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

Chapter 87 is absolutely forbidden to mention.

The next day.

Zhao Yunzheng requested leave and stayed at home, not attending the morning court session.

Jia Rong was unwilling to accept that he had not been able to stop anyone on the palace road. He turned around and begged his mother for a long time before he finally got the chance to leave the palace to find his second brother.

At that time, Zhao Yunzheng had just returned to the manor with Yingyi after capturing a Qiangwu spy in the south of the city. He hadn't even taken off his blood-stained clothes when a servant came to report that Princess Jiarong had come to visit.

Looking at the palace eunuchs, Zhao Yunzheng frowned slightly.

Jia Rong is mischievous and usually chooses to sneak out of the palace. This is the first time he has come to visit so formally.

Zhao Yunzheng nodded slightly: "Bring Jia Rong in."

After saying that, he turned around and went into the inner room to change into a clean set of clothes.

When he came out of the inner room, Jia Rong was already drinking tea in the study.

The freshly brewed hot tea, with its rising steam, filled the entire room with the refreshing scent of pine-covered mountains and mist.

Zhao Yunzheng's eyelashes trembled, and he unexpectedly thought of Xu Jiaojiao.

Since Xu Jiaojiao came into his life, he has rarely drunk tea. Xu Jiaojiao said that drinking too much tea would worsen insomnia, and that prolonged lack of sleep would damage the liver and kidneys, which would be detrimental to health.

Nowadays, his teacup is filled with medicinal drinks carefully prepared by Xu Jiaojiao.

Zhao Yunzheng looked at Jia Rong, his face cold and hard: "Where did you find this tea?"

Jia Rong was startled by his second brother's harsh tone, and somewhat confusedly pointed to the bookshelf: "While waiting for you, I was bored and decided to find a book to read. I happened to see two cans of tea, so I thought I'd make myself a cup of tea."

I recognize this jar of Songshan Yunwu tea. The other jar smells quite fragrant, but I've never seen it before. To avoid drinking something I shouldn't, I just brewed some of your Songshan Yunwu tea. What's wrong with that?

Zhao Yunzheng looked in the direction Jia Rong was pointing.

There were indeed two jars on the bookshelf, one containing Songshan Yunwu (a type of herbal drink), and the other containing a medicinal drink that Xu Jiaojiao had made for him.

With just one glance, Zhao Yunzheng looked away, his face grim: "Next time, you are not allowed to rummage through my things without my permission!"

Jia Rong: "???"

It's just a can of tea.

Her second brother always dotes on her and indulges her in everything. What's wrong with him today?

Jia Rong's eyes darted around, and she tentatively asked, "What? Did Sister Jiao Jiao give you this tea?"

Mentioning Xu Jiaojiao made Zhao Yunzheng's face even uglier, his entire face stiffening: "If you have something to say, say it. What do you want by coming to my residence?"

Tsk, you can't even mention Sister Jiaojiao...

It seems I can't talk to him about Sister Jiao Jiao directly; I'll have to take a roundabout approach.

Jia Rong blinked and curiously approached his second brother: "Second brother, the autumn hunt is in half a month. Are you confident you can win first place this year?"

Zhao Yunzheng gave Jia Rong a strange look, his thin lips pursed, and he remained silent.

Jia Rong stammered awkwardly, "Well, I just wanted to ask, Second Brother, with so many sisters-in-law in your household, have you decided which ones you'll take to the hunting grounds?"

"Ah…"

Zhao Yunzheng gave a cold laugh.

He knew his younger sister so well that he could tell what kind of poop Jia Rong was going to take the moment she bent over.

No one knows what kind of bewitching potion Xu Jiaojiao gave Jia Rong, but Jia Rong actually ran out of the palace to mediate for her.

This woman is really cunning; she even has the people around him completely under her thumb!

Zhao Yunzheng was annoyed and simply said, "I'm not bringing anyone."

After saying that, he sat down at his desk with little expression and began to read through the official documents one by one.

"hiss…"

Jia Rong was turned away and felt he couldn't continue the conversation.

It seems that the second brother and Jiaojiao are having quite a fight.

What should I do?

Jia Rong's eyes darted around, and she moved closer to Zhao Yunzheng: "Second Brother, do you have any pastries in your study? I'm hungry!"

Although Zhao Yunzheng looked unwell, he still readily complied with Jia Rong's requests: "Youde, go and fetch some pastries."

Youde responded and went to fetch the pastries.

There was a small kitchen inside the Mingqian Courtyard, so Youde returned quickly.

Upon opening the food box, a familiar, sweet aroma filled his nostrils. Jia Rong's eyes lit up, and he immediately grabbed a piece and started eating.

As she ate, she smacked her lips and secretly observed her second brother's expression.

Seeing that her second brother was clearly starting to lose focus, a hint of triumph flashed in her eyes.

"I could eat this until I'm a hundred and never get tired of it! It's just so delicious!"

Jia Rong picked up a piece and held it to her second brother's lips: "Second brother, you're so lucky to have such delicious pastries every day!"

She never mentioned Xu Jiaojiao in her sentences, but every word she spoke was inseparable from Xu Jiaojiao.

The aroma of the pastries hit Zhao Yunzheng right in the head, and he thought of Xu Jiaojiao again.

These pastries were made by Xu Jiaojiao overnight the night before she went to Nanjun.

She was afraid that she wouldn't eat well or be used to the food in Nanjun, so she did a lot of things.

He didn't share it with his subordinates, and Yingyi was lucky enough to get two pieces. He kept the rest for himself to eat slowly, so when he returned from Nanjun, there was still half a box of pastries left uneaten.

Youde, you blind fool, why did you bring this half-box of pastries!

Zhao Yunzheng cursed Youde in his heart, unaware that he himself was used to eating Xu Jiaojiao's pastries. Now, the only pastries in the courtyard were made by Xu Jiaojiao, and it had been a long time since they had brought in pastries from elsewhere.

Seeing that his second brother remained unmoved and his expression tightened even more, Jia Rong awkwardly put down the pastries.

It seems that my second brother is really angry this time.

After a moment's thought, Jia Rong decided to ask directly, even though he knew his second brother probably wouldn't tell him.

"Second brother, did you and Sister Jiaojiao have a fight?"

Jia Rong, who had been all smiles just moments before, cautiously probed with obvious concern.

Zhao Yunzheng's brow twitched: "Are you alright? If not, I'll send someone to escort you back to the palace right now and instruct the Empress Dowager to discipline you strictly!"

Jia Rong immediately became furious: "You bastard!"

Yu-de, who was standing nearby, quickly pulled Jia-rong aside, signaling her to stop talking.

Youde is the eunuch by my second brother's side, so he must know some inside information. There must be a reason why he stopped me.

After a moment's thought, Jia Rong decided to settle for second best and try to find out some information from Sister Jiao Jiao: "Second Brother, I want to go see Sister Jiao Jiao."

Zhao Yunzheng pursed his thin lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing for a moment.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Jia Rong pulled You De straight out: "Second brother, if you don't say anything, I'll take it as a yes. Lend me your eunuch You De for a while. After you take me to Yu Hua Courtyard, I'll have him come back to serve you!"

Although Zhao Yunzheng's face was gloomy, he ultimately said nothing.

On the way to Mingqian Courtyard, Youde advised Jiarong: "Your Highness, please listen to this old servant's advice. You should not get involved in the matter between the Prince and Consort Xu. After all, when it comes to matters of the heart, outsiders can easily add fuel to the fire."

Although Jia Rong felt that You De's words made sense, she still couldn't let go of the matter and wanted to figure out what exactly happened between the two of them.

After all, Xu Jiaojiao's money-making skills were truly amazing, and she really couldn't bear to give up those shops that made a fortune every day, as well as those various kinds of pastries and tea drinks.

Inside the Mingqian Courtyard.

Although Jia Rong was gone, Zhao Yunzheng still couldn't calm down. He couldn't concentrate on reading any of the official documents piled up on his desk...