Chapter 73

Walking with Zhao Fujin under the umbrella, Zhao Yougong inevitably faced some scolding along the way. He accepted it with a smile, thinking, "Would a few curses take a piece of flesh off?"

Zhao Xiaojunwang's rascally face was something Zhao Fujin had seen many times, but she still couldn't help but nag, "Lingge, are you interested in the Zhu family's daughter?"

Facing Zhao Fujin's questioning, Zhao Yougong raised his eyebrows and asked with a surprised look, "Fourth Sister, did you guess so accurately?"

"Hmph!" Turning her head away, Zhao Fujin continued walking with her hands behind her back, muttering to herself. "Would Lingge be so kind as to give his carriage to someone else? If he had no intentions, who would believe it?" But then, she thought, "Lingge is already sixteen this year, and according to the rules, he should get married. If he really wants to marry the Zhu family's daughter, it wouldn't be a bad choice."

"Lingge, if you truly want to marry the Zhu family's daughter, you should make proper arrangements. Don't act recklessly like before!"

There was some worry in Zhao Fujin's words. She had little confidence in Lingge marrying the Zhu family's daughter. Lingge's reputation was well-known, and few women would be willing to marry such a person.

"Don't worry, I have my plans. If it's possible, I'll send someone to propose to the Zhu family!"

No matter what, since Zhao Fujin had brought up the matter, Zhao Yougong had to respond. For a woman like Zhu Lian, it was unrealistic to say he had no intentions, but just because he had thoughts, could he make them come true? Moreover, he still didn't know what Zhu Lian thought. This woman had her own mind, and her request to read books in Kaifeng was already hard to fathom.

As noon approached, the siblings parted ways on the street and each returned home.

Entering the back hall, the twin sisters were not there, so Zhao Yougong lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. Today's interaction with Zhu Lian made him feel even more that this woman was different. Why did she want to read books in Kaifeng? Did she see something, or was it just for the books?

Thinking about it, Zhao Yougong shook his head helplessly, realizing he was confused.

A sound of footsteps came, and Mu Xue entered happily. Seeing Zhao Yougong on the bed, she asked in a sweet voice, "Prince, why are you back so early today?"

"Hehe, I'm hungry..."

"..." Mu Xue covered her mouth and giggled, "That girl wants to see you!"

"Oh, I almost forgot about her. Can she get up?"

"Yes, although she's not fully recovered, she can sit up now!"

"Let's go see!" Jumping off the bed, he reached out and hugged Mu Xue's slender waist. Her slim waist was very alluring, and if it weren't daytime, he would have wanted to do more.

Mu Xue was already used to Zhao Xiaojunwang's style, so she leaned on his shoulder contentedly, her breath warm in his ear.

The two were affectionate, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the room. Mu Chun stood up and gave a casual bow, smiling slightly, "I thought the Prince would spend more time with the Imperial Princess."

"It's raining, where else could we go?" As he spoke, his eyes fell on the girl. After a bath, the girl looked much fresher. She was very thin, with wrists as delicate as lotus stems, almost just bones and a thin layer of skin. Her face was still quite pretty, but she was very thin, with sunken eye sockets, dry, cracked lips, and two scars on her nose, showing how much she had suffered.

The girl seemed to remember Zhao Yougong. She knelt on the bed, bowing her head repeatedly, her throat trembling, but only making coughing sounds.

She raised her head, her long hair disheveled and slightly purple. Her hair was very dry, like dried grass. Her eyes showed sadness but also determination, with no sign of tears.

A girl of twelve or thirteen, having suffered at the hands of Nie Mazi, did not cry. Why?

When the heart is dead, there is no pain!

People who have come out of despair no longer know what tears are. Frowning, Zhao Yougong asked gently, "What's your name?"

The girl looked at Zhao Yougong and shook her head firmly.

No name? Or doesn't want to say? Zhao Yougong didn't want to force her, so he sighed and smiled bitterly, "Fine, it was the ninth day yesterday, so from now on, you'll be called Ajiu!"

Not knowing what else to say, Zhao Yougong turned to leave. Mu Chun asked, "Prince, what should we do with this girl?"

"Let's see. In a few days, I'll talk to Fourth Sister and see what she thinks."

Leaving a stranger in the Chu王府 was not a good idea, so Zhao Yougong wanted to pass this trouble to Zhao Fujin. As soon as he said this, the girl on the bed got up, barefoot, trying to come over, but her body was weak, and she fell to the ground. She crawled like a wolf dog to Zhao Yougong's feet.

Hugging Zhao Yougong's legs, Ajiu shook her head, her eyes full of panic.

"You don't want to leave?"

Ajiu nodded seriously, a hint of joy on her thin face. Zhao Yougong was at a loss. If he had known this, he would have given Ajiu to Zhao Fujin. Zhao Yougong didn't dare refuse, for fear of what Ajiu might do.

"Mu Chun, let her stay in the side courtyard for now!"

Zhao Yougong wanted Ajiu to stay in the side courtyard with Ying Ruo, with his own thoughts. In the large mansion, the only person he trusted besides Ying Ruo was no one else. Sometimes, he was short-handed. Ajiu had experienced a lot, and to her, he was like a savior. If used well, Ajiu could help him a lot.

Mu Chun had no objections, as letting Ajiu work in the side courtyard was the best choice.

The next morning, Zhao Yougong went to Kaifeng Prefecture. In the back hall stood a young man in blue, who bowed to Zhao Yougong, "Is the Prince well?"

Zhao Yougong smiled helplessly, circling the young man in blue, and said with a sigh, "Lady, if you want to come, why dress like this?"

"Kaifeng Prefecture is not a place for idle people. Zhu Lian came here dressed as a man to avoid trouble."

The young man in blue was naturally Zhu Lian. Zhao Yougong hadn't expected her to come so quickly, but he was pleased to see her. He immediately invited Zhu Lian to sit in the hall and called for Gong Sun Kang.

Gong Sun Kang had been in Kaifeng Prefecture for over ten years and was a shrewd person. As soon as the young man in blue arrived, he knew it was a woman. However, since Zhao Xiaojunwang liked it, he didn't want to meddle.

"Zhu... Sir, this is Chief Clerk Gong Sun. If you want to read any books, just find him!"

Zhu Lian stood up and bowed, "Chief Clerk Gong Sun, I will trouble you in the future!"

"Hehe, no problem, no problem. The Prince has already told me about your request. You can read any books in the prefecture, as long as you don't take them out!"

Gong Sun Kang was smooth in his response, and Zhu Lian, following his lead, smiled, "Thank you, Chief Clerk Gong Sun. Could you show me the 'Qi Min Yao Shu'?"

Gong Sun Kang remained calm, but Zhao Yougong was shocked. The 'Qi Min Yao Shu' was written by Jia Sixie during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, mainly about agricultural production and food storage, with no relation to the law. Why did Zhu Lian want to read this book?

In fact, if not for Zhu Lian's request, Zhao Yougong wouldn't have known that such an important book was in Kaifeng Prefecture. Soon, Gong Sun Kang led Zhu Lian to the archive, which was complex, containing case files, legal books, and some miscellaneous works from previous dynasties.

It was truly hard to understand what Zhu Lian was up to. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became, but following her all the time was not practical, which was quite a headache.

For several days, Zhu Lian became a regular visitor to Kaifeng Prefecture. Most people had their suspicions, thinking that this Zhu family's daughter might become the future princess. If the Prince didn't have any ulterior motives, who would believe it?

As usual, he put on his official clothes and was about to go to the prefecture to pass the day, but he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Ajiu, out of breath, standing there. She was dressed as a servant, her long hair tied up with a simple cloth. After a few days, Ajiu looked healthier, but she was still very weak.

Xiao San scratched his head and smiled in a showy way, "Hehe, Ajiu, what are you up to?"

Ajiu ignored Xiao San and started making gestures with her mouth open, "Ah, ah, ah." Zhao Yougong, being a normal person, couldn't understand sign language. After a while, he realized Ajiu wanted to serve him.

Zhao Yougong didn't mind Ajiu's request, but Xiao San was a bit upset, fearing that Ajiu would take his position as the Prince's favorite.

Kaifeng Prefecture was still the same. Arriving at the prefecture, Zhao Yougong lay on a small wooden bed and drank tea. Xiao San and Ajiu stayed with him for a while, then left when Zhu Lian arrived.

Although Zhu Lian was dressed as a man, the crescent moon on her forehead and her elegant demeanor revealed her true identity.

Zhao Yougong had seen many beautiful women, like Li Shishi, Nian Nuer, Ying Ruo, Yu Rou, Chai Keyan, and Mu Wanqing, but compared to Zhu Lian, they all lacked something. Zhu Lian was gentle and graceful, her every move like a delicate orchid, transcending the mundane world.

Drinking tea, Zhao Yougong pouted, "Lady, are you really here to read books?"

Zhu Lian smiled inwardly, understanding Zhao Xiaojunwang's meaning, but pretended not to know, maintaining a calm demeanor, "Oh? Does the Prince have something more interesting?"

"Um... What does Lady think of me? Do I meet your standards?"

Zhao Yougong sat up straight, his left hand supporting his chin, his right hand on his forehead, his eyes fixed on Zhu Lian.

To his surprise, Zhu Lian's beautiful eyes twinkled, and a complex smile appeared on her lips, "The Prince is indeed handsome and elegant!"

"..." Zhao Yougong grimaced, not feeling this was a compliment. Was Zhu Lian the type to care about appearances? It seemed there was more to her words.

While he was thinking about how to respond, he saw Xie Dahuizi rush in, panting, "Prince... You should go see... Ajiu... Ajiu went to the prison..."