Jin pinched her cheek lightly and said, "What do you mean by the prince's beauty? Even those who are ugly and ugly are not worthy of being called beauties. There is only one beauty in the prince's eyes, and her name is Jiang Changning."
"The beauty and bones are all illusions, the green bamboos are all Dharmakāya, the luxuriant yellow flowers are nothing but Prajna, this body is just a temporary residence."
"Amitabha, this Zen philosophy is thought-provoking. I am grateful for your guidance."
Jiang Changning also clasped his hands together in a serious manner, "Amitabha, Your Majesty has wisdom, and this fairy is willing to enlighten Your Majesty to become an immortal. I wonder if Your Majesty is willing?"
(End of this chapter)