The concubine was charming and alluring, and the ruthless prince coaxed her day and night.

Chapter 90 The Tempting Taste

Inside Yuhua Courtyard.

Lianye angrily cursed, "These people are so opportunistic! The things they give our yard are getting worse and worse!"

Xu Jiaojiao, with her back to the sun, leaned lazily in the rocking chair, holding a cloak in her arms and slowly embroidering it stitch by stitch.

Upon closer inspection, the cloak is still in the style of a men's cloak.

Her once sweet voice now sounded somewhat cold and lonely: "Human relationships have always been cold and fickle. This is just the beginning. There will be many more days in the future when our courtyard will be tripped up and made things difficult for us."

Lianye's eyes were red with anger, and she looked extremely aggrieved: "Are we just going to swallow this insult and suffer in silence?"

Xu Jiaojiao sat up slightly: "Before, because of the Prince's favor, the things the manor gave to our courtyard were much better than what we should have received. Now, we are only given the things that a concubine should receive. How can this be considered a loss?"

Lianye was speechless, feeling utterly helpless.

Although what the master said is true, the master's non-competitive and unambitious nature is really too frustrating.

Seeing Lianye's gloom, Xu Jiaojiao gently comforted her with a smile: "Lianye, are you craving some of my pastries?"

She stood up and took a jade hairpin off her head: "Give this to the gatekeeper and ask him to help me find some flour, vegetable and fruit seeds, and fish fry."

Lianye was stunned: "Flour is fine, but what does Master need seeds and fish fry for?"

Yuhua Courtyard was built according to the standards for a concubine, and its interior space is quite large.

Xu Jiaojiao pointed to the small pond in the courtyard and the open space by the pond where the fierce-toothed creature was playing happily: "Let's plant some fruits and vegetables, and raise some fish in the pond. That way, even if the allowance given to us by the manor is not satisfactory, we can still be self-sufficient."

Lianye was slightly shocked and remained stunned for a while before she came to her senses.

The mistress is already a concubine of noble birth, yet she still has such down-to-earth thoughts. You know, none of the maids who work in the Prince's mansion would ever think of farming.

Although surprised, Lianye felt more moved than anything else.

Her master was truly a good person, hardworking and understanding. If it weren't for that day...

Hey…

Lianye was deeply saddened by her master's passing.

She took the jade hairpin: "Alright, I'll try to get on the good side of the guards at the gate, and have them bring over some seeds and fish fry in the next few days!"

At the entrance of Yuhua Courtyard.

Zhao Yunzheng had been standing there for a while.

He frowned slightly as he listened to the conversation between the master and servant in the courtyard.

He hadn't been to Yuhua Courtyard these past few days and was unaware that the servants in the mansion had been mistreating Xu Jiaojiao.

This woman was clearly wronged, so why would she rather farm by herself than talk to him and ask him to stand up for her?

Is she aware of her mistake and therefore too ashamed to face him?

Zhao Yunzheng felt somewhat relieved.

It's good that you know you were wrong!

If she behaves well in the future, he might consider forgiving her lies.

Seeing that he was standing still, Youde, who was serving him, hesitated for a moment.

What's going on here?

Should we go in or not?

We've already reached the door; has Your Highness changed your mind again?

Just then, the gate creaked open a crack from the inside.

The lotus leaf peeked out, revealing half of its face as it looked outside.

Finding a large shadow blocking her view, Lianye hesitated and slowly moved her gaze upwards along the wall of people in front of her.

When their eyes met, Lianye choked and stood there dumbfounded.

Who is this?

Hell?

What's the prince doing here?

Under Zhao Yunzheng's bewildered yet amused gaze, Lianye was so frightened that she fell to the ground, her face drained of all color.

Hearing the sound, Xu Jiaojiao hesitated and turned around: "Lianye, what's wrong?"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." After choking for a moment, Lianye finally managed to catch her breath.

She pointed to the gate and exclaimed, "The Prince is outside!"

Xu Jiaojiao froze, staring incredulously at the slightly ajar courtyard gate.

Upon hearing Lianye's words, Zhao Yunzheng simply pushed open the door and walked straight into the courtyard.

The familiar scenery instantly evoked Zhao Yunzheng's memories.

A fine, persistent pain returned to my chest.

He glanced sideways at Xu Jiaojiao in the rocking chair, who was also looking at him.

Her face was filled with disbelief and astonishment, her slightly reddened eyes brimming with uncontrollable joy and unease, as if she hadn't expected him to come and didn't know how to face him.

Xu Jiaojiao stood there, stunned, not daring to move, letting the tears in her eyes roll down.

The servants in the courtyard knelt on the ground, all cautiously observing Prince Chen's expression, none daring to utter a sound.

After a long silence, Xu Jiaojiao, her voice trembling, softly called out, "This concubine greets Your Highness..."

Although they lived in the same mansion, Zhao Yunzheng had not seen Xu Jiaojiao for many days.

The woman gazing at him was still stunning, but Zhao Yunzheng could tell at a glance that she had lost weight, had dark circles under her eyes, and her beautiful fox-like eyes were not as bright as before. She looked dejected and had lost her former charm and vitality.

Zhao Yunzheng felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart.

How could a perfectly healthy person become like this?

He took two steps forward, gently stroking Xu Jiaojiao's fair face with his large hand, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

His gentle and tender gesture of wiping away Xu Jiaojiao's tears with his fingertips, however, remained silent as his tightly pursed lips betrayed his lingering anger, making it impossible to fathom his inner thoughts.

Xu Jiaojiao looked at him timidly, her fox-like eyes shimmering with tears, making her look pitiful.

Perhaps because of her nervousness, her breathing was cautious, and even her small nostrils trembled slightly, unconsciously revealing a hint of allure.

Zhao Yunzheng's eyes darkened.

She was truly beautiful, so beautiful that he couldn't forget her, so beautiful that he couldn't control himself, even...

She was so rebellious, yet he couldn't bear to hurt her...

Feeling the warmth of Prince Chen's palm, Xu Jiaojiao's eyes reddened. She gently rubbed against him with a tender and careful affection, like a cat begging for its master's pity, cautious yet uneasy.

"Your Majesty..."

Her soft, sweet voice was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely shattering Zhao Yunzheng's proud self-control.

Zhao Yunzheng bent down slightly, picked up Xu Jiaojiao, and walked straight into the house.

Xu Jiaojiao gasped and instinctively reached out to hug the man's neck, but stopped in fear the moment she reached out. She could only quietly tug at his collar and look at him cautiously.

Sensing Xu Jiaojiao's actions, Zhao Yunzheng's gaze dimmed slightly.

Once inside, Zhao Yunzheng gently placed Xu Jiaojiao on the bed and then bent down.

Xu Jiaojiao's eyelashes trembled.

Without saying a word, Prince Chen carried her into the house as soon as they entered the courtyard. She knew exactly what he wanted to do.

So Prince Chen didn't kill her simply because he liked her body and wanted to keep her around to vent his desires?

A pang of sadness welled up in Xu Jiaojiao's heart.

In the past, Prince Chen loved, respected, and doted on her. He was gentle and restrained in bed and always carefully considered her feelings.

But now that the truth has been revealed, how could the disheartened Prince Chen possibly pity her?

Just thinking about how fierce a man could be when he was angry made Xu Jiaojiao tremble slightly...